As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on July 30, 2018.

 

No. 333- 201473

No. 811- 22926



 

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. 154 [ x ]
  and/or
REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE INVESTMENT COMPANY ACT OF 1940 ]
Amendment No. 156 [ x ]

   

Innovator ETFs Trust II

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Charter)

 

120 North Hale Street, Suite 200
Wheaton, Illinois 60187

(Address of Principal Executive Office)

 

Registrant’s Telephone Number, including Area Code: ( 630) 355-4676

 

H. Bruce Bond

Innovator ETFs Trust II

120 North Hale Street, Suite 200
Wheaton, Illinois 60187

(Name and Address of Agent for Service)

 

Copy to:

Morrison C. Warren, Esq.

Chapman and Cutler LLP

111 West Monroe Street

Chicago, IL 60603

 

  It is proposed that this filing will become effective (check appropriate box):
  ] Immediately upon filing pursuant to paragraph (b) of Rule 485.
  [ X ] On August 1, 2018 pursuant to paragraph (b) of Rule 485.
  ] 60 days after filing pursuant to paragraph (a)(1) of Rule 485.
  ] On (date) pursuant to paragraph (a) of Rule 485.
  ] 75 days after filing pursuant to paragraph (a)(2) of Rule 485.
  ] On (date) pursuant to paragraph (a) 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.

 

 

 

 

Contents of Post-Effective Amendment No. 154

 

This Registration Statement comprises the following papers and contents:

 

The Facing Sheet

 

Part A - Prospectus for Innovator S&P Investment Grade Preferred ETF (formerly Innovator S&P High Quality Preferred ETF)

 

Part B - Statement of Additional Information for Innovator S&P Investment Grade Preferred ETF (formerly Innovator S&P High Quality Preferred ETF)

 

Part C - Other Information

 

Signatures

 

Index to Exhibits

 

Exhibits

 

-2-

 

 

Prospectus

 

 

Innovator S&P Investment Grade Preferred ETF
(formerly Innovator S&P High Quality Preferred ETF)

 

(Cboe BZX — EPRF)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

August 1, 2018

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Innovator S&P Investment Grade Preferred ETF (formerly Innovator S&P High Quality Preferred ETF) (the “Fund”) is a series of Innovator ETFs Trust II (the “Trust”) and an exchange-traded index fund. The Fund lists and principally trades its shares on Cboe BZX Exchange, Inc. (“Cboe BZX” or the “Exchange”).

 

NOT FDIC INSURED. MAY LOSE VALUE. NO BANK GUARANTEE.

 

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) 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.

 

 

 

 

 
INNOVATOR S&P INVESTMENT GRADE PREFERRED ETF
 

 

Summary Information

 

INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE

 

The Innovator S&P Investment Grade Preferred ETF seeks investment results that generally correspond (before fees and expenses) to the price and yield of the S&P U.S. High Quality Preferred Stock Index (the “Index”).

 

FUND FEES AND EXPENSES

 

This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund (“Shares”). Investors may pay brokerage commissions on their purchases and sales of Shares, which are not reflected in the table or the example below.

 

Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)

Management Fees

0.47%

Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees

0.00%

Other Expenses

0.00%

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

0.47%

 

EXAMPLE

 

This example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds.

 

This example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then sell 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 at current levels. This example does not include the brokerage commissions that investors may pay to buy and sell Shares. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, your costs, based on these assumptions, would be:

 

1 YEAR

3 YEARS

5 YEARS

10 YEARS

$48

$151

$263

$591

 

PORTFOLIO TURNOVER

 

The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it purchases 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 Shares are held in a taxable account.

 

These costs, which are not reflected in Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the example, may affect the Fund’s performance. During the fiscal year ended March 31, 2018, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was 67% of the average value of its portfolio.

 

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PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES

 

The Fund generally will invest at least 90% of its total assets in U.S.-listed preferred stocks that comprise the Index. In general, preferred stock is a class of equity security that pays a specified dividend that must be paid before any dividends can be paid to common stockholders, and which takes precedence over common stock in the event of the company’s liquidation. Although preferred stocks represent a partial ownership interest in a company, preferred stocks generally do not carry voting rights and have economic characteristics similar to fixed-income securities. Preferred stocks generally are issued with a fixed par value and pay dividends based on a percentage of that par value at a fixed or variable rate. Additionally, preferred stocks often have a liquidation value that generally equals the original purchase price of the preferred stock at the date of issuance.

 

The Fund, using an indexing investment approach, attempts to replicate, before fees and expenses, the performance of the Index. The Fund’s investment sub-adviser seeks a correlation of 0.95 or better (before fees and expenses) between the Fund’s performance and the performance of the Index; a figure of 1.00 would represent perfect correlation. S&P Opco LLC (a subsidiary of S&P Dow Jones Indices, LLC) (“S&P” or the “Index Provider”) compiles, maintains and calculates the Index. Penserra Capital Management LLC (“Penserra” or the “Sub-Adviser”) serves as the investment sub-adviser to the Fund.

 

The Index is designed to provide exposure to U.S.-listed preferred stocks that meet the following minimum size, liquidity, type of issuance, and quality criteria:

 

Initial Universe. To be eligible for the Index, a preferred stock must be included in both the S&P U.S. Fixed Rate Preferred Stock Index and the S&P U.S. Investment Grade Preferred Stock Index as of the reference date. The S&P U.S. Fixed Rate Preferred Stock Index comprises preferred stocks that pay dividends at a fixed rate; a fixed-rate preferred stock pays a fixed dividend for its entire term.

 

Market Capitalization . Preferred stocks must have an outstanding market capitalization of more than $100 million as of the reference date to be included in the Index.

 

Listing . Preferred stocks that do not trade on a public market are excluded from the Index.

 

Volume . Preferred stocks that have traded more than 250,000 shares per month over the previous six months are eligible for inclusion. Issues with fewer than six months of trading history are evaluated over the available period and may be included should size and available trading history infer the issue will satisfy this requirement.

 

Indicated Yield . Preferred stocks for which the Index Provider cannot determine an indicated dividend yield are not eligible.

 

Rating . Preferred stocks must be considered investment grade with a credit rating minimum of BBB-/Baa3/BBB- issued by S&P, Moody’s, and Fitch, respectively. For an issue rated by all of S&P, Moody’s, and Fitch, the lowest of the three ratings is used as the issue’s credit rating. When there are two ratings, the lower of the two ratings must be considered investment grade. When there is only one rating, that rating must be considered investment grade. Defaulted securities are removed at the first rebalancing of the Index.

 

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For more information on the Index, please refer to the Index Provider section later in this prospectus.

 

The Fund may employ a representative sampling indexing strategy to track the Index. “Representative sampling” is an indexing strategy that involves investing in a representative sample of securities that collectively has an investment profile similar to that of the Index. The securities selected are expected to have, in the aggregate, investment characteristics (based on factors such as market capitalization and industry weightings), fundamental characteristics (such as return variability and yield) and liquidity measures similar to those of the Index. The Fund may or may not hold all of the securities in the Index.

 

Concentration Policy. The Fund will concentrate its investments ( i.e., invest more than 25% of the value of its total assets) in securities of issuers in any one industry or group of industries only to the extent that the Index reflects a concentration in that industry or group of industries. The Fund will not otherwise concentrate its investments in securities of issuers in any one industry or group of industries. As of March 31, 2018, the Fund had significant investments in companies comprising the financials sector.

 

PRINCIPAL RISKS OF INVESTING IN THE FUND

 

You could lose money by investing in the Fund. 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 governmental agency. There can be no assurance that the Fund’s investment objective will be achieved.

 

Active Market Risk. Although the Shares are listed for trading on the Exchange, there can be no assurance that an active trading market for the Shares will develop or be maintained. Shares trade on the Exchange at market prices that may be below, at or above the Fund’s net asset value. Securities, including the Shares, are subject to market fluctuations and liquidity constraints that may be caused by such factors as economic, political, or regulatory developments, changes in interest rates, and/or perceived trends in securities prices. Shares of the Fund could decline in value or underperform other investments.

 

Authorized Participant Concentration Risk . Only an authorized participant (as discussed in detail below) may engage in creation or redemption transactions directly with the Fund. The Fund has a limited number of institutions that act as authorized participants. To the extent that these institutions exit the business or are unable to proceed with creation and/or redemption orders with respect to the Fund and no other authorized participant is able to step forward to create or redeem, in either of these cases, Shares may trade at a discount to the Fund’s net asset value and possibly face delisting.

 

4

 

 

Cyber Security Risk. As the use of Internet technology has become more prevalent in the course of business, the investment industry has become more susceptible to potential operational risks through breaches in cyber security. A breach in cyber security refers to both intentional and unintentional events that may cause the Fund to lose proprietary information, suffer data corruption or lose operational capacity. Such events could cause the Fund to incur regulatory penalties, reputational damage, additional compliance costs associated with corrective measures and/or financial loss. Cyber security breaches may involve unauthorized access to the Fund’s digital information systems through “hacking” or malicious software coding, but may also result from outside attacks such as denial-of-service attacks through efforts to make network services unavailable to intended users. In addition, cyber security breaches of the Fund’s third party service providers, such as its administrator, transfer agent, custodian, or issuers in which the Fund invests, can also subject the Fund to many of the same risks associated with direct cyber security breaches. The Fund has established risk management systems designed to reduce the risks associated with cyber security. However, there is no guarantee that such efforts will succeed, especially because the Fund does not directly control the cyber security systems of issuers or third party service providers.

 

Financials Sector Risk. In following its methodology, the Index from time to time may be concentrated to a significant degree in securities of issuers located in the financials sector. Performance of companies in the financials sector may be adversely impacted by many factors, including, among others, government regulations, economic conditions, credit rating downgrades, changes in interest rates, and decreased liquidity in credit markets. This sector has experienced significant losses in the recent past, and the impact of more stringent capital requirements and of recent or future regulation on any individual financial company or on the sector as a whole cannot be predicted. Certain risks may impact the value of investments in the financial sector more severely than those of investments outside this sector, including the risks associated with companies that operate with substantial financial leverage. Companies in the financial sector may also be adversely affected by increases in interest rates and loan losses, decreases in the availability of money or asset valuations, credit rating downgrades and adverse conditions in other related markets.

 

Fluctuation of Net Asset Value Risk. The net asset value of Shares will generally fluctuate with changes in the market value of the Fund’s holdings. The market prices of Shares will generally fluctuate in accordance with changes in net asset value as well as the relative supply of and demand for Shares on the Exchange. The Fund cannot predict whether Shares will trade below, at or above their net asset value. Price differences may be due, in large part, to the fact that supply and demand forces at work in the secondary trading market for Shares will be closely related to, but not identical to, the same forces influencing the prices of the holdings of the Fund trading individually or in the aggregate at any point in time. If a shareholder purchases at a time when the market price is at a premium to the net asset value of the Shares, or sells at a time when the market price is at a discount to the net asset value of the Shares, the shareholder may sustain losses.

 

Index Risk. The Fund is not actively managed. The Fund invests in securities included in or representative of its Index regardless of their investment merit. Unlike many investment companies, the Fund does not utilize an investing strategy that seeks returns in excess of the Index. Therefore, it would not necessarily buy or sell a security unless that security is added or removed, respectively, from the Index, even if that security generally is underperforming.

 

5

 

 

Industry Concentration Risk. In following its methodology, the Index from time to time may be concentrated to a significant degree in securities of issuers located in a single industry or sector. To the extent that the Index concentrates in the securities of issuers in a particular industry or sector, the Fund will also concentrate its investments to approximately the same extent. By concentrating its investments in an industry or sector, the Fund may face more risks than if it were diversified broadly over numerous industries or sectors.

 

Interest Rate Risk. An increase in interest rates may cause the value of preferred securities held by the Fund to decline.

 

Market Maker Risk . If the Fund has lower average daily trading volumes, it may rely on a small number of third party market makers to provide a market for the purchase and sale of Shares. Any trading halt or other problem relating to the trading activity of these market makers could result in a dramatic change in the spread between the Fund’s net asset value and the price at which the Fund’s Shares are trading on the Exchange which could result in a decrease in value of the Fund’s Shares. In addition, decisions by market makers or authorized participants to reduce their role or step away from these activities in times of market stress could inhibit the effectiveness of the arbitrage process in maintaining the relationship between the underlying values of the Fund’s portfolio securities and the Funds’ market price. This reduced effectiveness could result in Fund Shares trading at a discount to net asset value and also in greater than normal intraday bid-ask spreads for Fund Shares.

 

Market Risk. Market risk is the risk that a particular security owned by the Fund or the Shares in general may fall in value. Securities are subject to market fluctuations caused by such factors as economic, political, regulatory or market developments, changes in interest rates and perceived trends in securities prices. Overall security values could decline generally or could underperform other investments.

 

Non-Correlation Risk. The Fund’s return may not match the return of the Index for a number of reasons. For example, the Fund incurs operating expenses not applicable to the Index, and incurs costs in buying and selling securities, especially when rebalancing the Fund’s securities holdings to reflect changes in the composition of the Index. Although the Fund currently intends to seek to fully replicate the Index, the Fund may use a representative sampling approach, which may cause the Fund not to be as well-correlated with the return of the Index as would be the case if the Fund purchased all of the securities in the Index in the proportions represented in the Index. In addition, the performance of the Fund and the Index may vary due to asset valuation differences and differences between the Fund’s portfolio and the Index resulting from legal restrictions, cost or liquidity constraints.

 

Non-Diversification Risk. Because the Fund is non-diversified and can invest a greater portion of its assets in securities of individual issuers than a diversified fund, changes in the market value of a single investment could cause greater fluctuations in Share price than would occur in a diversified fund. This may increase the Fund’s volatility and cause the performance of a relatively small number of issuers to have a greater impact on the Fund’s performance.

 

6

 

 

Preferred Stock Risk. The Fund invests in equity securities, which will be primarily preferred stocks. The value of the Shares will fluctuate with changes in the value of these equity securities. Equity securities prices fluctuate for several reasons, including changes in investors’ perceptions of the financial condition of an issuer or the general condition of the relevant stock market, such as the current market volatility, or when political or economic events affecting the issuers occur. In addition, preferred stock prices may be particularly sensitive to rising interest rates, as the cost of the capital rises and borrowing costs increase. Preferred stock is subject to many of the risks associated with debt securities, including interest rate risk. In addition, preferred stock may not pay a dividend, an issuer may suspend payment of dividends on preferred stock at any time, and in certain situations an issuer may call or redeem its preferred stock or convert it to common stock. To the extent that the Fund invests a substantial portion of its assets in convertible preferred stocks, declining common stock values may also cause the value of the Fund’s investments to decline.

 

Preferred stock is also subject to market volatility and the price of preferred stock will fluctuate based on market demand. Preferred stock often has a call feature which allows the issuer to redeem the security at its discretion. Therefore, preferred stocks having a higher than average yield may be called by the issuer, which may cause a decrease in the yield of a Fund that invested in the preferred stock.

 

REIT Risk. REITs are securities that invest substantially all of their assets in real estate, trade like stocks and may qualify for special tax considerations. Investments in REITs subject the Fund to risks associated with the direct ownership of real estate. Market conditions or events affecting the overall real estate and REIT markets, such as declining property values or rising interest rates, could have a negative impact on the real estate market and the value of REITs in general. REITs may be affected by changes in the value of the underlying property owned by the trusts, economic downturns which may have a material effect on the real estate in which the REITs invest and their underlying portfolio securities.

 

Small and Mid-Cap Risk . The Index and therefore the Fund comprise small and mid-capitalization stocks. As a result, the Fund may be exposed to additional risk associated with mid and small capitalization companies. Increased exposure to small or mid-capitalization companies may cause the Fund to be more vulnerable to adverse general market or economic developments because such securities may be less liquid and subject to greater price volatility than those of larger, more established companies. Preferred stocks of small or mid-cap companies may be subject to more abrupt or erratic market movements than those of larger, more established companies or the market averages in general. Such companies may have limited product lines, markets or financial resources, and they may be dependent on a limited management group. In addition, they may be more vulnerable to adverse general market or economic developments.

 

Small Fund Risk. The Fund currently has fewer assets than larger funds, and like other smaller funds, large inflows and outflows may impact the Fund’s market exposure for limited periods of time. This impact may be positive or negative, depending on the direction of market movement during the period affected.

 

7

 

 

Trading Issues Risk. Although the Shares are listed for trading on the Exchange, there can be no assurance that an active trading market for such Shares will develop or be maintained. 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. In addition, trading in Shares on the Exchange is subject to trading halts caused by extraordinary market volatility pursuant to Exchange “circuit breaker” rules. Market makers are under no obligation to make a market in the Shares, and authorized participants are not obligated to submit purchase or redemption orders for Creation Units. There can be no assurance that the requirements of the Exchange necessary to maintain the listing of the Fund will continue to be met or will remain unchanged. The Fund may have difficulty maintaining its listing on the Exchange in the event the Fund’s assets are small or the Fund does not have enough shareholders.

 

The Shares will change in value, and you could lose money by investing in the Fund. The Fund may not achieve its investment objective.

 

PERFORMANCE

 

The bar chart and table shown below provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing the Fund's performance for the past calendar year and by showing how the Fund's average annual returns for one year and since inception periods compared with those of the S&P U.S. High Quality Preferred Stock Index and S&P U.S. Preferred Stock Index, each a broad-based securities index. The Fund's past performance (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future. Updated performance information is available on the Fund's website at www.innovatoretfs.com/EPRF and/or by calling the Fund toll-free at (800) 208-5212.

 

 

 

 

The Fund’s calendar year-to-date total return based on net value for the period January 1, 2018 to June 30, 2018 was 1.26%.

 

8

 

 

During the periods shown in the chart:

 

Best Quarter

   

Worst Quarter

 
5.29%     0.27%  

March 31, 2017

   

September 30, 2017

 

 

Innovator S&P Investment Grade Preferred ETF
Average Annual Total Returns for the periods ended
December 31, 2017

 

1 Year

   

Since Inception
( May 24 , 20 16 )

 

Return Before Taxes

    9.21

%

    2.41

%

Return After Taxes on Distributions

    6.40

%

    0.27

%

Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Shares

    5.18

%

    1.00

%

S&P U.S. High Quality Preferred Stock Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes) 1

    9.97

%

    3.14

%

S&P U.S. Preferred Stock Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes) 2

    9.11

%

    4.76

%

 

 

1  The S&P U.S. High Quality Preferred Stock Index is designed to provide exposure to U.S.-listed preferred stocks that meet a minimum size, liquidity, type of issuance, and quality criteria.

2  The S&P U.S. Preferred Stock Index represents the U.S preferred stock market.

 

After-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on your tax situation and may differ from those shown and are not relevant if you hold your shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts.

 

MANAGEMENT OF THE FUND

 

Investment Adviser. Innovator Capital Management, LLC (“Innovator” or the “Adviser”)

 

Investment Sub- Adviser

 

Penserra Capital Management LLC ( “Penserra” or the “Sub-Adviser”)

 

Portfolio Manager s

 

The following persons serve as the portfolio managers of the Fund.

 

 

Dustin Lewellyn

 

 

Ernesto Tong

 

 

Anand Desai

 

The portfolio managers are primarily and jointly responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund and have served in such capacity since April 1, 2018.

 

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PURCHASE AND SALE OF SHARES

 

The Fund issues and redeems Shares at net asset value (“NAV”) only with authorized participants (“APs”) that have entered into agreements with the Fund’s distributor and only in Creation Units (large blocks of 50,000 Shares) or multiples thereof (“Creation Unit Aggregations”), in exchange for the deposit or delivery of a basket of securities in which the Fund invests and/or cash. Except when aggregated in Creation Units, the Shares are not redeemable securities of the Fund.

 

Individual Shares may be purchased and sold only on a national securities exchange through brokers. Shares are listed for trading on the Exchange and because the Shares trade at market prices rather than NAV, Shares may trade at prices greater than NAV (at a premium), at NAV, or less than NAV (at a discount).

 

TAX INFORMATION

 

The Fund’s distributions will generally be taxable as ordinary income or capital gains. A sale of Shares may result in capital gain or loss.

 

PAYMENTS TO BROKER-DEALERS AND OTHER FINANCIAL INTERMEDIARIES

 

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

 

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Additional Information About the Fund’s Strategies and Risks

 

PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES

 

The Fund is a series of the Trust, an investment company and an exchange-traded “index fund.” The investment objective of the Fund is to seek investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield (before the Fund’s fees and expenses) of the Index. The Fund generally will invest at least 90% of its total assets in U.S.-listed preferred stocks that comprise the Index. The Fund’s investment objective, the 90% investment strategy and each of the policies described herein are non-fundamental policies that may be changed by the Board of Trustees of the Trust (the “Board”) without shareholder approval. As non-fundamental policies, the Fund’s investment objective and the 90% investment strategy require 60 days’ prior written notice to shareholders before they can be changed. Certain fundamental policies of the Fund are set forth in the Fund’s Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”) under “Investment Objective and Policies.”

 

The Fund uses an “indexing” investment approach to attempt to replicate, before fees and expenses, the performance of the Index. The Fund may employ a representative sampling indexing strategy to track the Index; therefore, the Fund may or may not hold all of the securities in the Index. The Sub-Adviser seeks correlation over time of 0.95 or better between the Fund’s performance and the performance of the Index; a figure of 1.00 would represent perfect correlation. Another means of evaluating the relationship between the returns of the Fund and the Index is to assess the “tracking error” between the two. Tracking error means the variation between the Fund’s annual return and the return of the Index, expressed in terms of standard deviation. The Fund seeks to have a tracking error of less than 5%, measured on a monthly basis over a one-year period by taking the standard deviation of the difference in the Fund’s returns versus the Index’s returns.

 

The Fund generally invests in all of the securities comprising the Index in proportion to the weightings of the securities in the Index. However, under various circumstances, it may not be possible or practicable to purchase all of those securities in those same weightings. In those circumstances, the Fund may purchase a sample of securities in the Index.

 

Additional information about the construction of the Index is set forth below in the section entitled “Index Provider.”

 

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Fund Investments

 

PREFERRED STOCKS

 

Preferred stock is a class of equity ownership that has a more senior claim on the earnings and assets of a business than common stock. In the event of liquidation, the holders of preferred stock are generally paid before common stock holders, but after secured debt holders. Preferred stock also generally pays a dividend; this payment may be cumulative, in which any delayed prior payments must also be paid before distributions can be made to the holders of common stock. In addition, preferred stock may not pay a dividend, an issuer may suspend payment of dividends on preferred stock at any time, and in certain situations an issuer may call or redeem its preferred stock or convert it to common stock. Preferred stock is a class of equity ownership that has a more senior claim on the earnings and assets of a business than common stock. In the event of liquidation, the holders of preferred stock must be paid off before common stock holders, but after secured debt holders. Preferred stock also pays a dividend; this payment is usually cumulative, so any delayed prior payments must also be paid before distributions can be made to the holders of common stock. The preferred stocks in which the Fund invests pay dividends at a fixed rate; therefore, a preferred stock’s market price may be sensitive to changes in interest rates in a manner similar to bonds — that is, as interest rates rise, the value of the preferred stock is likely to decline. Many preferred stocks also allow holders to convert the preferred stock into common stock of the issuer; the market price of such preferred stocks may be sensitive to changes in the value of the issuer’s common stock. In addition, the ability of an issuer of preferred stock to pay dividends may deteriorate or the issuer may default ( i.e. , fail to make scheduled dividend payments on the preferred stock or scheduled interest payments on other obligations of the issuer), which would negatively affect the value of any such holding. Dividend payments on a preferred stock typically must be declared by the issuer’s board of directors. An issuer’s board of directors is generally not under any obligation to pay a dividend (even if such dividends have accrued), and may suspend payment of dividends on preferred stock at any time. Preferred stock is also subject to market volatility and the price of preferred stock will fluctuate based on market demand. Preferred stock often has a call feature which allows the issuer to redeem the security at its discretion. Therefore, preferred stocks having a higher than average yield may be called by the issuer, which may cause a decrease in the yield of a Fund that invested in the preferred stock.

 

CASH EQUIVALENTS AND SHORT-TERM INVESTMENTS

 

The Fund may invest in securities with maturities of less than one year or cash equivalents, or it may hold cash, in order to collateralize its investments. The percentage of the Fund invested in such holdings varies and depends on several factors, including market conditions. During periods of high cash inflows or outflows, if market conditions are not favorable, the Fund may depart from its principal investment strategies and invest part or all of its assets in these securities or it may hold cash. During such periods, the Fund may not be able to achieve its investment objective. For more information on eligible short-term investments, see the SAI.

 

PRINCIPAL RISKS OF INVESTING IN THE FUND

 

The following provides additional information about certain of the principal risks identified under “Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund” in the Fund’s “Summary Information” section.

 

Risk is inherent in all investing. Investing in the Fund involves risk, including the risk that you may lose all or part of your investment. There can be no assurance that the Fund will meet its stated objectives. Before you invest, you should consider the following risks in addition to the Principal Risks set forth above in this prospectus.

 

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Active Market Risk. Although the Shares are listed for trading on the Exchange, there can be no assurance that an active trading market for the Shares will develop or be maintained. Shares trade on the Exchange at market prices that may be below, at or above the Fund’s net asset value. Securities, including the Shares, are subject to market fluctuations and liquidity constraints that may be caused by such factors as economic, political, or regulatory developments, changes in interest rates, and/or perceived trends in securities prices. Shares of the Fund could decline in value or underperform other investments.

 

Authorized Participant Concentration Risk. Only an AP may engage in creation or redemption transactions directly with the Fund. The Fund has a limited number of institutions that act as APs. To the extent that these institutions exit the business or are unable to proceed with creation and/or redemption orders with respect to the Fund and no other AP is able to step forward to create or redeem, in either of these cases, Shares may trade at a discount to the Fund’s NAV and possibly face delisting.

 

Cyber Security Risk. As the use of Internet technology has become more prevalent in the course of business, the investment industry has become more susceptible to potential operational risks through breaches in cyber security. A breach in cyber security refers to both intentional and unintentional events that may cause the Fund to lose proprietary information, suffer data corruption or lose operational capacity. Such events could cause the Fund to incur regulatory penalties, reputational damage, additional compliance costs associated with corrective measures and/or financial loss. Cyber security breaches may involve unauthorized access to the Fund’s digital information systems through “hacking” or malicious software coding, but may also result from outside attacks such as denial-of-service attacks through efforts to make network services unavailable to intended users. In addition, cyber security breaches of the Fund’s third party service providers, such as its administrator, transfer agent, custodian, or issuers in which the Fund invests, can also subject the Fund to many of the same risks associated with direct cyber security breaches. The Fund has established risk management systems designed to reduce the risks associated with cyber security. However, there is no guarantee that such efforts will succeed, especially because the Fund does not directly control the cyber security systems of issuers or third party service providers.

 

Financials Sector Risk. In following its methodology, the Index from time to time may be concentrated to a significant degree in securities of issuers located in the financials sector. Performance of companies in the financials sector may be adversely impacted by many factors, including, among others, government regulations, economic conditions, credit rating downgrades, changes in interest rates, and decreased liquidity in credit markets. This sector has experienced significant losses in the recent past, and the impact of more stringent capital requirements and of recent or future regulation on any individual financial company or on the sector as a whole cannot be predicted. Certain risks may impact the value of investments in the financial sector more severely than those of investments outside this sector, including the risks associated with companies that operate with substantial financial leverage. Companies in the financial sector may also be adversely affected by increases in interest rates and loan losses, decreases in the availability of money or asset valuations, credit rating downgrades and adverse conditions in other related markets.

 

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Fluctuation of Net Asset Value Risk. The NAV of Shares will generally fluctuate with changes in the market value of the Fund’s holdings. The market prices of Shares will generally fluctuate in accordance with changes in NAV as well as the relative supply of and demand for Shares on the Exchange. The Fund cannot predict whether Shares will trade below, at or above their NAV. Price differences may be due, in large part, to the fact that supply and demand forces at work in the secondary trading market for Shares will be closely related to, but not identical to, the same forces influencing the prices of the holdings of the Fund trading individually or in the aggregate at any point in time. If a shareholder purchases at a time when the market price is at a premium to the NAV of the Shares, or sells at a time when the market price is at a discount to the NAV of the Shares, the shareholder may sustain losses.

 

Index Risk. Unlike many investment companies, the Fund does not utilize an investing strategy that seeks returns in excess of the Index. Therefore, the Fund would not necessarily buy or sell a security unless that security is added or removed, respectively, from the Index, even if that security generally is underperforming.

 

Industry Concentration Risk. In following its methodology, the Index from time to time may be concentrated to a significant degree in securities of issuers located in a single industry or sector. To the extent that the Index concentrates in the securities of issuers in a particular industry or sector, the Fund will also concentrate its investments to approximately the same extent. By concentrating its investments in an industry or sector, the Fund may face more risks than if it were diversified broadly over numerous industries or sectors. Such industry-based risks, any of which may adversely affect the companies in which the Fund invests, may include, but are not limited to, the following: general economic conditions or cyclical market patterns that could negatively affect supply and demand in a particular industry competition for resources, adverse labor relations, political or world events; obsolescence of technologies; and increased competition or new product introductions that may affect the profitability or viability of companies in an industry. In addition, at times, such industry or sector may be out of favor and underperform other industries or the market as a whole.

 

Interest Rate Risk. An increase in interest rates may cause the value of preferred securities held by the Fund to decline.

 

Market Maker Risk. If the Fund has lower average daily trading volumes, it may rely on a small number of third party market makers to provide a market for the purchase and sale of Shares. Any trading halt or other problem relating to the trading activity of these market makers could result in a dramatic change in the spread between the Fund’s NAV and the price at which the Fund’s Shares are trading on the Exchange which could result in a decrease in value of the Fund’s Shares. In addition, decisions by market makers or APs to reduce their role or step away from these activities in times of market stress could inhibit the effectiveness of the arbitrage process in maintaining the relationship between the underlying values of the Fund’s portfolio securities and the Funds’ market price. This reduced effectiveness could result in Fund Shares trading at a discount to NAV and also in greater than normal intraday bid-ask spreads for Fund Shares.

 

Market Risk. Securities in the Index are subject to market fluctuations. You should anticipate that the value of the Shares will decline, more or less, in correlation with any decline in value of the securities in the Index. A significant percentage of the Index may be composed of issuers in a single industry or sector of the economy. If the Fund is focused in an industry or sector, the Fund may face more risks than if it were broadly diversified over numerous industries and sectors of the economy. At times, such industry or sector may be out of favor and underperform other industries or sectors or the market as a whole.

 

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Non-Correlation Risk. The Fund’s return may not match the return of the Index for a number of reasons. For example, the Fund incurs operating expenses not applicable to the Index and incurs costs in buying and selling securities, especially when rebalancing the Fund’s securities holdings to reflect changes in the composition of the Index. In addition, the performance of the Fund and the Index may vary due to asset valuation differences and differences between the Fund’s portfolio and the Index resulting from legal restrictions, cost or liquidity constraints. The Fund may fair value certain of the securities it holds. To the extent the Fund calculates its NAV based on fair value prices, the Fund’s ability to track the Index may be adversely affected. Since the Index is not subject to the tax diversification requirements to which the Fund must adhere, the Fund may be required to deviate its investments from the securities and relative weightings of the Index. The Fund may not invest in certain securities included in the Index due to liquidity constraints. Liquidity constraints also may delay the Fund’s purchase or sale of securities included in the Index. For tax efficiency purposes, the Fund may sell certain securities to realize losses, causing it to deviate from the Index. Although the Fund currently intends to seek to fully replicate the Index, the Fund may use a representative sampling approach, which may cause the Fund not to be as well-correlated with the return of the Index as would be the case if the Fund purchased all of the securities in the Index in the proportions represented in the Index.

 

Non-Diversification Risk. Because the Fund is non-diversified and can invest a greater portion of its assets in securities of individual issuers than a diversified fund, changes in the market value of a single investment could cause greater fluctuations in Share price than would occur in a diversified fund. This may increase the Fund’s volatility and cause the performance of a relatively small number of issuers to have a greater impact on the Fund’s performance.

 

Preferred Stock Risk. The Fund invests in equity securities, which will be primarily preferred stocks. General risks of equity securities include the risk that the value of the securities the Fund holds will fall due to general market and economic conditions, perceptions regarding the industries in which the issuers of securities the Fund holds participate or factors relating to specific companies in which the Fund invests. For example, an adverse event, such as an unfavorable earnings report, may depress the value of securities the Fund holds; the price of securities may be particularly sensitive to general movements in the stock market; or a drop in the stock market may depress the price of most or all of the securities the Fund holds. In addition, preferred securities of an issuer in the Fund’s portfolio may decline in price if the issuer fails to make anticipated dividend payments because, among other reasons, the issuer of the security experiences a decline in its financial condition. Preferred stock is subject to many of the risks associated with debt securities, including interest rate risk. In addition, preferred stock may not pay a dividend, an issuer may suspend payment of dividends on preferred stock at any time, and in certain situations an issuer may call or redeem its preferred stock or convert it to common stock. To the extent that the Fund invests a substantial portion of its assets in convertible preferred stocks, declining common stock values may also cause the value of the Fund’s investments to decline.

 

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Preferred stock is also subject to market volatility and the price of preferred stock will fluctuate based on market demand. Preferred stock often has a call feature which allows the issuer to redeem the security at its discretion. Therefore, preferred stocks having a higher than average yield may be called by the issuer, which may cause a decrease in the yield of a Fund that invested in the preferred stock.

 

REIT Risk. REITs are securities that invest substantially all of their assets in real estate, trade like stocks and may qualify for special tax considerations. Investments in REITs subject the Fund to risks associated with the direct ownership of real estate. Market conditions or events affecting the overall real estate and REIT markets, such as declining property values or rising interest rates, could have a negative impact on the real estate market and the value of REITs in general. REITs may be affected by changes in the value of the underlying property owned by the trusts, economic downturns which may have a material effect on the real estate in which the REITs invest and their underlying portfolio securities.

 

Small and Mid-Cap Risk . The Index and therefore the Fund comprise small and mid-capitalization stocks. As a result, the Fund may be exposed to additional risk associated with small and mid-capitalization companies. Increased exposure to small and mid-capitalization companies may cause the Fund to be more vulnerable to adverse general market or economic developments because such securities may be less liquid and subject to greater price volatility than those of larger, more established companies. Preferred stocks of small or mid-cap companies may be subject to more abrupt or erratic market movements than those of larger, more established companies or the market averages in general. Such companies may have limited product lines, markets or financial resources, and they may be dependent on a limited management group. In addition, they may be more vulnerable to adverse general market or economic developments.

 

Small Fund Risk. The Fund currently has fewer assets than larger funds, and like other smaller funds, large inflows and outflows may impact the Fund’s market exposure for limited periods of time. This impact may be positive or negative, depending on the direction of market movement during the period affected.

 

Trading Issues Risk. Although the Shares are listed for trading on the Exchange, there can be no assurance that an active trading market for such Shares will develop or be maintained. 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. In addition, trading in Shares on the Exchange is subject to trading halts caused by extraordinary market volatility pursuant to Exchange “circuit breaker” rules. Market makers are under no obligation to make a market in the Shares, and APs are not obligated to submit purchase or redemption orders for Creation Units. There can be no assurance that the requirements of the Exchange necessary to maintain the listing of the Fund will continue to be met or will remain unchanged. The Fund may have difficulty maintaining its listing on the Exchange in the event the Fund’s assets are small or the Fund does not have enough shareholders.

 

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NON-PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES

 

The Fund, after investing at least 90% of its total assets in U.S.-listed preferred stocks that comprise the Index, may invest its remaining assets in securities or other instruments not included in the Index and in money market instruments, including repurchase agreements or other funds that invest exclusively in money market instruments (subject to applicable limitations under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”), or exemptions therefrom). The Adviser anticipates that it may take approximately three business days (a business day is any day that the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) is open) for the Adviser to fully reflect the additions and deletions to the Fund’s Index in the portfolio composition of the Fund.

 

ADDITIONAL RISKS OF INVESTING IN THE FUND

 

The following section provides additional risk information regarding investing in the Fund.

 

Failure to Qualify as a Regulated Investment Company Risk. If, in any year, the Fund fails to qualify as a regulated investment company under the applicable tax laws, the Fund would be taxed as an ordinary corporation. In such circumstances, the Fund could be required to recognize unrealized gains, pay substantial taxes and interest and make substantial distributions before requalifying as a regulated investment company that is accorded special tax treatment. If the Fund fails to qualify as a regulated investment company, distributions to the Fund’s shareholders generally would be eligible for the dividends received deduction in the case of corporate shareholders.

 

Inflation Risk. Inflation may reduce the intrinsic value of increases in the value of the Fund. Inflation risk is the risk that the value of assets or income from investments will be less in the future as inflation decreases the value of money. As inflation increases, the value of the Fund’s assets can decline as can the value of the Fund’s distributions. Preferred stock prices may be particularly sensitive to rising interest rates, as the cost of capital rises and borrowing costs increase.

 

Legislation and Litigation Risk. Legislation or litigation that affects the value of securities held by the Fund may reduce the value of the Fund. From time to time, various legislative initiatives are proposed that may have a negative impact on certain securities in which the Fund invests. In addition, litigation regarding any of the securities owned by the Fund may negatively impact the value of the Shares. Such legislation or litigation may cause the Fund to lose value or may result in higher portfolio turnover if the Adviser determines to sell such a holding.

 

Security Issuer Risk. Issuer-specific attributes may cause a security held by the Fund to be more volatile than the market generally. The value of an individual security or particular type of security may be more volatile than the market as a whole and may perform differently from the value of the market as a whole.

 

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 Tax-Advantaged Structure of ETFs

 

Unlike interests in conventional mutual funds, which typically are bought and sold only at closing NAVs, the Shares are traded throughout the day in the secondary market on a national securities exchange and are created and redeemed principally in-kind in Creation Units at each day’s next calculated NAV. These in-kind arrangements are designed to protect ongoing shareholders from the adverse effects on the portfolio of the Fund that could arise from frequent cash redemption transactions. In a conventional mutual fund, redemptions can have an adverse tax impact on taxable shareholders because of the mutual fund’s need to sell portfolio securities to obtain cash to meet fund redemptions. These sales may generate taxable gains for the shareholders of the mutual fund, whereas the Shares’ in-kind redemption mechanism generally will not lead to a tax event for the Fund or its ongoing shareholders.

 

Portfolio Holdings

 

A description of the Trust’s policies and procedures with respect to the disclosure of the Fund’s portfolio holdings is available in the Fund’s SAI, which is available at www.innovatoretfs.com/EPRF.

 

Management of the Fund

 

FUND ORGANIZATION

 

The Fund is a series of the Trust, an investment company registered under the 1940 Act. The Fund is treated as a separate fund with its own investment objective and policies. The Trust is organized as a Massachusetts business trust. Its Board is responsible for the overall management and direction of the Trust. The Board elects the Trust’s officers and approves all significant agreements, including those with the Adviser, custodian and fund administrative and accounting agent.

 

Investment Adviser

 

Innovator Capital Management, LLC, 120 North Hale Street, Suite 200, Wheaton, Illinois 60187, serves as the Fund’s investment adviser. As of July 1, 2018, Innovator served as the investment adviser to four registered investment companies, with assets under management of $720 million. In its capacity as Adviser to the Fund, Innovator has overall responsibility for selecting and monitoring the Fund’s investments and managing the Fund’s business affairs.

 

Effective April 1, 2018, Innovator was appointed to serve as the investment adviser to the Fund, pursuant to an Interim Investment Advisory Agreement with the Trust on behalf of the Fund (“Interim Advisory Agreement”). The Interim Advisory Agreement will remain in effect for 150 days from its effectiveness, or until Fund shareholders approve a new, permanent investment advisory agreement (“New Advisory Agreement”), whichever is earlier. On April 10, 2018, the Board approved the New Advisory Agreement between the Trust and Innovator and recommended that the New Advisory Agreement be submitted to Fund shareholders for approval. The New Advisory Agreement will take effect upon its approval by shareholders.

 

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The terms and conditions of the Interim Advisory Agreement are identical in all material respects to those of the original investment advisory agreement between the Trust and Elkhorn Investments, LLC, the Fund’s previous investment adviser (“Original Agreement”), except for the effective period and termination provisions. The terms and conditions of the New Advisory Agreement are substantively the same as the Original Agreement. The level of advisory services under the Interim Advisory Agreement and New Advisory Agreement will be the same as under the Original Agreement.

 

Investment Sub- Adviser

 

Penserra Capital Management LLC, 4 Orinda Way, Suite 100-A, Orinda CA 94563, serves as the Fund’s investment sub-adviser. Penserra has responsibility for managing the Fund’s investment program in pursuit of its investment objective.

 

Effective April 1, 2018, Penserra was appointed to serve as the investment sub-adviser to the Fund, pursuant to an Interim Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement with the Trust, on behalf of the Fund (“Interim Sub-Advisory Agreement”). The Interim Sub-Advisory Agreement will remain in effect for 150 days from its effectiveness, or until Fund shareholders approve a new, permanent investment advisory agreement (“Sub-Advisory Agreement”), whichever is earlier. On April 10, 2018, the Board approved the Sub-Advisory Agreement between the Trust and Penserra and recommended that the Sub-Advisory Agreement be submitted to Fund shareholders for approval. The Sub-Advisory Agreement will take effect upon its approval by shareholders.

 

Portfolio Manager s

 

Dustin Lewellyn, CFA . Mr. Lewellyn has been Chief Investment Officer with Penserra since 2012. He was President and Founder of Golden Gate Investment Consulting LLC from 2011 through 2015. Prior to that, Mr. Lewellyn was a managing director at Charles Schwab Investment Management, Inc. (“CSIM”), which he joined in 2009, and head of portfolio management for Schwab ETFs. Prior to joining CSIM, he worked for two years as director of ETF product management and development at a major financial institution focused on asset and wealth management. Prior to that, he was a portfolio manager for institutional clients at a financial services firm for three years. In addition, he held roles in portfolio operations and product management at a large asset management firm for more than 6 years.

 

Ernesto Tong, CFA . Mr. Tong has been a Managing Director with Penserra since 2015. Prior to that, Mr. Tong spent seven years a vice president at Blackrock, where he was a portfolio manager for a number of the iShares ETFs, and prior to that, he spent two years in the firm’s index research group.

 

Anand Desai . Mr. Desai has been an Associate with Penserra since 2015. Prior to that, Mr. Desai was a portfolio fund accountant at State Street for five years.

 

For additional information concerning Innovator and Penserra, including a description of the services provided to the Fund, please see the Fund’s statement of additional information. Additional information regarding the portfolio manager’s compensation, other accounts managed by the portfolio managers and the portfolio managers’ ownership of Shares may also be found in the statement of additional information.

 

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Management F ee

 

Pursuant to the Interim Advisory Agreement and the New Advisory Agreement, the Fund pays the Adviser an annual management fee equal to 0.47% of its average daily net assets. Out of the management fee, the Adviser pays substantially all expenses of the Fund, including the cost of transfer agency, custody, fund administration, legal, audit and other service and license fees, except for distribution and service fees payable pursuant to a Rule 12b-1 plan, if any, brokerage commissions and other expenses connected with the execution of portfolio transactions, taxes, interest, and extraordinary expenses.

 

Pursuant to the Interim Sub-Advisory Agreement and the Sub-Advisory Agreement, Penserra receives an annual fee based on the average daily net assets of the Fund. The Adviser is responsible for paying the entire amount of the Sub-Adviser’s fee for the Fund. The Fund does not directly pay the Sub-Adviser.

 

A discussion regarding the basis for the Board’s approval of the New Advisory Agreement and the Sub-Advisory Agreement, on behalf of the Fund, will be available in the Fund’s Semi-Annual Report to shareholders for the fiscal period ended September 30, 2018.

 

How to Buy and Sell Shares

 

The Fund issues or redeems its Shares at NAV per Share only in Creation Units.

 

Most investors will buy and sell Shares in secondary market transactions through brokers. Shares are listed for trading on the secondary market on the Exchange. Shares can be bought and sold throughout the trading day like other publicly traded shares. There is no minimum investment. 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. The Shares trade under the symbol EPRF.

 

Share prices are reported in dollars and cents per Share.

 

For purposes of the 1940 Act, the Fund is treated as a registered investment company, and the acquisition of Shares by other registered investment companies is subject to the restrictions of Section 12(d)(1) of the 1940 Act. The Trust, on behalf of the Fund, has received an exemptive order from the SEC that permits certain registered investment companies to invest in the Fund beyond the limits set forth in Section 12(d)(1), subject to certain terms and conditions, including that any such investment companies enter into an agreement with the Fund regarding the terms of any investment.

 

APs may acquire Shares directly from the Fund, and APs may tender their Shares for redemption directly to the Fund, at NAV per Share only in Creation Units or Creation Unit Aggregations, and in accordance with the procedures described in the SAI.

 

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

 

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 stocks that you hold in book entry or “street name” form.

 

FUND SHARE TRADING PRICES

 

The trading prices of Shares on the Exchange may differ from the Fund’s daily NAV. Market forces of supply and demand, economic conditions and other factors may affect the trading prices of Shares.

 

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, is 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 of the Fund 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 business day. The Fund is not involved in, or responsible for, the calculation or dissemination of the approximate value and the Fund does not make any warranty as to its accuracy.

 

FREQUENT PURCHASES AND REDEMPTIONS OF FUND SHARES

 

Shares may be purchased and redeemed directly from the Fund only in Creation Units by APs that have entered into agreements with the Fund’s distributor. The vast majority of trading in Shares occurs on the secondary market and does not involve the Fund directly. In-kind purchases and redemptions of Creation Units by APs and cash trades on the secondary market are unlikely to cause many of the harmful effects of frequent purchases and/or redemptions of Shares. Cash purchases and/or redemptions of Creation Units, however, can result in increased tracking error, disruption of portfolio management, dilution to the Fund and increased transaction costs, which could negatively impact the Fund’s ability to achieve its investment objective, and may lead to the realization of capital gains. These consequences may increase as the frequency of cash purchases and redemptions of Creation Units by APs increases. However, direct trading by APs is critical to ensuring that Shares trade at or close to NAV.

 

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To minimize these potential consequences of frequent purchases and redemptions of Shares, the Fund imposes transaction fees on purchases and redemptions of Creation Units to cover the custodial and other costs the Fund incurs in effecting trades. In addition, the Fund reserves the right to not accept orders from APs that the Adviser has determined may be disruptive to the management of the Fund or otherwise are not in the best interests of the Fund. For these reasons, the Board has not adopted policies and procedures with respect to frequent purchases and redemptions of Shares.

 

Dividends, Distributions and Taxes

 

This section describes tax matters applicable to the Fund. Ordinarily, dividends from net investment income, if any, are declared and paid at least annually by the Fund. The Fund distributes its net realized capital gains, if any, to shareholders annually.

 

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

 

The Fund intends to continue qualify as a “regulated investment company” under the federal tax laws. If the Fund qualifies as a regulated investment company and distributes its income as required by the tax law, the Fund generally will not pay federal income 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.

 

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

 

 

Your Fund makes distributions,

 

 

You sell your Shares listed on the Exchange, and

 

 

You purchase or redeem Creation Units.

 

TAXES ON DISTRIBUTIONS

 

The Fund’s distributions are generally taxable. After the end of each year, you will receive a tax statement that separates the distributions of the Fund into two categories, ordinary income distributions and capital gain dividends. Ordinary income distributions are generally taxed at your ordinary tax rate; however, as further discussed below, certain ordinary income distributions received from the Fund may be taxed at the capital gains tax rates. Generally, you will treat all capital gain dividends as long-term capital gains regardless of how long you have owned your Shares. To determine your actual tax liability for your capital gain dividends, you must calculate your total net capital gain or loss for the tax year after considering all of your other taxable transactions, as described below. In addition, the Fund may make distributions that represent a return of capital for tax purposes and thus will generally not be taxable to you; however, such distributions may reduce your tax basis, which could result in you having to pay higher taxes in the future when Shares are sold, even if you sell the Shares at a loss from your original investment. The tax status of your distributions from the Fund is not affected by whether you reinvest your distributions in additional Shares or receive them in cash. The income from the Fund that you must take into account for federal income tax purposes is not reduced by amounts used to pay a deferred sales fee, if any. The tax laws may require you to treat distributions made to you in January as if you had received them on December 31 of the previous year.

 

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Income from the Fund may also be subject to a 3.8% “Medicare tax.” This tax generally applies to your net investment income if your adjusted gross income exceeds certain threshold amounts, which are $250,000 in the case of married couples filing joint returns and $200,000 in the case of single individuals.

 

A corporation that owns Shares generally will not be entitled to the dividends received deduction with respect to many dividends received from the Fund because the dividends received deduction is generally not available for distributions from regulated investment companies. However, certain ordinary income dividends on Shares that are attributable to qualifying dividends received by the Fund from certain corporations may be reported by the Fund as being eligible for the dividends received deduction.

 

If you are an individual, the maximum marginal stated federal tax rate for net capital gain is generally 20% (15% or 0% for taxpayers with taxable income below certain thresholds). Some capital gains, including some capital gains dividends, may be taxed at a higher rate. Capital gain received from assets held for more than one year that is considered “unrecaptured section 1250 gain” (which may be the case, for example, with some capital gains attributable to equity interests in real estate investment trusts that constitute interests in entities treated as real estate investment trusts for federal income tax purposes) is taxed at a maximum stated tax rate of 25%. In the case of capital gain dividends, the determination of which portion of the capital gain dividend, if any, is subject to the 25% tax rate, will be made based on rules prescribed by the United States Treasury. Capital gains may also be subject to the Medicare tax described above.

 

Net capital gain equals net long-term capital gain minus net short-term capital loss for the taxable year. Capital gain or loss is long-term if the holding period for the asset is more than one year and is short-term if the holding period for the asset is one year or less. You must exclude the date you purchase your Shares to determine your holding period. However, if you receive a capital gain dividend from the Fund and sell your Shares at a loss after holding it for six months or less, the loss will be recharacterized as long-term capital loss to the extent of the capital gain dividend received. The tax rates for capital gains realized from assets held for one year or less are generally the same as for ordinary income. The Code treats certain capital gains as ordinary income in special situations.

 

Ordinary income dividends received by an individual shareholder from a regulated investment company such as the Fund are generally taxed at the same rates that apply to net capital gain (as discussed above), provided certain holding period requirements are satisfied and provided the dividends are attributable to qualifying dividends received by the Fund itself. Distributions with respect to shares in real estate investment trusts are qualifying dividends only in limited circumstances. The Fund will provide notice to its shareholders of the amount of any distribution which may be taken into account as a dividend which is eligible for the capital gains tax rates.

 

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TAXES ON EXCHANGE-LISTED SHARE SALES

 

If you sell or redeem your Shares, you will generally recognize a taxable gain or loss. To determine the amount of this gain or loss, you must subtract your tax basis in your Shares from the amount you receive in the transaction. Your tax basis in your Shares is generally equal to the cost of your Shares, generally including sales charges. In some cases, however, you may have to adjust your tax basis after you purchase your Shares.

 

In-Kind Distributions.

 

Under certain circumstances, as described in this prospectus, you may receive an in-kind distribution of Fund securities when you redeem shares or when your Fund terminates. This distribution will be treated as a sale for federal income tax purposes and you will generally recognize gain or loss, generally based on the value at that time of the securities and the amount of cash received. The Internal Revenue Service could however assert that a loss could not be currently deducted.

 

TAXES ON PURCHASE AND REDEMPTION OF CREATION UNITS

 

If you exchange securities for Creation Units you will generally recognize a gain or a loss. The gain or loss will be equal to the difference between the market value of the Creation Units at the time and your aggregate basis in the securities surrendered and the cash component paid. If you exchange Creation Units for securities, you will generally recognize a gain or loss equal to the difference between your basis in the Creation Units and the aggregate market value of the securities received and any cash redemption amount. The Internal Revenue Service, however, may assert that a loss realized upon an exchange of securities for Creation Units or Creation Units for securities cannot be deducted currently under the rules governing “wash sales,” or on the basis that there has been no significant change in economic position.

 

Under current federal tax laws, any capital gain or loss realized upon redemption of Creation Units generally is treated as long-term capital gain or loss if the Shares have been held for more than one year and as a 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.

