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As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on April 29, 2022

Securities Act Registration No. 333-234544

Investment Company Act Registration No. 811-23439

 

 

 

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

 

 

FORM N-1A

 

REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

 

  Pre-Effective Amendment No.   __
  Post-Effective Amendment No. 27

 

and/or

 

REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE INVESTMENT COMPANY ACT OF 1940

 

  Amendment No.  29

 

ETF OPPORTUNITIES TRUST

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Charter)

 

Karen Shupe
Commonwealth Fund Services, Inc.
8730 Stony Point Parkway, Suite 205
Richmond, VA 23235
(804) 267-7400

(Address and Telephone Number of Principal Executive Offices)

 

 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

 

It is proposed that this filing will become effective:

 

  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)
  __________ 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.

 

 

 

 

Applied Finance Valuation Large Cap ETF

 

PROSPECTUS 

May 1, 2022

 

This prospectus describes the Applied Finance Valuation Large Cap ETF which is authorized to offer one class of shares by this prospectus.

 

Fund Ticker Principal U.S. Listing
Exchange
     
Applied Finance Valuation Large Cap ETF VSLU NYSE Arca

 

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has not approved or disapproved these securities or passed upon the accuracy or adequacy of this Prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.


  

 

 

Table of Contents

 

FUND SUMMARY – Applied Finance Valuation Large Cap ETF 1
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE FUND’S INVESTMENTS 6
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT RISK 7
MANAGEMENT 12
HOW TO BUY AND SELL SHARES 14
FREQUENT PURCHASES AND REDEMPTIONS OF FUND SHARES 15
DIVIDENDS, OTHER DISTRIBUTIONS AND TAXES 16
FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS 20
FOR MORE INFORMATION 22

 

  

 

 

FUND SUMMARY – Applied Finance Valuation Large Cap ETF

 

Investment Objective

 

The Applied Finance Valuation Large Cap ETF (the “Fund”) seeks long-term capital appreciation.

 

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

 

This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold and sell shares of the Fund. Investors purchasing shares on a national securities exchange, national securities association, or over-the-counter trading system where shares may trade from time to time (each, a “Secondary Market”) may be subject to customary brokerage commissions charged by their broker that are not reflected in the table and example set forth below.

 

Annual Fund Operating Expenses 
(expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
      
Management Fee(1)   0.49% 
Other Expenses   None  
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses   0.49% 

 

(1)Under the Investment Advisory Agreement, Applied Finance Advisors, LLC (the “Adviser”), at its own expense and without reimbursement from the Fund, pays all of the expenses of the Fund, excluding the advisory fees, interest expenses, taxes, acquired fund fees and expenses, brokerage commissions and any other portfolio transaction related expenses and fees arising out of transactions effected on behalf of the Fund, credit facility fees and expenses, including interest expenses, and litigation and indemnification expenses and other extraordinary expenses not incurred in the ordinary course of the Fund’s business.

 

Example

 

This example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other 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 Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

 

Name of Fund 1 Year 3 Years 5 Years 10 Years
Applied Finance Valuation Large Cap ETF $50 $157 $274 $616

 

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 annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance. For the Fund’s most recent fiscal period from April 29, 2021 to December 31, 2021, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 30.04% of the average value of its portfolio.

 

1 

 

 

Principal Investment Strategies

 

Under normal circumstances, the Fund will invest at least 80% of its net assets in equity securities of large cap companies. The Fund defines large cap companies as companies with market capitalizations of $5 billion or more, measured at the time of purchase. In choosing investments, the Adviser typically selects large cap equity securities that it believes offer superior return potential and may consider, among other factors, a company’s valuation, projected future earnings, dividends, financing activity, growth potential, recent performance, and business strategy. To select securities for the Fund, the Adviser utilizes its proprietary research and valuation models that employ the factors described above to identify appropriate securities for the Fund.

 

The Adviser anticipates generally holding at least 200 different positions in the Fund’s portfolio. Although the Fund generally holds at least 200 different positions across a broad spectrum of sectors, it may at times take larger positions (greater than 5%) in certain holdings and/or sectors when its research and valuation models indicate that such investments are appropriate. As a result, the Fund will operate as a “non-diversified” fund, which means it can invest in fewer securities at any one time than a diversified fund.

 

The Fund may also invest in small and mid-cap companies, convertible securities, preferred stocks, rights and warrants.

 

The Adviser will typically sell a company from the Fund’s portfolio when the Adviser believes it no longer offers superior investment potential. The Adviser may also sell positions that have grown too large relative to the overall portfolio. The Fund’s investments will be the responsibility of the Adviser and the Fund’s sub-adviser, Toroso Asset Management (the “Sub-Adviser”).

 

Principal Risks

 

As with all funds, a shareholder is subject to the risk that his or her investment could lose money. The principal risks affecting shareholders’ investments in the Fund are set forth below. An investment in the Fund is not a bank deposit and is not insured or guaranteed by the FDIC or any government agency.

 

Equity Securities Risk. Since it purchases equity securities, the Fund is subject to the risk that stock prices will fall over short or extended periods of time. Historically, the equity markets have moved in cycles, and the value of the Fund’s equity securities may fluctuate from day to day. Individual companies may report poor results or be negatively affected by industry and/or economic trends and developments. The prices of securities issued by such companies may suffer a decline in response. These factors contribute to price volatility, which is a principal risk of investing in the Fund.

 

Market Risk. The value of securities in the Fund’s overall portfolio will fluctuate and, as a result, the Fund’s share price may decline suddenly or over a sustained period.

 

2 

 

 

Management Risk. The strategies used by the Adviser may fail to produce the intended result.

 

Large Cap Risk. Larger, more established companies may be unable to attain the high growth rates of successful, smaller companies during periods of economic expansion.

 

Risks of Investment Selection. The Fund’s investment success depends on the skill of the Adviser in evaluating, selecting, and monitoring the portfolio assets. If the Adviser’s conclusions about growth rates or securities values are incorrect, the Fund may not perform as anticipated.

 

Risk of Other Equity Securities. Other equity securities in which the Fund may invest include convertible securities, preferred securities, rights and warrants.

 

Convertible Securities. Convertible securities are subject to the risks and price fluctuations of the underlying stock. They may be subject to the risk that the issuer will not be able to pay interest or dividends when due and their market value may change based on changes in the issuer’s credit rating or the market’s perception of the issuer’s creditworthiness. Some convertible preferred stocks have a conversion or call feature that allows the issuer to redeem the stock before the conversion date, which could diminish the potential for capital appreciation on the investment.

 

Preferred Securities. The fixed dividend rate of preferred stocks may cause their prices to behave more like those of debt securities. If interest rates rise, the value of preferred stock having a fixed dividend rate tends to fall. Preferred stock generally ranks behind debt securities in claims for dividends and assets of the issuer in a liquidation or bankruptcy.

 

Rights and Warrants. The price of a warrant does not necessarily move parallel to the price of the underlying security and is generally more volatile than that of the underlying security. Rights are similar to warrants, but normally have a shorter duration. The market for rights or warrants may be very limited and it may be difficult to sell them promptly at an acceptable price. Rights and warrants have no voting rights, receive no dividends and have no rights with respect to the assets of the issuer.

 

Sector Risk. Sector risk is the possibility that securities within the same group of industries will decline in price due to sector-specific market or economic developments. If the Fund invests more heavily in a sector, the value of its shares may be especially sensitive to factors and economic risks that specifically affect that sector.

 

Non-Diversification Risk. The Fund is a non-diversified portfolio, which means that it has the ability to take larger positions in a smaller number of securities than a portfolio that is “diversified.” Non-diversification increases the risk that the value of the Fund could go down because of the poor performance of a single investment or limited number of investments.

 

ETF Structure Risk. The Fund is structured as an ETF and as a result is subject to special risks, including:

 

         Trading Issues Risk. Although it is expected that shares of the Fund will remain listed for trading on NYSE Arca (the “Exchange”), trading in Fund shares on the Exchange may be halted due to market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of the Exchange, make trading in Fund shares inadvisable, such as extraordinary market volatility. There can be no assurance that Fund shares will continue to meet the listing requirements of the Exchange or will trade with any volume. There is no guarantee that an active secondary market will develop for shares of the Fund. In stressed market conditions, the liquidity of shares of the Fund may begin to mirror the liquidity of the Fund’s underlying portfolio holdings, which can be significantly less liquid than shares of the Fund. This adverse effect on liquidity for the Fund’s shares in turn could lead to differences between the market price of the Fund’s shares and the underlying value of those Shares.

 

3 

 

 

         Market Price Variance Risk. The market prices of shares of the Fund will fluctuate in response to changes in the Fund’s net asset value (“NAV”) and supply and demand for Fund shares and will include a “bid-ask spread” charged by the exchange specialists, market makers or other participants that trade the particular security. There may be times when the market price and the NAV vary significantly. This means that Fund shares may trade at a discount to NAV. The market price of Shares may deviate from the value of the Fund’s underlying portfolio holdings, particularly in times of market stress, with the result that investors may pay significantly more or receive significantly less than the underlying value of the shares of the Fund bought or sold.

 

         Authorized Participants (“APs”), Market Makers, and Liquidity Providers Risk. The Fund has a limited number of financial institutions that may act as APs. In addition, there may be a limited number of market makers and/or liquidity providers in the marketplace. To the extent either of the following events occur, shares of the Fund may trade at a material discount to NAV and possibly face delisting: (i) APs exit the business or otherwise become unable to process creation and/or redemption orders and no other APs step forward to perform these services, or (ii) market makers and/or liquidity providers exit the business or significantly reduce their business activities and no other entities step forward to perform their functions.

 

         Costs of Buying or Selling Shares of the Fund. Due to the costs of buying or selling shares of the Fund, including brokerage commissions imposed by brokers and bid/ask spreads, frequent trading of shares of the Fund may significantly reduce investment results and an investment in shares of the Fund may not be advisable for investors who anticipate regularly making small investments.

 

Mid and Small Capitalization Stock Risk. The value of mid and small capitalization company stocks may be subject to more abrupt or erratic market movements than those of larger, more established companies or the market averages in general.

 

4 

 

 

Performance History

 

The Fund 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 Fund’s performance from year to year and by showing the Fund’s average annual returns for certain time periods as compared to 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.

 

Updated performance information for the Fund, including its current net asset value per share, is available by calling toll-free 833-356-0909.

 

Investment Adviser and Sub-Adviser

 

Applied Finance Advisors, LLC (the “Adviser”) is the investment adviser to the Fund.

 

Toroso Asset Management (the “Sub-Adviser”) is the sub-adviser to the Fund.

 

Portfolio Managers

 

Adviser’s Portfolio Managers: Paul Blinn, Managing Member of the Adviser, and Rafael Resendes, Managing Member of the Adviser, have served as the Fund’s portfolio managers since its inception.

 

Sub-Adviser’s Portfolio Managers: Michael Venuto, Co-Founder and Chief Investment Officer of the Sub-Adviser, and Charles A. Ragauss, CFA, Portfolio Manager and Head of Trading of the Sub-Adviser, have served as the Fund’s portfolio managers since its inception.

 

Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares

 

The Fund will issue (or redeem) Shares to certain institutional investors (typically market makers or other broker-dealers) only in large blocks of at least 25,000 Shares known as “Creation Units.” Creation Unit transactions are typically conducted in exchange for the deposit or delivery of in-kind securities and/or cash. Individual Shares may only be purchased and sold on a national securities exchange through a broker-dealer. You can purchase and sell individual Shares of the Fund throughout the trading day like any publicly traded security. The Fund’s Shares are listed on the Exchange (i.e., NYSE Arca). The price of the Fund’s Shares is based on market price, and because exchange-traded fund shares trade at market prices rather than NAV, Shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (premium) or less than NAV (discount). Except when aggregated in Creation Units, the Fund’s Shares are not redeemable securities.

 

Tax Information

 

The Fund’s distributions will be taxed as ordinary income or capital gain, 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.

 

5 

 

 

Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries

 

If you purchase shares of the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Fund and its related companies may pay the intermediary for the sale of Fund shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other financial intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.

 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE FUND’S INVESTMENTS

 

The investment objective for the Applied Finance Valuation Large Cap ETF is to seek long-term capital appreciation. The Fund’s investment objective may be changed by the Board of Trustees (the “Board”) of ETF Opportunities Trust (the “Trust”) without shareholder approval upon 60 days’ written notice to shareholders.

 

ETFs are funds that trade like other publicly-traded securities. Unlike shares of a mutual fund, which can be bought and redeemed from the issuing fund by all shareholders at a price based on NAV, shares of the Fund may be purchased or redeemed directly from the Fund at NAV solely by Authorized Participants and only in aggregations of a specified number of shares Creation Units. Also, unlike shares of a mutual fund, shares of the Fund are listed on a national securities exchange and trade in the secondary market at market prices that change throughout the day.

 

The Fund is actively managed and does not seek to replicate an index. The Fund is classified as “non-diversified” for purposes of the 1940 Act, which means it can take larger positions in a limited number of holdings.

 

Under normal circumstances, the Fund will invest at least 80% of its net assets in equity securities of large cap companies. The Fund defines large cap companies as companies with market capitalizations of $5 billion or more, measured at the time of purchase. In choosing investments, the Adviser typically selects large cap equity securities that it believes offer superior return potential and may consider, among other factors, a company’s valuation, projected future earnings, dividends, financing activity, growth potential, recent performance, and business strategy. To select securities for the Fund, the Adviser utilizes its proprietary research and valuation models that employ the factors described above to identify appropriate securities for the Fund

 

As part of the Adviser’s investment process, it will calculate an intrinsic value for companies in the Fund’s investable universe to understand their attractiveness for possible investment. This valuation process considers, among other factors, a company’s profitability, competition, growth rate and cost of capital.

 

The Adviser anticipates generally holding at least 200 different positions in the Fund’s portfolio. The Fund’s portfolio will primarily consist of large cap companies but, at times, it may have exposure to mid and small cap companies that the Adviser believes offer superior return potential. Although the Fund generally will hold at least 200 different positions across a broad spectrum of sectors, it may at times take larger positions (greater than 5%) in certain holdings and/or sectors when its research and valuation models indicate that such investments are appropriate. The Fund will operate as a non-diversified fund which means it can take larger positions in a limited number of holdings. The Adviser abstains from making sector bets and instead focuses its effort on identifying individual stocks that will outperform the overall market. 

 

6 

 

 

The Fund may also invest in convertible securities, preferred stocks and rights and warrants. A convertible security is a security that may be converted either at a stated price or rate within a specified period of time into a specified number of shares of common stock. By investing in convertible securities, the Fund seeks the opportunity, through the conversion feature, to participate in the capital appreciation of the common stock into which the securities are convertible, while investing at a better price than may be available on the common stock or obtaining a higher fixed rate of return than is available on common stock. The value of a convertible stock security is a function of its “investment value” (determined by its yield in comparison with the yields of other securities of comparable maturity and quality that do not have a conversion privilege) and its “conversion value” (the security’s worth, at market value, if converted into the underlying common stock). The Fund’s investment in preferred stocks, which are unlike common stocks, offer a stated dividend rate payable from a corporation’s earnings. Investments by the Fund in warrants and rights act in a similar manner as call options because they offer the Fund the right to purchase equity securities at a specific price during the life of the warrant and right and are valid for a specific period of time (generally 2 or more years for warrants). Rights are similar to warrants, but normally have a short duration and are distributed by the issuer to its shareholders.

 

The Adviser will typically sell a company from the Fund’s portfolio when the Adviser believes it no longer offers superior investment potential. The Adviser may also sell positions that have grown too large relative to the overall portfolio.

 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT RISK

 

It is important that you closely review and understand the risks of investing in the Fund. The Fund’s 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. Below are some of the specific risks of investing in the Fund.

 

Principal Risks

 

Equity Securities Risk. Since it purchases equity securities, the Fund is subject to the risk that stock prices will fall over short or extended periods of time. Historically, the equity markets have moved in cycles, and the value of the Fund’s equity securities may fluctuate from day to day. Individual companies may report poor results or be negatively affected by industry and/or economic trends and developments. The prices of securities issued by such companies may suffer a decline in response. These factors contribute to price volatility, which is a principal risk of investing in the Fund. Investments in equity securities may be more volatile than investments in other asset classes.

 

7 

 

 

Market Risk. The value of securities in the Fund’s overall portfolio will fluctuate and, as a result, the Fund’s share price may decline suddenly or over a sustained period. The Fund’s investments may decline in value due to factors affecting individual issuers (such as the results of supply and demand), or sectors within the securities markets. The value of a security or other investment also may go up or down due to general market conditions that are not specifically related to a particular issuer, such as real or perceived adverse economic conditions, changes in interest rates or exchange rates, or adverse investor sentiment generally. In addition, unexpected events, such as the spread of diseases; natural, environmental or man-made disasters; financial, political or social disruptions; terrorism and war; and other tragedies or catastrophes, can cause investor fear and panic, which can adversely affect companies, sectors, nations, regions and the market in general, in ways that cannot necessarily be foreseen. During a general downturn in the securities markets, many asset classes may decline in value. When markets perform well, there can be no assurance that securities or other investments held by the Fund will participate in or otherwise benefit from the advance. A reduction in a country’s growth rate could have an adverse effect on the prices of the various stocks held by the Fund.

 

Management Risk. The strategies used by the Adviser may fail to produce the intended result. The Fund will be actively managed and could experience losses (realized and unrealized) if the Adviser’s judgment about markets, interest rates or the attractiveness, relative values, liquidity, or potential appreciation of particular investments made for the Fund’s portfolio prove to be incorrect. There can be no guarantee that the investment strategies or the Adviser’s actions as it relates to investment decisions for the Fund will produce the desired results. Additionally, legislative, regulatory, or tax developments may affect the Fund’s investment strategies and therefore adversely affect the ability of the Fund to achieve its investment objective.

 

Large Cap Risk. Larger, more established companies may be unable to attain the high growth rates of successful, smaller companies during periods of economic expansion. Large cap companies may be less able than mid and small cap companies to adapt to changing market conditions. During different market cycles, the performance of large cap companies has trailed the overall performance of the broader securities markets.

 

Risks of Investment Selection. The Fund’s investment success depends on the skill of the Adviser in evaluating, selecting, and monitoring the portfolio assets. If the Adviser’s conclusions about growth rates or securities values are incorrect, the Fund may not perform as anticipated. Additionally, the Adviser may not implement the investment strategy successfully and the Fund may fail to attract sufficient assets to realize economies of scale.

 

Risk of Other Equity Securities. Other equity securities in which the Fund may invest include convertible securities, preferred securities, rights and warrants.

 

Convertible Securities. Convertible securities are subject to the risks and price fluctuations of the underlying stock. They may be subject to the risk that the issuer will not be able to pay interest or dividends when due and their market value may change based on changes in the issuer’s credit rating or the market’s perception of the issuer’s creditworthiness. Some convertible preferred stocks have a conversion or call feature that allows the issuer to redeem the stock before the conversion date, which could diminish the potential for capital appreciation on the investment.

 

8 

 

 

Preferred Securities. The fixed dividend rate of preferred stocks may cause their prices to behave more like those of debt securities. If interest rates rise, the value of preferred stock having a fixed dividend rate tends to fall. Preferred stock generally ranks behind debt securities in claims for dividends and assets of the issuer in a liquidation or bankruptcy.

 

Rights and Warrants. The price of a warrant does not necessarily move parallel to the price of the underlying security and is generally more volatile than that of the underlying security. Rights are similar to warrants, but normally have a shorter duration. The market for rights or warrants may be very limited and it may be difficult to sell them promptly at an acceptable price. Rights and warrants have no voting rights, receive no dividends and have no rights with respect to the assets of the issuer.

 

Sector Risk. Sector risk is the possibility that securities within the same group of industries will decline in price due to sector-specific market or economic developments. If the Fund invests more heavily in a sector, the value of its shares may be especially sensitive to factors and economic risks that specifically affect that sector.

 

Non-Diversification Risk. The Fund is a non-diversified portfolio, which means that it has the ability to take larger positions in a smaller number of securities than a portfolio that is “diversified.” Non-diversification increases the risk that the value of the Fund could go down because of the poor performance of a single investment or limited number of investments.

 

ETF Structure Risks. The Fund is structured as an ETF and as a result is subject to special risks, including:

 

         Trading Issues Risk. Although it is expected that shares of the Fund will remain listed for trading on the Exchange, trading in Fund shares on the Exchange may be halted due to market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of the Exchange, make trading in Fund shares inadvisable, such as extraordinary market volatility. There can be no assurance that shares of the Fund will continue to meet the listing requirements of the Exchange or will trade with any volume. There is no guarantee that an active secondary market will develop for shares of the Fund. In stressed market conditions, the liquidity of shares of the Fund may begin to mirror the liquidity of the Fund’s underlying portfolio holdings, which can be significantly less liquid than shares of the Fund. This adverse effect on liquidity for the Fund’s shares in turn could lead to differences between the market price of the Fund’s shares and the underlying value of those Shares.

 

         Market Price Variance Risk. The market prices of shares of the Fund will fluctuate in response to changes in NAV and supply and demand for Fund shares and will include a “bid-ask spread” charged by the exchange specialists, market makers or other participants that trade the particular security. There may be times when the market price and the NAV vary significantly. This means that shares of the Fund may trade at a discount to NAV. The market price of Fund shares may deviate from the value of the Fund’s underlying portfolio holdings, particularly in times of market stress, with the result that investors may pay significantly more or receive significantly less than the underlying value of the shares of the Fund bought or sold.

 

9 

 

 

         Authorized Participants (“APs”), Market Makers, and Liquidity Providers Risk. The Fund has a limited number of financial institutions that may act as APs. In addition, there may be a limited number of market makers and/or liquidity providers in the marketplace. To the extent either of the following events occur, shares of the Fund may trade at a material discount to NAV and possibly face delisting: (i) APs exit the business or otherwise become unable to process creation and/or redemption orders and no other APs step forward to perform these services, or (ii) market makers and/or liquidity providers exit the business or significantly reduce their business activities and no other entities step forward to perform their functions.

 

         Costs of Buying or Selling Shares of the Fund. Due to the costs of buying or selling shares of the Fund, including brokerage commissions imposed by brokers and bid/ask spreads, frequent trading of shares of the Fund may significantly reduce investment results and an investment in shares of the Fund may not be advisable for investors who anticipate regularly making small investments.

 

Mid and Small Capitalization Stock Risk. The value of mid and small capitalization company stocks may be subject to more abrupt or erratic market movements than those of larger, more established companies or the market averages in general. While mid and small capitalization companies may offer substantial opportunities for capital growth, they also may involve more risks than larger capitalization companies. Historically, mid and small capitalization company securities have been more volatile in price than larger company securities, especially over the short term. Among the reasons for the greater price volatility are the less certain growth prospects of mid and small capitalization companies, the lower degree of liquidity in the markets for such securities, and the greater sensitivity of mid and small capitalization companies to changing economic conditions. In addition, mid and small capitalization companies may lack depth of management, be unable to generate funds necessary for growth or development, have limited product lines or be developing or marketing new products or services for which markets are not yet established and may never become established. In addition, mid and small capitalization companies may be particularly affected by interest rate increases, as they may find it more difficult to borrow money to continue or expand operations, or may have difficulty in repaying loans, particularly those with floating interest rates.

 

Other Risks for the Fund

 

Cyber Security Risk. Failures or breaches of the electronic systems of the Fund, the Adviser, the Sub-Adviser and/or the Fund’s other service providers, market makers, Authorized Participants or the issuers of securities in which the Fund invests have the ability to cause disruptions and negatively impact the Fund’s business operations, potentially resulting in financial losses to the Fund and their shareholders. While the Fund have established business continuity plans and risk management systems seeking to address system breaches or failures, there are inherent limitations in such plans and systems. Furthermore, the Fund cannot control the cyber security plans and systems of the Fund’s service providers, market makers, Authorized Participants or issuers of securities in which the Fund invest.

 

Health Crisis Risk. A widespread health crisis, such as a global pandemic, could cause substantial market volatility, exchange trading suspensions or restrictions and closures of securities exchanges and businesses, impact the ability to complete redemptions, and adversely impact Fund performance. An outbreak of an infectious respiratory illness, COVID-19, caused by a novel coronavirus, was first detected in China in December 2019 and spread globally. As of the date of this prospectus, this outbreak has resulted in travel restrictions, closed international borders, enhanced health screenings at ports of entry and elsewhere, disruption of and delays in healthcare service preparation and delivery, prolonged quarantines, cancellations, supply chain disruptions, disruptions in markets, lower consumer demand, layoffs, defaults and other significant economic impacts, as well as general concern and uncertainty. These types of market disruptions may adversely impact the Fund’s investments, including impairing hedging activity to the extent the Fund engages in such activity, as expected correlations between related markets or instruments may no longer apply. In addition, to the extent the Fund invests in short-term instruments that have negative yields, the Fund’s value may be impaired as a result. Any suspension of trading in markets in which the Fund invests will have an impact on the Fund and its investments and will impact the Fund’s ability to purchase or sell securities in those markets. The impact of this outbreak has adversely affected the economies of many nations and the entire global economy and may impact individual issuers and capital markets in ways that cannot be foreseen. The duration of the outbreak and its effects cannot be determined with any certainty.

 

10 

 

 

In the past, governmental and quasigovernmental authorities and regulators throughout the world have responded to major economic disruptions with a variety of fiscal and monetary policy changes, including direct capital infusions into companies and other issuers, new monetary policy tools, and lower interest rates. An unexpected or sudden reversal of these policies, or the ineffectiveness of such policies, is likely to increase market volatility, which could adversely affect the Fund’s investments.

 

The outbreak could also impair the information technology and other operational systems upon which the Fund’s service providers rely and could otherwise disrupt the ability of employees of the Fund’s service providers to perform critical tasks relating to the Fund. Other infectious illness outbreaks that may arise in the future could have similar or other unforeseen effects. Public health crises may exacerbate other pre-existing political, social, and economic risks in certain countries or globally.

 

Temporary Investments

 

To respond to adverse market, economic, political or other conditions, the Fund may invest 100% of its total assets, without limitation, in high-quality short-term debt securities.  These short-term debt securities include: money market mutual funds, treasury bills, commercial paper, certificates of deposit, bankers’ acceptances, U.S. Government securities and repurchase agreements. While the Fund is in a defensive position, the opportunity to achieve its investment objective will be limited.  The 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 the Fund takes such a position, it may not achieve its investment objective. It is expected that such a defensive change will be rare.

 

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MANAGEMENT

 

The Investment Adviser. Applied Finance Advisors, LLC (the “Adviser”), 17806 IH 10, Suite 300, San Antonio, Texas 78257, is the investment adviser for the Fund. The Adviser is registered as an investment adviser under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended. The Adviser is a limited liability company and was organized in Delaware.

 

Under the Investment Advisory Agreement between the Adviser and the Trust, on behalf of the Fund (the “Investment Advisory Agreement”), the Adviser is responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund’s investments. The Adviser also: (i) furnishes the Fund with office space and certain administrative services; (ii) provides guidance and policy direction in connection with its daily management of the Fund’s assets, subject to the authority of the Board; and (iii) is responsible for oversight of the Sub-Adviser. For its services, the Adviser is entitled to receive an annual management fee calculated daily and payable monthly, as a percentage of the Fund’s average daily net assets, at the rate of 0.49%.

 

Under the Investment Advisory Agreement, the Adviser has agreed, at its own expense and without reimbursement from the Fund, to pay all expenses of the Fund, except for: the fee paid to the Adviser pursuant to the Investment Advisory Agreement, interest expenses, taxes, acquired fund fees and expenses, brokerage commissions and any other portfolio transaction related expenses and fees arising out of transactions effected on behalf of the Fund, credit facility fees and expenses, including interest expenses, and litigation and indemnification expenses and other extraordinary expenses not incurred in the ordinary course of the Fund’s business.

 

Manager-of-Managers Structure

 

The Adviser and the Trust have been granted an exemptive order from the SEC that will allow the Fund to operate in a “manager of managers” structure whereby the Adviser, as the Fund’s investment adviser, can appoint and replace both wholly owned and unaffiliated sub-advisers, and enter into, amend and terminate sub-advisory agreements with such sub-advisers, each subject to Board approval but without obtaining prior shareholder approval (the “Manager of Managers Structure”). The Fund will, however, inform shareholders of the hiring of any new sub-adviser within 90 days after the hiring. The SEC exemptive order will provide the Fund with greater efficiency and without incurring the expenses and delays associated with obtaining shareholder approval of sub-advisory agreements with such sub-advisers.

 

The use of the Manager of Managers Structure with respect to the Fund is subject to certain conditions that are set forth in the SEC exemptive order. Under the Manager of Managers Structure, the Adviser will have the ultimate responsibility, subject to oversight by the Board, to oversee the sub-advisers and recommend their hiring, termination, and replacement. The Adviser will also, subject to the review and approval of the Board: set the Fund’s overall investment strategy; evaluate, select and recommend sub-advisers to manage all or a portion of the Fund’s assets; and implement procedures reasonably designed to ensure that each sub-adviser complies with the Fund’s investment objective, policies and restrictions. Subject to the review of the Board, the Adviser will allocate and, when appropriate, reallocate the Fund’s assets among sub-advisers and monitor and evaluate the sub-advisers’ performance.

 

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The Sub-Adviser. The Adviser has retained Toroso Asset Management (the “Sub-Adviser”) to serve as sub-adviser for the Fund. The Sub-Adviser is responsible for handling the day-to-day management of the Fund’s trading process, which includes Creation and/or Redemption basket processing. The Sub-Adviser does not select investments for the Fund’s portfolio. The Sub-Adviser, which has its principal office at 898 N. Broadway, Suite 2, Massapequa, New York 11758, was formed in 2012 and provides investment advisory, investment research, and portfolio construction services to ETF clients. For its services, the Sub-Adviser is paid a sub-advisory fee by the Adviser. See the Fund’s statement of additional information (“SAI”) for a description of the Sub-Adviser’s fee.

 

A discussion regarding the basis for the Board approving the Investment Advisory Agreement and Sub-Advisory Agreement for the Fund is available in the Fund’s semi-annual report for the period ended June 30, 2021.

 

The Portfolio Managers

 

Adviser Portfolio Manager - Mr. Paul Blinn, portfolio manager, is jointly responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund’s portfolio, including stock selection, investment monitoring and trading. Mr. Blinn joined the Adviser as a founding member in 2006 and has served as principal of the Adviser since that time. Mr. Blinn has over 25 years of capital market experience. Mr. Blinn’s background includes experience as an Executive Director at UBS, a global financial firm, and its predecessor entities from 1985 to 2000, as a Vice President of a leading option market maker, and a Senior Equity derivatives trader for a hedge fund from 2000 to 2005. Mr. Blinn graduated with honors from The University of Texas at Austin with a BBA in Finance.

 

Adviser Portfolio Manager - Mr. Rafael Resendes, portfolio manager, is jointly responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund’s portfolio, including stock selection and investment monitoring. Mr. Resendes was a founding member of the Adviser in 2006 and has served as a principal of the Adviser since that time. Mr. Resendes was also a co-founder of The Applied Finance Group, Ltd. in 1995 and he has served as a principal of that entity since that time. Mr. Resendes has over 25 years of capital market experience and has spent the majority of those years in the areas of equity research and valuation. Mr. Resendes was an adjunct professor of finance at DePaul University in Chicago from 1998 to 1999. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa from The University of California, Berkeley with a BS in Finance and received his MBA from the University of Chicago.

 

Sub-Adviser Portfolio Manager – Michael Venuto is a portfolio manager of the Fund. Mr. Venuto is Co-Founder and Chief Investment Officer of the Sub-Adviser. He is an ETF industry veteran with over two decades of experience in the design and implementation of ETF-based investment strategies. Mr. Venuto is the lead portfolio manager for the first actively managed ETF focused on Blockchain (BLOK) companies filed in the US. Previously, he was Head of Investments at Global X Funds where he provided portfolio optimization services to institutional clients. Before that, he was Senior Vice President at Horizon Kinetics where his responsibilities included new business development, investment strategy, Fintech private equity and strategic initiatives. In 2014, Mr. Venuto was chosen as one the ETF.COM All Stars for his research and is often quoted as an ETF expert in publications such as Reuters and Barron’s.

 

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Sub-Adviser Portfolio Manager – Charles A. Ragauss, CFA is a portfolio manager of the Fund. Mr. Ragauss is Portfolio Manager and Head of Trading of the Sub-Adviser. He is responsible for leading the portfolio management trading team, trading the securities held in the ETFs advised by the Sub-Adviser, as well as the SMAs managed by the Sub-Adviser. Prior to joining the Sub-Adviser, he was Chief Operating Officer and Head of Portfolio Management at CSat Investment Advisory, L.P., doing business as Exponential ETFs (“Exponential ETFs”) since April 2016. He was responsible for expanding and improving that firm’s product offerings as well as managing the day-to- day operations of client portfolios. Prior to Exponential ETFs, Mr. Ragauss was Assistant Vice President at Huntington National Bank, where he was Product Manager for the Huntington Funds and Huntington Strategy Share ETFs, a combined fund complex of almost $4 billion in asset under management. At Huntington, he led ETF development, bringing to market some of the first actively managed ETFs. Mr. Ragauss attended Grand Valley State University where he received his Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance and International Business, as well as a minor in French. He holds the CFA designation.

 

The SAI provides additional information about the portfolio managers’ compensation, other accounts managed by the portfolio managers’, and the portfolio managers’ ownership in the Fund.

 

The Trust

 

The Fund is a non-diversified series of the ETF Opportunities Trust, an open-end management investment company organized as a Delaware statutory trust on March 18, 2019. The Board supervises the operations of the Fund according to applicable state and federal law, and the Board is responsible for the overall management of the Fund’s business affairs.

 

Portfolio Holdings

 

A description of the Fund’s policies and procedures with respect to the disclosure of the Fund’s portfolio securities is available in the Fund’s SAI. Complete holdings are published on the Fund’s website on a daily basis. Please visit the Fund’s website at www.appliedfinancefunds.com. In addition, the Fund’s complete holdings (as of the dates of such reports) are available in reports on Form N-PORT and Form N-CSR filed with the SEC.

 

HOW TO BUY AND SELL SHARES

 

Shares of the Fund are listed for trading on the Exchange. Share prices are reported in dollars and cents per share. Shares can be bought and sold on the secondary market throughout the trading day like other publicly traded shares and shares typically trade in blocks of less than a Creation Unit. There is no minimum investment required. Shares may only be purchased and sold on the secondary market when the Exchange is open for trading.

 

When buying or selling shares through a broker, you will incur customary brokerage commissions and charges, and you may pay some or all of the spread between the bid and the offered price in the secondary market on each leg of a round trip (purchase and sale) transaction.

 

Authorized Participants may acquire shares directly from the Fund, and Authorized Participants may tender their shares for redemption directly to the Fund, at NAV per share only in large blocks, or Creation Units, of at least 25,000 shares. Purchases and redemptions directly with the Fund must follow the Fund’s procedures, which are described in the SAI.

 

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Under normal circumstances, the Fund will pay out redemption proceeds to a redeeming AP within two days after the AP’s redemption request is received, in accordance with the process set forth in the Fund’s SAI and in the agreement between the AP and the Fund’s distributor. However, the Fund reserves the right, including under stressed market conditions, to take up to seven days after the receipt of a redemption request to pay an AP, all as permitted by the 1940 Act. The Fund anticipates regularly meeting redemption requests primarily through in-kind redemptions. However, the Fund reserves the right to pay redemption proceeds to an AP in cash. Cash used for redemptions will be raised from the sale of portfolio assets or may come from existing holdings of cash or cash equivalents.

 

The Fund may liquidate and terminate at any time without shareholder approval.

 

Share Trading Prices  

The approximate value of shares, an amount representing on a per share basis the sum of the current market price of the securities accepted by the Fund in exchange for shares and an estimated cash component, will be disseminated every 15 seconds throughout the trading day through the facilities of the Consolidated Tape Association. This approximate value should not be viewed as a “real-time” update of the NAV per share because the approximate value may not be calculated in the same manner as the NAV, which is computed once a day, generally at the end of the day on each business day the Exchange is open for trading. The Fund is not involved in, or responsible for, the calculation or dissemination of the approximate value of the shares, and the Fund does not make any warranty as to the accuracy of these values.

 

Book Entry  

Shares are held in book entry form, which means that no stock certificates are issued. The Depository Trust Company (“DTC”) or its nominee is the record owner of all outstanding shares and is recognized as the owner of all shares for all purposes.

 

Investors owning shares are beneficial owners as shown on the records of DTC or its participants. DTC serves as the securities depository for all shares. Participants in DTC include securities brokers and dealers, banks, trust companies, clearing corporations and other institutions that directly or indirectly maintain a custodial relationship with DTC. As a beneficial owner of shares, you are not entitled to receive physical delivery of stock certificates or to have shares registered in your name, and you are not considered a registered owner of shares. Therefore, to exercise any right as an owner of shares, you must rely upon the procedures of DTC and its participants. These procedures are the same as those that apply to any other securities that you hold in book entry or “street name” form.

 

FREQUENT PURCHASES AND REDEMPTIONS OF FUND SHARES

 

Shares can only be purchased and redeemed directly from the Fund in Creation Units by Authorized Participants, and the vast majority of trading in shares occurs on the secondary market. Because the secondary market trades do not directly involve the Fund, it is unlikely those trades would cause the harmful effects of market timing, including dilution, disruption of portfolio management, increases in the Fund’s trading costs and the realization of capital gains. With regard to the purchase or redemption of Creation Units directly with the Fund, to the extent effected in-kind (i.e., for securities), those trades do not cause the harmful effects that may result from frequent cash trades. To the extent trades are effected in whole or in part in cash, those trades could result in dilution to the Fund and increased transaction costs, which could negatively impact a Fund’s ability to achieve its investment objective. However, direct trading by Authorized Participants is critical to ensuring that shares trade at or close to NAV. The Fund also employ fair valuation pricing to minimize potential dilution from market timing. In addition, the Fund imposes transaction fees on purchases and redemptions of shares to cover the custodial and other costs incurred by the Fund in effecting trades. These fees increase if an investor substitutes cash in part or in whole for securities, reflecting the fact that a Fund’s trading costs increase in those circumstances. Given this structure, the Trust has determined that it is not necessary to adopt policies and procedures to detect and deter market timing of the Shares.

 

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DIVIDENDS, OTHER DISTRIBUTIONS AND TAXES

 

Shares are traded throughout the day in the secondary market on a national securities exchange on an intra-day basis and are created and redeemed in-kind and/or for cash in Creation Units at each day’s next calculated NAV. In-kind arrangements are designed to protect ongoing shareholders from the adverse effects on a Fund’s portfolio that could arise from frequent cash redemption transactions. However, similar to a conventional mutual fund, the Fund expects to typically satisfy redemptions in cash. This may result in the Fund selling portfolio securities to obtain cash to meet net fund redemptions which can have an adverse tax impact on taxable shareholders. These sales may generate taxable gains for the ongoing shareholders of the fund, whereas the shares’ in-kind redemption mechanism generally will not lead to a tax event for the Fund or its ongoing shareholders.

 

Ordinarily, dividends from net investment income, if any, are declared and paid at least annually by the Fund. The Fund will distribute its net realized capital gains, if any, to shareholders at least annually. The Fund may also pay a special distribution at the end of a calendar year to comply with federal tax requirements.

 

No dividend reinvestment service is provided by the Fund. Broker-dealers may make available the DTC book-entry Dividend Reinvestment Service for use by beneficial owners of the Fund for reinvestment of their dividend distributions. Beneficial owners should contact their broker to determine the availability and costs of the service and the details of participation therein. Brokers may require beneficial owners to adhere to specific procedures and timetables. If this service is available and used, dividend distributions of both income and realized gains will be automatically reinvested in additional whole shares of the Fund purchased in the secondary market.

 

Distributions in cash may be reinvested automatically in additional whole shares only if the broker through whom you purchased shares makes such option available.

 

Taxes  

As with any investment, you should consider how your investment in shares will be taxed. The tax information in this Prospectus is provided as general information. You should consult your own tax professional about the tax consequences of an investment in shares.

 

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Unless your investment in Shares is made through a tax-exempt entity or tax-deferred retirement account, such as an individual retirement account, you need to be aware of the possible tax consequences when:

 

-A Fund makes distributions,

-You sell your shares listed on the Exchange, and

-You purchase or redeem Creation Units.

 

Taxes on Distributions  

Distributions from the Fund’s net investment income, including net short-term capital gains, if any, are taxable to you as ordinary income, except that the Fund’s dividends attributable to its “qualified dividend income” (i.e., dividends received on stock of most domestic and certain foreign corporations with respect to which the Fund satisfies certain holding period and other restrictions), if any, generally are subject to federal income tax for non-corporate shareholders who satisfy those restrictions with respect to their shares at the rate for net capital gain. A part of the Fund’s dividends also may be eligible for the dividends-received deduction allowed to corporations -- the eligible portion may not exceed the aggregate dividends the Fund receives from domestic corporations subject to federal income tax (excluding REITs) and excludes dividends from foreign corporations -- subject to similar restrictions. However, dividends a corporate shareholder deducts pursuant to that deduction are subject indirectly to the federal alternative minimum tax. 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 annual Fund operating expenses affect the Fund’s performance.

 

In general, your distributions are subject to federal income tax when they are paid, whether you take them in cash or reinvest them in the Fund (if that option is available). Distributions reinvested in additional shares through the means of a dividend reinvestment service, if available, will be taxable to shareholders acquiring the additional shares to the same extent as if such distributions had been received in cash. Distributions of net long-term capital gains, if any, in excess of net short-term capital losses are taxable as long-term capital gains, regardless of how long you have held the shares.

 

Distributions in excess of a Fund’s current and accumulated earnings and profits are treated as a tax-free return of capital to the extent of your basis in the shares and as capital gain thereafter. A distribution will reduce a Fund’s NAV per share and may be taxable to you as ordinary income or capital gain (as described above) even though, from an investment standpoint, the distribution may constitute a return of capital.

 

By law, the Fund are required to withhold 24% of your distributions and redemption proceeds if you have not provided the Fund with a correct Social Security number or other taxpayer identification number and in certain other situations.

 

Taxes on Exchange-Listed Share Sales  

Any capital gain or loss realized upon a sale of shares is generally treated as long-term capital gain or loss if the shares have been held for more than one year and as short-term capital gain or loss if the shares have been held for one year or less. The ability to deduct capital losses from sales of shares may be limited.

 

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Taxes on Purchase and Redemption of Creation Units  

An Authorized Participant who exchanges securities for Creation Units generally will recognize a gain or a loss equal to the difference between the market value of the Creation Units at the time of the exchange and the sum of the exchanger’s aggregate basis in the securities surrendered plus any Cash Component it pays. An Authorized Participant who exchanges Creation Units for securities will generally recognize a gain or loss equal to the difference between the exchanger’s basis in the Creation Units and the sum of the aggregate market value of the securities received plus any cash equal to the difference between the NAV of the shares being redeemed and the value of the securities. The Internal Revenue Service (“Service”), however, may assert that a loss realized upon an exchange of securities for Creation Units cannot be deducted currently under the rules governing “wash sales” or for other reasons. Persons exchanging securities should consult their own tax advisor with respect to whether wash sale rules apply and when a loss might be deductible.

 

Any capital gain or loss realized upon redemption of Creation Units is generally treated as long-term capital gain or loss if the shares have been held for more than one year and as short-term capital gain or loss if the shares have been held for one year or less.

 

If you purchase or redeem Creation Units, you will be sent a confirmation statement showing how many shares you purchased or sold and at what price. See “Tax Status” in the SAI for a description of the newly effective requirement regarding basis determination methods applicable to share redemptions and the Fund’s obligation to report basis information to the Service.

 

Possible Tax Law Changes. At the time that this prospectus is being prepared, various administrative and legislative changes to the federal tax laws are under consideration, but it is not possible at this time to determine whether any of these changes will take place or what the changes might entail.

 

The foregoing discussion summarizes some of the possible consequences under current federal tax law of an investment in the Fund. It is not a substitute for personal tax advice. Consult your personal tax advisor about the potential tax consequences of an investment in the shares under all applicable tax laws. See “Tax Status” in the SAI for more information.

 

FUND SERVICE PROVIDERS

 

Commonwealth Fund Services, Inc. (the “Administrator”) is the Fund’s administrator. The firm is primarily in the business of providing administrative services to retail and institutional mutual funds and exchange-traded funds.

 

Citi Fund Services Ohio, Inc. (“Citi”) serves as the Fund’s fund accountant, and it provides certain other services to the Fund not provided by the Administrator. Citi is primarily in the business of providing administrative and fund accounting services to retail and institutional exchange traded funds and mutual funds.

 

Citibank, N.A., serves as the Fund’s custodian and transfer agent.

 

Foreside Fund Services, LLC (the “Distributor”) serves as the Distributor of Creation Units for the Fund on an agency basis. The Distributor does not maintain a Secondary Market in shares.

 

18 

 

 

Practus, LLP services as legal counsel to the Trust and the Fund.

 

Cohen & Company, Ltd. serves as the Fund’s independent registered public accounting firm. The independent registered public accounting firm is responsible for auditing the annual financial statements of the Fund.

 

OTHER INFORMATION

 

Continuous Offering  

The method by which Creation Units of shares are created and traded may raise certain issues under applicable securities laws. Because new Creation Units of shares are issued and sold by the Fund on an ongoing basis, a “distribution,” as such term is used in the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), may occur at any point. Broker-dealers and other persons are cautioned that some activities on their part may, depending on the circumstances, result in their being deemed participants in a distribution in a manner which could render them statutory underwriters and subject them to the prospectus delivery requirement and liability provisions of the Securities Act.

 

For example, a broker-dealer firm or its client may be deemed a statutory underwriter if it takes Creation Units after placing an order with the Distributor, breaks them down into constituent shares and sells the shares directly to customers or if it chooses to couple the creation of a supply of new shares with an active selling effort involving solicitation of secondary market demand for shares. A determination of whether one is an underwriter for purposes of the Securities Act must take into account all the facts and circumstances pertaining to the activities of the broker-dealer or its client in the particular case, and the examples mentioned above should not be considered a complete description of all the activities that could lead to a characterization as an underwriter.

 

Broker-dealer firms should also note that dealers who are not “underwriters” but are effecting transactions in shares, whether or not participating in the distribution of shares, are generally required to deliver a prospectus. This is because the prospectus delivery exemption in Section 4(3) of the Securities Act is not available in respect of such transactions as a result of Section 24(d) of the 1940 Act. As a result, broker-dealer firms should note that dealers who are not “underwriters” but are participating in a distribution (as contrasted with engaging in ordinary secondary market transactions) and thus dealing with the shares that are part of an overallotment within the meaning of Section 4(3)(C) of the Securities Act, will be unable to take advantage of the prospectus delivery exemption provided by Section 4(3) of the Securities Act. For delivery of prospectuses to exchange members, the prospectus delivery mechanism of Rule 153 under the Securities Act is only available with respect to transactions on a national exchange.

 

Dealers effecting transactions in the shares, whether or not participating in this distribution, are generally required to deliver a Prospectus. This is in addition to any obligation of dealers to deliver a Prospectus when acting as underwriters.

 

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Premium/Discount Information 

When available, information regarding how often the Shares of the Fund traded on the Exchange at a price above (i.e., at a premium) or below (i.e. at a discount) the NAV of the Fund will be available at www.appliedfinancefunds.com

 

FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS

 

The financial highlights table is intended to help you understand the Fund’s financial performance since the inception of the Fund. Certain information reflects financial results for a single share of the Fund. The total returns in the table represent the rate that an investor would have earned or lost on an investment in the Fund (assuming reinvestment of all dividends and distributions). The financial highlights have been audited by Cohen & Company, Ltd., the Fund’s independent registered public accounting firm, whose unqualified report thereon, along with the Fund’s financial statements, are included in the Fund’s Annual Report to Shareholders (the “Annual Report”) and are incorporated by reference into the SAI. Additional performance information for the Fund is included in the Annual Report. Copies of the Annual Report and the SAI may be obtained at the address and telephone number noted on the back page of this prospectus.

 

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APPLIED FINANCE VALUATION LARGE CAP ETF

FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS

SELECTED PER SHARE DATA THROUGHOUT THE PERIOD  

 

 

 

   April 29, 2021 ^  
through
December 31, 2021
 
     
Net asset value, beginning of period  $25.00 
Investment activities     
Net investment income (loss) (1)   0.18 
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments   3.31 
Total from investment activities   3.49 
Distributions     
      
Net investment income   (0.16)
      
Total distributions   (0.16)
      
Net asset value, end of period  $28.33 
      
Total Return *   13.95%
Ratios/Supplemental Data     
Ratio to average net assets **     
Expenses, gross   0.49%
Net investment income (loss)   1.01%
Portfolio turnover rate***   30.04%
Net assets, end of period (000’s)  $9,915 

 

^Commencement of Operations
(1)Per share amounts calculated using the average shares outstanding during the period.
*Total return is for the period indicated and has not been annualized for the periods less than one year.
**Ratio to average net assets has been annualized for the periods less than one year.
***Portfolio turnover rate is for the period April 29, 2021 through December 31, 2021 and excludes the effect of securities received or delivered from processing in-kind creations or redemptions and has not been annualized because the period shown is less than one year.

 

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FOR MORE INFORMATION

 

You will find more information about the Fund in the following documents:

 

The Fund’s annual and semi-annual reports will contain more information about the Fund. The Fund’s annual report will contain a discussion of the market conditions and investment strategies that had a significant effect on the Fund’s performance during the last fiscal year.

 

For more information about the Fund, you may wish to refer to the Fund’s SAI dated May 1, 2022, 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 ETF Opportunities Trust, 8730 Stony Point Parkway, Suite 205, Richmond, Virginia 23235, by calling the Fund toll free at (833) 356-0909, by e-mail at: mail@ccofva.com. The Fund’s annual and semi-annual reports, prospectus and SAI are all available for viewing/downloading at www.appliedfinanceadvisors.com. General inquiries regarding the Fund may also be directed to the above address or telephone number.

 

Copies of these documents and other information about the Fund are available on the EDGAR Database on the Commission’s Internet site at http://www.sec.gov, and copies of these documents may also be obtained, after paying a duplication fee, by electronic request at the following e-mail address: publicinfo@sec.gov.

 

(Investment Company Act File No. 811-23439)

 

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Applied Finance Valuation Large Cap ETF

(the “Fund”)

 

8730 Stony Point Parkway, Suite 205

Richmond, Virginia 23235

 

 

STATEMENT OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

 

Dated May 1, 2022

 

This Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”) is not a prospectus. It should be read in conjunction with the current prospectus for the Fund dated May 1, 2022 as it may be supplemented or revised from time to time. This SAI is incorporated by reference into the Fund’s prospectus. You can obtain a free copy of the annual and semi-annual reports (once available), prospectus and SAI by writing to ETF Opportunities Trust, 8730 Stony Point Parkway, Suite 205, Richmond, Virginia 23235, by calling the Fund toll free at (833) 356-0909, by e-mail at: mail@ccofva.com. The Fund’s annual and semi-annual reports, prospectus and SAI are all available for viewing/downloading at www.appliedfinanceadvisors.com. General inquiries regarding the Fund may also be directed to the above address or telephone number.

 

Investment Adviser:

Applied Finance Advisors, LLC

17806 IH 10, Suite 300

San Antonio, Texas 78257

 

 

 

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

THE TRUST 1
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT INVESTMENT OBJECTIVES AND POLICIES 1
DESCRIPTION OF PERMITTED INVESTMENTS 2
INVESTMENT LIMITATIONS 16
MANAGEMENT AND OTHER SERVICE PROVIDERS 18
TRUSTEES AND OFFICERS OF THE TRUST 23
CONTROL PERSONS AND PRINCIPAL SECURITIES HOLDERS 28
DETERMINATION OF NET ASSET VALUE 28
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT PURCHASES AND SALES 30
ADDITIONAL PAYMENTS TO FINANCIAL INTERMEDIARIES 39
TAXES 39
BROKERAGE ALLOCATION AND OTHER PRACTICES 52
DISCLOSURE OF PORTFOLIO SECURITIES HOLDINGS 54
DESCRIPTION OF SHARES 55
PROXY VOTING 56
CODES OF ETHICS 57
EXHIBIT A 58
EXHIBIT B 60
EXHIBIT C 65

 

 

 

 

THE TRUST

 

General. This SAI relates to Applied Finance Valuation Large Cap ETF (the “Fund”) and should be read in conjunction with the prospectus of the Fund. This SAI is incorporated by reference into the Fund’s prospectus. No investment in shares should be made without reading the prospectus. The Fund is a non-diversified series of ETF Opportunities Trust, a Delaware statutory trust (the “Trust”). The Trust is registered as an open-end management investment company. The Trust is governed by its Board of Trustees (the “Board” or “Trustees”). The investment adviser to the Fund is Applied Finance Advisors, LLC (the “Adviser”) and the sub-adviser to the Fund is Toroso Asset Management (the “Sub-Adviser”).

 

The Fund may issue an unlimited number of shares of beneficial interest (“Shares”). All Shares have equal rights and privileges. Each Share is entitled to one vote on all matters as to which Shares are entitled to vote. In addition, each Share is entitled to participate equally with other Shares (i) in dividends and distributions declared by the Fund and (ii) on liquidation to its proportionate share of the assets remaining after satisfaction of outstanding liabilities. Shares are fully paid, non-assessable and fully transferable when issued and have no pre-emptive, conversion or exchange rights. Fractional Shares have proportionately the same rights, including voting rights, as are provided for a full Share.

 

The Fund will issue and redeem Shares at net asset value (“NAV”) in aggregations of at least 25,000 Shares (each a “Creation Unit”). The Fund will issue and redeem Creation Units principally in exchange for a basket of securities (the “Deposit Securities”), together with the deposit of a specified cash payment (the “Cash Component”), plus a transaction fee. The Fund has been approved for listing on NYSE Arca, Inc. (the “Exchange”). Shares will trade on the Exchange at market prices that may be below, at, or above NAV. In the event of the liquidation of the Fund, a share split, reverse split or the like, the Trust may revise the number of Shares in a Creation Unit.

 

Shares may be issued in advance of receipt of Deposit Securities subject to various conditions as described herein - see the section titled “Placement of Creation Orders Outside the Clearing Process” found in this SAI. In each instance of such cash creations or redemptions, transaction fees may be imposed and may be higher than the transaction fees associated with in-kind creations or redemptions. See “Additional Information About Purchase and Redemptions” below.

 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT INVESTMENT OBJECTIVES AND POLICIES

 

The Fund’s investment objective and principal investment strategies are described in the prospectus. The Fund is “non-diversified” as that term is defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”). As a non-diversified fund, the Fund is permitted to invest in fewer securities at any one time than a diversified fund. 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. For the Fund’s most recent fiscal period from April 29 2021 to December 31, 2021, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 30.04% of the average value of its portfolio.

 

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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 Fund’s prospectus. In seeking to meet its investment objective, the Fund may invest in any type of security whose characteristics are consistent with its investment programs. To the extent particular investment techniques or instruments are not described in the Principal Investment Strategies disclosure of the Fund’s prospectus, such investment techniques and instruments are not a part of the principal strategies and the corresponding risks are not principal risks of the Fund.

 

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

 

Preferred Stock. Preferred stock is a class of capital stock that pays dividends at a specified rate and that has preference over common stock in the payment of dividends and the liquidation of assets. Preferred stock does not ordinarily carry voting rights. Most preferred stock is cumulative; if dividends are passed (not paid for any reason), they accumulate and must be paid before common stock dividends. Passed dividend on non-cumulative preferred stock is generally gone forever. Participating preferred stock entitles its holders to share in profits above and beyond the declared dividend, along with common shareholders, as distinguished from non-participating preferred, which is limited to a stipulated dividend. Adjustable rate preferred stock pays a dividend that is adjustable, usually quarterly, based on changes in the Treasury bill rate or other money market rates. Convertible preferred stock is exchangeable for a given number of common shares and thus tends to be more volatile than non-convertible preferred, which behaves more like a fixed-income bond.

 

Convertible Securities. The Fund may invest in convertible securities. Traditional convertible securities include corporate bonds, notes and preferred stocks that may be converted into or exchanged for common stock or other equity securities, and other securities that also provide an opportunity for equity participation. These securities are convertible either at a stated price or a stated rate (that is, for a specific number of shares of common stock or other equity securities). As with other fixed income securities, the price of a convertible security generally varies inversely with interest rates. While providing a fixed income stream, a convertible security also affords the investor an opportunity, through its conversion feature, to participate in the capital appreciation of the common stock into which it is convertible. As the market price of the underlying common stock declines, convertible securities tend to trade increasingly on a yield basis and therefore may not experience market value declines to the same extent as the underlying common stock. When the market price of the underlying common stock increases, the price of a convertible security tends to rise as a reflection of higher yield or capital appreciation. In such situations, the price of a convertible security may be greater than the value of the underlying common stock.

 

Warrants. The Fund may invest in warrants. Warrants are options to purchase equity securities at a specific price for a specific period of time. They do not represent ownership of the securities, but only the right to buy them. Hence, warrants have no voting rights, pay no dividends and have no rights with respect to the assets of the corporation issuing them. The value of warrants is derived solely from capital appreciation of the underlying equity securities. Warrants differ from call options in that the underlying corporation issues warrants, whereas call options may be written by anyone.

 

Investment Company Securities. The Fund may invest in shares of other investment companies, including open-end funds, closed-end funds, exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”) and money market funds. The Fund may invest in inverse ETFs, including leveraged ETFs. Inverse ETFs seek to provide investment results that match a certain percentage of the inverse of the results of a specific index on a daily or monthly basis. The Fund also may invest in ETFs whose portfolios primarily consist of commodities.

 

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When the Fund invests in other investment companies, it indirectly will bear their proportionate share of any fees and expenses payable directly by the underlying funds. Therefore, the Fund will incur higher expenses, many of which may be duplicative. In addition, the Fund may be affected by losses of the underlying funds and the level of risk arising from the investment practices of the underlying funds (such as the use of leverage by the funds). The Fund has no control over the investments and related risks taken by the underlying funds in which it invests. 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.

 

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) the ETF’s shares may trade at a market price that is above or below its net asset value; (ii) an active trading market for an ETF’s 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 ETF’s shares may be halted if the listing exchange’s 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.