 

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. You also may be subject to state and local tax on Fund distributions and sales of Shares.

 

Consult your personal tax advisor about the potential tax consequences of an investment in Shares under all applicable tax laws. See “Taxes” in the SAI for more information.

 

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Distribution Plan

 

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.

 

Previously, the Board had adopted a Distribution and Service Plan (the “Plan”) pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act. However, the Board has elected not to renew the Plan.

 

Net Asset Value

 

The Fund’s NAV is determined as of the close of trading (normally 4:00 p.m., Eastern time) on each day the New York Stock Exchange is open for business. NAV is calculated for the Fund by taking the market price of the Fund’s total assets, including interest or dividends accrued but not yet collected, less all liabilities, and dividing such amount by the total number of Shares outstanding. The result, rounded to the nearest cent, is the net asset value per Share. All valuations are subject to review by the Trust’s Board or its delegate.

 

The Fund’s investments are valued daily in accordance with valuation procedures adopted by the Board, and in accordance with provisions of the 1940 Act. Certain securities in which the Fund may invest are not listed on any securities exchange or board of trade. Such securities are typically bought and sold by institutional investors in individually negotiated private transactions that function in many respects like an over the counter secondary market, although typically no formal market makers exist. Certain securities, particularly debt securities, have few or no trades, or trade infrequently, and information regarding a specific security may not be widely available or may be incomplete. Accordingly, determinations of the fair value of debt securities may be based on infrequent and dated information. Because there is less reliable, objective data available, elements of judgment may play a greater role in valuation of debt securities than for other types of securities. Typically, debt securities are valued using information provided by a third-party pricing service. The third-party pricing service primarily uses broker quotes to value the securities.

 

The Fund’s investments are valued daily at market value or, in the absence of market value with respect to any investment, at fair value in accordance with valuation procedures adopted by the Board and in accordance with the 1940 Act. Market value prices represent last sale or official closing prices from a national or foreign exchange ( i.e., a regulated market) and are primarily obtained from third-party pricing services.

 

25

 

 

Certain securities may not be able to be priced by pre-established pricing methods. Such securities may be valued by the Board or its delegate at fair value. The use of fair value pricing by the Fund is governed by valuation procedures adopted by the Board and in accordance with the provisions of the 1940 Act. These securities generally include, but are not limited to, certain restricted securities (securities which may not be publicly sold without registration under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”)) for which a pricing service is unable to provide a market price; securities whose trading has been formally suspended; a security whose market price is not available from a pre-established pricing source; a security with respect to which an event has occurred that is likely to materially affect the value of the security after the market has closed but before the calculation of the Fund’s NAV or make it difficult or impossible to obtain a reliable market quotation; and a security whose price, as provided by the pricing service, does not reflect the security’s “fair value.” As a general principle, the current “fair value” of a security would appear to be the amount which the owner might reasonably expect to receive for the security upon its current sale. The use of fair value prices by the Fund generally results in the prices used by the Fund that may differ from current market quotations or official closing prices on the applicable exchange. A variety of factors may be considered in determining the fair value of such securities. Valuing the Fund’s securities using fair value pricing will result in using prices for those securities that may differ from current market valuations. See the Fund’s SAI for details.

 

Even when market quotations are available for portfolio securities, they may be stale or unreliable because the security is not traded frequently, trading on the security ceased before the close of the trading market or issuer-specific events occurred after the security ceased trading or because of the passage of time between the close of the market on which the security trades and the close of the Exchange and when the Fund calculates its NAV. Events that may cause the last market quotation to be unreliable include a merger or insolvency, events which affect a geographical area or an industry segment, such as political events or natural disasters, or market events, such as a significant movement in the U.S. market. Where market quotations are not readily available, including where the Adviser determines that the closing price of the security is unreliable, the Adviser will value the security at fair value in good faith using procedures approved by the Board. Fair value pricing involves subjective judgments and it is possible that a fair value determination for a security is materially different than the value that could be realized upon the sale of the security. In addition, fair value pricing could result in a difference between the prices used to calculate the Fund’s NAV and the prices used by the Index. This may adversely affect the Fund’s ability to track the Index.

 

Fund Service Providers

 

The Bank of New York Mellon, 101 Barclay Street, New York, New York 10286, is the administrator, custodian and fund accounting and transfer agent for the Fund.

 

Chapman and Cutler LLP, 111 West Monroe Street, Chicago, Illinois 60603, serves as legal counsel to the Trust.

 

Cohen & Company, Ltd. Cohen & Company, Ltd., 1350 Euclid Avenue, Suite 800, Cleveland, OH 44115, serves as the Fund’s independent registered public accounting firm and is responsible for auditing the annual financial statements of the Fund.

 

26

 

 

 

Financial Highlights

 

The financial highlights table is intended to help you understand the Fund’s financial performance for the period of the Fund’s operations. The total return in the table represents the rate than an investor would have earned (or lost) on an investment in the Fund (assuming reinvestment of all dividends and distributions). This information has been derived from the Fund’s financial statements, which have been audited by Grant Thornton LLP, the Fund’s previous independent registered public accounting firm, whose report, along with this information and additional Fund performance and portfolio information appears in the Fund’s 2018 Annual Report, which is available at www.innovatoretfs.com/EPRF.

 

   

Year Ended

March 31, 2018

   

For the Period
May 23, 2016 1
to March 31, 2017

 
                 

Per Share Operating Performance:

 

(for a share of capital stock outstanding throughout the period)

 

Net asset value, beginning of period

  $ 24.06     $ 25.07  

Income from Investment Operations:

               

Net investment income 2

    1.29       1.21  

Net realized and unrealized loss on investments

    (0.57 )     (1.17 )

Total gain from investment operations

    0.72       0.04  

Less distributions from:

               

Net investment income

    (1.36 )     (1.05 )

Return of capital

    (0.04 )     -  

Total distributions

    (1.40 )     (1.05 )

Net asset value, end of period

  $ 23.38     $ 24.06  

Market Value, end of period

  $ 23.39     $ 24.10  

Total Return at Net Asset Value

    2.98 %     0.18 % 3

Total Return at Market Value

    3.69 %     (0.10 )% 3
                 

Ratios/ Supplemental Data

               

Net assets, end of period (000’s) omitted

  $ 19,870     $ 12,030  

Ratio to average net assets of:

               

Expenses

    0.47 %     0.48 % 4,5

Net Investment Income

    5.39 %     5.86 % 4

Portfolio turnover rate 6

    67 %     171 %

 

1 Commencement of operations.

2 Based on average daily shares outstanding.

3 Not Annualized.

4 Annualized for periods less than one year.

5 The ratio of expenses to average net assets include tax expenses of 0.01%.

6 Portfolio turnover rate is not annualized and excludes the value of portfolio securities received or delivered as a result of in-kind creations or redemptions of the Fund’s capital shares.

 

27

 

 

Index Provider

 

The S&P U.S. High Quality Preferred Stock Index is a trademark of S&P and has been licensed for use for certain purposes by the Adviser. The Index Provider is not affiliated with the Trust, the Adviser or the Distributor. The Fund is entitled to use the Index pursuant to a sub-licensing agreement with the Adviser.

 

No entity that creates, compiles, sponsors or maintains an index is or will be an affiliated person, as defined in Section 2(a)(3) of the 1940 Act, or an affiliated person of an affiliated person, of the Trust, the Adviser, the Distributor or a promoter of the Fund.

 

Neither the Adviser nor any affiliate of the Adviser has any rights to influence the selection of the securities in the Index.

 

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

 

To qualify for membership in the Index, a preferred stock must satisfy the following criteria:

 

Initial Universe. To be eligible for the Index, a preferred stock must be included in both the S&P U.S. Fixed Rate Preferred Stock Index and the S&P U.S. Investment Grade Preferred Stock Index as of the reference date (the “Initial Universe”). The Initial Universe comprises preferred stocks that pay dividends at a fixed rate; a fixed-rate preferred stock pays a fixed dividend for its entire term.

 

Listing . Preferred stocks that do not trade on a public market are excluded from the Index.

 

Market Capitalization . Preferred stocks must have an outstanding market capitalization of more than $100 million as of the reference date to be included in the Index.

 

Type s of Issuance s . Preferred stocks issued by a company to meet its capital or financing requirements, certain preferred stocks with a callable or conversion feature and trust preferred securities are eligible. However, structured products and brand name products issued by financial institutions that are packaged securities linked to indices, baskets of stocks or another company’s preferred stock are excluded. In addition, special ventures such as toll roads or dam operators that may issue preferred-like securities are also excluded.

 

Maturity or Conversion Schedule. Preferred stocks must not have a mandatory conversion or scheduled maturity within the next twelve months to remain eligible.

 

Volume . Preferred stocks that have traded more than 250,000 shares per month over the previous six months are eligible for inclusion. Issues with fewer than six months of trading history are evaluated over the available period and may be included should size and available trading history infer the issue will satisfy this requirement.

 

Indicated Yield . Preferred stocks for which the Index Provider cannot determine an indicated dividend yield are not eligible.

 

28

 

 

Rating . Preferred stocks must be considered investment grade with a credit rating minimum of BBB-/Baa3/BBB- issued by S&P, Moody’s, and Fitch, respectively. For an issue rated by all of S&P, Moody’s, and Fitch, the lowest of the three ratings is used as the issue’s credit rating. When there are two ratings, the lower of the two ratings must be considered investment grade. When there is only one rating, that rating must be considered investment grade. Defaulted securities are removed at the first rebalancing of the Index.

 

TIMING OF CHANGES

 

The Index is fully rebalanced four times a year, effective after the close of the third business day in January, April, July and October. The rebalancing reference date for the data used in the review is the last business date of the prior December, March, June and September, respectively. New Index constituents and Index weights are typically made available to clients five business days prior to the rebalancing date.

 

ADDITIONS

 

Additions are made to the Index only during the quarterly rebalancing.

 

DELETIONS

 

Constituents converted into common stock are removed from the Index simultaneously. Other deletions may occur during the rebalancing review.

 

INDEX CONSTRUCTION

 

The Index employs an equal-issuer weighting scheme.

 

There are two steps in the creation of the Index. The first is the selection of the Index constituents; the second is the weighting of the constituents within the Index. S&P Dow Jones Indices believes turnover in index membership should be avoided when possible. At times a company may appear to temporarily violate one or more of the addition criteria. However, the addition criteria are for addition to an index, not for continued membership. As a result, an index constituent that appears to violate criteria for addition to that index is not deleted unless ongoing conditions warrant an index change.

 

CONSTITUENT SELECTION AND WEIGHTINGS

 

The Index eligibility and inclusion criteria are applied first to the Initial Universe. The Index does not have a fixed number of securities; for diversification purposes, the Index inclusion criteria may be relaxed based on market conditions.

 

For purposes of constituent selection and weightings:

 

 

Preferred stock issuers are equal weighted;

 

 

The component securities of each issuer are then equal weighted.

 

29

 

 

INDEX CALCULATIONS

 

The Index is calculated by means of the divisor methodology used for S&P Dow Jones Indices’ equity indices.

 

For more information on the Index calculation methodology, please refer to S&P Dow Jones Indices’ Index Mathematics Methodology.

 

Disclaimers

 

Standard & Poor’s ® and S&P ® are registered trademarks of Standard & Poor’s Financial Services LLC (“S&P”) and Dow Jones ® is a registered trademark of Dow Jones Trademark Holdings LLC (“Dow Jones”). The trademarks have been licensed to S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC and its affiliates and have been sublicensed for use for certain purposes by the Adviser. The Index is a product of S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC and/or its affiliates and has been licensed for use by the Adviser. The Adviser’s products are not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC, Dow Jones, S&P, any of their respective affiliates or third-party licensors (collectively, “S&P Dow Jones Indices”). S&P Dow Jones Indices make no representation or warranty, express or implied, to the owners of the Adviser’s products or any member of the public regarding the advisability of investing in securities generally or in Adviser’s products particularly or the ability of the Index to track general market performance. S&P Dow Jones Indices’ only relationship to the Adviser with respect to the Index is the licensing of the Index and certain trademarks, service marks and/or trade names of S&P Dow Jones Indices. The Index is determined, composed and calculated by S&P Dow Jones Indices without regard to the Adviser or the Adviser’s products. S&P Dow Jones Indices have no obligation to take the needs of the Adviser or the owners of Adviser’s products into consideration in determining, composing or calculating the Index. S&P Dow Jones Indices are not responsible for and have not participated in the determination of the prices, and amount of Adviser’s products or the timing of the issuance or sale of Adviser’s products or in the determination or calculation of the equation by which Adviser’s products is to be converted into cash. S&P Dow Jones Indices have no obligation or liability in connection with the administration, marketing or trading of Adviser’s products. There is no assurance that investment products based on the Index will accurately track index performance or provide positive investment returns. S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC and its subsidiaries are not investment advisers. Inclusion of a security within an index is not a recommendation by S&P Dow Jones Indices to buy, sell, or hold such security, nor is it considered to be investment advice.

 

30

 

 

S&P DOW JONES INDICES DO NOT GUARANTEE THE ADEQUACY, ACCURACY, TIMELINESS AND/OR THE COMPLETENESS OF THE INDEX OR ANY DATA RELATED THERETO OR ANY COMMUNICATION, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO, ORAL OR WRITTEN COMMUNICATION (INCLUDING ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS) WITH RESPECT THERETO. S&P DOW JONES INDICES SHALL NOT BE SUBJECT TO ANY DAMAGES OR LIABILITY FOR ANY ERRORS, OMISSIONS, OR DELAYS THEREIN. S&P DOW JONES INDICES MAKE NO EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, AND EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE OR USE OR AS TO RESULTS TO BE OBTAINED BY THE ADVISER, OWNERS OF THE ADVISER’S PRODUCTS, OR ANY OTHER PERSON OR ENTITY FROM THE USE OF THE INDEX OR WITH RESPECT TO ANY DATA RELATED THERETO. WITHOUT LIMITING ANY OF THE FOREGOING, IN NO EVENT WHATSOEVER SHALL S&P DOW JONES INDICES BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, PUNITIVE, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO, LOSS OF PROFITS, TRADING LOSSES, LOST TIME OR GOODWILL, EVEN IF THEY HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, TORT, STRICT LIABILITY, OR OTHERWISE. THERE ARE NO THIRD-PARTY BENEFICIARIES OF ANY AGREEMENTS OR ARRANGEMENTS BETWEEN S&P DOW JONES INDICES AND THE ADVISER, OTHER THAN THE LICENSORS OF S&P DOW JONES INDICES.

 

The Adviser does not guarantee the accuracy and/or the completeness of the Index or any data included therein, and the Adviser shall have no liability for any errors, omissions, restatements, re-calculations or interruptions therein. The Adviser makes no warranty, express or implied, as to results to be obtained by the Fund, owners of the Shares any other person or entity from the use of the Index or any data included therein. The Adviser makes no express or implied warranties, and expressly disclaims all warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose or use with respect to the Index or any data included therein. Without limiting any of the foregoing, in no event shall the Adviser have any liability for any special, punitive, direct, indirect or consequential damages (including lost profits) arising out of matters relating to the use of the Index even if notified of the possibility of such damages.

 

Premium/Discount Information

 

The market prices of the Shares generally will fluctuate in accordance with changes in NAV, as well as the relative supply of and demand for Shares on the Exchange. The Adviser cannot predict whether the Shares will trade below, at or above their NAV. The approximate value of the Shares, which is an amount representing on a per share basis the sum of the current market price of the securities (and an estimated cash component) accepted by the Fund in exchange for Shares, 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 of the Fund 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 business day. The Fund is not involved with, or responsible for, the calculation or dissemination of the approximate value, and the Fund does not make any warranty as to its accuracy.

 

Information regarding how often the Shares traded on the Exchange at a price above (at a premium) or below (at a discount) the NAV of the Fund for completed calendar periods can be found at www.innovatoretfs.com.

 

31

 

 

Other Information

 

Section 12(d)(1) of the 1940 Act restricts investments by investment companies in the securities of other investment companies, including Shares. Registered investment companies are permitted to invest in the Fund beyond the limits set forth in Section 12(d)(1) subject to certain terms and conditions set forth in an SEC exemptive order issued to the Trust, including that such investment companies enter into an agreement with the Trust on behalf of the Fund prior to exceeding the limits imposed by Section 12(d)(1).

 

CONTINUOUS OFFERING

 

The method by which Creation Unit Aggregations of Shares are created and traded may raise certain issues under applicable securities laws. Because new Creation Unit Aggregations of Shares are issued and sold by the Fund on an ongoing basis, a “distribution,” as such term is used in 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 Unit Aggregations after placing an order with the Distributor, breaks them down into constituent Shares and sells such 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 also should note that dealers who are not “underwriters” but are effecting transactions in Shares, whether or not participating in the distribution of Shares, generally are required to deliver a prospectus. This is because the prospectus delivery exemption in Section 4(a)(3)(C) 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(a)(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 only is available with respect to transactions on a national exchange.

 

DELIVERY OF SHAREHOLDER DOCUMENTS—HOUSEHOLDING

 

Householding is an option available to certain investors of the Fund. Householding is a method of delivery, based on the preference of the individual investor, in which a single copy of certain shareholder documents can be delivered to investors who share the same address, even if their accounts are registered under different names. Householding for the Fund is available through certain broker-dealers. If you are interested in enrolling in householding and receiving a single copy of the prospectus and other shareholder documents, please contact your broker-dealer. If you currently are enrolled in householding and wish to change your householding status, please contact your broker-dealer.

 

32

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Contents

 

Summary Information

2

Fund Investments

12

Tax-Advantaged Structure of ETFs

18

Portfolio Holdings

18

Management of the Fund

18

How to Buy and Sell Shares

20

Dividends, Distributions and Taxes

22

Distribution Plan

25

Net Asset Value

25

Fund Service Providers

26

Financial Highlights

27

Index Provider

28

Disclaimers

30

Premium/Discount Information

31

Other Information

32

 

For More Information

For more detailed information on the Trust, Fund and Shares, you may request a copy of the Fund’s SAI.  The SAI provides detailed information about the Fund and is incorporated by reference into this prospectus.  This means that the SAI legally is a part of this prospectus.  Additional information about the Fund’s investments is available in the Fund’s Annual and Semi-Annual Reports to Shareholders. In the Fund’s Annual Report, you will find a discussion of the market conditions and investment strategies that significantly affected the Fund’s performance during the last fiscal year.  If you have questions about the Fund or Shares or you wish to obtain the SAI, Annual Report and/or Semi-Annual Report, free of charge, or to make shareholder inquiries, please:

 

Call: Innovator S&P Investment Grade Preferred ETF
  at (800) 208‑5212
Monday through Friday
8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Central Time
   
Write: Innovator S&P Investment Grade Preferred ETF
  120 North Hale Street, Suite 200
Wheaton, IL 60187
   
Visit:     www.innovatoretfs.com

           

Information about the Fund (including the SAI) can be reviewed and copied at the SEC’s Public Reference Room, 100 F Street NE, Washington, D.C. 20549, and information on the operation of the Public Reference Room may be obtained by calling the SEC at 1‑202‑551‑8090.  Reports and other information about the Fund are available on the EDGAR Database on the SEC’s Internet site at www.sec.gov, and copies of this information may be obtained, after paying a duplicating fee, by electronic request at the following e‑mail address: publicinfo@sec.gov, or by writing the SEC’s Public Reference Section, Washington, D.C. 20549‑1520.

 

No person is authorized to give any information or to make any representations about the Fund or the Shares not contained in this prospectus, and you should not rely on any other information.  Read and keep this prospectus for future reference.

 

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

 

The Trust’s registration number under the 1940 Act is 811‑22926.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

DATED August 1, 2018

 

 

Innovator S&P Investment

Grade Preferred ETF
120 North Hale Street
Suite 200
Wheaton, IL 60187

Phone: (800) 208-5212
www.innovatoretfs.com

 

 

 

 

Statement of Additional Information

 

Investment Company Act File No. 811-22926
INNOVATOR ETFs TRUST II

 

Fund Name

Ticker

Symbol

Exchange

     

Innovator   S&P Investment Grade Preferred ETF
(formerly Innovator S&P High Quality Preferred ETF)

EPRF

Cboe BZX Exchange, Inc.

 

Dated August 1, 2018

 

This Statement of Additional Information ( “SAI” ) is not a prospectus. It should be read in conjunction with the prospectus dated August 1, 2018, as it may be revised from time to time (the “Prospectus” ), for the Innovator S&P Investment Grade Preferred ETF (the “Fund” ), a series of the Innovator ETFs Trust II (the “Trust” ). Capitalized terms used herein that are not defined have the same meanings as in the Prospectus, unless otherwise noted. A copy of the Prospectus may be obtained without charge by writing to the Trust’s distributor, Foreside Fund Services, LLC, Three Canal Plaza, Suite 100, Portland, Maine 04101, or by calling toll free at 1-844-355-3837.

 

 

 

 

Table of Contents

 

General Description of the Trust and the Fund

1

Exchange Listing and Trading

3

Investment Objective and Policies

4

Investment Strategies

6

Sublicense Agreement

10

Investment Risks

10

Management of the Fund

14

Accounts Managed by the Portfolio Managers

24

Brokerage Allocations

25

Custodian, Transfer Agent, Fund Accounting Agent, Distributor, Index Provider and Exchange

26

Additional Information

30

Proxy Voting Policies and Procedures

31

Creation and Redemption of Creation Unit Aggregations

33

Federal Tax Matters

39

Determination of Net Asset Value

46

Dividends and Distributions

48

Miscellaneous Information

48

Financial Statements

48

Exhibit A - Proxy Voting Guidelines

A-1

Exhibit B – Principal Holders Table

B-1

 

- ii -

 

 

General Description of the Trust and the Fund

 

The Trust was organized as a Massachusetts business trust on December 17, 2013 and is authorized to issue an unlimited number of shares in one or more series. On April 10, 2018, the Trust changed its name from “Elkhorn ETF Trust” to “Innovator ETFs Trust II.” The Trust is an open-end management investment company, registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act” ). The Trust currently offers shares in two series, including the Fund, a non-diversified series.

 

This SAI relates to the Fund. The Fund, as a series of the Trust, represents a beneficial interest in a separate portfolio of securities and other assets, with its own objective and policies. On April 10, 2018, the Fund’s name changed from “Elkhorn S&P High Quality Preferred ETF” to “Innovator S&P High Quality Preferred ETF.” On July 16, 2018, the Fund’s name changed from “Innovator S&P High Quality Preferred ETF” to “Innovator S&P Investment Grade Preferred ETF.”

 

The Board of Trustees of the Trust (the “Board of Trustees” or the “Trustees” ) has the right to establish additional series in the future, to determine the preferences, voting powers, rights and privileges thereof and to modify such preferences, voting powers, rights and privileges without shareholder approval. Shares of any series may also be divided into one or more classes at the discretion of the Trustees.

 

The Trust or any series or class thereof may be terminated at any time by the Board of Trustees upon written notice to the shareholders.

 

Each share has one vote with respect to matters upon which a shareholder vote is required, consistent with the requirements of the 1940 Act and the rules promulgated thereunder. Shares of all series of the Trust vote together as a single class except as otherwise required by the 1940 Act, or if the matter being voted on affects only a particular series; and, if a matter affects a particular series differently from other series, the shares of that series will vote separately on such matter. The Trust’s Declaration of Trust (the “Declaration” ) requires a shareholder vote only on those matters where the 1940 Act requires a vote of shareholders and otherwise permits the Trustees to take actions without seeking the consent of shareholders. For example, the Declaration gives the Trustees broad authority to approve reorganizations between the Fund and another entity, such as another exchange-traded fund, or the sale of all or substantially all of the Fund’s assets, or the termination of the Trust or the Fund without shareholder approval if the 1940 Act would not require such approval.

 

The Declaration provides that by becoming a shareholder of the Fund, each shareholder shall be expressly held to have agreed to be bound by the provisions of the Declaration. The Declaration may, except in limited circumstances, be amended by the Trustees in any respect without a shareholder vote. The Declaration provides that the Trustees may establish the number of Trustees and that vacancies on the Board of Trustees may be filled by the remaining Trustees, except when election of Trustees by the shareholders is required under the 1940 Act. Trustees are then elected by a plurality of votes cast by shareholders at a meeting at which a quorum is present. The Declaration also provides that Trustees may be removed, with or without cause, by a vote of shareholders holding at least two-thirds of the voting power of the Trust, or by a vote of two-thirds of the remaining Trustees. The provisions of the Declaration relating to the election and removal of Trustees may not be amended without the approval of two-thirds of the Trustees.

 

1

 

 

The holders of Fund shares are required to disclose information on direct or indirect ownership of Fund shares as may be required to comply with various laws applicable to the Fund or as the Trustees may determine, and ownership of Fund shares may be disclosed by the Fund if so required by law or regulation. In addition, pursuant to the Declaration, the Trustees may, in their discretion, require the Trust to redeem shares held by any shareholder for any reason under terms set by the Trustees. The Declaration provides a detailed process for the bringing of derivative actions by shareholders in order to permit legitimate inquiries and claims while avoiding the time, expense, distraction and other harm that can be caused to the Fund or its shareholders as a result of spurious shareholder demands and derivative actions. Prior to bringing a derivative action, a demand must first be made on the Trustees. The Declaration details various information, certifications, undertakings and acknowledgements that must be included in the demand. Following receipt of the demand, the Trustees have a period of 90 days, which may be extended by an additional 60 days, to consider the demand. If a majority of the Trustees who are considered independent for the purposes of considering the demand determine that maintaining the suit would not be in the best interests of the Fund, the Trustees are required to reject the demand and the complaining shareholder may not proceed with the derivative action unless the shareholder is able to sustain the burden of proof to a court that the decision of the Trustees not to pursue the requested action was not a good faith exercise of their business judgment on behalf of the Fund. In making such a determination, a Trustee is not considered to have a personal financial interest by virtue of being compensated for his or her services as a Trustee. If a demand is rejected, the complaining shareholder will be responsible for the costs and expenses (including attorneys’ fees) incurred by the Fund in connection with the consideration of the demand under a number of circumstances. If a derivative action is brought in violation of the Declaration, the shareholder bringing the action may be responsible for the Fund’s costs, including attorneys’ fees. The Declaration also provides that any shareholder bringing an action against the Fund waives the right to trial by jury to the fullest extent permitted by law.

 

The Trust is not required to and does not intend to hold annual meetings of shareholders.

 

Under Massachusetts law applicable to Massachusetts business trusts, shareholders of such a trust may, under certain circumstances, be held personally liable as partners for its obligations. However, the Declaration contains an express disclaimer of shareholder liability for acts or obligations of the Trust and requires that notice of this disclaimer be given in each agreement, obligation or instrument entered into or executed by the Trust or the Trustees. The Declaration further provides for indemnification out of the assets and property of the Trust for all losses and expenses of any shareholder held personally liable for the obligations of the Trust. Thus, the risk of a shareholder incurring financial loss on account of shareholder liability is limited to circumstances in which both inadequate insurance existed and the Trust or the Fund itself was unable to meet its obligations.

 

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The Declaration further provides that a Trustee acting in his or her capacity as Trustee is not personally liable to any person other than the Trust or its shareholders, for any act, omission, or obligation of the Trust. The Declaration requires the Trust to indemnify any persons who are or who have been Trustees, officers or employees of the Trust for any liability for actions or failure to act except to the extent prohibited by applicable federal law. In making any determination as to whether any person is entitled to the advancement of expenses in connection with a claim for which indemnification is sought, such person is entitled to a rebuttable presumption that he or she did not engage in conduct for which indemnification is not available. The Declaration provides that any Trustee who serves as chair of the Board of Trustees or of a committee of the Board of Trustees, lead independent Trustee, or audit committee financial expert, or in any other similar capacity will not be subject to any greater standard of care or liability because of such position.

 

The Fund is advised by Innovator Capital Management, LLC (the “Adviser” or Innovator ). From the Fund’s inception until March 31, 2018, the Fund was advised by Elkhorn Investments, LLC (the “Previous Adviser” ). Penserra Capital Management LLC (the “Sub-Adviser” or “Penserra” ) serves as the investment sub-adviser to the Fund.

 

The shares of the Fund list and principally trade on Cboe BZX Exchange, Inc. ( Cboe BZX or the “Exchange” ). The shares trade on the Exchange at market prices that may be below, at or above net asset value. The Fund offers and issues shares at net asset value only in aggregations of a specified number of shares (each a “Creation Unit” or a “Creation Unit Aggregation” ), generally in exchange for a basket of securities (the “Deposit Securities” ) included in the S&P U.S. High Quality Preferred Stock Index (the “Index” ), the Index the Fund seeks to track, together with the deposit of a specified cash payment (the “Cash Component” ). Shares are redeemable only in Creation Unit Aggregations and, generally, in exchange for portfolio securities and a specified cash payment. Creation Units are aggregations of 50,000 shares of the Fund.

 

The Trust reserves the right to permit creations and redemptions of Fund shares to be made in whole or in part on a cash basis under certain circumstances. Fund shares may be issued in advance of receipt of Deposit Securities subject to various conditions including a requirement to maintain on deposit with the Fund cash at least equal to 105% of the market value of the missing Deposit Securities. See the “Creation and Redemption of Creation Unit Aggregations” section. In each instance of such cash creations or redemptions, transaction fees may be imposed that will be higher than the transaction fees associated with in-kind creations or redemptions. In all cases, such fees will be limited in accordance with the requirements of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC” ) applicable to management investment companies offering redeemable securities.

 

Exchange Listing and Trading

 

There can be no assurance that the requirements of the Exchange necessary to maintain the listing of shares of the Fund will continue to be met. The Exchange may, but is not required to, remove the shares of the Fund from listing if: (i) following the initial 12-month period beginning at the commencement of trading of the Fund, there are fewer than 50 beneficial owners of the shares of the Fund for 30 or more consecutive trading days; (ii) the value of the Fund’s Index (as defined below) is no longer calculated or available; or (iii) such other event shall occur or condition exist that, in the opinion of the Exchange makes further dealings on the Exchange inadvisable. The Exchange will remove the shares of the Fund from listing and trading upon termination of the Fund.

 

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As in the case of other stocks traded on the Exchange, brokers’ commissions on transactions will be based on negotiated commission rates at customary levels.

 

The Fund reserves the right to adjust the price levels of shares in the future to help maintain convenient trading ranges for investors. Any adjustments would be accomplished through stock splits or reverse stock splits, which would have no effect on the net assets of the Fund.

 

Investment Objective and Policies

 

The Prospectus describes the investment objective and certain policies of the Fund. The following supplements the information contained in the Prospectus concerning the investment objective and policies of the Fund.

 

The Fund is subject to the following fundamental policies, which may not be changed without approval of the holders of a majority of the outstanding voting securities (as such term is defined in the 1940 Act) of the Fund:

 

(1)     The Fund may not issue senior securities, except as permitted under the 1940 Act.

 

(2)     The Fund may not borrow money, except as permitted under the 1940 Act.

 

(3)     The Fund will not underwrite the securities of other issuers except to the extent the Fund may be considered an underwriter under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “1933 Act” ), in connection with the purchase and sale of portfolio securities.

 

(4)     The Fund will not purchase or sell real estate or interests therein, unless acquired as a result of ownership of securities or other instruments (but this shall not prohibit the Fund from purchasing or selling securities or other instruments backed by real estate or of issuers engaged in real estate activities).

 

(5)     The Fund may not make loans, except as permitted under the 1940 Act and exemptive orders granted thereunder.

 

(6)     The Fund may not purchase or sell physical commodities unless acquired as a result of ownership of securities or other instruments (but this shall not prevent the Fund from purchasing or selling options, futures contracts, forward contracts or other derivative instruments, or from investing in securities or other instruments backed by physical commodities).

 

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(7)     The Fund will not concentrate its investments in securities of issuers in any one industry, as the term “concentrate” is used in the 1940 Act, except to the extent the Index upon which the Fund is based concentrates in an industry or a group of industries. This restriction does not apply to obligations issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government, its agencies or instrumentalities, or securities of other investment companies.

 

For purposes of applying restriction (1) above, under the 1940 Act as currently in effect, the Fund is not permitted to issue senior securities, except that the Fund may borrow from any bank if immediately after such borrowing the value of the Fund’s total assets is at least 300% of the principal amount of all of the Fund’s borrowings ( i.e. , the principal amount of the borrowings may not exceed 33 1/3% of the Fund’s total assets). In the event that such asset coverage shall at any time fall below 300% the Fund shall, within three days thereafter (not including Sundays and holidays), reduce the amount of its borrowings to an extent that the asset coverage of such borrowings shall be at least 300%. The fundamental investment limitations set forth above limit the Fund’s ability to engage in certain investment practices and purchase securities or other instruments to the extent permitted by, or consistent with, applicable law. As such, these limitations will change as the statute, rules, regulations or orders (or, if applicable, interpretations) change, and no shareholder vote will be required or sought.

 

For purposes of applying restriction (5) above, the Fund may not make loans to other persons, except through (i) the purchase of debt securities permissible under the Fund’s investment policies, (ii) repurchase agreements, or (iii) the lending of portfolio securities, provided that no such loan of portfolio securities may be made by the Fund if, as a result, the aggregate of such loans would exceed 33-1/3% of the value of the Fund’s total assets.

 

Except for restriction (2), if a percentage restriction is adhered to at the time of investment, a later increase in percentage resulting from a change in market value of the investment or the total assets will not constitute a violation of that restriction. With respect to restriction (2), if the limitations are exceeded as a result of a change in market value then the Fund will reduce the amount of borrowings within three days thereafter to the extent necessary to comply with the limitations (not including Sundays and holidays).

 

The foregoing fundamental policies of the Fund may not be changed without the affirmative vote of the majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund. The 1940 Act defines a majority vote as the vote of the lesser of (i) 67% or more of the voting securities represented at a meeting at which more than 50% of the outstanding securities are represented; or (ii) more than 50% of the outstanding voting securities. With respect to the submission of a change in an investment policy to the holders of outstanding voting securities of the Fund, such matter shall be deemed to have been effectively acted upon with respect to the Fund if a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund vote for the approval of such matter, notwithstanding that such matter has not been approved by the holders of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of any other series of the Trust affected by such matter.

 

In addition to the foregoing fundamental policies, the Fund is also subject to strategies and policies discussed herein which, unless otherwise noted, are non-fundamental policies and may be changed by the Board of Trustees.

 

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Investment Strategies

 

Under normal circumstances, the Fund will invest at least 90% of its total assets in U.S.-listed preferred stocks, which represent the securities in the Index. Fund shareholders are entitled to 60 days’ notice prior to any change in this non-fundamental investment policy.

 

Types of Investments

 

Equities . Equity securities represent an ownership position in a company. The prices of equity securities fluctuate based on, among other things, events specific to their issuers and market, economic, and other conditions. Equity securities in which the Fund invests include common stocks. Common stocks include the common stock of any class or series of a domestic or foreign corporation or any similar equity interest, such as a trust or partnership interest. These investments may or may not pay dividends and may or may not carry voting rights. Common stock occupies the most junior position in a company’s capital structure. Holders of common stocks incur more risk than holders of preferred stocks and debt obligations because common stockholders, as owners of the issuer, generally have inferior rights to receive payments from the issuer in comparison with the rights of creditors, or holders of debt obligations or preferred stocks. Unlike debt securities, which typically have a stated principal amount payable at maturity (whose value, however, is subject to market fluctuations prior thereto), or preferred stocks, which typically have a liquidation preference and which may have stated optional or mandatory redemption provisions, common stocks have neither a fixed principal amount nor a maturity.

 

Fixed Income Investments and Cash Equivalents. Normally, the Fund invests substantially all of its assets to meet its investment objectives; however, the Fund may invest in fixed income investments and cash equivalents.

 

Fixed income investments and cash equivalents held by the Fund may include, without limitation, the types of investments set forth below:

 

(1)     The Fund may invest in U.S. government securities, including bills, notes and bonds differing as to maturity and rates of interest, which are either issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Treasury or by U.S. government agencies or instrumentalities. U.S. government securities include securities that are issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Treasury, by various agencies of the U.S. government, or by various instrumentalities that have been established or sponsored by the U.S. government. U.S. Treasury securities are backed by the “full faith and credit” of the United States. Securities issued or guaranteed by federal agencies and U.S. government-sponsored instrumentalities may or may not be backed by the full faith and credit of the United States. Some of the U.S. government agencies that issue or guarantee securities include the Export-Import Bank of the United States, Federal Housing Administration, Maritime Administration, Small Business Administration and The Tennessee Valley Authority. An instrumentality of the U.S. government is a government agency organized under Federal charter with government supervision. Instrumentalities issuing or guaranteeing securities include, among others, Federal Home Loan Banks, the Federal Land Banks, Central Bank for Cooperatives, Federal Intermediate Credit Banks and the Federal National Mortgage Association. In the case of those U.S. government securities not backed by the full faith and credit of the United States, the investor must look principally to the agency or instrumentality issuing or guaranteeing the security for ultimate repayment, and may not be able to assert a claim against the United States itself in the event that the agency or instrumentality does not meet its commitment. The U.S. government, its agencies and instrumentalities do not guarantee the market value of their securities, and consequently, the value of such securities may fluctuate.

 

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(2)       The Fund may invest in certificates of deposit issued against funds deposited in a bank or savings and loan association. Such certificates are for a definite period of time, earn a specified rate of return, and are normally negotiable. If such certificates of deposit are non-negotiable, they will be considered illiquid securities and be subject to the Fund’s 15% restriction on investments in illiquid securities. Pursuant to the certificate of deposit, the issuer agrees to pay the amount deposited plus interest to the bearer of the certificate on the date specified thereon. Under current FDIC regulations, the maximum insurance payable as to any one certificate of deposit is $250,000; therefore, certificates of deposit purchased by the Fund may not be fully insured. The Fund may only invest in certificates of deposit issued by U.S. banks with at least $1 billion in assets.

 

(3)       The Fund may invest in bankers’ acceptances, which are short-term credit instruments used to finance commercial transactions. Generally, an acceptance is a time draft drawn on a bank by an exporter or an importer to obtain a stated amount of funds to pay for specific merchandise. The draft is then “accepted” by a bank that, in effect, unconditionally guarantees to pay the face value of the instrument on its maturity date. The acceptance may then be held by the accepting bank as an asset or it may be sold in the secondary market at the going rate of interest for a specific maturity.

 

(4)       The Fund may invest in repurchase agreements, which involve purchases of debt securities with counterparties that are deemed by the Adviser to present acceptable credit risks. In such an action, at the time the Fund purchases the security, it simultaneously agrees to resell and redeliver the security to the seller, who also simultaneously agrees to buy back the security at a fixed price and time. This assures a predetermined yield for the Fund during its holding period since the resale price is always greater than the purchase price and reflects an agreed-upon market rate. Such actions afford an opportunity for the Fund to invest temporarily available cash. The Fund may enter into repurchase agreements only with respect to obligations of the U.S. government, its agencies or instrumentalities; certificates of deposit; or bankers’ acceptances in which the Fund may invest. Repurchase agreements may be considered loans to the seller, collateralized by the underlying securities. The risk to the Fund is limited to the ability of the seller to pay the agreed-upon sum on the repurchase date; in the event of default, the repurchase agreement provides that the Fund is entitled to sell the underlying collateral. If the value of the collateral declines after the agreement is entered into, however, and if the seller defaults under a repurchase agreement when the value of the underlying collateral is less than the repurchase price, the Fund could incur a loss of both principal and interest. The portfolio managers monitor the value of the collateral at the time the action is entered into and at all times during the term of the repurchase agreement. The portfolio managers do so in an effort to determine that the value of the collateral always equals or exceeds the agreed-upon repurchase price to be paid to the Fund. If the seller were to be subject to a federal bankruptcy proceeding, the ability of the Fund to liquidate the collateral could be delayed or impaired because of certain provisions of the bankruptcy laws.

 

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(5)       The Fund may invest in bank time deposits, which are monies kept on deposit with banks or savings and loan associations for a stated period of time at a fixed rate of interest. There may be penalties for the early withdrawal of such time deposits, in which case the yields of these investments will be reduced.

 

(6)       The Fund may invest in commercial paper, which are short-term unsecured promissory notes, including variable rate master demand notes issued by corporations to finance their current operations. Master demand notes are direct lending arrangements between the Fund and a corporation. There is no secondary market for the notes. However, they are redeemable by the Fund at any time. The portfolio managers will consider the financial condition of the corporation ( e.g. , earning power, cash flow and other liquidity ratios) and will continuously monitor the corporation’s ability to meet all of its financial obligations, because the Fund’s liquidity might be impaired if the corporation were unable to pay principal and interest on demand. The Fund may invest in commercial paper only if it has received the highest rating from at least one nationally recognized statistical rating organization or, if unrated, judged by Innovator to be of comparable quality.

 

(7)       The Fund may invest in shares of money market funds, as consistent with its investment objective and policies. Shares of money market funds are subject to management fees and other expenses of those funds. Therefore, investments in money market funds will cause the Fund to bear proportionately the costs incurred by the money market funds’ operations. At the same time, the Fund will continue to pay its own management fees and expenses with respect to all of its assets, including any portion invested in the shares of other investment companies. It is possible for the Fund to lose money by investing in money market funds.

 

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Illiquid Securities . The Fund may invest in illiquid securities ( i.e. , securities that cannot be sold within seven days in the ordinary course of business at approximately the amount at which the Fund values the securities for purposes of determining the Fund’s net asset value). For purposes of this restriction, illiquid securities include, but are not limited to, certain restricted securities (securities the disposition of which is restricted under the federal securities laws), securities that may only be resold pursuant to Rule 144A under the 1933 Act but that are deemed to be illiquid; and repurchase agreements with maturities in excess of seven days. However, the Fund will not acquire illiquid securities if, as a result, such securities would comprise more than 15% of the value of the Fund’s net assets. The Board of Trustees or its delegate has the ultimate authority to determine, to the extent permissible under the federal securities laws, which securities are liquid or illiquid for purposes of this 15% limitation. The Board of Trustees has delegated to the Adviser the day-to-day determination of the illiquidity of any equity or fixed-income security, although it has retained oversight for such determinations. With respect to Rule 144A securities, Innovator considers factors such as (i) the nature of the market for a security (including the institutional private resale market, the frequency of trades and quotes for the security, the number of dealers willing to purchase or sell the security, the amount of time normally needed to dispose of the security, the method of soliciting offers and the mechanics of transfer); (ii) the terms of certain securities or other instruments allowing for the disposition to a third party or the issuer thereof ( e.g., certain repurchase obligations and demand instruments); and (iii) other permissible relevant factors.

 

Restricted securities may be sold only in privately negotiated transactions or in a public offering with respect to which a registration statement is in effect under the 1933 Act. Where registration is required, the Fund may be obligated to pay all or part of the registration expenses and a considerable period may elapse between the time of the decision to sell and the time the Fund may be permitted to sell a security under an effective registration statement. If, during such a period, adverse market conditions were to develop, the Fund might obtain a less favorable price than that which prevailed when it decided to sell. Illiquid securities will be priced at fair value as determined in good faith under procedures adopted by the Board of Trustees. If, through the appreciation of illiquid securities or the depreciation of liquid securities, the Fund should be in a position where more than 15% of the value of its net assets are invested in illiquid securities, including restricted securities which are not readily marketable, the Fund will take such steps as is deemed advisable, if any, to protect liquidity.

 

Preferred Stocks. Normally, the Fund invests substantially all of its assets in U.S.-listed preferred stocks. A fund that invests in preferred stock may be exposed to certain risks not typically encountered by investing in common stock. Many preferred stocks pay dividends at a fixed rate; therefore, a preferred stock’s market price may be sensitive to changes in interest rates in a manner similar to bonds — that is, as interest rates rise, the value of the preferred stock is likely to decline. Many preferred stocks and trust preferred securities also allow holders to convert the preferred stock into common stock of the issuer; the market price of such preferred stocks may be sensitive to changes in the value of the issuer’s common stock. In addition, the ability of an issuer of preferred stock to pay dividends may deteriorate or the issuer may default ( i.e. , fail to make scheduled dividend payments on the preferred stock or scheduled interest payments on other obligations of the issuer), which would negatively affect the value of any such holding. Dividend payments on a preferred stock typically must be declared by the issuer’s board of directors. An issuer’s board of directors is generally not under any obligation to pay a dividend (even if such dividends have accrued) and may suspend payment of dividends on preferred stock at any time. Preferred stock is also subject to market volatility and the price of preferred stock will fluctuate based on market demand. Preferred stock often has a call feature which allows the issuer to redeem the security at its discretion. Therefore, preferred stocks having a higher than average yield may be called by the issuer, which may cause a decrease in the yield of a Fund that invested in the preferred stock.

 

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Real Estate Investment Trusts. Real estate investment trusts ( REITs” ) are typically publicly traded corporations or trusts that invest in residential or commercial real estate. REITs generally can be divided into the following three types: (i) equity REITs which invest the majority of their assets directly in real property and derive their income primarily from rents and capital gains or real estate appreciation; (ii) mortgage REITs which invest the majority of their assets in real estate mortgage loans and derive their income primarily from interest payments; and (iii) hybrid REITs which combine the characteristics of equity REITs and mortgage REITs.

 

Portfolio Turnover

 

The Fund buys and sells portfolio securities in the normal course of its investment activities. The proportion of the Fund’s investment portfolio that is bought and sold during a year is known as the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate. A turnover rate of 100% would occur, for example, if the Fund bought and sold securities valued at 100% of its net assets within one year. A high portfolio turnover rate could result in the payment by the Fund of increased brokerage costs, expenses and taxes. During the fiscal period ended March 31, 2018, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 67% of the average value of its portfolio.

 

Sublicense Agreement

 

Innovator and S&P Opco, LLC (a subsidiary of S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC) (“ Index Provider ”) have entered into a product license agreement (the “ License Agreement ”) whereby the Index Provider has granted Innovator a non-exclusive and non-transferable license to use certain intellectual property of the Index Provider, in connection with the issuance, distribution, marketing and/or promotion of the Fund, subject to the terms and conditions set forth in the License Agreement. Innovator has executed a sublicense agreement with the Fund that contains substantially similar terms to the License Agreement (the “Sub-License Agreement ), but Innovator remains responsible for, and obligated under the terms of the License Agreement with respect to, any actions taken by the Fund.

 

Investment Risks

 

Overview

 

An investment in the Fund should be made with an understanding of the risks that an investment in the Fund shares entails, including the risk that the financial condition of the issuers of the equity securities or the general condition of the securities market may worsen and the value of the securities and therefore the value of the Fund may decline. The Fund may not be an appropriate investment for those who are unable or unwilling to assume the risks involved generally with such an investment. The past market and earnings performance of any of the securities included in the Fund is not predictive of their future performance.

 

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Borrowing and Leverage Risk

 

When the Fund borrows money, it must pay interest and other fees, which will reduce the Fund’s returns if such costs exceed the returns on the portfolio securities purchased or retained with such borrowings. Any such borrowings are intended to be temporary. However, under certain market conditions, including periods of low demand or decreased liquidity, such borrowings might be outstanding for longer periods of time. As prescribed by the 1940 Act, the Fund will be required to maintain specified asset coverage of at least 300% with respect to any bank borrowing immediately following such borrowing. The Fund may be required to dispose of assets on unfavorable terms if market fluctuations or other factors reduce the Fund’s asset coverage to less than the prescribed amount.

 

Common Stocks Risk

 

Common stocks are especially susceptible to general market movements and to volatile increases and decreases of value as market confidence in and perceptions of the issuers change. These perceptions are based on unpredictable factors including expectations regarding government, economic, monetary and fiscal policies, inflation and interest rates, economic expansion or contraction, and global or regional political, economic or banking crises. The Sub-Adviser cannot predict the direction or scope of any of these factors. Shareholders of common stocks have rights to receive payments from the issuers of those common stocks that are generally subordinate to those of creditors of, or holders of debt obligations or preferred stocks of, such issuers.

 

Convertible Securities Risk

 

The market values of convertible securities tend to decline as interest rates increase and, conversely, to increase as interest rates decline. However, a convertible security’s market value also tends to reflect the market price of the common stock of the issuing company, particularly when the stock price is greater than the convertible security’s conversion price ( i.e. , the predetermined price or exchange ratio at which the convertible security can be converted or exchanged for the underlying common stock). Convertible securities are also exposed to the risk that an issuer is unable to meet its obligation to make dividend or principal payments when due as a result of changing financial or market conditions. Convertible securities generally offer lower interest or dividend yields than non-convertible debt securities of similar credit quality because of their potential for capital appreciation.

 

Cyber Security Risk

 

As the use of Internet technology has become more prevalent in the course of business, the Fund has become more susceptible to potential operational risks through breaches in cyber security. A breach in cyber security refers to both intentional and unintentional events that may cause the Fund to lose proprietary information, suffer data corruption or lose operational capacity. Such events could cause the Fund to incur regulatory penalties, reputational damage, additional compliance costs associated with corrective measures and/or financial loss. Cyber security breaches may involve unauthorized access to the Fund’s digital information systems through “hacking” or malicious software coding, but may also result from outside attacks such as denial-of-service attacks through efforts to make network services unavailable to intended users. In addition, cyber security breaches of the Fund’s third party service providers, such as its administrator, transfer agent, custodian, or sub-advisor, as applicable, or issuers in which the Fund invests, can also subject the Fund to many of the same risks associated with direct cyber security breaches. The Fund has established risk management systems designed to reduce the risks associated with cyber security. However, there is no guarantee that such efforts will succeed, especially because the Fund does not directly control the cyber security systems of issuers or third party service providers.

 

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Index Correlation Risk

 

The value of the Fund’s shares will decline, more or less, in correlation with any decline in the value of the Index.

 

Liquidity Risk

 

Whether or not the equity securities in the Fund are listed on a securities exchange, the principal trading market for certain of the equity securities in the Fund may be in the OTC market. As a result, the existence of a liquid trading market for the equity securities may depend on whether dealers will make a market in the equity securities. There can be no assurance that a market will be made for any of the equity securities, that any market for the equity securities will be maintained or that there will be sufficient liquidity of the equity securities in any markets made. The price at which the equity securities are held in the Fund will be adversely affected if trading markets for the equity securities are limited or absent.

 

Listing Standards Risk

 

The Fund is required by the Exchange to comply with certain listing standards (which includes certain investment parameters) in order to maintain its listing on the Exchange.  Compliance with these listing standards may compel the Fund to sell securities at inopportune time or for a price other than the security’s then-current market value. The sale of securities in such circumstances could limit the Fund’s profit or require the Fund to incur a loss, and as a result, the Fund’s performance could be impacted.

 

Non-Correlation Risk

 

The Fund’s return may not match the return of the Index for a number of reasons. For example, the Fund incurs operating expenses not applicable to the Index, and incurs costs in buying and selling securities, especially when rebalancing the Fund’s securities holdings to reflect changes in the composition of the Index. In addition, the performance of the Fund and the Index may vary due to asset valuation differences and differences between the Fund’s portfolio and the Index resulting from legal restrictions or cost.

 

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Preferred Stocks Risk

 

Preferred stocks are subject to many of the risks associated with debt securities, including interest rate risk. In addition, preferred stock may not pay a dividend, an issuer may suspend payment of dividends on preferred stock at any time, and in certain situations an issuer may call or redeem its preferred stock or convert it to common stock. To the extent that the Fund invests a portion of its assets in convertible preferred stocks, declining common stock values may also cause the value of the Fund’s investments to decline. Many preferred stocks pay dividends at a fixed rate; therefore, a preferred stock’s market price may be sensitive to changes in interest rates in a manner similar to bonds — that is, as interest rates rise, the value of the preferred stock is likely to decline. Many preferred stocks and trust preferred securities also allow holders to convert the preferred stock into common stock of the issuer; the market price of such preferred stocks may be sensitive to changes in the value of the issuer’s common stock. In addition, the ability of an issuer of preferred stock to pay dividends may deteriorate or the issuer may default ( i.e. , fail to make scheduled dividend payments on the preferred stock or scheduled interest payments on other obligations of the issuer), which would negatively affect the value of any such holding. Dividend payments on a preferred stock typically must be declared by the issuer’s board of directors. An issuer’s board of directors is generally not under any obligation to pay a dividend (even if such dividends have accrued), and may suspend payment of dividends on preferred stock at any time. Preferred stock is also subject to market volatility and the price of preferred stock will fluctuate based on market demand. Preferred stock often has a call feature which allows the issuer to redeem the security at its discretion. Therefore, preferred stocks having a higher than average yield may be called by the issuer, which may cause a decrease in the yield of a Fund that invested in the preferred stock.

 

Real Estate Investment Trust Risk

 

REITs are financial vehicles that pool investors’ capital to purchase or finance real estate. REITs may concentrate their investments in specific geographic areas or in specific property types, e.g., hotels, shopping malls, residential complexes and office buildings. The market value of REIT shares and the ability of the REITs to distribute income may be adversely affected by several factors, including rising interest rates; changes in the national, state and local economic climate and real estate conditions; perceptions of prospective tenants of the safety, convenience and attractiveness of the properties; the ability of the owners to provide adequate management, maintenance and insurance; the cost of complying with the Americans with Disabilities Act; increased competition from new properties; the impact of present or future environmental legislation and compliance with environmental laws; changes in real estate taxes and other operating expenses; adverse changes in governmental rules and fiscal policies; adverse changes in zoning laws; and other factors beyond the control of the issuers of the REITs. In addition, distributions received by the Fund from REITs may consist of dividends, capital gains and/or return of capital. Many of these distributions however will not generally qualify for favorable treatment as qualified dividend income.

 

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Trust Preferred Securities Risk

 

The Fund may be subject to additional risk because a corporation issuing interest bearing notes may defer interest payments on these instruments for up to 20 consecutive quarters; if such election is made, distributions will not be made on the trust preferred securities during the deferral period. Further, certain tax or regulatory events may trigger the redemption of the interest-bearing notes by the issuing corporation and result in prepayment of the trust preferred securities prior to their stated maturity date.

 

Management of the Fund

 

Trustees and Officers

 

The general supervision of the duties performed for the Fund under the investment management agreement is the responsibility of the Board of Trustees. There are four Trustees of the Trust, one of whom is an “interested person” (as the term is defined in the 1940 Act) and three of whom are Trustees who are not officers or employees of Innovator or any of its affiliates ( “Independent Trustees” ). Mr. Mark Berg serves as lead independent Trustee. Mr. H. Bruce Bond serves as the Board Chair. The Trustees set broad policies for the Fund, choose the Trust’s officers and hire the Trust’s investment adviser. The officers of the Trust manage its day-to-day operations and are responsible to the Trust’s Board of Trustees. The following is a list of the Trustees and executive officers of the Trust and a statement of their present positions and principal occupations during the past five years, the number of portfolios each Trustee oversees and the other directorships they have held during the past five years, if applicable. Each Trustee has been elected for an indefinite term. The officers of the Trust serve indefinite terms. Each Trustee, except for H. Bruce Bond, is an Independent Trustee. Mr. Bond is deemed an “interested person” (as that term is defined in the 1940 Act) (“ Interested Trustee ”) of the Trust due to his positions as Chief Executive Officer of Innovator Capital Management, LLC and the President and Chief Principal Officer of the Trust.

 

14

 

 

Name, Address
and Year of Birth

 

Position and

Offices with

Trust

 

Term of Office

and Year First

Elected or

Appointed

 

Principal Occupations
During Past 5 Years

 

Number of

Portfolios

in the

Innovator

Fund

Complex

Overseen by

Trustee

 

Other

Trusteeships

or

Directorships

Held by

Trustee

During the

Past 5 Years

                       

Trustee who is an Interested Person of the Trust

                     

H. Bruce Bond(1)

c/o Innovator ETFs Trust II

120 North Hale Street, Suite 200

Wheaton, IL 60187

Y.O.B.: 1963

 

President and Principal Executive Officer

Board Chair

 

 

Trustee –Indefinite Term

 

Since 2018

 

Chief Executive Officer of Innovator Capital Management, LLC (May 2017 to present); formerly Chairman (2010-2013) and President and CEO (2006-2010), Invesco PowerShares Capital Management LLC; formerly Co-Founder, President and CEO, PowerShares Capital Management (2002 to 2006); formerly Chairman; PowerShares Fund Board (2002 to 2013).

 

5

 

None

                       

Independent Trustees

                     

Mark Berg
c/o Innovator ETFs Trust II
120 North Hale Street, Suite 200
Wheaton, IL 60187
Y.O.B.: 1971

 

Lead Independent

Trustee

 

Indefinite term

Since 2018

 

President and Founding Principal, Timothy Financial Counsel Inc. (2001-present)

 

5

 

None

                       

Joe Stowell
c/o Innovator ETFs Trust II
120 North Hale Street, Suite 200
Wheaton, IL 60187
Y.O.B.: 1968

 

Trustee

 

Indefinite term

Since 2018

 

Chief Operating Officer, Woodman Valley Chapel (2015-present); Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, English Language Institute/China (2007-2015)

 

5

 

Board of Advisors, Westmont College

                       

Brian J. Wildman
c/o Innovator ETFs Trust II
120 North Hale Street, Suite 200
Wheaton, IL 60187
Y.O.B.: 1963

 

Trustee

 

Indefinite term

Since 2018

 

Executive Vice President, Consumer Banking (2016-present), Chief Risk Officer (2013-2016), Head of Wealth Management (2003-2013), Head of Commercial Services (2010-2013), MB Financial Bank

 

5

 

MB Financial Bank (2003 – present); Missionary Furlough Homes, Inc. (2008 – present)

                       

Officers of the Trust

                     

John W. Southard, Jr.

c/o Innovator ETFs Trust II

120 North Hale Street, Suite 200

Wheaton, IL 60187

Y.O.B.: 1969

 

Vice President, Treasurer and Principal Financial Accounting Officer

 

Indefinite term

Since 2018

 

Chief Investment Officer, Innovator Capital Management, LLC (2017 to present); Director and Co-Founder, T2 Capital Management, LLC (2010 to present)

 

N/A

 

N/A

                       

James Nash (2)
c/o Innovator ETFs Trust II

10 High Street, Suite 302

Boston, MA 02110
Y.O.B.: 1981

 

Chief Compliance Officer and Anti-Money Laundering Officer

 

Indefinite term

Since 2017

 

 

Foreside Fund Officer Services, LLC, 2016 – present, Fund Chief Compliance Officer; JPMorgan Chase & Co., 2014 – 2016, Senior Associate, Regulatory Administration Advisor; Linedata Services, 2011 – 2014, Product Analyst

 

N/A

 

N/A

____________________

(1)

Mr. Bond is deemed an “interested person” of the Trust due to his position as Chief Executive Officer of Innovator Capital Management, LLC and the Trust.

 

(2)

Mr. Nash is an employee of Foreside Fund Officer Services, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Fund’s principal underwriter.

 

15

 

 

Unitary Board Leadership Structure

 

Each Trustee serves as a trustee of all funds in the Innovator Fund Complex (as defined below), which is known as a “unitary” board leadership structure Each Trustee currently serves as a trustee of the all the series comprising Innovator ETFs Trust and the Trust (each, an “Innovator Fund and collectively, the “Innovator Fund Complex ). None of the Trustees who are not “interested persons” of the Trust, nor any of their immediate family members, have ever been a director, officer or employee of, or consultant to, Innovator or any of its affiliates.

 

The unitary board structure was adopted for the Innovator Funds because of the efficiencies it achieves with respect to the governance and oversight of the Innovator Funds. Each Innovator Fund is subject to the rules and regulations of the 1940 Act (and other applicable securities laws), which means that many of the Innovator Funds face similar issues with respect to certain of their fundamental activities, including risk management, portfolio liquidity, portfolio valuation and financial reporting. Because of the similar and often overlapping issues facing the Innovator Funds, including among any such exchange-traded funds, the Board of the Innovator Funds believes that maintaining a unitary board structure promotes efficiency and consistency in the governance and oversight of all Innovator Funds and reduces the costs, administrative burdens and possible conflicts that may result from having multiple boards. In adopting a unitary board structure, the Trustees seek to provide effective governance through establishing a board the overall composition of which, as a body, possesses the appropriate skills, diversity, independence and experience to oversee the Innovator Funds’ business.

 

Annually, the Board of Trustees reviews its governance structure and the committee structures, its performance and functions and any processes that would enhance board governance over the business of the Innovator Funds. The Board of Trustees has determined that its leadership structure, including the unitary board and committee structure, is appropriate based on the characteristics of the funds it serves and the characteristics of the Innovator Fund Complex as a whole.

 

16

 

 

The Board has overall responsibility for the oversight and management of the Innovator Funds. In order to streamline communication between the Adviser and the Independent Trustees and create certain efficiencies, the Board has a Lead Independent Trustee who is responsible for: (i) coordinating activities of the Independent Trustees; (ii) working with the Adviser, Fund counsel and the independent legal counsel to the Independent Trustees to determine the agenda for Board meetings; (iii) serving as the principal contact for and facilitating communication between the Independent Trustees and the Fund’s service providers, particularly the Adviser; and (iv) any other duties that the Independent Trustees may delegate to the Lead Independent Trustee. The Lead Independent Trustee is selected by the Independent Trustees and serves until his or her successor is selected. Mr. Berg serves as the Lead Independent Trustee.

 

Bruce Bond serves as the Chairman of the Board. The Chairman of the Board presides at all meetings of the Board, and acts as a liaison with service providers, officers, attorneys, and other Trustees. The Chair of each Board committee performs a similar role with respect to the committee. The Chairman of the Board or the Chair of a Board committee may also perform such other functions as may be delegated by the Board or the committee from time to time. The Independent Trustees meet regularly outside the presence of Trust management, in executive session or with other service providers to the Fund. The Board has regular meetings throughout the year, and may hold special meetings if required before its next regular meeting. Each committee meets regularly to conduct the oversight functions delegated to that committee by the Board and reports its findings to the Board.

 

The Board of Trustees has established two standing committees (as described below) and has delegated certain of its responsibilities to those committees. The Board of Trustees and its committees meet frequently throughout the year to oversee the activities of the Fund, review contractual arrangements with and the performance of service providers, oversee compliance with regulatory requirements and review Fund performance. The Independent Trustees are represented by independent legal counsel at all Board and committee meetings. Generally, the Board of Trustees acts by majority vote of the Trustees present at a meeting, assuming a quorum is present, unless otherwise required by applicable law.

 

The two standing committees of the Board of Trustees are the Nominating Committee and the Audit Committee. Mr. Stowell serves as the Chairman of the Nominating Committee and Mr. Wildman serves as the Chairman of the Audit Committee.

 

17

 

 

The Nominating Committee is responsible for appointing and nominating non-interested persons to the Board of Trustees. Messrs. Berg, Wildman and Stowell are currently members of the Nominating Committee. If there is no vacancy on the Board of Trustees, the Board of Trustees will not actively seek recommendations from other parties, including shareholders. The Nominating Committee met three times during the fiscal year ended March 31, 2018. When a vacancy on the Board of Trustees occurs and nominations are sought to fill such vacancy, the Nominating Committee may seek nominations from those sources it deems appropriate in its discretion, including shareholders of the Fund. To submit a recommendation for nomination as a candidate for a position on the Board of Trustees, shareholders of the Fund should mail such recommendation to the Nominating Committee, c/o Innovator ETFs Trust II, at the Trust’s address, 120 North Hale Street, Suite 200, Wheaton, Illinois 60187. Such recommendation shall include the following information: (i) a statement in writing setting forth (A) the name, age, date of birth, business address, residence address and nationality of the person or persons to be nominated; (B) the class or series and number of all shares of the Fund owned of record or beneficially by each such person or persons, as reported to such shareholder by such nominee(s); (C) any other information regarding each such person required by paragraphs (a), (d), (e) and (f) of Item 401 of Regulation S-K or paragraph (b) of Item 22 of Rule 14a-101 (Schedule 14A) under the 1934 Act (as defined below); (D) any other information regarding the person or persons to be nominated that would be required to be disclosed in a proxy statement or other filings required to be made in connection with solicitation of proxies for election of trustees or directors pursuant to Section 14 of the 1934 Act and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder; and (E) whether such shareholder believes any nominee is or will be an “interested person” of the Fund (as defined in the 1940 Act) and, if not an “interested person,” information regarding each nominee that will be sufficient for the Fund to make such determination; and (ii) the written and signed consent of any person to be nominated to be named as a nominee and to serve as a trustee if elected. In addition, the Trustees may require any proposed nominee to furnish such other information as they may reasonably require or deem necessary to determine the eligibility of such proposed nominee to serve as a Trustee.

 

The Audit Committee is responsible for overseeing the Fund’s accounting and financial reporting process, the system of internal controls and audit process and for evaluating and appointing independent auditors (subject also to approval of the Board of Trustees). Messrs. Berg, Wildman and Stowell currently serve on the Audit Committee. The Audit Committee met five times during the fiscal year ended March 31, 2018.

 

Risk Oversight

 

As part of the general oversight of the Fund, the Board of Trustees is involved in the risk oversight of the Fund. The Board of Trustees has adopted and periodically reviews policies and procedures designed to address the Fund’s risks. Oversight of investment and compliance risk, including, if applicable, oversight of any sub-adviser (each, a “Sub-Adviser” ), is performed primarily at the Board level in conjunction with the Adviser’s investment oversight group and the Trust’s Chief Compliance Officer ( CCO ).

 

James Nash of Foreside Fund Officer Services, LLC ( “Foreside Officer Services” ) serves as CCO of the Trust. In a joint effort between the Trust and Foreside Officer Services to ensure the Trust complies with Rule 38a-1 under the 1940 Act, Foreside Officer Services has agreed to render services to the Trust by entering into a Chief Compliance Officer Services Agreement (the “CCO Services Agreement” ) with the Trust. Pursuant to the CCO Services Agreement, Foreside Officer Services designates, subject to the Trust’s approval, one of its own employees to serve as CCO of the Trust within the meaning of Rule 38a-1. Mr. Nash currently serves in such capacity under the terms of the CCO Services Agreement.

 

18

 

 

Oversight of other risks also occurs at the committee level. The Adviser’s investment oversight group reports to the Board of Trustees at quarterly meetings regarding, among other things, Fund performance and the various drivers of such performance as well as information related to the Adviser and its operations and processes. The Board of Trustees reviews reports on the Fund’s and the service providers’ compliance policies and procedures at each quarterly Board meeting and receives an annual report from the CCO regarding the operations of the Fund’s and the service providers’ compliance programs. In addition, the Independent Trustees meet privately each quarter with the CCO. The Audit Committee reviews with the Adviser the Fund’s major financial risk exposures and the steps the Adviser has taken to monitor and control these exposures, including the Fund’s risk assessment and risk management policies and guidelines. The Audit Committee also, as appropriate, reviews in a general manner the processes other Board committees have in place with respect to risk assessment and risk management. The Nominating Committee monitors all matters related to the corporate governance of the Trust.

 

Not all risks that may affect the Fund can be identified nor can controls be developed to eliminate or mitigate their occurrence or effects. It may not be practical or cost effective to eliminate or mitigate certain risks, the processes and controls employed to address certain risks may be limited in their effectiveness, and some risks are simply beyond the reasonable control of the Fund or the Adviser or other service providers. Moreover, it is necessary to bear certain risks (such as investment-related risks) to achieve the Fund’s goals. As a result of the foregoing and other factors, the Fund’s ability to manage risk is subject to substantial limitations.

 

Board Diversification and Trustee Qualifications

 

As described above, the Nominating Committee of the Board of Trustees oversees matters related to the nomination of Trustees. The Nominating Committee seeks to establish an effective Board with an appropriate range of skills and diversity, including, as appropriate, differences in background, professional experience, education, vocations, and other individual characteristics and traits in the aggregate. Each Trustee must meet certain basic requirements, including relevant skills and experience, time availability and, if qualifying as an Independent Trustee, independence from the Adviser, the Sub-Adviser, underwriters or other service providers, including any affiliates of these entities.

 

Listed below for each current Trustee are the experiences, qualifications and attributes that led to the conclusion, as of the date of this SAI, that each current Trustee should serve as a Trustee in light of the Trust’s business and structure.

 

Independent Trustees. Mark Berg is the President and Founding Principal of Timothy Financial Counsel Inc. Mr. Berg’s primary role is the leadership and management of Timothy Financial Counsel Inc. He is the primary advisor for select clients, but also oversees the financial planning process for all Timothy Financial clients. Mr. Berg has served in the fee-only financial planning industry since 1995. He holds a BA in Economics from Wheaton College and is a Certified Financial Planner™ practitioner. He is also a NAPFA Registered Financial Advisor where he has served as the Regional President and Chair, as well as on the National Board of Directors. He speaks regularly at conferences on financial planning and practice management. He has been interviewed and/or quoted by a variety of publications, such as Dow Jones Newswire, The Wall Street Journal, Reader's Digest, and Kiplinger's and has been interviewed on NBC television.

 

19

 

 

Joe Stowell is the Chief Operating Officer of Woodmen Valley Chapel in Colorado Springs, Colorado. He oversees the financial, human resources and congregational management of this multi-campus organization. Prior to joining Woodman in September of 2015, Mr. Stowell served for eight years as the Executive Vice President/COO of the English Language Institute/China (ELIC), a global educational non-profit focused primarily in Asia and the Middle East. Before his work in the non-profit business management sector, Joe traded futures, options and swaps for over a decade, focusing on currencies and bonds both in the US and abroad for McNamara Trading and Chicago Research & Trade. He was on trading floors and desks in Chicago, New York and Tokyo.

 

Brian J. Wildman is Executive Vice President, Consumer Banking of MB Financial Bank (Bank), a position he has held since March 2016. Mr. Wildman is also a director of the Bank. From April 2013 to March 2016, Mr. Wildman was responsible for Risk Management and was the Chief Risk Officer. Prior to April 2013, Mr. Wildman was responsible for the Bank's Wealth Management and Commercial Services groups. Prior to joining the Bank in 2003, he was First Vice President of Bank One and served in various management positions with its predecessor organization, American National Bank and Trust Company of Chicago, since 1988. Mr. Wildman is a member of the Board of Trustees of Missionary Furlough Homes, Inc. Additionally, Mr. Wildman serves as the “audit committee financial expert” for the Board.

 

Interested Trustee. H. Bruce Bond is the Chief Executive Officer of the Adviser, responsible for the firm’s strategic vision. Mr. Bond began his career in 1986 at Griffin, Kubik, Stephens and Thompson, a small boutique firm specializing in municipal bonds. In 1994 he continued his career at First Trust Portfolios as Vice President responsible for wholesale distribution of financial products across the Midwest and Florida. In 1998 Mr. Bond joined Nuveen Investments as a Managing Director to lead an effort in its Structured Products Group to develop, market and distribute closed-end funds, unit investment trusts and exchange-traded fund products. Mr. Bond became the head of marketing for all Nuveen products before leaving to start PowerShares in early 2003. As Founder and Chief Executive Officer of PowerShares, Mr. Bond pioneered many firsts in the ETF industry. In 2006, PowerShares was acquired by Invesco, a global asset manager. Mr. Bond remained the President and Chief Executive Officer of PowerShares and Chairman of the Board of the PowerShares Funds until September of 2011. During his time at PowerShares, Mr. Bond helped develop, list and distribute over 130 fund products on various exchanges located in the United States and throughout Europe, with assets under management in excess of $80 billion.

 

Each Independent Trustee is paid a fixed annual retainer of $10,000 per year. The fixed annual retainer is allocated pro rata among each fund in the Innovator Fund Complex based on net assets. Trustees are also reimbursed by the investment companies in the Innovator Fund Complex for travel and out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with all meetings.

 

20

 

 

The following table sets forth the compensation (including reimbursement for travel and out-of-pocket expenses) paid by the Fund and by the Innovator Fund Complex to each of the Independent Trustees for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2018. The Trust has no retirement or pension plans. The officers and Trustee who are “interested persons” as designated above serve without any compensation from the Trust. The Trust has no employees. Its officers are compensated by Innovator. The Independent Trustees were elected as Trustees of the Fund on June 20, 2018 and therefore received no compensation from the Fund for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2018. The table below sets forth the compensation received by the Trustees serving on the Board during that time.

 

Name of Trustee

Compensation from the Fund

Total Compensation from
the
Innovator Fund Complex

     

Bruce Howard*

$769

$0

Gregory D. Bunch*

$769

$0

Jeffrey P. Helton*

$769

$0

* Served as Trustee to the Fund from its inception until June 20, 2018 and received no compensation from the Innovator Fund Complex. Each Trustee received $10,000 in total compensation for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2018 from the Elkhorn Fund Complex, the Fund’s previous fund complex.

 

The following table sets forth the dollar range of equity securities beneficially owned by the Trustees in the Fund and in other funds overseen by the Trustees in the Innovator Fund Complex as of March 31, 2018:

 

Trustee

 

Dollar Range of
Equity Securities
in the Fund

 

Aggregate Dollar Range of
Equity Securities in
All

Registered Investment

Companies Overseen by Trustee

in the
Innovator Fund
Complex

               

Interested Trustee

             

H. Bruce Bond

 

None

 

Over $100,000

Independent Trustees

             

Mark Berg

 

None

  $10,001 -

$50,000

Joe Stowell

 

None

 

None

Brian J. Wildman

 

None

 

None

 

As of July 1, 2018, the Independent Trustees of the Trust and immediate family members did not own beneficially or of record any class of securities of an investment adviser or principal underwriter of the Fund or any person directly or indirectly controlling, controlled by, or under common control with an investment adviser or principal underwriter of the Fund.

 

As of July 1, 2018, the officers and Trustees, in the aggregate, owned less than 1% of the shares of the Fund.

 

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 a company or acknowledges the existence of control. The table set forth as  Exhibit B  shows the percentage ownership of each person or “group” (as that term is used in Section 13(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the  “1934 Act” )) who, as of July 2, 2018, owned of record, or is known by the Trust to have owned of record or beneficially, 5% or more of the shares of the Fund.

 

21

 

 

Investment Adviser . Innovator Capital Management, LLC, located at 120 North Hale Street, Suite 200, Wheaton, Illinois 60187, furnishes investment management services to the Fund, subject to the supervision and direction of the Board. Substantially all of the interests of the Adviser are owned by Messrs. H. Bruce Bond, John Wilder Southard, Jr. and Jeffrey Brown. The Adviser is controlled by a Board of Managers which currently consists of Mr. Bond, Mr. Southard and Mr. Brown. Mr. Bond controls the Board of Managers by virtue of his majority ownership of the Adviser. Mr. Southard owns in excess of twenty-five percent of the Adviser and Mr. Brown owns a minority interest in the Adviser. The Adviser compensates all officers (including the chief compliance officer) and employees of the Adviser who are affiliated with both the Adviser and the Trust. The Adviser is registered with the SEC as an investment adviser under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended.

 

Effective April 1, 2018, Innovator was appointed to serve as the investment adviser to the Fund, pursuant to an Interim Investment Advisory Agreement with the Trust on behalf of the Fund ( “Interim Advisory Agreement” ). The Interim Advisory Agreement will remain in effect for 150 days from its effectiveness, or until Fund shareholders approve a new, permanent investment advisory agreement ( “New Advisory Agreement” ), whichever is earlier. On April 10, 2018, the Board approved the New Advisory Agreement between the Trust and Innovator and recommended that the New Advisory Agreement be submitted to Fund shareholders for approval. The New Advisory Agreement will take effect upon its approval by shareholders.

 

The terms and conditions of the Interim Advisory Agreement are identical in all material respects to those of the original investment advisory agreement between the Trust and the Previous Adviser ( “Original Agreement” ), except for the effective period and termination provisions. The terms and conditions of the New Advisory Agreement are substantively the same as the Original Agreement. The level of advisory services under the Interim Advisory Agreement and New Advisory Agreement will be the same as under the Original Agreement. Investment advisory fees earned under the Interim Advisory Agreement are being paid into an escrow account, pending shareholder approval of the New Advisory Agreement.

 

Pursuant to the Interim Advisory Agreement and the New Advisory Agreement, the Fund pays the Adviser an annual management fee equal to 0.47% of its average daily net assets. Out of the management fee, the Adviser pays substantially all expenses of the Fund, including the cost of transfer agency, custody, fund administration, legal, audit and other service and license fees, except for distribution and service fees payable pursuant to a Rule 12b-1 plan, if any, brokerage commissions and other expenses connected with the execution of portfolio transactions, taxes, interest, and extraordinary expenses. For services rendered during the fiscal period ended March 31, 2017, the Fund paid the Previous Adviser $40,373. For services rendered during the fiscal year ended March 31, 2018, the Fund paid the Previous Adviser $88,355.

 

22

 

 

Pursuant to the Interim Advisory Agreement and the New Advisory Agreement, Innovator shall not be liable for any loss sustained by reason of the purchase, sale or retention of any security, whether or not such purchase, sale or retention shall have been based upon the investigation and research made by any other individual, firm or corporation, if such recommendation shall have been selected with due care and in good faith, except loss resulting from willful misfeasance, bad faith, or gross negligence on the part of Innovator in the performance of its obligations and duties, or by reason of its reckless disregard of its obligations and duties. The New Advisory Agreement continues for two years, and thereafter only if approved annually by the Board of Trustees, including a majority of the Independent Trustees. The New Advisory Agreement terminates automatically upon assignment and is terminable at any time without penalty as to the Fund by the Board of Trustees, including a majority of the Independent Trustees, or by vote of the holders of a majority of the Fund’s outstanding voting securities on 60 days’ written notice to Innovator, or by Innovator on 60 days’ written notice to the Fund.

 

Investment Sub- Adviser . Penserra Capital Management LLC, located at 4 Orinda Way, Suite 100-A, Orinda CA 94563, is responsible for implementing the Fund’s investment program by, among other things, trading portfolio securities and performing related services, rebalancing the Fund’s portfolio, and providing cash management services in accordance with the investment advice formulated by, and model portfolios delivered by, the Adviser, subject to the ultimate supervision and direction of the Board of Trustees.

 

Effective April 1, 2018, Penserra was appointed to serve as the investment sub-adviser to the Fund, pursuant to an Interim Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement with the Trust, on behalf of the Fund ( “Interim Sub-Advisory Agreement” ). The Interim Sub-Advisory Agreement will remain in effect for 150 days from its effectiveness, or until Fund shareholders approve a new, permanent investment advisory agreement ( “Sub-Advisory Agreement” ), whichever is earlier. On April 10, 2018, the Board approved the Sub-Advisory Agreement between the Trust and Penserra and recommended that the Sub-Advisory Agreement be submitted to Fund shareholders for approval. The Sub-Advisory Agreement will take effect upon its approval by shareholders.

 

Penserra receives an annual fee based on the average daily net assets of the Fund. The Adviser is responsible for paying the entire amount of the Sub-Adviser’s fee for the Fund. The Fund does not directly pay the Sub-Adviser.

 

Portfolio Managers . The portfolio managers are primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund. There are currently three portfolio managers, as follows: Dustin Lewellyn, Ernest Tong and Anand Desai.

 

As of July 1, 2018, none of the portfolio managers beneficially owned any shares of the Fund.

 

Compensation. Mr. Lewellyn’s portfolio management compensation includes a salary and discretionary bonus based on the profitability of the Sub-Adviser. No compensation is directly related to the performance of the underlying assets. Mr. Tong receives from Penserra a fixed base salary and discretionary bonus, and he is also eligible to participate in a retirement plan and to receive an equity interest in Penserra. Mr. Tong’s compensation is based on the performance and profitability of Penserra and his individual performance with respect to following a structured investment process. Mr. Desai receives from Penserra a fixed base salary and discretionary bonus, and is also eligible to participate in a retirement plan. Mr. Desai’s compensation is based on the performance and profitability of Penserra and his individual performance with respect to following a structured investment process.

 

23

 

 

Accounts Managed by the Portfolio Managers

 

The portfolio managers manage the investment vehicles (other than the Fund) with the number of accounts and assets, as of March 31, 2018, set forth in the table below:

 

Portfolio Manager

Registered

Investment

Companies
Number of

Accounts
($ assets)

Other Pooled

Investment

Vehicles
Number of

Accounts
($ assets)

Other Accounts

Number of

Accounts

($ Assets)

       

Dustin Lewellyn

14 ($1.37 billion)

0 ($0)

0 ($0)

       

Ernesto Tong

14 ($1.37 billion)

0 ($0)

0 ($0)

       

Anand Desai

14 ($1.37 billion)

0($0)

0 ($0)

____________________

 

Conflicts. None of the accounts managed by the portfolio managers pay an advisory fee that is based upon the performance of the account. In addition, Penserra believes that there are no material conflicts of interest that may arise in connection with the portfolio managers’ management of the Fund’s investments and the investments of the other accounts managed by the portfolio managers. However, because the investment strategy of the Fund and the investment strategies of many of the other accounts managed by the portfolio managers are based on fairly mechanical investment processes, the portfolio managers may recommend that certain clients sell and other clients buy a given security at the same time. In addition, because the investment strategies of the Fund and other accounts managed by the portfolio managers generally result in the clients investing in readily available securities, Penserra believes that there should not be material conflicts in the allocation of investment opportunities between the Fund and other accounts managed by the portfolio managers.

 

In addition, the Adviser may make payments out of its own internal resources and profits from all sources to other financial intermediaries to encourage the sale of shares of the Fund. The payments are intended to compensate financial intermediaries (including broker-dealers) for, among other things: marketing shares, which may consist of payments relating to the Fund, including but not limited to: inclusion on preferred or recommended fund lists or in certain sales programs from time to time sponsored by the financial intermediaries; access to the financial intermediaries registered sales persons; and/or other specified services or persons intended to assist in the marketing of the Fund. Such payments may be based on various factors, including levels of assets and/or sales (based on gross or net sales or some other criteria). These payments may create an incentive for a financial intermediary to sell and recommend certain investment products, including the Fund, over other products for which it may receive less compensation. You may contact your financial intermediary if you want information regarding the any payment it receives from the Adviser.

 

24

 

 

Brokerage Allocations

 

Penserra is responsible for decisions to buy and sell securities for the Fund and for the placement of the Fund’s securities business, the negotiation of the commissions to be paid on brokered transactions, the prices for principal trades in securities, and the allocation of portfolio brokerage and principal business. It is the policy of Penserra to seek the best execution at the best security price available with respect to each transaction, and with respect to brokered transactions in light of the overall quality of brokerage and research services provided to Penserra and its clients. The best price to the Fund means the best net price without regard to the mix between purchase or sale price and commission, if any. Purchases may be made from underwriters, dealers, and, on occasion, the issuers. Commissions will be paid on the Fund’s futures transactions, if any. The purchase price of portfolio securities purchased from an underwriter or dealer may include underwriting commissions and dealer spreads. The Fund may pay mark-ups on principal transactions. In selecting broker/dealers and in negotiating commissions, Innovator considers, among other things, the firm’s reliability, the quality of its execution services on a continuing basis and its financial condition. Fund portfolio transactions may be effected with broker/dealers who have assisted investors in the purchase of shares.

 

Section 28(e) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “1934 Act” ) permits an investment adviser, under certain circumstances, to cause an account to pay a broker or dealer who supplies brokerage and research services a commission for effecting a transaction in excess of the amount of commission another broker or dealer would have charged for effecting the transaction. Brokerage and research services include (i) furnishing advice as to the value of securities, the advisability of investing, purchasing or selling securities, and the availability of securities or purchasers or sellers of securities; (ii) furnishing analyses and reports concerning issuers, industries, securities, economic factors and trends, portfolio strategy, and the performance of accounts; and (iii) effecting securities transactions and performing functions incidental thereto (such as clearance, settlement, and custody). Such brokerage and research services are often referred to as “soft dollars.” Penserra has advised the Board of Trustees that it does not currently intend to use soft dollars.

 

Notwithstanding the foregoing, in selecting brokers, Penserra may in the future consider investment and market information and other research, such as economic, securities and performance measurement research, provided by such brokers, and the quality and reliability of brokerage services, including execution capability, performance, and financial responsibility. Accordingly, the commissions charged by any such broker may be greater than the amount another firm might charge if Penserra determines in good faith that the amount of such commissions is reasonable in relation to the value of the research information and brokerage services provided by such broker to Innovator or the Trust. In addition, Penserra must determine that the research information received in this manner provides the Fund with benefits by supplementing the research otherwise available to the Fund. The New Advisory Agreement provides that such higher commissions will not be paid by the Fund unless the Adviser determines in good faith that the amount is reasonable in relation to the services provided. The investment advisory fees paid by the Fund to Innovator under the New Advisory Agreement would not be reduced as a result of receipt by Innovator of research services.

 

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Penserra places portfolio transactions for other advisory accounts advised by it, and research services furnished by firms through which the Fund effects securities transactions may be used by Penserra in servicing all of its accounts; not all of such services may be used by Penserra in connection with the Fund. Penserra believes it is not possible to measure separately the benefits from research services to each of the accounts (including the Fund) advised by it. Because the volume and nature of the trading activities of the accounts are not uniform, the amount of commissions in excess of those charged by another broker paid by each account for brokerage and research services will vary. However, Penserra believes such costs to the Fund will not be disproportionate to the benefits received by the Fund on a continuing basis. Penserra seeks to allocate portfolio transactions equitably whenever concurrent decisions are made to purchase or sell securities by the Fund and another advisory account. In some cases, this procedure could have an adverse effect on the price or the amount of securities available to the Fund. In making such allocations between the Fund and other advisory accounts, the main factors considered by Innovator are the respective investment objectives, the relative size of portfolio holding of the same or comparable securities, the availability of cash for investment and the size of investment commitments generally held.

 

The Fund commenced operations on May 23, 2016. For the fiscal period from May 23, 2016 to March 31, 2017, the Fund paid brokerage commissions of $11,884. For the fiscal year ended March 31, 2018, the Fund paid brokerage commissions of 7,794.

 

For the fiscal period ended March 31, 2017 and the fiscal year ended March 31, 2018, the Fund did not pay any brokerage commissions to an affiliate of the Trust or the Previous Adviser.

 

Neither the Fund, the Adviser nor the Sub-Adviser has an agreement or understanding with a broker-dealer, or other arrangements to direct the Fund’s brokerage transactions to a broker-dealer because of the research services such broker provides to the Fund, Adviser nor Sub-Adviser. While the Adviser and Sub-Adviser do not have arrangements with any broker-dealers to direct such brokerage transactions to them because of research services provided, the Adviser and Sub-Adviser may receive research services from such broker-dealers.

 

Administrator, Custodian, Transfer Agent, Fund Accounting Agent, Distributor, Index Provider and Exchange

 

Administrator. Bank of New York Mellon ( “BNYM” ) serves as Administrator for the Fund. Its principal address is 101 Barclay Street, New York, New York 10286.

 

BNYM serves as Administrator for the Trust pursuant to a Fund Administration and Accounting Agreement. Under such agreement, BNYM is obligated on a continuous basis, to provide certain administrative services for the proper administration of the Trust and the Fund. BNYM will generally assist in certain aspects of the Trust’s and the Fund’s operations; supply and maintain office facilities (which may be in BNYM’s own offices), statistical and research data, data processing services, clerical, accounting, bookkeeping and record keeping services (including, without limitation, the maintenance of such books and records as are required under the 1940 Act and the rules thereunder, except as maintained by other agency agents), internal auditing, executive and administrative services, and stationery and office supplies; prepare reports to shareholders or investors; prepare and file tax returns; supply financial information and supporting data for reports to and filings with the SEC and various state Blue Sky authorities; supply supporting documentation for meetings of the Board of Trustees; and provide monitoring reports and assistance regarding compliance with federal and state securities laws.

 

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Pursuant to the Fund Administration and Accounting Agreement, the Trust on behalf of the Fund has agreed to indemnify the Administrator for certain liabilities, including certain liabilities arising under the federal securities laws, unless such loss or liability results from gross negligence or willful misconduct in the performance of its duties.

 

Pursuant to the Fund Administration and Accounting Agreement between BNYM and the Trust, the Fund has agreed to pay such compensation as is mutually agreed from time to time and such out-of-pocket expenses as incurred by BNYM in the performance of its duties. This fee is subject to reduction for assets over $1 billion. The Fund has not paid any fees to BNYM under the Fund Administration and Accounting Agreement as the Previous Adviser and Adviser have assumed responsibility for payment of these fees as part of the unitary management fee.

 

Custodian, Transfer Agent and Accounting Agent . BNYM, as custodian for the Fund pursuant to a Custody Agreement, holds the Fund’s assets. BNYM also serves as transfer agent of the Fund pursuant to an Administrative Agency Agreement. As the Fund’s accounting agent, BNYM calculates the net asset value of shares and calculates net income and realized capital gains or losses. BNYM may be reimbursed by the Fund for its out-of-pocket expenses.

 

Distributor. Foreside Fund Services, LLC is the distributor (the “ Distributor ”) and principal underwriter of the Creation Unit Aggregations of the Fund. Its principal address is Three Canal Plaza, Suite 100, Portland, Maine 04101. The Distributor has entered into a Distribution Agreement with the Trust pursuant to which it distributes Fund shares. Shares are continuously offered for sale by the Fund through the Distributor only in Creation Unit Aggregations, as described below under the heading “Creation and Redemption of Creation Unit Aggregations.”

 

Innovator may, from time to time and from its own resources, pay, defray or absorb costs relating to distribution, including payments out of its own resources to the Distributor, or to otherwise promote the sale of shares. Innovator’ available resources to make these payments include profits from advisory fees received from the Fund. The services Innovator may pay for include, but are not limited to, advertising and attaining access to certain conferences and seminars, as well as being presented with the opportunity to address investors and industry professionals through speeches and written marketing materials.

 

12b-1 Plan. The Plan of Distribution pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act pursuant to which the Fund could reimburse the Distributor up to a maximum annual rate of 0.25% of its average daily net assets has expired.

 

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Aggregations. Fund shares in less than Creation Unit Aggregations are not distributed by the Distributor. The Distributor will deliver the Prospectus and, upon request, this SAI to Authorized Participants purchasing Creation Unit Aggregations and will maintain records of both orders placed with it and confirmations of acceptance furnished by it. The Distributor is a broker-dealer registered under the 1934 Act and a member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority ( “FINRA” ).

 

The Distribution Agreement provides that it may be terminated at any time, without the payment of any penalty, on at least 60 days’ written notice by the Trust to the Distributor (i) by vote of a majority of the Independent Trustees; or (ii) by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities (as defined in the 1940 Act) of the Fund. The Distribution Agreement will terminate automatically in the event of its assignment (as defined in the 1940 Act).

 

The Distributor may also enter into agreements with participants that utilize the facilities of the Depository Trust Company (the “DTC Participants” ), which have international, operational, capabilities and place orders for Creation Unit Aggregations of Fund shares. Participating Parties (as defined in “Procedures for Creation of Creation Unit Aggregations” below) shall be DTC Participants (as defined in “DTC Acts as Securities Depository for Fund Shares” below).

 

Index Provider. The Index Provider is not affiliated with the Trust, Innovator, BNYM or the Distributor. The Fund is entitled to use the Index pursuant to a sublicensing arrangement by and between the Trust, on behalf of the Fund, and Innovator, which in turn has a license agreement with the Index Provider.

 

Standard & Poor’s ® and S&P ® are registered trademarks of Standard & Poor’s Financial Services LLC ( “S&P” ) and Dow Jones ® is a registered trademark of Dow Jones Trademark Holdings LLC ( “Dow Jones” ). The trademarks have been licensed to S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC and its affiliates and have been sublicensed for use for certain purposes by the Adviser. The Index is a product of S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC and/or its affiliates and has been licensed for use by the Adviser. The Adviser’s products are not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC, Dow Jones, S&P, any of their respective affiliates or third party licensors (collectively, “S&P Dow Jones Indices” ). S&P Dow Jones Indices make no representation or warranty, express or implied, to the owners of the Adviser’s products or any member of the public regarding the advisability of investing in securities generally or in Adviser’s products particularly or the ability of the Index to track general market performance. S&P Dow Jones Indices’ only relationship to the Adviser with respect to the Index is the licensing of the Index and certain trademarks, service marks and/or trade names of S&P Dow Jones Indices. The Index is determined, composed and calculated by S&P Dow Jones Indices without regard to the Adviser or the Adviser’s products. S&P Dow Jones Indices have no obligation to take the needs of the Adviser or the owners of Adviser’s products into consideration in determining, composing or calculating the Index. S&P Dow Jones Indices are not responsible for and have not participated in the determination of the prices, and amount of Adviser’s products or the timing of the issuance or sale of Adviser’s products or in the determination or calculation of the equation by which Adviser’s products is to be converted into cash. S&P Dow Jones Indices have no obligation or liability in connection with the administration, marketing or trading of Adviser’s products. There is no assurance that investment products based on the Index will accurately track index performance or provide positive investment returns. S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC and its subsidiaries are not investment advisers. Inclusion of a security within an index is not a recommendation by S&P Dow Jones Indices to buy, sell, or hold such security, nor is it considered to be investment advice.

 

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S&P DOW JONES INDICES DO NOT GUARANTEE THE ADEQUACY, ACCURACY, TIMELINESS AND/OR THE COMPLETENESS OF THE INDEX OR ANY DATA RELATED THERETO OR ANY COMMUNICATION, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO, ORAL OR WRITTEN COMMUNICATION (INCLUDING ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS) WITH RESPECT THERETO. S&P DOW JONES INDICES SHALL NOT BE SUBJECT TO ANY DAMAGES OR LIABILITY FOR ANY ERRORS, OMISSIONS, OR DELAYS THEREIN. S&P DOW JONES INDICES MAKE NO EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, AND EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE OR USE OR AS TO RESULTS TO BE OBTAINED BY THE ADVISER, OWNERS OF THE ADVISER’S PRODUCTS, OR ANY OTHER PERSON OR ENTITY FROM THE USE OF THE INDEX OR WITH RESPECT TO ANY DATA RELATED THERETO. WITHOUT LIMITING ANY OF THE FOREGOING, IN NO EVENT WHATSOEVER SHALL S&P DOW JONES INDICES BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, PUNITIVE, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO, LOSS OF PROFITS, TRADING LOSSES, LOST TIME OR GOODWILL, EVEN IF THEY HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, TORT, STRICT LIABILITY, OR OTHERWISE. THERE ARE NO THIRD PARTY BENEFICIARIES OF ANY AGREEMENTS OR ARRANGEMENTS BETWEEN S&P DOW JONES INDICES AND THE ADVISER, OTHER THAN THE LICENSORS OF S&P DOW JONES INDICES.

 

The Adviser does not guarantee the accuracy and/or the completeness of the Index or any data included therein, and the Adviser shall have no liability for any errors, omissions, restatements, re-calculations or interruptions therein. The Adviser makes no warranty, express or implied, as to results to be obtained by the Fund, owners of the shares of the Fund or any other person or entity from the use of the Index or any data included therein. The Adviser makes no express or implied warranties, and expressly disclaims all warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose or use with respect to the Index or any data included therein. Without limiting any of the foregoing, in no event shall the Adviser have any liability for any special, punitive, direct, indirect or consequential damages (including lost profits) arising out of matters relating to the use of the Index even if notified of the possibility of such damages.

 

Exchange . The only relationship that the Exchange has with Innovator or the Distributor of the Fund in connection with the Fund is that the Exchange lists the shares of the Fund pursuant to its listing agreement with the Trust. The Exchange is not responsible for and has not participated in the determination of pricing or the timing of the issuance or sale of the shares of the Fund or in the determination or calculation of the asset value of the Fund. The Exchange has no obligation or liability in connection with the administration, marketing or trading of the Fund.

 

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Additional Information

 

Book Entry Only System. The following information supplements and should be read in conjunction with the Prospectus.

 

DTC Acts as Securities Depository for Fund Shares. Shares of the Fund are represented by securities registered in the name of The Depository Trust Company ( “DTC” ) or its nominee, Cede & Co., and deposited with, or on behalf of, DTC.

 

DTC, a limited-purpose trust company, was created to hold securities of its participants (the “DTC Participants” ) and to facilitate the clearance and settlement of securities transactions among the DTC Participants in such securities through electronic book-entry changes in accounts of the DTC Participants, thereby eliminating the need for physical movement of securities, certificates. DTC Participants include securities brokers and dealers, banks, trust companies, clearing corporations and certain other organizations, some of whom (and/or their representatives) own DTC. More specifically, DTC is owned by a number of its DTC Participants and by the New York Stock Exchange (the “NYSE” ) and FINRA. Access to the DTC system is also available to others such as banks, brokers, dealers and trust companies that clear through or maintain a custodial relationship with a DTC Participant, either directly or indirectly (the “Indirect Participants” ).

 

Beneficial ownership of shares is limited to DTC Participants, Indirect Participants and persons holding interests through DTC Participants and Indirect Participants. Ownership of beneficial interests in shares (owners of such beneficial interests are referred to herein as “Beneficial Owners” ) is shown on, and the transfer of ownership is effected only through, records maintained by DTC (with respect to DTC Participants) and on the records of DTC Participants (with respect to Indirect Participants and Beneficial Owners that are not DTC Participants). Beneficial Owners will receive from or through the DTC Participant a written confirmation relating to their purchase and sale of shares.

 

Conveyance of all notices, statements and other communications to Beneficial Owners is effected as follows. Pursuant to a letter agreement between DTC and the Trust, DTC is required to make available to the Trust upon request and for a fee to be charged to the Trust a listing of the shares of the Fund held by each DTC Participant. The Trust shall inquire of each such DTC Participant as to the number of Beneficial Owners holding shares, directly or indirectly, through such DTC Participant. The Trust shall provide each such DTC Participant with copies of such notice, statement or other communication, in such form, number and at such place as such DTC Participant may reasonably request, in order that such notice, statement or communication may be transmitted by such DTC Participant, directly or indirectly, to such Beneficial Owners. In addition, the Trust shall pay to each such DTC Participants a fair and reasonable amount as reimbursement for the expenses attendant to such transmittal, all subject to applicable statutory and regulatory requirements.

 

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Fund distributions shall be made to DTC or its nominee, as the registered holder of all Fund shares. DTC or its nominee, upon receipt of any such distributions, shall immediately credit DTC Participants’ accounts with payments in amounts proportionate to their respective beneficial interests in shares of the Fund as shown on the records of DTC or its nominee. Payments by DTC Participants to Indirect Participants and Beneficial Owners of shares held through such DTC Participants will be governed by standing instructions and customary practices, as is now the case with securities held for the accounts of customers in bearer form or registered in a “street name,” and will be the responsibility of such DTC Participants.

 

The Trust has no responsibility or liability for any aspect of the records relating to or notices to Beneficial Owners, or payments made on account of beneficial ownership interests in such shares, or for maintaining, supervising or reviewing any records relating to such beneficial ownership interests, or for any other aspect of the relationship between DTC and the DTC Participants or the relationship between such DTC Participants and the Indirect Participants and Beneficial Owners owning through such DTC Participants.

 

DTC may decide to discontinue providing its service with respect to shares at any time by giving reasonable notice to the Trust and discharging its responsibilities with respect thereto under applicable law. Under such circumstances, the Trust shall take action to find a replacement for DTC to perform its functions at a comparable cost.

 

Proxy Voting Policies and Procedures

 

The Trust has adopted a proxy voting policy that seeks to ensure that proxies for securities held by the Fund are voted consistently with the best interests of the Fund.

 

The Board has delegated to Innovator the proxy voting responsibilities for the Fund and has directed Innovator to vote proxies consistent with the Fund’s best interests. In order to facilitate the proxy voting process, Broadridge Investor Communication Solutions, Inc. ( “Broadridge” ) has been retained to provide access to a selection of third-party providers that are available to provide proxy vote recommendations and research. Votes are cast through the Broadridge ProxyEdge ® platform ( “ProxyEdge” ). With the assistance of Broadridge, Egan-Jones Proxy Services ( “Egan-Jones” ) has been selected to provide vote recommendations based on its own internal guidelines. The services provided to Innovator through Egan Jones include access to Egan-Jones’ research analysis and their voting recommendations. Services provided to Innovator through ProxyEdge include receipt of proxy ballots, vote execution based upon the recommendations of Egan-Jones, access to the voting recommendations of Egan-Jones, as well as reporting, auditing, working with custodian banks, and consulting assistance for the handling of proxy voting responsibilities. ProxyEdge also maintains proxy voting records and provides Innovator with reports that reflect the proxy voting activities of client portfolios.

 

The fundamental guideline followed by Innovator in voting proxies is to make every effort to confirm that the manner in which shares are voted is in the best interest of clients and the value of the investment. Absent special circumstances of the types described below, it is the policy of Adviser to exercise its proxy voting discretion in accordance with the Egan-Jones Proxy Voting Principles and Guidelines set forth in Exhibit A.

 

A description of the Fund’s proxy voting policies and procedures, as well as a record of how the Fund voted proxies during the most recent 12-month period ended June 30, is available without charge upon request by calling (800) 208-5212. This information is available on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.

 

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Quarterly Portfolio Schedule. The Trust is required to disclose, after its first and third fiscal quarters, the complete schedule of the Fund’s portfolio holdings with the SEC on Form N-Q. Form N-Q for the Trust is available on the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov. The Fund’s Form N-Q may also be reviewed and copied at the SEC’s Public Reference Room in Washington, D.C. and information on the operation of the Public Reference Room may be obtained by calling 1-800-SEC-0330. The Trust’s Forms N-Q are available without charge, upon request, by calling 1-844-355-3837 or by writing to Innovator ETFs Trust II, 120 North Hale Street, Suite 200, Wheaton, Illinois 60187.

 

Policy Regarding Disclosure of Portfolio Holdings. The Trust has adopted a policy regarding the disclosure of information about the Fund’s portfolio holdings. The Board of Trustees must approve all material amendments to this policy. The Fund’s portfolio holdings are publicly disseminated each day the Fund is open for business through financial reporting and news services, including publicly accessible Internet websites. In addition, a basket composition file, which includes the security names and share quantities to deliver in exchange for Fund shares, together with estimates and actual cash components, is publicly disseminated each day the NYSE is open for trading via the National Securities Clearing Corporation ( “NSCC” ). The basket represents one Creation Unit of the Fund. The Fund’s portfolio holdings are also available on the Fund’s website at http://www.innovatoretfs.com. The Trust, Innovator and the Distributor will not disseminate non-public information concerning the Trust.

 

Codes of Ethics. In order to mitigate the possibility that the Fund will be adversely affected by personal trading, the Trust, Innovator and Penserra have adopted Codes of Ethics under Rule 17j-1 of the 1940 Act. These Codes of Ethics contain policies restricting securities trading in personal accounts access persons, Trustees and others who normally come into possession of information on portfolio transactions. Personnel subject to the Codes of Ethics may invest in securities that may be purchased or held by the Fund; however, the Codes of Ethics require that each transaction in such securities be reviewed by the Compliance Department. These Codes of Ethics are on public file with, and are available from, the SEC.

 

The Distributor relies on the principal underwriter’s exception under Rule 17j-1(c)(3). Foreside Financial Group, LLC, on behalf of Foreside Fund Officer Services, LLC, has adopted a code of ethics pursuant to Rule 17j-1 of the 1940 Act. These codes of ethics permit, subject to certain conditions, personnel of each of those entities to invest in securities that may be purchased or held by the Fund.

 

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Creation and Redemption of Creation Unit Aggregations

 

General. The Trust issues and sells shares of the Fund only in Creation Unit Aggregations on a continuous basis through the Distributor, without a sales load, at their net asset values next determined after receipt, on any Business Day (as defined below), of an order in proper form.

 

A “Business Day” is generally any day on which the NYSE, the Exchange and the Trust are open for business. As of the date of this SAI, the NYSE observes the following holidays: New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Presidents’ Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day.

 

Purchase and Issuance of Creation Unit Aggregations. Unless cash purchases are required or permitted for the Fund under the circumstances described below, the consideration for purchase of a Creation Unit Aggregation of shares of the Fund generally consists of the in-kind deposit of a designated portfolio of securities and other instruments (the “Deposit Instruments” ) and an amount of cash computed as described below (the “Cash Component” ). Together, the Deposit Instruments (and/or any cash with respect to cash purchases and cash-in-lieu amounts) and the Cash Component constitute the “Fund Deposit,” which represents the minimum initial and subsequent investment amount for a Creation Unit Aggregation of the Fund.