 

Inverse and leveraged ETFs are subject to additional risks not generally associated with traditional ETFs. To the extent that the Fund invests in inverse ETFs, the value of the Fund’s investment will decrease when the index underlying the ETF’s benchmark rises, a result that is the opposite from traditional equity or bond funds. The net asset value and market price of leveraged or inverse ETFs are usually more volatile than the value of the tracked index or of other ETFs that do not use leverage. This is because inverse and leveraged ETFs use investment techniques and financial instruments that may be considered aggressive, including the use of derivative transactions and short selling techniques. The use of these techniques may cause the inverse or leveraged ETFs to lose more money in market environments that are adverse to their investment strategies than other funds that do not use such techniques.

 

To the extent that the Fund invests in ETFs that invest in commodities, it will be subject to additional risks. Commodities are real assets such as oil, agriculture, livestock, industrial metals, and precious metals such as gold or silver. The values of ETFs that invest in commodities are highly dependent on the prices of the related commodities. The demand and supply of these commodities may fluctuate widely based on such factors as interest rates, investors’ expectations with respect to the rate of inflation, currency exchange rates, the production and cost levels of the producing countries and/or forward selling by such producers, global or regional political, economic or financial events, purchases and sales by central banks, and trading activities by hedge funds and other commodity funds. Commodity ETFs may use derivatives, such as futures, options and swaps, which exposes them to further risks, including counterparty risk (i.e., the risk that the institution on the other side of their trade will default).

 

Debentures. Debentures are a general debt obligation backed only by the integrity of the borrower and documented by an agreement called an Indenture. An unsecured bond is a debenture.

 

Illiquid Securities. The Fund may hold up to 15% of its relative net assets in illiquid securities. For this purpose, the term “illiquid securities” means securities that the holder reasonably expects cannot be sold or disposed of in current market conditions in seven calendar days or less without the sale or disposition significantly changing the market value of the security. Illiquid securities include generally, among other things, certain written over-the-counter options, securities or other liquid assets as cover for such options, repurchase agreements with maturities in excess of seven days, certain loan participation interests and other securities whose disposition is restricted under the federal securities laws.

 

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Debt Securities. The Fund may invest in debt securities. It generally will invest in debt securities rated Baa or higher by Moody’s Investor Service, Inc.(“Moody’s”) or BBB or higher by Standard & Poor’s Rating Group (“S&P”) or foreign securities not subject to standard credit ratings, which the Adviser/Sub-Adviser believes are of comparable quality. Debt securities consist of bonds, notes, government and government agency securities, zero coupon securities, convertible bonds, asset-backed and mortgage-backed securities, and other debt securities whose purchase is consistent with the Fund’s investment objectives. The Fund’s investments may include international bonds that are denominated in foreign currencies, including the European Currency Unit or “Euro.” International bonds are defined as bonds issued in countries other than the United States. The Fund’s investments may include debt securities issued or guaranteed by supranational organizations, corporate debt securities, and bank or holding company debt securities.

 

Foreign Securities. The Fund may invest in foreign securities. Investing in securities of foreign companies and countries involves certain considerations and risks that are not typically associated with investing in U.S. government securities and securities of domestic companies. There may be less publicly available information about a foreign issuer than a domestic one, and foreign companies are not generally subject to uniform accounting, auditing and financial standards and requirements comparable to those applicable to U.S. companies. There may also be less government supervision and regulation of foreign securities exchanges, brokers and listed companies than exists in the United States. Interest and dividends paid by foreign issuers may be subject to withholding and other foreign taxes, which may decrease the net return on such investments as compared to dividends and interest paid to the Fund by domestic companies or the U.S. government. There may be the possibility of expropriations, seizure or nationalization of foreign deposits, confiscatory taxation, political, economic or social instability or diplomatic developments that could affect assets of the Fund held in foreign countries. The establishment of exchange controls or other foreign governmental laws or restrictions could adversely affect the payment of obligations. In addition, investing in foreign securities will generally result in higher commissions than investing in similar domestic securities.

 

Decreases in the value of currencies of the foreign countries in which the Fund will invest relative to the U.S. dollar will result in a corresponding decrease in the U.S. dollar value of the Fund’s assets denominated in those currencies (and possibly a corresponding increase in the amount of securities required to be liquidated to meet distribution requirements). Conversely, increases in the value of currencies of the foreign countries in which the Fund invests relative to the U.S. dollar will result in a corresponding increase in the U.S. dollar value of the Fund’s assets (and possibly a corresponding decrease in the amount of securities to be liquidated).

 

Depositary Receipts. Assets of the Fund may be invested on a global basis to take advantage of investment opportunities both within the United States and other countries. The Fund may buy foreign securities directly in their principal markets or indirectly through the use of depositary receipts. The Fund may invest in sponsored and unsponsored American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”), European Depositary Receipts (“EDRs”), and other similar depositary receipts. ADRs are issued by an American bank or trust company and represent ownership of underlying securities of a foreign company. EDRs are issued in Europe, usually by foreign banks, and represent ownership of either foreign or domestic underlying securities. The foreign country may withhold taxes on dividends or distributions paid on the securities underlying ADRs and EDRs, thereby reducing the dividend or distribution amount received by shareholders.

 

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Unsponsored ADRs and EDRs are issued without the participation of the issuer of the underlying securities. As a result, information concerning the issuer may not be as current as for sponsored ADRs and EDRs. Holders of unsponsored ADRs generally bear all of the costs of the ADR facilities. The depositary of an unsponsored facility frequently is under no obligation to distribute shareholder communications received from the issuer of the deposited securities or to pass through voting rights to the holders of such receipts in respect of the deposited securities. Therefore, there may not be a correlation between information concerning the issuer of the security and the market value of an unsponsored ADR.

 

Borrowing. As required by the 1940 Act, the Fund must maintain continuous asset coverage (total assets, including assets acquired with borrowed funds, less liabilities exclusive of borrowings) of 300% of all amounts borrowed. If, at any time, the value of a Fund’s assets should fail to meet this 300% coverage test, the Fund, within three days (not including Sundays and holidays), will reduce the amount of the Fund’s borrowings to the extent necessary to meet this 300% coverage. Maintenance of this percentage limitation may result in the sale of portfolio securities at a time when investment considerations otherwise indicate that it would be disadvantageous to do so. Investment strategies that either obligate a Fund to purchase securities or require a Fund to segregate assets are not considered to be borrowing.

 

Repurchase Agreements. The Fund may enter into repurchase agreements with qualified, creditworthy banks or non-bank dealers (“Seller”) as determined by the Adviser. In a repurchase agreement, the Fund buys from the Seller investment-grade securities at one price and the Seller agrees to repurchase these securities at a later date (usually within one to seven days) for a price equal to the original price paid by the Fund plus an agreed interest payment (“Repurchase Price”). The Seller’s obligation to repurchase the securities is secured by cash, the securities purchased, and/or certain U.S. government securities or U.S. agency guaranteed securities (“Collateral”). The Collateral is held by the Fund’s custodian or a qualified sub-custodian under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”) that is a financial intermediary. The Adviser will monitor, on an ongoing basis, the current market value of the Collateral to ensure it always equals or exceeds the Repurchase Price. Each repurchase agreement must at all times be “fully collateralized” as required by Rule 5b-3 under the 1940 Act. Repurchase agreements involve risks that the Seller cannot pay the Repurchase Price (e.g., in the event of a default or insolvency of the Seller) and risks that the net liquidation value of the Collateral is less than the amount needed to repay the Repurchase Price. In addition, the Fund may invest in foreign repurchase agreements. Foreign repurchase agreements may include agreements to purchase and sell foreign securities in exchange for fixed U.S. dollar amounts, or in exchange for specified amounts of foreign currency. In the event of default by the counterparty, the Fund may suffer a loss if the value of the security purchased, i.e., the collateral, in U.S. dollars, is less than the agreed upon repurchase price, or if the Fund is unable to successfully assert a claim to the collateral under foreign laws. As a result, foreign repurchase agreements may involve greater credit risk than repurchase agreements in U.S. markets, as well as risks associated with currency fluctuations. Repurchase agreements with foreign counterparties may have more risk than with U.S. counterparties, since less financial information may be available about the foreign counterparties and they may be less creditworthy.

 

The Fund may engage in repurchase agreement transactions to the maximum extent permitted by applicable law.

 

Loans of Portfolio Securities. The Fund may make short- and long-term loans of its portfolio securities. To the extent that a lending policy is authorized by the Board of Trustees (the “Board”) and implemented by the Adviser, the Fund may make loans of its portfolio securities in response to requests of broker-dealers or institutional investors which the Adviser deems qualified. In all such cases, the borrower must agree to maintain collateral, in the form of cash or U.S. government obligations, with the Fund on a daily mark-to-market basis in an amount at least equal to 100% of the value of the loaned securities. The Fund will continue to receive dividends or interest on the loaned securities and may terminate such loans at any time or reacquire such securities in time to vote on any matter which the Board determines to be serious. With respect to loans of securities, there is the risk that the borrower may fail to return the loaned securities or that the borrower may not be able to provide additional collateral. No loan of securities will be made if, as a result, the aggregate amount of such loans would exceed 5% of the value of a Fund’s net assets.

 

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Strategic Transactions. The Fund may utilize a variety of investment strategies to hedge various market risks (such as interest rates, currency exchange rates, and broad specific equity or fixed-income market movements). Such strategies are generally accepted as modern portfolio management and are regularly utilized by many mutual funds and institutional investors. Techniques and instruments may change over time as new instruments and strategies develop and regulatory changes occur.

 

In the course of pursuing these investment strategies, the Fund may purchase and sell exchange-listed and over-the-counter put and call options on securities, fixed-income indices and other financial instruments, purchase and sell financial futures contracts and options thereon, enter into various interest rate transactions such as swaps, caps, floors or collars, and enter into various currency transactions such as currency forward contracts, currency futures contracts, currency swaps or options on currencies or currency futures (collectively, all the above are called “Strategic Transactions”).

 

When conducted outside of the United States, Strategic Transactions may not be regulated as rigorously as they are in the United States, may not involve a clearing mechanism and related guarantees, and are subject to the risk of governmental actions affecting trading in, or the prices of, foreign securities, currencies, and other instruments. The value of such positions could also be adversely affected by: (1) other complex foreign political, legal and economic factors, (2) lesser availability than in the United States of data on which to make trading decisions, (3) delays in a Fund’s ability to act upon economic events occurring in foreign markets during non-business hours in the United States, (4) the imposition of different exercise and settlement terms and procedures and margin requirements than in the United States, and (5) lower trading volume and liquidity.

 

Options. The Fund may purchase and sell options as described herein.

 

Put and Call Options. A put option gives the purchaser of the option, upon payment of a premium, the right to sell, and the writer the obligation to buy, the underlying security, commodity, index, currency or other instrument at the exercise price. The Fund may purchase a put option on a security to protect its holdings in the underlying instrument (or, in some cases, a similar instrument) against a substantial decline in market value by giving the Fund the right to sell such instrument at the option exercise price. Such protection is, of course, only provided during the life of the put option when the Fund can sell the underlying security at the put exercise price regardless of any decline in the underlying security’s market price. By using put options in this manner, the Fund will reduce any profit it might otherwise have realized in its underlying security by the premium paid for the put option and by transaction costs.

 

A call option, upon payment of a premium, gives the purchaser of the option the right to buy, and the seller the obligation to sell, the underlying instrument at the exercise price. The Fund’s purchase of a call option on a security, financial future, index, currency, or other instrument might be intended to protect the Fund against an increase in the price of the underlying instrument. When writing a covered call option, the Fund, in return for the premium, gives up the opportunity to profit from a market increase in the underlying security above the exercise price, but conversely retains the risk of loss should the price of the security decline. If a call option which the Fund has written expires, it will realize a gain in the amount of the premium; however, such gain may be offset by a decline in the market value of the underlying security during the option period. If the call option is exercised, the Fund will realize a gain or loss from the sale of the underlying security.

 

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The premium received is the market value of an option. The premium the Fund will receive from writing a call option, or, which it will pay when purchasing a put option, will reflect, among other things, the current market price of the underlying security, the relationship of the exercise price to such market price, the historical price volatility of the underlying security, the length of the option period, the general supply and demand for credit conditions, and the general interest rate environment. The premium received by the Fund for writing covered call options will be recorded as a liability in its statement of assets and liabilities. This liability will be adjusted daily to the option’s current market value, which will be the latest sale price at the time at which the Fund’s net asset value (“NAV”) per share is computed (currently, the close of regular trading on the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”)), or, in the absence of such sale, the latest asked price. The liability will be extinguished upon expiration of the option, the purchase of an identical option in a closing transaction, or delivery of the underlying security upon the exercise of the option.

 

The premium paid by the Fund when purchasing a put option will be recorded as an asset in its statement of assets and liabilities. This asset will be adjusted daily to the option’s current market value, which will be the latest sale price at the time at which the Fund’s NAV per share is computed, or, in the absence of such sale, the latest bid price. The asset will be extinguished upon expiration of the option, the selling (writing) of an identical option in a closing transaction, or the delivery of the underlying security upon the exercise of the option.

 

The purchase of a put option will constitute a short sale for federal tax purposes. The purchase of a put at a time when the substantially identical security held long has not exceeded the long-term capital gain holding period could have adverse tax consequences. The holding period of the long position will be cut off so that even if the security held long is delivered to close the put, short term gain will be recognized. If substantially identical securities are purchased to close the put, the holding period of the securities purchased will not begin until the closing date. The holding period of the substantially identical securities not delivered to close the short sale will commence on the closing of the short sale.

 

The Fund will purchase a call option only to close out a covered call option it has written. It will write a put option only to close out a put option it has purchased. Such closing transactions will be effected in order to realize a profit on an outstanding call or put option, to prevent an underlying security from being called or put, or, to permit the sale of the underlying security.

 

Furthermore, effecting a closing transaction will permit the Fund to write another call option, or purchase another put option, on the underlying security with either a different exercise price or expiration date or both. If the Fund desires to sell a particular security from its portfolio on which it has written a call option, or purchased a put option, it will seek to effect a closing transaction prior to, or concurrently with, the sale of the security. There is, of course, no assurance that the Fund will be able to effect such closing transactions at a favorable price. If it cannot enter into such a transaction, it may be required to hold a security that it might otherwise have sold, in which case it would continue to be at market risk on the security. This could result in higher transaction costs, including brokerage commissions. The Fund will pay brokerage commissions in connection with the writing or purchase of options to close out previously written options. Such brokerage commissions are normally higher than those applicable to purchases and sales of portfolio securities.

 

Options written by the Fund will normally have expiration dates between three and nine months from the date written. The exercise price of the options may be below, equal to, or above the current market values of the underlying securities at the time the options are written. From time to time, the Fund may purchase an underlying security for delivery in accordance with an exercise notice of a call option assigned to it, rather than delivering such security from its portfolio. In such cases, additional brokerage commissions will be incurred.

 

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The Fund will realize a profit or loss from a closing purchase transaction if the cost of the transaction is less or more than the premium received from the writing of the option; however, any loss so incurred in a closing purchase transaction may be partially or entirely offset by the premium received from a simultaneous or subsequent sale of a different call or put option. Also, because increases in the market price of a call option will generally reflect increases in the market price of the underlying security, any loss resulting from the repurchase of a call option is likely to be offset in whole or in part by appreciation of the underlying security owned by the Fund.

 

An American style put or call option may be exercised at any time during the option period while a European style put or call option may be exercised only upon expiration or during a fixed period prior thereto. The Fund is authorized to purchase and sell exchange-listed options and over-the-counter options (“OTC options”). Exchange-listed options are issued by a regulated intermediary such as the Options Clearing Corporation (“OCC”), which guarantees the performance of the obligations of the parties to such options. The discussion below uses the OCC as an example, but is also applicable to other financial intermediaries.

 

With certain exceptions, OCC issued and exchange listed options generally settle by physical delivery of the underlying security or currency, although cash settlement may become available in the future. Index options and Eurocurrency instruments are cash settled for the net amount, if any, by which the option is “in-the-money” (i.e., where the value of the underlying instrument exceeds, in the case of a call option, or is less than, in the case of a put option, the exercise price of the option) at the time the option is exercised. Frequently, rather than taking or making delivery of the underlying instrument through the process of exercising the option, listed options are closed by entering into offsetting purchase or sales transactions that do not result in ownership of the new option.

 

The Fund’s ability to close out its position as a purchaser or seller of an OCC or exchange-listed put or call option is dependent, in part, upon liquidity of the option market. Among the possible reasons for the absence of a liquid option market on an exchange are: (1) insufficient trading interest in certain options; (2) restrictions on transactions imposed by an exchange; (3) trading halts, suspensions or other restrictions imposed with respect to particular classes or series of options or underlying securities including reaching daily price limits; (4) interruption of the normal operations of the OCC or an exchange; (5) inadequacy of the facilities of an exchange or OCC to handle current trading volume; or (6) a decision by one or more exchanges to discontinue the trading of options (or a particular class or series of options), in which event the relevant market for that option on that exchange would cease to exist, although outstanding options on that exchange would generally continue to be exercisable in accordance with their terms.

 

The hours of trading for listed options may not coincide with the hours during which the underlying financial instruments are traded. To the extent that the option markets close before the markets for the underlying financial instruments, significant price and rate movements can take place in the underlying markets that cannot be reflected in the option markets.

 

OTC options are purchased from or sold to securities dealers, financial institutions, or other parties (“Counterparties”) through a direct bilateral agreement with the Counterparty. In contrast to exchange-listed options, which generally have standardized terms and performance mechanics, all of the terms of an OTC option, including such terms as method of settlement, term, exercise price, premium, guarantees and security, are set by negotiation of the parties. A Fund will only sell OTC options (other than OTC currency options) that are subject to a buy-back provision permitting the Fund to require the Counterparty to sell the option back to the Fund at a formula price within seven days.

 

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Although not required to do so, the Fund generally expects to enter into OTC options that have cash settlement provisions. Unless the parties provide otherwise, there is no central clearing or guaranty function in an OTC option.

 

As a result, if the Counterparty fails to make or take delivery of the security, currency or other instrument underlying an OTC option it has entered into with the Fund or fails to make a cash settlement payment due in accordance with the terms of that option, the Fund will lose any premium it paid for the option as well as any anticipated benefit of the transaction. Accordingly, the Fund’s Adviser must assess the creditworthiness of each such Counterparty or any guarantor or credit enhancement of the Counterparty’s credit to determine the likelihood that the terms of the OTC option will be satisfied. The Fund will engage in OTC option transactions only with United States government securities dealers recognized by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York as “primary dealers,” or broker dealers, domestic or foreign banks or other financial institutions which have received (or the guarantors of the obligation of which have received) a short-term credit rating of A-1 from S&P or P-1 from Moody’s or an equivalent rating from any other nationally recognized statistical rating organization (a “NRSRO”). The staff of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) currently takes the position that OTC options purchased by the Fund and portfolio securities “covering” the amount of the Fund’s obligation pursuant to an OTC option sold by it (the cost of the sell-back plus the in-the-money amount, if any) are illiquid, and are subject to the Fund’s limitation on investing no more than 15% of its assets in illiquid securities.

 

If the Fund sells a call option, the premium that it receives may serve as a partial hedge against a decrease in the value of the underlying securities or instruments in its portfolio. The premium may also increase the Fund’s income. The sale of put options can also provide income.

 

The Fund may purchase and sell call options on securities, including U.S. Treasury and agency securities, mortgage-backed securities, corporate debt securities, and Eurocurrency instruments (see “Eurocurrency Instruments” below for a description of such instruments) that are traded in U.S. and foreign securities exchanges and in the over-the-counter markets, and futures contracts. The Fund may purchase and sell call options on currencies. All calls sold by the Fund must be “covered” (i.e., the Fund must own the securities or futures contract subject to the call) or must meet the asset segregation requirements described below as long as the call is outstanding. Even though the Fund will receive the option premium to help protect them against loss, a call sold by the Fund exposes the Fund during the term of the option to possible loss of opportunity to realize appreciation in the market price of the underlying security or instrument and may require the Fund to hold a security or instrument which they might otherwise have sold.

 

The Fund may purchase and sell put options on securities including U.S. Treasury and agency securities, mortgage-backed securities, foreign sovereign debt, corporate debt securities, convertible securities, and Eurocurrency instruments (whether or not a Fund holds the above securities in its portfolio), and futures contracts. The Fund may not purchase or sell futures contracts on individual corporate debt securities. The Fund may purchase and sell put options on currencies. The Fund will not sell put options if, as a result, more than 50% of the respective Fund’s assets would be required to be segregated to cover its potential obligations under such put options other than those with respect to futures and options thereon. In selling put options, there is a risk that the Fund may be required to buy the underlying security at a disadvantageous price above the market price. For tax purposes, the purchase of a put is treated as a short sale, which may cut off the holding period for the security. Consequently, the purchase of a put is treated as generating gain on securities held less than three months or short-term capital gain (instead of long term) as the case may be.

 

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Options on Securities Indices and Other Financial Indices. The Fund may also purchase and sell call and put options on securities indices and other financial indices. By doing so, the Fund can achieve many of the same objectives that they would achieve through the sale or purchase of options on individual securities or other instruments. Options on securities indices and other financial indices are similar to options on a security or other instrument except that, rather than settling by physical delivery of the underlying instrument, they settle by cash settlement. For example, an option on an index gives the holder the right to receive, upon exercise of the option, an amount of cash if the closing level of the index upon which the option is based exceeds, in the case of a call, or is less than, in the case of a put, the exercise price of the option. This amount of cash is equal to the excess of the closing price of the index over the exercise price of the option, which also may be multiplied by a formula value.

 

The seller of the option is obligated, in return for the premium received, to make delivery of this amount. The gain or loss on an option on an index depends on price movements in the instruments making up the market, market segment, industry or any other composite on which the underlying index is based, rather than price movements in individual securities, as is the case with respect to options on securities.

 

Futures. The Fund may enter into financial futures contracts or purchase or sell put and call options on such futures as a hedge against anticipated interest rate or currency market changes and for risk management purposes. The use of futures for hedging is intended to protect the Fund from (1) the risk that the value of its portfolio of investments in a foreign market may decline before it can liquidate its interest, or (2) the risk that a foreign market in which it proposes to invest may have significant increases in value before it invests in that market. In the first instance, the Fund will sell a future based upon a broad market index which it is believed will move in a manner comparable to the overall value of securities in that market. In the second instance, the Fund will purchase the appropriate index as an “anticipatory” hedge until it can otherwise acquire suitable direct investments in that market. As with the hedging of foreign currencies, the precise matching of financial futures on foreign indices and the value of the cash or portfolio securities being hedged may not have a perfect correlation. The projection of future market movement and the movement of appropriate indices is difficult, and the successful execution of this short-term hedging strategy is uncertain.

 

Regulatory policies governing the use of such hedging techniques require the Fund to provide for the deposit of initial margin and the segregation of suitable assets to meet its obligations under futures contracts. Futures are generally bought and sold on the commodities exchanges where they are listed with payment of initial and variation margin as described below. The sale of a futures contract creates a firm obligation by the Fund, as seller, to deliver to the buyer the specific type of financial instrument called for in the contract at a specific future time for a specified price (or, with respect to index futures and Eurocurrency instruments, the net cash amount). Options on futures contracts are similar to options on securities except that an option on a futures contract gives the purchaser the right in return for the premium paid to assume a position in a futures contract and obligates the seller to deliver such position.

 

The Fund’s use of financial futures and options thereon will in all cases be consistent with applicable regulatory requirements, particularly the rules and regulations of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. The Fund will use such techniques only for bona fide hedging, risk management (including duration management) or other portfolio management purposes. Typically, maintaining a futures contract or selling an option thereon requires the Fund to deposit an amount of cash or other specified assets (initial margin), which initially is typically 1% to 10% of the face amount of the contract (but may be higher in some circumstances) with a financial intermediary as security for its obligations. Additional cash or assets (variation margin) may be required to be deposited thereafter daily as the mark-to-market value of the contract fluctuates. The purchase of an option on financial futures involves payment of a premium for the option without any further obligation on the part of the Fund. If the Fund exercises an option on a futures contract, it will be obligated to post initial margin (and potential subsequent variation margin) for the resulting futures position. Futures contracts and options thereon are generally settled by entering into an offsetting transaction, but there can be no assurance that the position can be offset prior to settlement at an advantage price or that delivery will occur.

 

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The Fund will not enter into a futures contract or related option (except for closing transactions) if immediately thereafter, the sum of the amount of its initial margin and premiums on open futures contracts and options thereon would exceed 5% of the respective Fund’s total assets (taken at current value); however, in the case of an option that is in-the-money at the time of the purchase, the in-the-money amount may be excluded in calculating the 5% limitation. The segregation requirements with respect to futures contracts and options thereon are described below.

 

Currency Transactions. The Fund may engage in currency transactions with counterparties to hedge the value of portfolio holdings denominated in particular currencies against fluctuations in relative value. Currency transactions include forward currency contracts, exchange-listed currency futures, exchange-listed and OTC options on currencies, and currency swaps. A forward currency contract involves a privately negotiated obligation to purchase or sell (with delivery generally required) a specific currency at a future date, which may be any fixed number of days from the date of the contract between the parties, at a specified price. These contracts are traded in the interbank market and conducted directly between currency traders (usually large, commercial banks) and their customers. A forward foreign currency contract generally has no deposit requirement or commissions charges. A currency swap is an agreement to exchange cash flows based on the notional difference among two or more currencies. Currency swaps operate similarly to an interest rate swap (described below). The Fund may enter into currency transactions with counterparties which have received (or the guarantors of the obligations of which have received) a credit rating of A-1 or P-1 by S&P or Moody’s, respectively, or that have an equivalent rating from a NRSRO, or (except for OTC currency options) are determined to be of equivalent credit quality by the Fund’s Adviser.

 

Currency hedging involves some of the same risks and considerations as other transactions with similar instruments. Currency transactions can result in losses to the Fund if the currency being hedged fluctuates in value to a degree or in a direction that is not anticipated. Furthermore, there is the risk that the perceived linkage between various currencies may not be present or may not be present during the particular time the Fund is engaging in proxy hedging (see “Proxy Hedging,” below). If the Fund enters into a currency hedging transaction, it will comply with the asset segregation requirements described below. Cross currency hedges may not be considered “directly related” to the Fund’s principal business of investing in stock or securities (or options and futures thereon), resulting in gains there from not qualifying under the “less than 30% of gross income” test of Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”).

 

Currency transactions are also subject to risks different from those of other portfolio transactions. Because currency control is of great importance to the issuing governments and influences economic planning and policy, purchases and sales of currency and related instruments can be negatively affected by government exchange controls, blockages, and manipulations or exchange restrictions imposed by governments. These can result in losses to the Fund if it is unable to deliver or receive currency or funds in settlement of obligations and could also cause hedges the Fund has entered into to be rendered useless, resulting in full currency exposure and transaction costs. Buyers and sellers of currency futures are subject to the same risks that apply to the use of futures generally. Furthermore, settlement of a currency futures contract for the purchase of most currencies must occur at a bank based in the issuing nation. Trading options on currency futures is relatively new, and the ability to establish and close out positions on such options is subject to the maintenance of a liquid market which may not always be available. Currency exchange rates may fluctuate based on factors extrinsic to that country’s economy. Although forward foreign currency contracts and currency futures tend to minimize the risk of loss due to a decline in the value of the hedged currency, they tend to limit any potential gain which might result should the value of such currency increase.

 

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The Fund’s dealings in forward currency contracts and other currency transactions such as futures, options on futures, options on currencies and swaps will be limited to hedging involving either specific transactions (“Transaction Hedging”) or portfolio positions (“Position Hedging”).

 

Transaction Hedging. Transaction Hedging occurs when the Fund enters into a currency transaction with respect to specific assets or liabilities. These specific assets or liabilities generally arise in connection with the purchase or sale of the Fund’s portfolio securities or the receipt of income there from.

 

The Fund may use transaction hedging to preserve the United States dollar price of a security when they enter into a contract for the purchase or sale of a security denominated in a foreign currency. The Fund will be able to protect against possible losses resulting from changes in the relationship between the U.S. dollar and foreign currencies during the period between the date the security is purchased or sold and the date on which payment is made or received by entering into a forward contract for the purchase or sale, for a fixed amount of dollars, of the amount of the foreign currency involved in the underlying security transactions.

 

Position Hedging. Position hedging is entering into a currency transaction with respect to portfolio security positions denominated or generally quoted in that currency. The Fund may use position hedging when the Fund’s Adviser believes that the currency of a particular foreign country may suffer a substantial decline against the U.S. dollar. The Fund may enter into a forward foreign currency contract to sell, for a fixed amount of dollars, the amount of foreign currency approximating the value of some or all of its portfolio securities denominated in such foreign currency. The precise matching of the forward foreign currency contract amount and the value of the portfolio securities involved may not have a perfect correlation since the future value of the securities hedged will change as a consequence of market movements between the date the forward contract is entered into and the date it matures. The projection of short-term currency market movement is difficult, and the successful execution of this short-term hedging strategy is uncertain.

 

The Fund will not enter into a transaction to hedge currency exposure to an extent greater, after netting all transactions intended wholly or partially to offset other transactions, than the aggregate market value (at the time of entering into the transaction) of the securities held in their portfolio that are denominated or generally quoted in or currently convertible into such currency, other than with respect to proxy hedging as described below.

 

Cross Hedging. The Fund may also cross-hedge currencies by entering into transactions to purchase or sell one or more currencies that are expected to decline in value relative to other currencies to which the Fund has or expects to have portfolio exposure.

 

Proxy Hedging. To reduce the effect of currency fluctuations on the value of existing or anticipated holdings of portfolio securities, the Fund may also engage in proxy hedging. Proxy hedging is often used when the currency to which the Fund’s portfolio is exposed is difficult to hedge or to hedge against the U.S. dollar. Proxy hedging entails entering into a forward contract to sell a currency whose changes in value are generally considered to be linked to a currency or currencies in which some or all of the Fund’s portfolio securities are or are expected to be denominated, and buying U.S. dollars. The amount of the contract would not exceed the value of the Fund’s securities denominated in linked currencies. For example, if the Adviser considers that the Swedish krona is linked to the euro, the Fund holds securities denominated in Swedish krona and the Adviser believes that the value of Swedish krona will decline against the U.S. dollar, the Adviser may enter into a contract to sell euros and buy U.S. dollars.

 

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Combined Transactions. The Fund may enter into multiple transactions, including multiple options transactions, multiple futures transactions, multiple currency transactions (including forward foreign currency contracts) and multiple interest rate transactions and any combination of futures, options, currency and interest rate transactions (“component transactions”), instead of a single Strategic Transaction or when the Adviser believes that it is in the Fund’s best interest to do so. A combined transaction will usually contain elements of risk that are present in each of its component transactions. Although combined transactions are normally entered into based on the Adviser’s judgment that the combined strategies will reduce risk or otherwise more effectively achieve the desired portfolio management goal, it is possible that the combination will instead increase such risks or hinder achievement of the portfolio management objective.

 

Eurocurrency Instruments. The Fund may make investments in Eurocurrency instruments. Eurocurrency instruments are futures contracts or options thereon which are linked to the London Interbank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”) or to the interbank rates offered in other financial centers. Eurocurrency futures contracts enable purchasers to obtain a fixed rate for the lending of funds and sellers to obtain a fixed rate for borrowings. The Fund might use Eurocurrency futures contracts and options thereon to hedge against changes in LIBOR and other interbank rates, to which many interest rate swaps and fixed income instruments are linked. The United Kingdom’s Financial Conduct Authority has announced plans to discontinue supporting LIBOR and transition away from LIBOR by the end of 2021. Until then, the Fund may continue to invest in instruments that reference LIBOR due to favorable liquidity or pricing. There remains uncertainty regarding the future use of LIBOR and the nature of any replacement or alternative rate, and any potential effects of the phasing out of LIBOR on a Fund or on certain instruments in which a Fund invests can be difficult to ascertain. Various financial industry groups have begun planning for the transition away from LIBOR and certain regulators have taken actions to establish alternative reference rates (e.g., the Secured Overnight Financing Rate, which measures the cost of overnight borrowings through repurchase agreement transactions collateralized with U.S. Treasury securities and is intended to replace U.S. dollar LIBOR with certain adjustments). The transition process may involve, among other things, an increase in price volatility or illiquidity of instruments that currently rely on LIBOR, a reduction in the value of certain instruments held by the Fund, and a reduction in the effectiveness of related Fund transactions such as hedges. Any such effects, as well as other unforeseen effects, could have an adverse impact on the Fund’s performance.

 

Segregated and Other Special Accounts. In addition to other requirements, many transactions require the Fund to segregate liquid high-grade assets with their custodian to the extent Fund obligations are not otherwise “covered” through the ownership of the underlying security, financial instruments or currency. In general, either the full amount of any obligation by the Fund to pay or deliver securities or assets must be covered at all times by the securities, instruments or currency required to be delivered, or, subject to any regulatory restrictions, an amount of cash or liquid high-grade securities at least equal to the current amount of the obligation must be segregated with the custodian. The segregated assets cannot be sold or transferred unless equivalent assets are substituted in their place or it is no longer necessary to segregate them. For example, a call option written by the Fund will require the Fund to hold the securities subject to the call (or securities convertible into the needed securities without additional consideration) or to segregate liquid high-grade securities sufficient to purchase and deliver the securities if the call is exercised. A call option sold by the Fund on an index will require the Fund to own portfolio securities which correlate with the index or segregate liquid high grade assets equal to the excess of the index value over the exercise price industry or other on a current basis. A put option written by the Fund requires the Fund to segregate liquid, high grade assets equal to the exercise price. A currency contract which obligates the Fund to buy or sell currency will generally require the Fund to hold an amount of that currency or liquid securities denominated in that currency equal to the Fund’s obligations or to segregate liquid high-grade assets equal to the amount of the Fund’s obligation.

 

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OTC options entered into by the Fund, including those on securities, currency, financial instruments or indices and OCC issued and exchange-listed index options, will generally provide for cash settlement. As a result, when the Fund sells these instruments it will only segregate an amount of assets equal to its accrued net obligations, as there is no requirement for payment or delivery of amounts in excess of the net amount. These amounts will equal 100% of the exercise price in the case of a non-cash-settled put, the same as an OCC guaranteed listed option sold by the Fund, or in-the-money amount plus any sell-back formula amount in the case of a cash-settled put or call. In addition, when the Fund sells a call option on an index at a time when the in-the-money amount exceeds the exercise price, the Fund will segregate, until the option expires or is closed out, cash or cash equivalents equal in value to such excess. OCC issued and exchange-listed options sold by a Fund generally settle with physical delivery, and the Fund will segregate an amount of liquid assets equal to the full value of the option. OTC options settling with physical delivery, or with an election of either physical delivery or cash settlement will be treated the same as other options settling with physical delivery.

 

In the case of a futures contract or an option thereon, the Fund must deposit initial margin and possible daily variation margin in addition to segregating sufficient liquid assets. Such assets may consist of cash, cash equivalents, liquid debt securities or other liquid assets.

 

With respect to swaps, the Fund will accrue the net amount of the excess, if any, of its obligations over its entitlements with respect to each swap on a daily basis and will segregate an amount of cash or liquid high grade securities having a value equal to the accrued excess. Caps, floors and collars require segregation of assets with a value equal to the Fund’s net obligation, if any.

 

Strategic Transactions may be covered by other means when consistent with applicable regulatory policies. The Fund may also enter into offsetting transactions so that its combined position, coupled with any segregated assets, equals its net outstanding obligation in related options and Strategic Transactions. For example, the Fund could purchase a put option if the strike price of that option is the same or higher than the strike price of a put option sold by the Fund. Moreover, instead of segregating assets, if the Fund holds a futures or forward contract, it could purchase a put option on the same futures or forward contract with a strike price as high or higher than the price of the contract held. Other Strategic Transactions may also be offered in combinations.

 

If the offsetting transaction terminates at the time of or after the primary transaction, no segregation is required, but if it terminates prior to such time, liquid assets equal to any remaining obligation would need to be segregated.

 

The Fund’s activities involving Strategic Transactions may be limited by the requirements of Subchapter M of the Code for qualification as a regulated investment company.

 

In addition to the foregoing, the Fund is authorized to borrow money as a temporary measure for extraordinary or emergency purposes in amounts not in excess of 5% of the value of the Fund’s total assets. This borrowing is not subject to the foregoing 300% asset coverage requirement.

 

Borrowing may subject the Fund to interest costs, which may exceed the interest received on the securities purchased with the borrowed funds. The Fund may borrow at times to meet redemption requests rather than sell portfolio securities to raise the necessary cash. Borrowing can involve leveraging when securities are purchased with the borrowed money.

 

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Temporary Investments. The Fund may take temporary defensive measures that are inconsistent with the Fund’s normal fundamental or non–fundamental investment policies and strategies in response to adverse market, economic, political, or other conditions as determined by the Adviser. Such measures could include, but are not limited to, investments in (1) highly liquid short–term fixed income securities issued by or on behalf of municipal or corporate issuers, obligations of the U.S. Government and its agencies, commercial paper, and bank certificates of deposit; (2) repurchase agreements involving any such securities; and (3) other money market instruments. The Fund may also invest in shares of money market mutual funds to the extent permitted under applicable law. Money market mutual funds are investment companies, and the investments in those companies by the Fund are in some cases subject to certain fundamental investment restrictions. As a shareholder in a mutual fund, the Fund will bear their ratable share of their expenses, including management fees, and will remain subject to payment of the fees to the Adviser, with respect to assets so invested. The Fund may not achieve its investment objectives during temporary defensive periods.

 

OTHER INVESTMENTS

 

Initial Public Offerings. The Fund may participate in the initial public offering (“IPO”) market, and a portion of the Fund’s returns may be attributed to IPO investments; the impact on the Fund’s performance of IPO investments will be magnified if the Fund has a small asset base. Although the IPO market in recent years has been strong, there is no guarantee that it will continue to be so or that suitable IPOs will be available and, as the Fund’s assets grow, there is no guarantee that the impact of IPO investing will produce positive performance.

 

European Currency. Many European countries have adopted a single European currency, the Euro. On January 1, 1999, the Euro became legal tender for all countries participating in the Economic and Monetary Union (“EMU”). A new European Central Bank has been created to manage the monetary policy of the new unified region. On the same date, the exchange rates were irrevocably fixed between the EMU member countries.

 

Due to this change and its impact on the European capital markets in which the Fund may invest, the Fund may face additional risks. These risks, which include, but are not limited to, volatility of currency exchange rates as a result of the conversion, uncertainty as to capital market reaction, conversion costs that may affect issuer profitability and creditworthiness, and lack of participation by some European countries, may increase the volatility of the Fund’s net asset value per share.

 

Miscellaneous. The Board may, in the future, authorize the Fund to invest in securities other than those listed in this SAI and in the prospectus, provided that such investments would be consistent with the respective Fund’s investment objective and that such investments would not violate the respective Fund’s fundamental investment policies or restrictions.

 

ETF Structure Risks. The Fund is structured as an ETF and as a result is subject to special risks, including:

 

Trading Issues. Trading in Shares on the Exchange may be halted due to market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of the Exchange, make trading in Shares inadvisable, such as extraordinary market volatility. There can be no assurance that Shares will continue to meet the listing requirements of the Exchange or will trade with any volume. There is no guarantee that an active secondary market will develop for Shares of the Fund. In stressed market conditions, the liquidity of shares of the Fund may begin to mirror the liquidity of the Fund’s underlying portfolio holdings, which can be significantly less liquid than shares of the Fund.

 

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Market Price Variance Risk. The market prices of Shares will fluctuate in response to changes in NAV and supply and demand for Shares and will include a “bid-ask spread” charged by the exchange specialists, market makers or other participants that trade the particular security. There may be times when the market price and the NAV vary significantly. This means that Shares may trade at a discount to NAV.

 

Authorized Participants (“APs”), Market Makers, and Liquidity Providers Risk. The Fund has a limited number of financial institutions that may act as APs. In addition, there may be a limited number of market makers and/or liquidity providers in the marketplace. To the extent either of the following events occur, Shares of the Fund may trade at a material discount to NAV and possibly face delisting: (i) APs exit the business or otherwise become unable to process creation and/or redemption orders and no other APs step forward to perform these services, or (ii) market makers and/or liquidity providers exit the business or significantly reduce their business activities and no other entities step forward to perform their functions.

 

Costs of Buying or Selling Shares of the Fund. Due to the costs of buying or selling Shares of the Fund, including brokerage commissions imposed by brokers and bid/ask spreads, frequent trading of Shares of the Fund may significantly reduce investment results and an investment in shares of the Fund may not be advisable for investors who anticipate regularly making small investments.

 

INVESTMENT LIMITATIONS

 

Fundamental. The investment limitations described below have been adopted by the Trust with respect to the Fund and are fundamental (“Fundamental”), i.e., they may not be changed without the affirmative vote of a majority of the outstanding shares of the Fund. As used in the Prospectus and the Statement of Additional Information, the term “majority” of the outstanding shares of the Fund means the lesser of: (1) 67% or more of the outstanding shares of the Fund present at a meeting, if the holders of more than 50% of the outstanding shares of a Fund are present or represented at such meeting; or (2) more than 50% of the outstanding shares of a Fund. Other investment practices which may be changed by the Board of Trustees without the approval of shareholders to the extent permitted by applicable law, regulation or regulatory policy are considered non-fundamental (“Non-Fundamental”).

 

The Fund:

 

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.

 

2.May not issue 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 a Fund may be deemed to be an underwriter under the federal securities laws, in connection with the disposition of portfolio securities.

 

4.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.

 

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5.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.

 

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 not invest more than 25% of the value of its net assets in the securities of one or more issuers conducting their principal business activities in the same industry; except that if the Fund’s principal investment objective/strategy is to target the performance of a specific index, the Fund will invest more than 25% of its total assets in securities of issuers in a particular industry to approximately the same extent that the Fund’s target index concentrates in the securities of issuers in a particular industry. The limitation against industry concentration does not apply to investments in securities of the U.S. government, its agencies and instrumentalities.

 

Further, as a matter of fundamental policy, the Fund shall be a “non-diversified company” as that term is defined in the 1940 Act, as interpreted or modified by regulatory authorities from time to time.

 

Except with respect to borrowing and circumstances where the Fund is required to “cover” its positions, if a percentage or rating restriction on an 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 such percentages or restrictions 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, the 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 Fund to borrow for temporary purposes only in an amount not exceeding 5% of the value of the Fund’s 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 the 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 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: Open-end registered investment companies such as the Fund is 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 and to divide those series into separate classes. The Fund currently offers one class of shares. The Fund has 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.

 

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With respect to the Fund’s Fundamental Policy #7 as described above, the Fund will consider, to the extent practicable and consistent with applicable rules, regulations of the SEC and applicable guidance from the staff of the SEC, investments of its underlying investment companies when determining its compliance with the policy.

 

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.

 

MANAGEMENT AND OTHER SERVICE PROVIDERS

 

Investment Adviser. Applied Finance Advisors, LLC (the “Adviser”), 17806 IH 10, Suite 300, San Antonio, Texas 78257, is the investment adviser to the Fund. The Adviser is registered as an investment adviser under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended. The Adviser is a privately held, limited liability company. The Adviser is controlled by Paul Blinn and The Applied Finance Group, Ltd. The Applied Finance Group, Ltd. is controlled by Rafael Resendes and Daniel Obrycki.

 

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 the Fund, subject to the policies adopted by the Trust’s Board of Trustees. In addition, the Adviser: (i) furnishes office space and all necessary office facilities, equipment and executive personnel necessary for managing the assets of the Fund; (ii) provides guidance and policy direction in connection with its daily management of the Fund’s assets, subject to the authority of the Trust’s Board of Trustees; and (iii) is responsible for oversight of the Sub-Adviser. Under the Advisory Agreement, the Adviser assumes and pays, at its own expense and without reimbursement from the Trust, all ordinary expenses of the Fund, except the fee paid to the Adviser pursuant to the Advisory Agreement, interest expenses, taxes, acquired fund fees and expenses, brokerage commissions and any other portfolio transaction related expenses and fees arising out of transactions effected on behalf of the Fund, credit facility fees and expenses, including interest expenses, and litigation and indemnification expenses and other extraordinary expenses not incurred in the ordinary course of the Fund’s business.

 

For its services with respect to the Fund, the Adviser is entitled to receive an annual management fee, calculated daily and payable monthly as a percentage of the Fund’s average daily net assets, at the rate of 0.49%. For the fiscal period ended December 31, 2021, the Fund paid the Adviser fees of $27,300 for its services.

 

The Adviser retains the right to use the name “Applied Finance” or any derivative thereof in connection with another investment company or business enterprise with which the Adviser is or may become associated. The Trust’s right to use the name “Applied Finance” or any derivative thereof automatically ceases ninety days after termination of the Advisory Agreement and may be 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.

 

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The Advisory Agreement was approved by the Trustees (including all the Independent Trustees) in compliance with the 1940 Act. The Advisory Agreement will continue in force for an initial period of up to two years. Thereafter, the Advisory Agreement is renewable from year to year with respect to the Fund, so long as its continuance is approved at least annually (1) by the vote, cast in person at a meeting called for that purpose, of a majority of those Trustees who are not “interested persons” of the Trust; and (2) by the majority vote of either the full Board or the vote of a majority of the outstanding shares of the Fund. The Advisory Agreement will terminate automatically in the event of its assignment, and is terminable at any time without penalty by the Board or by a majority of a Fund’s outstanding shares on not less than 60 days’ written notice to the Adviser, or by the Adviser on 90 days’ written notice to the Trust. The Advisory Agreement provides that the Adviser shall not be protected against any liability to the Trust or its shareholders by reason of willful misfeasance, bad faith, or gross negligence on its part in the performance of its duties or from reckless disregard of its obligations or duties thereunder.

 

The Adviser may make payments to banks or other financial institutions that provide shareholder services and administer shareholder accounts. If a bank or other financial institution were prohibited from continuing to perform all or a part of such services, management of the Fund believes that there would be no material impact on the Fund or its shareholders. Financial institutions may charge their customers fees for offering these services to the extent permitted by applicable regulatory authorities, and the overall return to those shareholders availing themselves of the financial institution’s services will be lower than to those shareholders who do not. The Fund may purchase securities issued by financial institutions that provide such services; however, in selecting investments for the Fund, no preference will be shown for such securities.

 

Manager-of-Managers Structure

 

The Adviser and the Trust have been granted an exemptive order from the SEC that will allow the Fund to operate in a “manager of managers” structure whereby the Adviser, as the Fund’s investment adviser, can appoint and replace both wholly owned and unaffiliated sub-advisers, and enter into, amend and terminate sub-advisory agreements with such sub-advisers, each subject to Board approval but without obtaining prior shareholder approval (the “Manager of Managers Structure”). The Fund will, however, inform shareholders of the hiring of any new sub-adviser within 90 days after the hiring. The SEC exemptive order will provide the Fund with greater efficiency and without incurring the expenses and delays associated with obtaining shareholder approval of sub-advisory agreements with such sub-advisers.

 

The use of the Manager of Managers Structure with respect to the Fund will be subject to certain conditions that are set forth in the SEC exemptive order. Under the Manager of Managers Structure, the Adviser will have the ultimate responsibility, subject to oversight by the Board, to oversee the sub-advisers and recommend their hiring, termination, and replacement. The Adviser will also, subject to the review and approval of the Board: set the Fund’s overall investment strategy; evaluate, select and recommend sub-advisers to manage all or a portion of the Fund’s assets; and implement procedures reasonably designed to ensure that each sub-adviser complies with the Fund’s investment objective, policies and restrictions. Subject to the review of the Board, the Adviser will allocate and, when appropriate, reallocate the Fund’s assets among sub-advisers and monitor and evaluate the sub-advisers’ performance.

 

The Sub-Adviser. The Adviser has retained Toroso Asset Management (the “Sub-Adviser”) to serve as sub-adviser for the Fund. The Sub-Adviser has its principal office at 898 N. Broadway, Suite 2, Massapequa, New York 11758. The Sub-Adviser was established in 2012 and provides investment advisory, investment research, and portfolio construction services to ETF clients. No outside companies or individuals currently own more than 25% of the Sub-Adviser’s voting rights. Over 50% of the Sub-Adviser’s voting rights are with employee-members.

 

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Pursuant to an Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement between the Adviser and the Sub-Adviser (the “Sub-Advisory Agreement”), the Sub-Adviser assists the Adviser in providing day-to-day management of the Fund’s portfolio. The Sub-Adviser is responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund’s trading process, which includes Creation and/or Redemption basket processing. The Sub-Adviser will work directly with the Fund’s Custodian, Transfer Agent and Adviser to carry out the trading process for the Fund. The Sub-Adviser does not select investments for the Fund’s portfolio. See below for description of the services being provided by the Custodian and the Transfer Agent.

 

The Sub-Advisory Agreement was approved by the Trustees (including all the Independent Trustees) in compliance with the 1940 Act and by the Fund’s initial shareholder. The Sub-Advisory Agreement will continue in force for an initial period of up to two years. Thereafter, the Sub-Advisory Agreement is renewable from year to year with respect to the Fund, so long as its continuance is approved at least annually (1) by the vote, cast in person at a meeting called for that purpose, of a majority of those Trustees who are not “interested persons” of the Trust; and (2) by the majority vote of either the full Board or the vote of a majority of the outstanding shares of a Fund. The Sub-Advisory Agreement will terminate automatically in the event of its assignment, and is terminable at any time without penalty by the Board or by a majority of each of the Fund’s outstanding shares or by the Adviser on not less than 60 days’ written notice to the Sub-Adviser, or by the Sub-Adviser on 90 days’ written notice to the Adviser and the Trust. The Sub-Advisory Agreement provides that the Sub-Adviser shall not be protected against any liability to the Trust or its shareholders by reason of willful misfeasance, bad faith, or gross negligence on its part in the performance of its duties or from reckless disregard of its obligations or duties thereunder. For its services, the Sub-Adviser is paid a fee by the Adviser, which is calculated daily and payable monthly as a percentage of the Fund’s average daily net assets, as set forth in the table below:

 

Threshold Fee*
First $500 million 0.0350%
Next $500 million 0.0325%
Over $1 billion 0.0300%

 

*Subject to $25,000 minimum per year

 

Portfolio Managers. As described in the prospectus, Paul Blinn, Rafael Resendes, Michael Venuto and Charles A. Ragauss, CFA serve as the Fund’s Portfolio Managers and they are responsible for the day-to-day investment management of the Fund. In addition to the Fund, the Portfolio Managers are responsible for the day-to-day management of certain other accounts, as listed below. The information below is provided as of December 31, 2021:

 

20

 

 

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)

Paul Blinn 3 $582.1 0 0 0 0 $582.1

Rafael Resendes

3

$582.1

0 0 0 0 $582.1

Michael Venuto

38

$5,699

0

0

579

$282

$5,981

Charles A. Ragauss, CFA

40

$5,576

0

0

0

0

$5,576

 

Conflicts of Interests. The Portfolio Managers’ management of “other accounts” may give rise to potential conflicts of interest in connection with their management of the Fund’s 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 Fund. 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 a Portfolio Manager’s 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 Fund. However, the Adviser and the Sub-Adviser have established policies and procedures to ensure that the purchase and sale of securities among all accounts it manages are fairly and equitably allocated.

 

Compensation. Messrs. Blinn and Resendes do not receive compensation that is based upon the pre- or after-tax performance of the Fund; however, Messrs. Blinn and Resendes, on behalf of the Adviser, may receive compensation that is based upon the pre- or after-tax performance of certain private funds. Messrs. Venuto and Ragauss do not receive compensation that is based upon the pre- or after-tax performance of the Fund; however, Messrs. Venuto and Ragauss, on behalf of the Sub-Adviser, may enter into incentive fee arrangements with its other non-Fund related client accounts. The Portfolio Managers do not receive any special or additional compensation from the Adviser or the Sub-Adviser, respectively, for their services as Portfolio Managers. The Portfolio Managers compensation is based solely on the overall financial operating results of the Adviser or the Sub-Adviser, respectively. Messrs. Venuto and Ragauss may receive compensation from the Adviser and the Sub-Adviser for their respective services to each firm.

 

Portfolio Manager Share Ownership. The table below shows the amount of the Fund’s equity securities beneficially owned by each Portfolio Manager as of December 31, 2021 and stated as one of the following ranges: A = None; B = $1-$10,000; C = $10,001 - $50,000; D = $50,001 - $100,000; E = $100,001-$500,000; F = $500,001-$1,000,000; and G = over $1,000,000.

 

Portfolio Manager Dollar Range of Fund Shares
Paul Blinn B
Rafael Resendes B
Michael Venuto A
Charles A. Ragauss, CFS A

 

21

 

 

Administrator. Pursuant to a Fund Services Agreement, Commonwealth Fund Services, Inc., 8730 Stony Point Parkway, Suite 205, Richmond, VA 23235 (the “Administrator”) serves as the Fund’s administrator. In its capacity as administrator, the Administrator supervises all aspects of the operations of the Fund except those performed by the Adviser. The Administrator provides certain administrative services and facilities to the Fund, including, among other responsibilities, assisting in the preparation and filing of documents required for compliance by the Fund with applicable laws and regulations and arranging for the maintenance of books and records of the Fund. The Administrator receives an asset-based fee computed daily and paid monthly on the average daily net assets of the Fund, subject to a minimum fee plus out-of-pocket expenses.

 

Fund Accountant and Other Services. Pursuant to a Services Agreement with Citi Fund Services Ohio, Inc. (“Citi”), located at 4400 Easton Commons, Suite 200, Columbus, OH, 43219, Citi provides certain financial administration services (other than those provided by the Administrator), dividend disbursing agency services, and fund accounting services to the Fund. As financial administrator, Citi performs services including but not limited to: (1) calculating Fund expenses; (2) calculating the Fund performance data; and (3) providing certain compliance support services. As fund accountant, Citi maintains certain financial records of the Trust and provides accounting services to the Fund that include the daily calculation of the Fund’s NAV. Citi also performs certain other services on behalf of the Trust including providing financial information for the Trust’s federal and state tax returns and financial reports required to be filed with the SEC.

 

For the financial administration and fund accounting services provided to the Trust, the Trust has agreed to pay to Citi an annual asset based fee as a percentage of the aggregate net assets of the Fund, subject to certain breakpoints and minimum fee requirements. Citi is also entitled to fees for services that it renders with respect to the filing of Form N-PORT, its services related to liquidity risk management and out-of-pocket expenses.

 

Custodian and Transfer Agent. Pursuant to a Custodial and Agency Services Agreement with the Trust, Citibank, N.A. (“Custodian”), located at 388 Greenwich Street, New York, NY 10048, serves as transfer agent and custodian for the Fund and safeguards and holds the Fund’s cash and securities, settles the Fund’s securities transactions and collects income on the Fund’s investments. Under the agreement, the Custodian also: (1) provides data required by the Adviser to determine the Fund’s Creation Basket and estimated All Cash Amount for each Business Day (this service is paid for by the Adviser directly pursuant to the Support Services Agreement between Citi and the Adviser (see “Support Services Agreement,” above)); (2) monitors the settlement of securities comprising the Creation Basket and any cash in connection with the purchase and redemption of Creation Units and requests the issuance of related Creation Units; (3) deposits securities comprising the Creation Basket and/or cash received from Authorized Participants in connection with purchases of Creation Units into the Fund’s custody and cash accounts; (4) disburses securities comprising the Creation Basket and/or cash from the Fund’s custody and cash accounts to Authorized Participants in connection with the redemptions of Creation Units; and (5) performs certain other related services, (See “Purchase and Redemption of Creation Units,” below). As transfer agent, Citi issues shares of the Fund in Creation Units to fill purchase orders for the Fund’s shares and maintains records of the issuance and redemption of the Fund’s shares.

 

Distributor and Principal Underwriter. Foreside Fund Services, LLC (the “Distributor”) the Fund’s distributor, is located at Three Canal Plaza, Suite 100, Portland, ME 04101. The Distributor is a broker-dealer registered under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), and a member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (“FINRA”).

 

22

 

 

Shares will be continuously offered for sale by the Trust through the Distributor only in whole Creation Units, as described in the section of this SAI entitled “Additional Information About Purchases and Sales.” The Distributor also acts as an agent for the Trust. The Distributor will deliver a prospectus to persons purchasing Shares in Creation Units and will maintain records of both orders placed with it and confirmations of acceptance furnished by it. The Distributor has no role in determining the investment policies of the Fund or which securities are to be purchased or sold by the Fund.

 

The Board has not adopted a Distribution and Service Plan pursuant to Rule 12b-1 (“Rule 12b-1 Plan”) under the 1940 Act with respect to the Fund. No Rule 12b-1 fees are currently paid by the Fund and there are no plans to impose these fees.

 

The Adviser and its affiliates may, out of their own resources, pay amounts to third parties for distribution or marketing services on behalf of the Fund. The making of these payments could create a conflict of interest for a financial intermediary receiving such payments.

 

Legal Counsel. Practus, LLP, 11300 Tomahawk Creek Parkway, Suite 310, Leawood, KS 66211, serves as legal counsel to the Trust and the Fund.

 

Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm. The Fund’s independent registered public accounting firm, Cohen & Company, Ltd, audits the Fund’s annual financial statements, assists in the preparation of certain reports to the SEC, and prepares the Trust’s tax returns. Cohen & Company, Ltd is located at 1350 Euclid Ave., Suite 800, Cleveland, OH 44115.

 

TRUSTEES AND 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 Trust’s activities, review contractual arrangements with companies that provide services to the Fund and review performance. The names, addresses and ages of the trustees and officers of the Trust, together with information as to their principal occupations during the past five years, are listed below.

 

Each Trustee was nominated to serve on the Board of Trustees based on their particular experiences, qualifications, attributes and skills. Generally, the Trust believes that each Trustee is competent to serve because of their individual overall merits including: (i) experience; (ii) qualifications; (iii) attributes; and (iv) skills. Mr. David J. Urban has been a Professor of Education since 1989. His strategic planning, organizational and leadership skills help the Board set long-term goals. Ms. Mary Lou H. Ivey has over 25 years of business experience as a practicing tax accountant and, as such, brings tax, budgeting and financial reporting skills to the Board. Mr. Theo H. Pitt has experience as an investor, including his role as trustee of several other investment companies and business experience as Senior Partner of a financial consulting company, as a partner of a real estate partnership and as an Account Administrator for a money management firm. Mr. Kevin Farragher has experience as an executive in multiple roles in the investment management industry, including product management, mutual fund, ETF and brokerage operations, and trade supervision and compliance. The Trust does not believe any one factor is determinative in assessing a Trustee’s qualifications, but that the collective experience of each Trustee makes them each highly qualified.

 

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 Trust’s auditor, Chief Compliance Officer and legal counsel, stay fully informed regarding management decisions.

 

23

 

 

ETFs face a number of risks, including investment risk, compliance risk and valuation risk. The Board oversees management of the Fund’s risks directly and through its officers. While day-to-day risk management responsibilities rest with the Fund’s 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 Fund; (2) reviewing and approving, as applicable, the compliance policies and procedures of the Trust, including the Trust’s 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 Fund’s investment advisers, administrator, distributor, transfer agent and the independent registered public accounting firm, to discuss the activities of the Fund; (5) engaging the services of the Chief Compliance Officer of the Fund to monitor and test the compliance procedures of the Trust and its service providers; (6) receiving and reviewing reports from the Trust’s independent registered public accounting firm regarding the Fund’s financial condition and the Trust’s internal controls; and (7) receiving and reviewing an annual written report prepared by the Chief Compliance Officer reviewing the adequacy of the Trust’s compliance policies and procedures and the effectiveness of their implementation. The Board has concluded that its general oversight of the investment adviser 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

David J. Urban

(67)

Trustee

Indefinite, Since December, 2019

Dean, Jones College of Business, Middle Tennessee State University since July 2013.

12 Independent Trustee of World Funds Trust for the 20 series of that trust.

Mary Lou H. Ivey

(64)

Trustee

Indefinite, Since December, 2019 Senior Vice President for Finance, Episcopal Church Building Fund (national non- profit organization), since January 2022. Accountant, Harris, Hardy & Johnstone, P.C., (accounting firm), 2008-2021. 12 Independent Trustee of World Funds Trust for the 20 series of that trust.

 

24

 

 

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

Theo H. Pitt, Jr.

(86)

Trustee

Indefinite, Since December, 2019 Senior Partner, Community Financial Institutions Consulting (bank consulting) since 1997 to present. 12

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; World Funds Trust for the 20 series of that trust; and Starboard Investment Trust for the 14 series of that trust; (all registered investment companies).

Kevin Farragher
(64)
Indefinite, Since December, 2019 Senior Product Specialist, Valkyrie Investments, January 2022 to present; Independent Consultant 2014-2021. 12 None

 

OFFICERS WHO ARE NOT TRUSTEES

 

NAME, AGE AND
POSITION(S)
WITH THE
TRUST
TERM OF OFFICE AND LENGTH OF TIME SERVED

PRINCIPAL OCCUPATION(S) DURING THE PAST FIVE

YEARS

David Bogaert

(58)

President

Indefinite, Since December 2019 Managing Director of Business Development, Commonwealth Fund Services, Inc. (fund administration), October 2013 – present.

Karen M. Shupe

(58)

Treasurer and Principal Executive Officer

Indefinite, Since December 2019 Managing Director of Fund Operations, Commonwealth Fund Services, Inc., 2003 to present.

Ann T. MacDonald

(67)

Assistant Treasurer and Principal Financial Officer

Indefinite, Since December 2019 Managing Director, Fund Administration and Fund Accounting, Commonwealth Fund Services, Inc., 2003 to present.

John H. Lively

(53)

Secretary

Indefinite, Since December 2019

Attorney, Practus, LLP (law firm), May 2018 to present; Attorney, The Law Offices of John H. Lively & Associates, Inc. (law firm), March 2010 to May 2018.

 

25

 

 

NAME, AGE AND
POSITION(S)
WITH THE
TRUST
TERM OF OFFICE AND LENGTH OF TIME SERVED

PRINCIPAL OCCUPATION(S) DURING THE PAST FIVE

YEARS

Holly B. Giangiulio

(60)

Assistant Secretary

Indefinite, Since December 2019

Managing Director, Corporate Operations, Commonwealth Fund Services, Inc., January 2015 to present.

Julian G. Winters

(53)

Chief Compliance Officer

Indefinite, Since December 2019

Managing Member of Watermark Solutions, LLC (investment compliance and consulting) since March 2007.

Tina H. Bloom
(53)
Assistant Secretary
Indefinite, Since September 2021 Attorney, Practus, LLP, May 2018 to present; Attorney, The Law Offices of John H. Lively & Associates, Inc., November 2017 to May 2018; Director of Fund Administration of Ultimus Fund Solutions, LLC (fund administration and transfer agency) from 2011-2017.

Thomas A. Carter

(55)

Vice President

Indefinite, Since December 2019 President Ridgeline Research September 2019 through present; President ALPS Advisors and ALPS Portfolio Solutions Distributors 2007-November 2018. Garden leave November 2018-September 2019.

 

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

 

The Board of Trustees oversees the Trust and certain aspects of the services provided by the Adviser and the Fund’s 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, Mr. Pitt and Mr. Farragher. The functions of the Audit Committee are to meet with the Trust’s independent auditors to review the scope and findings of the annual audit, discuss the Trust’s accounting policies, discuss any recommendations of the independent auditors with respect to the Trust’s management practices, review the impact of changes in accounting standards on the Trust’s 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. During the Fund’s initial fiscal period ended December 31, 2021, the Audit Committee met three times.

 

The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee is comprised of Mr. Urban, Ms. Ivey, Mr. Pitt and Mr. Farragher. The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee’s 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. During the Fund’s initial fiscal period ended December 31, 2021, the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee met once.

 

The Valuation Committee is comprised of Mr. Urban, Ms. Ivey, Mr. Pitt and Mr. Farragher. The Valuation Committee meets as needed in the event that the Fund holds any securities that are subject to valuation and it reviews the fair valuation of such securities on an as needed basis. During the Fund’s initial fiscal period ended December 31, 2021, the Valuation Committee did not meet.

 

The Qualified Legal Compliance Committee is comprised of Mr. Urban, Ms. Ivey, Mr. Pitt and Mr. Farragher. The Qualified Legal Compliance Committee receives, investigates, and makes 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. During the Fund’s initial fiscal period ended December 31, 2021, the Qualified Legal Compliance Committee did not meet.

 

26

 

 

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. Prior to January 1, 2022, each Trustee received a retainer fee at the annualized rate of $7,500. Effective January 1, 2022, each Trustee receives a retainer fee at the annualized rate of $12,000. Additionally, each Trustee may receive a fee of $2,500 per special meeting. Compensation received by each Trustee from the Trust for the Fund’s initial fiscal period ended December 31, 2021 is as follows:

 

Name of Person
/ Position

Aggregate
Compensation

From Fund

Pension or Retirement
Benefits Accrued as Part
of Fund Expenses
Estimated Annual
Benefits Upon
Retirement
Total Compensation From
Fund and Fund Complex Paid
To Trustees (*)(1)
         
David J. Urban, Trustee $1,875 $0 $0 $1,875
         

Mary Lou H. Ivey, Trustee 

$1,875

$0

$0

$1,875

         
Theo H. Pitt, Jr., Trustee  $1,875 $0 $0 $1,875
         
Kevin Farragher, Trustee $1,875 $0 $0 $1,875

 

*The Trust does not pay deferred compensation.
(1)The “Fund Complex” consists of the Fund.

 

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 Fund of the Trust, as of December 31, 2021, 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.

 

Name of Trustee Dollar Range of Equity Securities
in the Fund
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
Kevin Farragher 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, the Sub-Adviser or the principal underwriter and by the members of their immediate families. No front-end or deferred sales charges are applied to the purchase of Shares.

 

27

 

 

Policies Concerning Personal Investment Activities. The Fund, the Adviser and the Sub-Adviser 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 available on the EDGAR Database on the SEC’s Internet website at http://www.sec.gov.

 

Proxy Voting Policies. The Trust is required to disclose information concerning the Fund’s proxy voting policies and procedures to shareholders. The Board has delegated to Adviser the responsibility for decisions regarding proxy voting for securities held by the Fund. The Adviser will vote such proxies in accordance with its proxy policies and procedures, which have been reviewed by the Board. The proxy voting policy for the Trust can be found in Exhibit A and the proxy voting policy of the Adviser can be found in Exhibit B. Any material changes to the proxy policies and procedures will be submitted to the Board for approval. Information regarding how the Fund voted proxies relating to portfolio securities for the most recent 12-month period ending June 30, is available (1) without charge, upon request by calling 800-673-0550; and (2) on the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov.

 

CONTROL PERSONS AND PRINCIPAL SECURITIES HOLDERS

 

A principal shareholder is any person who owns (either of record or beneficially) 5% or more of the outstanding shares of the Fund. A control person is one who owns, either directly or indirectly, more than 25% of the voting securities of the Fund or acknowledges the existence of such control. As a controlling shareholder, each of these persons could control the outcome of any proposal submitted to the shareholders for approval, including changes to a Fund’s fundamental policies or the terms of the management agreement with the Adviser.

 

Since the economic benefit of investing in an ETF is passed through to the underlying investors of the record owners of 25% or more of the Fund shares, these record owners are not considered the beneficial owners of the Fund’s shares or control persons of the Fund.

 

Name of Shareholder % Ownership of Fund
Depository Trust Company FBO Client Accounts 100%

 

DETERMINATION OF NET ASSET VALUE

 

Calculation of Share Price

 

The NAV of the Fund’s shares is determined by dividing the total value of the Fund’s portfolio investments and other assets, less any liabilities, by the total number of shares outstanding of the Fund.

 

Generally, the Fund’s domestic securities (including underlying ETFs which hold portfolio securities primarily listed on foreign (non-U.S.) exchanges) are valued each day at the last quoted sales price on each security’s primary exchange. Securities traded or dealt in upon one or more securities exchanges for which market quotations are readily available and not subject to restrictions against resale shall be valued at the last quoted sales price on the primary exchange or, in the absence of a sale on the primary exchange, at the mean between the current bid and ask prices on such exchange. Securities primarily traded in the NASDAQ National Market System for which market quotations are readily available shall be valued using the NASDAQ Official Closing Price. If market quotations are not readily available, securities will be valued at their fair market value as determined in good faith by the Fund’s fair value committee in accordance with procedures approved by the Board and as further described below. Securities that are not traded or dealt in any securities exchange (whether domestic or foreign) and for which over-the-counter market quotations are readily available generally shall be valued at the last sale price or, in the absence of a sale, at the mean between the current bid and ask price on such over-the- counter market.

 

28

 

 

Certain securities or investments for which daily market quotes are not readily available may be valued, pursuant to guidelines established by the Board, with reference to other securities or indices. Debt securities not traded on an exchange may be valued at prices supplied by a pricing agent(s) based on broker or dealer supplied valuations or matrix pricing, a method of valuing securities by reference to the value of other securities with similar characteristics, such as rating, interest rate and maturity. Short-term investments having a maturity of 60 days or less may be generally valued at amortized cost when it approximated fair value.

 

Exchange traded options are valued at the last quoted sales price or, in the absence of a sale, at the mean between the current bid and ask prices on the exchange on which such options are traded. Futures and options on futures are valued at the settlement price determined by the exchange, or, if no settlement price is available, at the last sale price as of the close of business prior to when the Fund calculates NAV. Other securities for which market quotes are not readily available are valued at fair value as determined in good faith by the Board or persons acting at their direction. Swap agreements and other derivatives are generally valued daily depending on the type of instrument and reference assets based upon market prices, the mean between bid and asked prices quotations from market makers or by a pricing service or other parties in accordance with the valuation procedures approved by the Board.

 

Under certain circumstances, the Fund may use an independent pricing service to calculate the fair market value of foreign equity securities on a daily basis by applying valuation factors to the last sale price or the mean price as noted above. The fair market values supplied by the independent pricing service will generally reflect market trading that occurs after the close of the applicable foreign markets of comparable securities or the value of other instruments that have a strong correlation to the fair-valued securities. The independent pricing service will also take into account the current relevant currency exchange rate. A security that is fair valued may be valued at a price higher or lower than actual market quotations or the value determined by other funds using their own fair valuation procedures. Because foreign securities may trade on days when Shares are not priced, the value of securities held by the Fund can change on days when Shares cannot be redeemed or purchased. In the event that a foreign security’s market quotations are not readily available or are deemed unreliable (for reasons other than because the foreign exchange on which it trades closed before the Fund’s calculation of NAV), the security will be valued at its fair market value as determined in good faith by the Fund’s fair value committee in accordance with procedures approved by the Board as discussed below. Without fair valuation, it is possible that short-term traders could take advantage of the arbitrage opportunity and dilute the NAV of long-term investors. Fair valuation of the Fund’s portfolio securities can serve to reduce arbitrage opportunities available to short-term traders, but there is no assurance that it will prevent dilution of the Fund’s NAV by short-term traders. In addition, because the Fund may invest in underlying ETFs which hold portfolio securities primarily listed on foreign (non-U.S.) exchanges, and these exchanges may trade on weekends or other days when the underlying ETFs do not price their shares, the value of these portfolio securities may change on days when you may not be able to buy or sell Shares.

 

Investments initially valued in currencies other than the U.S. dollar are converted to U.S. dollars using exchange rates obtained from pricing services or other parties in accordance with the valuation procedures approved by the Board. As a result, the NAV of the Shares may be affected by changes in the value of currencies in relation to the U.S. dollar. The value of securities traded in markets outside the United States or denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar may be affected significantly on a day that the Exchange is closed and an investor is not able to purchase, redeem or exchange Shares.

 

29

 

 

Shares are valued at the close of regular trading on the Exchange (normally 4:00 p.m., Eastern time) (the “Exchange Close”) on each day that the Exchange is open. For purposes of calculating the NAV, the Fund normally use pricing data for domestic equity securities received shortly after the Exchange Close and does not normally take into account trading, clearances or settlements that take place after the Exchange Close. Domestic fixed income and foreign securities are normally priced using data reflecting the earlier closing of the principal markets for those securities. Information that becomes known to the Fund or its agents after the NAV has been calculated on a particular day will not generally be used to retroactively adjust the price of the security or the NAV determined earlier that day.

 

When market quotations are insufficient or not readily available, the Fund may value securities at fair value or estimate their value as determined in good faith by the Board or its designees, pursuant to procedures approved by the Board. Fair valuation may also be used by the Board if extraordinary events occur after the close of the relevant market but prior to the Exchange Close.

 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT PURCHASES AND SALES

 

PURCHASE AND REDEMPTION OF CREATION UNITS

 

Creation Units

 

The Fund issues and sells Shares only in Creation Units on a continuous basis on any business day through the Distributor at the Shares’ NAV next determined after receipt of an order in proper form. The Distributor processes purchase orders only on a day that the Exchange is open for trading (a “Business Day”).

 

Generally, the Trust will issue and sell Creation Units at NAV for “in kind” consideration, meaning the initiator of a creation or redemption order will deposit or receive as consideration a portfolio of all or some of the securities held in the relevant Fund’s portfolio, plus a cash amount (an “In Kind Creation” and “In Kind Redemption”). At the discretion of the Adviser, the Fund may elect at any time, and from time to time, that the consideration for the purchase and redemption of Creation Units will be made entirely in a cash amount equal to the NAV of the shares that constitute the Creation Unit(s) (an “All Cash Amount”).

 

Creation Orders

 

The consideration for an In Kind Creation generally consists of the Deposit Securities for each Creation Unit constituting a substantial replication, or representation, of the securities included in the Fund’s portfolio as selected by the Adviser (“Fund Securities”) and the Cash Component computed as described below. Together, the Deposit Securities and the Cash Component constitute the “Fund Deposit,” which represents the minimum investment amount for a Creation Unit of a Fund. The Cash Component serves to compensate the Fund or the Authorized Participant, as applicable, for any differences between the NAV per Creation Unit and the Deposit Amount (as defined below). The Cash Component is an amount equal to the difference between the NAV of the Fund Shares (per Creation Unit) and the “Deposit Amount,” an amount equal to the market value of the Deposit Securities. If the Cash Component is a positive number (i.e., the NAV per Creation Unit exceeds the Deposit Amount), the Authorized Participant will deliver the Cash Component. If the Cash Component is a negative number (i.e., the NAV per Creation Unit is less than the Deposit Amount), the Authorized Participant will receive the Cash Component.

 

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In addition, the Fund reserves the right to permit or require the substitution of an amount of cash (that is a “cash in lieu” amount) to be added to the Cash Component to replace any Deposit Security which may not be available in sufficient quantity for delivery or that may not be eligible for transfer through the systems of DTC or the Clearing Process (discussed below) or for other similar reasons. The Fund also reserves the right to permit or require a “cash in lieu” amount where the delivery of Deposit Securities by the Authorized Participant (as described below) would be restricted under the securities laws or where delivery of Deposit Securities to the Authorized Participant would result in the disposition of Deposit Securities by the Authorized Participant becoming restricted under the securities laws, and in certain other situations.

 

The Custodian, through the NSCC (see the section of this SAI entitled “Purchase and Redemption of Creation Units—Procedures for Creation of Creation Units”), makes available on each Business Day, prior to the opening of business on the Exchange (currently 9:30 a.m. New York time), the list of the name and the required number of shares of each Deposit Security (if any) to be included in the current Fund Deposit (based on information at the end of the previous Business Day) for the Fund. This Fund Deposit is applicable, subject to any adjustments as described below, to orders to effect creations of Creation Units of the Fund until such time as the next-announced composition of the Deposit Securities is made available, or unless the Adviser elects to receive an All Cash Amount in connection with the creation of Creation Units.

 

The identity and number of shares of the Deposit Securities required for a Fund Deposit for the Fund changes as rebalancing adjustments and corporate action events are reflected within the Fund from time to time by the Adviser, with a view to the investment objective of the Fund. In addition, the Fund reserves the right to permit the substitution of an amount of cash – i.e., a “cash in lieu” amount – to be added to the Cash Component to replace any Deposit Security that may not be available in sufficient quantity for delivery or that may not be eligible for transfer through the systems of DTC or the Clearing Process (discussed below), or which might not be eligible for trading by an Authorized Participant (as defined below) or the investor for which it is acting or other relevant reason. In addition to the list of names and number of securities constituting the current Deposit Securities of a Fund Deposit, the Custodian, through the NSCC, also makes available on each Business Day the estimated Cash Component, effective through and including the previous Business Day, per outstanding Creation Unit of the Fund.

 

The process for a creation order involving an All Cash Amount will be the same as the process for an In Kind Creation, except that the Cash Component will be the entirety of the amount deposited as consideration for the Creation Unit(s).

 

Procedures for Creation of Creation Units

 

All orders to create Creation Units must be placed with the Distributor either (1) through Continuous Net Settlement System of the NSCC (“Clearing Process”), a clearing agency that is registered with the SEC, by a “Participating Party,” i.e., a broker-dealer or other participant in the Clearing Process; or (2) outside the Clearing Process by a DTC Participant. In each case, the Participating Party or the DTC Participant must have executed an agreement with the Distributor with respect to creations and redemptions of Creation Units (“Participant Agreement”); such parties are collectively referred to as “APs” or “Authorized Participants.” Investors should contact the Distributor for the names of Authorized Participants. All Fund Shares, whether created through or outside the Clearing Process, will be entered on the records of DTC for the account of a DTC Participant.

 

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The Distributor will process orders to purchase Creation Units received by the closing time of the regular trading session on the Exchange (“Closing Time”). If an order to purchase Creation Units is received in proper form by Closing Time, then it will be processed that day. Purchase orders received in proper form after Closing Time will be processed on the following Business Day and will be priced at the NAV determined on that day. Custom orders must be received by the Distributor no later than 3:00 p.m. New York time on the trade date. In the case of an In Kind Creation, a custom order may be placed by an Authorized Participant in the event that the Trust permits the substitution of an amount of cash to be added to the Cash Component to replace any Deposit Security which may not be available in sufficient quantity for delivery or which may not be eligible for trading by such Authorized Participant or the investor for which it is acting or other relevant reason. The date on which an order to create Creation Units (or an order to redeem Creation Units, as discussed below) is placed is referred to as the “Transmittal Date.” Orders must be transmitted by an Authorized Participant by telephone or other transmission method acceptable to the Distributor pursuant to procedures set forth in the Participant Agreement, as described below in the sections entitled “Placement of Creation Orders Using the Clearing Process” and “Placement of Creation Orders Outside the Clearing Process.”

 

All orders to create Creation Units from investors who are not Authorized Participants shall be placed with an Authorized Participant in the form required by such Authorized Participant. In addition, the Authorized Participant may request the investor to make certain representations or enter into agreements with respect to the order, e.g., to provide for payments of cash, when required. Investors should be aware that their particular broker may not have executed a Participant Agreement and, therefore, orders to create Creation Units of the Fund have to be placed by the investor’s broker through an Authorized Participant that has executed a Participant Agreement. In such cases there may be additional charges to such investor. At any given time, there may be only a limited number of broker-dealers that have executed a Participant Agreement.

 

Those placing orders for Creation Units through the Clearing Process should afford sufficient time to permit proper submission of the order to the Distributor prior to the Closing Time on the Transmittal Date. Orders for Creation Units that are effected outside the Clearing Process are likely to require transmittal by the DTC Participant earlier on the Transmittal Date than orders effected using the Clearing Process. Those persons placing orders outside the Clearing Process should ascertain the deadlines applicable to DTC and the Federal Reserve Bank wire system by contacting the operations department of the broker or depository institution effectuating such transfer of the Fund Deposit. For more information about Clearing Process and DTC, see the sections below entitled “Placement of Creation Orders Using the Clearing Process” and “Placement of Creation Orders Outside the Clearing Process.”

 

Placement of Creation Orders Using the Clearing Process

 

The Clearing Process is the process of creating or redeeming Creation Units through the Continuous Net Settlement System of the NSCC. All Fund Deposits and/or Cash Component, as applicable, made through the Clearing Process must be delivered through a Participating Party that has executed a Participant Agreement. The Participant Agreement authorizes the Distributor or transfer agent to transmit through the Custodian to NSCC, on behalf of the Participating Party, such trade instructions as are necessary to effect the Participating Party’s creation order. Pursuant to such trade instructions to NSCC, the Participating Party agrees to deliver the requisite Fund Deposits and/or Cash Component, as applicable, to the Fund, together with such additional information as may be required by the Distributor. An order to create Creation Units through the Clearing Process is deemed received by the Distributor or transfer agent on the Transmittal Date if (1) such order is received by the Distributor not later than the Closing Time on such Transmittal Date and (2) all other procedures set forth in the Participant Agreement are properly followed.

 

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Placement of Creation Orders Outside the Clearing Process

 

All Fund Deposits and/or Cash Component, as applicable, made outside the Clearing Process must be delivered through a DTC Participant that has executed a Participant Agreement. A DTC Participant who wishes to place an order creating Creation Units to be effected outside the Clearing Process does not need to be a Participating Party, but such orders must state that the DTC Participant is not using the Clearing Process and that the creation of Creation Units will instead be effected through a transfer of cash and securities directly through DTC. The Fund Deposit transfer must be ordered by the DTC Participant on the Transmittal Date in a timely fashion so as to ensure the delivery of the requisite number of Deposit Securities through DTC to the account of the Fund by no later than 11:00 a.m. New York time on the next Business Day following the Transmittal Date (“DTC Cut-Off-Time”).

 

All questions as to the amount of an All Cash Amount, the number of Deposit Securities to be delivered, or the amount of a Cash Component, and the validity, form and eligibility (including time of receipt) for the deposit of any tendered securities, will be determined by the Fund, whose determination shall be final and binding. The amount of cash equal to the Cash Component (including All Cash Amounts) must be transferred directly to the Custodian through the Federal Reserve Bank wire transfer system in a timely manner so as to be received by the Custodian no later than 2:00 p.m. New York time on the next Business Day following the Transmittal Date. An order to create Creation Units outside the Clearing Process is deemed received by the Distributor on the Transmittal Date if (1) such order is received by the Distributor not later than the Closing Time on such Transmittal Date and (2) all other procedures set forth in the Participant Agreement are properly followed. However, if the Custodian does not receive both the requisite Deposit Securities and the Cash Component or the All Cash Amount, as applicable, by 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m., respectively, on the next Business Day following the Transmittal Date, such order will be canceled. Upon written notice to the Distributor, such canceled order may be resubmitted the following Business Day using the Fund Deposits and/or Cash Components as newly constituted to reflect the then-current Deposit Securities and Cash Component, or the All Cash Amount, as applicable. The delivery of Creation Units so created will occur no later than the third Business Day following the day on which the purchase order is deemed received by the Distributor.

 

Additional transaction fees may be imposed with respect to transactions effected through a DTC participant outside the Clearing Process and in the limited circumstances in which any cash can be used in lieu of Deposit Securities to create Creation Units. See the section of this SAI entitled “Purchase and Sale of Creation Units—Creation Transaction Fee.”

 

Creation Units of an In-Kind Creation may be created in advance of receipt by the Fund of all or a portion of the applicable Deposit Securities. In these circumstances, the initial deposit will have a value greater than the NAV of the Fund Shares on the date the order is placed in proper form since, in addition to available Deposit Securities, cash must be deposited in an amount equal to the sum of (1) the Cash Component plus (2) 125% of the then-current market value of the undelivered Deposit Securities (“Additional Cash Deposit”). The order shall be deemed to be received on the Business Day on which the order is placed provided that the order is placed in proper form prior to Closing Time and funds in the appropriate amount are deposited with the Custodian by 11:00 a.m. New York time the following Business Day. If the order is not placed in proper form by Closing Time or funds in the appropriate amount are not received by 11:00 a.m. the next Business Day, then the order may be deemed to be canceled and the Authorized Participant shall be liable to the Fund for losses, if any, resulting therefrom. An additional amount of cash shall be required to be deposited with the Fund, pending receipt of the undelivered Deposit Securities to the extent necessary to maintain the Additional Cash Deposit with the Trust in an amount at least equal to 125% of the daily marked-to-market value of the undelivered Deposit Securities. To the extent that undelivered Deposit Securities are not received by 1:00 p.m. New York time on the third Business Day following the day on which the purchase order is deemed received by the Distributor, or in the event a marked-to-market payment is not made within one Business Day following notification by the Distributor that such a payment is required, the Trust may use the cash on deposit to purchase the undelivered Deposit Securities. Authorized Participants will be liable to the Fund for the costs incurred by the Fund in connection with any such purchases. These costs will be deemed to include the amount by which the actual purchase price of the Deposit Securities exceeds the market value of such Deposit Securities on the day the purchase order was deemed received by the Distributor plus the brokerage and related transaction costs associated with such purchases. The Fund will return any unused portion of the Additional Cash Deposit once all of the undelivered Deposit Securities have been properly received by the Custodian or purchased by the Fund and deposited into the Fund’s custodial account. In addition, a transaction fee will be charged in all cases. See the section below entitled “Creation Transaction Fee.” The delivery of Creation Units so created will occur no later than the third Business Day following the day on which the purchase order is deemed received by the Distributor.

 

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Acceptance of Orders for Creation Units

 

The Fund reserves the absolute right to reject a creation order transmitted to it by the Distributor if: (1) the order is not in proper form; (2) if the Cash Component paid is incorrect; (3) the investor(s), upon obtaining the Fund Shares ordered, would own 80% or more of the currently outstanding Shares of the Fund; (4) the Deposit Securities delivered are not as disseminated for that date by the Custodian, as described above; (5) acceptance of the Fund Deposit would, in the opinion of counsel, be unlawful; (or (6) there exist circumstances outside the control of the Fund, the Custodian, the Fund’s transfer agent, the Distributor and the Adviser that make it for all practical purposes impossible to process creation orders. Examples of such circumstances include acts of God; public service or utility problems such as fires, floods, extreme weather conditions and power outages resulting in telephone, telecopy and computer failures; market conditions or activities causing trading halts; systems failures involving computer or other information systems affecting the Fund, the Adviser, the Distributor or transfer agent, DTC, NSCC, the Custodian or sub-custodian or any other participant in the creation process and similar extraordinary events. The Distributor shall notify a prospective creator of a Creation Unit and/or the Authorized Participant acting on behalf of such prospective creator of its rejection of the order. The Fund, the Custodian, any sub-custodian, the Fund’s transfer agent and the Distributor are under no duty, however, to give notification of any defects or irregularities in the delivery of Fund Deposits nor shall any of them incur any liability for the failure to give any such notification. All questions as to the number of shares of each security in the Deposit Securities and the validity, form, eligibility and acceptance for deposit of any securities to be delivered shall be determined by the Trust and the Trust’s determination shall be final and binding.

 

Creation Units typically are issued on a “T+2 basis” (that is, two Business Days after trade date).

 

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To the extent contemplated by an Authorized Participant’s agreement with the Distributor, the Fund will issue Creation Units of an In Kind Creation to such Authorized Participant notwithstanding the fact that the corresponding Portfolio Deposits have not been received in part or in whole, in reliance on the undertaking of the Authorized Participant to deliver the missing Deposit Securities as soon as possible, which undertaking shall be secured by such Authorized Participant’s delivery and maintenance of collateral having a value equal to 110%, which the Adviser may change from time to time, of the value of the missing Deposit Securities in accordance with the Trust’s then-effective procedures. Such collateral must be delivered no later than 2:00 p.m., Eastern Time, on the contractual settlement date. The only collateral that is acceptable to the Fund is cash in U.S. Dollars or an irrevocable letter of credit in form, and drawn on a bank, that is satisfactory to the Trust. The cash collateral posted by the Authorized Participant may be invested at the risk of the Authorized Participant, and income, if any, on invested cash collateral will be paid to that Authorized Participant. Information concerning the Fund’s current procedures for collateralization of missing Deposit Securities is available from the Distributor or transfer agent. The Authorized Participant Agreement will permit the Fund to buy the missing Deposit Securities at any time and will subject the Authorized Participant to liability for any shortfall between the cost to the Fund of purchasing such securities and the cash collateral or the amount that may be drawn under any letter of credit.

 

In certain cases, Authorized Participants will create and redeem Creation Units (whether by In Kind Creation/Redemption or for an All Cash Amount) on the same trade date. In these instances, the Fund reserves the right to settle these transactions on a net basis. All questions as to the amount of cash required to be delivered, the number of shares of each security in the Deposit Securities and the validity, form, eligibility and acceptance for deposit of any securities to be delivered, as applicable, shall be determined by the Fund, and the Fund’s determination shall be final and binding.

 

Creation Transaction Fee

 

Authorized Participants will be required to pay to the Custodian a fixed transaction fee (“Creation Transaction Fee”) in connection with creation orders that is intended to offset the transfer and other transaction costs associated with the issuance of Creation Units. The standard creation transaction fee will be the same regardless of the number of Creation Units purchased by an investor on the applicable Business Day. The Creation Transaction Fee charged by the Fund’s custodian for each creation order is $750.

 

An additional variable fee of up to three (3) times the fixed Transaction Fee plus all commission and fees payable to the Fund in connection with the purchase of the Deposit Securities (expressed as a percentage of the value of such Deposit Securities) may be imposed for (1) creations effected outside the Clearing Process and (2) creations made in an All Cash Amount (to offset the Trust’s brokerage and other transaction costs associated with using cash to purchase the requisite Deposit Securities). Investors are responsible for the costs of transferring the securities constituting the Deposit Securities to the account of the Trust.

 

In order to seek to replicate the In Kind Creation order process for creation orders executed in whole or in part with cash, the Fund expects to purchase, in the secondary market or otherwise gain exposure to, the portfolio securities that could have been delivered as a result of an In Kind Creation order pursuant to local law or market convention, or for other reasons (“Creation Market Purchases”). In such cases where the Fund makes Creation Market Purchases, the Authorized Participant will reimburse the Fund for, among other things, any difference between the market value at which the securities and/or financial instruments were purchased by the Fund and the cash-in-lieu amount, applicable registration fees, brokerage commissions and certain taxes.

 

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The Creation Transaction Fee may be waived for the Fund when the Adviser believes that waiver of the Creation Transaction Fee is in the best interest of the Fund. When determining whether to waive the Creation Transaction Fee, the Adviser considers a number of factors including whether waiving the Creation Transaction Fee will: facilitate the initial launch of the Fund; facilitate portfolio rebalancing in a less costly manner; improve the quality of the secondary trading market for the Fund’s shares; and not result in the Fund bearing additional costs or expenses as a result of the waiver.

 

Redemption Orders

 

The process to redeem Creation Units is essentially the reverse of the process by which Creation Units are created, as described above. To redeem Shares directly from the Fund, an investor must be an Authorized Participant or must redeem through an Authorized Participant. The Fund redeems Creation Units on a continuous basis on any Business Day through the Distributor at the Shares’ NAV next determined after receipt of an order in proper form. A Fund will not redeem Shares in amounts less than Creation Units. Authorized Participants must accumulate enough Shares in the secondary market to constitute a Creation Unit in order to have such Shares redeemed by the Fund. There can be no assurance, however, that there will be sufficient liquidity in the public trading market at any time to permit assembly of a Creation Unit.

 

Generally, Creation Units of the Fund will also be redeemed at NAV principally in kind, although the Fund reserves the right to redeem for an All Cash Amount, in each case less a transaction fee as described below. With respect to In Kind Redemptions, the Custodian, through the NSCC, makes available prior to the opening of business on the Exchange (currently 9:30 a.m. New York time) on each Business Day, the identity of the Fund Securities that will be applicable (subject to possible amendment or correction) to redemption requests received in proper form (as described below) on that day. Fund Securities received on redemption may not be identical to Deposit Securities that are applicable to creations of Creation Units. The redemption proceeds for an In Kind Redemption of a Creation Unit consists of Fund Securities – as announced on the Business Day the request for redemption is received in proper form – plus or minus cash in an amount equal to the difference between the NAV of the Fund Shares being redeemed, as next determined after a receipt of a redemption request in proper form, and the value of the Fund Securities (“Cash Redemption Amount”), less a redemption transaction fee (see the section of this SAI entitled “Purchase and Redemption of Creation Units—Redemption Transaction Fee”).

 

The right of redemption may be suspended or the date of payment postponed with respect to the Fund (1) for any period during which the Exchange is closed (other than customary weekend and holiday closings); (2) for any period during which trading on the Exchange is suspended or restricted; (3) for any period during which an emergency exists as a result of which disposal of the Shares of the Fund or determination of a Fund’s NAV is not reasonably practicable; or (4) in such other circumstances as is permitted by the SEC.

 

Deliveries of redemption proceeds by the Fund generally will be made within two Business Days (that is “T+2”). However, as discussed in Appendix B, the Fund reserves the right to settle redemption transactions and deliver redemption proceeds on a basis other than T+2 to accommodate foreign market holiday schedules, to account for different treatment among foreign and U.S. markets of dividend record dates and dividend ex-dates (that is the last date the holder of a security can sell the security and still receive dividends payable on the security sold), and in certain other circumstances.

 

The process for a redemption order involving an All Cash Amount will be the same as the process for an In-Kind Redemption, except that the proceeds of the redemption will be paid entirely in cash. Proceeds of redemptions of Creation Units payable in an All Cash Amount will be paid to the Authorized Participant redeeming Shares on behalf of the redeeming investor as soon as practicable after the date of redemption (within seven calendar days thereafter).

 

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Placement of Redemption Orders Using the Clearing Process

 

Orders to redeem Creation Units through the Clearing Process must be delivered through an Authorized Participant that has executed a Participant Agreement. Investors other than Authorized Participants are responsible for making arrangements with an Authorized Participant for an order to redeem. An order to redeem Creation Units is deemed received by the Trust on the Transmittal Date if: (1) such order is received by the Distributor not later than Closing Time on such Transmittal Date; and (2) all other procedures set forth in the Participant Agreement are properly followed. Such order will be effected based on the NAV of the relevant Fund as next determined. An order to redeem Creation Units using the Clearing Process made in proper form but received by the Distributor after Closing Time will be deemed received on the next Business Day immediately following the Transmittal Date and will be effected at the NAV determined on such next Business Day. The requisite Fund Securities and/or the Cash Redemption Amount, as applicable, will be transferred by the third NSCC business day following the date on which such request for redemption is deemed received.

 

Placement of Redemption Orders Outside the Clearing Process

 

Orders to redeem Creation Units outside the Clearing Process must be delivered through a DTC Participant that has executed the Participant Agreement. A DTC Participant who wishes to place an order for redemption of Creation Units to be effected outside the Clearing Process does not need to be a Participating Party, but such orders must state that the DTC Participant is not using the Clearing Process and that redemption of Creation Units will instead be effected through transfer of Fund Shares directly through DTC. An order to redeem Creation Units outside the Clearing Process is deemed received by the Distributor on the Transmittal Date if (1) such order is received by the Distributor not later than Closing Time on such Transmittal Date; (2) such order is accompanied or followed by the requisite number of Fund Shares, which delivery must be made through DTC to the Custodian no later than the DTC Cut-Off-Time, and the Cash Redemption Amount, if owed to the Fund, which delivery must be made by 2:00 p.m. New York Time; and (3) all other procedures set forth in the Participant Agreement are properly followed. After the Distributor receives an order for redemption outside the Clearing Process, the Distributor will initiate procedures to transfer the requisite Fund Securities which are expected to be delivered and the Cash Redemption Amount, if any, by the third Business Day following the Transmittal Date.

 

The calculation of the value of the Fund Securities and/or the Cash Redemption Amount, as applicable, to be delivered or received upon redemption (by the Authorized Participant or the Trust, as applicable) will be made by the Custodian according to the procedures set forth the section of this SAI entitled “Determination of Net Asset Value” computed on the Business Day on which a redemption order is deemed received by the Distributor. Therefore, if a redemption order in proper form is submitted to the Distributor by a DTC Participant not later than Closing Time on the Transmittal Date, and the requisite number of Shares of the Fund are delivered to the Custodian prior to the DTC Cut-Off-Time, then the value of the Fund Securities and/or the Cash Redemption Amount, as applicable, to be delivered or received (by the Authorized Participant or the Trust, as applicable) will be determined by the Custodian on such Transmittal Date. If, however, either (1) the requisite number of Shares of the relevant Fund are not delivered by the DTC Cut-Off-Time, as described above, or (2) the redemption order is not submitted in proper form, then the redemption order will not be deemed received as of the Transmittal Date. In such case, the value of the Fund Securities and/or the Cash Redemption Amount, as applicable, to be delivered or received will be computed on the Business Day following the Transmittal Date provided that the Fund Shares of the relevant Fund are delivered through DTC to the Custodian by 11:00 a.m. New York time the following Business Day pursuant to a properly submitted redemption order.

 

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The Fund may in its discretion at any time, or from time to time, exercise its option to redeem Fund Shares solely for consideration in the form of an All Cash Amount, and the redeeming Authorized Participant will be required to receive its redemption proceeds in cash. In addition, an investor may request a redemption in cash that the Fund may permit, in its sole discretion. In either case, the investor will receive an All Cash Amount payment equal to the NAV of its Fund Shares based on the NAV of Shares of the relevant Fund next determined after the redemption request is received in proper form (minus a transaction fee which will include an additional charge for cash redemptions to offset the Fund’s brokerage and other transaction costs associated with the disposition of Fund Securities). The Fund may also, in its sole discretion, upon request of a shareholder, provide such redeemer a portfolio of securities that differs from the exact composition of the Fund Securities, or cash in lieu of some securities added to the Cash Redemption Amount, but in no event will the total value of the securities delivered and the cash transmitted differ from the NAV. Redemptions of Fund Shares for Fund Securities will be subject to compliance with applicable federal and state securities laws and the Fund (whether or not it otherwise permits cash redemptions) reserves the right to redeem Creation Units for cash to the extent that the Trust could not lawfully deliver specific Fund Securities upon redemptions or could not do so without first registering the Fund Securities under such laws.

 

An Authorized Participant or an investor for which it is acting that is subject to a legal restriction with respect to a particular security included in the Fund Securities applicable to the redemption of a Creation Unit may be paid an equivalent amount of cash. The Authorized Participant may request the redeeming Beneficial Owner of the Fund Shares to complete an order form or to enter into agreements with respect to such matters as compensating cash payment, beneficial ownership of shares or delivery instructions.

 

Redemption Transaction Fee

 

Investors will be required to pay to the Custodian a fixed transaction fee (“Redemption Transaction Fee”) to offset the transfer and other transaction costs associated with the redemption of Creation Units. The standard redemption transaction fee will be the same regardless of the number of Creation Units redeemed by an investor on the applicable Business Day. The Redemption Transaction Fee charged by the Fund’s custodian for each redemption order is $750.

 

An additional variable fee of up to three (3) times the fixed Transaction Fee plus all commission and fees payable to the Fund in connection with the sale of the Fund Securities (expressed as a percentage value of such Fund Securities) may be imposed for (1) redemptions effected outside the Clearing Process and (2) redemptions made in an All Cash Amount (to offset the Trust’s brokerage and other transaction costs associated with the sale of Fund Securities). Investors will also bear the costs of transferring the Fund Securities from the Trust to their account or on their order.

 

In order to seek to replicate the In Kind Redemption order process for creation orders executed in whole or in part with cash, the Fund expects to sell, in the secondary market, the portfolio securities or settle any financial instruments that may not be permitted to be re-registered in the name of the Participating Party as a result of an In Kind Redemption order pursuant to local law or market convention, or for other reasons (“Market Sales”). In such cases where the Fund makes Market Sales, the Authorized Participant will reimburse the Fund for, among other things, any difference between the market value at which the securities and/or financial instruments were sold or settled by the Fund and the cash-in-lieu amount, applicable registration fees, brokerage commissions and certain taxes.

 

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Regardless of form, the Redemption Transaction Fee (including any reimbursements related to in cash redemptions or additional variable fees for In Kind Redemptions) will be limited in accordance with the requirements of the SEC applicable to management investment companies offering redeemable securities (currently, no more than 2% of the value of the shares redeemed).

 

The Redemption Transaction Fee may be waived for the Fund when the Adviser believes that waiver of the Redemption Transaction Fee is in the best interest of the Fund. When determining whether to waive the Redemption Transaction Fee, the Adviser considers a number of factors including whether waiving the Redemption Transaction Fee will: facilitate portfolio rebalancing in a less costly manner; improve the quality of the secondary trading market for the Fund’s shares; and not result in the Fund bearing additional costs or expenses as a result of the waiver.

 

ADDITIONAL PAYMENTS TO FINANCIAL INTERMEDIARIES

 

The Adviser and its affiliates may, out of its own resources and without additional cost to the Fund or its shareholders, pay a solicitation fee to securities dealers or other financial intermediaries (collectively, a “Financial Intermediary.”)

 

TAXES

 

The following discussion is a summary of certain U.S. federal income tax considerations affecting the Fund and its shareholders. The discussion reflects applicable federal income tax laws of the U.S. as of the date of this SAI, which tax laws may be changed or subject to new interpretations by the courts or the Internal Revenue Service (the “IRS”), possibly with retroactive effect. No attempt is made to present a detailed explanation of all U.S. income, estate or gift tax, or foreign, state or local tax concerns affecting the Fund and its shareholders (including shareholders owning large positions in the Fund). The discussion set forth herein does not constitute tax advice. Investors are urged to consult their own tax advisers to determine the tax consequences to them of investing in the Fund.

 

In addition, no attempt is made to address tax concerns applicable to an investor with a special tax status such as a financial institution, real estate investment trust, insurance company, regulated investment company (“RIC”), individual retirement account, other tax-exempt entity, dealer in securities or non-U.S. investor. Furthermore, this discussion does not reflect possible application of the alternative minimum tax (“AMT”). Unless otherwise noted, this discussion assumes shares of the Fund are held by U.S. shareholders and that such shares are held as capital assets.

 

A U.S. shareholder is a beneficial owner of shares of the Fund that is for U.S. federal income tax purposes:

 

a citizen or individual resident of the United States (including certain former citizens and former long-term residents);

a corporation or other entity treated as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes, created or organized in or under the laws of the United States or any state thereof or the District of Columbia;

an estate, the income of which is subject to U.S. federal income taxation regardless of its source; or

 

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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.

 

A “Non-U.S. shareholder” is a beneficial owner of shares of the Fund that is an individual, corporation, trust or estate and is not a U.S. shareholder. If a partnership (including any entity treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes) holds shares of the Fund, the tax treatment of a partner in the partnership generally depends upon the status of the partner and the activities of the partnership. A prospective shareholder who is a partner of a partnership holding the Fund shares should consult its tax advisors with respect to the purchase, ownership and disposition of its Fund shares.

 

Taxation as a RIC. The Fund intends to qualify and remain qualified as a RIC under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Internal Revenue Code”). 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 Fund in the same manner as realized by the partnership or trust.

 

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 corporate level tax. Instead, the amount of the penalty for non-compliance is the amount by which the non-qualifying income exceeds one-ninth of the qualifying gross income.

 

With respect to the asset-diversification requirement, the Fund must diversify its holdings so that, at the end of each quarter of each taxable year (i) at least 50% of the value of the Fund’s 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 Fund’s 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 Fund’s 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 RIC’s assets, or $10 million. Such cure right is similar to that previously and currently permitted for a REIT.

 

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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 Fund qualifies as a RIC and distributes to its shareholders, for each taxable year, at least 90% of the sum of (i) its “investment company taxable income” as that term is defined in the Internal Revenue Code (which includes, among other things, dividends, taxable interest, the excess of any net short-term capital gains over net long-term capital losses and certain net foreign exchange gains as reduced by certain deductible expenses) without regard to the deduction for dividends paid, and (ii) the excess of its gross tax-exempt interest, if any, over certain deductions attributable to such interest that are otherwise disallowed, the Fund will be relieved of U.S. federal income tax on any income of the Fund, including long-term capital gains, distributed to shareholders. However, any ordinary income or capital gain retained by the Fund will be subject to U.S. federal income tax at regular corporate federal income tax rates (currently at a maximum rate of 21%). The Fund intend to distribute at least annually substantially all of their investment company taxable income, net tax-exempt interest, and net capital gain.

 

The Fund will generally be subject to a nondeductible 4% federal excise tax on the portion of its undistributed ordinary income with respect to each calendar year and undistributed capital gains if it fails to meet certain distribution requirements with respect to the one-year period ending on October 31 in that calendar year. To avoid the 4% federal excise tax, the required minimum distribution is generally equal to the sum of (i) 98% of a Fund’s ordinary income (computed on a calendar year basis), (ii) 98.2% of a Fund’s capital gain net income (generally computed for the one-year period ending on October 31) and (iii) any income realized, but not distributed, and on which we paid no federal income tax in preceding years. The Fund generally intends to make distributions in a timely manner in an amount at least equal to the required minimum distribution and therefore, under normal market conditions, does not expect to be subject to this excise tax.

 

The Fund may be required to recognize taxable income in circumstances in which it does not receive cash. For example, if the Fund 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 Fund must include in income each year a portion of the original issue discount that accrues over the life of the obligation regardless of whether cash representing such income is received by the Fund in the same taxable year. Because any original issue discount accrued will be included in the Fund’s “investment company taxable income” (discussed above) for the year of accrual, the Fund may be required to make a distribution to its shareholders to satisfy the distribution requirement, even though it will not have received an amount of cash that corresponds with the income earned.

 

To the extent that the Fund has capital loss carryforwards from prior tax years, those carryforwards will reduce the net capital gains that can support a Fund’s distribution of Capital Gain Dividends. If the Fund uses net capital losses incurred in taxable years beginning on or before December 22, 2010 (pre-2011 losses), those carryforwards will not reduce a Fund’s current earnings and profits, as losses incurred in later years will. As a result, if the Fund then makes distributions of capital gains recognized during the current year in excess of net capital gains (as reduced by carryforwards), the portion of the excess equal to pre-2011 losses factoring into net capital gain will be taxable as an ordinary dividend distribution, even though that distributed excess amount would not have been subject to tax if retained by the Fund. Capital loss carryforwards are reduced to the extent they offset current-year net realized capital gains, whether the Fund retains or 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 Fund, if any, prior to distributing such gains to shareholders.

 

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Except as set forth in “Failure to Qualify as a RIC,” the remainder of this discussion assumes that the Fund will qualify as a RIC for each taxable year.

 

Failure to Qualify as a RIC. If the Fund is unable to satisfy the 90% distribution requirement or otherwise fail to qualify as a RIC in any year, it will be subject to corporate level income tax on all of its income and gain, regardless of whether or not such income was distributed. Distributions to the Fund’s shareholders of such income and gain will not be deductible by the Fund in computing its taxable income. In such event, the Fund’s distributions, to the extent derived from the Fund’s current or accumulated earnings and profits, would constitute ordinary dividends, which would generally be eligible for the dividends received deduction available to corporate shareholders, and non-corporate shareholders would generally be able to treat such distributions as “qualified dividend income” eligible for reduced rates of U.S. federal income taxation, if holding period and other requirements are satisfied.

 

Distributions in excess of the Fund’s 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 Fund would be required to satisfy the source-of-income, the asset diversification, and the annual distribution requirements for that year and dispose of any earnings and profits from any year in which the Fund failed to qualify for tax treatment as a RIC. Subject to a limited exception applicable to RICs that qualified as such under the Internal Revenue Code for at least one year prior to disqualification and that requalify as a RIC no later than the second year following the nonqualifying year, the Fund would be subject to tax on any unrealized built-in gains in the assets held by it during the period in which the Fund failed to qualify for tax treatment as a RIC that are recognized within the subsequent 10 years, unless the Fund made a special election to pay corporate-level tax on such built-in gain at the time of its requalification as a RIC.

 

Taxation for U.S. Shareholders. Distributions paid to U.S. shareholders by the Fund from its investment company taxable income (which is, generally, the Fund’s 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 Fund’s 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 Fund’s 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 Fund, are taxable to such shareholder as long-term capital gain if they have been properly designated by the Fund, regardless of the length of time such shareholder owned the shares of the Fund. The maximum tax rate on capital gain dividends received by individuals is generally 20%. Distributions in excess of a Fund’s 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. shareholder’s shares and, after such adjusted tax basis is reduced to zero, will constitute capital gain to the U.S. shareholder (assuming the shares are held as a capital asset). The Fund is not required to provide written notice designating the amount of any qualified dividend income or capital gain dividends and other distributions. The Forms 1099 will instead serve this notice purpose.

 

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As a RIC, the Fund will be subject to the AMT, but any items that are treated differently for AMT purposes must be apportioned between the Fund and the shareholders and this may affect the shareholders’ AMT liabilities. The Fund intend in general to apportion these items in the same proportion that dividends paid to each shareholder bear to the Fund’s taxable income (determined without regard to the dividends paid deduction).

 

For purpose of determining (i) whether the annual distribution requirement is satisfied for any year and (ii) the amount of capital gain dividends paid for that year, the Fund may, under certain circumstances, elect to treat a dividend that is paid during the following taxable year as if it had been paid during the taxable year in question. If the Fund makes such an election, the U.S. shareholder will still be treated as receiving the dividend in the taxable year in which the distribution is made. However, any dividend declared by the Fund in October, November or December of any calendar year, payable to shareholders of record on a specified date in such a month and actually paid during January of the following year, will be treated as if it had been received by the U.S. shareholders on December 31 of the year in which the dividend was declared.

 

The Fund intends to distribute all realized capital gains, if any, at least annually. If, however, the Fund was to retain any net capital gain, the Fund may designate the retained amount as undistributed capital gains in a notice to shareholders who, if subject to U.S. federal income tax on long-term capital gains, (i) will be required to include in income as long-term capital gain, their proportionate shares of such undistributed amount, and (ii) will be entitled to credit their proportionate shares of the federal income tax paid by the Fund on the undistributed amount against their U.S. federal income tax liabilities, if any, and to claim refunds to the extent the credit exceeds such liabilities. If such an event occurs, the tax basis of shares owned by a shareholder of the Fund will, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, generally be increased by the difference between the amount of undistributed net capital gain included in the shareholder’s gross income and the tax deemed paid by the shareholders.

 

Sales of shares or redemption of creation units and other dispositions of the shares, such as exchanges, of the Fund generally are taxable events. U.S. shareholders should consult their own tax adviser with reference to their individual circumstances to determine whether any particular transaction in the shares of the Fund is properly treated as a sale or exchange for federal income tax purposes, as the following discussion assumes, and the tax treatment of any gains or losses recognized in such transactions. The sale of shares or redemption of creation units or other disposition of shares of the Fund will generally result in capital gain or loss to the shareholder equal to the difference between the amount realized and his adjusted tax basis in the shares sold or exchanged, and will be long-term capital gain or loss if the shares have been held for more than one year at the time of sale. Any loss upon the sale or exchange of shares held for six months or less will be treated as long-term capital loss to the extent of any capital gain dividends received (including amounts credited as an undistributed capital gain dividend) by such shareholder with respect to such shares. A loss realized on a sale or exchange of shares of the Fund generally will be disallowed if other substantially identical shares are acquired within a 61-day period beginning 30 days before and ending 30 days after the date that the shares are disposed. In such case, the basis of the shares acquired will be adjusted to reflect the disallowed loss. Present law taxes both long-term and short-term capital gain of corporations at the rates 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.

 

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An Authorized Participant who exchanges securities for Creation Units generally will recognize gain or loss from the exchange. The gain or loss will be equal to the difference between the market value of the Creation Units at the time of the exchange and the sum of the exchanger’s aggregate basis in the securities surrendered plus the amount of cash paid for such Creation Units. A person who redeems Creation Units will generally recognize a gain or loss equal to the difference between the sum of the aggregate market value of any securities received plus the amount of any cash received for such Creation Units and the exchanger’s basis in the Creation Units. The IRS, however, may assert that an Authorized Participant which does not mark-to-market its holdings may not be permitted to currently deduct losses realized upon an exchange of securities for Creation Units under the rules governing “wash sales,” or on the basis that there has been no significant change in economic position.

 

Any capital gain or loss realized upon the creation of Creation Units will generally be treated as long-term capital gain or loss if the securities exchanged for such Creation Units have been held for more than one year. Any capital gain or loss realized upon the redemption of Creation Units will generally be treated as long-term capital gain or loss if the Shares comprising the Creation Units have been held for more than one year. Otherwise, such capital gains or losses will be treated as short-term capital gains or losses. Any loss realized upon a redemption of Creation Units held for six months or less will be treated as a long-term capital loss to the extent of any amounts treated as distributions to the applicable Authorized Participant of long-term capital gains with respect to the Creation Units (including any amounts credited to the Authorized Participant as undistributed capital gains).

 

The Fund has the right to reject an order for a purchase of Shares of the Fund if the purchaser (or group of purchasers) would, upon obtaining the Shares so ordered, own 80% or more of the outstanding Shares of the Fund and if, pursuant to Section 351 of the Internal Revenue Code, the Fund would have a basis in the securities different from the market value of such securities on the date of deposit. The Fund also has the right to require information necessary to determine beneficial share ownership for purposes of the 80% determination. If the Fund does issue Creation Units to a purchaser (or group of purchasers) that would, upon obtaining the Shares so ordered, own 80% or more of the outstanding Shares of the Fund, the purchaser (or group of purchasers) may not recognize gain or loss upon the exchange of securities for Creation Units.

 

Persons purchasing or redeeming Creation Units should consult their own tax advisors with respect to the tax treatment of any creation or redemption transaction and whether the wash sales rules apply and when a loss might be deductible.

 

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Federal law requires that ETFs companies report their shareholders’ cost basis, gain/loss, and holding period to the Internal Revenue Service on the Fund’s shareholders’ Consolidated Form 1099s when “covered” securities are sold. Covered securities are any regulated investment company and/or dividend reinvestment plan shares acquired on or after January 1, 2012.

 

The Fund has chosen average cost as the standing (default) tax lot identification method for all shareholders. A tax lot identification method is the way the Fund will determine which specific shares are deemed to be sold when there are multiple purchases on different dates at differing net asset values, and the entire position is not sold at one time. The Fund has chosen average cost as its standing (default) tax lot identification method for all shareholders. The Fund’s 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 Fund’s standing method and will be able to do so at the time of your purchase or upon the sale of covered shares. Please refer to the appropriate Internal Revenue Service regulations or consult your tax advisor with regard to your personal circumstances.

 

For those securities defined as “covered” under current Internal Revenue Service cost basis tax reporting regulations, the Fund is responsible for maintaining accurate cost basis and tax lot information for tax reporting purposes. The Fund is not responsible for the reliability or accuracy of the information for those securities that are not “covered.” The Fund and its service providers do not provide tax advice. You should consult independent sources, which may include a tax professional, with respect to any decisions you may make with respect to choosing a tax lot identification method.

 

For taxable years beginning after December 31, 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 Fund and net gains from the disposition of shares of the Fund. U.S. shareholders are urged to consult their own tax advisors regarding the implications of the additional Medicare tax resulting from an investment in the Fund.

 

Straddles. When the 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 the Fund in conjunction with any other position held by the Fund may constitute a “straddle” for Federal income tax purposes. In general, straddles are subject to certain rules that may affect the character and timing of the Fund’s gains and losses with respect to straddle positions. The key features of the straddle rules are as follows:

 

The Fund may have to wait to deduct any losses. If the Fund has a capital gain in one position of a straddle and a capital loss in the other, the Fund 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.

 

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The Fund’s capital gain holding period may get clipped. The moment the Fund enters into a typical straddle, the capital gains holding period on its offsetting positions is frozen. If the 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.

 

The 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 Fund may be treated as debt obligations that are issued originally at a discount. Generally, the amount of the original issue discount (“OID”) is treated as interest income and is included in the Fund’s taxable income (and required to be distributed by the Fund) over the term of the debt obligation, even though payment of that amount is not received until a later time, upon partial or full repayment or disposition of the debt security.

 

Some debt obligations (with a fixed maturity date of more than one year from the date of issuance) that may be acquired by the Fund in the secondary market may be treated as having “market discount.” Very generally, market discount is the excess of the stated redemption price of a debt obligation (or in the case of an obligations issued with OID, its “revised issue price”) over the purchase price of such obligation. Generally, any gain recognized on the disposition of, and any partial payment of principal on, a debt obligation having market discount is treated as ordinary income to the extent the gain, or principal payment, does not exceed the “accrued market discount” on such debt obligation. Alternatively, the Fund may elect to accrue market discount currently, in which case the Fund will be required to include the accrued market discount in a Fund’s income (as ordinary income) and thus distribute it over the term of the debt security, even though payment of that amount is not received until a later time, upon partial or full repayment or disposition of the debt security. The rate at which the market discount accrues, and thus is included in a Fund’s income, will depend upon which of the permitted accrual methods the Fund elects. In the case of higher-risk securities, the amount of market discount may be unclear. See “Higher-Risk Securities.”