 

The Cash Component is sometimes also referred to as the Balancing Amount. The Cash Component serves the function of compensating for any differences between the net asset value per Creation Unit Aggregation and the Deposit Amount (as defined below). The Cash Component is an amount equal to the difference between the net asset value of Fund shares (per Creation Unit Aggregation) and the “Deposit Amount”—an amount equal to the aggregate market value of the Deposit Instruments and/or cash in lieu of all or a portion of the Deposit Instruments. If the Cash Component is a positive number ( i.e., the net asset value per Creation Unit Aggregation exceeds the Deposit Amount), the creator will deliver the Cash Component. If the Cash Component is a negative number ( i.e., the net asset value per Creation Unit Aggregation is less than the Deposit Amount), the creator will receive the Cash Component.

 

On each Business Day, prior to the opening of business of the Exchange (currently 9:30 a.m., Eastern Time), the list of the names and the required quantity of each Deposit Instrument, as well as the estimated Cash Component (if any) that will be applicable to Fund Deposits for the Fund for that day (subject to correction of any errors), are made available through the NSCC. Such Fund Deposit information is applicable in order to effect creations of Creation Unit Aggregations of the Fund until a new list is announced on the next Business Day.

 

The Fund reserves the right to require or permit purchases of Creation Unit Aggregations to be made in whole or in part on a cash basis, rather than in-kind, under the following circumstances: (i) to the extent there is a Cash Component; (ii) if, on a given Business Day, the Fund announces before the open of trading that all purchases on that day will be made entirely in cash; (iii) if, upon receiving a purchase order from an Authorized Participant (as defined below), the Fund determines to require the purchase to be made entirely in cash; (iv) if, on a given Business Day, the Fund requires all Authorized Participants purchasing shares on that day to deposit cash in lieu of some or all of the Deposit Instruments because: (a) such instruments are not eligible for transfer through either the NSCC or DTC; or (b) in the case of non-U.S. investments (if any), such instruments are not eligible for trading due to local trading restrictions, local restrictions on securities transfers or other similar circumstances; or (v) if the Fund permits an Authorized Participant to deposit cash in lieu of some or all of the Deposit Instruments because: (a) such instruments are not available in sufficient quantity; or (b) such instruments are not eligible for trading by an Authorized Participant or the investor on whose behalf the Authorized Participant is acting.

 

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In addition, it is possible that Deposit Instruments may not correspond pro rata to the positions in the Fund’s portfolio under the following circumstances: (i) in the case of bonds, with respect to minor differences when it is impossible to break up bonds beyond certain minimum sizes needed for transfer and settlement; (ii) with respect to minor differences when rounding is necessary to eliminate fractional shares or lots that are not tradeable round lots (a tradeable round lot for a security will be the standard unit of trading in that particular type of security in its primary market); (iii) with respect to “to-be-announced” transactions, short positions, derivatives, and other positions that cannot be transferred in kind (including instruments that can be transferred in kind only with the consent of the original counterparty to the extent the Fund does not intend to seek such consents), and they will therefore be excluded from the Deposit Instruments with their value reflected in the determination of the Cash Component; (iv) to the extent the Fund determines, on a given Business Day, to use a representative sampling of the Fund’s portfolio; or (v) with respect to temporary periods, to effect changes in the Fund’s portfolio as a result of the rebalancing of its underlying index.

 

Procedures for Creation of Creation Unit Aggregations. All orders to purchase shares of the Fund in Creation Unit Aggregations must be placed with the Transfer Agent by or through an “Authorized Participant” or “AP” which is either: (1) a “Participating Party,” i.e., a broker-dealer or other participant in the Continuous Net Settlement System of the NSCC, or (2) a DTC Participant, which, in either case, has signed a “Participant Agreement” with the Distributor. Investors should contact the Distributor for the names of Authorized Participants that have signed a Participant Agreement. All Fund shares, however created, will be entered on the records of DTC in the name of Cede & Co. for the account of a DTC Participant.

 

All orders to create Creation Unit Aggregations must be received by the transfer agent no later than the closing time of the regular trading session on the NYSE ( “Closing Time” ) (ordinarily 4:00 p.m., Eastern Time) in each case on the date such order is placed in order for creation of Creation Unit Aggregations to be effected based on the net asset value of shares of the Fund as next determined on such date after receipt of the order in proper form. In the case of custom orders, the order must be received by the transfer agent no later than 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time. The date on which an order to create Creation Unit Aggregations (or an order to redeem Creation Unit Aggregations, as discussed below) is placed is referred to as the “Transmittal Date.” Orders must be transmitted by an AP by telephone or other transmission method acceptable to the transfer agent pursuant to procedures set forth in the Participant Agreement. Severe economic or market disruptions or changes, or telephone or other communication failure may impede the ability to reach the transfer agent or an AP.

 

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All orders from investors who are not APs to create Creation Unit Aggregations shall be placed with an AP, as applicable, in the form required by such AP. In addition, the AP 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 that, therefore, orders to create Creation Unit Aggregations of the Fund have to be placed by the investor’s broker through an AP 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 persons placing orders 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 Deposit Instruments and Cash Component.

 

Placement of Creation Orders. In order to purchase Creation Units of a Fund, an AP must submit an order to purchase for one or more Creation Units. All such orders must be received by a Fund’s transfer agent in proper form no later than the close of regular trading on the NYSE (ordinarily 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time) in order to receive that day’s closing net asset value per share. Orders must be placed in proper form by or through an AP, which is a DTC Participant, i.e., a subcustodian of the Trust. Deposit Instruments must be delivered to the Trust through DTC or NSCC, and Deposit Instruments which are non-U.S. securities must be delivered to an account maintained at the applicable local subcustodian of the Trust on or before the International Contractual Settlement Date, as defined below. If a Deposit Security is an American Depository Receipt ( “ADR” ) or similar domestic instrument, it may be delivered to the Custodian.

 

Deposit Instruments must be delivered to the Fund through the applicable processes set forth in the Participant Agreement. The custodian will monitor the movement of the underlying Deposit Instruments and/or cash and will instruct the movement of shares only upon validation that such instruments and/or cash have settled correctly.

 

Issuance of Creation Unit Aggregations. A Creation Unit Aggregation will generally not be issued until the transfer of good title to the Fund of the Deposit Instruments and the payment of the Cash Component, the Creation Transaction Fee (as defined below) and any other required cash amounts have been completed. To the extent contemplated by the applicable Participant Agreement, Creation Unit Aggregations of the Fund will be issued to such AP notwithstanding the fact that the corresponding Fund Deposits have not been received in part or in whole, in reliance on the undertaking of the AP to deliver the missing Deposit Instruments as soon as possible, which undertaking shall be secured by such AP’s delivery and maintenance of collateral consisting of cash in the form of U.S. dollars in immediately available funds having a value (marked to market daily) at least equal to 105% which Innovator may change from time to time of the value of the missing Deposit Instruments. Such cash collateral must be delivered no later than 2:00 p.m., Eastern Time, on the contractual settlement date. The Participant Agreement will permit the Fund to use such collateral to buy the missing Deposit Instruments at any time and will subject the AP to liability for any shortfall between the cost to the Fund of purchasing such securities and the value of the collateral.

 

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Acceptance of Orders for Creation Unit Aggregations. The Fund reserves the absolute right to reject a creation order transmitted to it if: (i) the order is not in proper form; (ii) the purchaser or group of related purchasers, upon obtaining the Creation Unit Aggregations of Fund shares ordered, would own 80% or more of the currently outstanding shares of the Fund; (iii) the required Fund Deposit is not delivered; (iv) the acceptance of the Fund Deposit would have certain adverse tax consequences; (v) the acceptance of the Fund Deposit would, in the opinion of the Fund, be unlawful; (vi) the acceptance of the Fund Deposit would otherwise, in the discretion of the Fund, Innovator and/or any sub-advisor, have an adverse effect on the Fund or the rights of the Fund’s Beneficial Owners; or (vii) there exist circumstances outside the control of the Fund that make it impossible to process purchases of Creation Units for all practical purposes. Examples of such circumstances include: acts of God or 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, Innovator, the Distributor, DTC, NSCC, the transfer agent, the custodian, any sub-custodian or any other participant in the purchase process; and similar extraordinary events. The Transfer Agent shall notify a prospective creator of a Creation Unit and/or the Authorized Participant acting on behalf of such prospective creator of the rejection of the order of such person. The Trust, the Fund, the Transfer Agent, the custodian, any sub-custodian 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 Instruments 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 Transaction Fee. Purchasers of Creation Units must pay a creation transaction fee (the “Creation Transaction Fee” ) that is currently $500. The Creation Transaction Fee is applicable to each purchase transaction regardless of the number of Creation Units purchased in the transaction. The Creation Transaction Fee is based on the composition of the securities included in the Fund’s portfolio and the countries in which the transactions are settled. The Creation Transaction Fee may increase or decrease as the Fund’s portfolio is adjusted to conform to changes in the composition of the Index. The price for each Creation Unit will equal the daily net asset value per share times the number of shares in a Creation Unit plus the fees described above and, if applicable, any operational processing and brokerage costs, transfer fees or stamp taxes. When the Fund permits an AP to substitute cash in lieu of depositing one or more of the requisite Deposit Instruments, the AP may be assessed a higher amount to cover the cost of purchasing the Deposit Instruments, including operational processing and brokerage costs, transfer fees, stamp taxes, and part or all of the spread between the expected bid and offer side of the market related to such Deposit Instruments.

 

As discussed above, shares of the Fund may be issued in advance of receipt of all Deposit Instruments subject to various conditions including a requirement to maintain on deposit with the Fund cash at least equal to 105% of the market value of the missing Deposit Instruments.

 

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Redemptions of Creation Unit Aggregations

 

Redemption of Fund Shares in Creation Unit Aggregations. Beneficial Owners of Fund shares may sell their shares in the secondary market, but must accumulate enough shares to constitute a Creation Unit Aggregation to redeem through the Fund. The Fund will not redeem shares in amounts less than Creation Unit Aggregations and there can be no assurance that there will be sufficient liquidity in the public trading market at any time to permit assembly of a Creation Unit Aggregation. Investors should expect to incur customary brokerage and other costs in connection with assembling a sufficient number of Fund shares to constitute a redeemable Creation Unit Aggregation. Redemption requests must be placed by or through an Authorized Participant. Creation Unit Aggregations will be redeemable at their net asset value per Creation Unit Aggregation next determined after receipt of a request for redemption by the Fund.

 

On each Business Day, prior to the opening of business of the Exchange (currently 9:30 a.m., Eastern Time), the list of the names and the required quantity of Deposit Instruments, as well as the estimated Cash Redemption Amount (as defined below) (if any) that will be applicable to redemptions for the Fund for that day (subject to correction of any errors), are made available through the NSCC. Such information is applicable in order to effect redemptions of Creation Unit Aggregations of the Fund until a new list is announced on the next Business Day.

 

Unless cash redemptions are required or permitted for the Fund under the circumstances described below, the redemption proceeds for a Creation Unit Aggregation generally consist of Deposit Instruments—as announced on the Business Day of the request for redemption received in proper form—plus or minus cash in an amount equal to the difference between the net asset value of the Fund shares (per Creation Unit Aggregation) being redeemed, as next determined after a receipt of a request in proper form, and the aggregate market value of the Deposit Instruments (the “Cash Redemption Amount” ), less the applicable Redemption Transaction Fee as described below and, if applicable, any operational processing and brokerage costs, transfer fees or stamp taxes. In the event that the Deposit Instruments have an aggregate market value greater than the net asset value of the Fund shares (per Creation Unit Aggregation), a compensating cash payment equal to the difference plus the applicable Redemption Transaction Fee and, if applicable, any operational processing and brokerage costs, transfer fees or stamp taxes, is required to be made by or through an Authorized Participant by the redeeming shareholder.

 

The Fund reserves the right to require or permit redemptions of Creation Unit Aggregations to be made in whole or in part on a cash basis, rather than in-kind, under the following circumstances: (i) to the extent there is a Cash Redemption Amount; (ii) if, on a given Business Day, the Fund announces before the open of trading that all redemptions on that day will be made entirely in cash; (iii) if, upon receiving a redemption order from an Authorized Participant, the Fund determines to require the redemption to be made entirely in cash; (iv) if, on a given Business Day, the Fund requires all Authorized Participants redeeming shares on that day to receive cash in lieu of some or all of the Deposit Instruments because: (a) such instruments are not eligible for transfer through either the NSCC or DTC; or (b) in the case of non-U.S. investments (if any), such instruments are not eligible for trading due to local trading restrictions, local restrictions on securities transfers or other similar circumstances; or (v) if the Fund permits an Authorized Participant to receive cash in lieu of some or all of the Deposit Instruments because: (a) such instruments are not eligible for trading by an Authorized Participant or the investor on whose behalf the Authorized Participant is acting; or (b) to the extent the Fund holds non-U.S. investments, a holder of shares would be subject to unfavorable income tax treatment if the holder receives redemption proceeds in kind.

 

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In addition, it is possible that Deposit Instruments may not correspond pro rata to the positions in the Fund’s portfolio under the following circumstances: (i) in the case of bonds, with respect to minor differences when it is impossible to break up bonds beyond certain minimum sizes needed for transfer and settlement; (ii) with respect to minor differences when rounding is necessary to eliminate fractional shares or lots that are not tradeable round lots; (iii) with respect to “to-be-announced” transactions, short positions, derivatives and other positions that cannot be transferred in kind (including instruments that can be transferred in kind only with the consent of the original counterparty to the extent the Fund does not intend to seek such consents), and they will therefore be excluded from the Deposit Instruments with their value reflected in the determination of the Cash Redemption Amount; (iv) to the extent the Fund determines, on a given Business Day, to use a representative sampling of the Fund’s portfolio; or (v) with respect to temporary periods, to effect changes in the Fund’s portfolio as a result of the rebalancing of its underlying index.

 

The right of redemption may be suspended or the date of payment postponed (i) for any period during which the NYSE is closed (other than customary weekend and holiday closings); (ii) for any period during which trading on the NYSE is suspended or restricted; (iii) for any period during which an emergency exists as a result of which disposal of the shares of the Fund or determination of the Fund’s net asset value is not reasonably practicable; or (iv) in such other circumstances as are permitted by the SEC.

 

Redemption Transaction Fee. Parties redeeming Creation Units must pay a redemption transaction fee (the “Redemption Transaction Fee” ) that is currently $500. The Redemption Transaction Fee is applicable to each redemption transaction regardless of the number of Creation Units redeemed in the transaction. The Redemption Transaction Fee may vary and is based on the composition of the securities included in the Fund’s portfolio and the countries in which the transactions are settled. The Redemption Transaction Fee may increase or decrease as the Fund’s portfolio is adjusted to conform to changes in the composition of the Index. Investors will also bear the costs of transferring the Fund Instruments from the Trust to their account or on their order. Investors who use the services of a broker or other such intermediary in addition to an AP to effect a redemption of a Creation Unit Aggregation may be charged an additional fee for such services.

 

Placement of Redemption Orders. Orders to redeem Creation Unit Aggregations must be delivered through an AP that has executed a Participant Agreement. Investors other than APs are responsible for making arrangements for a redemption request to be made through an AP. An order to redeem Creation Unit Aggregations of the Fund is deemed received by the Trust on the Transmittal Date if: (i) such order is received by BNYM (in its capacity as transfer agent) not later than the Closing Time on the Transmittal Date; (ii) such order is accompanied or followed by the requisite number of shares of the Fund specified in such order, which delivery must be made through DTC to BNYM; and (iii) all other procedures set forth in the Participant Agreement are properly followed.

 

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Deliveries of Fund Securities to investors are generally expected to be made within two Business Days. Due to the schedule of holidays in certain countries, however, the delivery of in-kind redemption proceeds for the Fund may take longer than two Business Days after the day on which the redemption request is received in proper form. In such cases, the local market settlement procedures will not commence until the end of the local holiday periods. Under the 1940 Act, the Fund would generally be required to make payment of redemption proceeds within seven days after a security is tendered for redemption. However, because the settlement of redemptions of Fund shares is contingent not only on the settlement cycle of the United States securities markets, but also on delivery cycles of foreign markets, pursuant to an exemptive order on which the Fund may rely, the Fund’s in-kind redemption proceeds must be paid within the maximum number of calendar days required for such payment or satisfaction in the principal local foreign markets where transactions in portfolio securities customarily clear and settle, but generally no later than 15 calendar days following tender of a Creation Unit Aggregation.

 

In connection with taking delivery of shares of non-U.S. Fund Securities upon redemption of shares of the Fund, a redeeming Beneficial Owner, or AP acting on behalf of such Beneficial Owner, must maintain appropriate security arrangements with a qualified broker-dealer, bank or other custody provider in each jurisdiction in which any of the Fund Securities are customarily traded, to which account such Fund Securities will be delivered.

 

To the extent contemplated by an AP’s agreement, in the event the AP has submitted a redemption request in proper form but is unable to transfer all or part of the Creation Unit Aggregation to be redeemed to the Fund’s transfer agent, the transfer agent will nonetheless accept the redemption request in reliance on the undertaking by the AP to deliver the missing shares as soon as possible. Such undertaking shall be secured by the AP’s delivery and maintenance of collateral consisting of cash having a value (marked to market daily) at least equal to 105%, which Innovator may change from time to time, of the value of the missing shares.

 

Because the portfolio securities of the Fund may trade on the relevant exchange(s) on days that the listing exchange for the Fund is closed or are otherwise not Business Days for the Fund, shareholders may not be able to redeem their shares of the Fund, or purchase and sell shares of the Fund on the listing exchange for the Fund, on days when the net asset value of the Fund could be significantly affected by events in the relevant foreign markets, if any.

 

Federal Tax Matters

 

This section summarizes some of the main U.S. federal income tax consequences of owning shares of the Fund. This section is current as of the date of the Prospectus. Tax laws and interpretations change frequently, and these summaries do not describe all of the tax consequences to all taxpayers. For example, these summaries generally do not describe your situation if you are a corporation, a non-U.S. person, a broker-dealer, or other investor with special circumstances. In addition, this section does not describe your state, local or foreign tax consequences.

 

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This federal income tax summary is based in part on the advice of counsel to the Fund. The Internal Revenue Service could disagree with any conclusions set forth in this section. In addition, our counsel was not asked to review, and has not reached a conclusion with respect to the federal income tax treatment of the assets to be deposited in the Fund. This may not be sufficient for prospective investors to use for the purpose of avoiding penalties under federal tax law.

 

As with any investment, prospective investors should seek advice based on their individual circumstances from their own tax advisor.

 

The Fund intends to qualify annually and to elect to be treated as a regulated investment company under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code” ).

 

To qualify for the favorable U.S. federal income tax treatment generally accorded to regulated investment companies, the Fund must, among other things, (i) derive in each taxable year at least 90% of its gross income from dividends, interest, payments with respect to securities loans and gains from the sale or other disposition of stock, securities or foreign currencies or other income derived with respect to its business of investing in such stock, securities or currencies, or net income derived from interests in certain publicly traded partnerships; (ii) diversify its holdings so that, at the end of each quarter of the taxable year, (a) at least 50% of the market value of the Fund’s assets is represented by cash and cash items (including receivables), U.S. government securities, the securities of other regulated investment companies and other securities, with such other securities of any one issuer generally limited for the purposes of this calculation to an amount not greater than 5% of the value of the Fund’s total assets and not greater than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of such issuer, and (b) not more than 25% of the value of its total assets is invested in the securities (other than U.S. government securities or the securities of other regulated investment companies) of any one issuer, or two or more issuers which the Fund controls which are engaged in the same, similar or related trades or businesses, or the securities of one or more of certain publicly traded partnerships; and (iii) distribute at least 90% of its investment company taxable income (which includes, among other items, dividends, interest and net short-term capital gains in excess of net long-term capital losses) and at least 90% of its net tax-exempt interest income each taxable year. There are certain exceptions for failure to qualify if the failure is for reasonable cause or is de minimis , and certain corrective action is taken and certain tax payments are made by the Fund.

 

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As a regulated investment company, the Fund generally will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax on its investment company taxable income (as that term is defined in the Code, but without regard to the deduction for dividends paid) and net capital gain (the excess of net long-term capital gain over net short-term capital loss), if any, that it distributes to shareholders. The Fund intends to distribute to its shareholders, at least annually, substantially all of its investment company taxable income and net capital gain. If the Fund retains any net capital gain or investment company taxable income, it will generally be subject to federal income tax at regular corporate rates on the amount retained. In addition, amounts not distributed on a timely basis in accordance with a calendar year distribution requirement are subject to a nondeductible 4% excise tax unless, generally, the Fund distributes during each calendar year an amount equal to the sum of (1) at least 98% of its ordinary income (not taking into account any capital gains or losses) for the calendar year, (2) at least 98.2% of its capital gains in excess of its capital losses (adjusted for certain ordinary losses) for the one-year period ending October 31 of the calendar year, and (3) any ordinary income and capital gains for previous years that were not distributed during those years. In order to prevent application of the excise tax, the Fund intends to make its distributions in accordance with the calendar year distribution requirement. A distribution will be treated as paid on December 31 of the current calendar year if it is declared by the Fund in October, November or December with a record date in such a month and paid by the Fund during January of the following calendar year. Such distributions will be taxable to shareholders in the calendar year in which the distributions are declared, rather than the calendar year in which the distributions are received.

 

Subject to certain reasonable cause and de minimis exceptions, if the Fund failed to qualify as a regulated investment company or failed to satisfy the 90% distribution requirement in any taxable year, the Fund would be taxed as an ordinary corporation on its taxable income (even if such income were distributed to its shareholders) and all distributions out of earnings and profits would be taxed to shareholders as ordinary income.

 

Distributions

 

Dividends paid out of the Fund’s investment company taxable income are generally taxable to a shareholder as ordinary income to the extent of the Fund’s earnings and profits, whether paid in cash or reinvested in additional shares. However, certain ordinary income distributions received from the Fund may be taxed at capital gains tax rates. In particular, ordinary income dividends received by an individual shareholder from a regulated investment company such as the Fund are generally taxed at the same rates that apply to net capital gain, provided that certain holding period requirements are satisfied and provided the dividends are attributable to qualifying dividends received by the Fund itself. Dividends received by the Fund from foreign corporations are qualifying dividends eligible for this lower tax rate only in certain circumstances.

 

The Fund will provide notice to its shareholders of the amount of any distributions that may be taken into account as a dividend, which is eligible for the capital gains tax rates. The Fund cannot make any guarantees as to the amount of any distribution, which will be regarded as a qualifying dividend.

 

Income from the Fund may also be subject to a 3.8% “Medicare tax.” This tax generally applies to net investment income if the taxpayer’s adjusted gross income exceeds certain threshold amounts, which are $250,000 in the case of married couples filing joint returns and $200,000 in the case of single individuals.

 

A corporation that owns shares generally will not be entitled to the dividends received deduction with respect to many dividends received from the Fund because the dividends received deduction is generally not available for distributions from regulated investment companies. However, certain ordinary income dividends on shares that are attributable to qualifying dividends received by the Fund from certain domestic corporations may be reported by the Fund as being eligible for the dividends received deduction.

 

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Distributions of net capital gain (the excess of net long-term capital gain over net short-term capital loss), if any, properly reported as capital gain dividends are taxable to a shareholder as long-term capital gains, regardless of how long the shareholder has held Fund shares. Shareholders receiving distributions in the form of additional shares, rather than cash, generally will have a cost basis in each such share equal to the value of a share of the Fund on the reinvestment date. A distribution of an amount in excess of the Fund’s current and accumulated earnings and profits will be treated by a shareholder as a return of capital which is applied against and reduces the shareholder’s basis in his or her shares. To the extent that the amount of any such distribution exceeds the shareholder’s basis in his or her shares, the excess will be treated by the shareholder as gain from a sale or exchange of the shares.

 

Shareholders will be notified annually as to the U.S. federal income tax status of distributions, and shareholders receiving distributions in the form of additional shares will receive a report as to the value of those shares.

 

Sale or Exchange of Fund Shares

 

Upon the sale or other disposition of shares of the Fund, which a shareholder holds as a capital asset, such a shareholder may realize a capital gain or loss, which will be long-term or short-term, depending upon the shareholder’s holding period for the shares. Generally, a shareholder’s gain or loss will be a long-term gain or loss if the shares have been held for more than one year.

 

Any loss realized on a sale or exchange will be disallowed to the extent that shares disposed of are replaced (including through reinvestment of dividends) within a period of 61 days beginning 30 days before and ending 30 days after disposition of shares or to the extent that the shareholder, during such period, acquires or enters into an option or contract to acquire, substantially identical stock or securities. In such a case, the basis of the shares acquired will be adjusted to reflect the disallowed loss. Any loss realized by a shareholder on a disposition of Fund shares held by the shareholder for six months or less will be treated as a long-term capital loss to the extent of any distributions of long-term capital gain received by the shareholder with respect to such shares.

 

Taxes on Purchase and Redemption of Creation Units

 

If a shareholder exchanges securities for Creation Units the shareholder will generally recognize a gain or a loss. The gain or loss will be equal to the difference between the market value of the Creation Units at the time and the shareholder’s aggregate basis in the securities surrendered and the Cash Component paid. If a shareholder exchanges Creation Units for securities, then the shareholder will generally recognize a gain or loss equal to the difference between the shareholder’s basis in the Creation Units and the aggregate market value of the securities received and the Cash Redemption Amount. The Internal Revenue Service, however, may assert that a loss realized upon an exchange of securities for Creation Units or Creation Units for securities cannot be deducted currently under the rules governing “wash sales,” or on the basis that there has been no significant change in economic position.

 

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Nature of Fund Investments

 

Certain of the Fund’s investment practices are subject to special and complex federal income tax provisions that may, among other things, (i) disallow, suspend or otherwise limit the allowance of certain losses or deductions; (ii) convert lower taxed long-term capital gain into higher taxed short-term capital gain or ordinary income; (iii) convert an ordinary loss or a deduction into a capital loss (the deductibility of which is more limited); (iv) cause the Fund to recognize income or gain without a corresponding receipt of cash; (v) adversely affect the time as to when a purchase or sale of stock or securities is deemed to occur; and (vi) adversely alter the characterization of certain complex financial transactions.

 

Futures Contracts and Options

 

The Fund’s transactions in futures contracts and options, if any, will be subject to special provisions of the Code that, among other things, may affect the character of gains and losses realized by the Fund ( i.e., may affect whether gains or losses are ordinary or capital, or short-term or long-term), may accelerate recognition of income to the Fund and may defer Fund losses. These rules could, therefore, affect the character, amount and timing of distributions to shareholders. These provisions also (i) will require the Fund to mark-to-market certain types of the positions in its portfolio ( i.e., treat them as if they were closed out); and (ii) may cause the Fund to recognize income without receiving cash with which to make distributions in amounts necessary to satisfy the 90% distribution requirement for qualifying to be taxed as a regulated investment company and the distribution requirements for avoiding excise taxes.

 

Investments in Certain Foreign Corporations

 

If the Fund holds an equity interest in any “passive foreign investment companies” (“PFICs” ), which are generally certain foreign corporations that receive at least 75% of their annual gross income from passive sources (such as interest, dividends, certain rents and royalties or capital gains) or that hold at least 50% of their assets in investments producing such passive income, the Fund could be subject to U.S. federal income tax and additional interest charges on gains and certain distributions with respect to those equity interests, even if all the income or gain is timely distributed to its shareholders. The Fund will not be able to pass through to its shareholders any credit or deduction for such taxes. The Fund may be able to make an election that could ameliorate these adverse tax consequences. In this case, the Fund would recognize as ordinary income any increase in the value of such PFIC shares, and as ordinary loss any decrease in such value to the extent it did not exceed prior increases included in income. Under this election, the Fund might be required to recognize in a year income in excess of its distributions from PFICs and its proceeds from dispositions of PFIC stock during that year, and such income would nevertheless be subject to the distribution requirement and would be taken into account for purposes of the 4% excise tax (described above). Dividends paid by PFICs are not treated as qualified dividend income.

 

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Backup Withholding

 

The Fund may be required to withhold U.S. federal income tax from all taxable distributions and sale proceeds payable to shareholders who fail to provide the Fund with their correct taxpayer identification number or to make required certifications, or who have been notified by the Internal Revenue Service that they are subject to backup withholding. Corporate shareholders and certain other shareholders specified in the Code generally are exempt from such backup withholding. This withholding is not an additional tax. Any amounts withheld may be credited against the shareholder’s U.S. federal income tax liability.

 

Non-U.S. Shareholders

 

U.S. taxation of a shareholder who, as to the United States, is a nonresident alien individual, a foreign trust or estate, a foreign corporation or foreign partnership ( “non-U.S. shareholder” ) depends on whether the income of the Fund is “effectively connected” with a U.S. trade or business carried on by the shareholder.

 

In addition to the rules described in this section concerning the potential imposition of withholding on distributions to non-U.S. persons, distributions, to non-U.S. persons that are “financial institutions” may be subject to a withholding tax of 30% unless an agreement is in place between the financial institution and the U.S. Treasury to collect and disclose information about accounts, equity investments, or debt interests in the financial institution held by one or more U.S. persons or the institution is resident in a jurisdiction that has entered into such an agreement with the U.S. Treasury. For these purposes, a “financial institution” means any entity that (i) accepts deposits in the ordinary course of a banking or similar business; (ii) holds financial assets for the account of others as a substantial portion of its business; or (iii) is engaged (or holds itself out as being engaged) primarily in the business of investing, reinvesting or trading in securities, partnership interests, commodities or any interest (including a futures contract or option) in such securities, partnership interests or commodities. Dispositions of shares by such persons may be subject to such withholding after December 31, 2018.

 

Distributions to non-financial non-U.S. entities (other than publicly traded foreign entities, entities owned by residents of U.S. possessions, foreign governments, international organizations, or foreign central banks), will also be subject to a withholding tax of 30% if the entity does not certify that the entity does not have any substantial U.S. owners or provide the name, address and TIN of each substantial U.S. owner.  Dispositions of shares by such persons may be subject to such withholding after December 31, 2018.

 

Income Not Effectively Connected. If the income from the Fund is not “effectively connected” with a U.S. trade or business carried on by the non-U.S. shareholder, distributions of investment company taxable income will generally be subject to a U.S. tax of 30% (or lower treaty rate), which tax is generally withheld from such distributions.

 

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Distributions of capital gain dividends and any amounts retained by the Fund which are properly reported by the Fund as undistributed capital gains will not be subject to U.S. tax at the rate of 30% (or lower treaty rate) unless the non-U.S. shareholder is a nonresident alien individual and is physically present in the United States for more than 182 days during the taxable year and meets certain other requirements. However, this 30% tax on capital gains of nonresident alien individuals who are physically present in the United States for more than the 182 day period only applies in exceptional cases because any individual present in the United States for more than 182 days during the taxable year is generally treated as a resident for U.S. income tax purposes; in that case, he or she would be subject to U.S. income tax on his or her worldwide income at the graduated rates applicable to U.S. citizens, rather than the 30% U.S. tax. In the case of a non-U.S. shareholder who is a nonresident alien individual, the Fund may be required to withhold U.S. income tax from distributions of net capital gain unless the non-U.S. shareholder certifies his or her non-U.S. status under penalties of perjury or otherwise establishes an exemption. If a non-U.S. shareholder is a nonresident alien individual, any gain such shareholder realizes upon the sale or exchange of such shareholder’s shares of the Fund in the United States will ordinarily be exempt from U.S. tax unless the gain is U.S. source income and such shareholder is physically present in the United States for more than 182 days during the taxable year and meets certain other requirements.

 

Distributions from the Fund that are properly reported by the Fund as an interest-related dividend attributable to certain interest income received by the Fund or as a short-term capital gain dividend attributable to certain net short-term capital gain income received by the Fund may not be subject to U.S. federal income taxes, including withholding taxes when received by certain non-U.S. investors, provided that the Fund makes certain elections and certain other conditions are met.

 

In addition, capital gains distributions attributable to gains from U.S. real property interests (including certain U.S. real property holding corporations) will generally be subject to United States withholding tax and will give rise to an obligation on the part of the foreign shareholder to file a United States tax return.

 

Income Effectively Connected. If the income from the Fund is “effectively connected” with a U.S. trade or business carried on by a non-U.S. shareholder, then distributions of investment company taxable income and capital gain dividends, any amounts retained by the Fund which are properly reported by the Fund as undistributed capital gains and any gains realized upon the sale or exchange of shares of the Fund will be subject to U.S. income tax at the graduated rates applicable to U.S. citizens, residents and domestic corporations. Non-U.S. corporate shareholders may also be subject to the branch profits tax imposed by the Code. The tax consequences to a non-U.S. shareholder entitled to claim the benefits of an applicable tax treaty may differ from those described herein. Non-U.S. shareholders are advised to consult their own tax advisors with respect to the particular tax consequences to them of an investment in the Fund.

 

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capital loss carry Forward

 

As of March 31, 2018, for Federal income tax purposes, the Fund had capital loss carryforwards available to offset future capital gains for an unlimited period. To the extent that these loss carryforwards are utilized, capital gains so offset will not be distributed to shareholders.

 

Short-Term No Expiration

Long-Term No Expiration

$861,564

$50,400

 

Other Taxation

 

Fund shareholders may be subject to state, local and foreign taxes on their Fund distributions. Shareholders are advised to consult their own tax advisors with respect to the particular tax consequences to them of an investment in the Fund.

 

Determination of Net Asset Value

 

The following information supplements and should be read in conjunction with the section in the Prospectus entitled “Net Asset Value.”

 

The per share net asset value of the Fund is determined by dividing the total value of the securities and other assets, less liabilities, by the total number of shares outstanding. Market value prices represent last sale or official closing prices from a national or foreign exchange ( i.e. , a regulated market) and are primarily obtained from third party pricing services. Under normal circumstances, daily calculation of the net asset value will utilize the last closing price of each security held by the Fund at the close of the market on which such security is principally listed. In determining net asset value, portfolio securities for the Fund for which accurate market quotations are readily available will be valued by the Fund accounting agent as follows:

 

(1)     Common stocks and other equity securities listed on any national or foreign exchange other than The NASDAQ Stock Market ® LLC ( “NASDAQ” ) and the London Stock Exchange Alternative Investment Market ( “AIM” ) will be valued at the last sale price on the business day as of which such value is being determined. Securities listed on NASDAQ or AIM are valued at the official closing price on the business day as of which such value is being determined. If there has been no sale on such day, or no official closing price in the case of securities traded on NASDAQ and AIM, the securities are valued at the mean of the most recent bid and ask prices on such day. Portfolio securities traded on more than one securities exchange are valued at the last sale price or official closing price, as applicable, on the business day as of which such value is being determined at the close of the exchange representing the principal market for such securities.

 

(2)     Securities traded in the OTC market are valued at the mean of the bid and asked price, if available, and otherwise at their closing bid prices.

 

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In addition, the following types of securities will be valued as follows:

 

(1)     Fixed income securities with a remaining maturity of 60 days or more will be valued by the fund accounting agent using a pricing service. When price quotes are not available, fair value is based on prices of comparable securities.

 

(2)     Fixed income securities maturing within 60 days are valued by the Fund accounting agent on an amortized cost basis.

 

The value of any portfolio security held by the Fund for which market quotations are not readily available will be determined by Innovator in a manner that most fairly reflects fair market value of the security on the valuation date, based on a consideration of all available information.

 

Certain securities may not be able to be priced by pre-established pricing methods. Such securities may be valued by the Board of Trustees or its delegate at fair value. These securities generally include but are not limited to, restricted securities (securities which may not be publicly sold without registration under the 1933 Act) for which a pricing service is unable to provide a market price; securities whose trading has been formally suspended; a security whose market price is not available from a pre-established pricing source; a security with respect to which an event has occurred that is likely to materially affect the value of the security after the market has closed but before the calculation of Fund net asset value (as may be the case in foreign markets on which the security is primarily traded) or make it difficult or impossible to obtain a reliable market quotation; and a security whose price, as provided by the pricing service, does not reflect the security’s “fair value.” As a general principle, the current “fair value” of an issue of securities would appear to be the amount, that the owner might reasonably expect to receive for them upon their current sale. A variety of factors may be considered in determining the fair value of such securities.

 

Valuing the Fund’s investments using fair value pricing will result in using prices for those investments that may differ from current market valuations. Use of fair value prices and certain current market valuations could result in a difference between the prices used to calculate the Fund’s net asset value and the prices used by the Index, which, in turn, could result in a difference between the Fund’s performance and the performance of the Index.

 

Because foreign markets may be open on different days than the days during which a shareholder may purchase the shares of the Fund, the value of the Fund’s investments may change on the days when shareholders are not able to purchase the shares of the Fund.

 

The Fund may suspend the right of redemption for the Fund only under the following unusual circumstances: (i) when the NYSE is closed (other than weekends and holidays) or trading is restricted; (ii) when trading in the markets normally utilized is restricted, or when an emergency exists as determined by the SEC so that disposal of the Fund’s investments or determination of its net assets is not reasonably practicable; or (iii) during any period when the SEC may permit.

 

47

 

 

Dividends and Distributions

 

The following information supplements and should be read in conjunction with the section in the Prospectus entitled “Dividends, Distributions and Taxes.”

 

General Policies. Dividends from net investment income of the Fund, if any, are declared and paid at least annually. Distributions of net realized securities gains, if any, generally are declared and paid once a year, but the Trust may make distributions on a more frequent basis. The Trust reserves the right to declare special distributions if, in its reasonable discretion, such action is necessary or advisable to preserve the status of the Fund as a regulated investment company or to avoid imposition of income or excise taxes on undistributed income.

 

Dividends and other distributions of Fund shares are distributed, as described below, on a pro rata basis to Beneficial Owners of such shares. Dividend payments are made through DTC Participants and Indirect Participants to Beneficial Owners then of record with proceeds received from the Fund.

 

Dividend Reinvestment Service. No reinvestment service is provided by the Trust. 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 brokers in order 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.

 

Miscellaneous Information

 

Counsel. Chapman and Cutler LLP, 111 West Monroe Street, Chicago, Illinois 60603, is counsel to the Trust.

 

Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm. Cohen & Company, Ltd. Cohen & Company, Ltd., 1350 Euclid Avenue, Suite 800, Cleveland, OH 44115, serves as the Fund’s independent registered public accounting firm. The firm audits the Fund’s financial statements and performs other related audit services.

 

Financial Statements

 

The audited financial statements and notes thereto in the Fund’s Annual Report to Shareholders for the fiscal period ended March 31, 2018 (the “Annual Report”) are incorporated by reference into this SAI. No other parts of the Annual Report are incorporated by reference herein. The financial statements included in the Annual Report have been audited by Grant Thornton LLP, the Fund’s previous independent registered public accounting firm, whose report thereon also appears in the Annual Report and is incorporated by reference into this SAI.

 

A copy of the Fund’s Annual Report for the fiscal period ended March 31, 2018 may be obtained upon request and without charge by writing or by calling the Adviser, at the address and telephone number on the back cover of the Fund’s Prospectus.

 

48

 

 

Exhibit A - Proxy Voting Guidelines

 

 

Egan-Jones Proxy Services
Standard Proxy Voting
Principles and Guidelines

 

Egan-Jones Proxy Voting Principles

 

Introduction

 

Our Proxy Voting Principles serve as the background for our Proxy Voting Guidelines, which, in turn, act as general guidelines for the specific recommendations that we make with respect to proxy voting. It is important to recognize that such principles are not intended to dictate but guide. Certain of the principles may be inappropriate for a given company, or in a given situation. Additionally, the principles are evolving and should be viewed in that light. Our principles are and will be influenced by current and forthcoming legislation, rules and regulations, and stock exchange rules. Examples include:

 

the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and implementing rules promulgated by the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission

 

revised corporate governance listing standards of the New York Stock Exchange and resulting SEC rules

 

corporate governance reforms and subsequent proposed rule filings made with the SEC by The NASDAQ Stock Market, Inc. and resulting SEC rules

 

In general:

 

Directors should be accountable to shareholders, and management should be accountable to directors.

 

Information on the Company supplied to shareholders should be transparent.

 

Shareholders should be treated fairly and equitably according to the principle of one share, one vote.

 

Principles

 

A. Director independence
   
  It is our view that:
     
 

A two-thirds majority of the board should be comprised of independent directors.

 

 

Independent directors should meet alone at regularly scheduled meetings, no less frequently than semi-annually, without the Chief Executive Officer or other non-independent directors present.

 

 

When the Chairman of the Board also serves as the Company’s Chief Executive Officer, the board should designate one independent director to act as a leader to coordinate the activities of the other independent directors.

 

 

Committees of the board dealing with the following responsibilities should consist only of independent directors: audit, compensation, nomination of directors, corporate governance, and compliance.

 

 

No director should serve as a consultant or service provider to the Company.

 

 

Director compensation should be a combination of cash and stock in the Company, with stock constituting a significant component.

 

A-1

 

 

In our opinion, an independent director, by definition, has no material relationship with the Company other than his or her directorship. This avoids the potential for conflict of interest. Specifically such director:

 

 

should not have been employed by the Company or an affiliate within the previous five years.

 

 

should not be the founder of the Company.

 

 

should not be a director of the Company serving in an ex officio capacity.

 

 

should not be a member of the Company’s Board of Directors for 10 years or more, however, a director who is a diverse nominee may be exempted from this rule on the case-by-case basis.

 

 

should have no services contract regarding such matters as aircraft rental contract, real property lease or similar contract with the Company or affiliate, or with a member of the Company’s senior management or provide legal or consulting services to the Company within the previous three years.

 

 

should not be employed by a public company at which an executive officer of the Company serves as a director, and thereby be part of an interlocking relationship.

 

 

should not be a member of the immediate family (spouse, parents, children, siblings, mothers and fathers-in-law, sons and daughters-in-law, brothers and sisters-in-law, and anyone other than domestic employees who share such person’s home) of any person described above.

 

 

a director who receives, or whose immediate family member receives, more than $120,000 per year in direct compensation (base salary plus cash bonus) from the Company, other than director and committee fees and pension or other forms of deferred compensation for prior service (provided such compensation is not contingent in any way on continued service), is not independent until three years after he or she ceases to receive more than $120,000 per year in such compensation.

 

 

a director who is an executive officer or an employee, or whose immediate family member is an executive officer, of another company (other than a utility) or non-profit organization that makes payments to, or receives payments from, the Company for property or services in an amount which, in any single fiscal year, exceeds the greater of $1 million, or 2% of the recipient company’s consolidated gross revenues, is not “independent” until three years after falling below such threshold. However, the existence of a credit agreement between a bank and the Company shall not affect the independence of a director who is an executive of that bank within the previous three years.

   

B. Board operating procedures
     
 

The board should adopt a written statement of its governance principles, and regularly re-evaluate them.

 

 

Independent directors should establish performance criteria and compensation incentives for the Chief Executive Officer, and regularly review his or her performance against such criteria. Such criteria should align the interests of the CEO with those of shareholders, and evaluate the CEO against peer groups.

 

 

The independent directors should be provided access to professional advisers of their own choice, independent of management.

 

 

The board should have a CEO succession plan, and receive periodic reports from management on the development of other members of senior management.

 

 

Directors should have access to senior management through a designated liaison person.

 

 

The board should periodically review its own size, and determine the appropriate size.

 

A-2

 

 

C.

Requirements for individual directors

 

We recommend that:

 

 

The board should provide guidelines for directors serving on several Boards addressing competing commitments.

 

 

The board should establish performance criteria for itself and for individual directors regarding director attendance, preparedness, and participation at meetings of the board and of committees of the board, and directors should perform satisfactorily in accordance with such criteria in order to be re-nominated.

 

D.

Shareholder rights

 

 

A simple majority of shareholders should be able to amend the Company’s bylaws, call special meetings, or act by written consent.

 

 

“Greenmail” should be prohibited.

 

 

Shareholder approval should be required to enact or amend a “poison pill” (i.e., “shareholder rights”) plan

 

 

Directors should be elected annually.

 

 

The board should ordinarily implement a shareholder proposal that is approved by a majority of proxy votes.

 

 

Shareholders should have effective access to the director nomination process.

 

Egan-Jones Proxy Voting Guidelines

 

Consistent with the above-listed principles, the proxy voting guidelines outlined below are written to guide the specific recommendations that we make to our clients. Ordinarily, we do not recommend that clients ABSTAIN on votes; rather, we recommend that they vote FOR or AGAINST proposals (or, in the case of election of directors, that they vote FOR ALL nominees, AGAINST the nominees, or that they WITHHOLD votes for certain nominees). In the latter instance, the recommendation on our report takes the form ALL, EXCEPT FOR and lists the nominees from whom votes should be withheld.

 

Whether or not the guideline below indicates “case-by-case basis,” every case is examined to ensure that the recommendation is appropriate.

 

Board Of Directors

 

Election of Directors in Uncontested Elections

 

Case-by-case basis, examining composition of board and key board committees, attendance history, corporate governance provisions and takeover activity, long-term company financial performance relative to a market index, directors’ investment in the Company, etc.

 

WITHHOLD votes from nominees who:

 

 

are affiliated outside directors and sit on the Audit, Compensation, or Nominating committees.

 

 

are inside directors and sit on the Audit, Compensation, or Nominating committees.

 

 

are inside directors and the Company does not have Audit, Compensation, or Nominating committees.

 

 

attend less than 75 percent of the board and committee meetings. Participation by phone is acceptable.

 

 

ignore a shareholder proposal that is approved by a majority of the shares outstanding.

 

 

ignore a shareholder proposal that is approved by a majority of the votes cast for two consecutive years.

 

A-3

 

 

 

fail to act on takeover offers where the majority of the shareholders have tendered their shares.

 

 

implement or renew a “dead-hand” or modified “dead-hand” poison pill.

 

 

sit on more than five other public boards.

 

 

serve as both Chairmen of the Board and CEOs and the Company receives a poor Board Score.

 

 

serve as CEOs and hold more than one outside public directorship.

 

 

serve as Chairmen of the Board and hold more than one outside public directorship.

 

 

sit on the existing board, which has failed to respond adequately to a say-on-pay vote in which the majority of votes cast voted AGAINST.

 

 

sit on the existing board, which has implemented a less frequent say-on-pay vote than the frequency option which received a majority of votes cast in the previous frequency vote.

 

Underperforming Board Policy

 

WITHHOLD votes from Compensation Committee members in cases when the Company obtains a questionable score on the Egan-Jones compensation rating model.

 

WITHHOLD votes from Compensation Committee members in cases when the Company’s Compensation Plans (Cash Bonus Plan or Stock Option Plan) receive an “AGAINST” recommendation from Egan-Jones.

 

Board Accountability

 

Case-by-case basis for the following:

 

 

Evidence or belief of failure of the board to properly account and prepare for risk (i.e. carbon or cyber issues)

 

 

A low board score, coupled with poor performance

 

 

Legal or ethical problems in the Company or its management

 

In cases in which the Company has engaged in the practice commonly referred to as “options backdating,” Egan-Jones may recommend that votes be withheld from nominees serving on the Company’s compensation committee, the Company’s entire board of directors, and/or its chief executive officer. Such recommendations will be made on a case-by-case basis, taking into consideration such matters as intent of the individuals involved, scope and timing of the practice, significance of financial restatement required, and corrective action taken.

 

Furthermore, we may recommend withholding votes from either members of the Company’s compensation committee, its entire board of directors and/or its chief executive officer where the Company has engaged in what we judge to be other unsatisfactory compensation practices. Considerations may include such factors as “pay-for-failure” executive severance provisions, change-in-control payments which are either excessive or which are not tied to loss of job or significant reduction in duties, excessive executive perquisites, unjustified changes in the performance standards applied to performance-based compensation, and executive compensation out of proportion to performance of the Company.

 

FOR responsible shareholder proposals calling for the Company to name as directors only those who receive a majority of shareholder votes.

 

Separating Chairman and CEO

 

FOR shareholder proposals requiring that positions of Chairman and CEO be held separately.

 

Independent Directors

 

FOR shareholder proposals asking that a two-thirds majority of directors be independent.

 

FOR shareholder proposals asking that the board’s Audit, Compensation, and/or Nominating committees be composed exclusively of independent directors.

 

A-4

 

 

FOR shareholder proposals that the Chairman OR lead director be independent when the Company obtains a questionable score on the Egan-Jones director independence rating. AGAINST in all other cases.

 

Stock Ownership Requirements

 

AGAINST shareholder proposals requiring directors to own a minimum amount of company stock in order to qualify as a director or to remain on the board.

 

Term Limits

 

AGAINST shareholder proposals to limit tenure of outside directors.

 

Age Limits

 

AGAINST shareholder proposals to impose a mandatory retirement age for outside directors.

 

Director and Officer Indemnification and Liability

 

Case-by-case basis on management proposals regarding director and officer indemnification and liability, using Delaware law as the standard.

 

AGAINST management proposals to eliminate entirely directors and officers liability for monetary damages for violating the duty of care.

 

AGAINST management indemnification proposals that would expand coverage beyond legal expenses to acts, such as negligence, that are more serious violations of fiduciary obligation than mere carelessness.

 

FOR only those management proposals providing such expanded coverage in cases when a director’s or officer’s legal defense was unsuccessful if (1) the director was found to have acted in good faith and in a manner that he or she reasonably believed was in the best interests of the company, and (2) only if the director’s legal expenses would be covered.

 

Charitable Contributions

 

AGAINST shareholder proposals regarding disclosure of charitable contributions.

 

Political Contributions

 

AGAINST shareholder proposals regarding disclosure of political contributions.

 

FOR management proposals regarding approval of political contributions.

 

Lobbying Expenditures

 

AGAINST shareholder proposals for disclosure of lobbying expenditures.

 

Proxy Contests and Other Contested Elections

 

Election of Directors in Contested Elections

 

Case-by-case basis for voting for directors in contested elections, considering long-term financial performance of the target company relative to its industry, management’s track record, background to the proxy contest, qualifications of director nominees on both slates, evaluation of what each side is offering shareholders as well as likelihood that proposed objectives and goals will be met, and stock ownership positions.

 

FOR plurality voting standard in contested elections.

 

Reimbursement of Proxy Solicitation Expenses

 

Case-by-case basis for shareholder proposals for reimbursement of proxy solicitation expenses. FOR reimbursing proxy solicitation expenses where EGAN-JONES recommends in favor of the dissidents.

 

A-5

 

 

Auditors

 

Ratifying Auditors

 

FOR management proposals to ratify appointment of independent auditor unless:

 

 

Auditor obtains a questionable score on the Egan-Jones Auditor Rating Model which takes into account a number of factors including but not limited to:

 

 

Auditor rotation every seven years

 

 

Non-audit fees exceeding 50% of total fees

 

 

Significant and material disciplinary actions taken against the Company’s Auditor

 

 

Auditor has a financial interest in or association with the Company, and is therefore not independent; or there is reason to believe that the independent auditor has rendered an opinion which is neither accurate nor indicative of the Company’s financial position.

 

Proxy Contest Defenses

 

Classified Board vs. Annual Election

 

AGAINST management proposals to classify the board.

 

FOR shareholder proposals to repeal (“de-stagger”) classified boards and to elect all directors annually.

 

Removal of Directors

 

AGAINST management proposals that provide that directors may be removed only for cause.

 

FOR shareholder proposals to restore shareholder ability to remove directors with or without cause.

 

CASE-BY-CASE basis for shareholder proposal to remove a director, usually AGAINST unless there are compelling reasons to remove a director or a director does not fulfill Egan-Jones criteria examining independence, meetings attendance, other board memberships, then in such cases FOR.

 

AGAINST management proposals that provide that only continuing directors may elect replacements to fill board vacancies.

 

FOR shareholder proposals that permit shareholders to elect directors to fill board vacancies.

 

Cumulative Voting

 

FOR management proposals to eliminate cumulative voting.

 

AGAINST shareholder proposals to provide for cumulative voting.

 

Calling Special Meetings

 

AGAINST management proposals to restrict or prohibit shareholder ability to call special meetings.

 

FOR shareholder proposals to allow a shareholder holding a 25% or greater interest to call a special shareholder meeting.

 

Acting by Written Consent

 

Case by case for management proposals to restrict or prohibit shareholder ability to take action by written consent.