 

Some debt obligations (with a fixed maturity date of one year or less from the date of issuance) that may be acquired by the Fund may be treated as having “acquisition discount” (very generally, the excess of the stated redemption price over the purchase price), or OID in the case of certain types of debt obligations. The Fund will be required to include the acquisition discount, or OID, in income (as ordinary income) over the term of the debt obligation, even though payment of that amount is not received until a later time, upon partial or full repayment or disposition of the debt security. The Fund may make one or more of the elections applicable to debt obligations having acquisition discount, or OID, which could affect the character and timing of recognition of income.

 

In addition, payment-in-kind securities will, and commodity-linked notes may, give rise to income that is required to be distributed and is taxable even though the Fund holding the security receives no interest payment in cash on the security during the year.

 

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If the Fund holds 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 Fund 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 Fund may realize gains or losses from such liquidations. In the event the Fund realizes 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 Fund, the Fund may invest in debt obligations that are in the lowest rating categories or are unrated, including debt obligations of issuers not currently paying interest or who are in default. Investments in debt obligations that are at risk of or in default present special tax issues for the Fund. Tax rules are not entirely clear about issues such as when the Fund may cease to accrue interest, OID or market discount, when and to what extent deductions may be taken for bad debts or worthless securities and how payments received on obligations in default should be allocated between principal and income. In limited circumstances, it may also not be clear whether the Fund should recognize market discount on a debt obligation, and if so, what amount of market discount the Fund should recognize. These and other related issues will be addressed by the Fund when, as and if it invests in such securities, in order to seek to ensure that it distributes sufficient income to preserve its status as a regulated investment company and does not become subject to U.S. federal income or excise tax.

 

Issuer Deductibility of Interest. A portion of the interest paid or accrued on certain high yield discount obligations owned by the Fund may not be deductible to (and thus, may affect the cash flow of) the issuer. If a portion of the interest paid or accrued on certain high yield discount obligations is not deductible, that portion will be treated as a dividend for purposes of the corporate dividends-received deduction. In such cases, if the issuer of the high yield discount obligations is a domestic corporation, dividend payments by the Fund may be eligible for the dividends-received deduction to the extent of the deemed dividend portion of such accrued interest.

 

Interest paid on debt obligations owned by the Fund, if any, that are considered for U.S. tax purposes to be payable in the equity of the issuer or a related party will not be deductible to the issuer, possibly affecting the cash flow of the issuer.

 

Tax-Exempt Shareholders. A tax-exempt shareholder could recognize UBTI by virtue of its investment in the Fund if shares in the Fund constitute debt-financed property in the hands of the tax-exempt shareholder within the meaning of Internal Revenue Code Section 514(b). Furthermore, a tax-exempt shareholder may recognize UBTI if the Fund recognizes “excess inclusion income” derived from direct or indirect investments in residual interests in REMICs or equity interests in TMPs if the amount of such income recognized by the Fund exceeds a Fund’s investment company taxable income (after taking into account deductions for dividends paid by the Fund).

 

In addition, special tax consequences apply to charitable remainder trusts (“CRTs”) that invest in regulated investment companies that invest directly or indirectly in residual interests in REMICs or equity interests in TMPs. Under legislation enacted in December 2006, a CRT (as defined in section 664 of the Internal Revenue Code) that realizes any UBTI for a taxable year, must pay an excise tax annually of an amount equal to such UBTI. Under IRS guidance issued in October 2006, a CRT will not recognize UBTI solely as a result of investing in the Fund that 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 Fund 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 Fund may elect to specially allocate any such tax to the applicable CRT, or other shareholder, and thus reduce such shareholder’s distributions for the year by the amount of the tax that relates to such shareholder’s interest in the Fund. The Fund has not yet determined whether such an election will be made. CRTs and other tax-exempt investors are urged to consult their tax advisers concerning the consequences of investing in the Fund.

 

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Foreign Taxation. Income received by the Fund from sources within foreign countries may be subject to withholding and other taxes imposed by such countries. Tax conventions between certain countries and the U.S. may reduce or eliminate such taxes.

 

A “qualified fund of funds” is a RIC that has at least 50% of the value of its total interests invested in other RICs at the end of each quarter of the taxable year. If the Fund satisfies this requirement or if they meet certain other requirements, which include a requirement that more than 50% of the value of a Fund’s total assets at the close of its taxable year consist of stocks or securities of foreign corporations, then the Fund should be eligible to file an election with the IRS that may enable its shareholders to receive either the benefit of a foreign tax credit, or a tax deduction, with respect to any foreign and U.S. possessions income taxes paid by the Fund, subject to certain limitations.

 

Foreign Shareholders. Capital Gain Dividends are generally not subject to withholding of U.S. federal income tax. Absent a specific statutory exemption, dividends other than Capital Gain Dividends paid by the Fund to a shareholder that is not a “U.S. person” within the meaning of the Internal Revenue Code (such shareholder, a “foreign shareholder”) are subject to withholding of U.S. federal income tax at a rate of 30% (or lower applicable treaty rate) even if they are funded by income or gains (such as portfolio interest, short-term capital gains, or foreign-source dividend and interest income) that, if paid to a foreign person directly, would not be subject to withholding.

 

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 Fund in a written notice to shareholders (“interest-related dividends”), and (ii) with respect to distributions (other than (a) distributions to an individual foreign person who is present in the United States for a period or periods aggregating 183 days or more during the year of the distribution and (b) distributions subject to special rules regarding the disposition of U.S. real property interests as described below) of net short-term capital gains in excess of net long-term capital losses to the extent such distributions are properly reported by the regulated investment company (“short-term capital gain dividends”). If the Fund invests in an underlying fund that pays such distributions to the Fund, such distributions retain their character as not subject to withholding if properly reported when paid by the Fund to foreign persons.

 

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The Fund is 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 withholding will not be available to foreign shareholders of the Fund that do not currently report dividends as interest-related or short-term capital gain dividends.

 

In the case of shares held through an intermediary, the intermediary may withhold even if the Fund 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 Fund 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 shareholder’s sale of shares of the Fund or to the Capital Gain Dividend the foreign shareholder received (as described below).

 

Special rules would apply if the Fund is 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 corporation’s USPRIs, interests in real property located outside the United States, and other assets. USRPIs are generally defined as any interest in U.S. real property and any interest (other than solely as a creditor) in a USRPHC or former USRPHC.

 

If the Fund were a USRPHC or would be a USRPHC but for the exceptions referred to above, any distributions by the Fund to a foreign shareholder (including, in certain cases, distributions made by the Fund in redemption of its shares) attributable to gains realized by the Fund on the disposition of USRPIs or to distributions received by the Fund from a lower-tier regulated investment company or REIT that the Fund 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 shareholder’s current and past ownership of the Fund. On and after January 1, 2012, this “look-through” USRPI treatment for distributions by the Fund, if it were either a USRPHC or would be a USRPHC but for the operation of the exceptions referred to above, to foreign shareholders applies only to those distributions that, in turn, are attributable to distributions received by the Fund from a lower-tier REIT, unless Congress enacts legislation providing otherwise.

 

In addition, if the Fund were a USRPHC or former USRPHC, it could be required to withhold U.S. tax on the proceeds of a share redemption by a greater-than-5% foreign shareholder, in which case such foreign shareholder generally would also be required to file U.S. tax returns and pay any additional taxes due in connection with the redemption.

 

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Whether or not the Fund is characterized as a USRPHC will depend upon the nature and mix of the Fund’s assets. The Fund does not expect to be a USRPHC. Foreign shareholders should consult their tax advisors concerning the application of these rules to their investment in the Fund.

 

If a beneficial holder of Fund shares who is a foreign shareholder has a trade or business in the United States, and the dividends are effectively connected with the beneficial holder’s 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 Fund 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 Fund with a correct taxpayer identification number, who has under-reported dividend or interest income, or who fails to certify to the Fund that he or she is not subject to such withholding. The backup withholding tax rate is currently 24%.

 

Backup withholding is not an additional tax. Any amounts withheld may be credited against the shareholder’s 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 Fund’s shares of $2 million or more for an individual shareholder or $10 million or more for a corporate shareholder, the shareholder must file with the IRS a disclosure statement on Form 8886. Direct shareholders of portfolio securities are in many cases excepted from this reporting requirement, but under current guidance, shareholders of a regulated investment company are not excepted. Future guidance may extend the current exception from this reporting requirement to shareholders of most or all regulated investment companies. The fact that a loss is reportable under these regulations does not affect the legal determination of whether the taxpayer’s 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 8938’s 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 shareholder’s (indirect) interest in the Fund’s “specified foreign financial assets,” if any, will be required to be reported on this Form 8938.

 

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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 Fund after the dates noted above (or such later dates as may be provided in future guidance) to a shareholder, including a distribution in redemption of shares and a distribution of income or gains otherwise exempt from withholding under the rules applicable to non-U.S. shareholders described above (e.g., Capital Gain Dividends, Short-Term Capital Gain Dividends and interest-related dividends, as described above) will be subject to the new 30% withholding requirement. Payments to a foreign shareholder that is a “foreign financial institution” will generally be subject to withholding, unless such shareholder enters into a timely agreement with the IRS. Payments to shareholders that are U.S. persons or foreign individuals will generally not be subject to withholding, so long as such shareholders provide the Fund with such certifications or other documentation, including, to the extent required, with regard to such shareholders’ direct and indirect owners, as the Fund require to comply with the new rules. Persons investing in the Fund through an intermediary should contact their intermediary regarding the application of the new reporting and withholding regime to their investments in the Fund.

 

Shareholders are urged to consult a tax advisor regarding this new reporting and withholding regime, in light of their particular circumstances.

 

Shares Purchased through Tax-Qualified Plans. Special tax rules apply to investments through defined contribution plans and other tax-qualified plans. Shareholders should consult their tax advisers to determine the suitability of shares of the Fund as an investment through such plans, and the precise effect of an investment on their particular tax situation.

 

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.

 

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At the time this SAI was prepared, there were various legislative proposals under consideration that would amend the Internal Revenue Code. At this time, though, it is not possible to determine whether any of these proposals will become law and how these changes might affect the Fund or its shareholders.

 

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 dealer’s mark-up or reflect a dealer’s mark-down. The purchase price for securities bought from dealers serving as market makers will similarly include the dealer’s mark up or reflect a dealer’s mark down. When the Fund 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 or the Sub-Adviser may consider research and brokerage services furnished to the Adviser, the Sub-Adviser or their affiliates. The Adviser or the Sub-Adviser may not consider sales of shares of the Fund as a factor in the selection of brokers and dealers, but may place portfolio transactions with brokers and dealers that promote or sell the Fund’s shares so long as such transactions are done in accordance with the policies and procedures established by the Trustees that are designed to ensure that the selection is based on the quality of execution and not on sales efforts. When placing portfolio transactions with a broker or dealer, the Adviser or the Sub-Adviser may aggregate securities to be sold or purchased for the Fund with those to be sold or purchased for other advisory accounts managed by the Adviser or the Sub-Adviser. In aggregating such securities, the Adviser or the Sub-Adviser will average the transaction as to price and will allocate available investments in a manner that the Adviser or the Sub-Adviser believes to be fair and reasonable to the Fund and such other advisory accounts. An aggregated order will generally be allocated on a pro rata basis among all participating accounts, based on the relative dollar values of the participating accounts, or using any other method deemed to be fair to the participating accounts, with any exceptions to such methods involving the Trust being reported to the Trustees.

 

Section 28(e) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “1934 Act”) permits the Adviser or the Sub-Adviser, under certain circumstances, to cause the Fund to pay a broker or dealer a commission for effecting a transaction in excess of the amount of commission another broker or dealer would have charged for effecting the transaction in recognition of the value of brokerage and research services provided by the broker or dealer. In addition to agency transactions, the Adviser or the Sub-Adviser may receive brokerage and research services in connection with certain riskless principal transactions, in accordance with applicable SEC guidance. Brokerage and research services include: (1) furnishing advice as to the value of securities, the advisability of investing in, purchasing or selling securities, and the availability of securities or purchasers or sellers of securities; (2) furnishing analyses and reports concerning issuers, industries, securities, economic factors and trends, Fund strategy, and the performance of accounts; and (3) effecting securities transactions and performing functions incidental thereto (such as clearance, settlement, and custody). In the case of research services, the Adviser believes that access to independent investment research is beneficial to its investment decision-making processes and, therefore, to the Fund.

 

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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 or the Sub-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 or the Sub-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 or the Sub-Adviser will be in addition to and not in lieu of the services required to be performed by the Adviser or Sub-Adviser under their respective advisory agreements. Any advisory or other fees paid to the Adviser or the Sub-Adviser are not reduced as a result of the receipt of research services.

 

In some cases the Adviser or the Sub-Adviser may receive a service from a broker that has both a “research” and a “non-research” use. When this occurs, the Adviser or the Sub-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 or the Sub-Adviser will use its own funds to pay for the percentage of the service that is used for non-research purposes. In making this good faith allocation, the Adviser or the Sub-Adviser faces a potential conflict of interest, but the Adviser or the Sub-Adviser believes that its allocation procedures are reasonably designed to ensure that it appropriately allocates the anticipated use of such services to their research and non-research uses.

 

From time to time, the Fund may purchase new issues of securities in a fixed price offering. In these situations, the seller may be a member of the selling group that will, in addition to selling securities, provide the Adviser or the Sub-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 Fund may execute brokerage or other agency transactions through registered broker-dealer affiliates of either the Fund, the Adviser or the Sub-Adviser 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 Fund for exchange transactions not exceed “usual and customary” brokerage commissions. The rules define “usual and customary” commissions to include amounts which are “reasonable and fair compared to the commission, fee or other remuneration received or to be received by other brokers in connection with comparable transactions involving similar securities being purchased or sold on a securities exchange during a comparable period of time.” The Trustees, including those who are not “interested persons” of the Fund, have adopted procedures for evaluating the reasonableness of commissions paid to affiliates and review these procedures periodically.

 

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Securities of “Regular Broker-Dealers”. The Fund is required to identify any securities of its “regular brokers and dealers” (as such term is defined in the 1940 Act) which the Fund may hold at the close of its most recent fiscal year. As of December 31, 2021, the Fund did not hold any securities of its “regular brokers and dealers.”

 

The aggregate amount of brokerage commissions paid for the Fund is shown below:

 

Fiscal Period Ended December 31, Brokerage Commissions
2021 $341

 

DISCLOSURE OF PORTFOLIO SECURITIES HOLDINGS

 

On each Business Day (as defined in the Creation and Redemption of Creation Units section of this SAI), prior to the opening of regular trading on the Fund’s primary listing exchange, the Fund discloses on its website (www.appliedfinanceadvisors.com) certain information relating to the portfolio holdings that will form the basis of the Fund’s next net asset value per share calculation.

 

In addition, certain information may also be made available to certain parties:

 

Communications of Data Files: The Fund may make available through the facilities of the National Securities Clearing Corporation (“NSCC”) or through posting on the Fund’s website, prior to the opening of trading on each business day, a list of the Fund’s holdings (generally pro-rata) that Authorized Participants could deliver to the Fund to settle purchases of the Fund (i.e. Deposit Securities) or that Authorized Participants would receive from the Fund to settle redemptions of the Fund (i.e. Fund Securities). These files are known as the Portfolio Composition File and the Fund Data File (collectively, “Files”). The Files are applicable for the next trading day and are provided to the NSCC and/or posted on the Fund’s website after the close of markets in the U.S.

 

Communications with Authorized Participants and Liquidity Providers: Certain employees of the Adviser, Sub-Adviser, Distributor and Custodian are responsible for interacting with Authorized Participants and liquidity providers with respect to discussing custom basket proposals as described in the Custom Baskets section of this SAI. As part of these discussions, these employees may discuss with an Authorized Participant or liquidity provider the securities the Fund is willing to accept for a creation, and securities that the Fund will provide on a redemption.

 

The Adviser and/or Sub-Adviser may also discuss portfolio holdings-related information with broker/dealers, in connection with settling the Fund’s transactions, as may be necessary to conduct business in the ordinary course in a manner consistent with the disclosure in the Fund’s current registration statement.

 

Communications with Listing Exchanges: From time to time, employees of Adviser, Sub-Adviser, Distributor and/or Custodian may discuss portfolio holdings information with the applicable primary listing exchange for the Fund as needed to meet the exchange listing standards.

 

Communication of Other Information: Certain explanatory information regarding the Files is released to Authorized Participants and liquidity providers on a daily basis, but is only done so after the Files are posted to the Fund’s website.

 

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Third-Party Service Providers. Certain portfolio holdings information may be disclosed to Fund Trustees and their counsel, outside counsel for the Fund, auditors and to certain third-party service providers (i.e., fund administrator, custodian, proxy voting service, and printers), as may be necessary to conduct business in the ordinary course in a manner consistent with applicable policies, agreements with the Fund, the terms of the current registration statement and federal securities laws and regulations thereunder.

 

The Fund files its complete portfolio holdings schedule with the SEC on a quarterly basis. This schedule is filed with the Trust’s annual and semi-annual reports on Form N-CSR for the second and fourth fiscal quarters and on Form N-PORT for the first and third fiscal quarters. Certain portfolio information is also included on Form N-PORT that is filed for the second and fourth 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-PORT must be filed with the SEC and will be made publicly available no later than sixty (60) calendar days after the end of the applicable quarter.

 

No consideration may be received by the Fund, the Adviser, or any other person in connection with the disclosure of portfolio information. The Trust’s Chief Compliance Officer or his delegate may authorize disclosure of portfolio holdings information pursuant to the above policy and procedures, subject to restrictions on selective disclosure imposed by applicable law. The Board reviews the policy and procedures for disclosure of portfolio holdings information at least annually.

 

DESCRIPTION OF SHARES

 

The Trust’s 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 Trust’s shares of beneficial interest have no par value.

 

The Fund is authorized to issue one class of shares imposing no front-end or deferred sales charges, no 12b-1 fee and no service fee.

 

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 Trust’s outstanding shares may elect all of the trustees, irrespective of the votes of other shareholders.

 

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Rule 18f-2 under the 1940 Act provides that any matter required to be submitted to the holders of the outstanding voting securities of an investment company such as the Trust shall not be deemed to have been effectively acted upon unless approved by the holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of each fund affected by the matter. A particular fund is deemed to be affected by a matter unless it is clear that the interests of each fund in the matter are substantially identical or that the matter does not affect any interest of the fund. Under the Rule, the approval of an investment management agreement or any change in an investment objective, if fundamental, or in a fundamental investment policy would be effectively acted upon with respect to a fund only if approved by a majority of the outstanding shares of such fund. However, the Rule also provides that the ratification of the appointment of independent public accountants, the approval of principal underwriting contracts and the election of trustees may be effectively acted upon by shareholders of the Trust voting without regard to series or class.

 

The Trust does not presently intend to hold annual meetings of shareholders except as required by the 1940 Act or other applicable law. Upon the written request of shareholders owning at least 25% of the Trust’s 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 Trust’s shares as the Board may deem desirable. The Agreement and Declaration of Trust authorizes the Trustees, without shareholder approval, to cause the Trust to merge or to consolidate with any corporation, association, trust or other organization in order to change the form of organization and/or domicile of the Trust or to sell or exchange all or substantially all of the assets of the Trust, or any series or class thereof, in dissolution of the Trust, or any series or class thereof. The Agreement and Declaration of Trust permits the termination of the Trust or of any series or class of the Trust by the Trustees without shareholder approval. However, the exercise of such authority by the Board without shareholder approval may be subject to certain restrictions or limitations under the 1940 Act.

 

PROXY VOTING

 

The Board of Trustees of the Trust has delegated responsibility for decisions regarding proxy voting for securities held by the Fund to the Adviser. The Adviser will vote such proxies in accordance with its proxy voting policies and procedures, which are included in Exhibit B to this SAI. The Board of Trustees will periodically review the Fund’s proxy voting record. The proxy voting policies and procedures of the Trust are included as Exhibit A to this SAI.

 

The Trust is required to disclose annually the Fund’s 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 Fund voted proxies relating to portfolio securities for the most recent 12-month period ending June 30, is available (1) without charge, upon request by calling (833)-356-0909 or by writing to the Fund at 8730 Stony Point Parkway, Suite 205, Richmond, VA 23235; and (2) on the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov.

 

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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 the Sub-Adviser have each adopted Codes of Ethics pursuant to Rule 17j-1. These Codes of Ethics apply to the personal investing activities of trustees, officers and certain employees (“access persons”). Rule 17j-1 and the Codes of Ethics are designed to prevent unlawful practices in connection with the purchase or sale of securities by access persons. Under each Code of Ethics, access persons are permitted to engage in personal securities transactions, but are required to report their personal securities transactions for monitoring purposes. The personnel subject to the Codes are permitted to invest in securities, including securities that may be purchased or held by the Fund. 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 SEC’s Internet website at http://www.sec.gov.

 

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EXHIBIT A

 

ETF Opportunities Trust

 

PROXY VOTING POLICY AND PROCEDURES

 

The ETF Opportunities 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 Fund’s 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 Fund’s 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 Adviser’s 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 Fund’s 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 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 Fund’s 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 Adviser’s 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 Board’s decision.

 

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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 Adviser’s proxy voting policy and this Policy on such website. A copy of such policies and of each Fund’s proxy voting record shall also be made available, without charge, upon request of any shareholder of the Fund, by calling the applicable Fund’s toll-free telephone number as printed in the Fund’s prospectus. The Trust’s 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 Trust’s administrator within 30 days following the end of each 12-month period ending June 30. The Trust’s 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 31st of each year.

 

Adopted: December 4, 2019

 

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EXHIBIT B

 

PROXY VOTING AND DISCLOSURE POLICY

 

APPLIED FINANCE ADVISORS LLC

 


Proxy and Corporate Action Voting Policies and Procedures

 

I.POLICY.

 

Applied Finance Advisors LLC (the “Adviser”) acts as a discretionary investment adviser for various clients, including clients governed by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (“ERISA”) and registered open-end management investment companies (i.e., “mutual funds”). The Adviser is registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) as an investment adviser pursuant to the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended (the “Advisers Act”). Some of the Adviser’s clients have delegated to the Adviser the authority to vote proxies or act with respect to corporate actions that may arise with respect to securities held within such client’s investment portfolio. Corporate actions may include, for example and without limitation, tender offers or exchanges, bankruptcy proceedings, and class actions. The Adviser’s authority to vote proxies or act with respect to other corporate actions is established through the delegation of discretionary authority under its investment advisory agreements. Therefore, unless a client (including a “named fiduciary” under ERISA) specifically reserves the right, in writing, to vote its own proxies or to take shareholder action with respect to other corporate actions requiring shareholder actions, the Adviser will vote all proxies and act on all other actions in a timely manner as part of its full discretionary authority over client assets in accordance with these policies and procedures.

 

When voting proxies or acting with respect to corporate actions on behalf of clients, the Adviser’s utmost concern is that all decisions be made solely in the best interests of the client (and for ERISA accounts, plan beneficiaries and participants, in accordance with the letter and spirit of ERISA). The Adviser will act in a prudent and diligent manner intended to enhance the economic value of the assets in the client’s account.

 

II.PURPOSE.

 

The purpose of these policies and procedures is to memorialize the procedures and policies adopted by the Adviser to enable it to comply with its fiduciary responsibilities to clients and the requirements of Rule 206(4)-6 under the Advisers Act. These policies and procedures also reflect the fiduciary standards and responsibilities set forth by the Department of Labor for ERISA accounts.

 

III.PROCEDURES.

 

The Adviser is ultimately responsible for ensuring that all proxies received are voted in a timely manner and in a manner consistent with the Adviser’s determination of the client’s best interests. Although many proxy proposals may be voted in accordance with the Guidelines described in Section V below, some proposals require special consideration which may dictate that the Adviser makes an exception to the Guidelines.

 

The Adviser is also responsible for ensuring that all corporate action notices or requests which require shareholder action that are received are addressed in a timely manner and consistent action is taken across all similarly situated client accounts.

 

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A.Conflicts of Interest.

 

Where a proxy proposal raises a material conflict between the Adviser’s interests and a client’s interest, including a mutual fund client, the Adviser will resolve such a conflict in the manner described below:

 

1.     Vote in Accordance with the Guidelines. To the extent that the Adviser has little or no discretion to deviate from the Guidelines with respect to the proposal in question, the Adviser shall vote in accordance with such pre-determined voting policy.

 

2.     Obtain Consent of Clients. To the extent that the Adviser has discretion to deviate from the Guidelines with respect to the proposal in question, the Adviser will disclose the conflict to the relevant clients and obtain their consent to the proposed vote prior to voting the securities. The disclosure to the client will include sufficient detail regarding the matter to be voted on and the nature of the conflict so that the client will be able to make an informed decision regarding the vote. If a client does not respond to such a conflict disclosure request or denies the request, the Adviser will abstain from voting the securities held by that client’s account.

 

3.     Client Directive to Use an Independent Third Party. Alternatively, a client may, in writing, specifically direct the Adviser to forward all proxy matters in which the Adviser has a conflict of interest regarding the client’s securities to an identified independent third party for review and recommendation. Where such independent third party’s recommendations are received on a timely basis, the Adviser will vote all such proxies in accordance with such third party’s recommendation. If the third party’s recommendations are not timely received, the Adviser will abstain from voting the securities held by that client’s account.

 

The Adviser will review the proxy proposal for conflicts of interest as part of the overall vote review process. All material conflicts of interest so identified will be addressed as described above in this Section III, A.

 

B.Limitations.

 

In certain circumstances, in accordance with a client’s investment advisory agreement (or other written directive) or where the Adviser has determined that it is in the client’s best interest, the Adviser will not vote proxies received.

 

The following are certain circumstances where the Adviser will limit its role in voting proxies:

 

1.     Client Maintains Proxy Voting Authority. Where a client specifies in writing that it will maintain the authority to vote proxies itself or that it has delegated the right to vote proxies to a third party, the Adviser will not vote the securities and will direct the relevant custodian to send the proxy material directly to the client. If any proxy material is received by the Adviser for such account, it will promptly be forwarded to the client or specified third party.

 

2.     Terminated Account. Once a client account has been terminated in accordance with its investment advisory agreement, the Adviser will not vote any proxies received after the termination date. However, the client may specify in writing that proxies should be directed to the client (or a specified third party) for action.

 

3.     Limited Value. If the Adviser determines that the value of a client’s economic interest or the value of the portfolio holding is indeterminable or insignificant, the Adviser may abstain from voting a client’s proxies. The Adviser also will not vote proxies received for securities which are no longer held by the client’s account. In addition, the Adviser generally will not vote securities where the economic value of the securities in the client account is less than $500.

 

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4.     Securities Lending Programs. When securities are out on loan, they are transferred into the borrower’s name and are voted by the borrower, in its discretion. However, where the Adviser determines that a proxy vote (or other shareholder action) is materially important to the client’s account, the Adviser may recall the security for the purposes of voting.

 

5.     Unjustifiable Costs. In certain circumstances, after doing a cost-benefit analysis, the Adviser may abstain from voting where the cost of voting a client’s proxy would exceed any anticipated benefits from the proxy proposal.

 

IV.RECORD KEEPING.

 

In accordance with Rule 204-2 under the Advisers Act, the Adviser will maintain for the time periods set forth in the Rule: (i) these proxy voting procedures and policies, and all amendments thereto; (ii) all proxy statements received regarding client securities (provided however, that the Adviser may rely on the proxy statement filed on EDGAR as its records); (iii) a record of all votes cast on behalf of clients; (iv) records of all written client requests for proxy voting information; (v) a copy of any written response made by the Adviser to any written or oral client request for proxy voting information; (vi) any documents prepared by the Adviser that were material to making a decision on how to vote or that memorialized the basis for the decision; and (vii) all records relating to requests made to clients regarding conflicts of interest in voting the proxy.

 

The Adviser will describe in its Form ADV, Part II (or other brochure fulfilling the requirement of Rule 204-3 under the Advisers Act) its proxy voting policies and procedures and will inform clients how they may obtain information on how the Adviser voted proxies with respect to the clients’ portfolio securities. The Adviser will also provide to each mutual fund client a copy of its policies and procedures. Clients may obtain information on how their securities were voted or a copy of the policies and procedures by written request addressed to the Adviser.

 

The Adviser will coordinate with all mutual fund clients to assist in the provision of all information required to be filed by such mutual funds on Form N-PX. Form N-PX will provide information concerning each matter relating to a portfolio security considered at any shareholder meeting with respect to which a mutual fund was entitled to vote. Each Form N-PX will need to be filed no later than August 31st of each year, and will cover all proxy votes with respect to which a mutual fund was entitled to vote for the period July 1st through June 30th. The Adviser shall maintain and provide the following information concerning any shareholder meetings with respect to which a mutual fund they manage was entitled to vote:

 

the name of the issuer of the portfolio security;

the exchange ticker symbol of the portfolio security(1);

the CUSIP number of the portfolio security(1);

the shareholder meeting date;

a brief description of the matter voted on;

whether the matter was put forward by the issuer or a shareholder;

whether the mutual fund voted;

how the mutual fund cast its vote; and

whether the mutual fund cast its vote for or against management.

 

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V.GUIDELINES.

 

Each proxy issue will be considered individually. The following guidelines are a partial list to be used in voting proposals contained in the proxy statements, but will not be used as rigid rules.

 

A.Oppose.

 

The Adviser will generally vote against any management proposal that clearly has the effect of restricting the ability of shareholders to realize the full potential value of their investment. Proposals in this category would include:

 

1.Issues regarding the issuer’s board entrenchment and anti-takeover measures such as the following:

 

a.Proposals to stagger board members’ terms;
b.Proposals to limit the ability of shareholders to call special meetings;
c.Proposals to require super majority votes;
d.Proposals requesting excessive increases in authorized common or preferred shares where management provides no explanation for the use or need of these additional shares;
e.Proposals regarding “fair price” provisions;
f.Proposals regarding “poison pill” provisions; and
g.Permitting “green mail”.

 

2.Providing cumulative voting rights.

 

B.Approve.

 

Routine proposals are those which do not change the structure, bylaws, or operations of the corporation to the detriment of the shareholders. Given the routine nature of these proposals, proxies will nearly always be voted with management. Traditionally, these issues include:

 

1.Election of independent accountants recommended by management, unless seeking to replace if there exists a dispute over policies.
2.Date and place of annual meeting.
3.Limitation on charitable contributions or fees paid to lawyers.
4.Ratification of directors’ actions on routine matters since previous annual meeting.
5.Confidential voting. Confidential voting is most often proposed by shareholders as a means of eliminating undue management pressure on shareholders regarding their vote on proxy issues. The Adviser will generally vote to approve these proposals as shareholders can later divulge their votes to management on a selective basis if a legitimate reason arises.
6.Limiting directors’ liability.
7.Eliminate preemptive rights. Preemptive rights give current shareholders the opportunity to maintain their current percentage ownership through any subsequent equity offerings. These provisions are no longer common in the U.S., and can restrict management’s ability to raise new capital.
8.The Adviser will generally vote to approve the elimination of preemptive rights, but will oppose the elimination of listed preemptive rights, e.g., on proposed issues representing more than an acceptable level of total dilution.
9.Employee Stock Purchase Plans.
10.Establish 401(k) Plans.

 

C.Case-By-Case.

 

The Adviser will review each issue in this category on a case-by-case basis. Voting decisions will be made based on the financial interest of the client involved. These matters include proposals to:

 

1.Pay directors solely in stock;
2.Eliminate director’s mandatory retirement policy;
3.Rotate annual meeting location or date;
4.Changes in the state of incorporation;

 

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5.Social and corporate responsibility issues;
6.Option and stock grants to management and directors; and
7.Allowing indemnification of directors and/or officers after reviewing the applicable laws and extent of protection requested.

 

D.Investment Company Issues.

 

From time to time the Adviser will have to vote shares of investment company securities that may be held in a client’s account. These matters generally include proposals to:

 

1.Elect directors or trustees;
2.Ratify or approve independent accountants;
3.Approve a new investment adviser or sub-adviser;
4.Approve a change to an investment advisory fee;
5.Approve a Distribution (i.e., Rule 12b-1) Plan;
6.Approve a change in a fundamental investment objective, policy or limitation;
7.Approve a change in the state of incorporation; and
8.Approve a plan of reorganization or merger.

 

The Adviser will generally vote with management’s recommendation on the election of directors and trustees, the approval of independent accountants, the approval of a change in a fundamental investment objective, policy or limitation, and the approval of a change in the state of incorporation. On the approval of a new investment adviser or sub-adviser, approval of a change in investment advisory fee, approval of a distribution (i.e., Rule 12b-1) plan, or the approval of a plan of reorganization or merger, the Adviser will review each issue on a case-by-case basis. Voting decisions will be made based on the financial interest of the client involved.

 

 

(1)       The exchange ticker symbol and CUSIP number may be difficult to obtain for certain portfolio securities, such as foreign issuers. Accordingly, such information may be omitted if it’s not available through reasonably practicable means.

 

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EXHIBIT C

 

Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee Charter

ETF Opportunities Trust

 

Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee Membership

 

1.The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee of ETF Opportunities 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 Trust’s series portfolios and the Trust’s other principal service providers. Persons selected as Independent Trustees must not be an “interested person” as that term is defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940, nor shall Independent Trustees have any 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.

 

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:          December 4, 2019

 

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APPENDIX A TO THE NOMINATING AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE COMMITTEE CHARTER

 

ETF OPPORTUNITIES 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 candidate’s 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 candidate’s educational background; (iv) the candidate’s 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 Board’s existing mix of skills, core competencies and qualifications; (vi) the candidate’s perceived ability to contribute to the ongoing functions of the Board, including the candidate’s ability and commitment to attend meetings regularly and work collaboratively with other members of the Board; (vii) the candidate’s 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.

 

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OTHER INFORMATION

 

Item 28. Exhibits

 

(a)(1)   Certificate of Trust of ETF Opportunities Trust (“Registrant”) is herein incorporated by reference from the Registrant’s Pre-Effective Amendment No 1 on Form N-1A/A filed on June 15, 2020. 
     
(a)(2)   Agreement and Declaration of Trust is herein incorporated by reference from the Registrant’s Pre-Effective Amendment No 1 on Form N-1A/A filed on June 15, 2020.
     
(b)   By-Laws of the Registrant is herein incorporated by reference from the Registrant’s Pre-Effective Amendment No 1 on Form N-1A/A filed on June 15, 2020.
     
(c)   Articles IV, VII and VIII of the Declaration of Trust, Exhibit 28(a)(2) above, define the rights of holders of the securities being registered. (Certificates for shares are not issued.)
     
(d)(1)   Advisory Agreement between the Registrant and Ridgeline Research LLC on behalf of the American Conservative Values ETF and American Conservative Values Small-Cap ETF is herein incorporated by reference from the Registrant’s Pre-Effective Amendment No 1 on Form N-1A/A filed on June 15, 2020.
     
(d)(2)   Sub-Advisory Agreement between Vident Investment Advisory, LLC and Ridgeline Research LLC on behalf of the American Conservative Values ETF and American Conservative Values Small-Cap ETF is herein incorporated by reference from the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 8 on Form N-1A filed on April 16, 2021.
     
(d)(3)   Advisory Agreement between the Registrant and Real Asset Strategies, LLC on behalf of the Real Asset Strategies ETF is herein incorporated by reference from the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 6 on Form N-1A filed on March 12, 2021.
     
(d)(4)   Sub-Advisory Agreement between Enduring Investments, LLC and Real Asset Strategies, LLC on behalf of the Real Asset Strategies ETF is herein incorporated by reference from the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 6 on Form N-1A filed on March 12, 2021.
     
(d)(5)   Advisory Agreement between the Registrant and Formidable Asset Management, LLC on behalf of the Formidable ETF, the Formidable Small/Mid Cap ETF and the Formidable Fortress ETF (“Formidable ETFs”) is herein incorporated by reference from the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 19 on Form N-1A filed on October 12, 2021.
     
(d)(6)   Sub-Advisory Agreement between Toroso Asset Management and Formidable Asset Management, LLC on behalf of the Formidable ETFs is herein incorporated by reference from the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 19 on Form N-1A filed October 12, 2021.
     
(d)(7)   Advisory Agreement between the Registrant and Applied Finance Advisors, LLC on behalf of the Applied Finance Valuation Large Cap ETF is herein incorporated by reference from the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 11 on Form N-1A filed on July 20, 2021.
     
(d)(8)   Sub-Advisory Agreement between Toroso Asset Management and Applied Finance Advisors, LLC on behalf of the Applied Finance Valuation Large Cap ETF is herein incorporated by reference from the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 11 on Form N-1A filed on July 20, 2021.
     
(d)(9)   Advisory Agreement between the Registrant and Gea Sphere, LLC on behalf of the Alpha Dog ETF is herein incorporated by reference from the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 22 on Form N-1A filed November 23, 2021.

 

 

 

(d)(10)   Sub-Advisory Agreement between Toroso Asset Management and Gea Sphere, LLC on behalf of the Alpha Dog ETF is herein incorporated by reference from the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 22 on Form N-1A filed November 23, 2021.
     
(d)(11)   Advisory Agreement between the Registrant and Kingsbarn Capital Management, LLC on behalf of the Kingsbarn Tactical Bond ETF is herein incorporated by reference from the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 26 on Form N-1A filed on March 24, 2022.
     
(d)(12)   Sub-Advisory Agreement between Vident Investment Advisory LLC and Kingsbarn Capital Management, LLC on behalf of the Kingsbarn Tactical Bond ETF is herein incorporated by reference from the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 26 on Form N-1A filed on March 24, 2022.
     
(d)(13)   Advisory Agreement between the Registrant and Kingsbarn Capital Management, LLC on behalf of the Kingsbarn Tactical Inflation ETF (To be Filed by Amendment).
     
(d)(14)   Sub-Advisory Agreement between Vident Investment Advisory LLC and Kingsbarn Capital Management, LLC on behalf of the Kingsbarn Tactical Inflation ETF (To be Filed by Amendment).
     
(d)(15)   Advisory Agreement between the Registrant and Ultra Blue Capital, LLC on behalf of the UBC Algorithmic Fundamentals ETF is herein incorporated by reference from the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 24 on Form N-1A filed on December 10, 2021.
     
(d)(16)   Sub-Advisory Agreement between Toroso Asset Management and Ultra Blue Capital, LLC on behalf of the UBC Algorithmic Fundamentals ETF is herein incorporated by reference from the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 24 on Form N-1A filed on December 10, 2021.
     
(d)(17)   Advisory Agreement between the Registrant and WealthTrust Asset Management, LLC on behalf of the WealthTrust DBS Long Term Growth ETF is herein incorporated by reference from the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 22 on Form N-1A filed November 23, 2021.
     
(d)(18)   Sub-Advisory Agreement between Toroso Asset Management and WealthTrust Asset Management, LLC on behalf of the WealthTrust DBS Long Term Growth ETF is herein incorporated by reference from the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 22 on Form N-1A filed November 23, 2021.
     
(d)(19)   Advisory Agreement between the Registrant and Cultivar Capital, Inc. on behalf of the Cultivar ETF is herein incorporated by reference from the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 26 on Form N-1A filed on March 24, 2022.
     
(d)(20)   Sub-Advisory Agreement between Toroso Asset Management and Cultivar Capital, Inc. on behalf of the Cultivar ETF is herein incorporated by reference from the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 26 on Form N-1A filed on March 24, 2022.
     
(e)(1)   Distribution Agreement between the Registrant and Foreside Fund Services, LLC on behalf of  the American Conservative Values ETF and American Conservative Values Small-Cap ETF is herein incorporated by reference from the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 8 on Form N-1A filed on April 16, 2021.
     
(e)(2)   First Amendment to the ETF Distribution Agreement between the Registrant and Foreside Fund Services, LLC on behalf of the American Conservative Values ETF, the American Conservative Values Small-Cap ETF and the Real Asset Strategies ETF is herein incorporated by reference from the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 8 on Form N-1A filed on April 16, 2021.

 

 

 

(e)(3)   Third Amendment to the Distribution Agreement between the Registrant and Foreside Fund Services, LLC on behalf of the Funds in the Trust is herein incorporated by reference from the Registrant’s Post-Effective No. 19 on Form N-1A filed on October 12, 2021.
     
(e)(4)   Form of Authorized Participant Agreement with Foreside Fund Services, LLC is herein incorporated by reference from the Registrant’s Pre-Effective Amendment No 1 on Form N-1A/A filed on June 15, 2020.
     
(f)   Not applicable.
     
(g)(1)   Global Custodial and Transfer Agency Services Agreement between the Registrant and Citibank, N.A. on behalf of the American Conservative Values ETF and American Conservative Values Small-Cap ETF is herein incorporated by reference from the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 8 on Form N-1A filed on April 16, 2021.
     
(g)(2)  

Amendment No. 1 to the Global Custodial and Transfer Agency Services Agreement between the Registrant and Citibank, N.A. on behalf of the American Conservative Values ETF and American Conservative Values Small-Cap ETF is herein incorporated by reference from the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 8 on Form N-1A filed on April 16, 2021.

 

(g)(3)   Amendment No. 2 to the Global Custodial and Transfer Agency Services Agreement between the Registrant and Citibank, N.A. on behalf of the Real Asset Strategies ETF is herein incorporated by reference from the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 8 on Form N-1A filed on April 16, 2021.
     
(g)(4)   Amendment No. 4 to the Global Custodial and Transfer Agency Services Agreement between the Registrant and Citibank, N.A. on behalf of the Applied Finance Valuation Large Cap ETF is herein incorporated by reference from the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 11 on Form N-1A filed on July 20, 2021.
     
 (g)(5)   Amendment No. 5 to the Global Custodial and Transfer Agency Services Agreement between the Registrant and Citibank, N.A. on behalf of the Formidable ETFs is herein incorporated by reference from the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 11 on Form N-1A filed on July 20, 2021.
     
(g)(6)   Amendment No. 6 to the Global Custodial and Transfer Agency Services Agreement between the Registrant and Citibank, N.A. on behalf of the Alpha Dog ETF and Kingsbarn Tactical Bond ETF is herein incorporated by reference from the Registrant’s Post-Effective No. 19 on Form N-1A filed on October 12, 2021.
     
(g)(7)   Amendment No. 7 to the Global Custodial and Transfer Agency Services Agreement between the Registrant and Citibank, N.A. on behalf of the WealthTrust DBS Long Term Growth ETF and the UBC Algorithmic Fundamentals ETF is herein incorporated by reference from the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 22 on Form N-1A filed November 23, 2021.
     
(g)(8)   Amendment No. 8 to the Global Custodial and Transfer Agency Services Agreement between the Registrant and Citibank, N.A. on behalf of the Cultivar ETF is herein incorporated by reference from the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 26 on Form N-1A filed on March 24, 2022.
     
(g)(9)   Amendment No. 9 to the Global Custodial and Transfer Agency Services Agreement between the Registrant and Citibank, N.A. on behalf of the Kingsbarn Tactical Inflation ETF (To be Filed by Amendment).
     
(h)(1)   Fund Services Agreement between the Registrant and Commonwealth Fund Services, Inc. on behalf of the American Conservative Values ETF and American Conservative Values Small-Cap ETF is herein incorporated by reference from the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 8 on Form N-1A filed on April 16, 2021.

 

 

 

(h)(2)   Fund Services Agreement between the Registrant and Commonwealth Fund Services, Inc. on behalf of the Real Asset Strategies ETF is herein incorporated by reference from the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 8 on Form N-1A filed on April 16, 2021.
     
(h)(3)   Fund Services Agreement between the Registrant and Commonwealth Fund Services, Inc. on behalf of the Formidable ETFs is herein incorporated by reference from the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 19 on Form N-1A filed on October 12, 2021.
     
(h)(4)   Fund Services Agreement between the Registrant and Commonwealth Fund Services, Inc. on behalf of the Applied Finance Valuation Large Cap ETF is herein incorporated by reference from the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No 11 on Form N-1A filed on July 20, 2021.
     
(h)(5)   Fund Services Agreement between the Registrant and Commonwealth Fund Services, Inc. on behalf of the Alpha Dog ETF is herein incorporated by reference from the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 22 on Form N-1A filed November 23, 2021.
     
(h)(6)   Fund Services Agreement between the Registrant and Commonwealth Fund Services, Inc. on behalf of the Kingsbarn Tactical Bond ETF is herein incorporated by reference from the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 22 on Form N-1A filed November 23, 2021.
     
(h)(7)   Fund Services Agreement between the Registrant and Commonwealth Fund Services, Inc. on behalf of the Kingsbarn Tactical Inflation ETF (To be Filed by Amendment).
     
(h)(8)   Fund Services Agreement between the Registrant and Commonwealth Fund Services, Inc. on behalf of the UBC Algorithmic Fundamentals ETF is herein incorporated by reference from the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 24 on Form N-1A filed on December 10, 2021.
     
(h)(9)   Fund Services Agreement between the Registrant and Commonwealth Fund Services, Inc. on behalf of the WealthTrust DBS Long Term Growth ETF is herein incorporated by reference from the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 22 on Form N-1A filed November 23, 2021.
     
(h)(10)   Fund Services Agreement between the Registrant and Commonwealth Fund Services, Inc. on behalf of the Cultivar ETF is herein incorporated by reference from the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 26 on Form N-1A filed on March 24, 2022.
     
(h)(11)   Services Agreement (Fund Accounting services) between the Registrant, Citi Fund Services Ohio, Inc. and Citibank, N.A. on behalf of the American Conservative Values ETF and the American Conservative Values Small-Cap ETF is herein incorporated by reference from the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 8 on Form N-1A filed on April 16, 2021.
     
(h)(12)   Amendment No. 4 to the Services Agreement (Fund Accounting services) between the Registrant, Citi Fund Services Ohio, Inc. and Citibank, N.A. on behalf of the Funds of the Trust is herein incorporated by reference from the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 8 on Form N-1A filed on April 16, 2021.
     
(h)(13)   Amendment No. 6 to the Services Agreement (Fund Accounting services) between the Registrant, Citi Fund Services Ohio, Inc. and Citibank, N.A. on behalf of the Funds of the Trust is herein incorporated by reference from the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 11 on Form N-1A filed on July 20, 2021.
     
(h)(14)   Amendment No. 7 to the Services Agreement (Fund Accounting services) between the Registrant, Citi Fund Services Ohio, Inc. and Citibank, N.A. on behalf of the Alpha Dog ETF and Kingsbarn Tactical Bond ETF is herein incorporated by reference from the Registrant’s Post-Effective No. 19 on Form N-1A filed on October 12, 2021.

 

 

 

(h)(15)   Amendment No. 8 to the Services Agreement (Fund Accounting services) between the Registrant, Citi Fund Services Ohio, Inc. and Citibank, N.A. on behalf of the WealthTrust DBS Long Term Growth ETF and UBC Algorithmic Fundamentals ETF is herein incorporated by reference from the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 22 on Form N-1A filed November 23, 2021.
     
(h)(16)   Amendment No. 9 to the Services Agreement (Fund Accounting services) between the Registrant, Citi Fund Services Ohio, Inc. and Citibank, N.A. on behalf of the Cultivar ETF is herein incorporated by reference from the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 26 on Form N-1A filed on March 24, 2022.
     
(h)(17)   Amendment No. 10 to the Services Agreement (Fund Accounting services) between the Registrant, Citi Fund Services Ohio, Inc. and Citibank, N.A. on behalf of the Kingsbarn Tactical Inflation ETF (To be Filed by Amendment).
     
(i)(1)   Opinion and Consent of Practus, LLP regarding the legality of securities registered with respect to the American Conservative Values ETF and the American Conservative Values Small-Cap ETF is herein incorporated by reference from the Registrant’s Pre-Effective Amendment No 1 on Form N-1A/A filed on June 15, 2020.
     
(i)(2)   Consent of Legal Counsel for the American Conservative Values ETF and the American Conservative Values Small-Cap ETF was filed as an exhibit to the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 23 on Form N-1A filed on November 29, 2021.
     
(i)(3)   Opinion and Consent of Counsel regarding the legality of securities registered with respect to the Real Asset Strategies ETF is herein incorporated by reference from the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 6 on Form N-1A filed on March 12, 2021.
     
(i)(4)   Opinion and Consent of Counsel regarding the legality of securities registered with respect to the Formidable ETFs is herein incorporated by reference from the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 6 on Form N-1A filed on March 12, 2021.
     
(i)(5)   Opinion and Consent of Counsel regarding the legality of securities registered with respect to the Applied Finance Valuation  Large Cap ETF is herein incorporated by reference from the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 8 on Form N-1A filed on April 16, 2021.
     
(i)(6)   Consent of Legal Counsel for the Applied Finance Valuation Large Cap ETF. (Filed herewith)
     
(i)(7)   Opinion and Consent of Counsel regarding the legality of securities registered with respect to the Alpha Dog ETF is herein incorporated by reference from the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 19 on Form N-1A filed on October 12, 2021.
     
(i)(8)   Opinion and Consent of Counsel regarding the legality of securities registered with respect to the Kingsbarn Tactical Bond ETF is herein incorporated by reference from the Registration’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 21 on Form N-1A filed on November 9, 2021.
     
(i)(9)   Opinion and Consent of Counsel regarding the legality of securities registered with respect to the Kingsbarn Tactical Inflation ETF (To be Filed by Amendment).
     
(i)(10)   Opinion and Consent of Counsel regarding the legality of securities registered with respect to the UBC Algorithmic Fundamentals ETF is herein incorporated by reference from the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 24 on Form N-1A filed on December 10, 2021.
     
(i)(11)   Opinion and Consent of Counsel regarding the legality of securities registered with respect to the WealthTrust DBS Long Term Growth is herein incorporated by reference from the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 22 on Form N-1A filed November 23, 2021.

 

 

 

(i)(12)   Opinion and Consent of Counsel regarding the legality of securities registered with respect to the Cultivar ETF is herein incorporated by reference from the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 26 on Form N-1A filed on March 24, 2022.
     
(j)(1)   Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm on behalf of the American Conservative Values ETF and the American Conservative Values Small-Cap ETF was filed as an exhibit to the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 23 on Form N-1A filed on November 29, 2021.
     
(j)(2)   Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm on behalf of the Formidable ETFs was filed as an exhibit to the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 6 on Form N-1A filed on March 12, 2021.
     
(j)(3)   Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm on behalf of the Applied Finance Valuation Large Cap ETF. (Filed herewith)
     
(k)   Not applicable.
     
(l)   Initial Capital Agreement is herein incorporated by reference from the Registrant’s Pre-Effective Amendment No. 1 on Form N-1A/A filed on June 15, 2020.
     
(m)(1)   Plan of Distribution Pursuant to Rule 12b-1. Not Applicable.
     
(n)(1)   Rule 18f-3 Multi-Class Plan. Not applicable.
     
(o)   Reserved.
     
(p)(1)   Code of Ethics for the Registrant is herein incorporated by reference from the Registrant’s Pre-Effective Amendment No. 1 on Form N-1A/A filed on June 15, 2020.
     
(p)(2)   Code of Ethics for Ridgeline Research, LLC is herein incorporated by reference from the Registrant’s Pre-Effective Amendment No. 1 on Form N-1A/A filed on June 15, 2020.
     
(p)(3)   Code of Ethics for Vident Investment Advisory, LLC. (Filed herewith) 
     
(p)(4)   Code of Ethics for Real Asset Strategies, LLC is herein incorporated by reference from the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 6 on Form N-1A filed on March 12, 2021.
     
(p)(5)   Code of Ethics for Enduring Investment, LLC (To be Filed by Amendment).
     
(p)(6)   Code of Ethics for Formidable Asset Management, LLC is herein incorporated by reference from the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 6 on Form N-1A filed on March 12, 2021.
     
(p)(7)   Code of Ethics for Toroso Asset Management (Filed herewith).
     
(p)(8)   Code of Ethics for Applied Finance Advisors, LLC is herein incorporated by reference from the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 11 on Form N-1A filed on July 20, 2021.
     
(p)(9)   Code of Ethics for Gea Sphere, LLC (To be Filed by Amendment).
     
(p)(10)   Code of Ethics for Kingsbarn Capital Management, LLC (Filed herewith).
     
(p)(11)   Code of Ethics for Ultra Blue Capital, LLC (To be Filed by Amendment).
     
(p)(12)   Code of Ethics for WealthTrust Asset Management, LLC (To be Filed by Amendment).
     
(p)(13)   Code of Ethics for Cultivar Capital, Inc. (To be Filed by Amendment)

 

 

 

(q)   Power of Attorney for Mary Lou H. Ivey, David J. Urban, Theo H. Pitt, Jr. and Kevin Farragher is herein incorporated by reference from the Registrant’s Pre-Effective Amendment No. 1 on Form N-1A/A filed on June 15, 2020.

 

Item 29. Persons Controlled By or Under Common Control With Registrant

 

    Not Applicable.

 

Item 30. Indemnification

 

See Article VIII, Section 2 of the Registrant’s Agreement and Declaration of Trust and the section titled “Indemnification of Trustees, Officers, Employees and Other Agents” in the Registrant’s 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 description of the Investment Adviser is found under the caption “Management,” “The Investment Adviser” in the Prospectus and under the caption “Investment Adviser” in the Statement of Additional Information constituting Parts A and B, respectively, of this Registration Statement, which are incorporated by reference herein. The Investment Adviser may provide investment advisory services to persons or entities other than the Registrant. 


Item 32. Distributor

 

Item 32(a)Foreside Fund Services, LLC (the “Distributor”) serves as principal underwriter for the following investment companies registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended:

 

1.ABS Long/Short Strategies Fund

2.Absolute Shares Trust

3.Adaptive Core ETF, Series of Collaborative Investment Series Trust

4.AdvisorShares Trust

5.AFA Multi-Manager Credit Fund

6.AGF Investments Trust

7.AIM ETF Products Trust

8.Alexis Practical Tactical ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust

9.Alpha Intelligent – Large Cap Growth ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust

10.Alpha Intelligent – Large Cap Value ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust

11.AlphaCentric Prime Meridian Income Fund

12.American Century ETF Trust

13.American Customer Satisfaction ETF, Series of ETF Series Solutions

14.Amplify ETF Trust

15.Applied Finance Core Fund, Series of World Funds Trust

 

 

  

16.Applied Finance Explorer Fund, Series of World Funds Trust
17.Applied Finance Select Fund, Series of World Funds Trust
18.ARK ETF Trust
19.ASYMmetric ETFs Trust
20.Bluestone Community Development Fund
21.BondBloxx ETF Trust
22.Braddock Multi-Strategy Income Fund, Series of Investment Managers Series Trust
23.Bridgeway Funds, Inc.
24.Brinker Capital Destinations Trust
25.Brookfield Real Assets Income Fund Inc.
26.Build Funds Trust
27.Calamos Convertible and High Income Fund
28.Calamos Convertible Opportunities and Income Fund
29.Calamos Dynamic Convertible and Income Fund
30.Calamos Global Dynamic Income Fund
31.Calamos Global Total Return Fund
32.Calamos Strategic Total Return Fund
33.Carlyle Tactical Private Credit Fund
34.Cboe Vest Bitcoin Managed Volatility Fund, Series of World Funds Trust
35.Cboe Vest S&P 500® Dividend Aristocrats Target Income Fund, Series of World Funds Trust
36.Cboe Vest US Large Cap 10% Buffer Strategies Fund, Series of World Funds Trust
37.Cboe Vest US Large Cap 10% Buffer VI Fund, Series of World Funds Trust
38.Cboe Vest US Large Cap 20% Buffer Strategies Fund, Series of World Funds Trust
39.Cboe Vest US Large Cap 20% Buffer VI Fund, Series of World Funds Trust
40.Center Coast Brookfield MLP & Energy Infrastructure Fund
41.Changebridge Capital Long/Short ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust
42.Changebridge Capital Sustainable Equity ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust
43.Clifford Capital Focused Small Cap Value Fund, Series of World Funds Trust
44.Clifford Capital Partners Fund, Series of World Funds Trust
45.Cliffwater Corporate Lending Fund
46.Cliffwater Enhanced Lending Fund
47.Cohen & Steers Infrastructure Fund, Inc.
48.Convergence Long/Short Equity ETF, Series of Trust for Professional Managers
49.CornerCap Group of Funds
50.CrossingBridge Pre-Merger SPAC ETF, Series of Trust for Professional Managers
51.Curasset Capital Management Core Bond Fund, Series of World Funds Trust
52.Curasset Capital Management Limited Term Income Fund, Series of World Funds Trust
53.Davis Fundamental ETF Trust
54.Defiance Digital Revolution ETF, Series of ETF Series Solutions
55.Defiance Hotel, Airline, and Cruise ETF, Series of ETF Series Solutions
56.Defiance Nasdaq Junior Biotechnology ETF, Series of ETF Series Solutions
57.Defiance Next Gen Altered Experience ETF, Series of ETF Series Solutions
58.Defiance Next Gen Big Data ETF, Series of ETF Series Solutions
59.Defiance Next Gen Connectivity ETF, Series of ETF Series Solutions
60.Defiance Next Gen H2 ETF, Series of ETF Series Solutions
61.Defiance Next Gen SPAC Derived ETF, Series of ETF Series Solutions
62.Defiance Quantum ETF, Series of ETF Series Solutions
63.Direxion Shares ETF Trust
64.Dividend Performers ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust
65.DoubleLine ETF Trust
66.DoubleLine Opportunistic Credit Fund
67.DoubleLine Yield Opportunities Fund
68.Eaton Vance NextShares Trust
69.Eaton Vance NextShares Trust II
70.EIP Investment Trust
71.Ellington Income Opportunities Fund
72.Esoterica Thematic ETF Trust
73.ETF Opportunities Trust
74.Evanston Alternative Opportunities Fund
75.Exchange Listed Funds Trust
76.Fiera Capital Series Trust

 

 

 

77.FlexShares Trust
78.FOMO ETF, Series of Collaborative Investment Series Trust
79.Forum Funds
80.Forum Funds II
81.Friess Brandywine Blue Fund, Series of Managed Portfolio Series
82.Friess Brandywine Fund, Series of Managed Portfolio Series
83.Friess Small Cap Growth Fund, Series of Managed Portfolio Series
84.Goose Hollow Tactical Allocation ETF, Series of Collaborative Investment Series Trust
85.Grayscale Future of Finance ETF, Series of ETF Series Solutions
86.Grizzle Growth ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust
87.Guinness Atkinson Funds
88.Harbor ETF Trust
89.Horizon Kinetics Inflation Beneficiaries ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust
90.IDX Funds
91.Infusive US Trust
92.Innovator ETFs Trust
93.Ironwood Institutional Multi-Strategy Fund LLC
94.Ironwood Multi-Strategy Fund LLC
95.John Hancock Exchange-Traded Fund Trust
96.Kelly Strategic ETF Trust
97.LifeGoal Conservative Wealth Builder ETF, Series of Northern Lights Fund Trust II
98.LifeGoal Home Down Payment ETF, Series of Northern Lights Fund Trust II
99.LifeGoal Wealth Builder ETF, Series of Northern Lights Fund Trust II
100.Mairs & Power Funds Trust
101.Mairs & Power Minnesota Municipal Bond ETF, Series of Trust for Professional Managers
102.Manor Investment Funds
103.Milliman Variable Insurance Trust
104.Mindful Conservative ETF, Series of Collaborative Investment Series Trust
105.Moerus Worldwide Value Fund, Series of Northern Lights Fund Trust IV
106.Mohr Growth ETF, Series of Collaborative Investment Series Trust
107.Morgan Creek - Exos Active SPAC Arbitrage ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust
108.Morgan Creek - Exos SPAC Originated ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust
109.Morningstar Funds Trust
110.OSI ETF Trust
111.OTG Latin American Fund, Series of World Funds Trust
112.Overlay Shares Core Bond ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust
113.Overlay Shares Foreign Equity ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust
114.Overlay Shares Hedged Large Cap Equity ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust
115.Overlay Shares Large Cap Equity ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust
116.Overlay Shares Municipal Bond ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust
117.Overlay Shares Short Term Bond ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust
118.Overlay Shares Small Cap Equity ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust
119.Palmer Square Opportunistic Income Fund
120.Partners Group Private Income Opportunities, LLC
121.PENN Capital Funds Trust
122.Performance Trust Mutual Funds, Series of Trust for Professional Managers
123.Perkins Discovery Fund, Series of World Funds Trust
124.Philotimo Focused Growth and Income Fund, Series of World Funds Trust
125.Plan Investment Fund, Inc.
126.PMC Funds, Series of Trust for Professional Managers
127.Point Bridge GOP Stock Tracker ETF, Series of ETF Series Solutions
128.Preferred-Plus ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust
129.Putnam ETF Trust
130.Quaker Investment Trust
131.Rareview Dynamic Fixed Income ETF, Series of Collaborative Investment Series Trust
132.Rareview Inflation/Deflation ETF, Series of Collaborative Investment Series Trust
133.Rareview Systematic Equity ETF, Series of Collaborative Investment Series Trust
134.Rareview Tax Advantaged Income ETF, Series of Collaborative Investment Series Trust
135.REMS Real Estate Value-Opportunity Fund, Series of World Funds Trust
136.Renaissance Capital Greenwich Funds
137.Revere Sector Opportunity ETF, Series of Collaborative Investment Series Trust

 

 

 

138.Reverse Cap Weighted U.S. Large Cap ETF, Series of ETF Series Solutions
139.Reynolds Funds, Inc.
140.RiverNorth Volition America Patriot ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust
141.RMB Investors Trust
142.Robinson Opportunistic Income Fund, Series of Investment Managers Series Trust
143.Robinson Tax Advantaged Income Fund, Series of Investment Managers Series Trust
144.Roundhill Ball Metaverse ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust
145.Roundhill BITKRAFT Esports & Digital Entertainment ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust
146.Roundhill IO Digital Infrastructure ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust
147.Roundhill MEME ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust
148.Roundhill MVP ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust
149.Roundhill Sports Betting & iGaming ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust
150.Roundhill Streaming Services & Technology ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust
151.Rule One Fund, Series of World Funds Trust
152.Salient MF Trust
153.Securian AM Balanced Stabilization Fund, Series of Investment Managers Series Trust
154.Securian AM Equity Stabilization Fund, Series of Investment Managers Series Trust
155.Securian AM Real Asset Income Fund, Series of Investment Managers Series Trust
156.SHP ETF Trust
157.Six Circles Trust
158.Sound Shore Fund, Inc.
159.Spear Alpha ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust
160.Strategy Shares
161.Swan Hedged Equity US Large Cap ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust
162.Syntax ETF Trust
163.The B.A.D. ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust
164.The Chartwell Funds
165.The Community Development Fund
166.The De-SPAC ETF, Series of Collaborative Investment Series Trust
167.The Finite Solar Finance Fund
168.The NextGen Trend and Defend ETF, Series of Collaborative Investment Series Trust
169.The Private Shares Fund (f/k/a SharesPost 100 Fund)
170.The Short De-SPAC ETF, Series of Collaborative Investment Series Trust
171.The SPAC and New Issue ETF, Series of Collaborative Investment Series Trust
172.Third Avenue Trust
173.Third Avenue Variable Series Trust
174.Tidal ETF Trust
175.TIFF Investment Program
176.Timothy Plan High Dividend Stock Enhanced ETF, Series of The Timothy Plan
177.Timothy Plan High Dividend Stock ETF, Series of The Timothy Plan
178.Timothy Plan International ETF, Series of The Timothy Plan
179.Timothy Plan US Large/Mid Cap Core ETF, Series of The Timothy Plan
180.Timothy Plan US Large/Mid Core Enhanced ETF, Series of The Timothy Plan
181.Timothy Plan US Small Cap Core ETF, Series of The Timothy Plan
182.Total Fund Solutions
183.TrueShares ESG Active Opportunities ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust
184.TrueShares Low Volatility Equity Income ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust
185.TrueShares Structured Outcome (April) ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust
186.TrueShares Structured Outcome (August) ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust
187.TrueShares Structured Outcome (December) ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust
188.TrueShares Structured Outcome (February) ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust
189.TrueShares Structured Outcome (January) ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust
190.TrueShares Structured Outcome (July) ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust
191.TrueShares Structured Outcome (June) ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust
192.TrueShares Structured Outcome (March) ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust
193.TrueShares Structured Outcome (May) ETF, Listed Funds Trust
194.TrueShares Structured Outcome (November) ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust
195.TrueShares Structured Outcome (October) ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust
196.TrueShares Structured Outcome (September) ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust
197.TrueShares Technology, AI & Deep Learning ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust
198.Tuttle Capital Short Innovation ETF, Series of Collaborative Investment Series Trust

 

 

 

199.U.S. Global Investors Funds
200.Union Street Partners Value Fund, Series of World Funds Trust
201.Variant Alternative Income Fund
202.Variant Impact Fund
203.VictoryShares Developed Enhanced Volatility Wtd ETF, Series of Victory Portfolios II
204.VictoryShares Dividend Accelerator ETF, Series of Victory Portfolios II
205.VictoryShares Emerging Market High Div Volatility Wtd ETF, Series of Victory Portfolios II
206.VictoryShares International High Div Volatility Wtd ETF, Series of Victory Portfolios II
207.VictoryShares International Volatility Wtd ETF, Series of Victory Portfolios II
208.VictoryShares NASDAQ Next 50 ETF, Series of Victory Portfolios II
209.VictoryShares Protect America ETF, Series of Victory Portfolios II
210.VictoryShares Top Veteran Employers ETF, Series of Victory Portfolios II
211.VictoryShares US 500 Enhanced Volatility Wtd ETF, Series of Victory Portfolios II
212.VictoryShares US 500 Volatility Wtd ETF, Series of Victory Portfolios II
213.VictoryShares US Discovery Enhanced Volatility Wtd ETF, Series of Victory Portfolios II
214.VictoryShares US EQ Income Enhanced Volatility Wtd ETF, Series of Victory Portfolios II
215.VictoryShares US Large Cap High Div Volatility Wtd ETF, Series of Victory Portfolios II
216.VictoryShares US Multi-Factor Minimum Volatility ETF, Series of Victory Portfolios II
217.VictoryShares US Small Cap High Div Volatility Wtd ETF, Series of Victory Portfolios II
218.VictoryShares US Small Cap Volatility Wtd ETF, Series of Victory Portfolios II
219.VictoryShares USAA Core Intermediate-Term Bond ETF, Series of Victory Portfolios II
220.VictoryShares USAA Core Short-Term Bond ETF, Series of Victory Portfolios II
221.VictoryShares USAA MSCI Emerging Markets Value Momentum ETF, Series of Victory Portfolios II
222.VictoryShares USAA MSCI International Value Momentum ETF, Series of Victory Portfolios II
223.VictoryShares USAA MSCI USA Small Cap Value Momentum ETF, Series of Victory Portfolios II
224.VictoryShares USAA MSCI USA Value Momentum ETF, Series of Victory Portfolios II
225.Walthausen Funds
226.West Loop Realty Fund, Series of Investment Managers Series Trust
227.WisdomTree Trust
228.WST Investment Trust
229.XAI Octagon Floating Rate & Alternative Income Term Trust

 

Item 32(b)The following are the Officers and Manager of the Distributor, the Registrant’s underwriter. The Distributor’s main business address is Three Canal Plaza, Suite 100, Portland, Maine 04101.

 

Name Address Position with Underwriter

Position with Registrant

       
Richard J. Berthy Three Canal Plaza, Suite 100, Portland, ME  04101 President, Treasurer and Manager None
Mark A. Fairbanks Three Canal Plaza, Suite 100, Portland, ME  04101 Vice President None
Teresa Cowan 111 E. Kilbourn Ave, Suite 2200, Milwaukee, WI 53202 Vice President None
Nanette K. Chern Three Canal Plaza, Suite 100, Portland, ME  04101 Vice President and Chief Compliance Officer None
Kelly B. Whetstone Three Canal Plaza, Suite 100, Portland, ME  04101 Secretary None

 

Item 32.(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)            Adviser

Ridgeline Research LLC, 14961 Finegan Farm Drive, Darnestown, Maryland 20874 (records relating to its function as investment adviser to the American Conservative Values ETF and the American Conservative Values Small-Cap ETF).

 

 

 

 

b)            Sub-Adviser

Vidant Investment Advisory, LLC, 1125 Sanctuary Parkway, Suite 515, Alpharetta, Georgia 30009 (records relating to its function as sub-adviser to the American Conservative Values ETF, the American Conservative Values Small-Cap ETF and the Kingsbarn Tactical Bond ETF).

 

c)            Adviser

Real Asset Strategies, LLC, 5775 Wayzata Boulevard, Suite 700, St. Louis Park, Minnesota 55416 (records relating to its function as investment adviser to the Real Asset Strategies ETF).

 

d)            Sub-Adviser

Enduring Investments, LLC, 12 Ironwood Road, Morristown, New Jersey 07960 (records relating to its function as sub-adviser to the Real Asset Strategies ETF).

 

e)            Adviser

Formidable Asset Management, LLC, 221 East fourth Street, Suite 2700, Cincinnati, Ohio 45202 (records relating to its function as investment adviser to the Formidable ETFs).

 

f)             Sub-Adviser

Toroso Asset Management, 898 N. Broadway, Suite 2, Massapequa, New York 11758 (records relating to its function as sub-adviser to the Formidable ETFs, the Applied Finance Valuation Large Cap ETF, Alpha Dog ETF, UBC Algorithmic Fundamentals ETF, WealthTrust DBS Long Term Growth ETF and the Cultivar ETF).

 

g)            Adviser

Applied Finance Advisors, LLC, 17806 IH 10, Suite 300, San Antonio, Texas 78257 (records relating to its function as adviser to the Applied Finance Valuation Large Cap ETF).

 

h)            Adviser

Gea Sphere, LLC, 55 Mystery Farm Road, Cranston, Rhode Island, 02921 (records relating to its function as adviser to the Alpha Dog ETF).

 

i)              Adviser

Kingsbarn Capital Management, LLC, 1645 Village Center Circle, Suite 200, Las Vegas, Nevada 89134 (records relating to its function as adviser to the Kingsbarn Tactical Bond ETF).

 

j)             Adviser

Ultra Blue Capital, LLC, 1735 Technology Drive, #650, San Jose, California 95110 (records relating to its function as adviser to the UBC Algorithmic Fundamentals ETF).

 

k)            Adviser

WealthTrust Asset Management, LLC, 4458 Legendary Drive, Suite 140, Destin, Florida 32541 (records relating to its function as adviser to the WealthTrust DBS Long Term Growth ETF).

 

l)              Adviser Cultivar Capital, Inc., 421 E. Hickory Street, Suite 103, Denton, Texas 76201 (records relating to its function as adviser to the Cultivar ETF).
     
m)          Custodian, Transfer Agency Citibank, N.A., 390 Greenwich Street, 6th Floor, New York, New York 10013.
     
n)            Administrator Commonwealth Fund Services, Inc., 8730 Stony Point Parkway, Suite 205, Richmond, Virginia 23235.
o)            Distributor

Foreside Fund Services, LLC, Three Canal Plaza, Suite 100, Portland, Maine 04101.

 

p)            Fund Accountant

Citi Fund Services Ohio, Inc., located at 4400 Easton Commons, Suite 200, Columbus, Ohio, 43219.

 

 

 

 

Item 34. Management Services

 

    Not applicable.

 

Item 35. Undertakings

 

    Not applicable.

 

 

 

SIGNATURES

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), 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. 27 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of Richmond, Commonwealth of Virginia on the 29th day of April, 2022.

 

ETF OPPORTUNITIES TRUST

By: /s/ Karen M. Shupe  
  Karen M. Shupe  
  Treasurer and Principal Executive Officer  

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act, this Post-Effective Amendment No. 27 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A has been signed below by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated.

 

Signature Title Date
     
*David J. Urban Trustee April 29, 2022
     
*Mary Lou H. Ivey Trustee April 29, 2022
     
*Theo H. Pitt, Jr. Trustee April 29, 2022
     
*Kevin M. Farragher Trustee April 29, 2022
     
/s/ Karen M. Shupe Treasurer and Principal Executive Officer April 29, 2022
Karen M. Shupe    
     
/s/ Ann T. MacDonald Assistant Treasurer and Principal Financial Officer April 29, 2022
Ann T. MacDonald    
     
*By: /s/ Karen M. Shupe    
Karen M. Shupe    

 

*Attorney-in-fact pursuant to Powers of Attorney

 

 

 

EXHIBITS

 

(i)(6)   Consent of Legal Counsel for the Applied Finance Valuation Large Cap ETF.
     
(j)(3)   Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm on behalf of the Applied Finance Valuation Large Cap ETF.
     
(p)(3)   Code of Ethics for Vident Investment Advisory, LLC.
     
(p)(7)   Code of Ethics for Toroso Asset Management.
     
(p)(10)   Code of Ethics for Kingsbarn Capital Management, LLC.

 

 

 

ETF Opportunities Trust 485BPOS

Exhibit 99(i)(6)

 

 

April 29, 2022

 

ETF Opportunities Trust

8730 Stony Point Parkway, Suite 205

Richmond, VA 23235

 

Ladies and Gentlemen:

 

We hereby consent to the use of our name and to the reference to our firm under the caption “Legal Counsel” in the Statement of Additional Information for the Applied Finance Valuation Large Cap ETF, which is included in Post-Effective Amendment No. 27 to the Trust’s Registration Statement under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (No. 333-234544), and Amendment No. 29 to the Trust’s Registration Statement under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (No. 811-23439), on Form N-1A.

 

If you have any questions concerning the foregoing, please contact the undersigned at (913) 660-0778 or John.Lively@practus.com.

 

Regards,

 

/s/ John H. Lively

On behalf of Practus, LLP

 

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

 

 

 

 

ETF Opportunities Trust 485BPOS

 

 

Exhibit 99.(j)(3)

 

 

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 March 1, 2022, relating to the financial statements and financial highlights of Applied Finance Valuation Large Cap ETF, a series of ETF Opportunities Trust, for the period ended December 31, 2021, and to the references to our firm under the headings “Fund Service Providers” and “Financial Highlights” in the Prospectus and “Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm” in the Statement of Additional Information.

 

 

 

COHEN & COMPANY, LTD.

Cleveland, Ohio

April 28, 2022

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ETF Opportunities Trust 485BPOS

 Exhibit 99(p)(3)

 

Vident Advisory, LLC and Vident

Investment Advisory, LLC

 

 

 

 

 

Code of Ethics

 

Effective April 22, 2021

 

 

 

 

INTRODUCTION

 

3
1. OVERVIEW 4
  1.1 Code of Ethics 4
  1.2 Standards of Business Conduct 4
  1.3 Applicability of this Code of Ethics 4
  1.4 Reporting Person Duties 4
  1.5 Reporting Persons’ Obligation to Report Violations 5
  1.6 Vident’s Duties and Responsibilities to Reporting Persons 5
  1.7 Quarterly Board Reports 5
  1.8

Recordkeeping

 

5
2. REPORTABLE PERSONAL SECURITIES TRANSACTIONS 6
  2.1 Resolving Conflicts of Interest 6
  2.2 Reportable Securities Accounts and Transactions 6
  2.3 New Accounts 7
  2.4 Trading Restrictions and Prohibitions 7
  2.5 How to Pre-Clear Reporting Personal Securities Transactions 8
  2.6 Summary of What Reporting Persons and Their Immediate Family Need to Report Quarterly and Pre-Clear 9
  2.7 Ban on Short-Term Trading 10
  2.8

Employee Compensation Related Accounts

 

10
3. CODE VIOLATIONS 11
  3.1 Investigating Code Violations 11
  3.2 Penalties 11
  3.3 Dismissal and/or Referral to Authorities 12
  3.4

Exceptions to the Code

 

12

APPENDIX A - DEFINITIONS

 

13

APPENDIX B - CODE TEAM CONTACT INFORMATION

 

16

APPENDIX C - REPORTABLE FUNDS

 

17

APPENDIX D - ADDITIONAL POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

 

18
  - 

INSIDER TRADING

 

18
  -

GIFTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

 

22
-

POLITICAL AND CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTIONS, AND PUBLIC POSITIONS

 

24
  -

OUTSIDE BUSINESS ACTIVITIES

27

 

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INTRODUCTION

 

This Vident Code of Ethics (“Code”) applies to employees, directors, and officers of the following Covered Companies, which may be referred to collectively herein as “Vident”:

 

1.Vident Advisory, LLC, (“VA”) a Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) registered investment adviser based in Alpharetta, Georgia

 

  2. Vident Investment Advisory, LLC (“VIA”), a SEC registered investment adviser based in Alpharetta, Georgia

 

  3. Vident Financial, LLC, (“VF”), the parent company of VA and VIA, based in Alpharetta, Georgia

 

This Code does not apply to any other entities.

 

VA’s CCO is the relevant CCO with respect to the applicability of the Code to employees, directors, and officers of VA and VF. VIA’s CCO is the relevant CCO with respect to the applicability of the Code to employees, directors, and officers of VIA.

 

Please refer to Appendix A for the definitions of capitalized terms that are not otherwise defined in the Code.

 

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1.       OVERVIEW

 

1.1   Code of Ethics

 

Vident has adopted this Code pursuant to the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended (the “Advisers Act”), and Rule 204A-1 thereunder and Rule 17j-1 under the Investment Company Act of 1940 Act (the “1940 Act”). This Code establishes standards of business conduct and outlines the policies and procedures that Reporting Persons (as defined in Appendix A) must follow to prevent fraudulent, manipulative or improper practices or transactions. This Code is maintained and administered by Vident’s Chief Compliance Officers (“CCOs”) and the Code of Ethics Manager (“Code Manager”). The CCOs, Code Manager and any person designated by the CCOs to assist in administering the Code of Ethics (“Compliance Designee”) are collectively referred herein as the “Code Team”. Please see Appendix B for Code Team Contact Information.

 

1.2   Standards of Business Conduct

 

Reporting Persons must always observe the highest standards of business conduct and follow all applicable laws and regulations. Reporting Persons may never:

 

  Use any device, scheme or artifice to defraud a client;

  

Make any untrue statement of a material fact to a client or mislead a client by omitting to state a material fact;

 

  Engage in any act, practice or course of business that would defraud or deceive a client;

 

  Engage in any manipulative practice with respect to a client;

 

  Engage in any inappropriate trading practices, including price manipulation; or

 

  Engage in any transaction or series of transactions that may give the appearance of impropriety.

 

This Code does not attempt to identify all possible fraudulent, manipulative or improper practices or transactions, and literal compliance with each of its specific provisions will not shield Reporting Persons from liability for personal trading or other conduct that violates a fiduciary duty to clients.

 

1.3  Applicability of this Code of Ethics

“Reporting Persons” are subject to all provisions of this Code.

 

Important Note: All references to “Reporting Persons” in the guidelines, prohibitions, restrictions, and duties set forth in this Code should be interpreted to also refer, as the context requires, to Immediate Family Members (as defined in Appendix A) of such persons.  “You” or “your” should be interpreted to refer, as the context requires, to Reporting Persons and/or the Immediate Family Members of such persons.

 

 1.4   Reporting Person Duties

 

 As a Reporting Person, you are expected to:

 

  Be ethical;

 

  Act professionally;

 

  Exercise independent judgment;

 

  Comply with applicable Federal Securities Laws;

 

  Avoid, mitigate or appropriately resolve conflicts of interest, and situations which create the perception of a conflict of intertest. A conflict of interest exists when financial or other incentives motivate a Reporting Person to place their or Vident’s interest ahead of a Vident Client Account. For more information on conflicts of interest, see Section 2.1 of this Code and other applicable VA or VIA conflicts of interest policies. ;

 

  Promptly report violations or suspected violations of the Code and/or any Vident compliance policy to the Code Team; and

 

  Cooperate fully, honestly and in a timely manner with any Code Team investigation or inquiry.

 

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Reporting Persons are required to submit all requests and reports to the Code Manager via COMPLIANCE ALPHA (formerly ELF), the transaction monitoring system for the Code.

 

In addition to COMPLIANCE ALPHA, Reporting Persons can contact the Code Team for requests, assistance and ad- hoc issues.

 

Training for COMPLIANCE ALPHA will be provided to Reporting Persons by the Code Manager.

 

All Reporting Persons, as a condition of employment, must acknowledge in writing (or electronically) receipt of this Code and certify, within 10 calendar days of becoming subject to the Code and annually thereafter, that they have read, understand, and will comply with the Code. Violations of the Code may result in disciplinary actions, including disgorgement, fines and even termination, as determined by the Code Team.

 

The Code and your fiduciary obligations generally require you to put the interests of Vident clients ahead of your own. The Code Team may review and take appropriate action concerning instances of conduct that, while not necessarily violating the letter of the Code, give the appearance of impropriety.

 

1.5   Reporting Persons’ Obligation to Report Violations

 

Reporting Persons are expected to report any concerns regarding ethical business conduct, suspected or actual violations of the Code, or any non-compliance with applicable laws, rules, or regulations to the Code Team. Reports will be treated confidentially to the extent reasonably possible and will be investigated promptly and appropriately. No retaliation may be taken against a Reporting Person for providing information in good faith about such violations or concerns.

 

Examples of violations or concerns that Reporting Persons are expected to report include, but are not limited to:

 

Fraud or illegal acts involving any aspect of our business;

 

Concerns about accounting, auditing, or internal accounting control matters;

 

Material omissions or misstatements in SEC filings; and

 

Any activity that is prohibited by the Code.

 

1.6   Vident’s Duties and Responsibilities to Reporting Persons

 

To help Reporting Persons comply with this Code, the Code Manager will:

 

Identify and maintain current listings of Reporting Persons;

 

Notify Reporting Persons in writing of their status as such and the Code requirements;

 

Make a copy of the Code available and require initial and annual certifications that Reporting Persons have read, understand, and will comply with the Code;

 

Make available a revised copy of the Code if there are any material amendments to it (and, to the extent possible, prior to their effectiveness) and require Reporting Persons to certify in writing (or electronically) receipt, understanding, and compliance with the revised Code;

 

From time to time, provide training sessions to facilitate compliance with and understanding of the Code and keep records of such sessions and the Reporting Persons in attendance; and

 

Review the Code with the CCOs at least once a year to assess its adequacy and effectiveness.

 

1.7   Quarterly Board Reports

 

On a quarterly basis, the relevant CCO or Code Manager shall submit to the respective relevant board of the applicable Reportable Funds (the “Board(s)”) a written report describing violations of or waivers from the Code and any sanctions imposed in response to violations.

 

1.8   Recordkeeping

 

This Code, a record of each violation of the Code and any action taken as a result of the violation, a copy of each report and certification/acknowledgment made by a Reporting Person pursuant to the Code, lists of all persons required to make and/or review reports under the Code, and a copy of any pre-clearance given or requested pursuant to the Code shall be preserved with the applicable Covered Company’s records, as appropriate, for the periods and in the manner required by the Advisers Act and 1940 Act.

 

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2.     REPORTABLE PERSONAL SECURITIES TRANSACTIONS

 

2.1   Resolving Conflicts of Interest

 

When engaging in Reportable Securities Transactions, there might be conflicts between the interests of a Vident Client Account and a Reporting Person’s personal interests. Any conflicts that arise in connection with such Reportable Securities Transactions must be resolved in a manner that does not inappropriately benefit the Reporting Person or adversely affect Vident Client Accounts. Reporting Persons shall always place the financial interests of the Vident Client Accounts before personal financial and business interests.

 

Examples of inappropriate resolutions of conflicts are:

 

Taking an investment opportunity away from a Vident Client Account to benefit a portfolio or personal account in which a Reporting Person has Beneficial Ownership;

 

Using your position to take advantage of available investments for yourself;

   

Front running a Vident Client Account by trading in Reportable Securities (or Equivalent Securities) ahead of the Vident Client Account;

 

Taking advantage of information or using Vident Client Account portfolio assets to affect the market in a way that personally benefits you or a portfolio or personal account in which you have Beneficial Ownership; and

 

Engaging in any other behavior determined by the Code Team to be, or to have the appearance of, an inappropriate resolution of a conflict.

 

2.2   Reportable Securities Accounts and Transactions

 

Reporting Persons must report all Reportable Securities Accounts and Reportable Securities Transactions to the Code Manager via COMPLIANCE ALPHA (see Section 1.4). Reportable Securities Accounts include accounts of Immediate Family Members and accounts in which a Reporting Person is a Beneficial Owner. There are three types of reports: (1) an initial holdings report that is filed upon becoming a Reporting Person or establishing any Reportable Securities Account, (2) a quarterly transaction report, and (3) an annual holdings report.

 

Each broker-dealer, bank, or fund company, where a Reporting Person has a Reportable Securities Account will be required to setup their accounts in COMPLIANCE ALPHA so they are received electronically. All accounts that have the ability to hold Reporting Securities must be included even if the account does not have holdings of Reportable Securities at the time of reporting.

 

1.       Initial Holdings Report. Within 10 business days of becoming a Reporting Person:

 

All Reportable Securities Accounts and Managed Accounts, including broker name and account number  information must be reported by each Reporting Person to the Code Manager via COMPLIANCE ALPHA.

 

A recent statement (electronic or paper) for each Reportable Securities Account and Managed Account must be submitted by each Reporting Person to the Code Manager.

 

All holdings of Reportable Securities in Reportable Securities Accounts and Managed Accounts must be inputted by each Reporting Person into an Initial Holdings Report via COMPLIANCE ALPHA. The information in the report must be current as of a date no more than 45 calendar days prior to the date of becoming a Reporting Person.

 

2.       Quarterly Transactions Reports. Within 30 calendar days of each calendar quarter end:

 

Each Reporting Person must submit via COMPLIANCE ALPHA to the Code Manager a report showing all Reportable Securities Transactions made in his/her Reportable Securities Accounts during the quarter. A request for this report will be generated by COMPLIANCE ALPHA with notification of due dates and sent to Reporting Persons via email. A report must be submitted by each Reporting Person even if there were not any Reportable Securities Transactions during the quarter.

 

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Each Reporting Person must certify as to the correctness and completeness of this report.

 

This report and certification must be submitted to the Code Manager within one business day immediately before the weekend or holiday if the 30th day falls on a weekend or holiday.

 

3.       Annual Holdings Reports. Within 30 calendar days of each calendar year end:

 

All holdings of Reportable Securities in all Reportable Securities Accounts must be reported by each Reporting Person to the Code Manager via COMPLIANCE ALPHA. The information in the report must be current as of a date no more than 45 calendar days prior to when you submit the report.

 

Each Reporting Person must certify as to the correctness and completeness of this report.

 

This report and certification must be submitted to the Code Manager within one business day immediately before the weekend or holiday if the 30th day falls on a weekend or holiday.

 

2.3   New Accounts

 

Each Reporting Person must submit a request for approval of a Reportable Securities Account or Managed Account (including those of Immediate Family Members) to the Code Manager within 10 business days of receiving the account number or prior to executing a transaction requiring pre-clearance, whichever occurs first.

 

Confidentiality

 

Vident will use reasonable efforts to ensure that the electronic reports submitted to the Code Team as required by

 

this Code are kept confidential. Reports required to be submitted pursuant to the Code will be selectively reviewed by members of the Code Team and possibly senior executives or legal counsel on a periodic basis to seek to identify improper trading activity or patterns of trading and to otherwise seek to verify compliance with this Code. Data and information may be provided to Reportable Fund officers and trustees and will be provided to government authorities upon request or others if required to do so by law or court order.

 

2.4   Trading Restrictions and Prohibitions

 

A.Reporting Persons. All Reporting Persons and their Immediate Family Members must comply with the following trading restrictions and prohibitions:

 

All Reporting Persons must pre-clear transactions of certain Reportable Securities in Reportable Personal Security Accounts, (including those of Immediate Family Members and accounts for which the Reporting Person is a Beneficial Owner) as described in the table that follows in Section 2.6.

 

IPOs, Private Placements and Initial Coin Offerings (“ICO”)

 

Reporting Persons are prohibited from purchasing shares in an IPO.

 

Reporting Persons may, subject to pre-clearance requirements, purchase shares in a Private Placement.

 

Reporting Persons are prohibited from purchasing virtual “coins” or “tokens” in an ICO.

 

Exchange Traded Funds (“ETFs”)

 

All Reporting Persons must disclose and report all holdings in ETFs. Purchases and sales of ETFs require pre-clearance.

 

Selling securities short (or any derivative having the same economic effect as a short sale) are prohibited.

 

Investment Clubs

 

Reporting Persons may not participate in the activities of an Investment Club.

 

Attempts to Manipulate the Market

 

Reporting Persons must not execute any transactions intended to raise, lower, or maintain the price of any Reporting Security or to create a false appearance of active trading.

 

Currency Accounts (including Cryptocurrencies)

 

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Reporting Persons do not need to report accounts established to hold foreign currency or cryptocurrencies, provided no Reporting Securities can be held in the account.

 

2.5   How to Pre-Clear Reporting Personal Securities Transactions

 

Reporting Persons must follow the steps below to pre-clear trades for themselves and their Immediate Family Members: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Remember! 

Don’t place an order with your broker/dealer until you receive approval to make the trade.

 

1.Request Authorization. A request for authorization of a transaction that requires pre- clearance must be entered using COMPLIANCE ALPHA. Reporting Persons may only request pre-clearance for market orders or same day limit orders. Verbal pre-clearance requests are not permitted.

 

2.Have the Request Reviewed and Approved. After receiving the electronic request, the Code Manager or designate via COMPLIANCE ALPHA will notify Reporting Persons if the trade has been approved or denied.

 

3.Trading in Foreign Markets. A request for pre-clearance of a transaction in a local foreign market that has already closed for the day may be granted with authorization to trade on the following day because of time zone considerations. Approval will only be valid for that following trading day in that local foreign market.

 

4.Approval of Transactions.

 

The Request May be Refused. The Code Team may refuse to authorize a Reporting Person’s Reportable Personal Securities Transaction and need not give an explanation for the refusal. Reasons for refusing your Reportable Securities Transactions may be confidential.

 

Authorizations Expire. Any transaction authorization is effective until the close of business of the same trading day for which the authorization is granted (unless the authorization is revoked earlier). If the order for the transaction is not executed within that period, you must obtain a new pre-clearance authorization before placing a new transaction order.

 

 

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2.6   Summary of What Reporting Persons and their Immediate Family Need to Report Quarterly and Pre-Clear 

 

    The table below serves as a reference to use in determining what Reporting Persons need to report on quarterly transactions reports and must pre-clear when executing a trade. If you have questions about any types of Securities not shown below, please contact a member of the Code Team listed in Appendix B.

 

Report?   Pre-Clear?

Equity Securities

Yes   Yes

Corporate Debt Securities

Yes   Yes

Investment Trusts

Yes   Yes

Municipal Bonds

Yes   Yes

Options on Reportable Securities

Yes   Yes

Self-directed Reportable Securities transactions in Automatic Investment Plans

Yes   No
Virtual Coins or Tokens acquired through an Initial Coin Offering (“ICO”) or those acquired through a secondary token offering Yes   Yes

Closed-End Funds

Yes   Yes

Private Placements 

Yes   Yes

ETFs and options on ETFs

Yes   Yes

Robo advisor accounts 

Yes   No

Money Market Mutual Funds

No   No

Short Term Cash Equivalents 

No   No

U.S. Government Bonds (direct obligations) 

No   No

U.S. Treasuries/Agencies (direct obligations)

No   No

Securities Purchased through automatic transactions in Automatic Investment Plans

Yes   No

Mutual Funds not managed by a Covered Company

No   No

Banker’s Acceptances, bank certificates of deposit, commercial paper & High- Quality Short-Term Debt Instruments, including repurchase agreements

No   No

529 Plans

Yes   No

401(k) plans that do not and cannot hold Reportable Funds or Reportable Securities

No   No

Transactions in Managed Accounts

Yes   No

Cryptocurrencies (e.g., Bitcoin)

No   No

Reportable Securities purchased through Automated Investment Plans

Yes   No

Gifting Reportable Securities to any account outside your Reportable Securities Account

Yes   Yes

Receipt of Reportable Securities as a gift

Yes   No

 

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2.7    Ban on Short-Term Trading

 

There is a ban on short-term trading. Reporting Persons are not permitted to buy and sell, or sell and buy, the same Reportable Security (or Equivalent Security) that has been pre-cleared within 30 calendar days; this will be considered short-term trading.

 

This prohibition is measured on a Last in – First out (“LIFO”) basis.

 

Pre-clearance requests will be automatically denied in COMPLIANCE ALPHA if they are within the 30-day holding period.

 

Reporting Persons may be required to disgorge any profits the Reporting Person makes from any sale before the 30- day period expires.

 

The ban on short-term trading does not apply to transactions that involve:

 

Reportable Securities not requiring pre-clearance (e.g., mutual funds that are not Reportable

Funds, although they typically impose their own restrictions on short-term trading);

 

Commodities, futures (including currency futures), options on futures and options on currencies;

 

Automated purchases and sales that were done as part of an Automatic Investment Plan. However, any self- directed purchases or sales outside the pre-set schedule or allocation of the Automatic Investment Plan, or other changes to the pre-set schedule or allocation of the Automatic Investment Plan, within a 30-day holding period, are subject to the 30-day ban on short term trading;or

 

Cash sweep vehicles, including money market funds.

 

Transactions in Managed Accounts

 

2.8   Employee Compensation Related Accounts

 

1.       401(k) Plans

 

Initial Holding Report (to be submitted in COMPLIANCE ALPHA):

 

Reporting Persons who have an established Vident Simple IRA are required to report their balances in Reportable Funds or Reportable Securities as part of the Initial Holdings Reporting process.

 

401(k) Plans and IRA’s that are external to Vident are required to be reported if the 401(k) Plan or IRA is capable of holding Reportable Funds or Reportable Securities.

 

Quarterly Transaction Report (to be submitted in COMPLIANCE ALPHA):

 

Reporting Persons are required to report self-directed transactions in Reporting Funds or Reportable Securities in a Vident Simple IRA that occurred outside of the previously reported investment allocations.

 

Reporting Persons are required to report transactions in Reportable Funds or Reportable Securities in 401(k) plans held outside of Vident.

 

Reporting Persons are not required to report bi-weekly payroll contributions, periodic company matches, or profit-sharing contributions.

 

Annual Holdings Report (to be submitted in COMPLIANCE ALPHA):

 

Reporting Persons are required to update their holdings in a Vident Simple IRA in their Annual Holdings Report

  

If an external 401(k) account holds Reportable Funds or Reportable Securities, Reporting Persons are required to update these holdings in their Annual Holdings Report.

 

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3.      CODE VIOLATIONS

 

3.1   Investigating Code Violations

 

The Code Manager or designee is responsible for investigating any suspected violation of the Code. This includes not only instances of violations against the letter of the Code, but also any instances that may give the appearance of impropriety. Reporting Persons are expected to respond to Code Manager inquiries promptly. The Code Manager is responsible for reviewing the results of any investigation of any reported or suspected violation of the Code. The Code Manager will report the results of each investigation to the relevant CCO. Violations of the Code may also be reported to the Reporting Person’s supervisor.

 

3.2   Penalties

 

The Code Manager is responsible for deciding whether a violation is minor, substantive or serious. In determining the seriousness of a violation of this Code, the Code Manager will consider the following factors, among others and will escalate as needed to the applicable CCO:

 

The degree of willfulness of the violation;

 

The severity of the violation;

 

The extent, if any, to which a Reporting Person profited or benefited from the violation;

 

The adverse effect, if any, of the violation on a Covered Company or a Vident Client Account; and

 

The Reporting Person’s history of prior violation(s) of the Code.

 

For purposes of imposing sanctions, violations generally will be counted on a rolling 24-month period. However, the Code Manager (in consultation with the relevant CCO) reserves the right to impose a more severe sanction/penalty depending on the severity of the violation and/or taking into consideration violations dating back more than 24 months.

 

Any offenses as described below will be reportable to the Board(s). Penalties will be imposed as follows:

 

Minor Offenses:

 

First minor offense – First written notice.

 

Second minor offense – Second written notice.

 

Third minor offense – One-month ban on all personal trading, fine, disgorgement and/or other action.

 

Minor offenses may include, but are not limited to, the following: failure to timely submit quarterly transaction reports, failure to timely complete assigned training, failure to submit signed electronic acknowledgments of Code forms and certifications, and conflicting pre-clear request dates versus actual trade dates or other pre-clearance request errors.

 

Substantive Offenses:

 

First substantive offense – Written notice, fine, disgorgement and/or other action.

 

Second substantive offense – 3-month Ban on all personal trading, fine, disgorgement and/or other action.

 

Third substantive offense – 6-month Ban on all personal trading, fine, disgorgement and/or other action. Substantive offenses may include, but are not limited to, the following: unauthorized purchase/sale of Reportable

 

Securities as outlined in this Code, violations of short-term trading holding period (30-day rule), failure to request pre-clearance of transactions as required by the Code, and failure to timely report a reportable brokerage account. Other actions that may be taken in response to a substantive offense may include termination of employment and/or referral to authorities, depending on the seriousness of the offense.

 

Serious Offenses:

 

Engaging in insider trading or related illegal and prohibited activities such as “front running” and “scalping,” is considered a “serious offense.” We will take appropriate steps, which may include fines, termination of employment and/or referral to governmental authorities for prosecution. The Code Manager will immediately inform the relevant CCO of any serious offenses.

 

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Exceptions:

 

The Code Team may deviate from the penalties listed in the Code where the relevant CCO determines that a more or less severe penalty is appropriate based on the specific circumstances of that case. For example, a first substantive offense may warrant a more severe penalty if it follows two minor offenses. Any deviations from the penalties listed in the Code, and the reasons for such deviations, will be documented and/or maintained in the Code files.

 

3.3   Dismissal and/or Referral to Authorities

 

Repeated violations or a flagrant violation of the Code may result in immediate dismissal from employment. In addition, the Code Manager, the relevant CCO and/or senior management may determine that a single flagrant violation of the law, such as insider trading, will result in immediate dismissal and referral to authorities.

 

3.4   Exceptions to the Code

 

The Code Manager is responsible for enforcing the Code. The relevant CCO or Code Manager (or his or her designee) may grant certain exceptions to the Code, provided any requests and any approvals granted must be submitted and obtained, respectively, in advance and in writing. The relevant CCO or Code Manager may refuse to authorize any request for exception under the Code and is not required to furnish any explanation for the refusal.

 

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Appendix A

 

Definitions

 

General Note:

 

The definitions and terms used in the Code are intended to mean the same as they do under the 1940 Act and applicable other Federal Securities Laws. If a definition hereunder conflicts with the definition in the 1940 Act or other Federal Securities Laws, or if a term used in the Code is not defined, you should follow the definitions and meanings in the 1940 Act or other Federal Securities Laws, as applicable.

 

Automatic Investment PlanA program that allows a person to purchase or sell Reportable Securities, automatically and on a regular basis in accordance with a pre-determined schedule and allocation, without any further action by the person. An Automatic Investment Plan includes a SIP (systematic investment plan), SWP (systematic withdrawal plan), SPP (stock purchase plan), DRIP (dividend reinvestment plan), or employer- sponsored plan subject to such a program.

 

Beneficial Owner

You are the “beneficial owner” of any Reportable Securities in which you have a direct or indirect Financial or Pecuniary Interest, whether or not you have the power to buy and sell, or to vote, the securities.

 

In addition, you are the “beneficial owner” of Reportable Securities in which an Immediate Family Member has a direct or indirect Financial or Pecuniary Interest, whether or not you or the Immediate Family Member has the power to buy and sell, or to vote, the Reportable Securities. For example, you have Beneficial Ownership of securities in trusts of which Immediate Family Members are beneficiaries.

 

You are also the “beneficial owner” of Reportable Securities in any account, including but not limited to those of relatives, friends and entities in which you have a non- controlling interest or over which you or an Immediate Family Member exercise investment discretion. Such accounts do not include accounts you manage on behalf of a Covered Company.

 

Control The power to exercise a controlling influence over the management or policies of a company, unless the power is solely the result of an official position with such company. Owning 25%or more of a company’s outstanding voting securities is presumed to give you control over the company. (See Section 2(a) (9) of the 1940 Act for a complete definition.)

 

Covered Companies Vident Advisory, LLC, Vident Investment Advisory, LLC and Vident Financial, LLC.

 

Equivalent Security Any Reportable Security issued by the same entity as the issuer of a subject security that is convertible into the equity security of the issuer. Examples include, but are not limited to, options, rights, stock appreciation rights, warrants and convertible bonds.

 

Federal Securities Laws The Securities Act of 1933, the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, the Investment Company Act of 1940, the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, Title V of the Gramm- Leach-Bliley Act, any rules adopted by the SEC under any of these statutes, the Bank Secrecy Act as it applies to funds and investment advisers, and any rules adopted thereunder by the SEC or the Department of the Treasury.

 

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Financial or Pecuniary Interest

The opportunity for you or your Immediate Family Member, directly, or indirectly, to profit or share in any profit derived from a transaction in the subject Reportable Securities whether through any contract, arrangement, understanding, relationship or otherwise. This standard looks beyond the record owner of Reportable Securities to reach the substance of a particular arrangement. You not only have a Financial or Pecuniary Interest in Reportable Securities held by you for your own benefit, but also Reportable Securities held (regardless of whether or how they are registered) by others for your benefit, such as Reportable Securities held for you by custodians, brokers, relatives, executors, administrators, or trustees. The term also includes any interest in any Reportable Security owned by an entity directly or indirectly controlled by you, which may include corporations, partnerships, limited liability companies, trusts and other types of legal entities. You or your Immediate Family Member likely have a Financial or Pecuniary Interest in:

 

●     Your accounts or the accounts of Immediate Family Members;

 

●     A partnership or limited liability company, if you or an Immediate Family Member is a general partner or a managingmember;

  

●     A corporation or similar business entity, if you or an Immediate Family Member has or shares investment control; or

 

●     A trust, if you or an Immediate Family Member is a beneficiary

 

Immediate Family Member Any of the following persons, including any such relations through adoption, who reside in the same household with you:

 

  spouse grandparent mother-in-law
             
  domestic partner grandchild father-in-law
             
  parent brother daughter-in-law
             
  stepparent sister son-in-law
             
  child     sister-in-law
             
  stepchild     brother-in-law

 

 

Immediate Family Member also includes any other relationship that the Code Team determines could lead to possible conflicts of interest, diversions of corporate opportunity, or appearances of impropriety.

 

All references to “Reporting Persons” in the guidelines, prohibitions, restrictions and duties set forth in this Code should be interpreted to also refer, as the context requires, to Immediate Family Members of such persons.

 

 

 

Investment Club An investment club is a group of people who pool their money to make investments. Usually, investment clubs are organized as partnerships and, after the members study different investments, the group decides to buy or sell based on a majority vote of the members. Club meetings may be educational and/or each member may actively participate in investment decisions.

 

IPO An initial public offering, or the first sale of a company’s securities to public investors. Specifically, it is an offering of securities registered under the Securities Act of 1933, the issuer of which, immediately before registration, was not subject to the reporting requirements of Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.

 

Managed Account Any account for which the holder gives, in writing, his/her broker or someone else (other than another Reporting Person) the authority to buy and sell Reportable Securities, either absolutely or subject to certain restrictions, other than pre-approval by any Reporting Person. In other words, the holder gives up the right to decide what Reportable Securities are bought or sold for the account. This includes accounts known as “Robo Advisor” accounts where account investments and reallocations are done through an automated platform. In order for an account to be coded in COMPLIANCE ALPHA as a “Managed Account,” documentation from the person or entity managing the account must be submitted to the Code Manager and maintained in COMPLIANCE ALPHA confirming they have discretionary authority over the account.

 

Non-Public Information Any information that is not generally available to the general public in widely disseminated media reports, SEC filings, public reports, or similar publications or sources.

 

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Private Placement An offering, including an ICO, that is exempt from registration under Section 4(a)(2) or 4(6) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or Rule 504, Rule 505 or Rule 506 thereunder.

 

Purchase or Sale of a Security In addition to any acquisition or disposition of a Reportable Security for value, a Purchase or Sale of a Reportable Security includes, among other things, the receipt or giving of a gift or writing of an option to purchase or sell a Reportable Security.

 

Reportable Fund Reportable Fund means any investment company registered under the 1940 Act, for which a Covered Company serves as an investment adviser as defined in Section 2(a)(20) of the 1940 Act. A list of all Reportable Funds is included in Appendix C.

 

Reporting Person

Reporting Person with respect to the applicability of the Code to VA includes VA and VF employees, directors and officers, and any other persons designated by the relevant CCO or Code Manager. Reporting Person with respect to the applicability of the Code to VIA includes VIA employees, directors and officers, and any other persons designated by the relevant CCO or Code Manager.

 

All references to “Reporting Persons” in the guidelines, prohibitions, restrictions and duties set forth in this Code should be interpreted to also refer, as the context requires, to Immediate Family Members of Reporting Persons. The Code Manager is responsible for maintaining a list of all Reporting Persons and notifying such Reporting Persons of their status.

 

Reportable Securities Account Any account that holds Reportable Securities of which you have Beneficial Ownership, other than a Managed Account that holds Reportable Securities and has previously been approved by the Code Manager over which you have nodirect influence or Control. A Reportable Securities Account is not limited to Reportable Securities accounts maintained at brokerage firms, but also includes holdings of Reportable Securities owned directly by you or an Immediate Family Member or held through a retirement plan of Vident or a former employer.

 

Reportable Securities Transaction A Purchase or Sale of a Reportable Security, of which you acquire or relinquish Beneficial Ownership.

 

Reportable Security/Securities Any security as defined under Section 2(a)(36) of the 1940 Act or Section 202(a)(18) of the Advisers Act, except that it does not include direct obligations of the U.S. Government, bankers’ acceptances, bank certificates of deposit, commercial paper, High Quality Short-Term Debt Instruments, including repurchase agreements,shares issued by money market mutual funds, or shares issued by mutual funds other than the Reportable Funds or shares issued by unit investment trusts that are invested exclusively in one or more mutual none of which are Reportable Funds. “Reportable Security” includes any security issued by closed-end funds and ETFs.

 

Vident Client Accounts Accounts of investment advisory clients of Covered Companies, including but not limited to investment companies registered under the 1940 Act.

 

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Appendix B

 

Code Team Contact Information

 

VA, VIA CCO Karen Donnelly kdonnelly@videntinvestmentadvisory.com direct dial: 404.487.1968
Code Manager     cell phone: 770.712.2055
       
Compliance Kaitlyn Beckman kbeckman@videntfinancial.com direct dial: 404.267.0629
Designee    

cell phone: 404.788.8810

  

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Appendix C

 

Reportable Funds

 

  VA Reportable Funds  
     
  PPTY PPTY – U.S. Diversified Real Estate ETF
     
  VBND Vident Core U.S. Bond Strategy
     
  ETF VIDI Vident International Equity Fund
     
  VUSE Vident Core U.S. Equity Fund

  

  VIA Reportable Funds
   
  A list of VIA Reportable Funds is maintained in Bloomberg AIM and is available upon request.

 

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Appendix D

 

Additional policies and Procedures

 

Insider Trading

 

Background

 

Section 204A of the Advisers Act requires every investment adviser to establish, maintain, and enforce written policies and procedures reasonably designed, taking into consideration the nature of such investment adviser’s business, to prevent the misuse of Material Non-Public Information by such investment adviser or any associated person. In the past, the Federal Securities Laws have been interpreted to prohibit the following activities:

 

Trading by an insider while in possession of Material Non-Public Information;

Trading by a non-insider while in possession of Material Non-Public Information, where the information was disclosed to the non-insider in violation of an insider’s duty to keep it confidential;

Trading by a non-insider who obtained Material Non-Public Information through unlawful means such as computer hacking;

 and

Communicating Material Non-Public Information to others in breach of a fiduciary duty.

 

What Information is Material?

 

Many types of information may be considered material, including, without limitation, advance knowledge of:

 

Dividend or earnings announcements;

Asset write-downs or write-offs;

Additions to reserves for bad debts or contingent liabilities;

Expansion or curtailment of company or major division operations;

Merger, joint venture announcements;

New product/service announcements;

Discovery or research developments;

Criminal, civil and government investigations and indictments;

Pending labor disputes;

Debt service or liquidity problems;

Bankruptcy or insolvency;

Tender offers and stock repurchase plans;

Recapitalization plans; and

Major developments in litigation or events that could lead to litigation (e.g., a cyber breach or a data leak).

 

Information provided by a company could be material because of its expected effect on a particular class of securities, all of a company’s securities, the securities of another company, or the securities of several companies. The prohibition against misusing Material Non-Public Information applies to a wide range of financial instruments including, but not limited to, equities, bonds, warrants, options, futures, forwards, swaps, commercial paper, government-issued securities, and certain types of virtual currency or cryptocurrency coins or tokens that were created in connection with an initial coin offering or ICO. Material information need not relate to a company’s business. For example, information about the contents of an upcoming newspaper column may affect the price of a security, and therefore be considered material. Advance notice of forthcoming secondary market transactions could also be material.

 

Reporting Persons should consult with the relevant CCO, Code Manager or a compliance designee if there is any question as to whether nonpublic information is material.

 

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What Information is Non-Public?

 

Once information has been effectively distributed to the investing public, it is no longer non-public. However, the distribution of Material Non-Public Information must occur through commonly recognized channels for the classification to change. In addition, there must be adequate time for the public to receive and digest the information. Non-public information does not change to public information solely by selective dissemination. The confirmation by an insider of unconfirmed rumors, even if the information in question was reported as rumors in a public form, may be non-public information. Examples of the ways in which non-public information might be transmitted include, but are not limited to:

 

In person;

In writing;

By telephone;

During a presentation;

By email, instant messaging, or Bloomberg messaging;

By text message or through Twitter; or

On a social networking site such as Facebook or LinkedIn.

 

Reporting Persons must be aware that even where there is no expectation of confidentiality, a person may become an insider upon receiving Material Non-Public Information. Reporting Persons should consult with the relevant CCO, Code Manager or a compliance designee if there is any question as to whether material information is nonpublic.

 

Penalties for Trading on Material Non-Public Information

 

Severe penalties exist for firms and individuals that engage in Insider Trading, including civil injunctions, disgorgement of profits and jail sentences. Further, fines for Insider Trading may be levied against individuals and companies in amounts up to three times the profit gained or loss avoided (and up to $1,000,000 for companies). VA is not obligated to pay legal fees, penalties, or other costs incurred by Reporting Persons found guilty of insider trading.

 

Policies and Procedures

 

Reporting Persons are strictly forbidden from engaging in Insider Trading, either personally or on behalf of Vident. Vident’s Insider Trading Policies and Procedures apply to all Reporting Persons, as well as any transactions in any securities by family members, trusts, or corporations, directly or indirectly controlled by such persons. The policy also applies to transactions by corporations in which the Reporting Person is an officer, director, or 10% or greater stockholder, as well as transactions by partnerships of which the Reporting Person is a partner unless the Reporting Person has no direct or indirect control over the partnership.

 

Procedures for Recipients of Material Non-Public Information

 

If a Reporting Person has questions as to whether they are in possession of Material Non-Public Information, they should inform the relevant CCO, Code Manager or a compliance designee as soon as possible. The CCO, Code Manager or a compliance designee will conduct research to determine if the information is likely to be considered material, and whether the information has been publicly disseminated.

 

Given the severe penalties imposed on individuals and firms engaging in Insider Trading, a Reporting Person:

 

Must immediately report the potential receipt of Material Non-Public Information to the relevant CCO, Code Manager or a compliance designee;

Must not trade the securities of any company about which they may possess Material Non-Public Information, or derivatives related to the issuer in question;

Must not discuss any potentially Material Non-Public Information with colleagues, except as specifically required by their position; and

Must not conduct research, trading, or other investment activities regarding a security for which they may have Material Non-Public Information until the relevant CCO, Code Manager or a compliance designee dictates an appropriate course of action.

 

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If the relevant CCO, Code Manager or a compliance designee determines that the information is material and nonpublic, the relevant CCO, Code Manager or a compliance designee will update a list of these restricted securities (the “Restricted List”) and ensure coding in COMPLIANCE ALPHA to restrict personal trading and the firm’s Order Management System (as applicable.) Vident and its Reporting Persons will not place any trades in securities for which it has Material Non-Public Information. Depending on the relevant facts and circumstances, the relevant CCO, Code Manager or a compliance designee may also take some or all of the following steps:

 

Review these policies and procedures with the affected Reporting Person(s);

Initially ask the affected Reporting Person(s) to execute written agreements that they will not disclose the potentially Material Non-Public Information to others, including colleagues;

Periodically ask the affected Reporting Person(s) to sign certifications that they have not improperly shared the information;

Require the affected Reporting Person(s) to institute enhanced information security practices;

Implement a shared office space policy or clean desk policy outlining appropriate methods of protecting Material Non-Public Information;

Change the location of the affected Reporting Person(s)’ workspace(s);

Review the emails of the affected Reporting Persons more frequently;

Review these Insider Trading policies and procedures with all Reporting Persons;

Inform Vident’s other Reporting Persons that the affected Reporting Person(s) may be in possession of Material Non-Public Information;

Remind the other Reporting Persons that they should take reasonable steps to avoid inadvertent receipt of the information;

Forbid other Reporting Persons from seeking to obtain the information; and

Conduct key word searches of all Reporting Persons’ emails for the information in question.

 

Trading in affected securities may resume, and other responses may be adjusted or eliminated, when the relevant CCO, Code Manager or a compliance designee determines that the information has become public and/or immaterial. At such time, the relevant CCO, Code Manager or a compliance designee will update COMPLIANCE ALPHA the Restricted List in COMPLIANCE ALPHA and the Order Management System (if applicable), as applicable to indicate the date that trading was allowed to resume and the reason for the resumption.

 

See Information Barriers/Firewalls section of the Policy Regarding Exchange Listing Standards in the Compliance Manual.

 

Selective Disclosure

 

Non-public information about Vident’s investment strategies, trading, and Client holdings may not be shared with third parties except as is necessary to implement investment decisions and conduct other legitimate business. Notwithstanding this, see Vident’s related Portfolio Holdings Disclosure Policy as applicable.

 

Reporting Persons must never disclose proposed or pending trades or other sensitive information to any third party without the prior approval of the relevant CCO, Code Manager or a compliance designee. Federal Securities Laws may prohibit the dissemination of such information and doing so may be considered a violation of the fiduciary duty that Vident owes to its Clients.

 

Relationships with Potential Insiders

 

Vident’s vendors including affiliated entities may possess Material Non-Public Information. Individuals with access to Material Non-Public Information may have an incentive to disclose the information to Vident due to the potential for personal gain. Reporting Persons should be extremely cautious about investment recommendations, or information about issuers, that it receives from any party including affiliated entities vendors and/or consultants. Reporting Persons should inquire about the basis for any such recommendations or information and should consult with the relevant CCO, Code Manager or a compliance designee if there is any appearance that the recommendations or information are based on Material Non-Public Information. Vident may receive Material Non-Public Information about its client account investment strategies and trading activities. Vident’s Reporting Persons are prohibited from trading on, or improperly utilizing, Material Non-Public Information obtained from third-party or affiliated investment advisers or sub-advisors.

 

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Rumors

 

Creating or passing false rumors with the intent to manipulate securities prices or markets may violate the antifraud provisions of Federal Securities Laws. Such conduct is contradictory to out Code of Ethics, as well as Vident’s expectations regarding appropriate behavior of its Reporting Persons. Reporting Persons are prohibited from knowingly circulating false rumors or sensational information that might reasonably be expected to affect market conditions for one or more securities, sectors, or markets, or improperly influencing any person or entity.

 

This policy is not intended to discourage or prohibit appropriate communications between Reporting Persons of Vident and other market participants and trading counterparties. Reporting Persons should consult with the relevant CCO, Code Manager or a compliance designee regarding questions about the appropriateness of any communications.

 

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Gifts And Entertainment

 

Background

 

Reporting Persons as defined in Vident’s Code of Ethics may generally give and receive gifts and entertainment, so long as such gifts and entertainment are not lavish or excessive, and do not give the appearance of being designed to improperly influence the recipient.