 

FOR shareholder proposals to allow or make easier shareholder action by written consent.

 

Altering Size of the Board

 

FOR management proposals to fix the size of the board.

 

AGAINST management proposals that give management the ability to alter size of the board without shareholder approval.

 

Tender Offer Defenses

 

“Poison Pills”

 

FOR shareholder proposals that ask the Company to submit its “poison pill” for shareholder ratification.

 

Case-by-case basis for shareholder proposals to redeem a company’s existing “poison pill.”

 

A-6

 

 

Case-by-case basis for management proposals to ratify a “poison pill.”

 

Fair Price Provisions

 

Case-by-case basis for adopting fair price provisions, considering vote required to approve the proposed acquisition, vote required to repeal the fair price provision, and mechanism for determining the fair price.

 

AGAINST fair price provisions with shareholder vote requirements greater than a majority of disinterested shares.

 

“Greenmail”

 

FOR proposals to adopt anti-”greenmail” charter or bylaw amendments or otherwise restrict the company’s ability to make “greenmail” payments.

 

Case-by-case basis for anti-”greenmail” proposals which are bundled with other charter or bylaw amendments.

 

“Pale Greenmail”

 

Case-by-case basis for restructuring plans that involve the payment of pale greenmail.

 

Unequal Voting Rights

 

AGAINST dual-class exchange offers and dual-class recapitalizations.

 

Supermajority Requirement to Amend Charter or Bylaws

 

AGAINST management proposals to require a supermajority shareholder vote to approve charter and bylaw amendments.

 

FOR shareholder proposals to lower supermajority shareholder vote requirements for charter and bylaw amendments.

 

Supermajority Requirement to Approve Mergers

 

AGAINST management proposals to require a supermajority shareholder vote to approve mergers and other significant business combinations.

 

FOR shareholder proposals to lower supermajority shareholder vote requirements for mergers and other significant business combinations.

 

Placement of Equity with “White Squire”

 

FOR shareholder proposals to require approval of “blank check preferred stock” issues for other than general corporate purposes.

 

Other Governance Proposals

 

Confidential Voting

 

FOR shareholder proposals that request that the company adopt confidential voting, use independent tabulators, and use independent inspectors of election as long as the proposals include clauses for proxy contests as follows: In the case of a contested election, management should be permitted to request that the dissident group honor its confidential voting policy. If the dissidents agree, the policy remains in place. If the dissidents do not agree, the confidential voting policy is waived.

 

FOR management proposals to adopt confidential voting.

 

Equal Access

 

AGAINST shareholder proposals that would allow significant company shareholders equal access to management’s proxy material in order to evaluate and propose voting recommendations on proxy proposals and director nominees, and in order to nominate their own candidates to the board.

 

A-7

 

 

Proxy Access

 

FOR binding shareholder proxy access proposals considering the following criteria:

 

 

0.5% ownership threshold

 

Number of board members that may be elected - cap of 1/3 of board or minimum 2 nominees, if the board size is being lowered the calculation is based upon the original board size, if it is being increased the calculation would be based upon the original board size, with each new slot added to the total, so two plus six if six new board positions are being created

 

We prefer no limit or caps on the number of shareowners in the nominations group

 

Loaned securities will count towards total

 

We prefer that all participants affirm that they intend to be “long term shareholders” of the company with at least 6 month ownership duration requirement

 

Proposals with no re-nominations restrictions are preferred

 

Bundled Proposals

 

Case-by-case basis for bundled or “conditioned” proxy proposals. Where items are conditioned upon each other, examine benefits and costs. AGAINST in instances when the joint effect of the conditioned items is not in shareholders’ best interests. FOR if the combined effect is positive.

 

Shareholder Advisory Committees

 

Case-by-case basis for shareholder proposals establishing a shareholder advisory committee.

 

Capital Structure

 

Common Stock Authorization

 

AGAINST management proposals increasing the number of authorized shares of the class of stock that has superior voting rights in companies that have dual-class capitalization structures.

 

AGAINST management proposals to increase the number of authorized shares of common stock, or equivalents, that exceeds the maximum amount indicated by Egan-Jones model without any specified legitimate purpose.

 

FOR management proposals to increase the number of authorized shares of common stock, or equivalents, that does not exceed the maximum amount indicated by Egan-Jones model or are targeted for a specified legitimate purpose.

 

Case-by-case basis on other such management proposals considering the specified purposes of the proposed increase, any explanation of risks to shareholders of failing to approve the request, potential dilution, and recent track record for using authorized shares, in which case judgment is applied to weigh such factors. Factors which are normally weighed in making such judgments include prior performance of the issuer, changes within the industry, relative performance within the industry, client preferences and overall good corporate governance. In general, we view the authorization of additional common shares to be ordinary and necessary and in the best long-term interests of the issuer and its shareholders.

 

Stock Distributions: Splits and Dividends

 

FOR management proposals to increase common share authorization for a stock split, provided that the increase in authorized shares would not result in an excessive number of shares available for issuance, considering the industry and company’s returns to shareholders.

 

Reverse Stock Splits

 

FOR management proposals to implement a reverse stock split when the number of shares will be proportionately reduced to avoid delisting.

 

Case-by-case basis on management proposals to implement a reverse stock split that do not proportionately reduce the number of shares authorized for issuance.

 

A-8

 

 

Preferred Stock

 

AGAINST management proposals authorizing creation of new classes of “blank check preferred stock” (i.e., classes with unspecified voting, conversion, dividend distribution, and other rights).

 

FOR management proposals to authorize preferred stock in cases where the Company specifies the voting, dividend, conversion, and other rights of such stock and the terms are reasonable.

 

Case-by-case basis on management proposals to increase the number of “blank check preferred shares” after analyzing the number of preferred shares available for issuance considering the industry and Company’s returns to shareholders.

 

“Blank Check Preferred Stock”

 

FOR shareholder proposals to have placements of “blank check preferred stock” submitted for shareholder approval, except when those shares are issued for the purpose of raising capital or making acquisitions in the normal course.

 

FOR management proposals to create “blank check preferred stock” in cases when the Company specifically states that the stock will not be used as a takeover defense.

 

Adjustments to Par Value of Common Stock

 

FOR management proposals to reduce the par value of common stock.

 

Preemptive Rights

 

Case-by-case basis on shareholder proposals that seek preemptive rights, considering size of the company and shareholder characteristics.

 

Debt Restructurings

 

Case-by-case basis on management proposals to increase number of common and/or preferred shares and to issue shares as part of a debt restructuring plan, considering dilution, any resulting change in control.

 

FOR management proposals that facilitate debt restructurings except where signs of self- dealing exist.

 

Share Repurchase Programs

 

FOR management proposals to institute open-market share repurchase plans in which all shareholders may participate on equal terms.

 

Tracking Stock

 

Case-by-case basis for management proposals for creation of tracking stock, considering the strategic value of the transaction vs. adverse governance changes, excessive increases in authorized stock, inequitable distribution method, diminution of voting rights, adverse conversion features, negative impact on stock option plans, and other alternatives, such as spin-offs.

 

Stock buybacks

 

Case-by-case on management proposals requesting stock buybacks. AGAINST in cases when the Company receives a poor Board or Compensation score. FOR otherwise.

 

Compensation of Officers and Directors

 

Compensation of Officers and Directors

 

FOR compensation plans that result in an amount of dilution (or the equivalent value in cash) that is less than the total amount suggested by Egan-Jones compensation rating model’s maximum dilution function as determined by the Company’s compensation rating.

 

AGAINST compensation plans that result in an excess amount of dilution (or the equivalent value in cash) that is more than the total amount suggested by Egan-Jones compensation rating model’s maximum dilution function as determined by the Company’s compensation rating.

 

A-9

 

 

AGAINST compensation plans involving “pay for failure,” such as excessively long contracts, guaranteed compensation, excessive severance packages, or other problematic practice not accounted for in the Egan-Jones compensation rating.

 

Case-by-case (but generally FOR) plans that are completely “decoupled” from the CEOs compensation and thus have no impact on the CEO’s current or future total compensation.

 

Advisory Votes on Executive Compensation (“Say-on-Pay”)

 

Case-by-case basis on advisory votes on executive compensation (“Say-on-Pay”), based on the score obtained by the Company in Egan-Jones Compensation Rating. AGAINST a non-binding compensation advisory vote when the Company obtains a questionable score on the Egan-Jones Compensation Rating model, FOR otherwise.

 

Relative Compensation is based upon a number of quantitative and qualitative metrics which produce a final score that is both forward looking and based upon the prior performance metrics of the company’s wealth creation and market capitalization as compared to the CEO’s total compensation package. Higher wealth creation, market capitalization and lower CEO compensation all contribute to a higher score in this rating. Additional qualitative measures such as 162m compliance, executive pension plan status and other relevant factors are then used to calculate the final score.

 

Advisory Votes Regarding Frequency of Advisory Votes on Executive Compensation

 

FOR management proposals that recommend that advisory votes on executive compensation take place annually.

 

AGAINST management proposals that recommend that advisory votes on executive compensation take place every two years or triennially.

 

AGAINST shareholder proposals regarding advisory vote on directors’ compensation.

 

Management Proposals Seeking Approval to Re-price Options

 

Case-by-case basis on management proposals seeking approval to re-price options.

 

Director Compensation

 

Case-by-case basis on stock-based plans for directors.

 

Employee Stock Purchase Plans

 

Case-by-case basis on employee stock purchase plans.

 

Amendments that Place a Maximum Limit on Annual Grants or Amend Administrative Features

 

FOR plans that amend shareholder-approved plans to include administrative features or place maximum limit on annual grants that any participant may receive to comply with the provisions of Section 162(m) of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (OBRA).

 

Amendments to Added Performance-Based Goals

 

FOR amendments to add performance goals to existing compensation plans to comply with the provisions of Section 162(m) of OBRA.

 

Amendments to Increase Shares and Retain Tax Deductions under OBRA

 

Case-by-case basis on amendments to existing plans to increase shares reserved and to qualify the plan for favorable tax treatment under the provisions of Section 162(m).

 

Approval of Cash or Cash & Stock Bonus Plans

 

Case-by-case basis on cash or cash & stock bonus plans to exempt compensation from taxes under the provisions of Section 162(m) of OBRA.

 

Limits on Director and Officer Compensation

 

FOR shareholder proposals requiring additional disclosure of officer and director compensation.

 

A-10

 

 

Case-by-case basis for all other shareholder proposals seeking limits on officer and director compensation.

 

“Golden Parachutes” and “Tin Parachutes”

 

FOR shareholder proposals to have “golden and tin parachutes” submitted for shareholder ratification.

 

Case-by-case basis on proposals to ratify or cancel “golden or tin parachutes.”

 

Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOPs)

 

FOR proposals that request shareholder approval in order to implement an ESOP or to increase authorized number of shares for existing ESOPs, except in cases when the number of shares allocated to the ESOP is “excessive” (i.e., greater than five percent of outstanding shares).

 

401(k) Employee Benefit Plans

 

FOR proposals to implement a 401(k) savings plan for employees.

 

State of Incorporation

 

State Takeover Statutes

 

Case-by-case basis on proposals to opt in or out of state takeover statutes (including control share acquisition statutes, control share cash-out statutes, freeze-out provisions, fair price provisions, stakeholder laws, poison pill endorsements, severance pay and labor contract provisions, anti-“greenmail” provisions, and disgorgement provisions).

 

Reincorporation Proposals

 

Case-by-case basis on proposals to change the Company’s state of incorporation.

 

Business Combinations and Corporate Restructurings

 

Mergers and Acquisitions

 

Case-by-case basis on mergers and acquisitions, considering projected financial and operating benefits, offer price, prospects of the combined companies, negotiation process, and changes in corporate governance.

 

Corporate Restructuring

 

Case-by-case basis on corporate restructurings, including minority squeeze-outs, leveraged buyouts, spin-offs, liquidations, and asset sales.

 

Spin-offs

 

Case-by-case basis on spin-offs, considering tax and regulatory advantages, planned use of proceeds, market focus, and managerial incentives.

 

Asset Sales

 

Case-by-case basis on asset sales, considering impact on the balance sheet and working capital, and value received.

 

Liquidations

 

Case-by-case basis on liquidations considering management’s efforts to pursue alternatives, appraisal value, and compensation for executives managing the liquidation.

 

Appraisal Rights

 

FOR providing shareholders with appraisal rights.

 

Mutual Fund Proxies

 

Election of Directors

 

Case-by-case basis for election of directors, considering board structure, director independence, director qualifications, compensation of directors within the fund and the family of funds, and attendance at board and committee meetings.

 

A-11

 

 

WITHHOLD votes for directors who:

 

 

are interested directors and sit on key board committees (Audit or Nominating committees)

 

 

are interested directors and the company does not have one or more of the following committees: Audit or Nominating.

 

 

attend less than 75 percent of the board and committee meetings. Participation by phone is acceptable.

 

 

ignore a shareholder proposal that is approved by a majority of shares outstanding.

 

 

ignore a shareholder proposal that is approved by a majority of the votes cast for two consecutive years

 

 

serve as Chairman but are not independent (e.g. serve as an officer of the fund’s advisor)

 

Converting Closed-end Fund to Open-end Fund

 

Case-by-case basis for conversion of closed-end fund to open-end fund, considering past performance as a closed-end fund, market in which the fund invests, measures taken by the board to address the market discount, and past shareholder activism, board activity, and votes on related proposals.

 

Proxy Contests

 

Case-by-case basis on proxy contests, considering past performance, market in which fund invests, and measures taken by the board to address issues raised, past shareholder activism, board activity, and votes on related proposals.

 

Investment Advisory Agreements

 

Case-by-case basis on investment advisory agreements, considering proposed and current fee schedules, fund category and investment objective, performance benchmarks, share price performance relative to that of peers; and magnitude of any fee increase.

 

New Classes or Series of Shares

 

FOR creating new classes or series of shares.

 

Preferred Stock Authorization

 

Case-by-case basis for authorization for or increase in preferred shares, considering financing purpose and potential dilution for common shares.

 

1940 Act Policies

 

Case-by-case basis for 1940 Act policies, considering potential competitiveness, regulatory developments, current and potential returns, and current and potential risk.

 

Changing a Fundamental Restriction to a Non-fundamental Restriction

 

Case-by-case basis on changing fundamental restriction to non-fundamental restriction, considering fund’s target investments, reasons for change, and projected impact on portfolio.

 

Changing Fundamental Investment Objective to Non-fundamental

 

AGAINST proposals to change the fund’s fundamental investment objective to non- fundamental.

 

Name Rule Proposals

 

Case-by-case basis for name rule proposals, considering the following factors: political/economic changes in target market; bundling with quorum requirements or with changes in asset allocation, and consolidation in the fund’s target market.

 

A-12

 

 

Disposition of Assets, Termination, Liquidation

 

Case-by-case basis for disposition of assets, termination or liquidation, considering strategies employed, company’s past performance, and terms of liquidation.

 

Charter Modification

 

Case-by-case basis for changes to the charter, considering degree of change, efficiencies that could result, state of incorporation, and regulatory standards and implications.

 

Change of Domicile

 

Case-by-case basis for changes in state of domicile, considering state regulations of each state, required fundamental policies of each state; and the increased flexibility available.

 

Change in Sub-classification

 

Case-by-case basis for change in sub-classification, considering potential competitiveness, current and potential returns, risk of concentration, and industry consolidation in the target industry.

 

Authorizing Board to Hire and Terminate Sub-advisors without Shareholder Approval

 

AGAINST authorizing the board to hire and terminate sub-advisors without shareholder approval.

 

Distribution Agreements

 

Case-by-case basis for approving distribution agreements, considering fees charged to comparably sized funds with similar objectives, proposed distributor’s reputation and past performance, and competitiveness of fund in industry.

 

Master-Feeder Structure

 

FOR establishment of a master-feeder structure.

 

Changes to Charter

 

Case-by-case basis for changes to the charter, considering degree of change implied by the proposal, resulting efficiencies, state of incorporation, and regulatory standards and implications.

 

Mergers

 

Case-by-case basis for proposed merger, considering resulting fee structure, performance of each fund, and continuity of management.

 

Advisory Vote on Merger Related Compensation

 

AGAINST “golden parachutes” which are abusive,

 

 

such as those that exceed 3x of the cash severance or

 

if the cash severance multiple is greater than 2.99x or

 

contain tax gross-ups or

 

provide for accelerated vesting of equity awards, (however, pro-rata vesting of awards based on past service is acceptable) or

 

are triggered prior to completion of the transaction or

 

if the payouts are not contingent on the executive’s termination.

 

Miscellaneous Shareholder Proposals

 

Independent Directors

 

FOR shareholder proposals asking that a three-quarters majority of directors be independent.

 

FOR shareholder proposals asking that board’s Audit, Compensation, and/or Nominating committees be composed exclusively of independent directors.

 

A-13

 

 

FOR shareholder proposals that the Chairman OR lead director be independent when the company obtains a questionable score on the Egan-Jones director independence rating. AGAINST in all other cases.

 

Establish Director Ownership Requirement

 

AGAINST proposals establishing a director ownership requirement.

 

Reimbursement of Shareholder for Expenses Incurred

 

CASE-BY-CASE for proposals for reimbursing proxy solicitation expenses in contested meetings.

 

FOR proposals for reimbursing proxy solicitation expenses in contested meetings in cases where EGAN-JONES recommends in favor of the dissidents.

 

Terminate the Investment Advisor

 

CASE-BY-CASE basis for proposals for terminating the investment advisor, considering fund’s performance and history of shareholder relations.

 

Tax Payments on Restricted Awards

 

AGAINST shareholder proposals to adopt a policy that the Company will pay the personal taxes owed on restricted stock awards on behalf of named executive officers.

 

Recovery of Unearned Management Bonuses

 

AGAINST shareholder proposals to adopt an executive compensation recoupment policy.

 

Clawback Provision Amendment

 

AGAINST shareholder proposals that request the board of directors amend the Company’s clawback policy for executive compensation.

 

Quantifiable Performance Metrics

 

CASE-BY-CASE on shareholder proposals that request the board adopt the policy regarding quantifiable performance metrics. FOR this proposal in cases when Egan-Jones compensation rating model results in an ‘Against’ recommendation on ‘Say-on-Pay’ proposal. AGAINST this proposal in cases of when Egan-Jones compensation rating model results in a ‘For’ recommendation on ‘Say-on-Pay’ proposal.

 

Vote Tabulation

 

FOR shareholder proposals that request all matters presented to shareholders, other than the election of directors, shall be decided by a simple majority of the shares voted ‘For’ and ‘Against’ an item and abstentions from the vote count be excluded.

 

Maryland’s Unsolicited Takeover Act

 

FOR shareholder proposals requesting that the Board opt out of MUTA, which allows the board of directors to make changes by board resolution only, without shareholder approval, to a company’s capital structure and charter/bylaws. These include, but are not limited to:

› the ability to re-classify a board;

› the exclusive right to set the number of directors;

› limiting shareholders’ ability to call special meetings to a threshold of at least a majority of shares.

 

Accelerated Vesting

 

FOR shareholder proposals to implement double triggered with pro-rata vesting of awards.

 

Dividends

 

CASE-BY-CASE basis for shareholder proposals to increase dividends, but generally AGAINST in the absence of a compelling reason for.

 

A-14

 

 

Shareholder Proposals on Social Issues

 

Energy and Environment

 

AGAINST shareholder proposals that request companies to follow the CERES Principles.

 

Generally AGAINST proposals requesting reports that seek additional information, unless it appears that the Company has not adequately addressed shareholders’ relevant environmental concerns but FOR shareholder proposals requesting additional disclosure regarding hydraulic fracturing.

 

AGAINST proposals that request that the Board prepare, at reasonable expense and omitting proprietary information, a sustainability report.

 

AGAINST shareholder proposals that requests that company develop and implement a comprehensive sustainable palm oil sourcing policy.

 

AGAINST shareholder proposals promoting recycling.

 

AGAINST shareholder proposals requesting a report on recyclable packaging.

 

AGAINST shareholder proposals requesting that a company voluntarily label genetically engineered (GE) ingredients in its products.

 

AGAINST shareholder proposals that requests the Company prepare a report, at reasonable expense and omitting proprietary information, assessing actual and potential material financial risks or operational impacts on the Company related to these genetically modified organisms (GMO issues).

 

AGAINST shareholder proposals to eliminate GE ingredients from the company’s products, or proposals asking for reports outlining the steps necessary to eliminate GE ingredients from the company’s products.

 

AGAINST shareholder proposals requesting that a company adopt GHG emissions reductions goals and issue a report by at reasonable cost and omitting proprietary information, on its plans to achieve these goals.

 

AGAINST shareholder proposals to encourage energy conservation and the development of alternate renewable and clean energy resources and to reduce or eliminate toxic wastes and greenhouse gas emissions.

 

AGAINST shareholder proposals on proper disposal of pharmaceuticals.

 

AGAINST shareholder proposals requesting a report on electronic waste.

 

CASE-BY-CASE on shareholder proposals requesting a report on renewable energy adoption. FOR in cases when the Company receives a poor Board score, AGAINST otherwise.

 

CASE-BY-CASE on shareholder proposals requesting a report on distributed - scale clean electricity. FOR in cases when the Company receives a poor Board score, AGAINST otherwise.

 

FOR shareholder proposals requesting a report on climate change and business model.

 

AGAINST shareholder proposals requesting a report on nanomaterials.

 

FOR shareholder proposals requesting a report on antibiotics in livestock.

 

Northern Ireland

 

AGAINST proposals related to the MacBride Principles.

 

AGAINST proposals requesting reports that seek additional information about progress being made toward eliminating employment discrimination, unless it appears Company has not adequately addressed shareholder relevant concerns.

 

Military Business

 

AGAINST proposals on defense issues.

 

AGAINST proposals requesting reports that seek additional information on military related operations, unless the Company has been unresponsive to shareholder relevant requests.

 

A-15

 

 

Maquiladora Standards and International Operations Policies

 

AGAINST on proposals relating to the Maquiladora Standards and international operating policies.

 

AGAINST proposals requesting reports on international operating policy issues, unless it appears the Company has not adequately addressed shareholder relevant concerns.

 

World Debt Crisis

 

AGAINST proposals dealing with Third World debt.

 

AGAINST proposals requesting reports on Third World debt issues, unless it appears the Company has not adequately addressed shareholder relevant concerns.

 

Equal Employment Opportunity and Discrimination

 

AGAINST on proposals regarding equal employment opportunities and discrimination.

 

AGAINST proposals requesting reports that seek additional information about affirmative action efforts, unless it appears the Company has been unresponsive to shareholder relevant requests.

 

Holy Land Principles

 

AGAINST shareholder proposals to approve the implementation of the Holy Land Principles.

 

Animal Rights

 

AGAINST proposals that deal with animal rights.

 

Product Integrity and Marketing

 

AGAINST proposals on ceasing production of socially questionable products.

 

AGAINST proposals requesting reports that seek additional information regarding product integrity and marketing issues, unless it appears the Company has been unresponsive to shareholder relevant requests.

 

Human Resources Issues

 

AGAINST proposals regarding human resources issues.

 

AGAINST proposals requesting reports that seek additional information regarding human resources issues, unless it appears the Company has been unresponsive to shareholder relevant requests.

 

A-16

 

 

Exhibit B - Principal Holders Table

 

 

Name and Address o f Owner

 

 

Percentage of Record

Ownership

Charles Schwab & Co. Inc.

2423 East Lincoln Drive

Phoenix, AZ 85016

22.20%

National Financial Services LLC

82 Devonshire Street

Boston, MA 02109

14.52%

TD Ameritrade

200 South 108th Avenue

Omaha, NE 68154

14.31%

LPL Financial Co.

4707 Executive Dr.

San Diego, CA 92121

12.60%

Pershing, L.L.C.

One Pershing Plaza

Jersey City, NJ 07399

9.02%

 

B-1

 

 

Elkhorn ETF Trust

Part C – Other Information

 

Item 28.

Exhibits

 

Exhibit No.

Description

 

  (a) (1) Amended and Restated Declaration of Trust of the Registrant (1)
       
    (2) Amendment to Declaration of Trust (2)
       
    (3) Amended and Restated Establishment and Designation of Series of Shares of Beneficial Interest (2)
       
  (b) By-Laws of the Registrant (1)
     
  (c) Not Applicable
     
  (d) (1) Investment Management Agreement between the Registrant and Innovator Capital Management, LLC (2)
     
    (2) Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement between the Registrant, Innovator Capital Management, LLC and Penserra Capital Management LLC (2)
     
  (e) (1) ETF Distribution Agreement by and between the Registrant and Foreside Fund Services, LLC (2)
     
    (2) First Amendment to ETF Distribution Agreement (2)
     
  (f) Not Applicable
     
  (g) (1) Custody Agreement by and between the Registrant and The Bank of New York Mellon (1)
     
  (h) (1) Form of Subscription Agreement (1)
       
    (2) Form of Participant Agreement (1)
       
    (3) Fund Administration and Accounting Agreement by and between the Registrant and The Bank of New York Mellon (1)
       
    (4) Sub-License Agreement by and between Registrant and Innovator Capital Management, LLC (2)
       
  (i) Not Applicable

 

 

 

 

  (j)

Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm (2)

     
  (k) Not Applicable
     
  (l) Not Applicable
     
  (m) Form of 12b-1 Service Plan (1)
     
  (n) Not Applicable
     
  (o) Not Applicable
       
  (p) (1) Joint Code of Ethics of the Registrant and Innovator Capital Management, LLC (2)
       
    (2) Code of Ethics of Penserra Capital Management LLC (2)
       
    (3) Code of Ethics of Foreside Fund Services, LLC (2)
       
  (q) Powers of Attorney (2)

__________________

 

(1)

Incorporated by reference to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File No. 333-201473) filed on April 28, 2015.

 

(2)

Filed herewith.

 

Item 29.

Persons Controlled By or Under Common Control with Registrant

 

Not Applicable

 

Item 30.

Indemnification

 

Section 9.5 of the Registrant’s Amended and Restated Declaration of Trust provides as follows:

 

Section 9.5. Indemnification and Advancement of Expenses. Subject to the exceptions and limitations contained in this Section 9.5, every person who is, or has been, a Trustee, officer, or employee of the Trust, including persons who serve at the request of the Trust as directors, trustees, officers, employees or agents of another organization in which the Trust has an interest as a shareholder, creditor or otherwise (hereinafter referred to as a “Covered Person” ), shall be indemnified by the Trust to the fullest extent permitted by law against liability and against all expenses reasonably incurred or paid by him or in connection with any claim, action, suit or proceeding in which he becomes involved as a party or otherwise by virtue of his being or having been such a Trustee, director, officer, employee or agent and against amounts paid or incurred by him in settlement thereof.

 

 

 

 

No indemnification shall be provided hereunder to a Covered Person to the extent such indemnification is prohibited by applicable federal law.

 

The rights of indemnification herein provided may be insured against by policies maintained by the Trust, shall be severable, shall not affect any other rights to which any Covered Person may now or hereafter be entitled, shall continue as to a person who has ceased to be such a Covered Person and shall inure to the benefit of the heirs, executors and administrators of such a person.

 

Subject to applicable federal law, expenses of preparation and presentation of a defense to any claim, action, suit or proceeding subject to a claim for indemnification under this Section 9.5 shall be advanced by the Trust prior to final disposition thereof upon receipt of an undertaking by or on behalf of the recipient to repay such amount if it is ultimately determined that he is not entitled to indemnification under this Section 9.5.

 

To the extent that any determination is required to be made as to whether a Covered Person engaged in conduct for which indemnification is not provided as described herein, or as to whether there is reason to believe that a Covered Person ultimately will be found entitled to indemnification, the Person or Persons making the determination shall afford the Covered Person a rebuttable presumption that the Covered Person has not engaged in such conduct and that there is reason to believe that the Covered Person ultimately will be found entitled to indemnification.

 

As used in this Section 9.5, the words “claim,” “action,” “suit” or “proceeding” shall apply to all claims, demands, actions, suits, investigations, regulatory inquiries, proceedings or any other occurrence of a similar nature, whether actual or threatened and whether civil, criminal, administrative or other, including appeals, and the words “liability” and “expenses” shall include without limitation, attorneys’ fees, costs, judgments, amounts paid in settlement, fines, penalties and other liabilities.

 

Insofar as indemnification for liability arising under the Securities Act of 1933 may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Act and is, therefore, 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 a director, officer or controlling person of the registrant, in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities 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 Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.

 

 

 

 

Item 31.

Business and Other Connections of the Investment Adviser

 

Certain information pertaining to the business and other connections of Innovator Capital Management, LLC, the investment adviser to the Fund, is hereby incorporated by reference from the Prospectus and Statement of Additional Information contained herein. The information required by this Item with respect to any director, officer or partner of Innovator Capital Management, LLC is incorporated by reference to the Form ADV filed by Innovator Capital Management, LLC with the Securities and Exchange Commission pursuant to the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended (File No. 801-110111).

 

Certain information pertaining to the business and other connections of Penserra Capital Management LLC, the investment sub-adviser to the Fund, is hereby incorporated by reference from the Prospectus and Statement of Additional Information contained herein. The information required by this Item with respect to any director, officer or partner of Penserra Capital Management LLC is incorporated by reference to the Form ADV filed by Penserra Capital Management LLC with the Securities and Exchange Commission pursuant to the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended (File No. 801-80466).

 

Item 32.

Principal Underwriter

 

(a)     Foreside Fund Services, LLC also acts as the distributor for the Registrant and the following investment companies: ABS Long/Short Strategies Fund; Absolute Shares Trust; AdvisorShares Trust; AmericaFirst Quantitative Funds; American Beacon Funds; American Beacon Select Funds; Ark ETF Trust; Avenue Mutual Funds Trust; BP Capital TwinLine Energy Fund, Series of Professionally Managed Portfolios; BP Capital TwinLine MLP Fund, Series of Professionally Managed Portfolios; Braddock Multi-Strategy Income Fund, Series of Investment Managers Series Trust; Bridgeway Funds, Inc.; Brinker Capital Destinations Trust; Center Coast MLP & Infrastructure Fund; Center Coast MLP Focus Fund, Series of Investment Managers Series Trust; Context Capital Funds; CornerCap Group of Funds; Davis Fundamental ETF Trust; Direxion Shares ETF Trust; Eaton Vance NextShares Trust; Eaton Vance NextShares Trust II; EIP Investment Trust; Evanston Alternative Opportunities Fund; Elkhorn ETF Trust; Exchange Listed Funds Trust (f/k/a Exchange Traded Concepts Trust II); FEG Absolute Access Fund I LLC; Fiera Capital Series Trust; FlexShares Trust; Forefront Income Trust; Forum Funds; Forum Funds II; FQF Trust; Friess Small Cap Growth Fund, Series of Managed Portfolio Series; GraniteShares ETF Trust; Guinness Atkinson Funds; Horizon Spin-off and Corporate Restructuring Fund, Series of Investment Managers Series Trust (f/k/a Liberty Street Horizon Fund); Horizons ETF Trust; Horizons ETF Trust I (f/k/a Recon Capital Series Trust); Infinity Core Alternative Fund; Ironwood Institutional Multi-Strategy Fund LLC; Ironwood Multi-Strategy Fund LLC; John Hancock Exchange-Traded Fund Trust; Manor Investment Funds; Miller/Howard Funds Trust; Miller/Howard High Income Equity Fund; ; Moerus Worldwide Value Fund, Series of Northern Lights Fund Trust IV; OSI ETF Trust; Palmer Square Opportunistic Income Fund; Partners Group Private Income Opportunities, LLC; PENN Capital Funds Trust; Performance Trust Mutual Funds, Series of Trust for Professional Managers; Pine Grove Alternative Institutional Fund; Plan Investment Fund, Inc.; PMC Funds, Series of Trust for Professional Managers; Quaker Investment Trust; Ramius Archview Credit and Distressed Fund; Renaissance Capital Greenwich Funds; RMB Investors Trust (f/k/a Burnham Investors Trust); Robinson Opportunistic Income Fund, Series of Investment Managers Series Trust; Robinson Tax Advantaged Income Fund, Series of Investment Managers Series Trust; Salient MF Trust; SharesPost 100 Fund; Sound Shore Fund, Inc.; Steben Alternative Investment Funds; Steben Select Multi-Strategy Fund; Strategy Shares; The 504 Fund (f/k/a The Pennant 504 Fund); The Community Development Fund; The Relative Value Fund; Third Avenue Trust; Third Avenue Variable Series Trust; TIFF Investment Program; Turner Funds; U.S. Global Investors Funds; VictoryShares Developed Enhanced Volatility Wtd ETF, Series of Victory Portfolios II; VictoryShares Dividend Accelerator ETF, Series of Victory Portfolios II; VictoryShares Emerging Market Volatility Wtd ETF, Series of Victory Portfolios II; VictoryShares International High Div Volatility Wtd ETF, Series of Victory Portfolios II; VictoryShares International Volatility Wtd ETF, Series of Victory Portfolios II; VictoryShares US 500 Enhanced Volatility Wtd ETF, Series of Victory Portfolios II; VictoryShares US 500 Volatility Wtd ETF, Series of Victory Portfolios II; VictoryShares US Discovery Enhanced Volatility Wtd ETF, Series of Victory Portfolios II; VictoryShares US EQ Income Enhanced Volatility Wtd ETF, Series of Victory Portfolios II; VictoryShares US Large Cap High Div Volatility Wtd ETF, Series of Victory Portfolios II; VictoryShares US Small Cap High Div Volatility Wtd ETF, Series of Victory Portfolios II; VictoryShares US Small Cap Volatility Wtd ETF, Series of Victory Portfolios II; Wakefield Managed Futures Strategy Fund, a Series of Wakefield Alternative Series Trust; West Loop Realty Fund, Series of Investment Managers Series Trust (f/k/a Chilton Realty Income & Growth Fund); Wintergreen Fund, Inc. and WisdomTree Trust.

 

 

 

 

(b)     To the best of Registrant’s knowledge, the directors and executive officers of Foreside Fund Services, LLC, are as follows:

 

Name*

Position with Underwriter

Positions with Fund ***

     

Richard J. Berthy

President, Treasurer and Manager

None

     

Mark A. Fairbanks

Vice President

None

     

Jennifer K. DiValerio**

Vice President

None

     

Nanette K. Chern

Vice President and Chief Compliance Officer

None

     

Jennifer E. Hoopes

Secretary

None

 

________________________

*

Except as otherwise noted, the principal business address for each of the above directors and executive officers is Three Canal Plaza, Suite 100, Portland, Maine 04101.

**

The principal business address for Ms. DiValerio is 899 Cassatt Road, 400 Berwyn Park, Suite 110, Berwyn, PA 19312.

***     None of the directors or executive officers of Foreside Fund Services, LLC are employed by the Fund.

 

(c)     Not Applicable

 

 

 

 

Item 33.

Location of Accounts and Records

 

Innovator Capital Management, LLC, 120 North Hale Street, Suite 200, Wheaton, Illinois 60187, maintains the Registrant’s organizational documents, minutes of meetings, contracts of the Registrant and all advisory material of the investment adviser.

 

The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation ( “BONY” ) maintains all general and subsidiary ledgers, journals, trial balances, records of all portfolio purchases and sales, and all other requirement records not maintained by Innovator.

 

BONY also maintains all the required records in its capacity as transfer, accounting, dividend payment and interest holder service agent for the Registrant.

 

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) under the Securities Act and has duly caused this Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, duly authorized, in the City of Wheaton, and State of Illinois, on July 30, 2018.

 

 

Innovator ETFs Trust II

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/  H. Bruce Bond

 

 

 

 

H. Bruce Bond

 

 

 

 

President

 

 

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act, this Registration Statement has been signed below by the following persons in the capacities and on the date indicated:

 

Signature

 

Title

 

Date

 

/s/ H. Bruce Bond

 

Chief Executive Officer,

President and Trustee

 

July 30, 2018

 

H. Bruce Bond

           
             

/s/ John Southard

 

Vice President, Treasurer and

Principal Financial

Accounting Officer

 

July 30, 2018

 

John Southard

           

Mark Berg*

 

)

Trustee)

)

       
   

 

   

By: / s / H. Bruce Bond

Joe Stowell*

 

)

Trustee)

   

H. Bruce Bond
Attorney-In-Fact

 
   

)

   

July 30, 2018

 
             

Brian J. Wildman*

 

)

Trustee)

       
   

)

       

 

 

*

An original power of attorney authorizing H. Bruce Bond and John Southard to execute this Registration Statement, and amendments thereto, for each of the trustees of the Registrant on whose behalf this Registration Statement is filed, were previously executed, and are filed as an exhibit herewith.

 

 

 

 

Index to Exhibits

 

  (a)(2) Amendment to Declaration of Trust
     
  (a)(3) Amended and Restated Establishment and Designation of Series of Shares of Beneficial Interest
     
  (d)(1) Investment Management Agreement between the Registrant and Innovator Capital Management, LLC
     
  (d)(2) Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement between the Registrant, Innovator Capital Management, LLC and Penserra Capital Management LLC
     
  (e)(1) ETF Distribution Agreement by and between the Registrant and Foreside Fund Services, LLC
     
 

(e)(2)

First Amendment to ETF Distribution Agreement

     
  (h)(4) Sub-License Agreement by and between Registrant and Innovator Capital Management, LLC
     
  (j) Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
     
  (p)(1) Joint Code of Ethics of the Registrant and Innovator Capital Management, LLC
     
  (p)(2) Code of Ethics of Penserra Capital Management LLC
     
  (p)(3) Code of Ethics of Foreside Fund Services, LLC
     
  (q) Powers of Attorney

 

Exhibit (a)(2)

 

AMENDMENT

TO

THE DECLARATION OF TRUST

TO CHANGE THE NAME AND

PRINCIPAL PLACE OF BUSINESS OF THE TRUST

 

ELKHORN ETF TRUST (THE “TRUST”)

 

The undersigned, constituting at least a majority of the Trustees of the Trust, a business trust organized under the laws of The Commonwealth of Massachusetts, acting pursuant to the Trust's Declaration of Trust, as amended to the date hereof (the “Declaration”), do hereby amend the Declaration as follows:

 

The name of the Trust is hereby changed from “Elkhorn ETF Trust” to “Innovator ETFs Trust II,” and all references to the name of the Trust in the Declaration are hereby amended; and

 

The principal place of business of the Trust is hereby changed from “207 South Reber Street, Suite 201, Wheaton, Illinois 60187” to “120 North Hale Street, Suite 200, Wheaton, Illinois 60187,” and all references to the address of the principal place of business of the Trust in the Declaration are hereby accordingly amended.

 

This amendment to the Declaration shall become effective on April 10, 2018.

 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned, being at least a majority of the Trustees of the Trust, have executed this amendment as of the 10th day of April, 2018.

 

 

 

 

/s/ Benjamin T. Fulton /s/ Bruce Howard
Benjamin T. Fulton, as Trustee Bruce Howard, as Trustee
120 North Hale Street, Suite 200 120 North Hale Street, Suite 200
Wheaton, IL 60187 Wheaton, IL 60187

     

 

/s/ Gregory D. Bunch    
Gregory D. Bunch, as Trustee    
120 North Hale Street, Suite 200    
Wheaton, IL 60187    

 

Exhibit (a)(3)

 

I nnovator ETFs T rust II
( previously E lkhorn ETF T rust )
(a Massachusetts Business Trust)

 

A mended and Restated Establishment and Designation of Series of Shares of Beneficial Interest
(Effective as of June 20, 2018)

 

Whereas , the initial Trustee of the Trust, acting pursuant to Section 4.9 of the Amended and Restated Declaration of Trust dated April 7, 2015 (the “Declaration” ), designated the Shares of the Trust into one series of shares of beneficial interests in the Trust (a “Series” ) as of that same date as set forth on Schedule A to the Declaration: Elkhorn S&P 500 Capital Expenditures Portfolio;

 

Whereas , pursuant to Section 4.9 of the Declaration, the Trustees, by vote of at least a majority of the Trustees of the Trust on October 23, 2015, designated four additional Series to be named the Elkhorn S&P Preferred Thoroughbreds ETF, Elkhorn FTSE RAFI U.S. Equity Income ETF, Elkhorn FTSE RAFI Developed ex-U.S. Equity Income ETF and Elkhorn FTSE RAFI Emerging Equity Income ETF, and authorized the amendment and restatement of the Establishment and Designation of Series of Shares of Beneficial Interest in order to incorporate the new Series;

 

Whereas , pursuant to Section 4.9 of the Declaration, the Trustees, by vote of at least a majority of the Trustees of the Trust on March 3, 2016, changed the name of the series previously designated Elkhorn S&P Preferred Thoroughbreds ETF to Elkhorn S&P High Quality Preferred ETF and authorized the amendment and restatement of the Establishment and Designation of Series of Shares of Beneficial Interest in order to incorporate the name change;

 

Whereas , pursuant to Section 4.9 of the Declaration, the Trustees, by vote of at least a majority of the Trustees of the Trust on June 7, 2016, designated eleven additional Series to be named the Elkhorn S&P MidCap Financials Portfolio, Elkhorn S&P MidCap Utilities Portfolio, Elkhorn S&P MidCap Industrials Portfolio, Elkhorn S&P MidCap Consumer Discretionary Portfolio, Elkhorn S&P MidCap Consumer Staples Portfolio, Elkhorn S&P MidCap Materials Portfolio, Elkhorn S&P MidCap Energy Portfolio, Elkhorn S&P MidCap Health Care Portfolio, Elkhorn S&P MidCap Information Technology Portfolio, Elkhorn Commodity Technical Leaders ETF, Elkhorn Fundamental Commodity ETF, and authorized the amendment and restatement of the Establishment and Designation of Series of Shares of Beneficial Interest in order to incorporate the new Series;

 

Whereas , pursuant to Section 4.9 of the Declaration, the Trustees, by vote of at least a majority of the Trustees of the Trust on August 31, 2016, changed the name of the series previously designated Elkhorn Commodity Technical Leaders ETF to Elkhorn Commodity Rotation Strategy ETF and the name of the series previously designated Elkhorn Fundamental Commodity ETF to Elkhorn Fundamental Commodity Strategy ETF, and authorized the amendment and restatement of the Establishment and Designation of Series of Shares of Beneficial Interest in order to incorporate the name change;

 

 

 

 

Whereas , pursuant to Section 4.9 of the Declaration, the Trustees, by vote of a least a majority of the Trustees of the Trust on September 23, 2016, designated two additional Series to be named the Elkhorn Lunt Low Vol/High Beta Tactical ETF and the Elkhorn Dorsey Wright MidCap Rotation ETF, and authorized the amendment and restatement of the Establishment and Designation of Series of Shares of Beneficial Interest in order to incorporate the new Series;

 

Whereas , pursuant to Section 4.9 of the Declaration, the Trustees, by vote of a least a majority of the Trustees of the Trust on December 16, 2016, designated one additional Series to be named the Elkhorn Roubini Country Rotation ETF, and authorized the amendment and restatement of the Establishment and Designation of Series of Shares of Beneficial Interest in order to incorporate the new Series;

 

Whereas , pursuant to Section 4.9 of the Declaration, the Trustees, by vote of a least a majority of the Trustees of the Trust on February 27, 2017, terminated Elkhorn S&P 500 Capital Expenditures Portfolio and Elkhorn FTSE RAFI U.S. Equity Income ETF, and authorized the amendment and restatement of the Establishment and Designation of Series of Shares of Beneficial Interest in order to the remove of the Series;

 

Whereas , pursuant to Section 4.9 of the Declaration, the Trustees, by vote of a least a majority of the Trustees of the Trust on March 8, 2017, designated three additional Series to be named the Elkhorn Lunt MidCap Low Vol/High Beta Tactical ETF, Elkhorn Lunt SmallCap Low Vol/High Beta Tactical ETF and Elkhorn S&P MidCap Real Estate Portfolio, and authorized the amendment and restatement of the Establishment and Designation of Series of Shares of Beneficial Interest in order to incorporate the new Series;

 

Whereas , pursuant to Section 4.9 of the Declaration, the Trustees, by vote of at least a majority of the Trustees of the Trust on June 7, 2017, changed the name of the series previously designated Elkhorn Commodity Rotation Strategy ETF to Elkhorn Dorsey Wright Commodity Rotation Strategy ETF and the name of the series previously designated Elkhorn Fundamental Commodity Strategy ETF to Elkhorn RAFI Commodity Fundamental Strategy ETF, and authorized the amendment and restatement of the Establishment and Designation of Series of Shares of Beneficial Interest in order to incorporate the name change;

 

Whereas , pursuant to Section 4.9 of the Declaration, the Trustees, by vote of a least a majority of the Trustees of the Trust on August 17, 2017, terminated Elkhorn S&P MidCap Financials Portfolio, Elkhorn S&P MidCap Utilities Portfolio, Elkhorn S&P MidCap Industrials Portfolio, Elkhorn S&P MidCap Consumer Discretionary Portfolio, Elkhorn S&P MidCap Consumer Staples Portfolio, Elkhorn S&P MidCap Materials Portfolio, Elkhorn S&P MidCap Energy Portfolio, Elkhorn S&P MidCap Health Care Portfolio and Elkhorn S&P MidCap Information Technology Portfolio, and authorized the amendment and restatement of the Establishment and Designation of Series of Shares of Beneficial Interest in order to the remove of the Series;

 

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Whereas , pursuant to Section 4.9 of the Declaration, the Trustees, by vote of a least a majority of the Trustees of the Trust on March 30, 2018, terminated Elkhorn Dorsey Wright Commodity Rotation Strategy ETF and Elkhorn RAFI Commodity Fundamental Strategy ETF, and authorized the amendment and restatement of the Establishment and Designation of Series of Shares of Beneficial Interest in order to the remove of the Series;

 

Whereas , pursuant to Section 4.9 of the Declaration, the Trustees, by vote of at least a majority of the Trustees of the Trust on April 10, 2018, changed the name of the series previously designated Elkhorn S&P High Quality Preferred ETF to Innovator S&P High Quality Preferred ETF and the name of the series previously designated Elkhorn Lunt Low Vol/High Beta Tactical ETF to Innovator Lunt Low Vol/High Beta Tactical ETF, and authorized the amendment and restatement of the Establishment and Designation of Series of Shares of Beneficial Interest in order to incorporate the name change;

 

Whereas , pursuant to Section 4.9 of the Declaration, the Trustees, by vote of at least a majority of the Trustees of the Trust on June 20, 2018, changed the name of the series previously designated Innovator S&P High Quality Preferred ETF to Innovator S&P Investment Grade Preferred ETF, and authorized the amendment and restatement of the Establishment and Designation of Series of Shares of Beneficial Interest in order to incorporate the name change;

 

Now Therefore , the Establishment and Designation of Series of Shares of Beneficial Interest is amended and restated in its entirety as follows:

 

The following Series of the Trust are established and designated with such relative rights, preferences, privileges, limitations, restrictions and other relative terms as are set forth below:

 

1.     Innovator S&P Investment Grade Preferred ETF

 

2.     Elkhorn FTSE RAFI Developed ex-U.S. Equity Income ETF

 

3.     Elkhorn FTSE RAFI Emerging Equity Income ETF

 

4.     Innovator Lunt Low Vol/High Beta Tactical ETF

 

5.     Elkhorn Dorsey Wright MidCap Rotation ETF

 

6.     Elkhorn Roubini Country Rotation ETF

 

7.     Elkhorn Lunt MidCap Low Vol/High Beta Tactical ETF

 

8.     Elkhorn Lunt SmallCap Low Vol/High Beta Tactical ETF

 

9.     Elkhorn S&P MidCap Real Estate Portfolio

 

1.     Each Share of each Series is entitled to all the rights and preferences accorded to Shares under the Declaration.

 

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2.     The number of authorized Shares of each Series is unlimited.

 

3.     Each Series shall be authorized to hold cash, invest in securities, instruments and other property, use investment techniques, and have such goals or objectives as from time to time described in the prospectus and statement of additional information contained in the Trust’s then currently effective registration statement under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, to the extent pertaining to the offering of Shares of the Series, as the same may be amended and supplemented from time to time ( “Prospectus” ). Each Share of a Series shall represent a beneficial interest in the net assets allocated or belonging to such Series only, and such interest shall not extend to the assets of the Trust generally (except to the extent that General Assets (as defined in the Declaration) are allocated to such Series), and shall be entitled to receive its pro rata share of the net assets of the Series upon liquidation of the Series, all as set forth in Section 4.9 of the Declaration.

 

4.     With respect to each Series, (a) the purchase price of the Shares, (b) fees and expenses, (c) qualifications for ownership, if any, (d) the method of determination of the net asset value of the Shares, (e) minimum purchase amounts, if any, (f) minimum account size, if any, (g) the price, terms and manner of redemption of the Shares, (h) any conversion or exchange feature or privilege, (i) the relative dividend rights, and (j) any other relative rights, preferences, privileges, limitations, restrictions and other relative terms have been established by the Trustees in accordance with the Declaration and are set forth in the Prospectus with respect to such Series.

 

5.     The Trustees may from time to time modify any of the relative rights, preferences, privileges, limitations, restrictions and other relative terms of a Series that have been established by the Trustees or redesignate any of the Series without any action or consent of the Shareholders.

 

6.     The designation of any Series hereby shall not impair the power of the Trustees from time to time to designate additional Series of Shares of the Trust.

 

7.     Capitalized terms not defined herein have the meanings given to such terms in the Declaration.

 

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In Witness Whereof, the undersigned, being the Secretary of the Trust, has executed this instrument as of June 20, 2018.

 

 

Innovator ETFs Trust II

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

/s/  John Southard

 

 

 

John Southard, Vice President and Treasurer

 

 

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Exhibit (d)(1)

 

Investment Management Agreement

 

Investment Management Agreement made this _______ day of _____, 2018, by and between Elkhorn ETF Trust , a Massachusetts business trust (the Trust ), and Innovator Capital Management , LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (the Adviser ).

 

Whereas , the Trust is registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended ( 1940 Act ), as an open-end management investment company;

 

Whereas , the Trust is authorized to issue shares in separate series, with each such series representing interests in a separate portfolio of securities and other assets;

 

Whereas , the Trust intends to offer shares in series as set forth on Schedule A attached hereto and any other series as to which this Agreement may hereafter be made applicable and set forth on Schedule A, which may be amended from time to time (each such series being herein referred to as a Fund, and collectively as the Funds ); and

 

Whereas , the Trust desires to retain the Adviser as investment adviser, to furnish certain investment advisory and portfolio management services to the Trust with respect to the Funds, and the Adviser is willing to furnish such services.

 

W i t n e s s e t h :

 

In consideration of the mutual covenants hereinafter contained, it is hereby agreed by and between the parties hereto as follows:

 

1.     The Trust hereby engages the Adviser to act as the investment adviser for, and to manage the investment and reinvestment of the assets of, each Fund in accordance with each Fund’s investment objectives and policies and limitations, and to administer each Fund’s affairs to the extent requested by and subject to the supervision of the Board of Trustees of the Trust for the period and upon the terms herein set forth. The investment of each Fund’s assets shall be subject to the Fund’s policies, restrictions and limitations with respect to securities investments as set forth in the Fund’s then current registration statement under the 1940 Act, Declaration of Trust, By-laws of the Trust and all applicable laws and the regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission relating to the management of registered open-end management investment companies.

 

The Adviser accepts such employment and agrees during such period to render such services, to furnish office facilities and equipment and clerical, bookkeeping and administrative services (other than such services, if any, provided by the Funds’ transfer agent, administrator or other service providers) for the Funds, to permit any of its officers or employees to serve without compensation as trustees or officers of the Trust if elected to such positions, and to assume the obligations herein set forth for the compensation herein provided. The Adviser shall at its own expense furnish all executive and other personnel, office space, and office facilities required to render the investment management and administrative services set forth in this Agreement. In the event that the Adviser pays or assumes any expenses of a Fund not required to be paid or assumed by the Adviser under this Agreement, the Adviser shall not be obligated hereby to pay or assume the same or similar expense in the future; provided, that nothing contained herein shall be deemed to relieve the Adviser of any obligation to a Fund under any separate agreement or arrangement between the parties.