 

Policies and Procedures

 

Guiding Principles

 

Vident holds its Reporting Persons to high ethical standards and strictly prohibits any giving or receipt of things of value that are designed to improperly influence the recipient. Anti-bribery and anti-corruption statutes in the U.S. and the U.K. are broadly written, so Reporting Persons should consult with the relevant CCO, Code Manager or a compliance designee if there is even an appearance of impropriety associated with the giving or receipt of anything of value. Reporting Persons should also be familiar with Vident’s Foreign Corrupt Practices Policy & Procedures.

 

Specific Policies and Procedures

 

Reporting Persons Receipt of Entertainment – Reporting Persons may attend business meals, sporting events and other entertainment events at the expense of a giver, provided that the entertainment is not lavish or extravagant in nature. If the estimated cost or value of the Reporting Person’s portion of the entertainment is greater than a reasonable value, or the Reporting Person has received entertainment twice or more in a quarter, then the Reporting Person must report his/her attendance to the CCO, Code Manager or a compliance designee via COMPLIANCE ALPHA.

 

Reporting Persons Receipt of Gifts – Reporting Persons must report their acceptance of gifts over $100 (either one single gift, or in aggregate on an annual basis) to the CCO, Code Manager or a compliance designee by using COMPLIANCE ALPHA. Gifts of cash or cash equivalents may not be accepted.

 

Except where a Reporting Person is participating in a conference, Vident expects that it will bear the costs of Reporting Persons travel and lodging associated with conferences, research trips, and other business-related travel. If these costs are borne by a person or entity other than Vident they should be treated as a gift to the Reporting Persons for purposes of this policy.

 

Gifts such as holiday baskets or lunches delivered to Vident’s offices, which are received on behalf of Vident, do not require Reporting. Promotional items valued at less than $100 that clearly display the giver’s company logo also need not be reported. Examples of promotional gifts include mugs, hats and umbrellas.

 

Vident’s Gift and Entertainment Giving Policy – Vident and its Reporting Persons are prohibited from giving gifts or entertainment that may appear lavish or excessive, and must obtain approval to give gifts over $100 or more than reasonable entertainment to any Client, Investor, prospect, or individual or entity that Vident does, or is seeking to do, business with. Reporting Persons should seek approval by using COMPLIANCE ALPHA. Gifts of cash or cash equivalents may not be offered.

 

Gifts and Entertainment Given to Union Officials – Any gift or entertainment provided by Vident to a labor union or a union official in excess of $250 per fiscal year must be reported on Department Labor Form LM-10 within 90 days following the end of VA’s fiscal year. Consequently, Reporting Persons must obtain approval before giving any gifts or entertainment to labor unions or union officials. Pre-clearance must be obtained from the relevant CCO, Code Manager or a compliance designee by using COMPLIANCE ALPHA.

 

Gifts and Entertainment Given to ERISA Plan Fiduciaries – Vident is prohibited from giving gifts or entertainment with an aggregate value exceeding $250 per year to any ERISA plan fiduciary. Consequently, Reporting Persons must obtain approval before giving any gifts or entertainment to ERISA plan fiduciaries from the relevant CCO, Code Manager or a compliance designee by using COMPLIANCE ALPHA.

 

 22

 

 

Gifts and Entertainment Given to State and Local Pension Officials – Vident must be mindful that myriad state and municipal regulations exist around the exchange of gifts and entertainment with such officials. Accordingly, Reporting Persons must consult with the relevant CCO, Code Manager or a compliance designee before providing any gifts or entertainment in connection with the solicitation of state and municipal pension, and similar plans.

 

Internal Controls

 

Gifts and Entertainment Tracking – The relevant CCO, Code Manager or a compliance designee will use the Code of Ethics module within COMPLIANCE ALPHA to track Reporting Persons provision and receipt of gifts and entertainment. The relevant CCO, Code Manager or a compliance designee will not monitor or review their own provision or receipt of gifts and entertainment for compliance with these policies and procedures. Rather, each individual’s provision or receipt of gifts and entertainment will be monitored and reviewed by another.

 

Monitoring Third Parties – The relevant CCO is responsible for assessing whether agreements with third parties should include anti-bribery representations, and for ensuring that any necessary representations are included in executed agreements. The relevant CCO may also require that third parties acting on behalf of Vident attend anti-bribery training sessions. Reporting Persons may not execute agreements with third parties that are reasonably expected to interact with government officials, union representatives or ERISA plan fiduciaries without the relevant CCO’s approval.

 

If a third party is reasonably expected to interact with government officials, union representatives or ERISA plan fiduciaries, the relevant CCO will review any expense claims submitted by the third party and may require explanations and supplemental documentation to ensure that the third party has not provided improper gifts or entertainment on Vident’s behalf.

 

 23

 

 

Political And Charitable Contributions, And Public Positions

 

Background

 

Individuals may have important personal reasons for seeking public office, supporting candidates for public office, or making charitable contributions. However, such activities could pose risks to an investment adviser. For example, federal and state “pay-to-play” laws have the potential to significantly limit an adviser’s ability to manage assets and provide other services to government-related clients or investors.

 

Rule 206(4)-5 under the Advisers Act (the “Pay-to-Play Rule”) limits political contributions to state and local government officials, candidates, and political parties by:

 

Registered investment advisers;

Advisers that would be required to register with the SEC but for the “foreign private advisor” exemption provided by Section 203(b)(3) of the Advisers Act, or that are exempt reporting advisers;

Firms that solicit clients or investors on behalf of the types of advisers described above; and

“Covered Associate” (as defined below) of the entities listed above.

 

The Pay-to-Play Rule defines “contributions” broadly to include gifts, loans, the payment of debts, and the provision of any other thing of value. The SEC’s enforcement staff has interpreted contributions to include substantive donations of an adviser’s communications networks and other resources. Rule 206(4)-5 also includes a provision that prohibits any indirect action that would be prohibited if the same action was done directly.

 

Restrictions on the Receipt of Advisory Fees

 

The Pay-to-Play Rule prohibits the receipt of compensation from a government entity for advisory services for two years following a contribution to any official of that “government entity”.1 This prohibition also applies to “Reporting Persons” of the adviser.

 

A “Covered Associate” of an adviser is defined to include:

 

Any general partner, managing member or executive officer, or other individual with a similar status or function;

Any employee that solicits a government entity for the adviser, as well as any direct or indirect supervisor of that employee;

 and

Any political action committee controlled by the adviser or by any person that meets the definition of a “covered associate.”

 

However, there is an exception available for contributions from natural persons of $150 per election, or $350 per election if the contributor is eligible to vote in the election. An exception is also available for otherwise prohibited contributions that are returned, so long as the contribution in question is less than $350, is discovered within four months of being given, and is returned within 60 days of being discovered. The exception for returned contributions is available no more than twice per calendar year for advisers with 50 or fewer employees; advisers with more than 50 employees can rely on this exception three times per calendar year. However, an adviser cannot rely on the exception for returned contributions more than once for any particular employee, irrespective of the amount of time that passes between returned contributions.

 

The restrictions on contributions and payments imposed by Rule 206(4)-5 can apply to the activities of individuals for the two years before they became covered associates of an investment adviser. However, for covered associates who are not involved in soliciting clients or investors, the look-back period is six months instead of two years.

 

 

1 A 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) a pool of assets sponsored or established by the state or a political subdivision, agency, authority, or instrumentality thereof, (iii) a plan or program of a government entity; and (iv) officers, agents, or employees of the state or political subdivision, agency, authority, or instrumentality thereof, acting in their official capacity.

 

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Restrictions on Payments for the Solicitation of Clients or Investors

 

The Pay-to-Play Rule prohibits the compensation of any person to solicit a government entity unless the solicitor is an officer or employee of the adviser, or unless the recipient of the compensation (i.e., solicitation fee) is another registered investment adviser or a registered broker/dealer.

 

However, a registered investment adviser will be ineligible to receive compensation for soliciting government entities if the adviser or its covered associates made, coordinated, or solicited contributions or payments to the government entity during the prior two years.2

 

Restrictions on the Coordination or Solicitation of Contributions

 

The Pay-to-Play Rule prohibits an adviser and its covered associates from coordinating or soliciting any contribution or payment to an official of the government entity, or a related local or state political party where the adviser is providing or seeking to provide investment advisory services to the government entity.

 

Recordkeeping Obligations

 

The Advisers Act imposes recordkeeping requirements on registered investment advisers that have any clients or investors in private funds that fall within Rule 206(4)-5’s definition of a “government entity.” Among other things, advisers with “government entity” clients or investors must keep records showing political contributions by “covered associates” and a listing of all “government entity” clients and investors.

 

Guidance Regarding Bona-Fide Charitable Contributions

 

Charitable donations to legitimate not-for-profit organizations, even at the request of an official of a government entity, do not implicate Rule 206(4)-5.

 

Applicability of Rule 206(4)-5 to Different Types of Advisory Products and Services Being Offered

 

The Pay-to-Play Rule applies equally to:

 

Advisers that provide advisory services to a government entity (including, among other things, through the management of a separate account or through an investment in a pooled private fund); and

 

Advisers that manage a registered investment company (such as a mutual fund) that is an investment option of a plan or program of a government entity.

 

Policies and Procedures

 

Political Contributions

 

Vident has not, and will not, provide advisory services to any “government entities,” so the restrictions on collecting fees from “government entities” that may stem from Reporting Persons political contributions are not expected to affect Vident’s operations.

  

 

2 FINRA adopted, and the SEC approved, FINRA Rules 2030 (Engaging in Distribution and Solicitation Activities with Government Entities) and 4580 (Books and Records Requirements for Government Distribution and Solicitation Activities) to establish “pay-to-play” rules and related rules regulating the activities of member firms that engage in distribution or solicitation activities for compensation with government entities on behalf of investment advisers, which became effective August 20, 2017.

 

 25

 

 

If a Reporting Person is considering making a political contribution to any state or local government entity, official, candidate, political party, or political action committee, the potential contributor must seek pre-clearance from the relevant CCO, Code Manager or a compliance designee using COMPLIANCE ALPHA. Reporting Persons should be aware that political contributions that may require pre-clearance include cash donations, as well as substantive donations of VA’s resources, such as the use of conference rooms or communication systems. If pre-clearance is granted, it is valid for seven days before and after the intended contribution date. Any contributions outside of this date range require re-approval. The CCO, Code Manager or a compliance designee will consider whether the proposed contribution is consistent with restrictions imposed by Rule 206(4)-5, and to the extent practicable, the CCO, Code Manager or a compliance designee will seek to protect the confidentiality of all information regarding each proposed contribution.

 

The relevant CCO, Code Manager or a compliance designee will meet with any individuals who are expected to become Reporting Persons to discuss their past political contributions. The review will address the contributions for all potential Reporting Persons for the past two years. Any political contribution made will be required to be reported in COMPLIANCE ALPHA.

 

Reporting Persons may make contributions to national political candidates, parties, or action committees without seeking pre- clearance as long as the recipient is not otherwise associated with a state or local political office. However, Reporting Persons must use good judgment in connection with all contributions and should consult with the relevant CCO, Code Manager or a compliance designee if there is any actual or apparent question about the propriety of a potential contribution.

 

Any political contribution by Vident, rather than its Reporting Persons, must be pre-cleared by the relevant CCO, irrespective of the proposed amount or recipient of the contribution.

 

The relevant CCO, Code Manager or a compliance designee will maintain a chronological list of contributions in accordance with the requirements of the Pay-to-Play Rule using COMPLIANCE ALPHA, as well as a list of all Vident Clients and known investors that meet the definition of a “government entity” for purposes of Rule 206(4)-5.

 

The relevant CCO, Code Manager or a compliance designee will not monitor or review their own political contributions for compliance with these policies and procedures. Rather, each individual’s political contributions will be monitored and reviewed by another.

 

Charitable Donations

 

Vident and Reporting Persons are prohibited from donating to:

 

Any charity with the intention of influencing such charity to become a Client or shareholder; or

 

Any charity at the behest of any Client or shareholder or prospective Client or shareholder.

 

Reporting Persons should notify the relevant CCO about any actual or apparent conflict of interest in connection with any charitable contribution, or about any contribution that could give an appearance of impropriety.

 

Public Office

 

Reporting Persons must obtain written pre-approval from the relevant CCO prior to running for any public office. Reporting

 

Persons may not hold a public office if it presents any actual or apparent conflict of interest with Vident’s business activities.

 

Outside Business Activities

 

If a Reporting Person is associated with an outside business, such as by serving as an officer or director, the Reporting Person should recuse himself or herself from any decisions regarding that entity’s political contributions. If the Reporting Person believes that the outside business’ political contributions could give even the appearance of being related to VA’s advisory activities or marketing initiatives, the Reporting Person must discuss the matter with the CCO. Any outside business activities by the CCO will be reviewed by the CCO, Code Manager or a compliance designee.

 

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Outside Business Activities

 

Background

 

Reporting Persons (may, under certain circumstances, be granted permission to engage in outside business activities with public or private corporations, partnerships, not-for-profit institutions, and other entities. However, such activities can expose the participant to potentially Material Non-Public Information and can create conflicts of interest or the appearance of conflicts of interest.

 

Reporting Persons may be subject to compliance risks or conflicts of interest in connection with information or relationships associated with prior employment with other companies.

 

Policies and Procedures

 

Outside Business Activities, Directorships

 

Reporting Persons are prohibited from engaging in outside business activities, serving on boards of directors, making investment decisions on behalf of non-Clients other than as reported pursuant to Vident’s Code of Ethics and approved by the relevant CCO, Code Manager or a compliance designee. Approval will be granted on a case-by-case basis, subject to careful consideration of potential conflicts of interest, disclosure obligations, and any other relevant regulatory issues. Reporting Persons may use COMPLIANCE ALPHA to seek approval for the activities. The CCO, Code Manager or a compliance designee will use COMPLIANCE ALPHA to track Reporting Persons participation in such activities.

 

No Reporting Person may utilize property of Vident, or utilize the services of Vident or Reporting Persons, for his or her personal benefit or the benefit of another person or entity, without approval of the relevant CCO. For this purpose, “property” means both tangible and intangible property, including funds, premises, equipment, supplies, information, business plans, business opportunities, confidential research, intellectual property, proprietary processes, and ideas for new research or services.

 

A Reporting Person may not participate in any business opportunity that comes to his or her attention as a result of his or her association with Vident and in which he or she knows that Vident might be expected to participate or have an interest, without:

 

Disclosing in writing all necessary facts to the relevant CCO, Code Manager or a compliance designee;

 

Offering the particular opportunity to Vident; and

 

Obtaining written authorization to participate from the relevant CCO, Code Manager or a compliance designee.

 

Any personal or family interest in any of Vident’s business activities or transactions must be immediately disclosed to the relevant CCO, Code Manager or a compliance designee. For example, if a transaction by Vident may benefit that Reporting Person or a family member, either directly or indirectly, then the Reporting Person must immediately disclose this possibility to the relevant CCO, Code Manager or a compliance designee. Reporting Persons may use COMPLIANCE ALPHA to inform the relevant CCO or Compliance Designee of any such issues.

 

No Reporting Persons may borrow from or become indebted to any person, business or company having business dealings or a relationship with Vident, except with respect to customary personal loans (such as home mortgage loans, automobile loans, and lines of credit), unless the arrangement is disclosed in writing and receives prior approval from the relevant CCO, Code Manager or a compliance designee. No Reporting Person may use Vident’s name, position in a particular market, or goodwill to receive any benefit on loan transactions without the prior express written consent of the relevant CCO.

 

A Reporting Person who is granted approval to engage in an outside business activity must not transmit Material Non-Public Information between Vident and the outside entity. If participation in the outside business activity results in the Reporting Person’s receipt of Material Non-Public Information, the Reporting Person must discuss the scope and nature of the information flow with the relevant CCO, Code Manager or a compliance designee. Similarly, if a Reporting Person receives approval to engage in an outside business activity and subsequently becomes aware of any conflict of interest that was not disclosed when the approval was granted, the conflict must be promptly brought to the attention of the relevant CCO, Code Manager or a compliance designee.

 

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Prior Employment Arrangements

 

Reporting Persons are expected to act with professionalism, to avoid any improper disclosure of proprietary information, and to satisfy all other obligations owed to Vident and to any prior employers. Reporting Persons should discuss any concerns regarding their prior employment with the relevant CCO, Code Manager or a compliance designee. Such concerns may include, but are not limited to, possession of Material Non-Public Information from a prior employer, a non-solicitation and/or non- compete clause in the Reporting Person’s previous employment agreement, and any prior political contributions made by the Reporting Person.

 

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ETF Opportunities Trust 485BPOS

 Exhibit 99(p)(7)

 

II.CODE OF ETHICS

 

A.Introduction

 

1.Purpose

 

This section of Toroso Investments, LLC (the “Company” or “Firm”) Compliance Manual and Code of Ethics (the “Manual”) has been adopted to provide an overview of policies and procedures applicable to the Company’s Code of Ethics (the “Code of Ethics” or “Code”) in an effort to maintain a policy of strict compliance with the highest standards of ethical business conduct and the provisions of applicable laws, including state and federal securities laws and regulations. Rule 17j-1 under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”) Act requires investment advisors to registered investment companies to adopt a written Code of Ethics and to report any material compliance violations. Rule 17j-1 under the 1940 Act and Rule 204A-1 under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended (the “Advisers Act”) (together, the 1940 Act and the Advisers Act, the “Rules”), require the Company to adopt a code of ethics containing provisions reasonably necessary to prevent Access Persons (as defined below) from engaging in any act, practice or course of business prohibited by the Rules.

 

Currently, the Company’s clients are investment companies registered under the 1940 Act (each, a “Exchange Traded Fund,” and collectively, the “Exchange Traded Funds”). The Exchange Traded Funds are each a series of one of several ETF series trusts; the Amplify ETF Trust, the ASYMmetric ETFs Trust, the ETF Opportunities Trust, and the Tidal ETF Trust (each, a “Trust,” and collectively, the “Trusts”)). Each Trust is an open-end management investment company consisting of multiple series, including the Funds. Each specific Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”) relates to each applicable Fund. Each Trust is registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (together with the rules and regulations adopted thereunder, as amended, the “1940 Act”), as an open-end management investment company and the offering of the Funds’ shares (“Shares”) is registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”). Each Trust is governed by its Board of Trustees (the “Board”). The investment objective of each Fund is as stated in the Prospectus under “Investment Objective.” In addition to the Exchange Traded Funds, the Company’s clients include the ATAC Rotation Fund, an open-end mutual fund which is part of the MPS Trust and is subject to the MPS Trust Policies and Procedures; and institutional investors through separately managed accounts (the “Separate Accounts”). The Exchange Traded Funds, the ATAC Rotation Fund, and the Separate Accounts are each a “Client” and collectively, “Clients”)2 This Code is predicated on the principle that the Company, in its capacity as an investment adviser, owes a fiduciary duty to all of its Clients. Every fiduciary has the duty and a responsibility to act in the utmost good faith and in the best interests of the Client and to always place the Client’s interests first and foremost. Accordingly, the Company’s principles, partners, members, directors, officers, managers and other personnel of the Company, as well as other persons under the supervision and control of the Company, including interns, temporary or contract workers (each, an “Employee”) must avoid activities, interests and relationships that run contrary (or appear to run contrary) to the best interests of Clients. “Access Person” means (i) all management personnel (officers, directors and partners) of the Company, and (ii) any other Employee of the Company who has access to information regarding the purchase or sale of securities by the Company or the portfolio holdings of any of its Clients, or who is involved in making recommendations with respect to purchases or sales of securities. The Company treats all Employees as Access Persons for the purpose of this Code.

 

 

2 As an SEC-registered investment adviser, the Company owes a fiduciary duty to all of its Clients. In 2006, the decision by the Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit in Goldstein v. SEC, 451 F.3d 873 (D.C. Cir. June 23, 2006), with respect to private funds/investment companies, clarified that the “client” of an investment adviser to a private fund/investment companies is the fund itself and not an investor in the fund. For purposes of this Manual, the terms “Exchange Traded Fund” or “Separate Account” refer to the advisory clients of the Company.

 

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In addition, this Code of Ethics has been adopted to ensure that Employees who have knowledge of the portfolio transactions will not be able to act thereon to the disadvantage of the Company or its Clients. Furthermore, the Rules prohibit fraudulent activities by affiliated persons of a registered investment adviser to a Client, such as the Company. Specifically, it is unlawful for any of these persons to: (i) employ any device, scheme or artifice to defraud a Client; (ii) make any untrue statement of a material fact to a Client or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements made to a Client, in light of the circumstances under which they are made, not misleading; (iii) to engage in any act, practice or course of business that operates or would operate as a fraud or deceit on a Client; or (iv) to engage in any manipulative practice with respect to a Client.

 

It is the responsibility of each Employee to understand the various laws applicable to such Employee, and to conduct personal securities transactions in a manner that does not interfere with the transactions of the Company or its Clients, or otherwise take unfair advantage of the Company or its Clients.

 

The Code does not address every possible situation that may arise, consequently, every Employee is responsible for exercising good judgment, applying ethical principles, and bringing violations or potential violations of the Code of Ethics to the attention of the Chief Compliance Officer (the “CCO”). Any questions regarding the Company’s Code of Ethics should be referred to the CCO. The CCO is responsible for ensuring that the policies and procedures within this Code of Ethics are strictly adhered to, and that each Employee of the Company attests to such policies and procedures annually. 

 

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To facilitate compliance reporting, documentation and testing, the Company hosts an online compliance reporting tool, ComplySci (the “Compliance Portal”). The Compliance Portal’s user-friendly features allow an efficient online administration of the compliance program tailored to the Company’s specific needs. For a full description of the Compliance Portal and how it is utilized, please see attached to this Manual Appendix VII. All Employees are required to maintain an account and make all disclosures via the Compliance Portal.

 

FAILURE TO COMPLY WITH THE RULES AND REQUIREMENTS SET FORTH IN THIS CODE CONSTITUTES A BREACH OF AN EMPLOYEE’S OBLIGATION TO CONDUCT HIMSELF OR HERSELF IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE COMPANIES’ POLICIES AND PROCEDURES, AND IN CERTAIN CASES MAY RESULT IN A VIOLATION OF LAW. APPROPRIATE REMEDIAL ACTION BY THE COMPANY MAY INCLUDE CENSURE, FINE, RESTRICTION ON ACTIVITIES OR SUSPENSION OR TERMINATION OF EMPLOYMENT.

 

2.Administration of Code

 

In order to meet the requirements of the Rules, the Code of Ethics includes a procedure for detecting and preventing material trading abuses and requires all Access Persons to report personal securities transactions on an initial, quarterly, and annual basis (the “Reports”). The CCO shall be responsible for all aspects of administering, and all interpretive issues arising under, this Code. The CCO is responsible for considering any requests for exceptions to, or exemptions from, the Code. Any exceptions to, or exemptions from, the Code shall be subject to such additional procedures, reviews and reporting as may be deemed appropriate by the CCO.

 

3.Reporting of Violations

 

It is the policy of the Company that any violation or suspected violation of applicable laws or of this Manual shall be immediately reported to the CCO. An Employee must not conduct individual investigations, unless authorized to do so by the CCO. If an Employee who in good faith raises an issue regarding a possible violation of law, regulation or Company policy or any suspected illegal or unethical behavior, the Company will strive to keep confidential the identity of any such Employee. Complete confidentiality may not be possible in every case, however, where investigation and regulatory reporting may be required. Nonetheless, the Company will not permit retribution, harassment or intimidation of any Employee who in good faith makes any such report. To aid reporting, the Company has adopted the Compliance Concern Reporting and Certification Form, which all Employees must complete and submit to the CCO quarterly via the online Compliance Portal (described below) or by submitting the form attached to this Manual as Exhibit B. Furthermore, should any Employee identify a compliance concern(s), the Employee upon identification should notify the CCO immediately and submit the compliance concern via the online Compliance Portal or by submitting the form attached to this Manual as Exhibit B to the CCO. All compliance concerns will be addressed within twenty-four (24) hours by the CCO. In the event that the CCO determines that a violation of law has occurred or is likely, the Company will conduct an internal investigation which it will attempt to complete within 60-90 days following the report by such Employee. Possible Employee sanctions include, without limitation, letters of censure, suspension, termination of employment or such other course of action as may be appropriate under the circumstances.

 

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The CCO will maintain a record of all breaches of the policies detailed in this Code, as well as the findings of any internal investigations conducted. No less frequently than quarterly, the CCO shall prepare a written report describing any issues arising under the Code or procedures, including, but not limited to, information about any violations of the Code or its underlying procedures and any sanctions imposed due to such violations and submit the information to the Trust CCO for review by the Trust Board. In addition, no less frequently than quarterly, the CCO shall certify to the Trust Board that the Company has adopted procedures reasonably necessary to prevent its Access Persons from violating the Code.

 

4.Whistleblower Protection

 

For the avoidance of doubt, nothing in this Code is designed to prevent or impede an Employee from acting in accordance with applicable federal or state whistleblower statutes, including but not limited to Section 21F(h)(1) of the Exchange Act and Rules 21F-2 and 21F-17 thereunder. Furthermore, it is the Company’s policy that no Employee who submits a complaint made in good faith or reports a violation to a regulatory or law enforcement authority will experience retaliation or any penalty whatsoever. Any Employee who believes he or she 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, the Company’s other senior management in the event the concern pertains to the CCO, or the relevant regulatory or law enforcement authority.

 

5.Recordkeeping Requirements

 

The Company shall maintain the following records at its principal place of business:

 

a copy of each Code in effect during the past five years

 

a record of any violation of the Code and any action taken as a result of the violation for at least five years after the end of the fiscal year in which the violation occurs;

 

a copy of each report made by an Access Person as required by this Code, including any information provided in lieu of the reports, for at least five years after the end of the fiscal year in which the report is made or the information is provided;

 

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a copy of each written report provided to the Trust Board, as required by this Code, for five years after the end of the fiscal year in which the report is made;

 

a record of all persons required to make reports currently and during the past five years;

 

a record of all persons who are or were responsible for reviewing these reports during the past five years; and

 

a record of any decision and the reasons supporting that decision, to approve a person’s purchase of securities in an initial public offering or private placement, for at least five years after the end of the fiscal year in which the approval is granted.

 

Mutual fund records shall be maintained for a period of six years,

 

Please see below Section VI.A. of this Manual for more information on the Company’s recordkeeping requirements.

 

6.Condition of Employment or Service with the Company

 

This Code of Ethics applies to each Employee of the Company. Employees shall read and understand this Code and uphold the standards in the Code in their day-to-day activities at the Company. Compliance with the Code shall be a condition of employment or continued affiliation with the Company and conduct not in accordance herewith shall constitute grounds for sanctions (including, without limitation, reprimands, restrictions on activities, disgorgement, termination of employment, or removal from office).

 

Each Employee shall sign the Employee Annual Acknowledgement Form via the Compliance Portal or by signing the form attached to this Manual as Exhibit A certifying his or her receipt and understanding of, and agreement to comply with this Code. Such signed acknowledgement should be returned to the CCO and may be submitted electronically via the Compliance Portal. A new acknowledgement must be signed and certified to the CCO by all Employees should the Code of Ethics be revised or modified.

 

B.Standards of Conduct

 

1.Employee Conduct

 

The following general principles should guide the individual conduct of each Employee:

 

Employees will not take any action that will violate any applicable laws or regulations, including all federal securities laws.

 

Employees will adhere to the highest standards of ethical conduct.

 

Employees will maintain the confidentiality of all information obtained in the course of employment with the Company.

 

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Employees will bring any issues reasonably believed to place the Company at risk to the attention of the CCO.

 

Employees will not abuse or misappropriate the Company’s or any Client’s assets or use them for personal gain.

 

Employees will disclose any activities that may create an actual or potential conflict of interest between the Employee, the Company and/or any Client.

 

Employees will deal fairly with Clients and other Employees and will not abuse the Employee’s position of trust and responsibility with Clients or take inappropriate advantage of his or her position with the Company.

 

Employees will comply with the Code of Ethics.

 

2.Falsification or Alteration of Records

 

Falsifying or altering records or reports of the Company, preparing records or reports that do not accurately or adequately reflect the underlying transactions or activities of the Company or its Clients, or knowingly approving such conduct is prohibited. Examples of prohibited financial or accounting practices include:

 

Making false or inaccurate entries or statements in any Company or Client books, records, or reports that intentionally hide or misrepresent the true nature of a transaction or activity;

 

Manipulating books, records, or reports for personal gain;

 

Failing to maintain required books and records that completely, accurately, and timely reflect all business transactions;

 

Maintaining any undisclosed or unrecorded Company or Client funds or assets;

 

Using funds for a purpose other than the described purpose;

 

Making a payment or approving a receipt with the understanding that the funds will be, or have been, used for a purpose other than what is described in the record of the transaction.

 

3.Competition and Fair Dealing

 

The Company seeks to outperform its competition fairly and honestly. The Company seeks competitive advantages through superior performance, not through unethical or illegal business practices. Stealing proprietary information, possessing trade secret information obtained without the owner’s consent, or inducing such disclosures by past or present Employees of other companies is prohibited. Each Employee should endeavor to respect the rights of and deal fairly with the Company’s Clients, vendors, service providers, suppliers, and competitors. No Employee should take unfair advantage of anyone through manipulation, concealment, abuse of privileged information, misrepresentation of material facts, or any other intentional unfair dealing practice. Employees should not falsely disparage or make unfair negative comments about its competitors or their products and services. Negative public statements concerning the conduct or performance of any former Employee of the Company should also be avoided.

 

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C.Prohibition Against Insider Trading

 

1.Company Policy

 

Investment advisers and their employees often have access to material information about a public company that has not been publicly disseminated. Federal and state securities laws generally make it unlawful for any person to trade in securities of a publicly-traded issuer while in possession of material, non-public information concerning such issuer or its securities. It is also unlawful to pass material, non-public information to others (a practice known as “tipping”). The persons covered by these restrictions are not only “insiders” of publicly-traded issuers, but also any other person who, under certain circumstances, learns of material, non- public information about an issuer, such as attorneys, investment banking analysts and investment managers.

 

Violations of these restrictions have severe consequences for both the Company and its Employees. Trading on material, non-public information or communicating such information to others is punishable by imprisonment and criminal fines. In addition, employers may be subjected to liability for insider trading or tipping by Employees. Broker-dealers and investment advisors may be held liable for failing to take measures to deter securities laws violations where such failure is found to have substantially contributed to or permitted a violation.

 

In light of these rules, the Company has adopted the general policy, applicable to all Employees that an Employee may not trade in any Client or personal account in the securities of any publicly-traded issuer about which the Employee possesses material, non-public information, nor “tip” others about such information.

 

The laws of insider trading are continuously changing. You may legitimately be uncertain about the application of the rules contained in this Code in a particular circumstance. Often, a single question can forestall disciplinary action or complex legal problems. You should notify the CCO immediately if you have any questions as to the propriety of any actions or about the policies and procedures contained herein.

 

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2.Explanation of Insider Trading

 

The elements of insider trading and the penalties for such unlawful conduct are discussed below. If any Employee has any questions they should consult the CCO.

 

What is Material Information?

 

“Material information” is defined generally as information for which there is a substantial likelihood that a reasonable investor would consider it important in making his or her investment decisions, or information that is reasonably certain to have a substantial effect on the price of a company’s securities. Information that should be considered material includes, but is not limited to:

 

business combinations (such as mergers or joint ventures),

changes in financial results,

changes in dividend policy,

changes in earnings estimates,

significant litigation exposure,

new product or service announcements,

private securities offerings,

plans for recapitalization,

repurchase of shares or other reorganization plans

antitrust charges,

labor disputes,

pending large commercial or government contracts,

significant shifts in operating or financial circumstances (such as major write-offs and strikes at major plants), and

extraordinary business or management developments (such as key personnel changes).

 

Material information also may relate to the market for a company’s 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 from The Wall Street Journal’s “Heard on the Street” column.

 

No simple test exists to determine when information is material; assessments of materiality involve a highly fact-specific inquiry. If you are in receipt of non-public information that you believe is not material, you should confirm such determination with the CCO.

 

What is Non-Public Information?

 

Information is non-public until it has been effectively communicated to the market place. One must be able to point to some fact to show that the information is generally public. For example, information found in a report publicly filed with the SEC, or appearing in Dow Jones, Reuters Economic Services, The Wall Street Journal or other publications of general circulation would be considered public.

 

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If the information is not available in the general media or in a public filing, it should be treated as non-public. If you are uncertain whether or not information is non-public, you should contact the CCO.

 

Specific Sources of Material Non-Public Information

 

Below is a list of potential sources of material, non-public information that Employees of the Company my periodically access. If an Employee accesses or utilizes any of these sources of information, whether in connection with their employment duties or otherwise, they should be particularly sensitive to the possibility of receiving material non-public information about a publicly-traded company, and immediately notify the CCO if they feel that they have received material non-public information. This list is provided for general guidance and is not an exclusive list of all possible sources of material non-public information.

 

Contacts with Public Companies

 

Contacts with public companies represent an important part of the Company’s research efforts. The Company may make investment decisions on the basis of conclusions formed through such contacts and analysis of publicly-available information.

 

Employees must be especially alert to the potential for access to sensitive information during such contacts. Information received from company representatives during a conference call that is open to the investment community is public. The disclosure of this type of information is covered by SEC Regulation FD.

 

Difficult legal issues arise, however, when, in the course of contacts with public companies, you become aware of material, non-public information. This could happen, for example, if a company’s Chief Financial Officer prematurely discloses quarterly results to an analyst, or an investor relations representative makes a selective disclosure of adverse news to a handful of investors. In such situations, the Company must make a judgment as to its further conduct. To protect yourself, the Company and its Clients, you should contact the CCO immediately if you believe that you may have received material, non-public information.

 

All calls or meetings with any employee of a public company must be reported to the CCO prior to the meeting. To the extent that any meeting or contact is not open to the investment community, the CCO may require that an Employee issue a standard notification at the beginning of the meeting that they do not wish to receive non-public information. The CCO will maintain a list of all Company contacts with public companies.

 

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Contacts with Research Consultants

 

Employees may wish to engage the services of a third party research firms (a “Consulting Service”), to assist in their research efforts. Generally, such Consulting Services provide access to experts (each a “Consultant”) across a variety of industries and disciplines. Employees must be especially alert to the potential for access to material non-public or confidential information during such contacts.

 

Any paid engagement of a new Consulting Service or Consultant for a fee must be pre- approved by the CCO. The CCO will maintain a list of all Company contacts with paid Consultants.

 

The following guidelines apply to all Employee contacts with paid Consulting Services and paid Consultants:

 

Prior to any conversation with a paid Consultant, Employees must remind or inform such Consultant that (i) the Company invests in publicly-traded securities and (ii) neither the Company nor the Employee wish to receive material, non-public information or confidential information that the Consultant is under a duty, legal or otherwise, not to disclose.

 

The consultant must acknowledge that he or she is unaware of any conflict with any law, regulation or duty owed to any person or entity that may arise by providing the Company or its Employees with his or her services or inform the Employee or the Company otherwise.

 

If a Consultant inadvertently discloses material non-public information regarding any company, the Employee must contact the CCO immediately, who will determine if the company must be added to the Restricted List.

 

The CCO or a designee may chaperone calls with Consultants.

 

Employees may not discuss any company (public or private) with which a Consultant is affiliated, including but not limited to a director, trustee, officer, employee or any other known affiliation.

 

Employees are reminded of their non-disclosure obligations regarding Company information contained in the Company’s Compliance Manual.

 

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Tender Offers

 

Tender offers represent a particular concern in the law of insider trading for two reasons: First, tender offer activity often produces extraordinary volatility in the price of the target company’s 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 that expressly forbids trading and “tipping” while in possession of material, non-public information regarding a tender offer received from the tender offer or, the target company, or anyone acting on behalf of either. In light of these rules, it is the Company’s general policy, which is applicable to all Employees that any Employee in possession of material, non-public information regarding a tender offer is prohibited from trading the tender offer issuer or the target issuer in any Client or personal account and is prohibited from “tipping” others about such information. Any Employee in possession of material, non-public information regarding a tender offer must report it immediately to the CCO.

 

Bank Debt

 

The Company may wish to invest in the bank debt of a public issuer. Investors in bank debt are often privy to material non-public information provided to lenders and investors. Should you decide to access private information of a bank debt issuer, you should notify the CCO immediately. Even if you decide to not access such information, you should exercise caution as there is a heightened risk of inadvertent exposure to private information when investing in bank debt.

 

Directorships and Committee Memberships

 

An Employee of the Company may be a member of the board of directors, creditor’s committee or similar committee, group or informal organization of credit holders, or have similar status with a public issuer. Any such memberships must be reported to the CCO immediately by completing Outside Business Activities questionnaire via the Compliance Portal or by completing the form attached to this Manual as Exhibit C.

 

Confidentiality Agreements

 

The Company may enter into confidentiality agreements with issuers, their representatives, or third party firms relating to the evaluation of a potential transaction in an issuer’s securities. All confidentiality agreements must be approved by the CCO prior to execution. Confidentiality agreements generally require the Company to maintain information received thereunder in confidence but may also contain other provisions such as restrictions on trading, restrictions on use of the information or a requirement to destroy or return such information. Employees should be particularly sensitive to information they receive pursuant to a confidentiality agreement as such information is likely to be material non-public information. Employees should also be knowledgeable regarding any restrictions or representations with respect to such information contained in a confidentiality agreement so as to avoid a breach thereunder. If you are uncertain as to your rights and obligations under a confidentiality agreement, please contact the CCO.

 

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“PIPE” Transactions

 

Private investments in public companies (“PIPEs”) involve the issuance of unregistered securities in publicly traded companies. Before PIPE investors can publicly trade the unregistered securities, the issuer must file, and the SEC must declare effective, a resale registration statement. To compensate investors for this temporary illiquidity, PIPE issuers customarily offer the securities at a discount to market price. Advance news of a PIPE offering may be material non-public information since the announcement typically precipitates a decline in the price of a PIPE issuer’s securities due to the dilutive effect of the offering and the PIPE shares being issued at a discount to the then prevailing market price of the issuer’s stock. You should notify the CCO immediately and exercise particular caution any time you become aware of non-public information relating to a PIPE offering.

 

Market Rumors

 

Creating or spreading a rumor that is known to be untrue with the intent of affecting the market price of a security could constitute an unlawful attempt to manipulate market prices and should be avoided at all times. In addition, making investment decisions or otherwise acting on information received as a market rumor can carry significant risk for the Company and the Employee, given the inherent lack of certainty that a market rumor is accurate and/or does not constitute material non-public information. Employees should contact the CCO prior to acting on or sharing any information received as a market rumor.

 

Penalties for Insider Trading

 

An Employee who trades securities while in possession of material, non-public information, or improperly communicates that information to others, may face severe penalties. The Company may impose disciplinary actions that may include termination of employment. Criminal sanctions may include a fine of up to $1 million and/or ten (10) years imprisonment. The SEC can recover the profits gained or losses avoided through the illegal trading, which can result in a penalty of up to three times the profit from the illegal trades, and issue an order permanently barring the Employee from the securities industry. Finally, the Employee may be sued by investors seeking to recover damages for insider trading violations.

 

Insider trading laws provide for penalties for “controlling persons” of individuals who commit insider trading. Accordingly, under certain circumstances, a supervisor of an employee who is found liable for insider trading may also be subject to penalties.

 

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Furthermore, the Company could be subject to the following penalties in the event an Employee is found liable for insider trading:

 

Civil penalties of up to the greater of $1 million or three times the amount of the Employee’s profits gained or losses avoided for each violation;

 

Criminal fines of up to $2.5 million per violation; and

 

Restrictions on the Company’s ability to conduct certain of its business activities.

 

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 forestall disciplinary action or complex legal problems. Employees are required to notify the CCO immediately if you have any reason to believe that a violation of this Code has occurred or is about to occur. The CCO will review weather a reported instance constitutes an insider trading.

 

Compliance Procedures

 

The following procedures have been established to aid Employees in addressing situations where they have access to material non-public information relating to any company. Each Employee must follow these procedures or risk serious sanctions, including dismissal, substantial personal liability and criminal penalties.

 

Identifying Material Non-public Information

 

Before executing any trade for yourself or others, including Client accounts, you must determine whether you have access to material, non-public information. Ask yourself the following questions:

 

Is the information material? Is this information that an investor would consider important in making his or her investment decisions? Is this information that would substantially affect the market price of the securities if disclosed?

 

Is the information non-public? To whom has this information been provided? Has the information been effectively communicated to the marketplace by appearing in publications of general circulation? Is the information already available to a significant number of other traders in the market?

 

If after consideration of the foregoing you believe that the information is material and non- public, or if you have questions as to whether the information is material and non-public, you should take the following steps:

 

Report the matter immediately to the CCO.

 

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Do not purchase or sell the securities on behalf of yourself or others, including any Client account.

 

Do not communicate the information within or outside of the Company other than to the CCO and other persons who “need to know” such information in order to perform their job responsibilities at the Company.

 

Upon the determination by the CCO that the information received is material and non- public, the Employee must notify the CCO or complete a Restricted List Addition Form via the Compliance Portal or by completing the form attached to this Manual as Exhibit K and return it to the CCO. The CCO, will promptly add the name to the Company Restricted List (defined below) via the Compliance Portal.

 

Restricted List

 

Receipt by the Company or an Employee of material non-public information, as well as certain transactions in which the Company may engage, may require, for either business or legal reasons, that Client accounts or personal accounts of Employees do not trade in the subject securities for specified time periods. Any such security will be designated as “restricted.” The CCO will determine which securities are restricted, will maintain a list (the “Restricted List”) of such securities, which is also maintained in the Compliance Portal, and will deny permission to effect transactions in Client or Employee personal accounts in securities on the Restricted List. The CCO will periodically disseminate the Restricted List to all Employees as it is updated. No Employee may engage in any trading activity, whether for a Client account or a personal account, with respect to a security while it is on the Restricted List. Restrictions with regard to designated securities are also considered to extend to options, rights or warrants relating to those securities and any securities convertible into those securities.

 

The CCO or designee will be responsible for determining whether to remove a particular company from the Restricted List. The Employee requesting the removal of an issuer from the Restricted List must complete a Restricted List Deletion Form via the Compliance Portal or by completing the form attached to this Manual as Exhibit L and return it to the CCO.

 

The Restricted List is confidential and may not be disseminated outside the Company.

 

Confidentiality of Material Non-Public Information

 

Communications

 

Information in your possession that you or someone else has identified as material and non-public may not be communicated to anyone, including any person within the Company other than the CCO and those persons who “need to know” such information in order to perform their job responsibilities at the Company.

 

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Information Handling

 

Employees should take all appropriate actions to safeguard any material, non-public information in their possession. Care should be taken that such information is secure at all times. For example, do not leave documents or papers containing material, non- public information on your desks or otherwise for people to see, access to files containing material, non-public information and computer files containing such information should be restricted, and conversations containing such information, if appropriate at all, should be conducted in private.

 

You may not make unauthorized copies of material, non-public information. Additionally, you must ensure the disposal of any material, non-public information in your possession is authorized (for example, material, nonpublic information obtained pursuant to a confidentiality agreement may be required to be returned in certain circumstances). Upon termination of your employment with the Company, you must return to the Company any material, non-public information (and all copies thereof in any media) in your possession or under your control.

 

D.Personal Securities Transactions

 

1.General

 

The Company has adopted the following general principles governing personal investment activities by Company personnel:

 

the interests of Client accounts will be placed in front of any Employee personal transaction. Appropriate investment opportunities must be made for the Company’s Clients before the Company or any Employee may act on them;

 

all personal securities transactions will be conducted in such a manner as to avoid any actual, potential or perceived conflicts of interest or abuse of an individual’s position of trust and responsibility;

 

all Employees will connect read-only feed with an online Compliance Portal for any discretionary accounts. The software runs all Employee trades in these accounts against the Company’s Restricted List daily and provides exception reports for any violations to the CCO within 24 hours. The CCO reviews these reports daily;

 

the CCO must report all Code of Ethics violations to the Trust CCO

 

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2.Restrictions and Limitations on Personal Securities Transactions

 

The following restrictions and limitations govern investments and personal securities transactions by all Employees:

 

Pre-Clearance Procedures

 

Employees must obtain approval from the CCO or designee prior to executing a transaction in any Covered Security3 (defined below) in which the Employee has, or acquires, any direct or indirect beneficial ownership.4 An Employee is presumed to have beneficial ownership of Covered Securities that are held by his or her immediate family members sharing the Employee’s household.5 Prior to executing a transaction in any Covered Security, Employees must obtain pre-approval from the CCO or designee by submitting a pre-clearance form via the Compliance Portal or by submitting the form attached to this Manual as Exhibit M. All approved securities transactions must be executed on the same day that the pre-clearance is obtained. Post-approval of personal Covered Securities transactions is not permitted. All pre-clearance requests are confirmed through the online Compliance Portal utilized by the Company. The compliance staff monitors the online Compliance Portal during business hours to ensure that all pre-clearance requests are addressed and confirmed.

 

Actions that occur without the direction of the Employee will be exempt from these requirements (option expiration, called bond, converted security, etc.). Additionally, please see below in Section II.D.2. – “Covered Securities” and Section II.D.5. – “Exceptions from Reporting Requirements of Employees” of this Code for exemptions to the trade pre- clearance requirement.

 

Covered Securities

 

In general, this Code employs the term “securities” to mean shares of any note, stock, treasury stock, security future, bond, debenture, evidence of indebtedness, certificate of interest or participation in any profit-sharing agreement, collateral-trust certificate, preorganization certificate or subscription, transferable share, investment contract, voting- trust certificate, certificate of deposit for a security, fractional undivided interest in oil, gas, or other mineral rights, any put, call, straddle, option, or privilege on any security (including a certificate of deposit) or on any group or index of securities (including any interest therein or based on the value thereof), or any put, call, straddle, option, or privilege entered into on a national securities exchange relating to foreign currency, or, in general, any interest or instrument commonly known as a “security”, or any certificate of interest or participation in, temporary or interim certificate for, receipt for, guaranty of, or warrant or right to subscribe to or purchase any of the foregoing. Any such “securities,” except as provided below, are considered a “Covered Security” or “Covered Securities” for purposes of this Code.

 

 

3 Covered security means a security as defined in section 2(a)(36) of the 1940 Act, except that it does not include: (i) direct obligations of the Government of the United States; (ii) bankers' acceptances, bank certificates of deposit, commercial paper and high quality short-term debt instruments, including repurchase agreements; and (iii) shares issued by open-end investment companies, not managed by the Company.

 

4 Rule 204A-1(b)(1)(i)(A) and (b)(2)(i). Rule 204A-1 provides that beneficial ownership is to be interpreted in the same manner as for purposes of rule 16a-1(a)(2) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 in determining whether a person has beneficial ownership of a security for purposes of section 16 of that Act. Rule 204A-1(e)(3). This is the same as the standard under rule 17j-1.

 

5 Rule 16a-1(a)(2)(ii)(A) [17 CFR 240.16a-1(a)(2)(ii)(A)]

 

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The following securities below are not considered Covered Securities and are exempt from the above pre-clearance requirement:

 

Direct obligations of the Government of the United States (U.S. Treasury Securities);

 

Bankers’ Acceptances, Bank Certificates of Deposit (CDs), Commercial Paper and High Quality Short-Term Debt Instruments, including Repurchase Agreements;

 

Shares issued by open-end investment companies, not managed by the Company (i.e., Money Market Funds, Open-End Mutual Funds, Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs), and Unit Investment Trusts (UITs)); and

 

Transactions through an established Automatic Investment Plan.

 

Automatic Investment Plan (“AIP”) 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. For example, securities that are purchased as part of automated payroll deductions/contributions to an Employee’s 401(k), other automated contributions to a mutual fund after tax savings plan. An Automatic Investment plan includes a Dividend Reinvestment Plan (“DRIP”).

 

SEC Rule 204A-1 therefore requires access persons to report shares of mutual funds advised by the Company. Accordingly, personal trades in the ATAC Rotation Fund shall require pre-clearance by the CCO.

 

Restricted List

 

No Employee personal securities transactions will be permitted in any security that is currently on the Company’s Restricted List. All Employee personal securities transactions are subject to monitoring in order to ascertain any pattern of conduct which may evidence use of material non-public information obtained in the course of their employment.

 

Participation in IPOs and Secondary Offerings

 

No Employee may acquire any security in an initial public offering (IPO) or secondary public offering without the prior approval of the CCO.

 

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Private Placements

 

Private placements of any kind (including, but not limited to, limited partnership investments, limited liability companies, hedge funds, private equity funds, PIPEs, real estate, oil and gas partnerships and venture capital investments) may only be acquired with pre-approval of the CCO, and, if approved, will be subject to monitoring for possible future conflicts. A request for approval of a private placement must be submitted in advance of the proposed date of investment by completing an Outside Business Activities Disclosure Form via the Compliance Portal or by completing the form attached hereto in Exhibit C of this Manual.

 

Prohibition Against Front Running

 

Information regarding Client trading must not be used in any way to influence trades in personal accounts or in the accounts of other Clients, including those of other Employees. Trading ahead of a Client’s order is known as “front-running” and is prohibited.

 

Each Employee is prohibited from buying or selling for either a Client account or an Employee personal account (i) an option while in possession of non-public information concerning a block transaction by a Client account in the underlying stock, or (ii) an underlying security while in possession of non-public information concerning a block transaction by a Client account in an option covering that security (the “inter-market front running”). This prohibition extends to trading in stock index options and stock index futures while in possession of non-public information concerning a block transaction in a component stock of an index.

 

3.Reportable Personal Accounts

 

All Employees must provide, to the CCO, a written or electronic disclosure in the Personal Account Disclosure Report form attached to this Manual as Exhibit D or via the Compliance Portal certifying all Reportable Personal Accounts within ten (10) days after first becoming an Employee and within thirty (30) days after the end of any calendar quarter in which any Reportable Personal Accounts, including new Reportable Personal Accounts established during the quarter. For the purposes of this Code, Reportable Personal Accounts include any account in which any securities are held for the direct or indirect benefit of the Employee, including any accounts that holds securities in which the Employee has, or acquires, any direct or indirect beneficial ownership.6 An Employee is presumed to be a beneficial owner of securities that are held by his or her immediate family members sharing the Employee’s household.7 When an Employee has a substantial measure of influence or control over an account, but not direct or indirect beneficial ownership (as for example when the Employee serves as executor or trustee for someone outside his or her immediate family, or manages or helps to manage a charitable account), such account shall not be subject to this Code, but in all transactions involving any such account the Employee will be expected to conform to the spirit of these rules and specifically avoid any activity that conflicts or might appear to conflict with the best interests of the Company’s Clients.

 

 

6 Rule 204A-1(b)(1)(i)(A) and (b)(2)(i). Rule 204A-1 provides that beneficial ownership is to be interpreted in the same manner as for purposes of rule 16a-1(a)(2) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 in determining whether a person has beneficial ownership of a security for purposes of section 16 of that Act. Rule 204A-1(e)(3). This is the same as the standard under rule 17j-1.

 

7 Reportable Personal Accounts include securities accounts of a spouse, minor children and any other relative that resides in the Employee’s home, as well as accounts of another person if by reason of any contract, understanding, relationship, agreement or other arrangement the Employee obtains therefrom benefits substantially equivalent to those of ownership. See Rule 16a-1(a)(2)(ii)(A) [17 CFR 240.16a-1(a)(2)(ii)(A)]

 

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4.Reporting Requirements of Employees

 

Holdings Reports

 

All Employees must submit and certify each Covered Security in which the Employee has, or acquires, any direct or indirect beneficial ownership by completing the Employee Securities Holding Report via the Compliance Portal or by completing the form attached to this Manual as Exhibit F within ten (10) days after first becoming an Employee (the “Initial Holdings Report”). The information contained in the Employee Securities Holding Report must be current as of a date no more than forty-five (45) days prior to the date the person becomes an Employee.

 

Additionally, all Employees must submit and certify annually each Covered Security in which the Employee has, or acquires, any direct or indirect beneficial ownership by completing the Employee Securities Holding Report via the Compliance Portal or by completing the form attached to this Manual as Exhibit F by January 31st of each year (the “Annual Holdings Report”), provided, however, that an Employee need not provide information within the annual Employee Securities Holding Report if such information reported therein would be duplicative of information contained in broker trade confirmations, notices or advices or account statements received by the Company. The information contained in the annual Employee Securities Holding Report must be current as of a date no more than forty-five (45) days prior to the date the Employee Securities Holding Report is submitted.

 

A report must be submitted even if no purchases or sales of Covered Securities were made during the period covered by the report. The Initial Holdings Report and Annual Holdings Report must include all of the following information in the Employee Securities Holding Report: (i) the title, number of shares and principal amount of each Covered Security in which the Employee had any direct or indirect beneficial ownership; (ii) the name of any broker, dealer or bank with whom the Employee maintains an account in which any securities are held for the direct or indirect benefit of the Employee; and (iii) the date that the report is submitted by the Employee. As stated above in Section II.D.3. “Reportable Personal Accounts” of this Manual, all Employees must provide, to the CCO a written or electronic disclosure in the Personal Account Disclosure Report form attached to this Manual as Exhibit D or via the Compliance Portal certifying all Reportable Personal Accounts within ten (10) days after first becoming an Employee and within thirty (30) days after the end of any calendar quarter in which any Reportable Personal Accounts, including new Reportable Personal Accounts established during the quarter.

 

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Quarterly Transactions Reports

 

All Employees must file a written or electronic Quarterly Trade Report via the Compliance Portal or in the form attached to this Manual as Exhibit G within thirty (30) days after the end of each calendar quarter that identifies all Covered Security transactions made during the quarter, provided, however, that an Employee need not provide information within the Quarterly Trade Report if such information reported therein would be duplicative of information contained in broker trade confirmations, notices or advices or account statements received by the Company.

 

A Quarterly Trade Report must be submitted even if no purchases or sales of Covered Securities were made during the period covered by the report. Quarterly Trade Reports must include all Covered Security transaction information and brokerage account information, including the dates, the nature of the transaction, and the date the report is being submitted. If a new personal account was opened the Quarterly Trade Report must specify to that affect and also include identifying information about the account, the date the account was established, and the date the report is being submitted. As stated above in Section II.D.3. “Reportable Personal Accounts” of this Manual, all Employees must provide, to the CCO upon establishing any new Reportable Personal Account, a written or electronic disclosure in the Personal Account Disclosure Report form attached to this Manual as Exhibit D or via the Compliance Portal.

 

5.Exceptions from Reporting Requirements of Employees

 

An Employee will be exempted from the “Pre-Clearance Procedures” under Section II.D.2. and “Reporting Requirements of Employees” under Section II.D.4 of this Code with respect to transactions effected for, and Covered Securities held in, any account over which the Employee has no direct or indirect influence or power to control or influence investment decisions in the account (the “Managed Account”). A Managed Account is an account that meets the following criteria: (i) the account is managed by a third party investment manager (i.e., financial planner or wealth manager or trustee) that is an independent unaffiliated professional; and (ii) the Employee has no direct or indirect influence or power to control or influence investment decisions in the account, including: (a) suggesting purchases or sales of investments to the trustee or third-party discretionary manager; (b) directing purchases or sales of investments; or (b) consulting with the trustee or third-party discretionary manager as to the particular allocation of investments to be made in the account. However, all Employees must provide, to the CCO, a written or electronic disclosure in the Managed Account Disclosure Report form attached to this Manual as Exhibit E or via the Compliance Portal certifying all Managed Accounts within ten (10) days after first becoming an Employee and within thirty (30) days after the end of any calendar quarter in which any Managed Accounts, including new Managed Accounts established during the quarter. Furthermore, the representations contained in Exhibit E must be completed annually by all Employees who have reported having such Managed Accounts, by completing the Managed Account Disclosure Report in form of an assignment via the Compliance Portal or by submitting the form to the CCO. In addition, the Employee will be required to provide reports of holdings and/ or transactions (including, but not limited to, duplicate account statements and trade confirmations) made in the Employee’s Managed Accounts at the request of the Company’s CCO.

 

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An Employee will be exempted from the “Pre-Clearance Procedures” under Section II.D.2. and “Quarterly Transaction Report” under Section II.D.4 of this Code with respect to securities that are purchased as part of automated payroll deductions/contributions to an Employee’s 401(k), other automated contributions to a mutual fund after tax savings plan (i.e., Automatic Investment Plan or AIP), and automatic dividend reinvestment transactions. However, as stated herein above in Section II.D.3. – “Reportable Personal Accounts” of this Code, all Employees must provide, to the CCO, a written or electronic disclosure in the Personal Account Disclosure Report form attached to this Manual as Exhibit D or via the Compliance Portal certifying all Reportable Personal Accounts within ten (10) days after first becoming an Employee and within thirty (30) days after the end of any calendar quarter in which any Reportable Personal Accounts, including new Reportable Personal Accounts established during the quarter.

 

6.Review

 

The CCO shall be responsible for (i) notifying Employees of their reporting obligations under this Code and (ii) reviewing the reports submitted by each Employee under this Code. The CCO may assign the review of Employee reports to a designee, however, no person shall be allowed to review or approve his or her own reports, and reports shall be reviewed by the CCO or other officer who is senior to the person submitting the report. The CCO shall maintain records of all reports filed pursuant to these procedures.

 

All Employee personal securities transactions are subject to monitoring in order to ascertain any patterns of conduct which may evidence conflicts with the principles of this Manual, including patterns of front-running or other inappropriate behavior.

 

Any member of the Investment Committee will ensure that the CCO’s own trades and Transaction reports are reviewed and pre-cleared timely.

 

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E.Political Contributions

 

1.Company Contributions

 

Firm funds or gifts may not be furnished, directly or indirectly, to a government official, government employee or politician for the purpose of obtaining or maintaining business on behalf of the Firm. Such conduct is illegal and may violate federal and state criminal laws. Assistance or entertainment provided to any government office should never, in form or substance, compromise the Firm’s arms-length business relationship with the government agency or official involved.