 

 

 

 

2.     The Adviser shall, for all purposes herein provided, be deemed to be an independent contractor and, unless otherwise expressly provided or authorized, shall neither have the authority to act for nor represent the Trust in any way, nor otherwise be deemed an agent of the Trust.

 

3.     For the services and facilities described in Section 1, each Fund will pay to the Adviser, at the end of each calendar month, and the Adviser agrees to accept as full compensation therefor, an investment management fee equal to the annual rate of each Fund’s average daily net assets as set forth on Schedule A.

 

For the month and year in which this Agreement becomes effective, or terminates, there shall be an appropriate proration on the basis of the number of days that the Agreement shall have been in effect during the month and year, respectively. The services of the Adviser to the Trust under this Agreement are not to be deemed exclusive, and the Adviser shall be free to render similar services or other services to others so long as its services hereunder are not impaired thereby.

 

4.     During the term of this Agreement, the Adviser shall pay all of the expenses of each Fund of the Trust (including the cost of transfer agency, custody, fund administration, legal, audit and other services and license fees) but excluding the fee payment under this Agreement, interest, taxes, brokerage commissions and other expenses connected with the execution of portfolio transactions, distribution and service fees payable pursuant to a Rule 12b-1 plan, if any, and extraordinary expenses.

 

5.     The Adviser shall arrange for suitably qualified officers or employees of the Adviser to serve, without compensation from the Trust, as trustees, officers or agents of the Trust, if duly elected or appointed to such positions, and subject to their individual consent and to any limitations imposed by law.

 

6.     The Adviser is authorized to select the brokers or dealers that will execute the purchases and sales of a Fund’s securities on behalf of the Fund, and is directed to use its commercially reasonable efforts to obtain best execution, which includes most favorable net results and execution of the Fund’s orders, taking into account all appropriate factors, including price, dealer spread or commission, size and difficulty of the transaction and research or other services provided. Subject to approval by the Trust’s Board of Trustees and to the extent permitted by and in conformance with applicable law (including Rule 17e-1 of the 1940 Act), the Adviser may select brokers or dealers affiliated with the Adviser. It is understood that the Adviser will not be deemed to have acted unlawfully, or to have breached a fiduciary duty to the Trust, or be in breach of any obligation owing to the Trust under this Agreement, or otherwise, solely by reason of its having caused the Fund to pay a member of a securities exchange, a broker or a dealer a commission for effecting a securities transaction for the Fund in excess of the amount of commission another member of an exchange, broker or dealer would have charged if the Adviser determined in good faith that the commission paid was reasonable in relation to the brokerage or research services provided by such member, broker or dealer, viewed in terms of that particular transaction or the Adviser’s overall responsibilities with respect to its accounts, including the Fund, as to which it exercises investment discretion.

 

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In addition, the Adviser may, to the extent permitted by applicable law, aggregate purchase and sale orders of securities with similar orders being made simultaneously for other accounts managed by the Adviser or its affiliates, if in the Adviser’s reasonable judgment such aggregation shall result in an overall economic benefit to a Fund, taking into consideration the selling or purchase price, brokerage commissions and other expenses. In the event that a purchase or sale of an asset of a Fund occurs as part of any aggregate sale or purchase orders, the objective of the Adviser and any of its affiliates involved in such transaction shall be to allocate the securities so purchased or sold, as well as expenses incurred in the transaction, among the Fund and other accounts in an equitable manner. Nevertheless, each Fund acknowledges that under some circumstances, such allocation may adversely affect the Fund with respect to the price or size of the securities positions obtainable or salable. Whenever a Fund and one or more other investment advisory clients of the Adviser have available funds for investment, investments suitable and appropriate for each will be allocated in a manner believed by the Adviser to be equitable to each, although such allocation may result in a delay in one or more client accounts being fully invested that would not occur if such an allocation were not made. Moreover, it is possible that due to differing investment objectives or for other reasons, the Adviser and its affiliates may purchase securities of an issuer for one client and at approximately the same time recommend selling or sell the same or similar types of securities for another client.

 

The Adviser will not arrange purchases or sales of securities between a Fund and other accounts advised by the Adviser or its affiliates unless (a) such purchases or sales are in accordance with applicable law (including Rule 17a-7 of the 1940 Act) and the Trust’s policies and procedures, (b) the Adviser determines the purchase or sale is in the best interests of each Fund, and (c) the Trust’s Board of Trustees have approved these types of transactions.

 

To the extent a Fund seeks to adopt, amend or eliminate any objectives, policies, restrictions or procedures in a manner that modifies or restricts Adviser’s authority regarding the execution of the Fund’s portfolio transactions, the Fund agrees to use reasonable commercial efforts to consult with the Adviser regarding the modifications or restrictions prior to such adoption, amendment or elimination.

 

The Adviser will communicate to the officers and trustees of the Trust such information relating to transactions for the Funds as they may reasonably request. In no instance will portfolio securities be purchased by or sold to the Adviser or any affiliated person of either the Trust or the Adviser, except as may be permitted under the 1940 Act.

 

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The Adviser further agrees that it:

 

(a)     will use the same degree of skill and care in providing such services as it uses in providing services to fiduciary accounts for which it has investment responsibilities;

 

(b)     will conform in all material respects to all applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and comply in all material respects with all policies and procedures adopted by the Board of Trustees for the Trust and communicated to the Adviser and, in addition, will conduct its activities under this Agreement in all material respects in accordance with any applicable regulations of any governmental authority pertaining to its investment advisory activities;

 

(c)     will report regularly to the Board of Trustees of the Trust (generally on a quarterly basis) and will make appropriate persons available for the purpose of reviewing with representatives of the Board of Trustees on a regular basis at reasonable times the management of each Fund, including, without limitation, review of the general investment strategies of each Fund, the performance of each Fund’s investment portfolio in relation to relevant standard industry indices and general conditions affecting the marketplace and will provide various other reports from time to time as reasonably requested by the Board of Trustees of the Trust; and

 

(d)     will prepare and maintain such books and records with respect to each Fund’s securities and other transactions as required under applicable law and will prepare and furnish the Trust’s Board of Trustees such periodic and special reports as the Board of Trustees may reasonably request. The Adviser further agrees that all records which it maintains for each Fund are the property of the Fund and the Adviser will surrender promptly to the Fund any such records upon the request of the Fund ( provided, however, that Adviser shall be permitted to retain copies thereof); and shall be permitted to retain originals (with copies to the Fund) to the extent required under Rule 204-2 of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 or other applicable law.

 

7.     Subject to applicable statutes and regulations, it is understood that officers, trustees, or agents of the Trust are, or may be, interested persons (as such term is defined in the 1940 Act and rules and regulations thereunder) of the Adviser as officers, directors, agents, shareholders or otherwise, and that the officers, directors, shareholders and agents of the Adviser may be interested persons of the Trust otherwise than as trustees, officers or agents.

 

8.     The Adviser shall not be liable for any loss sustained by reason of the purchase, sale or retention of any asset, whether or not such purchase, sale or retention shall have been based upon the investigation and research made by any other individual, firm or corporation, if such recommendation shall have been selected with due care and in good faith, except loss resulting from willful misfeasance, bad faith, or gross negligence on the part of the Adviser in the performance of its obligations and duties, or by reason of its reckless disregard of its obligations and duties under this Agreement.

 

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9.     Subject to obtaining the initial and periodic approvals required under Section 15 of the 1940 Act (after taking into effect any exemptive order, no-action assurances or other relief upon which the respective Fund may rely), the Adviser may retain one or more sub-advisers at the Adviser’s own cost and expense for the purpose of furnishing one or more of the services described in Section 1 hereof with respect to a Fund. In addition, the Adviser may adjust from time to time the duties delegated to any sub-adviser, the portion of portfolio assets of the Trust that the sub-adviser shall manage and the fees to be paid to the sub-adviser pursuant to any sub-advisory agreement or other arrangement entered into in accordance with this Agreement, subject to the approvals set forth in Section 15 of the 1940 Act if required including after taking into account any exemptive order, no-action assurances or other relief upon which the respective Fund may rely. Retention of a sub-adviser shall in no way reduce the responsibilities or obligations of the Adviser under this Agreement and the Adviser shall be responsible to a Fund for all acts or omissions of any sub-adviser in connection with the performance of the Adviser’s duties hereunder.

 

10.     The Trust acknowledges that the Adviser intends in the future to act as an investment adviser to other managed accounts and as investment adviser or sub-investment adviser to one or more other investment companies that are not a series of the Trust. In addition, the Trust acknowledges that the persons employed by the Adviser to assist in the Adviser’s duties under this Agreement will not devote their full time to such efforts. It is also agreed that the Adviser may use any supplemental research obtained for the benefit of the Trust in providing investment advice to its other investment advisory accounts and for managing its own accounts.

 

11.     This Agreement, with respect to each Fund, was initially approved, and is effective, provided it was approved by a vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities held by shareholders of the respective Fund in accordance with the requirements of the 1940 Act. This Agreement shall continue in effect until the termination date set forth in the attached Schedule A, unless and until terminated by either party as hereinafter provided, and shall continue in force from year to year thereafter, but only as long as such continuance is specifically approved, at least annually, in the manner required by the 1940 Act.

 

This Agreement shall automatically terminate in the event of its assignment, and may be terminated at any time without the payment of any penalty by a Trust or by the Adviser upon sixty (60) days’ written notice to the other party. Each Fund may effect termination by action of the Board of Trustees or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund, accompanied by appropriate notice. This Agreement may be terminated, at any time, without the payment of any penalty, by the Board of Trustees of the Trust, or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Trust, in the event that it shall have been established by a court of competent jurisdiction that the Adviser, or any officer or director of the Adviser, has taken any action which results in a breach of the material covenants of the Adviser set forth herein. Termination of this Agreement shall not affect the right of the Adviser to receive payments on any unpaid balance of the compensation, described in Section 3, earned prior to such termination and for any additional period during which the Adviser serves as such for the Fund, subject to applicable law. The terms “assignment” and “vote of the majority of outstanding voting securities” shall have the same meanings set forth in the 1940 Act and the rules and regulations thereunder.

 

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The obligations of the Adviser to pay the expenses of each Fund of the Trust which are incurred during the term of this Agreement pursuant to Section 9 of this Agreement shall survive the termination of this Agreement.

 

12.     This Agreement may be amended or modified only by a written instrument executed by both parties.

 

13.     If any provision of this Agreement shall be held or made invalid by a court decision, statute, rule, or otherwise, the remainder shall not be thereby affected.

 

14.     Any notice under this Agreement shall be in writing, addressed and delivered or mailed, postage prepaid, to the other party at such address as such other party may designate for receipt of such notice.

 

15.     All parties hereto are expressly put on notice of the Trust’s Agreement and Declaration of Trust and all amendments thereto, a copy of which is on file with the Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the limitation of shareholder and trustee liability contained therein. This Agreement is executed on behalf of the Trust by the Trust’s officers as officers and not individually and the obligations imposed upon the Trust by this Agreement are not binding upon any of the Trust’s Trustees, officers or shareholders individually but are binding only upon the assets and property of the Trust, and persons dealing with the Trust must look solely to the assets of the Trust and those assets belonging to the subject Trust, for the enforcement of any claims.

 

16.     This Agreement shall be construed in accordance with applicable federal law and (except as to Section 15 hereof which shall be construed in accordance with the laws of Massachusetts) the laws of the State of Illinois.

 

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In Witness Whereof , the Trust and the Adviser have caused this Agreement to be executed on the day and year above written.

 

        Elkhorn ETF Trust  
               
               
        By      
          Name:    
          Title:    
               
Attest:              
  Name:            
  Title:            
               
        Innovator Capital Management, LLC  
               
               
        By      
          Name:    
          Title    
               
Attest:              
  Name:            
  Title:            

 

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Schedule A

 

(As of July 16, 2018)

 

Funds

 

 

 

Series

 

Annual Rate
of Average
Daily Net
Assets

 

Initial

Board

Approval

Date

 

Shareholder

Approval

Date

 

Initial

Effective

Date

 

Termination

Date

                     

Innovator S&P Investment Grade Preferred ETF

 

0.47%

 

April 10, 2018

 

________,

2018

 

________,

2018

 

________,

2020

                     

Innovator Lunt Low Vol/High Beta Tactical ETF

 

0.49%

 

April 10, 2018

 

June 20, 2018

 

June 20, 2018

 

June 20, 2020

 

Exhibit (d)(2)

 

Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement

 

Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement (this “Agreement” ) made this ______ day of ___________, 2018, by and among Elkhorn ETF Trust , a Massachusetts business trust (the Trust ), Innovator Capital Management , LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (the Adviser ), and Penserra Capital Management LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (the “Sub-Adviser” ).

 

Whereas , the Trust is registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended ( 1940 Act ), as an open-end management investment company;

 

Whereas , the Trust is authorized to issue shares in separate series, with each such series representing interests in a separate portfolio of securities and other assets;

 

Whereas , the Trust intends to offer shares in series as set forth on Schedule A attached hereto and any other series as to which this Agreement may hereafter be made applicable and set forth on Schedule A, which may be amended from time to time (each such series being herein referred to as a Fund, and collectively as the Funds );

 

Whereas , the Trust has retained the Adviser to serve as the investment adviser for the Funds pursuant to an Investment Management Agreement between the Adviser and the Trust (as such agreement may be modified from time to time, the “Management Agreement” );

 

Whereas , the Management Agreement provides that the Adviser may, subject to the initial and periodic approvals required under Section 15 of the 1940 Act, appoint a sub-adviser at its own cost and expense for the purpose of furnishing certain services required under the Management Agreement; and

 

Whereas , the Trust and the Adviser desire to retain the Sub-Adviser to furnish certain investment advisory and portfolio management services for the Funds’ investment portfolios upon the terms and conditions hereafter set forth:

 

W i t n e s s e t h :

 

In consideration of the mutual covenants hereinafter contained, it is hereby agreed by and among the parties hereto as follows:

 

1.      Appointment. The Trust and the Adviser hereby appoint the Sub-Adviser to provide certain sub-investment advisory services to each Fund for the period and on the terms set forth in this Agreement. The Sub-Adviser accepts such appointment and agrees to furnish the services herein set forth for the compensation herein provided. The Sub-Adviser shall, for all purposes herein provided, be deemed an independent contractor and, unless otherwise expressly provided or authorized, shall have no authority to act for nor represent the Trust, the Funds or the Adviser in any way, nor otherwise be deemed an agent of the Trust, the Funds or the Adviser.

 

 

 

 

2.      Services to Be Performed. Subject always to the supervision of the Trust’s Board of Trustees (the “Board of Trustees” ) and the Adviser, the Sub-Adviser will act as sub-adviser for, and manage on a discretionary basis the investment and reinvestment of the assets of, each Fund, and furnish an investment program in respect of, make investment decisions for, and place all orders (either directly or through the Adviser) for the purchase and sale of securities for each Fund’s investment portfolio, all on behalf of such Fund and as described in the Fund’s currently effective registration statement on Form N-1A as the same and such investment policies applicable to the Sub-Adviser’s portion of the Fund’s portfolio described therein may thereafter be amended from time to time. In the performance of its duties, the Sub-Adviser will (a) satisfy any applicable fiduciary duties it may have to the Funds, (b) monitor the Funds’ investments, (c) comply with the provisions of the Trust’s Declaration of Trust and By-laws, as amended from time to time and communicated by the Trust or the Adviser to the Sub-Adviser, and the stated investment objectives, policies and restrictions of each Fund as such objectives, policies and restrictions may subsequently be changed by the Board of Trustees and communicated by the applicable Fund or the Adviser to the Sub-Adviser in writing, and (d) assist in the valuation of portfolio assets held by each Fund as requested by the Adviser or the Fund. The Sub-Adviser and the Adviser will each make its officers and employees available to the other from time to time at reasonable times to review the investment objectives, policies and restrictions of each Fund applicable to the portion of the portfolio allocated to the Sub-Adviser and to consult with each other regarding the investment affairs of the Fund. The Trust or the Adviser has provided the Sub-Adviser with current copies of the Trust’s Declaration of Trust and By-laws, each Fund’s prospectus and statement of additional information and any amendments thereto, and any objectives, policies or limitations not appearing therein as they may be relevant to the Sub-Adviser’s performance under this Agreement.

 

Unless otherwise provided by the Adviser, the Sub-Adviser is authorized to select the brokers or dealers that will execute the purchases and sales of a Fund’s securities on behalf of the Fund, and is directed to use its commercially reasonable efforts to obtain best execution, which includes most favorable net results and execution of a Fund’s orders, taking into account all appropriate factors, including price, dealer spread or commission, size and difficulty of the transaction and research or other services provided. Subject to approval by the Board of Trustees and to the extent permitted by and in conformance with applicable law (including Rule 17e-1 of the 1940 Act), the Sub-Adviser may select brokers or dealers affiliated with the Sub-Adviser. It is understood that the Sub-Adviser will not be deemed to have acted unlawfully, or to have breached a fiduciary duty to the Trust or a Fund, or be in breach of any obligation owing to the Trust or a Fund under this Agreement, or otherwise, solely by reason of its having caused a Fund to pay a member of a securities exchange, a broker or a dealer a commission for effecting a securities transaction for the Fund in excess of the amount of commission another member of an exchange, broker or dealer would have charged if the Sub-Adviser determined in good faith that the commission paid was reasonable in relation to the brokerage or research services provided by such member, broker or dealer, viewed in terms of that particular transaction or the Sub-Adviser’s overall responsibilities with respect to its accounts, including the Funds, as to which it exercises investment discretion.

 

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In addition, the Sub-Adviser may, to the extent permitted by applicable law, aggregate purchase and sale orders of securities with similar orders being made simultaneously for other accounts managed by the Sub-Adviser or its affiliates, if in the Sub-Adviser’s reasonable judgment such aggregation shall result in an overall economic benefit to the applicable Fund, taking into consideration the selling or purchase price, brokerage commissions and other expenses. In the event that a purchase or sale of an asset of a Fund occurs as part of any aggregate sale or purchase orders, the objective of the Sub-Adviser and any of its affiliates involved in such transaction shall be to allocate the assets so purchased or sold, as well as expenses incurred in the transaction, among the Fund and other accounts in an equitable manner. Nevertheless, each Fund and the Adviser acknowledge that under some circumstances, such allocation may adversely affect the Fund with respect to the price or size of the securities positions obtainable or salable. Whenever a Fund and one or more other investment advisory clients of the Sub-Adviser have available funds for investment, investments suitable and appropriate for each will be allocated in a manner believed by the Sub-Adviser to be equitable to each, although such allocation may result in a delay in one or more client accounts being fully invested that would not occur if such an allocation were not made. Moreover, it is possible that due to differing investment objectives or for other reasons, the Sub-Adviser and its affiliates may purchase securities of an issuer for one client and at approximately the same time recommend selling or sell the same or similar types of securities for another client.

 

The Sub-Adviser will not arrange purchases or sales of securities between a Fund and other accounts advised by the Sub-Adviser or its affiliates unless (a) such purchases or sales are in accordance with applicable law (including Rule 17a-7 of the 1940 Act) and the Fund’s policies and procedures, (b) the Sub-Adviser determines the purchase or sale is in the best interests of the Fund, and (c) the Board of Trustees has approved these types of transactions.

 

Each Fund may adopt policies and procedures that modify or restrict the Sub-Adviser’s authority regarding the execution of such Fund’s portfolio transactions provided herein. Such policies and procedures and any amendments thereto will be communicated by the Adviser to the Sub-Adviser. The Adviser shall provide reasonable advance notice to the Sub-Adviser of such policies and procedures and any amendments thereto.

 

The Sub-Adviser will communicate to the officers and trustees of the Trust such information relating to transactions for the Funds as they may reasonably request. In no instance will portfolio securities be purchased by or sold to the Adviser, the Sub-Adviser or any affiliated person of any of the Trust, the Adviser, or the Sub-Adviser, except as may be permitted under the 1940 Act.

 

The Sub-Adviser further agrees that it:

 

(a)     will use the same degree of skill and care in providing such services as it uses in providing services to other fiduciary accounts for which it has investment responsibilities;

 

(b)     will conform in all material respects to all applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission” ) and comply in all material respects with all policies and procedures adopted by the Board of Trustees for each Fund and communicated to the Sub-Adviser and, in addition, will conduct its activities under this Agreement in all material respects in accordance with any applicable regulations of any governmental authority pertaining to its investment advisory activities;

 

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(c)     will report regularly to the Adviser and to the Board of Trustees (generally on a quarterly basis) and will make appropriate persons available for the purpose of reviewing with representatives of the Adviser and the Board of Trustees on a regular basis at reasonable times the management of each Fund, including, without limitation, review of the general investment strategies of the Fund with respect to the portion of the Fund’s portfolio allocated to the Sub-Adviser, the performance of the Fund’s investment portfolio allocated to the Sub-Adviser in relation to relevant standard industry indices and general conditions affecting the marketplace and will provide various other reports from time to time as reasonably requested by the Adviser or the Board of Trustees; and

 

(d)     will prepare and maintain such books and records with respect to each Fund’s securities and other transactions as required under applicable law or as otherwise reasonably agreed to by the parties and will prepare and furnish the Adviser and the Board of Trustees such periodic and special reports as the Adviser or the Board of Trustees may reasonably request. The Sub-Adviser further agrees that all records which it maintains for each Fund are the property of such Fund and the Sub-Adviser will surrender promptly to the Fund any such records upon the request of the Adviser or such Fund ( provided, however, that the Sub-Adviser shall be permitted to retain copies thereof); and shall be permitted to retain originals (with copies to the applicable Fund) to the extent required under Rule 204-2 of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended (the “Advisers Act” ), or other applicable law.

 

3.      Expenses. During the term of this Agreement, the Sub-Adviser will pay all expenses incurred by it in connection with its activities under this Agreement other than the cost of securities and other assets (including brokerage commissions, if any) purchased for the Funds.

 

4.      Additional Sub-Advisers. Subject to obtaining the initial and periodic approvals required under Section 15 of the 1940 Act (after taking into effect any exemptive order, no-action assurances or other relief upon which the respective Fund may rely) and the approval of the Adviser, the Sub-Adviser may retain one or more additional sub-advisers at the Sub-Adviser’s own cost and expense for the purpose of furnishing one or more of the services described in Section 2 hereof with respect to a Fund. In addition, the Adviser may adjust from time to time the duties delegated to the Sub-Adviser, the portion of portfolio assets of a Fund that the Sub-Adviser shall manage and the fees to be paid to the Sub-Adviser in accordance with this Agreement, subject to the approvals set forth in Section 15 of the 1940 Act if required including after taking into account any exemptive order, no-action assurances or other relief upon which the respective Fund may rely. Retention of a sub-adviser hereunder shall in no way reduce the responsibilities or obligations of the Sub-Adviser under this Agreement and the Sub-Adviser shall be responsible to the applicable Fund for all acts or omissions of any sub-adviser in connection with the performance of the Sub-Adviser’s duties hereunder with respect to such Fund.

 

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5.      Compensation. For the services provided and the expenses assumed pursuant to this Agreement, the Adviser will pay the Sub-Adviser in arrears at the end of each calendar month, and the Sub-Adviser agrees to accept as full compensation therefor, a sub-advisory fee (the “Sub-Advisory Fee” ) equal to the annual rate of each Fund’s average daily net assets as set forth on Schedule A.

 

For the month and year in which this Agreement becomes effective, or terminates, there shall be an appropriate proration on the basis of the number of days that the Agreement shall have been in effect during the month and year, respectively.

 

6.      Custodian. The assets subject to this Agreement shall be held by the custodian of the Funds ( “Custodian” ) or by a central depository selected by the Custodian. In no event shall the Sub-Adviser have the power or authority to take custody or possession of any assets of the Funds. The Sub-Adviser is authorized to give instructions to the current or any successor Custodian with respect to all investment decisions regarding such assets. The Sub-Adviser will promptly notify the Custodian of all securities transactions for each Fund and will cooperate with the Custodian in supplying all reasonable information required by the Custodian. All transactions will be consummated by payment or delivery to the Custodian of all cash or securities due to or from the Funds. In the event that any cash or securities are delivered to the Sub-Adviser, the Sub-Adviser will promptly deliver the same over to the Custodian. The Sub-Adviser will instruct all brokers executing orders on behalf of the Funds to forward to the Custodian copies of all brokerage confirmations promptly after execution of each transaction. The Funds will not change the Custodian without giving the Sub-Adviser reasonable prior notice of their intention to do so together with the name of, and other relevant information with respect to, the new Custodian.

 

7.      Services to Others. The Trust and the Adviser acknowledge that the Sub-Adviser now acts, or may in the future act, as an investment adviser to other accounts and as investment adviser or investment sub-adviser to one or more other investment companies that are not series of the Trust. In addition, the Trust and the Adviser acknowledge that the persons employed by the Sub-Adviser to assist in the Sub-Adviser’s duties under this Agreement will not devote their full time to such efforts. It is also agreed that the Sub-Adviser may use any supplemental research obtained for the benefit of a Fund in providing investment advice to its other investment advisory accounts and for managing its own accounts.

 

8.      Representations and Warranties of the Parties.

 

(a)     The Sub-Adviser represents and warrants to the Adviser as follows:

 

(i)     The Sub-Adviser is a registered investment adviser under the Advisers Act;

 

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(ii)     The Form ADV that the Sub-Adviser has previously provided to the Adviser is a true and complete copy of the form as currently filed with the Commission, and the information contained therein is accurate and complete in all material respects and does not omit to state any material fact necessary in order to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which they are made, not misleading. The Sub-Adviser will promptly provide the Adviser and the Trust with a complete copy of all subsequent amendments to its Form ADV; and

 

(iii)     The Sub-Adviser agrees to maintain an appropriate level of errors and omissions or professional liability insurance coverage.

 

(b)     The Adviser represents and warrants to the Sub-Adviser that it is a registered investment adviser under the Advisers Act.

 

9.      Limitation of Liability. The Sub-Adviser shall not be liable for, and the Trust and the Adviser will not take any action against the Sub-Adviser to hold the Sub-Adviser liable for, any error of judgment or mistake of law or for any loss suffered by a Fund or the Adviser (including, without limitation, by reason of the purchase, sale or retention of any security) in connection with the performance of the Sub-Adviser’s duties under this Agreement, except for a loss resulting from willful misfeasance, bad faith or gross negligence on the part of the Sub-Adviser in the performance of its duties under this Agreement, or by reason of its reckless disregard of its obligations and duties under this Agreement.

 

10.      Term; Termination. With respect to each Fund, this Agreement shall become effective on the date provided in Schedule A for such Fund (the “Effective Date” ) provided that it has been approved in the manner required by the 1940 Act, and shall remain in full force until the two-year anniversary following the date of its effectiveness as set forth in the attached Schedule A unless sooner terminated as hereinafter provided. This Agreement shall continue in force from year to year thereafter, but only as long as such continuance is specifically approved for the respective Fund at least annually in the manner required by the 1940 Act and the rules and regulations thereunder; provided, however, that if the continuation of this Agreement is not approved for a Fund, the Sub-Adviser may continue to serve in such capacity for such Fund in the manner and to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act and the rules and regulations thereunder.

 

This Agreement shall automatically terminate in the event of its assignment, and may be terminated at any time without the payment of any penalty by the Adviser or the Sub-Adviser upon sixty (60) days’ written notice to the other parties. This Agreement may also be terminated on behalf of a Fund by action of the Board of Trustees or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of such Fund upon sixty (60) days’ written notice to the Sub-Adviser by the Fund without payment of any penalty. This Agreement may be terminated on behalf of a Fund at any time without the payment of any penalty by the Adviser, the Board of Trustees, or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of such Fund in the event that it shall have been established by a court of competent jurisdiction that the Sub-Adviser or any officer or director of the Sub-Adviser has taken any action which results in a breach of the material covenants of the Sub-Adviser set forth herein. Termination of this Agreement shall not affect the right of the Sub-Adviser to receive payments on any unpaid balance of the compensation described in Section 5 earned prior to such termination and for any additional period during which the Sub-Adviser serves as such for the applicable Fund, subject to applicable law. The terms “assignment” and “vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities” shall have the same meanings set forth in the 1940 Act and the rules and regulations thereunder.

 

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11.      Compliance Certification. From time to time the Sub-Adviser shall provide such certifications with respect to Rule 38a-1 under the 1940 Act as are reasonably requested by a Fund or the Adviser. In addition, the Sub-Adviser will, from time to time, provide a written assessment of its compliance program in conformity with current industry standards that is reasonably acceptable to the Funds to enable the Funds to fulfill their obligations under Rule 38a-1 under the 1940 Act.

 

12.      Notice. Any notice under this Agreement shall be sufficient in all respects if given in writing and delivered by commercial courier providing proof of delivery and addressed as follows or addressed to such other person or address as such party may designate for receipt of such notice.

 

If to the Adviser or a Fund: If to the Sub-Adviser:
   
[                     ] [                     ]

                   

13.      Limitations on Liability. All parties hereto are expressly put on notice of the Trust’s Declaration of Trust and all amendments thereto, a copy of which is on file with the Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and the limitation of shareholder and trustee liability contained therein, a copy of which has been provided to the Sub-Adviser prior to the date hereof. This Agreement is executed by the Trust on behalf of the Funds by the Trust’s officers in their capacity as officers and not individually and is not binding upon any of the Trust’s trustees, officers or shareholders individually but the obligations imposed upon the Trust or a Fund by this Agreement are binding only upon the assets and property of such Fund, and persons dealing with the Trust or a Fund must look solely to the assets of that Fund for the enforcement of any claims.

 

14.      Miscellaneous. The captions in this Agreement are included for convenience of reference only and in no way define or delimit any of the provisions hereof or otherwise affect their construction or effect. This Agreement will be binding upon and shall inure to the benefit of the parties hereto and their respective successors.

 

15.      Applicable Law. This Agreement shall be construed in accordance with applicable federal law and (except as to Section 13 hereof, which shall be construed in accordance with the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts) the laws of the State of Illinois.

 

16.      Amendment, Etc. This Agreement may only be amended, or its provisions modified or waived, in a writing signed by the party against which such amendment, modification or waiver is sought to be enforced.

 

17.      Authority. Each party represents to the others that it is duly authorized and fully empowered to execute, deliver and perform its obligations under this Agreement. The Trust represents that engagement of the Sub-Adviser has been duly authorized by the Trust and is in accordance with the Trust’s Declaration of Trust and other governing documents of the Funds.

 

18.      Severability. Each provision of this Agreement is intended to be severable from the others so that if any provision or term hereof is illegal or invalid for any reason whatsoever, such illegality or invalidity shall not affect the validity of the remaining provisions and terms hereof; provided, however, that the provisions governing payment of the Sub-Advisory Fee described in Section 5 are not severable.

 

19.      Entire Agreement. This Agreement constitutes the sole and entire agreement of the parties hereto with respect to the subject matter expressly set forth herein.

 

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In Witness Whereof, the Trust, the Adviser and the Sub-Adviser each have caused this Agreement to be executed as of the day and year first above written.

 

        Elkhorn ETF Trust
           
           
        By  
          Name: Ben Fulton
          Title: Chief Executive Officer and President
           
Attest:          
  Name:        
  Title:        
           
        Innovator Capital Management, LLC
           
           
        By  
          Name: Bruce Bond
          Title: Chief Executive Officer
           
Attest:          
  Name:        
  Title:        
           
           
        Penserra Capital Management LLC
           
           
        By  
          Name: [            ]
          Title: [             ]
           
Attest:          
  Name:        
  Title:        

 

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Schedule A

 

(As of June 20 , 2018)

 

Funds

 

 

Series

   

Annual Rate of

Average
Daily Net Assets

   

Effective

Date

   

Two-Year

Anniversary

of

Effectiveness

                   

Innovator S&P Investment Grade Preferred ETF

   

0.47%

   

________, 2018

   

______, 2020

                   

Innovator Lunt Low Vol/High Beta Tactical ETF

   

0.49%

   

June 20, 2018

   

June 20, 2020

 

Exhibit (e)(1)

 

ETF D ISTRIBUTION AGREEMENT

 

This Distribution Agreement (the “Agreement”) is made as of _________ 2017, by and between Elkhorn ETF Trust, a Massachusetts business trust (the “Trust”) having its principal place of business at 207 Reber Street, Suite 201, Wheaton, IL 60187, and Foreside Fund Services, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (the “Distributor”) having its principal place of business at Three Canal Plaza, Suite 100, Portland, ME 04101.

 

WHEREAS, the Trust is a registered open-end management investment company organized under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”) with separate and distinct series (each series a “Fund” and collectively the “Funds”) registered with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “1933 Act”);

 

WHEREAS, the Trust intends to create and redeem shares of beneficial interest (the “Shares”) of each Fund on a continuous basis and list the Shares on one or more national securities exchanges (together, the “Listing Exchanges”);

 

WHEREAS, the Distributor is registered with the SEC as a broker-dealer under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “1934 Act”), and is a member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (“FINRA”);

 

WHEREAS, the Trust desires to retain the Distributor to (i) act as the principal underwriter of the Funds with respect to the creation and redemption of Creation Units of each Fund, and (ii) hold itself available to review and approve orders for such Creation Units in the manner set forth in the Trust’s Prospectus; and

 

WHEREAS, the Distributor desires to provide the services described herein to the Trust subject to the terms and conditions set forth below.

 

NOW THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual promises and undertakings herein contained, the parties agree as follows:

 

1. Appointment .

     

The Trust hereby appoints the Distributor to serve as the principal underwriter of the Funds with respect to the creation and redemption of Creation Units of each Fund listed in Exhibit A hereto (as may be amended by the Trust from time to time on written notice to the Distributor) on the terms and for the period set forth in this Agreement and subject to the registration requirements of the federal securities laws and of the laws governing the sale of securities in the various states, and the Distributor hereby accepts such appointment and agrees to act in such capacity hereunder.

 

 

 

 

2. Definitions .

     

Wherever they are used herein, the following terms have the following respective meanings:

 

(a)     “Prospectus” means the Prospectus and Statement of Additional Information constituting parts of the Registration Statement of the Trust under the 1933 Act and the 1940 Act as such Prospectus and Statement of Additional Information may be amended or supplemented and filed with the SEC from time to time;

 

(b)     “Registration Statement” means the registration statement most recently filed from time to time by the Trust with the SEC and effective under the 1933 Act and the 1940 Act, as such registration statement is amended by any amendments thereto at the time in effect;

 

(c)     All other capitalized terms used but not defined in this Agreement shall have the meanings ascribed to such terms in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus.

 

3. Duties of the Distributo r

     

(a)     The Distributor agrees to serve as the principal underwriter of the Funds in connection with the review and approval of all Purchase and Redemption Orders of Creation Units of each Fund by Authorized Participants that have executed an Authorized Participant Agreement with the Distributor and Transfer Agent/ Index Receipt Agent. Nothing herein shall affect or limit the right and ability of the Transfer Agent/ Index Receipt Agent to accept Fund Securities, Deposit Securities, and related Cash Components through or outside the Clearing Process, and as provided in and in accordance with the Registration Statement and Prospectus. The Trust acknowledges that the Distributor shall not be obligated to approve any certain number of orders for Creation Units.

 

(b)     The Distributor agrees to use commercially reasonable efforts to provide the following services to the Trust with respect to the continuous distribution of Creation Units of each Fund: (i) at the request of the Trust, the Distributor shall enter into Authorized Participant Agreements between and among Authorized Participants, the Distributor and the Transfer Agent/Index Receipt Agent, for the purchase and redemption of Creation Units of the Funds, (ii) the Distributor shall approve and maintain copies of confirmations of Creation Unit purchase and redemption order acceptances; (iii) upon request, the Distributor will make available copies of the Prospectus to purchasers of such Creation Units and, upon request, the Statement of Additional Information; and (iv) the Distributor shall maintain telephonic, facsimile and/or access to direct computer communications links with the Transfer Agent.

 

(c)     The Distributor shall ensure that all direct requests to Distributor for Prospectuses, Statements of Additional Information, product descriptions and periodic fund reports, as applicable, are fulfilled.

 

2

 

 

(d)     The Distributor agrees to make available, at the Trust’s request, one or more members of its staff to attend, either via telephone or in person, Board meetings of the Trust in order to provide information with regard to the Distributor’s services hereunder and for such other purposes as may be requested by the Board of Trustees of the Trust.

 

(e)     Distributor shall review and approve, prior to use, all Trust marketing materials (“Marketing Materials”) for compliance with SEC and FINRA advertising rules, and will file all Marketing Materials required to filed with FINRA.  The Distributor agrees to furnish to the Trust’s investment adviser any comments provided by FINRA with respect to such materials.

 

(f)     The Distributor shall not offer any Shares and shall not approve any creation or redemption order hereunder if and so long as the effectiveness of the Registration Statement then in effect or any necessary amendments thereto shall be suspended under any of the provisions of the 1933 Act or if and so long as a current prospectus as required by Section 10 of the 1933 Act is not on file with the SEC; provided, however, that nothing contained in this paragraph shall in any way restrict or have any application to or bearing upon the Trust’s obligation to redeem or repurchase any Shares from any shareholder in accordance with provisions of the Prospectus or Registration Statement.

 

(g)     The Distributor shall work with the Index Receipt Agent to review and approve orders placed by Authorized Participants and transmitted to the Index Receipt Agent.

 

(h)      The Distributor agrees to maintain, and preserve for the periods prescribed by Rule 31a-2 under the 1940 Act, such records as are required to be maintained by Rule 31a-1(d) under the 1940 Act. The Distributor agrees that all records which it maintains pursuant to the 1940 Act for the Trust shall at all times remain the property of the Trust, shall be readily accessible during normal business hours, and shall be promptly surrendered upon the termination of the Agreement or otherwise on written request; provided, however, that Distributor may retain all such records required to be maintained by Distributor pursuant to applicable FINRA or SEC rules and regulations.

 

(j)     The Distributor agrees to maintain compliance policies and procedures (a “Compliance Program”) that are reasonably designed to prevent violations of the Federal Securities Laws (as defined in Rule 38a-1 of the 1940 Act) with respect to the Distributor’s services under this Agreement, and to provide any and all information with respect to the Compliance Program, including without limitation, information and certifications with respect to material violations of the Compliance Program and any material deficiencies or changes therein, as may be reasonably requested by the Trust’s Chief Compliance Officer or Board of Trustees.

 

4. Duties of the Trust.

     

(a)     The Trust agrees to create, issue, and redeem Creation Units of each Fund in accordance with the procedures described in the Prospectus. Upon reasonable notice to the Distributor and in accordance with the procedures described in the Prospectus, the Trust reserves the right to reject any order for Creation Units or to stop all receipts of such orders at any time.

 

3

 

 

(b)     The Trust agrees that it will take all actions necessary to register an indefinite number of Shares under the 1933 Act.

 

(c)     The Trust will make available to the Distributor such number of copies as Distributor may reasonably request of (i) its then currently effective Prospectus and Statement of Additional Information and product description, (ii) copies of semi-annual reports and annual audited reports of the Trust’s books and accounts made by independent public accountants regularly retained by the Trust, and (iii) such other publicly available information for use in connection with the distribution of Creation Units.

 

(d)     The Trust shall inform Distributor of any such jurisdictions in which the Trust has filed notice filings for Shares for sale under the securities laws thereof and shall promptly notify the Distributor of any change in this information. The Distributor shall not be liable for damages resulting from the sale of Shares in authorized jurisdictions where the Distributor had no information from the Trust that such sale or sales were unauthorized at the time of such sale or sales.

 

The Distributor acknowledges and agrees that the Trust reserves the right to suspend sales and Distributor’s authority to review and approve orders for Creation Units on behalf of the Trust. Upon due notice to the Distributor, the Trust shall suspend the Distributor’s authority to review and approve Creation Units if, in the judgment of the Trust, it is in the best interests of the Trust to do so. Suspension will continue for such period as may be determined by the Trust.

 

(e)     The Trust shall arrange to provide the Listing Exchanges with copies of Prospectuses, Statements of Additional Information, and product descriptions to be provided to purchasers in the secondary market.

 

(f) The Trust will make it known that Prospectuses and Statements of Additional Information and product descriptions are available by making sure such disclosures are in all marketing and advertising materials prepared by the Trust.

 

5. Fees and Expenses.

     

(a)     The Distributor shall be entitled to no compensation or reimbursement of expenses from the Trust for the services provided by the Distributor pursuant to this Agreement. The Distributor may receive compensation from the Investment Adviser related to its services hereunder or for additional services as may be agreed to between the Investment Adviser and Distributor.

 

4

 

 

(b)     The Trust shall bear the cost and expenses of: (i) the registration of the Shares for sale under the 1933 Act; and (ii) the registration or qualification of the Shares for sale under the securities laws of the various States.

 

(c)     The Distributor shall pay (i) all expenses relating to Distributor’s broker-dealer qualification and registration under the 1934 Act; and (ii) the expenses incurred by the Distributor in connection with routine FINRA filing fees.

 

(d)      Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary, the Distributor and its affiliates may receive compensation or reimbursement from the Trust’s Investment Adviser with respect to any services performed under this Agreement, as may be agreed upon by the parties from time to time.

 

The Trust shall bear any costs associated with printing Prospectuses, Statements of Additional Information and all other such materials.

 

6. Indemnification.

     

(a)     The Trust agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Distributor, its affiliates and each of their respective directors, officers and employees and agents and any person who controls the Distributor within the meaning of Section 15 of the 1933 Act (any of the Distributor, its officers, employees, agents and directors or such control persons, for purposes of this paragraph, a “Distributor Indemnitee”) against any loss, liability, claim, damages or expense (including the reasonable cost of investigating or defending any alleged loss, liability, claim, damages or expense and reasonable counsel fees incurred in connection therewith) (“Losses”) that a Distributor Indemnitee may incur arising out of or based upon: (i) Distributor serving as distributor for the Trust pursuant to this Agreement; (ii) the allegation of any wrongful act of the Trust or any of its directors, officers, employees or affiliates in connection with its duties and responsibilities in this Agreement; (iii) the breach by the Trust of any obligation, representation or warranty contained in this Agreement; (iv) the Trust’s failure to comply in any material respect with applicable securities laws; or (v) any claim that the Registration Statement, Prospectus, Statement of Additional Information, product description, shareholder reports, Marketing Materials and advertisements specifically approved by the Trust and Investment Adviser or other information filed or made public by the Trust (as from time to time amended) included an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements therein (and in the case of the Prospectus, Statement of Additional Information and product description, in light of the circumstances under which they were made) not misleading under the 1933 Act, or any other statute or the common law, provided, however, that the Client’s obligation to indemnify such Distributor Indemnitee shall not be deemed to cover any Losses arising out of any untrue statement or omission made in the Registration Statement, Prospectus, Statement of Additional Information, product description, shareholder reports, or Marketing Materials in reliance upon and in conformity with information relating to the Distributor and furnished to the Client or its counsel by such Distributor Indemnitee in writing and acknowledging the purpose of its use.

 

5

 

 

(b)     The Distributor agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Trust and each of its Trustees and officers and any person who controls the Trust within the meaning of Section 15 of the 1933 Act (for purposes of this paragraph, the Trust and each of its Trustees and officers and its controlling persons are collectively referred to as the “Trust Indemnitees”) against any Losses arising out of or based upon (i) the allegation of any wrongful act of the Distributor or any of its directors, officers, employees or affiliates in connection with its activities as Distributor pursuant to this Agreement; (ii) the breach of any obligation, representation or warranty contained in this Agreement by the Distributor; (iii) the Distributor’s failure to comply in any material respect with applicable securities laws, including applicable FINRA regulations; or (iv) any allegation that the Registration Statement, Prospectus, Statement of Additional Information, product description, shareholder reports, any information or materials relating to the Funds (as described in section 3(g)) or other information filed or made public by the Trust (as from time to time amended) included an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements not misleading, insofar as such statement or omission was made in reliance upon, and in conformity with information furnished to the Trust, in writing, by the Distributor.

 

In no case (i) is the indemnification provided by an indemnifying party to be deemed to protect against any liability the indemnified party would otherwise be subject to by reason of willful misfeasance, bad faith or gross negligence in the performance of its duties or by reason of its reckless disregard of its obligations and duties under this Agreement, or (ii) is the indemnifying party to be liable under this Section with respect to any claim made against any indemnified party unless the indemnified party notifies the indemnifying party in writing of the claim within a reasonable time after the summons or other first written notification giving information of the nature of the claim shall have been served upon the indemnified party (or after the indemnified party shall have received notice of service on any designated agent).

 

Failure to notify the indemnifying party of any claim shall not relieve the indemnifying party from any liability that it may have to the indemnified party against whom such action is brought, on account of this Section, unless failure or delay to so notify the indemnifying party prejudices the indemnifying party’s ability to defend against such claim. The indemnifying party shall be entitled to participate at its own expense in the defense or, if it so elects, to assume the defense of any suit brought to enforce the claim, but if the indemnifying party elects to assume the defense, the defense shall be conducted by counsel chosen by it and satisfactory to the indemnified party. In the event that indemnifying party elects to assume the defense of any suit and retain counsel, the indemnified party shall bear the fees and expenses of any additional counsel retained by them. If the indemnifying party does not elect to assume the defense of any suit, it will reimburse the indemnified party for the reasonable fees and expenses of any counsel retained by them. The indemnifying party agrees to notify the indemnified party promptly of the commencement of any litigation or proceedings against it or any of its officers or directors in connection with the purchase or redemption of any of the Creation Units or the Shares.

 

6

 

 

(c)     No indemnified party shall settle any claim against it for which it intends to seek indemnification from the indemnifying party, under the terms of section 6(a) or 6(b) above, without prior written notice to and consent from the indemnifying party, which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld. No indemnified or indemnifying party shall settle any claim unless the settlement contains a full release of liability with respect to the other party in respect of such action. This section 6 shall survive the termination of this Agreement.

 

(d)     The Trust acknowledges and agrees that as part of its duties, Distributor will enter into agreements with certain authorized participants (each an “AP” and collectively the “APs”) for the purchase and redemption of Creation Units (each such agreement an “AP Agreement”). The APs may insert and require that Distributor agree to certain provisions in the AP Agreements that contain certain representations, undertakings and indemnification that are not included in the form-of AP Agreement (each such modified AP Agreement a “Non-Standard AP Agreement).

 

To the extent that Distributor is requested or required to make any such representations mentioned above, the Trust shall indemnify, defend and hold the Distributor Indemnitees free and harmless from and against any and all Losses that any Distributor Indemnitee may incur arising out of or relating to (a) the Distributor’s actions or failures to act pursuant to any Non-Standard AP Agreement; (b) any representations made by the Distributor in any Non-Standard AP Agreement to the extent that the Distributor is not required to make such representations in the form-of AP Agreement; or (c) any indemnification provided by the Distributor under a Non-Standard AP Agreement. In no event shall anything contained herein be so construed as to protect the Distributor Indemnitees against any liability to the Trust or its shareholders to which the Distributor Indemnitees would otherwise be subject by reason of willful misfeasance, bad faith, or gross negligence in the performance of Distributor’s obligations or duties under the Non-Standard AP Agreement or by reason of Distributor’s reckless disregard of its obligations or duties under the Non-Standard AP Agreement.

 

7. Representations.

     

 

(a)

The Distributor represents and warrants that:

 

 

1.

(i) it is duly organized as a Delaware limited liability company and is and at all times will remain duly authorized and licensed under applicable law to carry out its services as contemplated herein; (ii) the execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement are within its power and have been duly authorized by all necessary action; (iii) its entering into this Agreement or providing the services contemplated hereby does not conflict with or constitute a default or require a consent under or breach of any provision of any agreement or document to which the Distributor is a party or by which it is bound; (iv) it is registered as a broker-dealer under the 1934 Act and is a member of FINRA; and (v) it has in place compliance policies and procedures reasonably designed to prevent violations of the Federal Securities Laws as that term is defined in Rule 38a-1 under the 1940 Act.

 

7

 

 

 

2.

All activities by the Distributor and its agents and employees in connection with the services provided in this Agreement shall comply with the Registration Statement and Prospectus, the instructions of the Trust, and all applicable laws, rules and regulations including, without limitation, all rules and regulations made or adopted pursuant to the 1940 Act by the SEC or any securities association registered under the 1934 Act, including FINRA.

 

(b)     The Distributor and the Trust each individually represent that its anti-money laundering program (“AML Program”), at a minimum, (i) designates a compliance officer to administer and oversee the AML Program, (ii) provides ongoing employee training, (iii) includes an independent audit function to test the effectiveness of the AML Program, (iv) establishes internal policies, procedures, and controls that are tailored to its particular business, (v)  provides for the filing of all necessary anti-money laundering reports including, but not limited to, currency transaction reports and suspicious activity reports, and (vi) allows for appropriate regulators to examine its anti-money laundering books and records. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Trust acknowledges that the Authorized Participants are not “customers” for the purposes of 31 CFR 103.

 

(c)     The Distributor and the Trust each individually represent and warrant that: (i) it has procedures in place reasonably designed to protect the privacy of non-public personal consumer/customer financial information to the extent required by applicable law, rule and regulation; and (ii) it will comply with all of the applicable terms and provisions of the 1934 Act.

 

(d)     The Trust represents and warrants that:

 

 

1.

(i) it is duly organized as a Massachusetts business trust and is and at all times will remain duly authorized to carry out its obligations as contemplated herein; (ii) it is registered as an investment company under the 1940 Act; (iii) the execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement are within its power and have been duly authorized by all necessary action; (iv) its entering into this Agreement does not conflict with or constitute a default or require a consent under or breach of any provision of any agreement or document to which the Trust is a party or by which it is bound; (v) the Registration Statement and each Fund’s Prospectus have been prepared, and all Marketing Materials shall be prepared, in all materials respects, in conformity with the 1933 Act, the 1940 Act and the rules and regulations of the SEC (the “Rules and Regulations”); and (vi) the Registration Statement and each Fund’s Prospectus contain, and all Marketing Materials shall contain, all statements required to be stated therein in accordance with the 1933 Act, the 1940 Act and the Rules and Regulations; (vii) all statements of fact contained therein, or to be contained in all Marketing Materials, are or will be true and correct in all material respects at the time indicated or the effective date, as the case may be, and none of the Registration Statement, any Fund’s Prospectus, nor any Marketing Materials shall include any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein, in the case of each Fund’s Prospectus in light of the circumstances in which made, not misleading; and (viii) except as otherwise noted in the Registration Statement and Prospectus, the offering price for all Creation Units will be the aggregate net asset value of the Shares per Creation Unit of the relevant Fund, as determined in the manner described in the Registration Statement and Prospectus;

 

8

 

 

 

2.

it shall file such amendment or amendments to the Registration Statement and each Fund’s Prospectus as, in the light of future developments, shall, in the opinion of the Trust’s counsel, be necessary in order to have the Registration Statement and each Fund’s Prospectus at all times contain all material facts required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances in which made, not misleading. The Trust shall not file any amendment to the Registration Statement or each Fund’s Prospectus without giving the Distributor reasonable notice thereof in advance, provided that nothing in this Agreement shall in any way limit the Trust’s right to file at any time such amendments to the Registration Statement or any Fund’s Prospectus as the Trust may deem advisable. The Trust will also notify the Distributor in the event of any stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Trust shall not be deemed to make any representation or warranty as to any information or statement provided by the Distributor for inclusion in the Registration Statement or any Fund’s Prospectus; and

 

 

3.

upon delivery of Deposit or Fund Securities to an Authorized Participant in connection with a purchase or redemption of Creation Units, the Authorized Participant will acquire good and unencumbered title to such securities, free and clear of all liens, restrictions, charges and encumbrances, and not subject to any adverse claims and that such Fund and Deposit Securities will not be “restricted securities” as such term is used in Rule 144(a)(3)(i) under the 1933 Act.

 

9

 

 

8. Duration, Termination and Amendment.

     

(a)     This Agreement shall be effective on the date set forth above, and unless terminated as provided herein, shall continue for two years from its effective date, and thereafter from year to year, provided such continuance is approved annually (i) by vote of a majority of the Trustees or by the vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund and (ii) by the vote of a majority of those Trustees who are not parties to this Agreement or interested persons of any such party cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on such approval. This Agreement may be terminated at any time, without the payment of any penalty, as to each Fund (i) by vote of a majority of those Trustees who are not parties to this Agreement or interested persons of any such party or (ii) by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund, or by the Distributor, on at least sixty (60) days prior written notice. This Agreement shall automatically terminate without the payment of any penalty in the event of its assignment. As used in this paragraph, the terms “vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities,” “assignment,” “affiliated person” and “interested person” shall have the respective meanings specified in the 1940 Act.

 

(b)     No provision of this Agreement may be changed, waived, discharged or terminated except by an instrument in writing signed by both parties.

 

9. Notice.

 

Any notice or other communication authorized or required by this Agreement to be given to either party shall be in writing and deemed to have been given when delivered in person or by confirmed facsimile, email, or posted by certified mail, return receipt requested, to the following address (or such other address as a party may specify by written notice to the other):

 

 

(i) To Foreside:

 

(ii) If to the Trust :

 

Foreside Fund Services, LLC

Attn: Legal Department

Three Canal Plaza, Suite 100

Portland, ME 04101

Telephone: (207) 553-7110

Facsimile: (207) 553-7151

Email:legal@foreside.com

 

With a copy to:

etp-services@foreside.com

 

 

Elkhorn ETF Trust

Attn:

207 Reber Street, Suite 201

Wheaton, IL 60187

Phone:

Fax:

Email:

 

10. Choice of Law.

     

This Agreement shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the state of Delaware, without giving effect to the choice of laws provisions thereof.

 

10

 

 

11. Counterpart s.

     

This Agreement may be executed in two or more counterparts, each of which shall be deemed an original, but all of which together shall constitute one and the same instrument.

 

12. Severability.

     

If any provisions of this Agreement shall be held or made invalid, in whole or in part, then the other provisions of this Agreement shall remain in force. Invalid provisions shall, in accordance with this Agreement’s intent and purpose, be amended, to the extent legally possible, in order to effectuate the intended results of such invalid provisions.

 

13. Insurance.

     

The Distributor will maintain at its expense an errors and omissions insurance policy adequate to cover services provided by the Distributor hereunder.

 

14. Confidentiality.

     

During the term of this Agreement, the Distributor and the Trust may have access to confidential information relating to such matters as either party’s business, trade secrets, systems, procedures, manuals, products, contracts, personnel, and clients. As used in this Agreement, “Confidential Information” means information belonging to one of the parties that is of value to such party and the disclosure of which could result in a competitive or other disadvantage to such party. Confidential Information includes, without limitation, financial information, proposal and presentations, reports, forecasts, inventions, improvements and other intellectual property; trade secrets; know-how; designs, processes or formulae; software; market or sales information or plans; customer lists; and business plans, prospects and opportunities (such as possible acquisitions or dispositions of businesses or facilities). Confidential Information includes information developed by either party in the course of engaging in the activities provided for in this Agreement, unless: (i) the information is or becomes publicly known through lawful means; (ii) the information is disclosed to the other party without a confidential restriction by a third party who rightfully possesses the information and did not obtain it, either directly or indirectly, from one of the parties, as the case may be, or any of their respective principals, employees, affiliated persons, or affiliated entities. The parties understand and agree that all Confidential Information shall be kept confidential by the other both during and after the term of this Agreement. Each party shall maintain commercially reasonable information security policies and procedures for protecting Confidential Information. The parties further agree that they will not, without the prior written approval by the other party, disclose such Confidential Information, or use such Confidential Information in any way, either during the term of this Agreement or at any time thereafter, except as required in the course of this Agreement and as provided by the other party or as required by law. Upon termination of this Agreement for any reason, or as otherwise requested by the Trust, all Confidential Information held by or on behalf of Trust shall be promptly returned to the Trust, or an authorized officer of the Distributor will certify to the Trust in writing that all such Confidential Information has been destroyed. This section 14 shall survive the termination of this Agreement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, a party may disclose the other’s Confidential Information if (i) required by law, regulation or legal process or if requested by the SEC or other governmental regulatory agency with jurisdiction over the parties hereto or (ii) requested to do so by the other party.

 

11

 

 

15. Limitation of Liability.

     

This Agreement is executed by or on behalf of the Trust with respect to each of the Trust Funds and the obligations hereunder are not binding upon any of the trustees, officers or shareholders of the Trust individually but are binding only upon the Fund to which such obligations pertain and the assets and property of such Fund. Separate and distinct records are maintained for each Fund and the assets associated with any such Fund are held and accounted for separately from the other assets of the Trust, or any other Fund of the Trust. The debts, liabilities, obligations, and expenses incurred, contracted for, or otherwise existing with respect to a particular Fund of the Trust shall be enforceable against the assets of that Fund only, and not against the assets of the Trust generally or any other Fund, and none of the debts, liabilities, obligations, and expenses incurred, contracted for, or otherwise existing with respect to the Trust generally or any other Fund shall be enforceable against the assets of that Fund. The Trust’s Agreement and Declaration of Trust is on file with the Trust.

 

16 . Use of Names; Publicity .

 

The Trust shall not use the Distributor’s name in any offering material, shareholder report, advertisement or other material relating to the Trust, in a manner not approved by the Distributor in writing prior to such use, such approval not to be unreasonably withheld. The Distributor hereby consents to all uses of its name required by the SEC, any state securities commission, or any federal or state regulatory authority.

 

The Distributor shall not use the name “__________” in any offering material, shareholder report, advertisement or other material relating to the Distributor, other than for the purpose of merely identifying the Trust as a client of Distributor hereunder, in a manner not approved by the Trust in writing prior to such use; provided, however, that the Trust shall consent to all uses of its name required by the SEC, any state securities commission, or any federal or state regulatory authority; and provided, further, that in no case shall such approval be unreasonably withheld.

 

The Distributor will not issue any press releases or make any public announcements regarding the existence of this Agreement without the express written consent of the Trust. Neither the Trust nor the Distributor will disclose any of the economic terms of this Agreement, except as may be required by law.

 

12

 

 

17. Exclusivity

     

Nothing herein contained shall prevent the Distributor from entering into similar distribution arrangements or from providing the services contemplated hereunder to other investment companies or investment vehicles.

 

 

 

 

 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be executed by their officers designated below as of the date first set forth above.

 

 

Foreside Fund Services, LLC

 

Elkhorn ETF Trust

 
       
       
       
       
By:

 

  By:

 

 
Mark Fairbanks, Vice President   Name:  
      Title:  

 

13

 

 

EXHIBIT A

 

Funds:

 

 

A-1

Exhibit (e)(2)

 

FIRST AMENDMENT TO

ETF DISTRIBUTION AGREEMENT

 

This First amendment (the “Amendment”) to the ETF Distribution Agreement (the “Agreement”) dated as of August 7, 2017, by and among Innovator ETFs Trust II f/k/a Elkhorn ETF Trust (the “Trust”) and Foreside Fund Services, LLC (the “Distributor”) is effective as of April 1, 2018 (the “Effective Date”).

 

WHEREAS , the Trust and Distributor (“the Parties”) desire to amend the Agreement to (i) reflect a name change of the Trust and (ii) reflect an updated list of Funds in Exhibit A to add Innovator Lunt Low Vol/High Beta Tactical ETF (f/k/a Elkhorn Lunt Low Vol/High Beta Tactical ETF), and Innovator S&P High Quality Preferred ETF (f/k/a Elkhorn S&P High Quality Preferred ET, and delete all other Funds; and

 

WHEREAS, pursuant to Section 8(b) of the Agreement, all amendments are required to be in writing and executed by the parties hereto.

 

NOW THEREFORE , for and in consideration of the mutual covenants and agreements contained herein, the Parties hereby agree as follows:

 

1.     Capitalized terms not otherwise defined herein shall have the meanings set forth in the Agreement.

 

2.     All references to “Elkhorn ETF Trust” are hereby deleted and replaced with “Innovator ETFs Trust II.” All references in the Agreement to the “Trust” shall reference Innovator ETFs Trust II.

 

3.     Exhibit A of the Agreement is hereby deleted in its entirety and replaced by Exhibit A attached hereto.

 

4.     Except as expressly amended hereby, all of the provisions of the Agreement are restated and in full force and effect to the same extent as if fully set forth herein.

 

5.     This Amendment shall be governed by and the provisions of this Amendment shall be construed and interpreted under and in accordance with the laws of the State of Delaware.

 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF , the Parties hereto have caused this Amendment to be executed in their names and on their behalf by and through their duly authorized officers, as of the Effective Date.

 

INNOVATOR ETFs TRUST II f/k/a     FORESIDE FUND SERVICES, LLC  
Elkhorn ETF Trust      
           
           
By:     By:    
  Name:     Mark Fairbanks, Vice President  
  Title:        

 

 

 

 

EXHIBIT A

 

Funds:

 

As of April 1 , 2018

 

Innovator ETFs Trust II (formerly known as Elkhorn ETF Trust)

 

Innovator Lunt Low Vol/High Beta Tactical ETF(f/k/a Elkhorn Lunt Low Vol/High Beta Tactical ETF)

 

Innovator S&P High Quality Preferred ETF (f/k/a Elkhorn S&P High Quality Preferred ETF)

 

Exhibit (h)(4)

 

Sub-License Agreement

 

This agreement (“ Sub-License Agreement”) is made by and between Innovator Capital Management LLC (“Licensee”) , whose principal offices are located at 120 North Hale Street, Suite 200, Wheaton, Illinois 60187 and who is a licensee of S&P Opco LLC (a subsidiary of S&P Dow Jones Indices, LLC) ( S&P ”) , a Delaware limited liability company whose principal offices are located at 55 Water Street, New York, New York 10041, and Elkhorn S&P High Quality Preferred ETF (“Sub-Licensee”) , whose principal offices are located at 120 North Hale Street, Suite 200, Wheaton, Illinois 60187.

 

WHEREAS, S&P possesses certain rights to “S&P ® ” and the “S&P U.S. High Quality Preferred Stock Index” as registered trademarks, trade names and service marks (“Marks”) ;

 

WHEREAS, S&P determines the components of the S&P U.S. High Quality Preferred Stock Index and the proprietary data contained therein ( Index”) and such efforts involve the considerable expenditure of time, effort, judgment and money;

 

WHEREAS, S&P calculates, maintains, and disseminates the Index;

 

WHEREAS, S&P and Licensee have previously entered into a separate master agreement, dated _________, concerning use of the Index and Marks ( License A greement”) ; and

 

WHEREAS, pursuant to [Section 3] of the License Agreement, Licensee hereby grants to Sub-Licensee a non-exclusive and non-transferable sublicense to use the Index and Marks in connection with the issuance, distribution, marketing and/or promotion of shares of the Sub-Licensee;

 

NOW THEREFORE, in consideration of the premises and the mutual covenants and conditions herein, Licensee and Sub-Licensee, intending to be legally bound, agree as follows:

 

Section 1.       Scope of S ub-License . Sub-Licensee hereby acknowledges that it has received, reviewed, and understands the License Agreement entered into between Licensee and S&P relating to use of the Index and Marks. Except as noted herein, Sub-Licensee hereby agrees to obligate itself to all the terms, conditions, and obligations of that License Agreement as if Sub-Licensee were the Licensee. Sub-Licensee agrees that S&P may exercise any rights against Sub-Licensee (including, for example, limitation of liability, indemnification, or audit rights) S&P has against the Licensee to the same extent as if Sub-Licensee were directly contracting with S&P. Sub-Licensee agrees it will not assert against S&P any defense, claim, or right Sub-Licensee may have against Licensee, including those of set-off, abatement, counter-claim, contribution, or indemnification.

 

Section 2.       No Further S ub-License . All references in the License Agreement to sub- licenses and sub-licensees, including any right of sub-licensee to grant further sub-licenses or to permit further sub-licensees are not applicable to this Sub-License Agreement and are as if deleted from the License Agreement.

 

 

 

 

Section 3.       Term . The Term of this Sub-License Agreement automatically terminates, without Notice, if the Term of the License Agreement terminates for any reason.

 

Section 4.       General P rovisions . The provisions of the License Agreement govern this Sub- License Agreement. All terms and definitions used in this Sub-License Agreement, unless otherwise indicated, have the same meanings and definitions as in the License Agreement. Licensee has no authority to waive, renegotiate, or forgive any provision of the License Agreement as it applies to Sub-Licensee.

 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Parties hereto have caused this Sub-License Agreement to be executed by their duly authorized officers.

 

 

Innovator Capital Management , LLC (“ Licensee ”)

 

 

By: __________________________________________

 

Name: Bruce Bond

 

Title: Chief Executive Officer

 

Effective Date: _________________________________

 

 

 

Elkhorn S&P High Quality Preferred ETF (“ Sub-Licensee ”)

 

 

By: __________________________________________

 

Name: Bruce Bond

 

Title: President

 

Effective Date: _________________________________

 

-2-

Exhibit (j)

 

 

CONSENT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

 

 

 

We have issued our report dated May 30, 2018 with respect to the financial statements and financial highlights of Innovator S&P Investment Grade Preferred ETF (formerly Innovator S&P High Quality Preferred ETF) for the year ended March 31, 2018, which is incorporated by reference in the Prospectus and Statement of Additional Information contained in this Registration Statement. We consent to the use of the aforementioned report in the Prospectus and Statement of Additional Information contained in this Registration Statement, and to the use of our name as it appears under the captions “Financial Highlights” and “Financial Statements”.

 

/s/ Grant Thornton LLP

 

Chicago, Illinois

July 30, 2018

 

Exhibit (p)(1)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Innovator Capital Management, LLC

 

ACADEMY FUNDS TRUST

 

 

 

 

JOINT CODE OF ETHICS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Effective: May, 2017

 

 

 

 

Introduction

 

Pursuant to rules established by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), it is unlawful for certain persons of Innovator Capital Management, LLC (the “Adviser”) and the Academy Funds Trust (the “Trust”), in connection with the purchase or sale by such persons of securities held or to be acquired by a client account:

 

 

1.

To employee any device, scheme or artifice to defraud;

 

2.

To make any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances in which they were made, not misleading;

 

3.

To engage in any act, practice or course of business that operates or would operate as a fraud or deceit; or

 

4.

To engage in any manipulative practice.

 

The SEC’s rules also require investment advisers and registered investment companies to adopt a written code of ethics containing provisions reasonably necessary to prevent certain persons from engaging in acts in violation of the above standard.

 

Consistent with the SEC’s rules, the Adviser and the Trust have adopted this Joint Code of Ethics (the “Code”). The Code sets forth detailed policies and procedures that Covered Persons (as defined below) of the Adviser and Trust must follow in regard to their personal investing activities. All Covered Persons are required to comply with the Code and applicable federal securities laws as a condition of continued employment.

 

The Code is intended to serve as the minimum standard of conduct for persons having access to information regarding the purchase and sale of portfolio securities by the Trust, or other registered investment companies for which the Adviser serves as adviser or sub-adviser, as well as the Adviser’s separate accounts and other advisory clients (collectively, the “Advisory Clients”). Each employee must avoid any activity or relationship that may reflect unfavorably on the Adviser and the Trust as a result of a possible conflict of interest, the appearance of such a conflict, the improper use of confidential information or the appearance of any impropriety.

 

This Code is designed to detect and prevent conflicts of interest between the Adviser’s and the Trust’s employees, officers, partners, members and trustees/directors (as applicable) and the Adviser’s Advisory Clients, which includes the Trust, that may arise due to personal investing activities. The Adviser has also established separate procedures designed to detect and prevent insider trading, which are included in the Adviser’s compliance manual and which should be read together with this Code.

 

Personal investing activities of Covered Persons may create conflicts of interests that may compromise fiduciary duties to Advisory Clients. As a result, Covered Persons must avoid any transaction that involves, or even appears to involve, a conflict of interest, diversion of an Advisory Client investment opportunity or other impropriety with respect to dealing with an Advisory Client or acting on behalf of an Advisory Client.

 

As fiduciaries, Covered Persons must at all times comply with the following principles:

 

 

Client Interests Come First. Covered Persons must scrupulously avoid serving their own personal interests ahead of the interests of Advisory Clients. If a Covered Person puts his/her own personal interests ahead of an Advisory Client’s, or violates the law in any way, he/she will be subject to disciplinary action, even if he/she is in technical compliance with the Code.

 

1

 

 

 

Avoid Taking Advantage. Covered Persons may not make personal investment decisions based on their knowledge of Advisory Client holdings or transactions. The most common example of this is “front running,” or knowingly engaging in a personal transaction ahead of an Advisory Client with the expectation that the Advisory Client’s transaction will cause a favorable move in the market. This prohibition applies whether a Covered Person’s transaction is in the same direction as the transaction placed on behalf of an Advisory Client (for example, two purchases) or the opposite direction (a purchase and sale).

 

If you are uncertain whether a real or apparent conflict exists in any particular situation, you should consult with the chief compliance officer for the Adviser and the Trust (the “CCO”) immediately.

 

The Code sets forth detailed policies and procedures that Covered Persons (as defined below) of the Adviser and the Trust must follow in regard to their personal investing activities. All Covered Persons are required to comply with the Code as a condition of continued employment.

 

 

 

1.

Who is subject to the Code ?

 

 

1.1.

Covered Persons . For the purposes of this Code, Covered Person is defined as:

 

 

1.1.1.

Each employee of the Adviser;

 

 

1.1.2.

Each employee, officer, or member (as applicable) of the Adviser or the Trust;

 

 

who, in connection with his or her regular functions or duties, makes, participates in or obtains information regarding, the purchase or sale of securities covered by this Code, or whose functions relate to the making of any recommendations with respect to such purchases or sales;

 

 

1.1.3.

Each Trustee of the Trust; and

 

 

1.1.4.

Each natural person in a control 1 relationship to the Trust or the Adviser:

 

 

who obtains information concerning recommendations made to the Trust with regard to the purchase or sale of securities covered by this Code.

 

 

_____________________________

1 Control means the power to exercise a controlling influence over the management or policies of the Adviser or Trust, unless such power is solely the result of an official position with the Adviser or the Trust.

 

2

 

 

 

2.

What Types of Investments are subject to the Code ?

 

This Code requires that information about a Covered Person’s investments in certain securities be reported to the CCO.

 

For purposes of this Code, the term “ Reportable Security ” means any interest or instrument commonly known as a security, whether in the nature of debt or equity, including any: (i) option, (ii) futures contract; (iii) shares of registered closed-end funds; (iv) shares of registered open-end investment companies (i.e., mutual funds) that are advised by the Adviser (including those held in retirement accounts and that are not money market funds) and shares of exchange traded funds; (v) warrant; (vi) note; (vii) stock; (viii) treasury stock; (ix) bond; (x) debenture; (xi) evidence of indebtedness; (xii) certificate of interest; or (xiii) any participation in, or right to subscribe to or purchase, any such interest or instrument.

 

 

3.

What Types of Investments are not subject to the Code .

 

This Code does not require information about the following types of securities:

 

 

direct obligations of the U.S. government;

 

bankers’ acceptances, bank certificates of deposit, commercial paper and high quality short-term debt instruments, including repurchase agreements;

 

shares of money market funds;

 

shares issued by open-end investment companies other than registered investment companies for which the Adviser serves as an adviser or sub-adviser, including exchange traded funds; or

 

shares issued by unit investment trusts, including exchange traded funds, that are invested exclusively in one or more open-end investment companies, none of which are registered investment companies for which the Adviser serves as an adviser or sub-adviser.

 

 

4.

What Types of Accounts are subject to the Code ?

 

 

4.1.

Covered Accounts

 

Covered Account ” includes any securities account, whether held at a broker/dealer, transfer agent, investment advisory firm or other financial services firm, in which a Covered Person has a beneficial interest or over which a Covered Person has investment discretion or other control or influence. 2     A Covered Account includes the accounts of immediate family members. 3    Restrictions placed on transactions executed within a Covered Account also pertain to investments held outside of an account of which a Covered Person has physical control, such as a stock certificate. 4

 

 

_____________________________

2 Beneficial interest in an account includes any direct or indirect financial interest in an account.

3 Immediate family includes your spouse, children and/or stepchildren and other relatives who live with you if you contribute to their financial support.

4 Covered Accounts also include accounts for which a Covered Person has power of attorney, serves as executor, trustee or custodian, and corporate or investment club accounts.

 

3

 

 

 

4.2.

Joint Accounts

 

Covered Persons of the Adviser are prohibited from entering into a joint account, supervised by the Adviser, with any Advisory Client.

 

 

5.

What are the Restrictions on Trading ?

 

 

5.1.

Pre-clearance Requirements

 

Covered Persons must obtain prior written approval before acquiring a direct or indirect beneficial ownership (through purchase or otherwise) of: (i) a Reportable Security, (ii) a security in an initial public offering (“IPO”), or (iii) a security in a limited offering (generally meaning a private placement, such as a hedge fund or private equity fund).

 

See Appendix A for the pre-clearance form to be used to obtain permission to make investments in Reportable Securities and Appendix B for the pre-clearance form to be used to obtain permission to make investments in private placements or IPOs.

 

 

5.2.

Lockout Period

 

Covered Persons may not purchase or sell a Reportable Security within seven calendar days prior to, or within seven days after, the Trust or an Advisory Client trades in such Reportable Security; except that , a Covered Person may sell a Reportable Security within seven calendar days after the Trust or Advisory Client executed a sales transaction in that same Reportable Security if the Trust or other Advisory Client no longer have a position in such Reportable Security.

 

Any profits realized by a Covered Person in contravention of this subsection must be disgorged.

 

 

5.3.

Holding Period

 

Covered Persons are required to hold any securities of Advisory Clients for a minimum of 60 days before selling the securities at a profit. Closing positions at a loss is restricted and may only be allowed at the discretion of the CCO in a case of hardship.

 

 

5.4.

Exempt Purchases and Sales

 

The prohibitions on purchases and sales set forth in paragraphs 5.1, 5.2 and 5.3 of this Section of this Code shall not apply to Trustees of the Trust who would be required to comply with these paragraphs solely by reason of being a Trustee of the Trust.

 

 

6.

Reporting and Certification Requirements

 

 

 

6.1.

Initial Holdings Report and Certification

 

Within 10 days after a Covered Person commences employment, he/she must certify in writing that he/she has received the Code, has read and understands the Code, that he/she will comply with its requirements, and that he/she has disclosed or reported all personal investments and accounts required to be disclosed or reported. (Please see Appendices C and D for the required certifications and disclosure). Information disclosed may be no more than 45 days old at the time of disclosure. Covered Persons are only required to report holdings in Reportable Securities as defined in Section 2 of this Code.

 

4

 

 

The CCO will arrange to receive directly from the executing broker/dealer, bank or other third-party institution duplicate copies of trade confirmations for each transaction and periodic account statements for each Covered Account.

 

Accounts over which Covered Persons have no control. Covered Persons are not required to report securities held in accounts over which the Covered Person has no direct or indirect influence or control. However, Covered Persons are required to include in initial and annual holdings reports the name of any broker/dealer or bank with which the Covered Person has an account in which any securities are held for his/her direct or indirect benefit.

 

When Duplicate Confirmations or Statements Are Not Available. You may wish to engage in a transaction for which no confirmation can be delivered to the CCO (e.g., transactions involving certain types of derivatives). These types of transactions require the prior written approval of the CCO and will involve additional reporting requirements.

 

 

6.2.

Ongoing Reporting Regarding Covered Accounts

 

Covered Persons must notify the CCO within 10 business days from the time any Covered Account is opened and immediately upon making or being notified of a change in ownership or account number. The notification must be submitted in writing to the CCO and include the broker name, name of the account, the date the account was opened, account number (if new account) or, if the account number changed, the old number and new number and the effective date of the change.

 

 

6.3.

Quarterly Transactions Report for Covered Persons

 

All Covered Persons, unless otherwise exempted, shall submit to the CCO, within 30 business days after quarter end, a report of all reportable transactions during the previous quarter (Please see Appendix E). The report shall state the title, and number of shares, the principal amount of the security involved, the exchange ticker symbol or CUSIP number as applicable, the interest rate and maturity date if applicable, the date and nature of the transaction, the price at which the transaction was effected and the name of the broker, dealer or bank with or through whom the transaction was effected. The report shall also include the date it was submitted by the Covered Person. Covered Persons who have reported reportable transactions through duplicate copies of broker confirmations and statements are not required to file a quarterly report, if the confirmation and statement is received no later than 30 days after the end of the applicable quarter.

 

Covered Persons are not required to submit quarterly transaction reports with respect to regular periodic purchases or sales that are made automatically to or from an investment account in accordance with a pre-determined schedule or allocation (e.g., an automatic investment plan or dividend reinvestment plan).

 

 

6.4.

Annual Certification for Covered Persons

 

Annually, Covered Persons must certify that they have read and understand the Code, that they have complied with its requirements during the preceding year, and that they have disclosed or reported all personal transactions/holdings required to be disclosed or reported (Please see Appendix C). Covered Persons must also disclose all personal investments and accounts on an annual basis (Please see Appendix D). Information disclosed must be current as of a date no more than 45 days before the report is submitted.

 

5

 

 

Covered Persons are only required to submit an annual holdings report relating to Reportable Securities as defined in Section 2 of this Code.

 

Covered Persons are not required to report securities held in accounts over which the Covered Person has no direct or indirect influence or control. However, Covered Persons are required to include the name of any broker/dealer or bank with which the Covered Person has an account in which any securities are held for his/her direct or indirect benefit.

 

 

6.5.

Exceptions from Reporting Requirements

 

Trustees who are not “interested persons” as defined under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the “Independent Trustees”), who would be required to make reports described in this Section of this Code solely by reason of being a Trustee of the Trust, need not:

 

 

a.

Arrange to have the CCO receive duplicate copies of trade confirmations and periodic account statements directly from an executing broker/dealer, bank or other third-party institution where the Independent Trustee maintains Covered Accounts;

 

 

b.

Disclose personal investments and accounts on the Initial and Annual Disclosure Form for Covered Persons (Appendix D); or

 

 

c.

Provide a report of all reportable transactions during the previous quarter on the Quarterly Transaction Report for Covered Persons (Appendix E), unless the Trustee knew or, in the ordinary course of fulfilling his or her official duties as a Trustee, should have known that during the 15 days immediately before or after the date of a securities transaction in the Independent Trustee’s Covered Accounts that: (i) the security was purchased or sold by the Trust; or (ii) the Trust or its Adviser considered purchasing or selling the security for the Trust. Independent Trustees must file these reports within 30 days of the end of the calendar quarter in which the trade occurred.

 

 

7.

Administration and Enforcement

 

 

7.1.

Determination of Persons covered by Code

 

The CCO for the Adviser and the Trust will determine who is covered by this Code and will provide each such person with a copy of the Code and any amendments thereto.

 

 

7.2.

Review of Personal Trading Information

 

All information regarding a Covered Person’s personal investment transactions, including the reports required by Section 6, will be reviewed by the CCO. All such information may also be available for inspection by the Trust’s Board of Trustees. By signing the acknowledgement attached to this document, each Covered Person acknowledges that the CCO shall be permitted to obtain and review information, including account statements and trade confirmations, from brokerage firms, retirement plan administrators and other financial intermediaries, relating to the securities held by the Covered Person.

 

6

 

 

 

7.3.

Annual Review/Report

 

The CCO will review the Code at least annually in light of legal and business developments and experience in implementing the Code. The CCO will provide an annual report to the Trust’s Board of Trustees that: (i) describes issues that arose during the previous year under the Code, including, but not limited to, information about material Code violations and sanctions imposed in response to those material violations; (ii) recommends changes in existing restrictions or procedures based on the experience implementing the Code, evolving industry practices or developments in applicable laws or regulations; (iii) and certifies to the Board that procedures have been adopted that are designed to prevent Covered Persons from violating the Code.

 

 

7.4.

Reporting Violations

 

Upon discovering a violation of this Code, a Covered Person shall immediately report such violation to the CCO and the CCO will be responsible for investigating such violations.

 

 

7.5.

Sanctions and Remedies

 

If the CCO determines that a Covered Person has violated the Code, he may impose sanctions and other appropriate actions, including issuing a letter of education, suspending or limiting personal trading activities, imposing a fine, recommending a suspension or termination of employment of a Covered Person employed by the Adviser or the Trust and/or informing regulators if the situation warrants. As part of any sanction, the CCO may require the violator to reverse the trade(s) in question and forfeit any profit or absorb any loss from the trade. Any money forfeited pursuant to this section will be donated to a charity selected by the CCO.

 

 

7.6.

Record Retention

 

The Adviser’s CCO, or his designee, is responsible to ensure that all records required to be maintained under the SEC rules are properly maintained. The CCO, or his designee, is also responsible to communicate with each functional department of the Adviser, as necessary, to ensure that employees of the Adviser understand their responsibilities regarding this policy.

 

 

7.7.

Exemption Procedures

 

The CCO may grant exemptions from the requirements in this Code in appropriate circumstances. The CCO shall consider such exemptions upon written request by a Covered Person stating the basis for requested relief. The CCO’s decision is within her sole discretion.

 

 

7.8.

Questions and Exceptions

 

Any questions regarding this Code should be discussed with the CCO.

 

7

 

 

Appendix A

 

Reportable Securities Pre-Clearance Request Form

 

TO: Chief Compliance Officer

 

FROM: _____________________

 

DATE: ______________________

 

 

As provided in section 5.1 of the Code of Ethics, and unless otherwise exempted, if a Covered Person wants to purchase or sell a Reportable Security he/she must complete this form and obtain the required approvals prior to investing. A Covered Person may not purchase or sell such security until he/she receives written permission from the Chief Compliance Officer (i.e., an approval e-mail). Oral discussions do not constitute approval under any circumstances.

 

INVESTMENT INFORMATION:

 

1.     Name of Issuer and Ticker Symbol: _____________________

 

2.     Purchase or Sale:                                                                                                                                                                                

 

3.     Principal amount of transaction:                            # of shares/units:                           

 

4.     Equity or debt?                           

 

 

 

To the best of my knowledge, the information provided above is accurate and I am not predicating this transaction on the basis of having obtained any material non-public information.

 

I will notify the Chief Compliance Officer immediately of any material changes to the information provided above.

 

 

Name:                                                                     

(Please Print)

 

Signature:                                                              

 

Date:                                                                       

 

 

 

 

Appendix B

 

IPO and Limited Offering Pre-Clearance Request Form

 

TO: Chief Compliance Officer        

 

FROM:

 

DATE:

 

 

As provided in section 5.1 of the Code of Ethics, and unless otherwise exempted, if a Covered Person wants to participate in an IPO of a security, a private placement or a limited partnership, he/she must complete this form and obtain the required approvals prior to investing. A Covered Person may not participate in any IPO, private placement or limited partnership until he/she receives written permission from the Chief Compliance Officer. Oral discussions do not constitute approval under any circumstances.

 

INVESTMENT INFORMATION:

 

1.     Name of proposed investment:                                                      Date of investment:                                

 

2.     Nature of investment:                                                                                                                                                                                

 

3.     Amount to be invested:                               # of shares:                      % ownership:                     

 

4.     Describe terms of investment:

 

Equity or debt?                       Open-ended or specific maturity date?                     

 

Further investment contemplated?                         Amount?                       

 

5.     Was this investment offered to you due to your affiliation with the Adviser or the Trust?

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            

 

6.     Do you have a position as officer of the company or other duties in connection with the investment?                                                                                                      

 

7.     Do you give investment advice to the company or any affiliate of the company? If so, please describe:                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       

 

8.     Are you informed or consulted about investments made by the company?

 

Describe:

 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              

 

9.     How frequently will you receive statements/communications regarding the investment?

 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                

 

 

 

 

10.   Is the company privately/publicly held?

 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          

 

11.   If privately held, are you aware of any plan to bring the company public?

 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          

 

12.   Have you informed the company that you are a “restricted person” in the event of an IPO of securities?

 

_______

 

13.   Describe any connection(s) between the investment and the Adviser or the Trust:

 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          

 

14.   To your knowledge, are there any clients of the Adviser for whom this is an appropriate investment?

 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          

 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          

 

15.   Describe any client connections to this investment:

 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          

 

16.   Are you aware of any conflict between your duties at the Adviser or Trust and this investment?

 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          

 

Please attach any relevant reports/statements you can provide which describe this investment.

 

To the best of my knowledge, the information provided above is accurate. I will notify the Chief Compliance Officer immediately of any material changes to the information provided above.

 

 

Name:                                                                 

(Please Print)

 

Signature:                                                             

 

 

Date:                                                                      

 

 

 

 

Appendix C

 

 

COVERED PERSON ACKNOWLEDGMENT

 

I hereby acknowledge receipt of a copy of the Joint Code of Ethics (the “Code”) for Innovator Capital Management, LLC (the “Adviser”) and the Academy Funds Trust (the “Trust”), which I have read and understand fully. I agree to comply fully with all provisions of the Code to the extent that such provisions apply to me. I further understand and acknowledge that any violation of the Code, including engaging in a prohibited transaction or the failure to file reports, may subject me to the sanctions and remedies discussed in Section 7 of this Code.

 

I hereby represent to the Adviser and the Trust that the information that I have provided, if required by this Code, is a true, accurate, and complete list of all of my brokerage and trading accounts, and private placement holdings, specifying in reasonable detail all such accounts, with whom they are held, and the holdings and other investments, direct or indirect, of such accounts. I further agree that I will promptly, but in any event, within ten days, give written notice to the Chief Compliance Officer for the Adviser and the Trust of any changes to the information that I have provided so that such information is at all times true, accurate, and complete. I further agree to provide, unless otherwise exempted, monthly securities transactions confirmations and statements (or on a quarterly basis when monthly statements and confirmations are unavailable) to the Adviser and Trust, as applicable.

 

I have fully read the Code. I agree to be bound by the terms and conditions outlined in it.

 

         
  Signed   Dated  
         
         
         
         
  Name      

 

 

 

 

Appendix D

 

INITIAL AND ANNUAL DISCLOSURE FORM FOR COVERED PERSONS

 

PART I DISCLOSURE OF EMPLOYEE ACCOUNTS

 

Δ I do not maintain any Covered Accounts as defined in the Code of Ethics for Innovator Capital Management, LLC and Academy Funds Trust. Below is a list of all my Covered Accounts as defined in the Code. Check all that apply as to the Account Type.

 

Δ (<)Direct Brokerage Account

 

(1) I have full investment discretion on the account

 

(2) I have full investment discretion on the account which I am managing for another person

 

(3) I do not have investment discretion on the account (Investment discretion is 100% exercised by a broker, financial advisor, etc.)

Δ (b) Trust Account

Δ (c ) Employee Stock Plan (“ESOP”), 401(k) Plans, private placement or similar product that cannot be transferred to a brokerage account

Δ (d) Other (Please explain:                                                                                                                                                                                         )

 

Name   and   address   of   Financial

Institution   (broker-dealer,   bank,   ESOP,

401(k)   plan   sponsors,   etc.)

 

Account   Name   (indicate   if   any   of   the

accounts   are   individually   or   jointly   held )

Account

Type

(a,b,c,d)

Account   Number

       
       
       
       
       

 

PART II DISCLOSURE OF COVERED SECURITIES HOLDINGS

Δ I do not maintain, have a financial interest, or influence/control the activities of any securities.

Below is a list of all personal securities holdings for which I have direct or indirect beneficial ownership.

D Indicate by checking this box if you have already provided a copy of your most recent statement (not more than 45 days old) for each account listed below

 

Security   (Include   full   name   of   issuer)   and   exchange   ticker   symbol   (or   Cusip   Number)

#   of   Shares   and   Principal   Amount

   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

 

 

This report (i) excludes transactions with respect to which I had no direct or indirect influence or control; and (ii) excludes other transactions not required to be reported.

 

Signature:                                                         Print Name:                                                        Date:                                            

 

 

 

 

Appendix E

 

 

QUARTERLY TRANSACTION REPORT FOR COVERED PERSONS

 

Below is a list of all transactions in Reportable Securities during the past quarter in which the undersigned had any direct or indirect beneficial interest.

 

 

Date   of

Transactions

 

Security   and

exchange

ticker   symbol

(or   Cusip

Number)

 

Nature   of

Transaction

(e.g.,

Purchase   or

Sale)

 

Number   of

Shares   and

Principal

Amount

 

Price   at

which

transaction

was

effected

 

Name   of

broker/dealer

effecting

transaction

                       
                       
                       
                       
                       
                       
                       
                       

 

This report (i) excludes transactions with respect to which I had no direct or indirect influence or control and (ii) excludes other transactions not required to be reported.

 

Signature:                                                         Print Name:                                                         Date:                                                   

Exhibit (p)(2)

 

 

 

Code of Ethics

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Penserra Capital Management LLC

 

 

March 2016

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Penserra Capital Management LLC

 

CODE OF ETHICS

 

Adopted March 1, 2016

 

 

I. INTRODUCTION

 

 

High ethical standards are essential for the success of Penserra Capital Management LLC (the “Adviser”) and to maintain the confidence of the Adviser’s clients. The Adviser’s long-term business interests are best served by adherence to the principle that the interests of clients come first. We have a fiduciary duty to clients to act solely for the benefit of our clients. All personnel of the Adviser, including members, officers and employees of the Adviser must put the interests of the Adviser’s clients before their own personal interests and must act honestly and fairly in all respects in dealings with clients. All personnel of the Adviser must also comply with all federal securities laws.

 

Potential conflicts of interest between the interests of the Adviser’s personnel and the interests of the Adviser’s clients may arise in connection with the operation of the Adviser’s investment Advisory activities, including conflicts arising in connection with the personal trading activities of the Adviser’s personnel. In recognition of (i) the fact that an employee of the Adviser may have a pre-existing personal securities account and may require the ability to sell securities from time to time, (ii) the Adviser’s fiduciary duty to its clients and (iii) the Adviser’s desire to maintain its high ethical standards, the Adviser has adopted this Code of Ethics (the “Code”) containing provisions designed to prevent improper personal trading, identify conflicts of interest and provide a means to resolve any actual or potential conflicts in favor of the Adviser’s clients. The Code is intended to comply with Rule 204A-1 under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended (the “Advisers Act”) and Rule 17j-1 under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act”).

 

Adherence to the Code and the reporting requirements related to personal investing is considered a basic condition of employment by the Adviser. If you have any doubt as to the propriety of any activity, you should consult with the CCO, who is charged with the administration of this Code.

 

I. DEFINITIONS

 

Access Person of the Adviser means any Advisory Person of the Adviser.

 

Advisory Person of the Adviser means (i) any officer, manager, member, consultant or employee (full- time, part-time or temporary) of the Adviser (or of any company with a control relationship to the Adviser) who, in connection with his or her regular functions or duties, makes, participates in, or obtains information regarding the purchase or sale of Reportable Securities by a client or has access to Fund portfolio information, or whose functions relate to the making of any recommendations with respect to such purchase or sale of Reportable Securities, and (ii) any natural person in a control relationship to the Adviser who obtains information concerning recommendations made to clients with regard to the purchase or sale of Reportable Securities.

 

Automatic Investment Plan means a program in which regular periodic purchases (or withdrawals) are made automatically in (or from) investment accounts in accordance with a predetermined schedule and allocation, including a dividend reinvestment plan.

 

2

 

 

Beneficial Ownership includes ownership by any person who, directly or indirectly, through any contract, arrangement, understanding, relationship or otherwise, has or shares a direct or indirect “pecuniary” or financial interest in a security. For example, an individual has an indirect pecuniary interest in any security owned by the individual’s spouse. Beneficial ownership also includes, directly or indirectly, through any contract, arrangement, understanding, relationship, or otherwise, having or sharing “voting power” or “investment power” as those terms are used in Section 13(d) of the Exchange Act and Rule 13d-3 thereunder.

 

Compliance Officer means the Chief Compliance Officer of the Adviser.

 

Covered Person means any Advisory Person of the Adviser and any other member, manager, officer, consultant or employee (including, full-time, part-time and temporary employees) of the Adviser and any person who serves as a dual employee of, or is affiliated with, the Adviser and a company with a control relationship to the Adviser. A Covered Person also includes any solicitor/consultant, representative or agent retained by the Adviser who (i) makes or participates in the making of investments and/or potential investments for clients; (ii) has access to non-public information on investments and/or potential investments for clients; or (iii) has access to non-public information regarding securities recommendations to clients.

 

Personal Account means any account in which a Covered Person has any direct or indirect beneficial ownership. For purposes of this Code, beneficial ownership is interpreted in the same manner as it would be under Rule 16a-1(a)(2) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”).

 

Reportable Funds means any open-end registered investment company advised or sub-advised by the Adviser.

 

Reportable Security means any stock, bond, future, investment contract, exchange-traded fund, or any other instrument that is considered a “security” under section 202(a)(1) of the Advisers Act and includes any derivative thereof, commodities, options or forward contracts, 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;

 

(iii)

Shares of open-end mutual funds other than those advised or sub-advised by the Adviser; and

 

(iv)

Shares issued by unit investment trusts that are invested exclusively in one or more open-end funds.

 

Restricted Security means any Security (i) that is to be Acquired or Sold for a client; (ii) that the Adviser is researching, analyzing or considering buying or selling for a client; (iii) for which a Covered Person may have material non-public information.

 

Security to be Acquired or Sold for a Client means

 

 

 

(i)

Any Reportable Security which:

  (A) is in the period of a rebalancing or included in an index change (defined as the day an index change list has been provided until the rebalance date); or
 

(B)

is or is being considered by the Adviser for purchase or sale for the client; and

 

(iii)

Any option to purchase or sell and any security convertible into or exchangeable for, a Reportable Security described in (i)(A) or (i)(B) above;

 

Short Sale means the sale of securities that the seller does not own. A Short Sale is “against the box” to the extent that the seller contemporaneously owns or has the right to obtain securities identical to those sold short, at no added cost.

 

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III. STANDARDS OF CONDUCT

 

It is unlawful for a Covered Person in connection with the purchase or sale, directly or indirectly, by the Covered Person of a Reportable Security Held or to be acquired by a client to:

 

 

ï

Employ any device, scheme or artifice to defraud the client;

 

 

ï

Make any untrue statement of a material fact to the client or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements made to the client, in light of the circumstances under which they are made, not misleading;

 

 

ï

Engage in any act, practice or course of business that operates or would operate as a fraud or deceit on the client; or

     
  ï Engage in any manipulative practice with respect to the client.

 

In addition, it is expected that all Covered Persons will:

 

 

ï

Use reasonable care and exercise professional judgment in all actions affecting a client.

 

 

ï

Maintain general knowledge of and comply with all applicable federal and state laws, rules and regulations governing the Adviser’s activities, and not knowingly participate or assist in any violation of such laws, rules or regulations.

 

 

ï

Not engage in any conduct involving dishonesty, fraud, deceit, or misrepresentation or commit any act that reflects adversely on their honesty, trustworthiness, or professional competence.

 

 

ï

Respect and maintain the confidentiality of clients’ information, their securities transactions and potential transactions, their portfolio strategy, or any other matters within the bounds of fiduciary duty.

 

 

ï

Be aware of the scope of material nonpublic information related to the value of a security. Avoid any trading or causing any other party to trade in a security if such trading would breach a fiduciary duty or if the information was misappropriated or relates to a material corporate event.

 

 

ï

Exercise diligence and thoroughness in securities research and in the making of investment recommendations and decisions; and maintain appropriate records to support the reasonableness of such recommendations and decisions.

 

 

ï

Deal fairly and objectively with clients when disseminating investment recommendations, disseminating material changes in recommendations, and taking investment action.

 

 

ï

Refrain from any misrepresentations or factual omissions that could affect clients’ investment decisions.

 

 

ï

Comply on a timely basis with the reporting requirements of this Code.

 

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IV.

APPLICABILITY OF CODE OF ETHICS

Personal Accounts of Covered Persons . This Code of Ethics applies to all Personal Accounts of all Covered Persons. A Personal Account includes an account maintained by or for:

 

 

ï

A Covered Person’s spouse (other than a legally separated or divorced spouse of the Covered Person) and minor children;

 

 

ï

Any immediate family members who live in the Covered Person’s household;

 

 

ï

Any persons to whom the Covered Person provides primary financial support, and either (i) whose financial affairs the Covered Person controls, or (ii) for whom the Covered Person provides discretionary Advisory services; and

 

 

ï

Any partnership, corporation or other entity in which the Covered Person has a 25% or greater beneficial interest, or in which the Covered Person exercises effective control.

 

A comprehensive list of all Covered Persons and Personal Accounts will be maintained by the Adviser’s Compliance Officer.

 

V. PRE-CLEARANCE REQUIREMENTS AND RESTRICTIONS ON PERSONAL INVESTING ACTIVITIES

 

1.      General . It is the responsibility of each Covered Person to ensure that a particular securities transaction being considered for his or her Personal Account is not subject to a restriction contained in this Code of Ethics or otherwise prohibited by any applicable laws. Personal securities transactions for Covered Persons may be effected only in accordance with the provisions of this Section. Covered Persons may not trade in Restricted Securities as defined in Section I. Covered Persons are also required to submit pre- clearance requests for trading in all reportable securities and reportable funds to the compliance department. The CCO must submit a preclearance request and receive approval from a member of senior management.

 

2.      Short Sales . A Covered Person may not engage in any short sale of a Restricted Security. Short sales of securities that are not Restricted Securities are permitted. Permitted short sales may not be made without the prior approval of the CCO.

 

3.      Initial Public Offerings . A Covered Person may not acquire any direct or indirect beneficial ownership in ANY securities in any initial public offering.

 

4.      Private Placements and Investment Opportunities of Limited Availability . A Covered Person may not acquire any beneficial ownership in ANY securities in any private placement of securities or investment opportunity of limited availability unless the CCO has given express prior written approval. “Private Placements” are offerings that are exempt from registration under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, including exempted offerings of securities issued outside the United States. Investments in hedge funds or private pooled vehicles are typically sold in private placements. The CCO, in determining whether approval should be given, will take into account, among other factors, whether the opportunity is being offered to the Covered Person by virtue of his or her position with the Adviser.

 

5.      Service on Boards of Directors; Outside Business Activities . A Covered Person may not serve as a director (or similar position) on the board of any company, including a public company, unless Covered Person has received written approval from the CCO. Authorization will be based upon a determination that the board service would not be inconsistent with the interests of any client account. At the time a Covered Person submits the initial holdings report in accordance with Section VII.2. of the Code, the Covered Person will submit to the CCO a description of any outside business activities in which the Covered Person has a significant role.

 

5

 

 

6.      Excessive Trading . The Adviser believes that excessive personal trading by its Covered Persons can raise compliance issues and conflicts of interest. Compliance will review personal trading to determine the appropriate levels of personal trading.

 

7.        Gifts. 

(a) No Covered Person may receive any gift, service, or other thing of more than de minimis value ($100 in aggregate annually from any one person or entity that does business with or potentially could conduct business with or on behalf of the Adviser). No Covered Person may give or offer any gift of more than de minimis value ($100 per year in aggregate to any entity that does business with or potentially could conduct business with or on behalf of the Adviser) without the prior written approval of the CCO.

 

(b)     Solicited Gifts. No Covered Person may use his or her position with the Adviser to obtain anything of value from a client, supplier, person to whom the Covered Person refers business, or any other entity with which the Adviser does business.

 

(c)     Cash. No Covered Person may give or accept cash gifts or cash equivalents to or from an investor, prospective investor, or any entity that does business with or potentially could conduct business with or on behalf of the Adviser.

 

(d)     Entertainment. No Covered Person may provide or accept extravagant or excessive entertainment to or from an investor, prospective investor, or any person or entity that does or potentially could do business with or on behalf of the Adviser. Covered Persons may provide or accept a business entertainment event, such as dinner or a sporting event, of reasonable value, if the person or entity providing the entertainment is present. Any event likely to exceed a de minimis value ($100), must be approved in advance by the CCO.

 

(e)     Seminars and Conferences . The Adviser requires all Covered Persons to submit travel and expense reports for all expenses associated with seminars and conferences. Covered Persons must submit all travel and lodging expenses to be paid by the Adviser, and must receive the prior written approval of the Compliance Officer in order to permit a broker or third party to pay expenses associated with a Covered Person’s travel and lodging regarding a specific seminar or conference.

 

(f)     Government Officials. No gift or entertainment event of any value involving U.S. government officials or their families, which may be perceived to induce the recipient to act for the benefit of the Adviser, may be given or sponsored by the Adviser or any Covered Person without the prior written approval of the CCO.

 

(g)     R eporting. Each Covered Person must report all gifts received in connection with the Covered Person’s employment to the CCO. The CCO may require that any such gift be returned to the provider or that an expense be repaid by the Covered Person. The CCO also will keep records of any gifts so reported.

 

8.      Management of Non-Adviser Accounts . Covered Persons are prohibited from managing accounts for third parties who are not clients of the Adviser or serving as a trustee for third parties unless the CCO pre-clears the arrangement and finds that the arrangement would not harm any client. The CCO may require the Covered Person to report transactions for such account and may impose such conditions or restrictions as are warranted under the circumstances.

 

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VI.

REPORTING

 

1.      Dupl i cat e Copies of B roker’ s Conf irmati ons and Account Stat ements to Adviser . All Covered Persons must direct their brokers or custodians or any persons managing the Covered Person’s account in which any Reportable Securities and Reportable Funds are held to supply to the CCO:

 

 

ï

The Covered Person’s monthly and quarterly brokerage or account statements within 30 days after the relevant time period.

 

ï

All covered persons are required to request pre-approval for any securities trading in their personal accounts. These requests will be checked against the received statements.

 

2.      Initial Holdings Reports . All Covered Persons are required within ten (10) days of becoming a Covered Person through the adoption of this Code or of commencement of employment with the Adviser, to submit an Initial Holdings Statement ( Attachment A ) to the CCO listing:

 

 

ï

All Reportable Securities and Reportable Funds in which the Covered Person has any beneficial ownership, including title and exchange ticker symbol or CUSIP number, type of security, number of shares and principal amount (if applicable) of each security;

 

 

ï

The name of any brokerage firm, bank or other financial institution with which the Covered Person, maintains a Personal Account in which ANY securities are held; and

 

 

ï

A description of outside business activities in which the Covered Person has a significant role, including any service on the board of directors of a company.

 

The report must be dated the day the Covered Person submits it, and must contain information that is current as of a date no more than 45 days prior to the date the person becomes a Covered Person of the Adviser.

 

3.      Annual Holdings Reports . On an annual basis, by a date specified by the CCO, each Covered Person must provide to the Compliance Officer, a signed and dated Annual Holdings Report ( Attachment C ) containing information current as of a date not more than 45 days prior to the date of the report. The Annual Holdings Report must disclose:

 

 

ï

All Reportable Securities and Reportable Funds held in a Personal Account of the Covered Person, including the title and type of security, and as applicable the exchange ticker symbol or CUSIP number, number of shares and/or principal amount of each security beneficially owned; and

 

The name of any broker-dealer or financial institution with which the Covered Person maintains a Personal Account in which any securities are held for the Covered Person.

 

 

4.      Quarterly Transaction Reports . On a quarterly basis, each Covered Person must provide to the Chief Compliance Officer a signed and dated Quarterly Transaction Report ( Attachment B ) within 30 days of calendar quarter end containing following information for all Reportable Securities and Reportable Funds:

 

 

ï

The date of the transaction, the title, the exchange ticker symbol ticker or CUSIP number (as applicable), the interest rate and maturity date (if applicable), the number of shares and the principal amount of each security involved;

 

ï

The nature of the transaction, (i.e., purchase, sale, or other type of acquisition or disposition);

 

7

 

 

 

ï

The price of the Security at which the transaction was effected;

 

ï

The name of the broker, dealer or bank with or through which transaction was effected; and

 

ï

The date that the report is submitted.

 

 

5.      Exceptions to Reporting Requirements . A Covered Person need not submit any report with respect to securities held in accounts over which the Covered Person has no direct or indirect influence or control or transaction reports with respect to transactions in securities that are not Reportable Securities or Reportable Funds and transactions effected pursuant to an Automatic Investment Plan.

 

6.      Conflicts of Interest . Covered Persons must report immediately to the CCO any situation which may involve a conflict of interest or suspected violation of the Code. Covered Persons are also restricted from owning the fund in which the firm advises.

 

7.      Transactions Subject to Review . The transactions reported on the quarterly transaction reports will be reviewed and compared against the Covered Persons’ account statements, and when deemed advisable by the CCO, against client transactions.