 

2.Foreign Corrupt Practices Act

 

The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (“FCPA”) prohibits the direct or indirect giving of, or a promise to give, “things of value” in order to corruptly obtain a business benefit from an officer, employee, or other “instrumentality” of a foreign government. Companies that are owned, even partly, by a foreign government may be considered an “instrumentality” of that government. In particular, government investments in foreign financial institutions may make the FCPA applicable to those institutions. Individuals acting in an official capacity on behalf of a foreign government or a foreign political party may also be “instrumentalities” of a foreign government.

 

The FCPA includes provisions that may permit the giving of gifts and entertainment under certain circumstances, including certain gifts and entertainment that are lawful under the written laws and regulations of the recipient’s county, as well as bona-fide travel costs for certain legitimate business purposes. However, the availability of these exceptions is limited and is dependent on the relevant facts and circumstances.

 

Civil and criminal penalties for violating the FCPA can be severe. The Company and its Access Persons must comply with the spirit and the letter of the FCPA at all times. Access Persons must obtain written pre-clearance from the CCO prior to giving anything of value that might be subject to the FCPA by submitting a pre-clearance form via the Compliance Portal or by submitting the form attached to this Manual as Exhibit O.

 

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3.Pay-to-Play

 

i.Background

 

SEC Rule 206(4)-5 prohibits “pay-to-play” practices by investment advisers that seek to provide investment advisory services to government entities (i.e., any state or political subdivision of a state, including: any agency, authority or instrumentality of the state, a pool of assets sponsored or established by the state, a plan or program of a government entity; and officers, agents, or employees of the state acting in their official capacity). The rule applies to government assets managed by the Company, whether in a separate account or a pooled investment vehicle. Rule 206(4)-5 prohibits:

 

An adviser's receipt of compensation from a government entity for two years following any contribution by the adviser or certain of its personnel (“covered associates”), to certain officials (“covered official”) of a government entity;

 

Payments by an adviser or any covered associate to third-party solicitors or placement agents for their solicitation of government entities unless the third party solicitor is a registered representative of a broker-dealer or registered investment adviser subject to pay-to-play regulations; and

 

An adviser and its covered associates from soliciting or coordinating contributions for an official of a government entity to which the adviser is seeking to provide advisory services, or payments to a political party of a state or locality where any adviser is providing or seeking to provide advisory services to a government entity.

 

The rule also prohibits acts done indirectly, which, if done directly, would result in a violation of the rule and includes increased recordkeeping requirements regarding political contributions made by its covered associates.

 

The look back provisions of the rule require an investment adviser to look back in time to determine whether it will be subject to any business restrictions under the rule when employing or engaging a person who would be considered a covered associate due to such person’s triggering contribution to an official of a government entity. The two year time out is not triggered by a contribution made by a natural person more than 6 months prior to becoming a covered associate, unless he or she, after becoming a covered associate, solicits Clients. As a result, the full two-year look back applies only to covered associates who solicit for the Company.

 

ii.Definitions

 

A contribution means any gift, subscription, loan, advance, or deposit of money or anything of value made for:

 

The purpose of influencing any election for federal, state or local office;

 

The payment of debt incurred in connection with any such election; or

 

Transition or inaugural expenses incurred by the successful candidate for state or local office.

 

This includes not only monetary contributions, but also in-kind contributions such as payment for services or use of facilities, personnel or other resources to benefit any federal, state or local candidate campaign, political party committee, or other political committee or political organization exempt from federal income taxes under Section 527 of the Internal Revenue Code (such as the Republican or Democratic Governors Association), or the inaugural committee or transition team of a successful candidate.

 

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Volunteer services provided to a campaign by Employees on their own personal time are not treated as contributions.

 

A covered associate includes any of the following:

 

The Company’s general partners, executive officers or other individuals with a similar status or function;

 

Any Employees who solicits government entities for the Company and any person who supervises, directly or indirectly, such Employee; and

 

Any political action committee controlled by the investment adviser or its covered associates.

 

A covered official is a person (including any election committee for the person) who was, at the time of the contribution, an incumbent, candidate or successful candidate of a government entity, if the official can (1) directly or indirectly influence the governmental entity’s selection of an investment adviser; or (2) has the authority to appoint an official with such influence. This could cover state or local officials who are running for federal office.

 

A government entity is defined as any state and local governments and political subdivisions thereof, including their agencies and instrumentalities and pools of assets sponsored or established by the foregoing (such as public pension funds and participant- directed investment programs for the benefit of the public (e.g., 529 college tuition savings programs) or government Employees (e.g., 403(b) and 457 retirement plans)).

 

iii.Compliance Procedures

 

The following procedures will apply to political contributions by the Company and its Employees:

 

all contemplated contributions to a political candidate (including federal, state, local or PACs) by any Employee will require pre-clearance from the CCO by submitting a pre-clearance form in the Compliance Portal or by submitting the form attached to this Manual as Exhibit I;

 

coordination of, or solicitation by, the Company of political contributions to a government official, or payment to a political party of a state or locality, will not be permitted;

 

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newly hired or promoted Employees who will be considered covered associates will be required to disclose any political contributions made in the past two years to determine if the look back provisions will apply by completing and submitting a New Employee Political Contribution Declaration Form via the Compliance Portal or by completing and submitting the form attached hereto as Exhibit J of this Manual; and

 

any new relationships with third-party solicitors will require pre-approval from the CCO. (See also Section V.E. of this Manual regarding additional policies relating to engagement of third-party solicitors)

 

In addition, the CCO may require periodic certifications from Employees that they have not made any political contributions in violation of the Company’s policy.

 

Exemptions

 

De Minimis Contributions

 

Although all contributions by Employees must be pre-approved, contributions to any state or local candidate or official which are less than the statutory de minimis amounts will be approved. Contributions will be approved if:

 

the Employee is entitled to vote for the candidate and the contribution does not exceed $350 per election; or

 

the Employee is not entitled to vote for the candidate and the contribution does not exceed $150 per election.

 

Other Limited Exemptions

 

Pursuant to the “returned contribution” exception, if a covered associate of an adviser makes a contribution that triggers the two-year time-out period solely because he or she was not entitled to vote for the official at the time of the contribution, the Company can effectively undo the contribution under very narrow circumstances. To be eligible for the returned contribution exception,

 

the contribution had to be less than $350,

 

the Company must have discovered the contribution within four months of the date of such contribution, and

 

the Company must cause the contributor to re-collect the contribution within 60 days after the Company discovers the contribution.

 

The specificity of the requirements significantly limits the availability of the exception. Further, an adviser with less than 50 employees can only rely on the returned contribution exception twice in a 12-month period (three times for advisers with more than 50 employees) and an adviser can never use the returned contribution exception for the same covered associate twice.

 

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In addition, Rule 206(4)-5 allows an adviser to apply for an order exempting it from the two-year time-out requirement in the event of an inadvertent violation that falls outside of the exceptions set forth above when, according to the SEC, the imposition of the time-out provision is unnecessary to achieve the Rule’s intended purpose.

 

Recordkeeping

 

Rule 206(4)-5 also requires the Company to keep records of contributions made by the Company and its covered associates to government officials and candidates, payments to state or political parties and PACs, a list of its covered associates and government entities that invest or have invested in the past five years with the Company or a pooled investment vehicle managed by the Company. The Company must also maintain records of the names and addresses of each regulated third party adviser or broker-dealer to whom the Company provides payment for the solicitation of a government entity.

 

The CCO is responsible for ensuring that the Companies and their employees comply with Rule 206(4)-5 as well as with the record keeping requirements under Rule 204-2(a)(18)(ii). Specifically, the CCO and its designees must maintain a political contribution log that will have the following information required by Rule 204-2(a)(18)(ii):

 

The name and title of each contributor;

 

The name and title (including any city/county/State or other political subdivision) of each recipient of a contribution or payment;

 

The amount and date of each contribution or payment; and

 

Whether any such contribution was the subject of the exception for certain returned contributions pursuant to section 206(4)-5(b)(2) of the Advisers Act.

 

Additionally, the CCO will ensure that the Company is maintaining the following records:

 

A list containing the names, titles, and business and residence addresses of all “covered associates”.

 

A current list of all government entities to which the adviser provides (or has provided in the past 5 years) advisory services, or which are (or were) investors in any covered investment pool to which the adviser provides (or has provided in the past 5 years) advisory services.

 

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Furthermore, the CCO and its designees must on a routine basis, but in no case less than once in a calendar quarter, conduct searches through public databases for any undisclosed political contributions made by Employees.

 

F.Conflicts of Interest

 

1.General

 

Under Section 206 of the Advisers Act, the duty of the Company to refrain from fraudulent conduct includes an obligation to disclose material facts to its Clients whenever the failure to do so would defraud any Client or prospective client. The Company’s duty to disclose material facts is particularly pertinent whenever the Company is in a situation involving a conflict or potential conflict of interest with a Client. The type of disclosure required by the Company in such a situation will depend upon all the facts and circumstances, but as a general matter, the Company must disclose to Clients all material facts regarding the potential conflict of interest so that the Client can make an informed decision whether to enter into or continue an advisory relationship with the Company or whether to take some action to protect himself against the specific conflict of interest involved.

 

If any Employee is aware of a personal interest that is, or might be, in conflict with the interest of the Company or its Clients, that Employee shall disclose the situation or transaction and the nature of the conflict to the CCO for appropriate consideration. Any compliance concern or outside business activity should be reported through the online Compliance Portal. The Compliance Portal acts as a conflicts inventory as it maintains permanent record of these documents for immediate access to such items. At any time, the CCO may print a report with recorded conflicts and outside business activities as well as the original forms. The CCO will discuss the issue and determine what recourse may be necessary immediately. The CCO will make a determination as to whether disclosure to the Clients is necessary at the time the conflict is reported. The conflicts log is also reviewed each quarter during the quarterly compliance testing. At this time, the CCO will revisit any conflicts or compliance concerns reported during the quarter and ensure that they were resolved and if they need to be disclosed to the Clients.

 

Please see Section III.H. of this Manual for a complete discussion of the Company’s disclosure obligations on Form ADV.

 

2.Investment Conflicts

 

Employees who are planning to invest in or make a recommendation to invest in a security for any Client, and who have a material interest in the security or a related security, must first disclose such interest to the CCO. The CCO shall conduct an independent review of the recommendation to purchase the security for Clients and written evidence of such review shall be maintained by the CCO. Employees shall not fail to timely recommend a suitable security to, or purchase or sell of suitable security for, the Company in order to avoid an actual or apparent conflict with a personal transaction in a security.

 

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3.Investment Negotiation Conflicts

 

In order to ensure compliance with Section 17(d) under the 1940 Act whenever an investment professional proposes to negotiate a term other than price for an investment (including any amendments), he/she must check to see if the investment (or any other position in the issuer’s capital structure) is held (or proposed to be invested) in any Company managed pooled investment vehicle that is a registered investment company (e.g., Exchange Traded Funds).

 

If the investment is held in any Company managed pooled investment vehicles that is a registered investment company, that person must contact the CCO for guidance. The transaction is generally permitted if all accounts are in the same part of the capital structure and participate in the investment pro rata. Alternatively, impose a “Chinese Wall” between the registered investment company and the institutional Client account investment decision- making. One person can negotiate, provided final investment decision still made separately. The CCO may also consult with outside counsel and/or the Trust CCO for guidance.

 

4.Capital Structure Conflicts

 

Conflicts will arise in cases when Clients of the Company invest in different parts of an issuer’s capital structure, including circumstances in which one or more Clients own private securities or obligations of an issuer and other Clients may own public securities of the same issuer. In addition, one or more Clients may invest in securities, or other financial instruments, of an issuer that are senior or junior to securities, or financial instruments, of the same issuer that are held by or acquired for, one or more other Clients. If such issuer encounters financial problems, decisions related to such securities (such as over the terms of any workout or proposed waivers and amendments to debt covenants) will raise conflicts of interests. For example, a Client holding debt securities of the issuer may be better served by a liquidation of the issuer in which it may be paid in full, whereas a Client holding equity securities of the issuer might prefer a reorganization that holds the potential to create value for the equity holders.

 

In the event of conflicting interests within an issuer’s capital structure, the Company will generally pursue the strategy that it believes will maximize value for Client accounts overall (without regard to the nature of the accounts involved or fees received from such accounts):

 

This strategy may be recommended by one or more investment professionals of the Firm;

 

A single person may represent more than one part of an issuer’s capital structure;

 

The recommended course of action will be presented to the Company’s Investment Committee for final determination as to how to proceed

 

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The Company may elect, but is not required, to assign different teams to make recommendations for different parts of the capital structure as the Investment Committee determines in its discretion.

 

In the event the Company, its affiliates, its Clients and their respective officers, directors, trustees, stockholders, members, partners and Employees and their respective funds and investment accounts (collectively, the “Related Parties”) serve on the board of the subject company, they should recuse themselves from voting on any board matter with respect to a transaction that has an asymmetrical impact on the capital structure.

 

Related Party board members may still make recommendations to the Investment Committee.

 

If any such persons are also on the Investment Committee, they may recuse themselves from the Investment Committee’s determination.

 

The Company may use external counsel for guidance and assistance.

 

5.Position Conflicts

 

Should the Company cause one Client account to buy a security and another Client account to sell or short the same security, such opposing positions are not permitted within the same account or within any accounts managed by the same portfolio manager without prior trade approval by the CCO. In addition, transactions in investments by one or more affiliated Client accounts may have the effect of diluting or otherwise disadvantaging the values, prices or investment strategies of other Client accounts.

 

Generally, the Company does not purchase, sell or hold securities on behalf of Clients contrary to the current recommendations made to other affiliated Client accounts. However, because certain Client accounts may have investment objectives, strategies or legal, contractual, tax or other requirements that differ (such as the need to take tax losses, realize profits, raise cash, diversification, etc.), the Company may purchase, sell or continue to hold securities for certain Client accounts contrary to other recommendations. In addition, the Company may be permitted to sell securities or instruments short for certain Client accounts and may not be permitted to do so for other affiliated Client accounts.

 

6.Conflicts Related to Investments in Affiliated Fund

 

The Company’s purchase for a Client accounts interests in other pooled vehicles, including Exchange Traded Funds, offered by Related Parties. Investment by a Client in such a vehicle means Related Parties receive advisory or other fees from the Client in addition to advisory fees charged for managing the Client’s account. The details of any possible fee offsets, rebates or other reduction arrangements in connection with such investments are provided in the documentation relating to the relevant Client account and/or underlying investment vehicle. In choosing between vehicles managed by Related Parties and those not affiliated with Related Parties, Related Parties may have a financial incentive to choose Related Parties-affiliated vehicles over third parties by reason of additional investment management, advisory or other fees or compensation Related Parties may earn. The potential for fee offsets, rebates or other reduction arrangements may not necessarily eliminate this conflict and Related Parties may nevertheless have a financial incentive to favor investments in Related Parties-affiliated vehicles. If the Company invest in an affiliated vehicle, a Client should not expect the Company to have better information with respect to that vehicle than other investors may have (and if the Company does have better information they may be prohibited from acting upon it in a way that disadvantages other investors).

 

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Additionally, Related Parties may sponsor and manage funds and accounts that compete with the Company or make investment with funds sponsored or managed by third-party advisers that would reduce capacity otherwise available to the Company’s Clients.

 

7.Prohibited Conduct with Clients

 

It is a violation of an Employee’s duty of loyalty to the Company and its Clients for any Employee, without the prior written consent of the CCO, to:

 

rebate, directly or indirectly, to any person, firm, corporation or association, other than the Company, compensation of any nature as a bonus, commission, fee, gratuity or other consideration in connection with any transaction on behalf of the Company or a Client account;

 

accept, directly or indirectly, from any person, firm, corporation or association, other than the Company, compensation of any nature as a bonus, commission, fee, gratuity or other consideration in connection with any transaction on behalf of the Company or a Client account;

 

own any stock or have, directly or indirectly, any financial interest in any other organization engaged in any securities, financial or related business, except for a minority stock ownership or other financial interest in any business which is publicly- owned; or

 

borrow money from any of the Company’s suppliers or Clients; provided, however, that (i) the receipt of credit on customary terms in connection with the purchase of goods or services is not considered to be a borrowing within the foregoing prohibition and (ii) the acceptance of loans from banks or other financial institutions on customary terms to finance proper and usual activities, such as home mortgage loans, is permitted except where prohibited by law.

 

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8.Outside Activities of Employees

 

Policy

 

Employees are expected to devote their full professional time and efforts to the business of the Company and to avoid any activities that could present actual or perceived conflicts of interest.

 

Employees must obtain prior approval from the CCO for any outside activity that involves:

 

a time commitment that would prevent you from performing your duties for the Company;

 

accepting a second job or part-time job of any kind or engaging in any other business outside of the Company;

 

active participation in any business in the financial services industry or otherwise in competition with the Company;

 

teaching assignments, lectures, public speaking, publication of articles, or radio or television appearances, or

 

serving as a director, officer, general partner or trustee of, or as a consultant to, any business, corporation or partnership, including family owned businesses and charitable, non-profit and political organizations.

 

Employees may not serve on the board of any company whose securities are publicly traded, or of any company in which the Company or any Client account owns securities.

 

Compliance Procedures

 

All outside activities conducted by an Employee must be approved prior to participation by the CCO or his/her designee by completing and submitting an Outside Business Activities questionnaire via the Compliance Portal or by completing and submitting the form attached hereto as Exhibit C of this Manual.

 

The CCO or his/her designee may require full details concerning the outside activity including the number of hours involved and any compensation to be received. In addition, in connection with any approval of an outside activity, such approval may, at the discretion of the CCO, be subject to certain conditions deemed necessary or appropriate to protect the interests of the Company or any Client.

 

In addition, to the extent that the Company files a Form U-4 for an Employee seeking to engage in an outside business activity, the Form U-4 will need to be updated to reflect the activity. Please see Section III.H. of this Manual for additional policies relating to the Form U-4.

 

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9.Gifts and Entertainment

 

Policy

 

The Company recognizes the value of fostering good working relationships with individuals and firms doing business or seeking to do business with the Company. Subject to the guidelines below, Employees are permitted, on occasion, to accept gifts and invitations to attend entertainment events. However, Employees should always act in the best interests of the Company and its Clients and should avoid any activity that might create an actual or perceived conflict of interest or impropriety in the course of the Company’s business relationships. Employees should not accept any gifts or entertainment invitations that have the likelihood of influencing their decisions regarding the business transactions involving the Company. Employees should contact the CCO or his/her designee to discuss any offered activity or gift that may create such a conflict. The Company reserves the right to prohibit the acceptance or retention of a gift or offer of entertainment, regardless of value, as it may determine in its sole discretion.

 

Entertainment may include such events as meals, shows, concerts, theatre events, sporting events or similar types of entertainment. “Entertainment” also includes in-town and out- of-town trips and seminars where the service provider or counterparty offers to pay for items such as lodging, airfare, meals and/or event expenses. For the purposes hereof, a gift will be deemed to be of significant value if it exceeds $100.00 per gift from any person or entity doing business or seeking to do business with the Company and an entertainment event will be deemed to be of significant value if it exceeds $1,000.00 per event from any such person or entity. An entertainment event will only be deemed to be entertainment if a representative of the service provider or counterparty is also attending the event (otherwise, it will be deemed to be a gift). No gift or entertainment may be accepted or given, however, regardless of value, that has the likelihood of influencing, any business decision or relationship of the Company.

 

Compliance Procedures

 

The Company has adopted the following principles and procedures governing gifts and entertainment:

 

Any gifts or entertainment of significant value (as defined above) offered from an existing or prospective firm service provider or counterparty must be approved by the CCO via the Compliance Portal or in the form attached to this Manual as Exhibit N.

 

Employees may not accept more than four gifts or attend more than six entertainment events per year, regardless of value, given or sponsored by the same person or entity without approval from the CCO via the Compliance Portal or in the form attached to this Manual as Exhibit N.

 

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Employees may not request or solicit gifts or particular entertainment events.

 

No gift of cash or cash equivalents may be accepted.

 

Items such as pens, coffee mugs or clothing items with a counterparty’s logo are excluded.

 

G.Confidentiality and Privacy Policies

 

1.Company Information

 

The protection of confidential business information is vital to the interests and the success of the Company. Employees may not disclose to third parties, or use for his/her own personal benefit, any information regarding:

 

Advice by the Company to its Clients;

 

Securities or other investment positions held by the Company or its Clients;

 

Transactions on behalf of the Company or its Clients;

 

The name, address or other personal identification information of Clients or investors;

 

Personal financial information of Clients or investors, such as annual income, net worth or account information;

 

Investment and trading systems, models, processes and techniques used by the Company;

 

Company business records, Client files, personnel information, financial information, Client agreements, supplier agreements, leases, software, licenses, other agreements, computer files, business plans, analyses;

 

Any other non-public information or data furnished to you by the Company or any Client or investor in connection with the business of the Company or such Client or investor; or

 

Any other information identified as or which you may otherwise be obligated to keep confidential.

 

The information described above is the property of the Company and should be kept strictly confidential. Employees may not disclose any such information to any third party without the permission of the CCO or another officer of the Company, except for a purpose properly related to the business of the Company or a Client of the Company (such as to a Client’s independent accountants or administrator) or as required by law.

 

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2.Client Information and Privacy Policy

 

The Company is required by federal regulations (SEC Regulation S-P, 17 CFR 284.30) to adopt certain procedures designed to protect all Client confidential and nonpublic information and to safeguard personal information contained in both paper and electronic records. The following policy (the “Privacy Policy”) is designed to meet the standards set forth in the federal regulations as well as the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Standards for Protection of Personal Information (to the extent that such standards are applicable). For purposes of this Privacy Policy, the term Client includes, where appropriate, investors in pooled investment vehicles (e.g., Exchange Traded Funds and Mutual Funds) managed by the Company. Please see Exhibit Thirteen of Trusts Policies and Procedures for more information regarding the Trust Privacy Policy relating to the Exchange Traded Funds and ATAC Rotation Fund’s Privacy Policy included in the Statutory Prospectus dated May 1, 2020.

 

Implementation

 

The Company is committed to (i) safekeeping and confidentiality of personal information collected from potential, current and former Clients and (ii) safeguarding records and information against the unauthorized acquisition or use of unencrypted data or encrypted electronic data regarding each Client. The proper handling of personal information is one of the Company’s highest priorities.

 

To this end, the CCO has been designated to implement, maintain, review and revise, as necessary, a comprehensive information security program. The primary objectives for the CCO is to identify and assess any and all reasonably foreseeable internal and external risks to the security, confidentiality and/or integrity of any electronic, paper or other records containing personal information, and to evaluate and improve, where necessary, the effectiveness of current safeguards for limiting such risks. To this end, the Company: (i) employs ongoing Employee training; (ii) sets policy for Employees relating to the storage, access and transportation of Client records and personal information; (iii) reviews the scope of security measures at least annually; (iv) reasonably monitors its information systems, including for unauthorized use or access; and (v) reasonably reviews and tests electronic encryption and other elements of its computer security system (including its secure user authentication protocols, secure access control measures and system security agent software).

 

The CCO reviews all contractual relationships with third party service providers engaged by the Company to ensure adequate protections are in place with respect to the safeguarding of personal information.

 

Client Information

 

The Company collects and keeps only such information that is necessary for it to provide the services requested by its Clients and to administer its Clients’ business with the Company. For instance, the Company may collect nonpublic personal information (such as name, address, phone number, social security number, date of birth, assets, income, and net worth) from Clients when they complete a subscription or other form. The Company may also collect nonpublic personal information from Clients or potential clients as a result of transactions with the Company, its affiliates, its Clients or others (such information to include including, but not limited to, shareholder account numbers and balance, payments history, parties to transactions, cost basis information, and other financial information).

 

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The Company does not disclose any nonpublic personal information about our current or former consumers or customers to nonaffiliated third parties, except as permitted by law. For example, pooled investment vehicles have no employees, they conduct their business affairs through third parties that provide services pursuant to agreements with the pooled investment vehicles (as well as through its officers and directors).

 

The Company recognizes and respects the privacy expectations of each of our customers and believes that the confidentiality and protection of consumer information is one of our fundamental responsibilities. The Company is committed to maintaining the confidentiality, integrity and security of the customers’ personal information and will handle personal consumer and customer information only in accordance with Regulation S-P and any other applicable laws, rules and regulations. The Company will ensure: (i) the security and confidentiality of customer records and information; (ii) that customer records and information are protected from any anticipated threats and hazards; and (iii) that unauthorized access to, or use of, customer records or information is protected against.

 

Protection of Information

 

The Company maintains security standards to protect Clients’ information, whether written, spoken, or electronic. To that end, the Company restricts access to nonpublic personal information to Company personnel who need to know such information in order to provide services to Clients. All electronic or computer files containing such information is password secured and firewall protected from access by unauthorized persons. The Company periodically updates and checks its systems to ensure the protection and integrity of information.

 

The Company also maintains reasonable restrictions upon physical access to records containing personal information and stores such records in secure facilities.

 

Sharing Information

 

The Company only shares the nonpublic personal information of its Clients with unaffiliated entities or individuals (i) as permitted by law and as required to provide services to the Company’s Clients, such as with representatives within our firm, securities clearing firms, insurance companies and other services providers of the Company, or (ii) to comply with legal or regulatory requirements. The Company may also disclose nonpublic personal information to another financial services provider in connection with the transfer of an account to such financial services provider. Further, in the normal course of business, the Company may disclose information it collects about Clients to entities or individuals that contract with the Company to perform servicing functions such as recordkeeping or computer-related services. Finally, the Company may make good faith disclosure of the nonpublic personal information of its Clients to regulators who have regulatory authority over the Company.

 

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Companies hired to provide support services to the Company are not allowed to use personal information for their own purposes and are contractually obligated to maintain strict confidentiality. When the Company provides personal information to service providers, it requires these providers to agree to safeguard such information, to use the information only for the intended purpose and to abide by applicable law. In accordance with the aforementioned Privacy Policy, the Company, through the CCO, may require service providers to provide periodic reports outlining their privacy policies. The CCO discusses Privacy Policy and Security issues with each service provider on an annual basis.

 

The Company will determine that the policies and procedures of its affiliates and service providers are reasonably designed to safeguard customer information and require only appropriate and authorized access to, and use of, customer information through the application of appropriate administrative, technical, physical, and procedural safeguards that comply with applicable federal standards and regulations. The Company directs each of its service providers to adhere to the Company’s privacy policy and to its respective Clients’ privacy policies and to take all actions reasonably necessary so that the Company and its Clients are in compliance with the provisions of 17 CFR 248.30, including, as applicable, the development and delivery of initial and annual privacy notices and maintenance of appropriate and adequate records. The Company will require its service providers to restrict access to nonpublic personal information about customers to those Employees who need to know that information to provide products or services to customers.

 

The Company may require its service providers to provide periodic reports to its Clients outlining their privacy policies and implementation and promptly report to the Company any material changes to their privacy policy before, or promptly after, their adoption.

 

The Company does not (i) provide personally identifiable information to mailing list vendors or solicitors for any purpose or (ii) sell information relating to its Clients to any outside third parties.

 

Employee Access to Information

 

Only Employees with a valid business reason have access to Clients’ personal information. These Employees are educated on the importance of maintaining the confidentiality and security of such information and are required to abide by the Company’s information handling practices. The Company employs reasonable procedures to prevent terminated Employees from accessing records containing personal information.

 

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Maintaining Accurate Information

 

The Company’s goal is to maintain accurate, up to date Client records in accordance with industry standards. The Company has procedures in place to keep information current and complete (including the timely correction of inaccurate information).

 

E-Mail

 

Should a Client send the Company a question or comment via e-mail, the Company will share the Client’s correspondence only with those Employees or agents most capable of addressing the Client’s question or concern. All written communications pertaining to such question or comment will be retained by the Company until such time as the Company believes (in its good faith judgment) that it has provided the Client with a complete and satisfactory response. After that time, the Company will either discard the communication or archive it according to the requirements of applicable securities laws.

 

Please note that, unless expressly advised otherwise, the Company’s e-mail facilities do not provide a means for completely secure and private communications. Although every attempt will be made to keep Client information confidential, from a technical standpoint, there is still a risk. For that reason, please do not use e-mail to communicate information to the Company that is considered to be confidential. If the Client wishes, communications with the Company may be conducted via telephone or by facsimile. Additional security is available to Clients if they equip their Internet browser with 128-bit “secure socket layer” encryption, which provides more secure transmissions.

 

Disclosure of Privacy Policy

 

The Company recognizes and respects the privacy concerns of its potential, current and former Clients. The Company is committed to safeguarding this information. As a member of the financial services industry, the Company provides this Privacy Policy for informational purposes to Clients and Employees and will distribute and update it as required by law. The Privacy Policy is also available to upon request.

 

Furthermore, for the Company’s Exchange Traded Fund Clients and the Company’s Mutual Fund Clients, the CCO will ensure that the Exchange Traded Funds Privacy Notice and the ATAC Rotation Fund’s Privacy Notice, respectively, are disseminated with the applicable Summary Prospectus initially and will further ensure that the Privacy Notice is included in the applicable Prospectus and Annual Financial Reports.

 

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Violations

 

The Company imposes reasonable disciplinary measures, which may include termination, for violations of its Privacy Policy.

 

H.Prohibition Against Manipulative Trading Practices

 

Prohibition Against Window Dressing: Window dressing is sometimes undertaken by unscrupulous portfolio managers near the end of the quarter or year to improve the appearance of portfolio/fund performance before presenting it to clients or shareholders. To window dress, the fund manager will sell-off positions with large losses and purchase well-performing and well-known positions near the end of the quarter or year. These securities are then reported as part of the fund's holdings. While this may have little effect on actual performance, it can mislead the investor or shareholder. Window dressing is prohibited.

 

Prohibition Against Pumping: Pumping is bidding up the value of a fund's holdings right before the end of a period at which time performance is measured (and/or reported to tracking services). Pumping is effected by placing a large number of orders on existing holdings, which, if there is a sufficient quantity on order, drives up the value the various positions and thus of the fund. This practice is also known as “marking the close.” Pumping creates a temporary gain, but the securities that are pumped will usually revert to the lower prices. Thus, pumping is not only a form of market manipulation, but hurts investors, including investors purchasing fund shares at the time of the manipulation. Portfolio pumping (or marking the close) is prohibited.

 

Violations

 

The Company impose reasonable disciplinary measures, which may include termination, for violations of its Prohibition Against Manipulative Trading Policy.

 

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APPENDIX VI
QUARTERLY COMPLIANCE TESTING

 

Toroso Investments, LLC (the “Company”) tests the written policies and procedures found in the Company’s Compliance Manual. Toroso also utilizes ComplySci software (the “Compliance Portal”) to facilitate the process of daily compliance requests, pre-clearances, and related workflows. In connection with the quarterly testing, Toroso accesses the data maintained in the Compliance Portal. Please see Appendix VII for further discussion on the Compliance Portal.

 

Toroso tests the following items on an annual basis during the first quarter of every year and discusses the findings and report with the CCO:

 

Under rule 206(4)-7 Toroso ensures that all Company Service Providers are adhering to privacy requirements and have adequate disaster recovery controls.

 

Ensures FINRA IARD account Super Account Administrator logins are up-to-date and that any ADV renewal payments are made

 

Reviews and prepares the Annual Updating Amendment to the Form ADV with the CCO and ensures it is filed timely.

 

Confirms with the CCO that the Privacy Policy has been sent out to necessary parties.

 

Reviews all political contributions with the CCO to ensure compliance with the Pay-to- Play rules.

 

Toroso also confirms with the CCO that all paid solicitors that the Company may use adhere to the Pay-to-Play rules.

 

Reviews Disaster Recovery Plan with the CCO. As the Company performs a Fire Drill during February, Toroso discusses the results of such drill and the contracts in place with services providers to ensure that the Disaster Recovery Plan works efficiently and effectively.

 

Provides annual training to Company employees and, in conjunction with the CCO, makes sure all employees review and attest to the Compliance Manual and Code of Ethics. These attestations are signed and logged in the Compliance Portal.

 

Makes sure the CCO receives all employees’ Form U4s are current, that all necessary tests have been taken by any Investment Adviser Representatives, and reviews any Brochure supplements of the ADV.

 

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Toroso tests the following items quarterly and provides a written report that is discussed with the CCO:

 

Discusses any Company structural or strategy changes with the CCO and updates any filings or compliance-related paperwork (such as the Compliance Manual or filing an “Other than Annual Amendment” to the Form ADV). The CCO will inform the Trust CCO of any anticipated changes immediately.

 

Updates the Company Compliance Manual and trains on employees on regulatory changes that requires changes to the Compliance Manual.

 

Ensures pre-clearance was given for any confidential information about the Company that was requested be given out during the quarter in review.

 

Confirms with the CCO that email and instant message surveillance is adequate and review any exceptions if there were any.

 

Discusses any regulatory benchmarks that may have been hit which require new regulatory filings such as a Form 13H or Form 13F

 

Through the CCO confirmation, ensure that AML analysis is being conducted and reported to the CCO.

 

Make sure that all investor complaints are immediately reported to the CCO and the Trust CCO immediately.

 

Make sure that all regulatory in legal inquiries are made known to the CCO and that the CCO immediately discloses and discusses them with the Trust CCO.

 

Reviews all Marketing Material and ensures that the marketing material was approved by the CCO, CCO and Distributor.

 

Discusses all potential solicitor contracts and their pre-clearance with the CCO.

 

Determines if any new service providers were added and ensures that they have adequate Disaster Recovery controls in place.

 

Overviews with the CCO any and all pre-trade clearance exceptions that came through the Compliance Portal during the quarter in review.

 

Overviews any and all Forms and dialogue on said Forms that were sent by either the CCO or Company employees through the Compliance Portal. The CCO receives notice of any Form that is submitted through the Compliance Portal within one business day and the CCO determines if an escalation must be made to the Trust CCO daily.

 

Forms could include Compliance Concern Reports, Political Contribution pre- clearance, Outside Business Activities Form, etc.

 

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Discuss any employees that entered the Company or left the Company with the CCO and file or update any necessary Form U4s or U5s.

 

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APPENDIX VII
THE COMPLIANCE PORTAL

 

Toroso utilizes ComplySci software (the “Compliance Portal”) to facilitate and test the compliance program of Toroso Investments, LLC (the “Company”). Toroso engages ComplySci independently. The Compliance Portal’s user-friendly features allow an efficient online administration of the compliance program tailored to Company’s specific needs. This appendix describes the main features of the Compliance Portal and how it is utilized.

 

Each employee of the Company has their own user name and login on the Compliance Portal. Toroso accesses the Compliance Portal daily in order to facilitate the compliance program for example by approving personal trade-clearances, alerting the CCO of any exceptions discovered in an employee’s personal trading account, review Company marketing material submitted by the CCO, etc. Below is a list of items within the Compliance Portal that employees have access to and their descriptions.

 

Gifts/Entertainment Given and Gifts/Entertainment Received: This feature allows employees of the Company to submit a request to give or receive a gift or entertainment. Employees would need to fill out the form providing basic information like the type of the gift, its value and information on recipient. Once submitted, the CCO would review the form for potential conflicts of interest. The Portal acts as a log for Gifts and Entertainments.

 

Restricted List: Remove a Company: The Compliance Portal allows editing the list of its restricted companies of which securities the Company or its employees cannot trade. The Form requires statements of reasons for removing the company from the list.

 

Outside Business Activity Disclosure: This tool consists of a questionnaire to determine whether any employee’s outside business activity constitutes an impermissible conflict of interest.

 

Marketing Material Review Request: Toroso can submit all its marketing material for review on the compliance portal. Marketing material can be attached to the form and submitted along with the other descriptions of the material. The CCO and his designee timely reviews the marketing material and provides feedback before it is disseminated.

 

Compliance Concern Reporting and Certification: This Form is available for any employee to fill out if they have Compliance concerns. The CCO takes the necessary steps to address the problem and determines if escalation to the Trust CCO is necessary.

 

Cross-trade Request Form: Cross trades by this Company require escalation to the Trust CCO. Once the Trust CCO approves, the CCO can utilize this Form for documentation and record-keeping purposes.

 

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Trade Error Disclosure: In the event of a trade error, any employee can fill out the Trade Error Disclosure Form and submit it. The CCO is responsible for any necessary escalation required by the Trust Policies.

 

Restricted List: Add a Company: Employees fill out this to add a company to the Restricted List of the Company. The CCO reviews the reasons for adding the list to the company, typically because the Company trades in the company seek to be added or because material nonpublic information has been discovered. The CCO is made immediately aware of any Restricted List additions. It is the duty of the CCO to inform all employees of additions to the restricted list.

 

Trade Pre-Clearance Requests: Employees of the Company must obtain trade pre- clearance before effecting a trade in their discretionary accounts. Once a trade pre- clearance request is submitted, the CCO reviews the request against the current restricted list and other restrictions set forth in the Compliance Manual. After a careful review of these items the CCO either grants or denies pre-clearance. Any pre-clearance exceptions are reported immediately to the CCO. The CCO determines whether or not to escalate the issue to the Trust CCO.

 

Political Contribution Pre-Approval Request: Employees are required to obtain pre- approval before making any political contributions. Once submitted, the CCO reviews the Form for compliance with the Pay-to-Play rules, regardless of whether the amount of money to be contributed is within accepted amounts.

 

Proxy Vote Disclosure: The CCO will submit this once proxies are voted. The Compliance Portal acts as a log for such disclosures and is utilized to aid the CCO in preparing and filing the Form N-PX on behalf of the Tidal Trust. With respect to the ATAC Rotation Fund, the CCO will review and sign Form N-PX prepared by MPS. MPS will file the form on behalf of the Fund.

 

Pre-Approval of Paid Consultant or Expert Network: Before the Company contracts with a paid consultant, the CCO will, while completely complying with all Trust Policies and Procedures, submit this form through the Compliance Portal for compliance analysis.

 

Add an Employee: The CCO may add new employees on the Company’s Compliance Portal.

 

Submit a Memo Documenting an Unusual Event: This item is a catch all for anything else either employees or the CCO may deem necessary to disclose to Toroso, maintain a copy of, or merely has questions on and seeks documentation.

 

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The Compliance Portal acts as a log for all of the above mentioned items and is where the CCO daily administers the compliance needs of the Company. Everything is stored in the cloud and may be accessed wherever there are accesses to the internet or smart phones.

 

New Employees

 

The CCO, will create a user account for that Employee and send an email to the Employee notifying them of their user name, password, and their designated compliance training date and time. Once compliance training has been completed, the Employee will receive notification via email of their initial assignments. These may include:

 

Initial Acknowledgement – Compliance Manual and Code of Ethics

 

Initial Information – Restricted List

 

Initial Disclosures – Disciplinary History

 

Initial Disclosures – Outside Business Activities

 

Initial Disclosures – Political Contributions

 

Initial Disclosures – Compliance Concerns

 

Initial Disclosures – Social Media Use

 

Initial Disclosures – Holdings or Brokerage Account

 

Existing Employees

 

Existing Employees will also receive assignments through the Compliance Portal. These will be tracked, based on the compliance calendar is Appendix III of the Manual. These assignments may include:

 

Quarterly Attestation – Trade Activity

 

Quarterly Disclosures – Compliance Concerns

 

Quarterly Information – Restricted List

 

Semi-Annual Disclosures – Political Contributions

 

Semi-Annual Disclosures – Outside Business Activities

 

Semi-Annual Disclosures – Disciplinary History

 

Annual Disclosures – Social Media Use

 

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Annual Acknowledgement – Compliance Manual and Code of Ethics

 

Updating Information – Restricted List

 

Updating Information – Compliance Manual and Code of Ethics

 

These assignments satisfy the required documentation for new Employees, as well as ongoing compliance for existing Employees, within the compliance program and duplicate the hard copy Exhibits included in the Company’s Compliance Manual and Code of Ethics. However, should an Employee be unable to access the Compliance Portal, they can reference the hard copy Exhibits contained in the Manual.

 

Employees are notified of a new assignment via email from the Compliance Portal. It is the Employee’s responsibility to notify the CCO, or designee, of any changes in contact information that might prevent them from receiving notifications from the Compliance Portal.

 

Employees are expected to log into the Compliance Portal and complete any outstanding assignments within the time frame designated in the “Due Date” column. In order for the system to recognize that an assignment has been completed, the Employee must select the “Complete” button within the assignment. Instructions applicable to each assignment are contained within the assignment itself.

 

Online Forms

 

The Company’s compliance program requires immediate disclosure in several areas. In order to make these disclosures, Employees can use the Compliance Portal’s online forms section.

 

Each link pictured above is attached to online documentation for various compliance program items. Once the Employee has submitted the information and/or request, Toroso will review and record the information and respond directly to the Employee.

 

Personal Trading Review

 

Employees are required to disclose any holdings in brokerage accounts for which they are a direct or indirect beneficial owner. The Company uses the Compliance Portal to facilitate this process.

 

Status Updates

 

The Company’s CCO will receive monthly status reports of all outstanding assignments, as well as any requests received from Employees within the last month. The CCO can at any time request more or less frequent reporting. Any compliance issue, however, will immediately be brought to the attention of the CCO.

 

40

 

User Guide

 

Each Employee will receive a detailed User Guide as part of their initial information assignments.

 

41

 

EXHIBIT A
EMPLOYEE ANNUAL ACKNOWLEDGMENT FORM

 

The undersigned Employee of Toroso Investments, LLC (the “Company”) acknowledges having received and read a copy of the Compliance Manual and Code of Ethics, (the “Manual”) and a copy of the Trust (the “Trust Policies”) (the “Manual” and the “Trust Policies” collectively, the “Manuals”). The Employee understands that observance of the policies and procedures contained in the Manuals is a material condition of the Employee’s employment by the Company and that any violation of any of such policies and procedures by the Employee will be grounds for immediate termination by the Company.

 

By the signature below, the Employee agrees to abide by the policies and procedures described in the Manuals and affirms’ that the Employee has not previously violated such policies or procedures and has reported all securities transactions for his reportable personal account(s) in the most recent calendar year as required by the Manuals.

 

Employee Name:    

 

Employee Signature:    

 

Date:    

 

57

 

EXHIBIT B
COMPLIANCE CONCERN REPORTING AND CERTIFICATION FORM

 

Every Employee of Toroso Investments, LLC (the “Company”) must internally disclose any and all compliance, regulatory and legal concerns regarding the Company, its Clients, and its Employees.

 

To that end, and to aid the Company to meet all of its legal and regulatory requirements, please use this form quarterly to disclose, certify disclosure, or certify the lack of knowledge of any legal or regulatory concerns. Please check all that apply:

 

I am reporting a legal or regulatory concern, which is briefly described below.

 

Other than as reported here or in previously submitted forms, I have no legal or regulatory concerns regarding the Company, its Clients or its Employees. If I believe a previously reported concern has gone unaddressed, I am reporting such concern again here and the fact that it has gone unaddressed.

 

1.
2.

 

In addition, I have read and understand the Company’s Compliance Manual and Code of Ethics which sets forth the Company’s policies and procedures, and I agree to abide by such policy during the term of my employment.

 

Employee Name:    

 

Employee Signature:    

 

Date:    

 

58

 

EXHIBIT C
OUTSIDE ACTIVITIES OF CURRENT EMPLOYEES

 

All employees are required to devote their full time and efforts to the business of the Company. In addition, no person may make use of his or her position as an employee, make use of information acquired during employment, or make personal investments in a manner that may create a conflict, or the appearance of a conflict, between the employee’s personal interests and the interests of the Company.

 

To assist in ensuring that such conflicts are avoided, an employee must obtain the written approval of the CCO prior to:

 

Serving as a director, officer, general partner or trustee of, or as a consultant to, any business, corporation or partnership, including family owned businesses, including charitable, non-profit organizations.

 

Accepting a second job or part-time job of any kind or engaging in any other business outside of the Company.

 

Acting, or representing that the employee is acting, as agent for a firm in any investment banking matter or as a consultant or finder.

 

Making a private investment.

 

Obtaining a controlling interest in any company or entity.

 

Forming or participating in any stockholders’ or creditors’ committee (other than on behalf of the Company) that purports to represent security holders or claimants in connection with a bankruptcy or distressed situation or in making demands for changes in the management or policies of any firm, or becoming actively involved in a proxy contest.

 

Receiving compensation of any nature, directly or indirectly, from any person, firm, corporation, estate, trust or association, other than the Company, whether as a fee, commission, bonus or other consideration such as stock, options or warrants.

 

Every employee is required to complete the attached disclosure form and have the form approved by the CCO prior to serving in any of the capacities or making any of the investments described heretofore. In addition, an employee must advise the Company if the employee is or believes that he or she may become a participant, either as a plaintiff, defendant or witness, in any litigation or arbitration.

 

59

 

 

OUTSIDE ACTIVITIES AND PRIVATE INVESTMENTS OF CURRENT EMPLOYEES

 

INSTRUCTIONS:

 

The Company expects its full-time Employees to devote their full business day to the business of the Company and to avoid any outside employment, position, association or investment that might interfere or appear to interfere with the independent exercise of the employee’s judgment regarding the best interests of the Company and its Clients. Should an activity or investment be deemed a conflict of interest, or appear to create a conflict of interest, between the employee and the Company or a Client, the employee may be required to terminate such.

 

   
Name of Employee  

 

Section A.GENERAL (All employees must complete all questions in Section A.)

 

1. ☐  Yes ☐  No   I am seeking approval to become a director, officer, general partner, sole proprietor or employee of, or a consultant or contributor to, an organization or entity other than the Company or any of its affiliates. If yes, complete only Sections B and H.
         
2. ☐  Yes ☐  No   I am seeking approval to serve or to agree to serve in a fiduciary capacity as an administrator, conservator, executor, guardian or trustee. If yes, complete only Sections C and H.
         
3. ☐  Yes ☐  No   I am seeking approval to make a private investment in an organization or entity. If yes, complete only Sections D and H.
         
4. ☐  Yes ☐  No   I am seeking approval to purchase a controlling interest in an organization or entity. If yes, complete only Sections E and H.
         
5. ☐  Yes ☐  No   I am seeking approval to serve or to participate in a security holders’ or creditors’ committee or to become actively involved in a proxy contest seeking a change in the management or control of an organization or entity. If yes, complete only Sections F and H.
         
6. ☐  Yes ☐  No   I anticipate becoming involved or participating in an arbitration or litigation, either as a plaintiff, defendant or witness. If yes, complete only Sections G and H.

 

60

 

 

Section B.EMPLOYMENT RELATIONSHIPS AND DIRECTORSHIPS

 

Name of Organization or Entity:    
     
Employee’s Position or Function:    
     
Activity or Business of Organization or Entity:    
     
Type and Location of Organization or Entity:    
     
Date Association with Organization or Entity Will Commence:    
     
Hours Devoted Per Day:   During Business Hours _____ During Non-Business Hours _________
     
Annual Compensation From Organization or Entity:    
     
Financial Interest in Organization or Entity:    

 

To the best of your knowledge:

 

Does any material adverse information exist concerning the organization or entity? ☐  Yes ☐  No
     
Does any conflict of interest exist between any the Company or any of its affiliates? ☐  Yes ☐  No
     
Does the organization or entity have a business relationship with the Company or any of its affiliates? ☐  Yes ☐  No

 

If yes to any of the above, please provide full explanation.

 

 
 

 

61

 

 

Section C.FIDUCIARY RELATIONSHIPS

 

Name of Person or Organization or Entity Employee will be Acting for:    
     
Employee’s Fiduciary Capacity:    
     
Basis for Appointment:    
(e.g., Family Related)    
     
Annual Compensation for Serving:    

 

Have securities or futures accounts (other than Federal Reserve Board “Treasury Direct” accounts) been opened for the benefit of the person or organization or entity and will the employee have the authority to make investment decisions for such accounts? ☐  Yes ☐  No

 

If yes, please complete and attach employee securities/futures account disclosure form included in the Company’s Code of Ethics.

 

62

 

 

Section D.PRIVATE INVESTMENTS

 

Name of Organization or Entity:    
     
Type and Size of Interest:    
     
Type and Location of Organization or Entity:    
     
Activity or Business of Organization or Entity:    
     
Date Interest to be Acquired:    
     
If Equity Interest, Percentage Ownership:    
     
Will you be receiving any selling compensation in connection with this investment?    

 

To the best of your knowledge:

 

Does any material adverse information exist concerning the organization or entity? ☐  Yes ☐  No
     
Does any conflict of interest exist between the Company or any of its affiliates? ☐  Yes ☐  No
     
Does the organization or entity have a business relationship with the Company or any of its affiliates? ☐  Yes ☐  No

 

If yes to any of the above, please provide full explanation.

 

 
 

 

63

 

 

Section E.CONTROL INTERESTS

 

Name of Organization or Entity:    
     
Type and Size of Interest:    
     
Ownership Percentage:    
     
Activity or Business of Organization or Entity:    
     
Date Interest to be Acquired:    

 

To the best of your knowledge:

 

Does any material adverse information exist concerning the organization or entity? ☐  Yes ☐  No
     
Does any conflict of interest exist between this entity and the Company or any of its affiliates? ☐  Yes ☐  No
     
Does the organization or entity have a business relationship with the Company or any of its affiliates? ☐  Yes ☐  No

 

If yes to any of the above, please provide full explanation.

 

 
 
 

 

64

 

 

Section F.CLAIMANT COMMITTEES/PROXY CONTESTS

 

Type of Committee (if applicable):    
     
Target Organization or Entity:    
     
Activity or Business of Organization or Entity:    
     
Type and Location of Organization or Entity:    
     
Employee Role or Function:    

 

To the best of your knowledge:

 

Does any conflict of interest exist between this entity and the Company or any of its affiliates? ☐  Yes ☐  No
     
Does the organization or entity have a business relationship with the Company or any of its affiliates? ☐  Yes ☐  No

 

If yes to any of the above, please provide full explanation.

 

 
 
 

 

65

 

 

Section G.ARBITRATION/LITIGATION

 

Employee Role:       Plaintiff        ☐       Defendant        ☐       Witness      ☐

 

Title of Action:  
   
Description of
Action:
 
   
   

 

To the best of your knowledge:

 

Is the Company or any of its affiliates involved in or affected by this action? ☐  Yes ☐  No
     
Is any Company client, counterparty or vendor involved in or affected by this action? ☐  Yes ☐  No

 

If yes to any of the above, please provide full explanation.

 

 
 
 

 

 

66

 

 

Section H.EMPLOYEE AFFIRMATION

 

I affirm that the above information is accurate and complete as of the date hereof. I understand that I am under an obligation during my employment with the Company to obtain the approval of the CCO prior to engaging in outside activities or making certain investments, as more fully described in the Company policy and to advise the Company if I become or I believe I may become a participant, either as a plaintiff, defendant or witness in any litigation or arbitration. I also agree to advise the CCO promptly if the information herein changes or becomes inaccurate.

 

     
Employee Signature   Date

 

Section I.

COMPLIANCE OFFICER

APPROVAL/NOTIFICATION

  

     
Compliance Officer Signature   Date
     
     
Compliance Officer Name    

 

67

 

EXHIBIT D

PERSONAL ACCOUNTS DISCLOSURE FORM

 

Every Employee must disclose to the CCO any and all personal accounts that have the capability to hold or trade any security28over which the Employee has, or acquires, any direct or indirect beneficial ownership.29 An Employee is presumed to be a beneficial owner of securities that are held by his or her immediate family members sharing the Employee’s household, which include securities accounts of a spouse, minor children and any other relatives resides in the Employee’s home, as well as accounts of another person if by reason of any contract, understanding, relationship, agreement or other arrangement the Employee obtains therefrom benefits substantially equivalent to those of ownership.

 

Disclosure is not required for any account:

 

over which the Employee has, or acquires, no direct or indirect beneficial ownership in the account;

 

over which the Employee has no direct or indirect influence or power to control or ability to influence investment decisions in the account, including: (i) suggesting purchases or sales of securities to the trustee or third-party discretionary manager; or (ii) consulting with the trustee or third-party discretionary manager as to the particular allocation of securities to be made in the account.

 

Please check one of the following and sign below:

 

I do not have any accounts that must be disclosed. I agree to notify the CCO prior to any such account being opened in the future.

 

Set forth below is a complete list of all accounts that must be disclosed (use additional forms if necessary).

 

 

28           “Security” means any note, stock, treasury stock, security future, bond, debenture, evidence of indebtedness, certificate of interest or participation in any profit-sharing agreement, collateral-trust certificate, preorganization certificate or subscription, transferable share, investment contract, voting-trust certificate, certificate of deposit for a security, fractional undivided interest in oil, gas, or other mineral rights, any put, call, straddle, option, or privilege on any security (including a certificate of deposit) or on any group or index of securities (including any interest therein or based on the value thereof), or any put, call, straddle, option, or privilege entered into on a national securities exchange relating to foreign currency, or, in general, any interest or instrument commonly known as a “security”, or any certificate of interest or participation in, temporary or interim certificate for, receipt for, guaranty of, or warrant or right to subscribe to or purchase any of the foregoing.

 

29           Rule 204A-1(b)(1)(i)(A) and (b)(2)(i). Rule 204A-1 provides that beneficial ownership is to be interpreted in the same manner as for purposes of rule 16a-1(a)(2) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 in determining whether a person has beneficial ownership of a security for purposes of section 16 of that Act. Rule 204A-1(e)(3). This is the same as the standard under rule 17j-1.

 

 68

 

The CCO will be sending a letter requesting duplicate confirms and statements for each of the accounts disclosed below.

 

Name of Institution and Account Holder’s Name
(i.e., you, spouse, child)
Account Number Have you
requested
duplicate
statements?
1.    
2.    
3.    
4.    

 

I have read and understand the Personal Securities Trading Policies referenced in the Code of Ethics and Compliance Manual, and I agree to abide by such policies during the term of my employment.

 

Employee Name:    

 

Employee Signature:    

 

Date:    

 

 69

 

EXHIBIT E
MANAGED ACCOUNT DISCLOSURE REPORT

 

Employee Name:   Date:  

 

Dear Chief Compliance Officer,

 

In accordance with Rule 204A-1 (the “Rule”) under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended, I am considered to be an “access person” of Toroso Investment, LLC (the “Company”) and subject to the Rule’s terms and conditions. The Rule requires periodic reporting of my personal securities transactions and holdings to be made to the Company. However, as specified in the Rule, I am not required to submit any report with respect to securities held in accounts over which I have “no direct or indirect influence or control.”

 

I do not have any accounts that must be disclosed, over which I have “no direct or indirect influence or control.” I agree to notify the CCO prior to any such account being opened in the future.

 

I have retained a financial planner, wealth manager, trustee or third-party investment manager (collectively, a “Manager”) that is an independent unaffiliated professional to manage my accounts. The following is a list of the accounts over which I have no direct or indirect influence or control (the “Accounts”):

 

Name of Broker-Dealer, Bank or
other Institution
Account Name and Number Relationship to Manager
(independent unaffiliated
professional, friend, relative, etc.)
1.    
2.    
3.    
4.    

 

By signing below, I acknowledged and certify that:

 

1.I have no direct or indirect influence or control over the Accounts;

2.If the control over the Accounts should change in any way, I will immediately notify you in writing of such a change and will provide any required information regarding holdings and transactions in the Accounts pursuant to the Rule; and

3.I will agree to provide reports of holdings and/ or transactions (including, but not limited to, duplicate account statements and trade confirmations) made in the Accounts at the request of the Company’s Chief Compliance Officer.

 

 70

 

Access person completing this certification on an annual basis, also acknowledge and certify the following:

 

1.I did not suggest that the Manager make any particular purchases or sales of securities for the Accounts during the period [Month YEAR to Month YEAR];

2.I did not direct the Manager to make any particular purchases or sales of securities for the Accounts during the period [Month YEAR to Month YEAR]; and

3.I did not consult with the Manager as to the particular allocation of investments to be made in the Accounts during the period [Month YEAR to Month YEAR].

 

Name:    

 

Signature:    

 

Date:    

  

 71

 

EXHIBIT F
EMPLOYEE SECURITIES HOLDINGS REPORT

 

Information As of     

 

The following represents all Covered Security holdings that I had a direct or indirect beneficial interest as of the above date:

 

Name and Type of Covered Security Ticker
Symbol
or CUSIP
Holding Type (Long, Short) Number of
Shares and
/or
Principal
Amount
Name of Institution and Account
Number
         
         
         
         
         
         
         

*Note: In lieu of listing on this form each and every covered security held as of the date above, you may attach as an exhibit to this document your statement(s) from each personal account. Notwithstanding this accommodation, it remains your sole responsibility to ensure that the information reflected in any such statement(s) is accurate and completely discloses ALL covered securities holdings as of the date no more than forty-five (45) days prior to the above date.

 

The following represents all personal accounts in which any Securities are held for my direct or indirect benefit as of the above date:

 

Name of Institution and Account Holder’s Name
 (i.e., you, spouse, child)
Account Number Have you requested
duplicate
statements
    ☐ Yes ☐ No
    ☐ Yes ☐ No
    ☐ Yes ☐ No
    ☐ Yes ☐ No
    Yes ☐ No
    Yes ☐ No
    Yes ☐ No

 

☐       I do not have any personal accounts that maintain securities for my direct or indirect benefit.

 

☐       I have reported above all covered security holdings in my personal accounts.

 

 72

 

 

Employee Name:    

 

Employee Signature:    
     

Date:    

 

 73

 

EXHIBIT G

EMPLOYEE QUARTERLY TRADE REPORT

 

For the calendar Quarter ending     , 20__

 

With respect to covered securities transactions that meet reporting requirement of the Company’s Compliance Manual and Code of Ethics (Please initial one of the following):

 

    I have not engaged in any covered securities transactions which must be reported.
     
    I have listed below all covered securities transactions which must be reported.
     
    All covered securities transactions which must be reported were executed in
    accounts for which the CCO directly receives duplicate trade confirmations and brokerage statements. I have not engaged in any other covered securities transactions except as disclosed therein.

 

Employee Name:    

 

Employee Signature:    
     

Date:    

 

 74

 

EXHIBIT G

 

Employee Name:     Quarter Ended:   , 20  

 

Trade Date Company or Symbol (Ticker or CUSIP) Security Description (Stock, bond, option, etc.) Transaction Type (Buy, Sell, Short, etc.) Number of Shares Principal Amount Interest Rate and Maturity Date Price Account/Broker
                 
                 
                 
                 
                 
                 

*Note - In lieu of listing each covered security transaction, you may attach a copy of the confirmation or account statement covering each covered security transaction for the applicable quarterly period. Notwithstanding this accommodation, it remains your sole responsibility to ensure that the required information reflected in those documents is accurate and completely discloses ALL covered security transactions during the applicable quarterly period.

 

 75

 

EXHIBIT I
PAY-TO-PLAY POLICY ACKNOWLEDGMENT AND PRE-CLEARANCE FORM

 

Employee Name:    Title:  

 

Toroso Investments, LLC (the “Company”) has determined that you are, or are to become, a “covered associate” as such term is defined in Rule 206(4)-5 (the “Rule”) under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended. The Rule is designed to curtail the use of political contributions to influence the selection of investment advisors by government entities or government investment pools.

 

As a covered associate, you acknowledge that you are required to comply with the Company’s policy concerning the Rule, as reflected in its Compliance Manual, including by signing this acknowledgment and by pre-clearing with the CCO any and all contributions or payments to any Covered Official (as such term is defined in the Company’s Compliance Manual). By signing this form, you certify that the information provided herein is accurate and complete.

 

Date of Actual/Proposed Contribution:  

 

Covered Official Receiving Contribution:  

 

Current Title and Occupation Covered Official:  

 

Government Entity(s) Influenced by Covered Official:  

 

 

 

 

Is Covered Official a Candidate for Office? Yes No

 

  If Yes, title of the office being sought:  

 

Description of Contribution (Cash, Use of Phones, etc.):  

 

Value of Contribution:  

 

79

 

 

As of the date hereof, and since the date of the last submitted Covered Associate Acknowledgement and Pre-Clearance Form (if any), I have made no political contributions.

 

APPROVED

 

DENIED

 

Employee Signature:   Date:    
       

 

Reviewed By:   Date:    
  Name:    

 

80

 

EXHIBIT J

 

PAY-TO-PLAY POLICY NEW EMPLOYEE POLTICAL CONTRIBUTION DECLARATION FORM

 

In order to comply with certain regulatory requirements, Toroso Investments, LLC (the “Company”) is required to ascertain if you have made certain political contributions in the past two years (whether directly or indirectly). As a result, kindly complete the following questions, sign and return it to the Company’s Chief Compliance Officer.

 

  1. Name:  
  2. Address (include for past 2 years):  
       
  3. Your Position:  
  4. Have you made any Contributions30 to any Official31 of a Government Entity32 or political party of a state or subdivision or political action committee (“PAC”) within the past two years? (Please check):       Yes No
           

If you checked “NO” to Question 4 above, please skip the rest of the form and sign and date below.

 

If you checked “YES” to 4 above, kindly respond to the following questions for each Contribution.

 

  5. Name of the official, political party or PAC to whom you made the Contribution?
     
     
  6. Date and amount (or description) of the Contribution?
     
     
  7. Office held or sought by the official, if applicable?
     

  

 

30Contribution” means (i) any gift, subscription, loan, advance or deposit of money or anything of value made for 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 a successful candidate for state or local office.

  

31Official” means any person (including such person’s election committee) who was, at the time of the Contribution, an incumbent, candidate, or successful candidate for elective office of a Government Entity. In some circumstances, a Contribution to a local political party or a political action committee may be deemed to be a Contribution to an individual Official or Officials. Note, this definition applies to any incumbent Official who is a candidate for an elective office of the federal government, and vice versa.

 

32Government Entity” means (i) any state or political subdivision of a state, including an agency or authority, (ii) a pool of assets sponsored or established by such entity, including but not limited to a “defined benefit plan” or general fund, (iii) a plan or program of such entity, and (iv) officers, agents or employees of such entity acting in their official capacity.

 

81

 

 

Employee Name:    

 

Employee Signature:    
     

Date:    

  

 

Chief Compliance Officer Signature

 

82

 

 

EXHIBIT K

RESTRICTED LIST – ADDITION FORM

 

Issuer name (full legal name):  
Type of Security:  
Class/Series (if applicable):  
Ticker Symbol or ‘Private’:  
CUSIP (if applicable):  
Analyst Name:  

 

Please list any other persons with whom you will share the information described herein:

 

 

 

Date Added to Restricted List:  

 

Please describe the material non-public information received:  

 

 

 

How was the information obtained

(i.e. Intralinks, in-person presentation, phone call, email, mail, etc.)?

 

 

 

 

What information was obtained? (i.e. financial forecasts, earnings estimates, etc.) If forecasts/estimates were obtained, please provide time period of estimates.

 

 

 

Why did you decide to receive the material non-public information? (Please include what type of transaction we are contemplating, if applicable)

 

 

 

Was the material non-public information received directly from the Restricted Entity or through an intermediary such as an investment bank?       Yes: ☐      No: ☐

 

83

 

If yes, please provide name of the entity or intermediary and the name of the individual who provided the information:

 

 

 

Please list types of securities issued by the Restricted Entity (public/private, equity/debt, etc.)

 

 

 

Do you know of any contractual restrictions on trading in the securities of the Restricted Entity while in possession of the material, non-public information (i.e. agreement not to trade for a certain period of time)?

 

 

 

Employee Name:    

 

Employee Signature:    
     

Date:    

  

84

 

 

EXHIBIT L

RESTRICTED LIST – DELETION FORM

 

Issuer name (full legal name):  
Type of Security:  
Class/Series (if applicable):  
Ticker Symbol or ‘Private’:  
CUSIP (if applicable):  
Analyst Name:  
Date Added to Restricted List:  
Date Removed From Restricted List:  

 

Please explain why the entity is being removed from the restricted list: Is the information stale? (i.e. because of the time period or events/transactions facing the company or conditions/trends facing the industry, etc.) Has the information become public? Please provide details and include any relevant press releases, company filings, etc.

 

 

 

 

 

When was the last time you received material non-public information regarding this entity?

 

 

 

Did the firm participate in a transaction in connection with receipt of the material non-public information? Yes ☐ No ☐

 

If yes, provide details:  

 

Did you share the material non-public information with any person outside of the Company?

 

Yes ☐ No ☐ If yes, please explain:  

 

Employee Name:    

 

Employee Signature:     Date:  
         

  

85

 

EXHIBIT M

REQUEST FOR PRE-CLEARANCE OF PERSONAL SECURITIES TRADE

 

Employee:  

 

Date

 

Name of Security

 

Account

 

Quantity

 

Approx Price

 

Symbol or CUSIP

 

Purchase or Sale
             
             
             

 

The Employee submitting this request understands and specifically represents as follows:*

(a)I have no inside information relating to the above-referenced issuer(s);

(b)I have not had any contact or communication with the issuer(s) in the last 6 months;

(c)I am not aware of any conflict of interest this transaction may cause with respect to any Client account and I am not aware of any Client account trading activity that may have occurred in the issuers of the above referenced securities during the past [four] trading days or that may now or in the near future be contemplated;

(d)If approval is granted, it is only good for one day and specifically the day it was approved (e.g., expiring at midnight on the day of approval); and

(e)The securities are not being purchased in an initial public offering or private placement.

 

*If for any reason an employee cannot make the above required representations or has any questions in this area, the employee MUST contact the CCO before submitting any request for approval.

 

☐ APPROVED

☐ DENIED

 

Employee Signature:   Date:    
       

 

Reviewed By:   Date:    
  Name:    

 

86

 

EXHIBIT N

GIFT AND ENTERTAINMENT APPROVAL FORM33

 

Requested By:                                                                                                                                      Date of Request:                                                                

 

Payor34:  

 

Purpose and location or description of gift (if applicable):                                                                                                                                                          

 

 

 

Attendees35:  

 

 

 

Amount36:  

 

Date of Event:                                                         

 

Please provide the number of gifts previously received from the Payor or entertainment events attended that were sponsored by the Payor in the current calendar year.

 

Gifts:    Entertainment:  

 

Please provide any additional details that would be helpful in the CCO’s determination:

 

 

 

COMPLIANCE OFFICER APPROVAL/DENIAL

☐ Approved                    ☐ Denied

 

Name of Compliance Officer   Date
     
Signature of Compliance Officer    

 

 

33 Other than routine entertainment (such as business meals) valued less than approximately $[1000.00] or gifts valued less than $[200.00], advance approval of all entertainment and business gifts, given or received, is required, and any available supporting documentation must be provided.

34 Be Specific-i.e. name and type (such as broker- dealers, RIAs, industry association, individuals, etc.); describe any contractual or other relationship between the payor and the payee. Please complete a different form for each payor.

35 Indicate any relationship to the payor.

36 Include breakdowns, including any amounts paid for travel and accommodations.

 

87

 

EXHIBIT O

FOREIGN PERSON GIFT AND ENTERTAINMENT PRE-CLEARANCE FORM

 

Name of Recipient:  

 

Recipients relationship to Foreign government/entity:  

 

Describe Gift/Entertainment:

 

What is the approximate value of the gift/entertainment?   $  
       
Have you given anything of value to the recipient previously?    Yes       ☐ No
       
If yes, date of last gift/approximate value:   $  
       
Employee Name:    

 

 

Employee Signature   Date

 

CCO APPROVAL/NOTIFICATION

 

CCO Signature   Date
     
CCO Name    

88

 

 

ETF Opportunities Trust 485BPOS

 Exhibit 99(p)(10)

 

Kingsbarn Capital Management
Code of Ethics

 

Introduction and Things you Should Know

This is the Code of Ethics (the “Code” or “Code of Ethics”) of Kingsbarn Capital Management (“Kingsbarn”). The Code includes the following sections:

 

Definitions

Fiduciary Duty Standards

Code Compliance and Administration

Guidelines for Professional Standards

Personal Trading Policies

Sanctions and Reporting Violations

Insider Trading Policies

 

Investment advisers are fiduciaries that owe their undivided loyalty to their clients. Investment advisers are trusted to represent clients’ interests in many matters, and advisers must hold themselves to the highest standard of fairness in all such matters.

 

Rule 204A-1 under the Advisers Act requires each registered investment adviser to adopt and implement a written code of ethics that contains provisions regarding:

 

The adviser’s fiduciary duty to its clients;

Compliance with all applicable Federal Securities Laws;

Reporting and review of personal Securities transactions and holdings;

Reporting of violations of the code; and

Delivery of the code to all Associated Persons.

 

Rule 17j-1 under the Investment Company Act of 1940 also requires certain persons to be subject to a code of ethics. Rule 17j-1 makes it unlawful for any affiliated person of a RIC, including Associated Persons, or any affiliated person of its adviser or principal underwriter to engage in certain enumerated types of misconduct in connection with the purchase or sale by such person of a security held or to be acquired by the RIC.

 

If you have any doubt or uncertainty about what this Code requires or permits, do not speculate. You should ask the CCO, or if the concern involves the CCO, then to another supervisor,

 

Kingsbarn expects all Associated Persons to comply with the spirit of the Code, as well as its specific requirements.

 

Kingsbarn treats violations of this Code (including violations of its spirit) very seriously. If you violate either the letter or the spirit of this Code, Kingsbarn may take disciplinary measures against you, including, without limitation, imposing penalties or fines, reducing your compensation, demoting you, requiring unwinding of the trade, requiring disgorgement of trading gains, suspending or terminating your employment, or any combination of the foregoing.

 

Improper trading activity can constitute a violation of this Code. You can also violate this Code by failing to file required reports, or by making inaccurate or misleading reports or statements concerning trading activity or securities accounts. Your conduct can violate this Code even if no clients are harmed by your conduct.

 

 1

 

Definitions

 

These terms have special meanings as used in this Code. Defined terms from Kingsbarn’s Compliance Manual are incorporated by reference into this Code:

 

Access Person - An “Access Person” is a Supervised Person who has access to nonpublic information regarding any client’s purchase or sale of securities, is involved in making securities recommendations to clients, or has access to such recommendations that are nonpublic. Kingsbarn considers all of its employees Access Persons. Therefore, all employees are subject to the requirements of this Code. At the discretion of the CCO, Kingsbarn may require other persons who, depending on the facts and circumstances, act as an agent for, or provide services to, Kingsbarn to be treated as Access Persons for some or all of the policies and procedures set forth herein (either as stated herein or in modified form), as determined appropriate by the CCO. Specific arrangements with such persons will vary depending on their relationship to Kingsbarn and other facts and circumstances.

 

Automatic Investment Plan - Purchases and sales of securities in accordance with a pre-set amount or pre-determined schedule effected through an automatic investment plan or dividend reinvestment plan. This includes regular savings plans, pension schemes, the automatic reinvestment of dividends, income or interest received from a security in such plans or any other type of account.

 

Advisers Act - The Investment Advisers Act of 1940.

 

Associated Person - For purposes of this Code, all Supervised Persons and Access Persons are collectively referred to as “Associated Persons.” At the discretion of the CCO, the Company may require other persons who, depending on the facts and circumstances, act as an agent for, or provide services to, the Company to be treated as Associated Persons for some or all of the policies and procedures set forth herein (either as stated herein or in modified form), as determined appropriate by the CCO. Specific arrangements with such persons will vary depending on their relationship to the Company and other facts and circumstances.

 

Beneficial Ownership - Means any opportunity, directly or indirectly, to profit or share in the profit from any transaction in securities, including those owned by members of an Access Person’s Members of the Family/Household, as defined below.

 

Chief Compliance Officer - Means Daniel Mercer, or another person that has been designated to perform the functions of Chief Compliance Officer (“CCO”). For purposes of reviewing the CCO’s own transactions and reports under this Code, the functions of the CCO are performed by another qualified individual, and shall be clearly denoted in Kingsbarn’s compliance files.

 

Client - Any person for whom, or entity for which, Kingsbarn serves as an investment adviser, renders investment advice, or makes any investment decisions for compensation is considered a client.

 

Covered Account - Means any account in which an Access Person has any direct or indirect Beneficial Ownership of Securities.

 

Federal Securities Laws - Means the Securities Act of 1933, the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, the Investment Company Act of 1940, the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, title V of the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, any rules adopted by the SEC under any of these statutes, the Bank Secrecy Act as it applies to investment companies and investment advisers, and any rules adopted thereunder by the SEC or the Department of the Treasury.

 

 2

 

Material Nonpublic Information - See “Insider Trading Policy” herein.

 

Members of the Family/Household - “Members of the Family/Household” include:

 

A spouse or domestic partner (unless they do not share the same household as the Access Person and the Access Person does not contribute in any way to their support);

Children under the age of 18;

Children who are 18 or older (unless they do not share the same household as the Access Person and the Access Person does not contribute in any way to their support); and

Any of the people who share the Access Person’s household including stepchildren, grandchildren, parents, stepparents, grandparents, brothers, sisters, in-laws, and adoptive relationships.

 

Non-Reportable Securities - “Non-Reportable Securities” include:

 

direct obligations of the Government of the United States;

bankers’ acceptances, bank certificates of deposit, commercial paper and high-quality short-term debt instruments, including repurchase agreements;

shares issued by money market funds;

shares issued by open-end investment companies registered in the U.S., none of which are advised or underwritten by the Company or an affiliate;

interests in 529 college savings plans; and

shares issued by unit investment trusts that are invested exclusively in unaffiliated mutual funds.

 

Private Placement - Also known as a “Limited Offering.” An offering that is exempt from registration pursuant to sections 4(2) or 4(6) of the Securities Act, or pursuant to Rules 504, 505, or 506 of Regulation D.

 

Reportable Securities - Means all Securities, except Non-Reportable Securities, in which an Access Person has Beneficial Ownership.

 

Restricted List - a list of Securities that Associated Persons are prohibited from trading without first receiving written clearance from the CCO. Securities that must be placed on the Restricted List include all Fund public portfolio company securities, all public securities about which advisers or Access Persons possess Material Nonpublic Information, or securities from which Kingsbarn or its access persons are contractually or otherwise restricted from transacting. See applicable section in this Code for further details.

 

RIC - Registered Investment Company, under the Investment Company Act of 1940

 

Security or Securities - Means anything that is considered a “security” under the Advisers Act. This is a very broad definition of security. It includes most kinds of investment instruments, including things that one might not ordinarily think of as “securities,” such as:

 

exchange traded funds;

options on securities, on indexes and on currencies;

investments in all kinds of limited partnerships;

investments in foreign unit trusts and foreign mutual funds; and

investments in private investment funds and hedge funds.

 

 3

 

If there is any question or doubt about whether an investment is considered a security or a Reportable Security under this Code, ask the CCO.

 

Supervised Person - A “Supervised Person” is any partner, officer, director (or other person occupying a similar status or performing similar functions), or employee of an investment adviser, or other person who provides investment advice on behalf of the investment adviser and is subject to the supervision and control of the investment adviser. This may also include all temporary workers, consultants, independent contractors, and anyone else designated by the CCO. For purposes of the Code, such “outside individuals” will generally only be included in the definition of a supervised person, if their duties include access to certain types of information, which would put them in a position of sufficient knowledge to necessitate their inclusion under the Code. The CCO shall make the final determination as to which of these are considered supervised persons.

 

 4

 

Fiduciary Duty Standards

 

This Code is based on the principle that Kingsbarn has a fiduciary duty to serve the best interests of its clients and should not place its interests ahead of those of Kingsbarn’s clients. Kingsbarn must avoid activities, interests, and relationships that might interfere with making decisions in the best interests of its clients.

 

All Associated Persons will act with competence, dignity, integrity, and in an ethical manner, when dealing with clients, the public, prospects, third-party service providers and fellow Associated Persons.

 

Kingsbarn Associated Persons designated as Access Persons by a RIC shall comply with the RIC’s Code in addition to Kingsbarn’s Code.

 

We expect all Associated Persons to adhere to the highest standards with respect to any potential conflicts of interest with clients. As a fiduciary, Kingsbarn must act in its clients’ best interests. Notify the CCO promptly if you become aware of any practice that creates, or gives the appearance of, a material conflict of interest.

 

 5

 

Guidelines for Professional Standards

At all times, all Associated Persons must comply with applicable Federal Securities Laws and must reflect the professional standards expected of those engaged in the investment advisory business, and they shall act within the spirit and the letter of the federal, state, and local laws and regulations pertaining to investment advisers and the general conduct of business. These standards require all personnel to be judicious, accurate, objective, and reasonable in dealing with both clients and other parties so that his or her personal integrity is unquestionable.

All Associated Persons are required to report any violation of the Code, by any person, to the CCO or other appropriate persons of Kingsbarn, promptly. Such reports will be held in confidence to the extent practicable. However, Kingsbarn remains responsible for satisfying the regulatory reporting and other obligations that may follow the reporting of a potential violation.

Associated Persons must place the interests of clients first. All Associated Persons must scrupulously avoid serving his or her own personal interests ahead of the interests of Kingsbarn’s clients. In addition, Associated Persons must work diligently to ensure that no client is preferred over any other client.

Associated Persons must use good judgment in identifying and responding appropriately to actual or apparent conflicts. Conflicts of interest that involve Kingsbarn and/or its Associated Persons on one hand and clients on the other hand will generally be fully disclosed and/or resolved in a way that favors the interests of the clients over the interests of Kingsbarn and its Associated Persons. If an Associated Person believes that a conflict of interest has not been identified or appropriately addressed, that Associated Person should promptly bring the issue to the CCO’s attention.

All Associated Persons are naturally prohibited from engaging in any practice that defrauds or misleads any client, or from engaging in any manipulative or deceitful practice with respect to clients or securities.

No Associated Person may serve on the board of directors of any publicly traded company without prior written permission from the CCO.

Associated Persons will not cause or attempt to cause any client to purchase, sell, or hold any security in a manner calculated to create any personal benefit, or on behalf of Kingsbarn.

Associated Persons must use reasonable care and exercise independent professional judgment when conducting investment analysis, making investment recommendations, trading, promoting Kingsbarn’s services, and engaging in other professional activities.

Associated Persons must conduct all personal securities transactions in full compliance with this Code. Technical compliance with the Code’s provisions shall not automatically insulate from scrutiny any securities transactions or actions that could indicate a violation of Kingsbarn’s fiduciary duties.

Personal transactions in securities by Access Persons must be transacted to avoid even the appearance of a conflict of interest on the part of such personnel with the interests of Kingsbarn’s clients. Likewise, Associated Persons must avoid actions or activities that allow (or appear to allow) a person to profit or benefit from his or her position with Kingsbarn at the expense of clients, or that otherwise bring into question the person’s judgment.

Associated Persons are subject to Insider Trading Policies adopted by Kingsbarn to detect and prevent the misuse of Material Nonpublic Information.

No Associated Person shall communicate information known to be false to others (including but not limited to clients, prospective clients and other Associated Persons) with the intention of manipulating financial markets for personal gain.

Associated Persons are prohibited from accepting compensation for services from outside sources without the specific prior written permission of the CCO.

When any Associated Person faces a conflict or potential conflict between his or her personal interest and the interests of clients, he or she is required to immediately report the conflict to the CCO for instructions regarding how to proceed.

 

 6

 

Associated Persons must treat recommendations and actions of Kingsbarn, and material information of other companies, as confidential and private matters. Accordingly, we have adopted a Privacy Policy to prohibit the transmission, distribution, or communication of any information regarding securities transactions in client accounts or other material nonpublic information, except to broker-dealers, other bona fide service providers, or regulators in the ordinary course of business. In addition, no information obtained during the course of employment regarding particular securities (including internal reports and recommendations) may be transmitted, distributed, or communicated to anyone who is not affiliated with Kingsbarn, without the prior written approval of the CCO.

No Associated Person shall intentionally sell to or purchase from a client any security or other property without prior written authorization from the CCO.

No Associated Person shall provide loans or receive loans from clients.

 

 7

 

Code of Ethics Compliance and Administration

 

The CCO administers the Code and shall certify compliance with any RIC’s Code to the RIC’s CCO on a quarterly basis. All questions regarding the Code should be directed to the CCO. You must cooperate to the fullest extent reasonably requested by the CCO to enable (i) Kingsbarn to comply with all applicable Federal Securities Laws; and (ii) the CCO to discharge duties under the Code.

 

There are three Reporting Forms that an Access Person must complete under this Code. Additional information and copies of these Reporting Forms are included below. You can also obtain copies of the Reporting Forms from the CCO.

 

Nothing herein shall prohibit or impede in any way an Associated Person or former Associated Person from reporting a possible securities law violation directly to the SEC or other regulatory authority. In addition, Kingsbarn will not retaliate in any way against an Associated Person or former Associated Person for providing information relating to a possible securities law violation to the SEC or other regulatory authority.

 

Kingsbarn’s management will review the terms and provisions of this Code at least annually and make amendments as necessary. Any amendments will be distributed to all Associated Persons, and Kingsbarn shall require each Associated Person to provide in writing an acknowledgement of their receipt, understanding and acceptance of the change(s).

 

Associated Persons are generally expected to discuss any perceived risks or concerns about Kingsbarn’s business practices with their direct supervisor. However, if an Associated Person is uncomfortable discussing an issue with their supervisor, or if they believe that an issue has not been appropriately addressed, the Associated Person should bring the matter to the CCO’s attention, or if the supervisor is the CCO, then to the attention of a senior officer of the firm.

 

Kingsbarn will distribute its Code to each Associated Person upon the commencement of employment or engagement and upon any amendment to the Code.

 

All Associated Persons must acknowledge that they have received, read, understand, and agree to comply with Kingsbarn’s Code by completing the Agreement to Abide by Code upon commencement of employment or engagement with Kingsbarn. Kingsbarn will require all Associated Persons to annually reaffirm this agreement. All Associated Persons will be required to acknowledge in writing receipt of any amendments made to this Code.

 

Upon request, Kingsbarn will furnish clients with a copy of the Code. All client requests for Kingsbarn’s Code should be directed to the CCO.

 

The CCO will maintain a copy of this Code in Kingsbarn’s files. Additionally, the CCO will review the Code at least annually to ensure it remains appropriately aligned with Kingsbarn’s advisory business.

 

 8

 

Personal Trading Policies

 

Personal Securities Transactions

Personal trading activity conducted by Kingsbarn’s Access Persons should be executed in a manner consistent with our fiduciary obligations to our clients: trades should avoid actual improprieties, as well as the appearance of impropriety. Access Person trades should not involve trading activity so excessive as to conflict with one’s ability to fulfill daily job responsibilities or to otherwise violate anti-manipulative or insider trading regulations.

 

Accounts Covered by the Code

Kingsbarn’s Code applies to all Reportable Securities and Covered Accounts over which Access Persons have any Beneficial Ownership, which typically includes securities held by Members of Family/Household.

 

It may be possible for Access Persons to exclude accounts held personally or by immediate family members sharing the same household if the Access Person does not (i) exercise any investment discretion or decision-making, (ii) receive notice of transactions prior to execution, or (iii) otherwise have any direct or indirect influence or control over the accounts. Access Persons should consult with the CCO before excluding any accounts held by immediate family members sharing the same household. With respect to each account excluded on this basis, the Access Person will be required to certify periodically that they meet each of these three conditions and may also be required to provide the CCO with additional information regarding the account that the CCO requests.

 

The following policies and procedures apply to all securities owned or controlled by an Access Person, and any Covered Account. Any account in question should be addressed with the CCO immediately to determine if it is considered a Covered Account.

 

Improper trading activity can constitute a violation of this Code. Nevertheless, the Code can be violated by failing to file required reports, or by making inaccurate or misleading reports or statements concerning trading activity or securities accounts. Individual conduct can violate this Code even if no clients are harmed by such conduct.

 

Reportable Securities

Kingsbarn requires Access Persons to provide periodic reports regarding transactions and holdings in all “Reportable Securities,” which include any Security, except the following, which are Non-Reportable Securities:

 

Direct obligations of the Government of the United States;

Bankers’ acceptances, bank certificates of deposit, commercial paper and high-quality short-term debt instruments, including repurchase agreements;

Shares issued by money market funds;

Shares issued by open-end investment companies registered in the U.S., none of which are advised or underwritten by Kingsbarn or an affiliate;

Interests in 529 college savings plans; and

Shares issued by unit investment trusts that are invested exclusively in unaffiliated mutual funds.

 

Exchange-traded funds, or ETFs, are somewhat similar to open-end registered investment companies. However, ETFs are Reportable Securities and are subject to the reporting requirements contained in Kingsbarn’s Code.

 

 9

 

The term “digital asset” refers to an asset that is issued and/or transferred using distributed ledger or blockchain technology, including, but not limited to, “virtual currencies,” “coins,” and “tokens.” A particular digital asset may or may not meet the definition of “security” under the Federal Securities Laws. If you have any questions as to whether your digital asset is reportable, contact the CCO.

 

Reporting Requirements

Kingsbarn requires periodic reporting of Access Persons’ holdings of Reportable Securities to the CCO. Access Persons must promptly report to Kingsbarn the opening of any new Covered Accounts, submit quarterly reports regarding Reportable Securities transactions, and report Reportable Securities holdings on an annual basis.

 

The CCO will make all required records of personal transactions in Reportable Securities available to the required regulatory authority, promptly upon request. These include statements for all accounts for personal securities transactions.

 

All Access Persons must file reports as described below, even if there are no holdings, transactions, or accounts to list in the reports. Copies of the reporting forms are included at the end of the Code or can be obtained from the CCO. Kingsbarn may rely on brokerage statements to the extent such statements are made accessible to the CCO.

 

1.Initial Holdings Reports

No later than 10 calendar days after an Associated Person becomes an Access Person (or within 10 days of the adoption of this Code if the Associated Person was already an Access Person at the time of its adoption), that Access Person must submit an Initial Holdings Report to the CCO. The information must be current as of a date no more than 45 days prior to the date the person becomes an Access Person.

 

2.Annual Holdings Reports

By January 31 of each year, each Access Person must file an Annual Personal Securities Holdings Report with the CCO.

 

Content Requirements for Initial and Annual Holdings Reports

 

Each holdings report (initial and annual) must contain at a minimum:

 

1.The title and type of security, and as applicable the exchange ticker symbol or CUSIP number, number of shares, and principal amount of each Reportable Security in which the Access Person has any direct or indirect Beneficial Ownership;

2.The name of any broker, dealer or bank with which the Access Person maintains an account in which any securities (including securities that are not Reportable Securities) are held for the Access Person’s direct or indirect benefit; and;

3.The date the Access Person submits the report.

 

All information contained in the holding report must be current as of the date no more than 45 days prior to the date the report is submitted. If you do not have any holdings to report, this should be indicated on the relevant holdings report.

 

3.Quarterly Transaction Reports

No later than 30 calendar days after the end of March, June, September, and December, each year, each Access Person must file a Quarterly Report of Personal Securities Transactions form with the CCO.

 

 10

 

The Quarterly Report of Personal Securities Transactions form requires each Access Person to list all transactions in Reportable Securities during the most recent calendar quarter in which the Access Person had Beneficial Ownership.

 

Content Requirements for Quarterly Transactions Reports

 

Each transaction report must contain, at a minimum, the following information about each transaction involving a reportable security in which the Access Person had, or as a result of the transaction acquired, any direct or indirect Beneficial Ownership:

 

1.The date of the transaction, the title, and as applicable the exchange ticker symbol or CUSIP number, interest rate and maturity date, number of shares, and principal amount of each reportable security involved;

2.The nature of the transaction (i.e., purchase, sale or any other type of acquisition or disposition);

3.The price of the security at which the transaction was effected;

4.The name of the broker, dealer or bank with or through which the transaction was effected; and

5.The date the Access Person submits the report.

 

The quarterly transaction reporting requirement may be satisfied by instructing the custodian for these accounts to send duplicate confirmations and brokerage account statements for the Covered Accounts, in which such transactions took place, to Kingsbarn, c/o the CCO, provided all required information is included in the report and Kingsbarn receives the confirmations or statements not later than 30 days after the close of the calendar quarter in which the transaction(s) took place. Alternatively, Access Persons may submit this information on the Quarterly Report of Personal Securities Transactions form provided by Kingsbarn.

 

If you did not have any transactions or account openings to report, this should be indicated on the Quarterly Report of Personal Securities Transactions form. Signed and dated Quarterly Report of Personal Securities Transactions form and/or duplicate account statements must be submitted to the CCO within 30 days of the end of each calendar quarter.

 

Any Transaction Reports reflecting holdings of the CCO requiring review under the Rule, will be reviewed by the CEO, or his or her designee.

 

Exceptions from Reporting Requirements

There are limited exceptions from certain reporting requirements. Specifically, Access Persons are not required to submit:

 

Quarterly reports for any transactions effected pursuant to an Automatic Investment Plan. However, any transaction that overrides the pre-set schedule or allocations of the Automatic Investment Plan must be included in a quarterly transaction report; or

Any reports with respect to Reportable Securities held in accounts over which the Access Person had no direct or indirect influence or control (as defined in the next paragraph), such as a blind trust, wherein the Access Person has no knowledge of the specific management actions taken by the trustee and no right to intervene in the trustee’s management.

 

Any investment plans or accounts for which an Access Person claims an exception based on “no direct or indirect influence or control” must be brought to the attention of the CCO who will, on a case-by-case basis, determine whether the plan or account qualifies for an exception and make record of such determination. Unless and until such exception is granted, all applicable reporting requirements shall apply.

 

 11

 

“No direct or indirect influence or control” with respect to an account shall mean that the Access Person has 1) no knowledge of the specific management actions taken by the trustee or third party manager; 2) no right to intervene in the management of the account by the trustee or third party manager; 3) no discussions with the trustee or third party manager concerning account holdings which could reflect control or influence; and 4) no discussions with the trustee or third party manager wherein the Access Person provides investment directions or suggestions.

 

In making a determination of whether or not the Access Person has direct or indirect influence or control, the CCO will ask for information about the Access Person’s relationship with the party responsible for making the investment decisions regarding the account (i.e., independent professional versus friend or relative; unaffiliated versus affiliated firm).

 

Kingsbarn requires that all Access Persons seeking a reporting exception for an account based on “no direct or indirect influence or control” submit such a request in writing to the CCO initially when the exception is first sought, and no less than annually thereafter confirm in writing that the exception still applies.

 

The CCO may periodically request information or a certification from a party responsible for managing the account and may also periodically request reporting on the account to identify transactions that would have been prohibited pursuant to this Code, absent the exception granted.

 

Review and Recordkeeping

The CCO shall review personal trading reports for all Access Persons no less than quarterly and will otherwise take reasonable steps to monitor compliance with, and enforce this Code. Evidence of the reviews shall be maintained in Kingsbarn’s files.

 

Kingsbarn reserves the right to require the Access Person to reverse, cancel, or freeze, at the Access Person’s expense, any transaction or position in a specific security if Kingsbarn believes the transaction or position violates its policies or appears improper. Kingsbarn will keep all such information confidential except as required to enforce this policy or to participate in any investigation concerning violations of applicable law.

 

Kingsbarn’s Code is designed to mitigate material conflicts of interest associated with Access Persons’ personal trading activities. Accordingly, the CCO, or designee, monitors Access Persons’ trading to detect potential issues including but not limited to:

 

Trading in securities appearing on the Restricted List;

Frequent short-term trades detrimental to their work;

Front-Running and other trading in conflict with client interests; and

Trading that appears to be based on Material Nonpublic Information.

 

The CCO will review reports submitted pursuant to the Code for potential behavior issues. The CCO’s trades are reviewed by the CEO. Upon review, the CCO/CEO will initial and date each report received and document a written description of any issues noted will be documented. Personal trading that appears problematic may result in further inquiry by the CCO/CEO.

 

 12

 

Prohibited and Restricted Transactions

Access Persons may not acquire or participate in an initial public offering (“IPO”) without first obtaining written approval from the CCO. (For the CCO’s personal trades, the CCO must first obtain written approval from the CEO.)

Any Access Person wishing to purchase or sell a security obtained through a private placement must first obtain written approval by the CCO. In addition, if an Associated Person who owns a security in a private company knows that Kingsbarn is about to engage in an IPO, he or she must disclose this information to the CCO.

Participation in investment clubs must be approved in writing by the CCO in advance of any such participation.

No Access Person may trade any Security on the Restricted List without first obtaining preclearance from the CCO or a designee.

 

Case-by-Case Exemptions

Because no written policy can provide for every possible contingency, the CCO may consider granting additional exemptions from the Prohibitions on Trading on a case-by-case basis. Any request for such consideration must be submitted by the Access Person in writing to the CCO. Exceptions will only be granted in those cases in which the CCO determines that granting the request will create no actual, potential, or apparent conflict of interest.

 

Pre-Clearance

The Company does not require pre-clearance of all Associated Persons’ personal securities transactions. If, however, the CCO, or designee, determines an exception/red flag based on regular reviews of an Associated Person’s personal securities transactions, the CCO may require a specific Associated Person to obtain, in advance of future transactions, pre-clearance for all such transactions. In all such cases, the CCO shall determine beginning and ending dates for the pre-clearance requirement.

 

Kingsbarn or its Employees may receive information that may be deemed to be Material Nonpublic Information. Consequently, Kingsbarn may choose to restrict personal trading in a security of a company or issuer by placing the company or issuer on the Restricted List. Refer to Kingsbarn’s Insider Trading Policy in this Code for further information and requirements.

 

As noted above, transactions in private placements and IPOs are always prohibited, unless pre-clearance is obtained, in advance of the transaction. Pre-clearance is obtained by first completing and signing the Personal Securities Trading Request Form. (A copy of the Personal Securities Trading Request Form is included in this Code, or a copy can be obtained from the CCO.) The Personal Securities Trading Request Form is then submitted to the CCO for pre-clearance approval.

 

If pre-clearance is obtained, the Access Person shall act promptly taking the necessary steps to effectuate the IPO or private placement investment. The CCO may revoke a pre-clearance any time up until the Access Person has made a firm commitment to invest.

 

Restricted List

Kingsbarn has adopted a Restricted List which includes companies and issuers in whose securities Associated Persons are prohibited from trading without first receiving written clearance from the CCO. Associated Persons may use the Personal Securities Trading Request Form for this purpose.

 

When a trading request is submitted, the CCO will check the trade request against the Restricted List maintained by Kingsbarn. The trade request then is either approved or rejected depending on how the request compares with the Restricted List.

 

 13

 

Issuers are placed on the Restricted List due to one or more of the following reasons:

 

The issuer is a client, or an affiliate of a client of Kingsbarn;

One or more of Kingsbarn’s clients holds concentrated positions in securities of the issuer;

Kingsbarn or one or more of its Associated Persons has Material Nonpublic Information about the issuer;

The CCO believes that trading in a specific company or issuer may present a conflict of interest to Kingsbarn or its clients.

 

Associated Persons should inform the CCO if they believe that any Security should be added to the Restricted List. If the Associate Person determines that conveying the rationale for their belief would, itself, violate confidentiality or expose Kingsbarn to inside information, that Associated Person shall not disclose such information to the CCO, and identify the Security at issue, only.

 

Timing of Personal Transactions

When Kingsbarn is purchasing or selling, or considering for purchase or sale a Reportable Security on behalf of a client account, no Access Person with knowledge of such Company’s purchase or sale may effect a transaction in a the Reportable Security prior to the client purchase or sale having been executed, or until Kingsbarn’s decision has been made not to pursue the transaction. Access Persons are permitted to purchase or sell Reportable Securities as part of Kingsbarn’s aggregated orders. Other exceptions include trades as a result of an automatic investment plan, dividend reinvestments plans, and approved third party managed accounts.

 

 14

 

Sanctions and Reporting Violations of the Code

 

Disciplinary Responses

All disciplinary responses to violations of the Code shall be administered by the CCO, subject to approval by the CEO of Kingsbarn. Determinations regarding appropriate disciplinary responses will be administered on a case-by-case basis.

 

Violations of this Code, or the other policies and procedures set forth in the Compliance Manual, may warrant sanctions including, without limitation, requiring that personal trades be reversed, requiring the disgorgement of profits or gifts, issuing a letter of caution or warning, suspending personal trading rights, imposing a fine, suspending employment (with or without compensation), making a civil referral to the SEC, making a criminal referral, terminating employment for cause, and/or a combination of the foregoing. Violations may also subject an Associated Person to civil, regulatory or criminal sanctions. No Associated Person will determine whether he or she committed a violation of the Code, or impose any sanction against himself or herself. All sanctions and other actions taken will be in accordance with applicable employment laws and regulations.

 

Associated Persons must promptly report any suspected violations of the Code to the CCO. To the extent practicable, Kingsbarn will protect the identity of an Associated Person who reports a suspected violation. However, Kingsbarn remains responsible for satisfying the regulatory reporting and other obligations that may follow the reporting of a potential violation. The CCO shall be responsible for ensuring a thorough investigation of all suspected violations of the Code and shall maintain a report of all violations. Retaliation against any Associated Person who reports a violation of the Code is strictly prohibited and will be cause for corrective action, up to and including dismissal.

 

Nothing herein shall prohibit or impede in any way an Associated Person, or former Associated Person, from reporting a possible securities law violation directly to the SEC or other regulatory authority. In addition, the Company will not retaliate in any way against an Associated Person, or former Associated Person, for providing information relating to a possible securities law violation to the SEC or other regulatory authority.

 

 15

 

Insider Trading Policy

 

Background

Section 204A of the Advisers Act requires every investment adviser to establish, maintain, and enforce written policies and procedures reasonably designed, taking into consideration the nature of such investment adviser’s business, to prevent the misuse of Material Nonpublic Information by such investment adviser or any associated person. Federal Securities Laws have been interpreted to prohibit, among other things, the following activities:

 

Trading by an insider while in possession of Material Nonpublic Information;

Trading by a non-insider while in possession of Material Nonpublic Information, where the information was disclosed to the non-insider in violation of an insider’s duty to keep it confidential;

Trading by a non-insider who obtained Material Nonpublic Information through unlawful means such as computer hacking;

Communicating Material Nonpublic Information to others in breach of a fiduciary duty; and

Trading or tipping Material Nonpublic Information regarding an unannounced tender offer, or other undisclosed fact of the entity to which the fiduciary duty is owed.

 

Definitions

 

Material Information. “Material Information” generally includes:

any information that a reasonable investor would likely consider important in making his or her investment decision; or

any information that is reasonably certain to have a substantial effect on the price of a company’s securities.

 

Examples of Material Information include, but are not limited to, the following: dividend changes, earnings estimates, changes in previously released earnings estimates, significant merger or acquisition proposals or agreements, major litigation, liquidation problems and extraordinary management developments.

 

Information provided by a company could be material because of its expected effect on a particular class of securities, all of a company’s securities, the securities of another company, or the securities of several companies. The prohibition against misusing Material Nonpublic Information (defined below) applies to all types of financial instruments including, but not limited to, stocks, bonds, warrants, options, futures, forwards, swaps, commercial paper, and government-issued securities. Material Information need not relate to a company’s business. For example, information about the contents of an upcoming newspaper column may affect the price of a security, and therefore be considered material.

 

Nonpublic Information. Information is “nonpublic” until it has been effectively communicated to the market and the market has had time to “absorb” the information. For example, information found in a report filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or appearing in Dow Jones, Reuters Economic Services, The Wall Street Journal, or other publications of general circulation would be considered public.

 

Once information has been effectively distributed to the investing public, it is no longer nonpublic. However, the distribution of Material Nonpublic Information must occur through commonly recognized channels for the classification to change. In addition, there must be adequate time for the public to receive and digest the information. Nonpublic Information does not change to public information solely by selective dissemination. Examples of the ways in which Nonpublic Information might be transmitted include, but are not limited to in person, in writing, by telephone, during a presentation, by email, instant messaging, text message, or through social networking sites.

 

 16

 

Associated Persons must be aware that even where there is no expectation of confidentiality, a person may become an insider upon receiving Material Nonpublic Information. For example, Associated Persons routinely consult with, or receive information regarding, industry participants which may result in coming into possession of Material Nonpublic Information.

 

Material Nonpublic Information (“MNPI”) is information that is both material and nonpublic.

 

Policies and Procedures

The purpose of these policies and procedures (the “Insider Trading Policies”) is to educate our Associated Persons regarding insider trading, and to detect and prevent insider trading by any person associated with Kingsbarn. The term “insider trading” is not defined in the securities laws, but generally, it refers to the use of Material, Nonpublic Information to trade in securities or the communication of Material, Nonpublic Information to others.

 

Prohibited Use or Disclosure of Material Nonpublic Information

Associated Persons are strictly forbidden from engaging in Insider Trading, either personally or on behalf of Kingsbarn or its clients.

 

In certain situations, depending on facts and circumstances, MNPI may also be received subject to a confidentiality agreement. The CCO must approve all written confidentiality agreements relating to the receipt of MNPI. Any disclosure or use of MNPI in violation of such an agreement is prohibited.

 

Associated Persons may disclose MNPI only to Kingsbarn Associated Persons and outside parties who have a valid business reason for receiving the information, and only in accordance with any confidentiality agreement or information barriers that apply.

 

Selective Disclosure

Nonpublic Information about Kingsbarn’s investment strategies may not be shared with third parties except as is necessary to implement investment decisions and conduct other legitimate business. The dissemination of such information may be a violation of the fiduciary duty that Kingsbarn owes to its clients.

 

Receipt of Information

In certain instances, Associated Persons of Kingsbarn may receive information that may be deemed to be MNPI. To the extent possible, Associated Persons should obtain pre-approval from the CCO prior to accessing such information. In all cases, Associated Persons should immediately inform the CCO if they have or believe they have received MNPI.

 

Certain Associated Persons may have access to MNPI as part of their regular job responsibilities or may be specifically authorized by the CCO to receive MNPI. These Associated Persons must notify the CCO immediately after inadvertently receiving MNPI.

 

If Associated Persons have questions as to whether they are in possession of MNPI, they should contact the CCO immediately. The CCO will conduct research to determine if the information is likely to be considered material, and whether the information has been publicly disseminated. This may include questioning the holder of the information. The CCO may also consult legal counsel.

 

 17

 

Upon knowledge that any persons associated with Kingsbarn may have received unauthorized MNPI, the CCO will take immediate action to investigate the matter thoroughly. Where an Associated Person may have received MNPI, the CCO will prepare a written memorandum describing the information, its source, and the date that the information was received. The CCO will determine what precautions may be appropriate to protect the improper dissemination or use of the information. The CCO will communicate restriction requirements to all Associated Persons in writing immediately after determining the need for such additional measures.

 

Relationships with Potential Insiders

The concept of “insider” is broad, and includes all persons associated with a company. In addition, any person may be a temporary insider if she/he enters into a special, confidential relationship with a company in the conduct of a company’s affairs and as a result has access to information solely for the company’s purposes. Any person associated with the Adviser may become a temporary insider for a company it advises or for which it performs other services. Temporary insiders may also include the following: a company’s attorneys, accountants, consultants, bank-lending officers and the Associated Persons of such organizations.

 

Third parties with whom Kingsbarn has a relationship, such as Kingsbarn’s analyst or researcher, may possess MNPI. Access to such information could come as a result of, among other things:

 

Being employed or previously employed by an issuer (or sitting on the issuer’s board of directors);

Working for an investment bank, consulting firm, supplier, or customer of an issuer;

Sitting on an issuer’s creditors committee;

Personal relationships with connected individuals; and

A spouse’s involvement in any of the preceding activities.

 

An Associated Person may become a temporary insider for a company he or she advises. Temporary insiders may also include a company’s attorneys, accountants, consultants, or bank lending officers.

 

Individuals associated with a third party who have access to MNPI may have an incentive to disclose the information to Kingsbarn due to the potential for personal gain. Associated Persons should be extremely cautious about investment recommendations, or information about issuers that they receive from third parties. Associated Persons should inquire about the basis for any such recommendations or information, and should consult with the CCO if there is any appearance that the recommendations or information are based on MNPI.

 

Rumors

Creating or passing rumors with the intent to manipulate securities prices or markets may violate the anti-fraud provisions of Federal Securities Laws. Such conduct is contradictory to Kingsbarn’s Code, as well as Kingsbarn’s expectations regarding appropriate behavior of its Associated Persons. Associated Persons are prohibited from knowingly circulating rumors or sensational information with the intent to manipulate securities or markets.

 

This policy is not intended to discourage or prohibit appropriate communications between Associated Persons of Kingsbarn and other market participants and trading counter parties.

 

Consult with the CCO if you have questions about the appropriateness of any communications.

 

 18

 

Responsibility

Associated Persons should consult with the CCO if there is any question as to whether Nonpublic Information is Material Information.

 

Penalties for Insider Trading

The legal consequences for trading on or communicating Material, Nonpublic Information are severe, both for individuals involved in such unlawful conduct and their employers. A person can be subject to some or all of the penalties below even if he/she does not personally benefit from the violation.

Penalties may include:

 

civil injunctions;

jail sentences;

revocation of applicable securities-related registrations and licenses;

fines for the person who committed the violation of up to three times the profit gained or loss avoided, whether or not the person actually benefited; and

fines for the Associated Person or other controlling person of up to the greater of $1,000,000 or three times the amount of the profit gained or loss avoided.

 

 19

 

Gifts and Entertainment

 

Policies and Procedures

Associated Persons must consult with the CCO if there is any question as to whether gifts or entertainment need to be pre-cleared and/or reported in connection with this policy.

 

Gift Giving Policy

Kingsbarn’s Associated Persons are prohibited from giving gifts that may appear lavish or excessive, and must receive written approval from the CCO prior to giving a gift valued in excess of $100 to any client, prospect, individual, or entity with whom Kingsbarn does, or is seeking to do, business. Associated Persons should use the Gifts and Entertainment Reporting Form to meet the requirements of this policy. Associated Persons are prohibited from giving a cash payment of any kind or a gift of more than nominal value to a person for soliciting or referring clients or potential clients unless specifically permitted under Kingsbarn’s Cash Payment for Client Solicitation Policy, which can be found in Kingsbarn’s Compliance Manual.

 

Entertainment Giving Policy

Kingsbarn’s Associated Persons are prohibited from giving entertainment that may appear lavish or excessive, and must receive written approval from the CCO prior to giving entertainment valued in excess of $100 to any client, prospect, individual, or entity with whom Kingsbarn does, or is seeking to do, business. Associated Persons should use the Gifts and Entertainment Reporting Form to meet the requirements of this policy.

 

These policies are not intended to prohibit normal business entertainment that complies with these policies and procedures, where a representative from Kingsbarn attends and where there is a business purpose.

 

Associated Persons’ Receipt of Gifts

On occasion, Associated Persons may be offered, or may receive without notice, gifts from clients, brokers, vendors, or other persons. Associated Persons are prohibited from accepting gifts that may appear lavish or excessive, and must promptly report the receipt of gifts valued in excess of $100 to the CCO.

 

Use the Gifts and Entertainment Reporting Form to meet the requirements of this policy. Gifts such as gift baskets or lunches delivered to Kingsbarn’s offices, which are received on behalf of Kingsbarn, do not require reporting.

 

Associated Persons’ Receipt of Entertainment

Associated Persons are prohibited from accepting entertainment that may appear lavish or excessive, and must promptly report the receipt of entertainment valued in excess of $100 to the CCO. Use the Gifts and Entertainment Reporting Form to meet the requirements of this policy.

 

Gifts and Entertainment Given to Union Officials

Any gift or entertainment provided by Kingsbarn to a labor union or a union official in excess of $250 per fiscal year must be reported on Department Labor Form LM-10 within 90 days following the end of Kingsbarn’s fiscal year. Consequently, all gifts and entertainment provided to labor unions or union officials must be pre-cleared and reported to the CCO on the Gifts and Entertainment Reporting Form.

 

 20

 

Gifts and Entertainment Given to Foreign Governments and “Government Instrumentalities”

The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (“FCPA”) prohibits the direct or indirect giving of, or a promise to give, “things of value” in order to corruptly obtain a business benefit from an officer, employee, or other “instrumentality” of a foreign government. Companies that are owned, even partly, by a foreign government may be considered an “instrumentality” of that government. In particular, government investments in foreign financial institutions may make the FCPA applicable to those institutions. Individuals acting in an official capacity on behalf of a foreign government or a foreign political party may also be “instrumentalities” of a foreign government.

 

Associated Persons must use the Gifts and Entertainment Reporting Form to disclose all gifts and entertainment that may be subject to the FCPA, irrespective of value and including food and beverages provided during a legitimate business meeting.

 

Pre-Clearance Required for Certain Recipients

All gifts and entertainment to the following recipients must receive pre-clearance from the CCO or a designee, regardless of amount:

any domestic government official,

any foreign government official (including representatives of sovereign wealth funds),

any official of a state or local pension plan,

any ERISA plan fiduciary, and

any union official.

 

21

 

 

Agreement to Abide by Code of Ethics

 

This agreement is entered into by and between Kingsbarn Capital Management ("Kingsbarn") and the Associated Person whose name and signature is represented below.

 

By signing this agreement, I, ___________________________, acknowledge that:

 

___  I have received a copy of the Kingsbarn's Code of Ethics;

 

___  I have read and understand the information contained in the Code of Ethics; and

 

___  I will abide by the Code of Ethics and any subsequent amendments thereto.

 

To comply with Kingsbarn's Code of Ethics, I further certify that I have directed each broker with whom I have a Covered Account containing Reportable Securities and to send to the Kingsbarn's designated Chief Compliance Officer duplicate copies of all periodic statements relating to my accounts or have otherwise complied with the reporting requirements of the policy and the Kingsbarn's Code of Ethics.

 

To meet the disclosure requirements of pertinent securities laws, rules and regulations, I further certify that I will disclose all legal and disciplinary events for which I am, or have been personally involved, including information regarding any actions or fines by any regulatory organization.

 

Signature:    
     
Date:    

 

22

 

 

Associated Persons Report

 

Kingsbarn Capital Management

 

As of ___________, 20______

 

NAME TITLE ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF RECEIPT
OF
CODE OF ETHICS
ACCESS PERSON?
(Yes/No)
       
       
       
       
       
       

 

23

 

 

Personal Securities Trading Request Form

 

Kingsbarn

 

Name:    

 

Details of Proposed Transaction:

 

Circle One Purchase/Sale
Date of Transaction  
Indicate Name of Issuer and Symbol  
Type of Security (e.g., Note, Common Stock, Preferred Stock)  
Quantity of Shares or Units  
Price Per Share/Unit  
Approximate Dollar Amount  
Account for Which Transaction will be Made  
Name of Broker  

 

Date of Request _________________________________

 

You ____ may / ____ may not execute the proposed transaction described above.

 

Authorized Signature:    
     
Date of Response:    

 

24

 

 

Initial Personal Securities Holdings Report

 

(page 1 of 2)

 

To: Chief Compliance Officer, Kingsbarn

 

From:    
  (Access Person - Please Print)

 

NOTE: IN LIEU OF THE REPORTING FORM, DUPLICATE COPIES OF BROKERAGE STATEMENTS MAY BE SUBMITTED, PROVIDED THE STATEMENTS INCLUDE THE INFORMATION REQUIRED BELOW.

 

Re: Initial Personal Securities Holdings Report:

 

As of ____________, 20___, I hold the following Reportable Securities:

 

Date of
Transaction
Security
Title*
Type of
Transaction
(Purchase/Sale/Other)
Type of
Security
Ticker/C
USIP
# of
Shares
Principal
Amount
Price Name of Broker-
Dealer
                 
                 
                 
                 
                 
                 
                 
                 

*Include interest rate and maturity date, if applicable. Use additional sheet(s), if necessary.

 

25

 

 

(page 2 of 2)

 

_______The following broker-dealer, bank, or other custodian holds accounts invested in Non-Reportable Securities in which I have Beneficial Ownership.

 

Name of Broker, Dealer, or Bank Account Title Account Number
     
     
     
     
     

Use additional sheet(s), if necessary.

 

______As of _____________, 20______, I do not have any direct or indirect Beneficial Ownership in any account containing any securities. However, I agree to promptly notify the designated Chief Compliance Officer, if any such account is opened, so long as I am an Access Person with Kingsbarn.

 

Signed:     Date:    

 

Report reviewed by:     Date:    

 

26

 

 

Quarterly Report of Personal Securities Transactions

 

(page 1 of 2)

 

To: Chief Compliance Officer, Kingsbarn

 

From:    
  (Access Person - Please Print)

 

NOTE: IN LIEU OF THE REPORTING FORM, DUPLICATE COPIES OF BROKERAGE STATEMENTS MAY BE SUBMITTED, PROVIDED THE STATEMENTS INCLUDE ALL THE INFORMATION REQUIRED BELOW.

 

Re: Quarterly Report of Personal Securities Transactions, as amended:

 

During the quarter ending _______________, I have purchased, sold, or have otherwise obtained Beneficial Ownership in the following securities:

 

Date of
Transaction
Security
Title*
Type of
Transaction
(Purchase/Sale/Other)
Type of
Security
Ticker/C
USIP
# of
Shares
Principal
Amount
Price Name of Broker-
Dealer
                 
                 
                 
                 
                 
                 
                 
                 

*Include interest rate and maturity date, if applicable. Use additional sheet(s), if necessary.

 

27

 

 

(page 2 of 2)

 

______During the above period, I have not purchased or sold any Reportable Securities in which I have direct or indirect Beneficial Ownership.

 

______During the above period, I have disclosed to the Company all new accounts in which I have direct or indirect Beneficial Ownership.

 

______I do not currently have any Beneficial Ownership in any Covered Accounts. However, I agree to promptly notify Kingsbarn, if I obtain Beneficial Ownership in any account, so long as I am an Access Person of Kingsbarn.

 

Signed:     Date:    

 

Report reviewed by:     Date:    

 

28

 

 

Annual Personal Securities Holdings Report

 

(page 1 of 2)

 

To: Chief Compliance Officer, Kingsbarn

 

From:    
  (Access Person - Please Print)

 

NOTE: IN LIEU OF COMPLETING THE REPORTING FORM, DUPLICATE COPIES OF BROKERAGE STATEMENTS MAY BE SUBMITTED, PROVIDED THE STATEMENTS INCLUDE THE INFORMATION REQUIRED BELOW.

 

Re: Annual Personal Securities Holdings Report:

 

As of, ___________, 20_____, I hold the following Reportable Securities: 

 

Security Title* Type of Security Ticker/CUSIP # of Shares Principal Amount Name of Broker-Dealer
           
           
           
           
           
           
           
           

 

*Include interest rate and maturity date, if applicable. Use additional sheet(s), if necessary.

 

29

 

 

(page 2 of 2)

 

_____The following broker-dealer, bank, or other custodian holds accounts invested in Non-Reportable Securities in which I have Beneficial Ownership.

 

Name of Broker, Dealer, or Bank Account Title Account Number
     
     
     
     
     

Use additional sheet(s), if necessary

 

_________As of ___________, 20______, I do not have any direct or indirect Beneficial Ownership in any account containing any securities. However, I agree to promptly notify the designated Chief Compliance Officer, if any such account is opened, so long as I am an Associated Person with Kingsbarn.

 

Signed:     Date:    

 

Report reviewed by:     Date:    

 

30

 

 

Annual Certification of Compliance

 

With The Personal Securities Transactions Disclosure Requirements And Code Of Ethics For Kingsbarn

 

In accordance with the policies and procedures regarding Personal Securities Transactions and the Code of Ethics for Kingsbarn, I certify that during the year ending December 31, ________:

 

______I have reported all Reportable Securities holdings in which I have Beneficial Ownership.

 

______I have obtained pre-clearance for all Covered Securities transactions in which I have Beneficial Ownership, except for transactions that are exempt from pre-clearance or those for which I have received a written exception from the Chief Compliance Officer.

 

______I have reported all Reportable Securities transactions in which I have Beneficial Ownership, except for transactions, which are exempt from reporting, or for which I have received a written exception from the Chief Compliance Officer.

 

______I have complied with the Code of Ethics in all other respects.

 

Print Name:    
     
Signature:    
     
Dated:    

 

31

 

 

Gifts and Entertainment Reporting Form

 

I gave / received a gift / entertainment. (circle as applicable)

 

Describe the gift or entertainment:

 

Approximate cost or value (whichever is higher):

 

Third-party giver or recipient:

 

Describe any known relationship between the third-party giver or recipient and any public issuer or government entity:

 

Describe the relationship between the third party and yourself and/or Kingsbarn.

 

If known, describe the reason that the gift or entertainment was given or received:

 

List any other gifts or entertainment given by, or received from, the third party within the past 12 months, along with their approximate cost or value.

 

Is the recipient a union official or otherwise associated with a Taft-Hartley Fund? Yes / No

 

       
Signature   Date  
       
       
Print Name      

 

Reviewer Use Only    
     
   Approved    Not Approved    

 

Reviewed by:    
     
Title:    
     
Date:    

 

Additional Notes (if needed):

 

32