 

The Compliance Officer is responsible for reviewing each Code report submitted by a Covered Person. The Compliance Officer will maintain a list of any other employees which may share that responsibility in the future.

 

 

VII.

RECORDKEEPING

 

The CCO shall maintain records in the manner and extent set forth below, and these records shall be available for examination by representatives of the Securities and Exchange Commission. Records may be maintained in electronic format should the Adviser elect to automate the oversight of this Code.

 

 

1.

a copy of this Code which is, or at any time within the past five years has been, in effect shall be preserved in an easily accessible place;

 

 

2.

a record of any violation of this Code and of any action taken as a result of such violation shall be preserved in an easily accessible place for a period of not less than five years following the end of the fiscal year in which the violation occurs, the first two years in an appropriate office of the Adviser;

 

 

3.

a copy of all written acknowledgements of the receipt of the Code and any amendments thereto for each Covered Person who is currently, or within the past five years was a Covered Person;

 

 

4.

a copy of each report made pursuant to this Code and brokerage statements submitted on behalf of Covered Persons shall be preserved for a period of not less than five years from the end of the fiscal year in which the last entry was made on such record, the first two years in an appropriate office of the Adviser;

 

 

5.

a list of all Covered Persons (which includes all Access Persons) who are required, or within the past five years have been required, to make reports under the Code or who are responsible for reviewing such reports pursuant to this Code shall be maintained in an easily accessible place;

 

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  6. a record of persons responsible for reviewing reports and a copy of reports provided pursuant to Section VII; and
     
 

7.

a record of any report furnished to the board of the Board of Directors or Trustees of any registered investment company (the “Board”) to which it provides advisory services pursuant to Section VIII below shall be preserved for a period of not less than five years from the end of the fiscal year in which the last entry was made on such record, the first two years in an appropriate office of the Adviser.

 

 

VIII.

REPORTS TO THE BOARD(S) OF REGISTERED INVESTMENT COMPANIES

 

No less frequently than annually, the Adviser will furnish the Board of Directors or Trustees of any registered investment company (the “Board”) to which it provides advisery services with a written report that:

 

 

(a)

describes any issues arising under the Code or procedures since the last report to the Board, including, but not limited to, information about material violations of the Code or procedures and sanctions imposed in response to the material violations; and

 

 

(b)

certifies that the Adviser has adopted procedures reasonably necessary to prevent Covered Persons from violating the Code.

 

 

IX.

OVERSIGHT OF CODE OF ETHICS

 

 

1.      General Principle . The Adviser will use reasonable diligence and institute procedures reasonably necessary to prevent violations of the Code.

 

2.      Acknowledgment . The CCO shall identify all Covered Persons who are under a duty to make reports under this Code and shall inform such persons of such duty and annually deliver a copy of the Code of Ethics and any amendments to all Covered Persons. The Compliance Officer will also distribute promptly all amendments to the Code of Ethics. All Covered Persons are required initially and annually to sign and acknowledge their receipt of this Code of Ethics by signing the form of Initial and Annual Certification for employees ( Attachment D ) or such other form as may be approved by the CCO.

 

 

3.      Review of Transactions . Each Covered Person’s transactions in his/her Personal Account will be reviewed on a regular basis. Any Covered Person transactions that are believed to be a violation of this Code will be reported promptly to the management of the Adviser. A member of the Adviser’s senior management will review the CCO’s transaction reports and holdings reports.

 

4.      Sanctions . Upon determining that a violation of this Code has occurred, the Adviser may impose such sanctions or remedial action as deemed appropriate or to the extent required by law. These sanctions may include, among other things, disgorgement of profits, suspension or termination of employment and/or criminal or civil penalties.

 

5.      Reports to the Board . The Adviser shall report to the Board any violation of the Code by a Covered Person, and such Covered Person may be called upon to explain the circumstances surrounding his or her non-clerical violation for evaluation by the Board.

 

6.      Authority to Exempt Transactions . The Compliance Officer has the authority to exempt any Covered Person or any personal securities transaction of a Covered Person from any or all of the provisions of this Code if the CCO determines that such exemption would not be against any interests of a client. The

 

9

 

 

CCO will prepare and file a written memorandum of any exemption granted, describing the circumstances and reasons for the exemption.

 

7.      ADV Disclosure. The Compliance Officer will ensure that the Adviser’s Form ADV (1) accurately describes the pertinent provisions of the Code; and (2) includes disclosure offering to provide a copy of the Code to any client or prospective client upon request.

 

 

X.

CONFIDENTIALITY

 

All reports of personal securities transactions and any other information filed pursuant to this Code shall be treated as confidential to the extent permitted by law.

 

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ATTACHMENT A

Initial Holdings Statement

 

 

By:                                                             

(Printed Name)

 

 

Date:                                                          

 

 

The following are each and every Reportable Security and Brokerage Account containing ANY Securities in which I have a direct or indirect Beneficial Ownership and a description of all my Outside Business Activities. See Section II of the Code for information for the definitions of “Beneficial Ownership” and “Reportable Security.” The information provided below should be current as of a date no more than 45 days prior to the date you became a Covered Person.

 

 

List of Brokerage Accounts Containing ANY Securities:

 

Account   Name   &   Number

Financial   Institution

Date   Account   Opened

     
     
     
     
     
     

 

 

 

List of Reportable Securities*:

 

Account   and

Institution

Description   &  

Type   of   Security

Exchange   Ticker  

or   CUSIP   No.

No.   of   Shares

Principal   Amount  

(for   Bonds)

         
         
         
         
         
         
         
         
         
         

 

*Include additional information on a separate page if necessary. You also may attach a copy of your account statement to this form in lieu of listing the securities above.

 

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Initial Holdings Statement (Cont’d)

 

Description of Outside Business Activities (including any service on the board of directors of a company):

 

 
 
 
 

 

☐            Check this box if you have nothing to report (no Brokerage Accounts containing ANY Securities, no Reportable Securities and no Outside Business Activities)

 

Check one of the following:

 

                I do not have direct or indirect beneficial ownership in any blind trusts or other accounts managed by a third party who has been granted discretionary investment authority (with the exception of 529 Plans, if applicable).

 

                I do have direct or indirect beneficial ownership in any blind trusts or other accounts managed by a third party who has been granted discretionary investment authority (with the exception of 529 Plans, if applicable), but did not direct the third party discretionary manager to make any particular purchases or sales of the securities for the account(s).

 

 

 

Signature                                                                                                                              

 

 

 

 

 

Reviewed By:                                            

 

 

Title:                                         Date:                                            

 

 

 

12

 

 

ATTACHMENT B

Quarterly Transaction Report

 

By:       Date:      
  (Printed Name)        

 

Period of Report:         Quarter                          Year                     

 

 

The following are each and every transaction in Reportable Securities in which I have a direct or indirect Beneficial Ownership. See Section II of the Code for the definitions of “Beneficial Ownership” and “Reportable Security.” This report must be completed and submitted within 30 days following the end of the previous calendar quarter.

 

Reportable Securities Transactions:

 

Account   Name,  

Number   and  

Institution

Date   of  

Transaction

Type   of  

Transaction

  (Purchase   or  

Sale)

Description  

of   Security

Exchange  

Ticker   or  

CUSIP   No.

Number  

of   Shares

Principal  

Amount   (for  

Bonds)

             
             
             
             
             
             
             

 

* You also may attach a copy of your account statement to this form in lieu of listing the securities above.

 

The following are each and every account (including brokerage accounts and bank accounts used substantially as brokerage accounts) that have been opened or closed during the previous quarter for which I have a direct or indirect Beneficial Ownership.

 

Opened / Closed Brokerage Accounts:

 

Account   Name   and

  Number

Financial   Institution

Date

Opened   /   Closed

       
       
       
       
       
       
       

 

 

☐               Check this box if you have nothing to report (no Brokerage Accounts and no Reportable Transactions)

 

13

 

 

Check one of the following:

 

 

              I do not have direct or indirect beneficial ownership in a blind trust or other accounts managed by a third party who has been granted discretionary investment authority (with the exception of 529 Plans, if applicable).

 

              I do have direct or indirect beneficial ownership in any blind trusts or other accounts managed by a third party who has been granted discretionary investment authority (with the exception of 529 Plans, if applicable), but did not direct the third party discretionary manager to make any particular purchases or sales of the securities for the account(s).

 

Signature:     

 

 

Reviewed By:                                                                                         Title:                                                                

 

Date:                                            

 

 

 

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ATTACHMENT C

Annual Holdings Report

 

By:       Date:      
  (Printed Name)        

 

For Period Ended:      December 31, 20_      

 

The following is an annual report of the Reportable Securities in which I have a direct or indirect Beneficial Ownership. See Section II of the Code for the definitions of “Beneficial Ownership” and “Reportable Security.” The information provided below should be current as of a date no more than 45 days prior to the date of this report.

 

Annual Holdings*

 

Account   Name,  

Number   and  

Institution

Description   &  

Type   of   Security

Exchange   Ticker  

or   CUSIP   No.

Number   of   Shares

Principal   Amount  

(for   Bonds)

         
         
         
         
         
         
         

 

* Include additional information on a separate page if necessary. You also may attach a copy of your most recent account statement to this form in lieu of listing the securities above.

 

List of Brokerage Accounts Containing ANY Securities*

 

The following is an annual report of each and every account (including brokerage accounts and bank accounts used substantially as brokerage accounts) containing ANY securities for which I have a direct or indirect Beneficial Ownership.

 

Account   Name   and   Number

Financial   Institution

   
   
   
   

 

*Include additional information on a separate page if necessary.

 

☐       Check this box if you have nothing to report (no Brokerage Accounts and no Reportable Holdings)

 

Check one of the following:

 

              I do not have direct or indirect beneficial ownership in any blind trusts or other accounts managed by a third party who has been granted discretionary investment authority (with the exception of 529 Plans, if applicable).

 

 

15

 

 

              I do have direct or indirect beneficial ownership in any blind trusts or other accounts managed by a third party who has been granted discretionary investment authority (with the exception of 529 Plans, if applicable), but did not direct the third party discretionary manager to make any particular purchases or sales of the securities for the account(s).

 

 

 

Signature:     

 

 

Reviewed By:                                                                                         Title:                                                                

 

Date:                                            

 

 

16

 

 

ATTACHMENT D

Initial and Annual Certification

 

 

I certify that I:

 

 

(i)

have received, read and reviewed the Code of Ethics;

 

 

(ii)

understand the policies and procedures in the Code of Ethics;

 

 

(iii)

recognize that I am subject to such policies and procedures;

 

 

(iv)

understand the penalties for non-compliance;

 

 

(v)

have complied with the Code of Ethics and any applicable reporting requirements during this past year (applies to Annual Certifications only);

 

 

(vi)

have fully disclosed any exceptions to my compliance with the Code below;

 

 

(vii)

will fully comply with the Code of Ethics; and

 

 

(viii)

have fully and accurately completed this Certificate.

 

EXCEPTION(S):

 

 
 
 
 
 

 

 

Signature :  

 

 

 

    Name :    
  (Please print)

 

 

Date Submitted :                                                       

 

 

 

Reviewed By:                                                                                         Title:                                                                

 

Date:                                            

 

 

17

 

 

APPENDIX F

 

 

Penserra Capital Management LLC

TRADE ERROR POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

 

 

 

I.

GENERAL

 

Penserra Capital Management LLC (“Adviser”) exercises due care in making and implementing investment decisions on behalf of its clients and recognizes its obligation to identify and resolve trade errors in a timely manner, consistent with disclosures made to clients as well as adopted policies and procedures. The Adviser should seek to avoid errors. The Adviser will monitor for errors and if an error does occur, the Adviser will endeavor to correct and reduce similar errors in the future.

 

 

II.

STATEMENT OF POLICY

 

If an error occurs, the Adviser seeks to ensure that the best interests of its clients are served when correcting such errors, subject to the terms of these Trade Error Policies and Procedures (“Policy”). Violations of an investment policy contained in one or more of the documents governing a client relationship as well as errors in placement, execution or settlement resulting in an incorrect settled trade will be considered “Trade Errors” under this Policy. Trade Errors do not include good faith errors in judgment in making investment decisions for clients.

 

The Adviser will use reasonable efforts to cause any broker or other service provider which is responsible for a Trade Error to reimburse affected clients for any losses resulting from the Trade Error. To the extent that a Trade Error is attributable to the willful misconduct, negligence or fraud of the Adviser, the Adviser will restore the client to a position that is no worse than if the Trade Error had not occurred. Any Trade Error that results in a direct loss will be reimbursed to the client account in which the error was made. Under no circumstances may soft dollars be used to correct errors.

 

If a Trade Error results in a gain, the gain generally will accrue to the benefit of the affected client account(s).

 

The Adviser’s CCO must approve and document the resolution of all Trade Errors.

 

 

III.

PROCEDURES

 

To facilitate this policy, the procedures outlined below should be followed upon a determination that a Trade Error has occurred.

 

 

1.

The CCO shall be notified immediately upon the discovery of a possible Trade Error. If the Trade Error is material in nature or cannot be easily resolved by the CCO and the portfolio manager, the CCO shall consult with management of the relevant Client. If deemed necessary, the CCO shall consult with outside counsel regarding the resolution of the situation.

 

 

 

 

APPENDIX E

 

 

2.

The CCO will work with investment personnel and traders to resolve any trade errors. Trade tickets reflecting errors should be preserved, and new trade tickets will be prepared if additional trading is necessary to resolve the error.

 

 

3.

The CCO will create a written report of the Trade Error promptly upon the discovery and resolution of the Trade Error. The report will contain the name of the client; the name of the person responsible for the error; the amount involved; the name of the security involved; the action taken to correct the error; and such other information as may be appropriate under the circumstances.

 

 

4.

If the Trade Error is attributable to the Adviser, the Trade Error report shall also discuss the factors considered by the Adviser in determining whether the Trade Error was due to its willful misconduct, negligence or fraud. The report shall be maintained in accordance with the Adviser’s Record Retention Policy.

 

 

5.

The CCO shall review the reason(s) for the trade error and determine whether any adjustments to procedures are necessary to prevent similar types of errors in the future.

 

 

6.

If an excessive amount of trade errors occur in a given time period, the CCO will convene a meeting of all trading and investment personnel to discuss the matter and document any actions that have been, and actions that will be, taken to reduce the number of trade errors and limit particular types of trade errors from recurring.

 

 

7.

Any trade error, along with the resolution, involving a Fund will be reported to the Trust.

 

2

 

 

APPENDIX E

 

Trade Error Reporting Form

 

Transaction date

 

Investments involved

 

Names, account numbers and custodians of all affected accounts

 

Adviser Supervised Persons involved

 

Description of error

 

Cause of error

 

Resolution thus far

 

Gain or loss (if known)

 

Submitted by

 

Signature

 

Date

 

The remainder of   this form   is to be completed   by the CCO

Additional resolution steps (including training and/or changes to policies and procedures)

 

Amount reimbursed by Adviser

 

Amount reimbursed by third parties

 

Documentation maintained regarding the error

 

Other comments

 

Completed by

 

Signature

 

Date

 

 

3

 

 

APPENDIX F

 

 

Trade Error Log

 

Date

Investments  

Involved

Client(s)  

Involved

Description of   the Error

Description of   the Resolution

         
         
         
         
         
         
         
         
         

 

 

 

 

APPENDIX  G

 

Penserra Capital Management LLC

COMMUNICATIONS POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

 

 

 

I.

Background

 

Rule 206(4)-1 under the Advisers Act prohibits certain types of advertisements, including any advertisement that contains any untrue statement of material fact, or that is otherwise false or misleading. Additionally, the Advisers Act’s broad anti-fraud provisions apply to all communications; even items that are excluded from the definition of an advertisement must not contain any false or misleading statements.

 

Definition of an “Advertisement”

 

Rule 206(4)-1 generally defines an “advertisement” to include any notice, circular, letter or other written communication addressed to more than one person, or any notice or other announcement in a publication or by radio or television, which offers: (1) any analysis, report, or publication concerning securities, or which is to be used in making any determination as to when to buy or sell any security, or which security to buy or sell, or (2) any graph, chart, formula or other device to be used in making any determination as to when to buy or sell any security, or which security to buy or sell, or (3) any other investment advisory service with regard to securities. While communications with investors and potential investors may not strictly speaking be “advertisements,” the general anti-fraud provisions do apply under Rule 206(4)-8 and so the requirements of Rule 206(4)-1 should be carefully considered in those communications.

 

An SEC staff letter issued to the Investment Counsel Association of America, Inc. on March 1, 2004 indicated that the following are not advertisements:

 

 

ï

A written communication by an investment adviser that does no more than respond to an unsolicited 1 request by a client, prospective client or consultant for specific information about the adviser’s past specific recommendations; and

 

 

ï

A written communication by an investment adviser to its existing clients that merely discusses the adviser’s past specific recommendations concerning securities that are or were recently held by each of those clients. 2

 

 

 


 

1

A solicited request would be the result of, for example, any affirmative effort by an investment adviser that is intended or designed to induce a client, prospective client or consultant to request the adviser to provide past specific recommendations, or an advertisement indicating that the adviser is willing to provide past specific recommendations upon request.

 

 

2

In general, written communications by advisers to their existing clients about the performance of the securities in their accounts are not offers of investment advisory services but are part of the adviser’s advisory services. If, however, the context in which the past specific recommendations are presented by the investment adviser to an existing client suggest that a purpose of the communication is to offer advisory services, the communication would be considered an advertisement. In this regard, a letter written by an adviser that discussed its past specific recommendations concerning securities not held or not recently held by some of the clients to whom the letter was directed would suggest that a purpose of the communication was to promote the advisory services of the adviser and thus may constitute an advertisement.

 

 

 

 

APPENDIX  G

 

Rule 206(4)-1 further provides that it shall constitute a fraudulent, deceptive or manipulative act, practice or course of business for any investment adviser registered or required to be registered under the Advisers Act directly or indirectly to publish, circulate, or distribute any advertisement which:

 

  ï refers, directly or indirectly, to any testimonial of any kind concerning the investment adviser or concerning any advice, analysis, report or other service rendered by such investment adviser; or
     
 

ï

refers, directly or indirectly, to past specific recommendations of such investment adviser which were or would have been profitable to any person: provided, however, that this shall not prohibit an advertisement which sets out or offers to furnish a list of all recommendations made by such investment adviser within the immediately preceding period of not less than one year if such advertisement, and such list if it is furnished separately: (i) State the name of each such security recommended, the date and nature of each such recommendation ( e.g. , whether to buy, sell or hold), the market price at that time, the price at which the recommendation was to be acted upon, and the market price of each such security as of the most recent practicable date, and (ii) Contain the following cautionary legend on the first page thereof in print or type as large as the largest print or type used in the body or text thereof: “It should not be assumed that recommendations made in the future will be profitable or will equal the performance of the securities in this list”; or

 

 

ï

represents, directly or indirectly, that any graph, chart, formula or other device being offered can in and of itself be used to determine which securities to buy or sell, or when to buy or sell them; or which represents, directly or indirectly, that any graph, chart, formula or other device being offered will assist any person in making his own decisions as to which securities to buy or sell, or when to buy or sell them, without prominently disclosing in such advertisement the limitations thereof and the difficulties with respect to its use; or

 

 

ï

contains any statement to the effect that any report, analysis, or other service will be furnished free or without charge, unless such report, analysis or other service actually is or will be furnished entirely free and without any condition or obligation, directly or indirectly; or

 

 

ï

contains any untrue statement of a material fact, or which is otherwise false or misleading.

 

Potentially Misleading Advertisements

 

Rule 206(4)-1(a)(5) under the Advisers Act prohibits any misleading advertisement. Even entirely factual advertisements can be prohibited if the overall effect of the advertisement is misleading. When considering whether an advertisement is misleading, an investment adviser must use good judgment and should consider any applicable factors, including:

 

 

ï

The presence or absence of explanations and disclosures, including any material facts regarding the adviser, its personnel and investment strategies, relevant market and economic conditions, and the types of assets in which its clients invest;

 

ï

The prominence of disclosures;

 

ï

Whether information is current, particularly with respect to performance advertisements;

 

2

 

 

APPENDIX  G

 

 

ï

Whether descriptions of potential gains are balanced by disclosures of risk and the potential for loss;

 

ï

Any implications that past performance will be sustained in the future;

 

ï

Any exaggerated or unsubstantiated claims, or the use of superlatives; and

 

ï

The advertisement’s overall context and the sophistication of the recipients.

 

Performance Advertisements

 

The SEC and its staff have issued guidance regarding performance advertisements through SEC staff letters, administrative proceedings and interpretive releases. Performance information is generally required to be presented net of fees and expenses. The SEC has provided no-action relief for the presentation of gross performance information to wealthy clients during a one-on-one presentation. 3

 

Hypothetical or Back Tested Performance

 

While not explicitly prohibited by the Advisers Act, the presentation of hypothetical or back tested performance requires especially robust disclosures that are dependent upon the relevant facts and circumstances. The SEC’s staff has taken action against advisers that advertised hypothetical or back tested performance without sufficient disclosures of the limitations inherent in model results and other key facts, such as material changes during the period portrayed and the extent to which some of the securities or strategies reflected in the model do not relate to the services currently offered by the adviser.

 

Documentation of Advertised Performance Figures

 

Investment advisers must retain documentation that is necessary to substantiate all advertised performance. Custodial or brokerage account statements, and any associated calculation work papers, are one approved method for an investment adviser to substantiate advertised performance. Documentation must be retained for at least five years from the end of the fiscal year after an adviser stops advertising the relevant performance. For example, if an adviser stopped advertising performance from 1980 in 2014, statements and calculation work papers from 1980 should be retained through at least the end of 2020.

 

Past Specific Recommendations

 

 

Rule 206(4)-1(a)(2) under the Advisers Act effectively prohibits investment advisers from distributing advertisements that refer to past specific recommendations that were, or would have been, profitable. However, pursuant to SEC staff guidance, investment advisers may include a partial list of securities recommendations in advertisements if the list is selected based on objective, consistently applied, non-performance-based criteria (such as a list of the adviser’s 10 largest holdings as of the end of the prior quarter). Any such list must not reference, directly or indirectly, the amount of realized or unrealized profits or losses for any of the listed securities. If an adviser advertises a partial list of past specific recommendations, the adviser must also maintain records regarding its securities recommendations and its objective selection criteria.

 


3     Investment Company Institute, SEC No-Action Letter, 1987 WL 108068 (Aug. 24, 1987).

 

3

 

 

APPENDIX  G

 

 

Additionally, investment advisers may advertise at least 10 holdings that contributed most positively and most negatively to an investment strategy over a designated period ( i.e. , 5 holdings that contributed positively and 5 that contributed negatively). In this case, investment advisers must show an equal number of holdings that contributed to, and detracted from, the strategy’s performance, and must show all such holdings with equal prominence. Advisers must also show the average weight and performance contribution of each holding during the period, which must be consistently calculated in a mechanical, objective manner. Any advertisement showing the best and worst performing securities must disclose how the recipient of the advertisement can obtain (i)  the calculation methodology and (ii) a list showing every holding’s contribution to the strategy’s performance during the period in question. Advisers must also maintain, and make available to the staff of the SEC upon request, records that evidence:

 

 

ï

The criteria used to select the specific securities shown in each advertisement;

 

ï

A list showing the contribution of every holding to the strategy’s performance during each period advertised; and

 

ï

All supporting data necessary to demonstrate that the contribution analysis and security selection was conducted appropriately.

 

Press Releases

 

Press releases are subject to the same standards as communications to clients.

 

Article Reprints

 

SEC staff guidance indicates that advisers may distribute reprints of bona-fide news articles written by unbiased third parties, even if the articles contain testimonials and/or past specific recommendations, so long as the articles are not otherwise false or misleading. An adviser may generally distribute an article reprint that contains an inaccuracy if the adviser includes clear and effective disclosure correcting the error. The distribution of an article reprint is prohibited if it includes false or misleading information about:

 

 

ï

The experience of advisory clients;

 

ï

The possibility of a prospective client having an investment experience similar to that of prior clients; or

 

ï

The adviser’s competence.

 

The three preceding types of information are not the only ways in which an article reprint could be false or misleading, and therefore prohibited by Rule 206(4)-1(a)(5) under the Advisers Act.

 

Superlative Claims

 

The SEC’s examination staff may take the position that superlative statements in marketing materials are misleading. Examples of potentially misleading words and statements include “superior,” “top-notch” and “certain to outperform.”

 

4

 

 

APPENDIX  G

 

Investment advisers should generally avoid making investment unsupportable claims, such as that the adviser has a highly rated investment process or that the adviser’s research is the best in the industry. Supportable claims and documented achievements may generally be included in marketing materials.

 

Marketing to Cities, Municipalities, and States

 

A number of cities, municipalities and states have adopted regulations governing marketing activities associated with public pools of money. For example, the California Political Reform Act requires individuals and entities soliciting that state’s pension plans to register as lobbyists. Similarly, New York City’s Administrative Code regarding the Regulation of Lobbying requires registration for individuals and entities soliciting investments from the city’s pension plans. Registration requirements vary by locality, but may include limitations on gifts and entertainment, periodic reporting and ethics training, among other things.

 

 

II.

Policies and Procedures

 

Penserra Capital Management LLC (“Adviser”) will not distribute any advertisements that include content prohibited by Rule 206(4)-1 or that are otherwise false or misleading.

 

Preparing Marketing Materials

 

 

ï

All marketing materials must be reviewed and approved in writing by the Chief Compliance Officer (“CCO”)

 

ï

Any marketing materials created by the CCO will be approved by a separate officer of the Adviser.

 

ï

Marketing materials that do not change from month to month, other than performance figure updates, need not be re-approved after each update.

 

Definition of an “Advertisement”

 

Employees should consult with the CCO if there is any question as to whether marketing materials or other communications are advertisements for purposes of Rule 206(4)-1 and what requirements apply.

 

Global Investment Performance Standards

 

The Adviser does not claim GIPS compliance. Employees are prohibited from claiming GIPS compliance in any marketing materials, including responses to questionnaires and requests for proposal.

 

Hypothetical or Back Tested Performance

 

Any employee considering the use of hypothetical or back tested performance must consult with the CCO prior to the preparation or distribution of any such materials.

 

5

 

 

APPENDIX  G

 

Documentation of Advertised Performance Figures

 

The Adviser must retain all custodial or brokerage account statements, and any associated calculation work papers, that are necessary to substantiate all advertised performance. Statements and calculation work papers will be retained for at least six years after the Adviser stops advertising the relevant performance.

 

Article Reprints

 

Article reprints are subject to the same review and approval process that applies to other advertisements.

 

Media Contacts

 

Please see the Interactions with the Media sub-section of this Compliance Manual prior to engaging in any communications with the media.

 

Speeches, Seminar Presentations and Article Publications

 

Proposed speeches, seminar presentations and articles for publication must be approved in advance by the CCO. Any slide presentations or written materials that will be used in connection with a speech or seminar must be submitted when pre-approval is sought.

 

Gifts and Entertainment Associated with Marketing Activities

 

The Adviser has adopted policies and procedures governing the provision of gifts and entertainment, as described in Appendix K to the Compliance Manual. Employees should review the Adviser’s gifts and entertainment policies and procedures prior to planning any meeting, seminar, conference, or other event where the Adviser is expected to provide gifts and/or entertainment, including food and beverages. Employees should be especially mindful of restrictions on the giving of gifts and/or entertainment to individuals associated with labor unions, ERISA plans and entities associated with foreign governments and seek guidance from the CCO prior to giving gifts or entertainment to such parties.

 

Information Published by Third Parties

 

The Adviser’s provision of information to third parties that publish reports or maintain databases may be considered advertising or constitute a general solicitation. The CCO and/or the Fund Distributor will coordinate the preparation of information that may be published or redistributed by third parties. The information and any materials, as applicable, are reviewed for accuracy prior to distribution to third parties. The CCO and/or the Fund Distributor will maintain, as applicable, copies of written communications likely to be published or redistributed.

 

If an employee becomes aware that a third party has published or distributed inaccurate information about the Adviser, the employee should contact the CCO, who will work with the third party to resolve the inaccuracy. No employee will redistribute erroneous information published by a third party without appending clear and effective disclosures that identify and correct the error(s), as determined and approved by the CCO.

 

6

 

 

APPENDIX  G

 

Marketing to Government Entities

 

Prior to marketing to government entities, the employee conducting the marketing is required to ask the CCO to review the list of all political contributions made by the Adviser and employees to determine whether the contributions would prohibit the Adviser from retaining the government entity as a client or fund investor (see Appendix L – Political and Charitable Contributions Policy and Procedures). The employee conducting the marketing should also consult with the CCO regarding any potential requirements to register as a lobbyist before seeking to manage any public pool of money. The CCO may consult with outside counsel if there is any question regarding a potential need for the Adviser or the employee to register as a lobbyist.

 

Interactions with the Media

 

The CCO should be promptly notified of any interaction with the media. In addition, only a limited number of employees of the Adviser are authorized to give media interviews. Any interview requests must be made to the CCO. In addition, Authorized Employees must adhere to the following standards:

 

 

ï

Never mention or discuss a Client, even indirectly;

 

ï

Never disclose any nonpublic information, including information about clients, investors, positions or trading strategies;

 

ï

Do not make any false or misleading statements, or omit any material information;

 

ï

Do not make any statements that are exaggerated, unbalanced, inflammatory, defamatory, libelous, inappropriate, unduly controversial or that would otherwise reflect poorly on the Adviser;

 

ï

Avoid the use of superlatives such as best, proven, worst, most, least, highest, lowest, always, and never;

 

ï

Clearly distinguish between facts and opinions;

 

ï

If you express a personal opinion that may not reflect the Adviser’s position, make it clear that your opinion may not be shared by the Adviser;

 

ï

Do not make forecasts about the Adviser’s anticipated performance;

 

ï

Only make forecasts about economic or market trends if you have a reasonable basis for such forecasts;

 

ï

All discussions, including those regarding general investment strategies, should be balanced by descriptions of any applicable risks or drawbacks; and

 

ï

Be aware of the financial sophistication of the information’s ultimate recipient.

 

Authorized Employees should be extremely careful when discussing any specific investment or issuer during an interview. If an Authorized Employee does engage in such discussions, he or she must disclose to the interviewer, as applicable:

 

 

ï

Any interest that the Authorized Employee, the Adviser or its affiliates have in securities of the issuer, as well as the nature of the interest (equity, debt, options, long or short positions, etc.);

 

ï

Whether the Authorized Employee, the Adviser, or its affiliates beneficially own more than 1% of the issuer’s voting securities (calculations should be based on the Adviser’s holdings as of the end of the most recent month, or as of the end of the second most recent month if fewer than 10 calendar days have passed since the end of the month);

 

7

 

 

APPENDIX  G

 

 

ï

Any material conflict of interest involving the Authorized Employee, the Adviser or its affiliates and the issuer;

 

ï

The general valuation methods used to determine any price target discussed in the interview. The Authorized Employee must have a reasonable basis for any price targets that are presented, and must present the risks that a price target will not be achieved in a balanced manner;

 

ï

Whether the Authorized Employee or any member of his or her household serves as an officer, director or advisory board member of the issuer; and

 

ï

Whether the issuer has a business relationship with the Adviser.

 

During the interview, the Authorized Employee should request a copy of any media presentation that includes or references the interview. In general, television and radio broadcasts may be presented as transcripts or in the native format. Upon receipt, the media presentation should be provided to the CCO, which will maintain a copy in the same manner that an advertisement would be maintained. The CCO will review media presentations and associated documentation as necessary.

 

Interactions with Attorneys

 

If you are contacted about the Adviser by anyone claiming to be an attorney, including an attorney representing the Adviser, you should immediately refer the person to the CCO. Do not share information about the Adviser without the CCO’s prior approval.

 

Interactions with Government Officials

 

Inquiries from anybody claiming to be a government official should be immediately referred to the CCO. Do not share information about the Adviser without the CCO’s prior approval.

 

All employees are required to cooperate fully with the Adviser’s management in connection with any internal or independent investigation and any claims, actions, arbitrations, litigations, investigations or inquiries involving the Adviser. Employees are expected, if requested, to provide the Adviser with reasonable assistance, including, but not limited to, meeting or consulting with the Adviser and its representatives, reviewing documents, analyzing facts, or appearing or testifying as witnesses or interviewees.

 

The Adviser forbids payments of any kind by it, its employees, or any agent or other intermediary to any government official, self-regulatory official, or other similar person or entity, within the United States or abroad, for the purpose of obtaining or retaining business, or for the purpose of receiving favorable consideration.

 

Protection of Penserra Capital Management LLC’s Name

 

Employees should at all times be aware that the Adviser’s name, reputation and credibility are valuable assets that must be safeguarded from any potential misuse. Employees should exercise care to avoid the unauthorized or inappropriate use of the Adviser’s name.

 

Involvement in Litigation or Proceedings

 

Employees must advise the CCO immediately if they become involved in, or threatened with, litigation or an administrative investigation or proceeding of any kind, are subject to any judgment, order or arrest, or are contacted by any regulatory authority.

 

8

 

 

APPENDIX  H

 

PENSERRA CAPITAL MANAGEMENT LLC

PROCEDURES TO PREVENT AND DETECT MISUSE OF MATERIAL NONPUBLIC INFORMATION

 

 

 

I.

Background

 

Section 204A of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended (“Advisers Act”), requires that investment advisers establish, maintain and enforce written policies and procedures reasonably designed to prevent the misuse of material, nonpublic information by the investment adviser of any person associated with the adviser.

 

 

II.

Policies and Procedures

 

The following policies and procedures cover (i) all employees, officers and members of Penserra Capital Management LLC (“Adviser”), (ii) other persons subject to the Adviser’s supervision ( e.g. , consultants), and (iii) other persons who from time to time come within the definition of “person associated with an investment adviser.”

 

Section 202(a)(17) of the Advisers Act defines “person associated with an investment adviser” as any partner, officer or director of such investment adviser (or any person performing similar functions), or any person directly or indirectly controlling or controlled by such investment adviser, including any employee of such investment adviser (excluding persons whose functions are purely clerical or ministerial).

 

These policies operate in conjunction with the ETF Trust and Penserra Capital Management LLC Code of Ethics. They neither supplement nor replace the Code of Ethics.

 

Insider Trading

 

The term “insider trading” is not specifically defined in the federal securities laws. Rather, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) and the courts have developed theories of insider trading liability under the general antifraud provisions of Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (“Exchange Act”) and Rule 10b-5 thereunder. Generally, the term insider trading is used to refer to the use of material nonpublic information to trade (or cause others to trade) in securities.

 

The SEC has adopted rules to address three specific issues arising in the context of insider trading: (i)     when insider trading liability arises in connection with a trader’s “use” or “knowing possession” of material nonpublic information (Rule 10b5-1); (ii) when the breach of a family or other non- business relationship may give rise to liability under the misappropriation theory of insider trading (Rule 10b5-2); and (iii) the selective disclosure by issuers of material nonpublic information (Regulation F-D, described below).

 

Rule 10b5-1: Trading “On the Basis Of” Material Nonpublic Information

 

Rule 10b5-1 under the Exchange Act addresses the issue of when insider trading liability arises in connection with a trader’s “use” or “knowing possession” of material nonpublic information.

 

 

 

 

APPENDIX  H

 

Under the rule, a person trades “on the basis of” material nonpublic information when the person purchases or sells securities while aware of the fact that the information is material and nonpublic.

 

No employee, officer or member of the Adviser may trade (or cause another person to trade) in a security, either personally or on behalf of advisory clients or others, while in possession of material nonpublic information about the issuer of such security. Furthermore, no employee, officer or member of the Adviser may disseminate and/or trade (or cause another person to trade) on rumors about any specific issuer. If you have any doubt about whether you received information based on rumor or speculation, you should immediately contact the Chief Compliance Officer (“CCO”).

 

Rule 10b5-2: Duties of Trust or Confidence in Misappropriation Cases

 

Rule 10b5-2 under the Exchange Act addresses the issuer of when a breach of a family or other non-business relationship may give rise to liability under the misappropriation theory of insider trading. The rule sets forth three non-exclusive bases for determining that a duty of trust or confidence was owed by a person receiving the information. Specifically, a duty of trust or confidence exists when:

 

 

ï

A person agrees to maintain information in confidence;

 

ï

Two people have a history, pattern, or practice of sharing confidences such that the recipient of the information knows or reasonably should know that the person communicating the material nonpublic information expects that the recipient will maintain its confidentiality; or

 

ï

A person receives or obtains material nonpublic information from certain enumerated close family members ( e.g. , spouse, parents, children, and siblings).

 

No employee, officer or member of the Adviser may trade on the basis of material nonpublic information.

 

Material Information

 

“Material Information” includes any information, whether originating externally or within the Adviser, that a reasonable investor would consider important in making an investment decision, or information that is reasonably certain to have a substantial effect on the price of a company’s securities. Common examples of information that may be regarded as material include, by way of example only and without limitation:

 

 

ï

A projection by the company’s officers of future earnings or losses different from market expectations;

 

ï

A pending or proposed merger, acquisition or tender offer;

 

ï

A significant sale of assets or the disposition of a subsidiary;

 

ï

Changes in dividend policies or the declaration of a stock split;

 

ï

Significant changes in senior management; or

 

ï

An impending upgrade or downgrade of a security by a rating agency or a securities firm (including any affiliate of the Adviser).

 

2

 

 

APPENDIX  H

 

Note that the intention to purchase or sell a security on behalf of a client account may constitute material information. In any event, such information is confidential and may not be shared with anyone outside the Adviser (see Appendix B: Privacy Protection and the Prevention of Identity Theft Policy and Procedures).

 

Nonpublic Information

 

Information is nonpublic until it has been effectively communicated to the market place and is available to the general public. Information is generally regarded as nonpublic until it has been broadly disseminated, such as (for example and without limitation) by means of a press release carried over a major news service, a major news publication, a research report or publication, a public filing made with a regulatory agency, materials sent to shareholders or potential investors such as a proxy statement or prospectus, or materials available from public disclosure services.

 

You are generally required to safeguard the confidentiality of any nonpublic information that may be in our possession and to ensure that such information is not used improperly or in a manner inconsistent with the specific purpose for which it was created or obtained. You may disclose nonpublic information only to persons within the Adviser who have a valid business reason for having such information ( i.e. , those who need to know it to serve the Adviser or its clients) and can be expected not to misuse it.

 

You must notify the CCO immediately if you believe you have obtained any material nonpublic information about any public company.

 

If you have any doubt as to whether the information you possess is material or nonpublic, you should treat the information as though it were material and nonpublic and contact the CCO for further guidance. Except as expressly advised by the CCO, you may not communicate the information to anyone else, or buy or sell (or recommend, advise or solicit the purchase or sale), for any account (including, without limitation, any securities account (whether held at a broker-dealer, transfer agent, investment advisory firm, or other financial services firm) in which you have a beneficial interest or over which you have investment discretion or other control or influence), a security (or derivative) to which any such information relates.

 

Penalties for trading based on material nonpublic information, or communicating such information, can be severe for individuals involved as well as their employers. Violation of these policies will result in serious sanctions by the Adviser, including possibly dismissal of the persons involved.

 

Regulation F-D

 

Regulation F-D (“Fair Disclosure”) provides, in general, that when issuers of securities release material information that was previously nonpublic, they must assure the information is made accessible to all potential investors. Where there is inadvertent limited disclosure, issuers must assure that full disclosure follows promptly upon discovery of the inadvertent limited disclosure.

 

3

 

 

APPENDIX  H

 

As an employee, officer or member of the Adviser, keep in mind the following:

 

 

ï

If you receive any information from an issuer and have any concern that the issuer may not have complied with Regulation F-D in releasing the information, you should contact the CCO prior to trading in that issuer’s security.

 

ï

Regulation F-D in some cases allows the use of confidentiality agreements, so that information may be released on a limited basis to parties in a relationship of trust. Under such agreements, there can be no trading activity in the issuer’s securities until the information in question has been fully disclosed. If you believe that such an agreement is necessary in a particular situation, you must contact the CCO and obtain permission and guidance before entering into the agreement.

 

Proxy Voting

 

Since the manner in which the Adviser or, if the sub-adviser votes proxies, a sub-adviser exercises voting rights on behalf of its clients may be considered material nonpublic information, employees may not disclose the Adviser’s or the sub-adviser’s actual vote (until voting results are made public) or the Adviser’s or sub-adviser’s voting intentions to any third party (except electronically to regulatory agencies) including, but not limited to, proxy solicitors, non-clients, and the media. The Adviser or sub-adviser may communicate with other investors regarding a specific proposal but will not disclose its vote until such time as the subject issuer has publicly disclosed the voting results. The Adviser does not expect to vote proxies.

 

Prevention of Insider Trading

 

The CCO has primary responsibility for implementing, maintaining and enforcing these policies. The CCO and/or the CCO’s designee will:

 

 

ï

provide educational programs to familiarize employees, officers and members of the Adviser with these policies and address any questions arising under these policies;

 

ï

resolve questions as to whether information received by an employee, officer or member is material and nonpublic.

 

If it has been determined that an employee, officer or member of the Adviser is in possession of material nonpublic information, the CCO or the CCO’s designee will:

 

 

ï

implement measures to prevent dissemination of such information; and

 

ï

if necessary, restrict trading of the securities in question.

 

Detection of Insider Trading

 

To detect potential insider trading, the CCO and/or the CCO’s designee will review personal trading documentation supplied for each officer, member and employee pursuant to the Code of Ethics. This review entails reconciling employee trading activity with Adviser activity and searching for suspicious trades or trading patterns.

 

Special Reports to Management

 

Promptly upon learning of a potential violation of these policies, the CCO will prepare a written report to senior management of the Adviser providing full details and recommendations for further action.

 

4

 

 

APPENDIX  I

 

PENSERRA CAPITAL MANAGEMENT LLC

BUSINESS CONTINUITY PLAN

 

 

Introduction

 

Covered Entitles

 

This Business Continuity Plan (the “BCP”) is to provide Penserra Capital Management LLC (“Penserra”), with the procedures to implement and follow in the event a business interruption in its primary place of operations. The attached Exhibit A provides a list of those products issued and trading in the secondary by Penserra and the regulatory areas that govern them.

 

Objectives

 

The primary objective of this BCP is, in the event of a business interruption, to (a) minimize the impact of the interruption; (b) sustain a minimally acceptable level of service for an extended period of time; and (c) return to normal business activities as quickly as possible (the implementation of the foregoing, referred to as a “Disaster Recovery Operation”).

 

It is very important that each employee understands and can perform their duties if Penserra should suffer a business interruption at its primary place of operations. Therefore, all employees are required to read this BCP and be familiar with their responsibilities and assignments. Employees need to keep this BCP at a readily available place outside the office. To support this BCP, we will maintain written and well-documented operational policies and procedures that define acceptable processes, such as alternative facilities, backup of data files, server configurations, and workstation configurations. We will also maintain current inventory lists, software license information or contact lists, as supporting documentation to this BCP.

 

This BCP will address our response in the event of any loss of our primary place of operations:

 

 

ï

Physical facilities

 

ï

Operational Capabilities; and/or

 

ï

Key Personnel.

 

Responsibilities

 

The Emergency Response Team (the “ERT”) is collectively responsible for serving as a primary resource in furtherance of this BCP. In the event of a Disaster Recovery Operation, or at such other times as the ERT Leader may request from time-to-time, ERT members may be required to carry out the responsibilities delegated by the ERT Leader. Each member of the ERT and any standing responsibilities are listed on Exhibit B of this BCP.

 

The Emergency Response ERT Leader is responsible for:

 

 

(a)

updating all areas of this BCP, as needed (except for contact information);

 

 

 

 

APPENDIX  I

 

 

(b)

(i) Specifically designating certain information in the BCP as restricted and subject to limited distribution due to its sensitive nature, (ii) identifying the ERT Members or others that may need access to all or part of such information, and (iii) disclosing the location of or means by which such information can be accessed;

 

 

(c)

overseeing the routine responsibilities of the ERT Administrator; and

 

 

(d)

coordinating a Disaster Recovery Operation, if necessary. The ERT Leader is identified on  Exhibit B .

 

The Emergency Response ERT Administrator is responsible for:

 

 

(a)

updating this BCP as directed by the ERT Leader;

 

 

(b)

maintaining the contact information set forth on the attached exhibits;

 

 

(c)

disseminating the BCP to all employees, as it is updated and collecting from each employee an appropriate acknowledgement; and

 

 

(d)

distributing an updated employee directory to each member of the ERT so that employees may be contacted during the implementation of any part of this BCP. The ERT Administrator is set forth in Exhibit B .

 

Other ERT members are respectively responsible for the specific areas of this BCP as identified herein. ERT members are additionally responsible for carrying out other aspects of this BCP as directed by the ERT Leader.

 

Each employee shall maintain a copy of this BCP in their office and at their home. Additionally, employees may be called upon to serve on the ERT or to take action under this BCP, as situations may arise.

 

Plan Overview

 

Purpose The purpose of the Penserra BCP is to document the key processes and interdependencies required for recovery of critical business operations in case of an adverse event affecting Penserra business. The key processes and interdependencies will be documented in a common repository.

 

Objective Ensure Penserra is prepared to resume key business operations in the event of an unforeseen business disruption.

 

Scope The scope of this plan covers the following disaster scenario: a “total outage” of building housing Penserra primary business operations. A total outage is defined as a location being inaccessible and inoperable (including vital business processes and the technology, infrastructure, voice and data network systems, applications, etc. that support such processes).

 

Assumptions The BCP strategies were developed based on basic assumptions. Assumptions include:

 

 

ï

Travel to the recovery site(s) has not been impeded by the disaster situation.

 

ï

Authorized individuals are available to determine and communicate a disaster declaration.

 

2

 

 

APPENDIX  I

 

 

ï

Activation of the BCP will be determined by the Penserra ERT.

 

ï

The Penserra ERT will have specific activation guidelines to notify employees and mobilize teams for recovery of departments.

 

ï

All individuals having responsibility in executing the BCP have been educated on their roles, responsibilities and procedures and have received and reviewed the current BCP.

 

ï

Designated employees and service providers are available to relocate to the work area recovery site or within necessary time frames to perform their recovery responsibilities.

 

ï

Plans for recovery of IT systems and processes are detailed.

 

ï

IT Systems will be operational in the event the following building(s)/location(s) experience an outage:

 

75 Broad Street, 10th Floor New York NY 10004

4 Orinda Way, Suite 100-A Orinda CA 94563

241 56 th Street Des Moines, IA 50312

 

 

ï

The Business Continuity and IT Disaster Recovery plans are periodically exercised and maintained.

 

Physical Facilities

 

In the event that we are prevented from accessing our primary office(s) or using vital equipment we will take steps to ensure that the performance of our services remains, to the best of our abilities, uninterrupted. We may be prevented from accessing our office(s) or using vital equipment (collectively, “physical facilities”) due to events such as fire, explosion, evacuation, flood, inclement weather, full or partial loss of power, vandalism, theft, or sabotage, among others.

 

Notification of disaster

 

The first employee to determine that there is an apparent loss of our physical facilities should attempt to perform an immediate assessment and, to the extent necessary, contact emergency services. Immediately thereafter, that employee should call a member of the ERT in the order in which they are listed on Exhibit B to this BCP. The employee shall continue to attempt to contact a member of the ERT until they speak with someone able to give the staff instructions consistent with this BCP.

 

The first ERT member advised of a disaster shall be appointed as the ERT Leader on an interim basis until such time as they are relieved of their duties by the actual ERT Leader. The acting ERT Leader shall contact all other members of the ERT to notify them that a loss has occurred and that a Disaster Recovery Operation is underway.

 

If, for any reason, an employee is unable to reach at least one member of the ERT, they should contact the Auxiliary Disaster Response Coordinator listed on Exhibit B . The Auxiliary Disaster Response Coordinator has agreed to serve as our contact clearinghouse in the event that we are unable to contact any member of the ERT and use their best efforts in carrying out their duties to implement this BCP. The Auxiliary Disaster Response Coordinator shall then serve as the acting ERT Leader until such time as another member of the ERT is appointed to serve in that capacity.

 

3

 

 

APPENDIX  I

 

Implementation of the disaster recovery operation

 

The acting ERT Leader shall attempt to contact each employee to advise them that a Disaster Recovery Operation is underway. Alternatively, the acting ERT Leader may delegate the responsibility to other members of the ERT. Employees should be advised of a time and location to report.

 

If employees have not been contacted with instructions, they should attempt to contact a member of the ERT, as set forth on Exhibit B . If no member of the ERT is available, employees should contact the Auxiliary Disaster Coordinator. Unless directed otherwise, employees should report to the office where the regularly work. If reporting to your regular office is impractical or dangerous under the circumstances, employees should immediately report to our primary Contingent Office Facility listed on Exhibit C of this BCP for further instructions.

 

Operational Capabilities

 

We are committed to protecting the firm against any loss of operational capabilities. We are primarily concerned about any loss of our:

 

 

1.

Data and information resources

 

2.

Communications capability

 

3.

Utility services

 

4.

Ability to receive essential services provided by vendors and service providers; and

 

5.

Financial resources

 

Data and information resources

 

We will back up the computer data that we deem necessary on a regular basis to ensure availability of that data in the event of a systems failure. We will thereafter maintain backup copies of that data at an off-site location.

 

We may identify certain documents that we maintain in hard copy as “mission critical” on Exhibit D . These documents shall be copied and stored in an off-site facility. Depending upon the frequency of changes to these documents, we will take steps to ensure that off-site copies of these mission critical documents remain as up-to-date as is reasonably possible.

 

Once a non-routine loss of data or information resources is detected by any employee, it should be immediately reported to the Emergency Response ERT Data Coordinator as set forth on Exhibit   B . If the ERT Data Coordinator is unavailable, employees should report the loss or interruption to another available member of the ERT who shall serve as acting ERT Data Coordinator until the actual ERT Data Coordinator can be apprised of the situation. The ERT Data Coordinator will assess the loss of data and information resources and report their assessment to the ERT Leader. Due to the immeasurable number of circumstances that must be considered in the event of a loss, the ERT Leader will assess the situation, consult with appropriate personnel, and take appropriate action, including making a determination to initiate a Disaster Recovery Operation. In the event that the ERT Leader declares a Disaster Recovery Operation is underway, the ERT Data Coordinator will direct the data restoration procedures set forth on Exhibit D at the location determined by the ERT Leader.

 

4

 

 

APPENDIX  I

 

Our computer resources are protected by a unique password furnished to each employee. Employees are prohibited from sharing their password with anyone, including other employees. A description of the measures we undertake to protect our data and information resources are set forth on Exhibit D .

 

Our offices remain open during normal business hours on days on which the New York Stock Exchange is open for equity trading. During that time, all data and information is monitored by employees and accessed only on a need to know basis. Outside of business hours, we lock all doors to our offices to ensure that only authorized personnel have access after-hours. Our privacy policies and procedures describe additional steps that we have taken to safeguard sensitive information.

 

We will immediately request the return of all access devices (i.e. keys, cards, mobile communication devices, etc.) from employees who have been terminated or otherwise separated from the firm. To the extent that we are unsuccessful at securing the return of these devices, we will take reasonable steps to change the device which may include locks, passwords or other forms of authentication.

 

Communication Capabilities

 

Communicating by telephone (including via facsimile) is critical to our ongoing business operations. Any failure of our telephones presents a business interruption that must be dealt with immediately. Exhibit E of this BCP sets forth both short-term and intermediate-term contingency plans in the event we are unable to communicate by our primary telephone facilities. The vendors required for us to effectively use our telephones along with our contingency plans are set forth on Exhibit F .

 

We use the internet and email as an integral part of our operations. However, many of the functions ordinarily performed over the internet and by email can be temporarily performed by telephone, if available. Exhibit E of this BCP sets forth both short-term and intermediate-term contingency plans in the event we are unable to use the internet and/or email via our standard means. The vendors required for us to use the internet or email along with our contingency plans are set forth on Exhibit F .

 

Utility service

 

We rely upon several utilities to deliver resources essential to our successful operation. Any failure of our utilities presents a business interruption that must be dealt with immediately. We have identified our utility providers on Exhibit F to this BCP. Except for routine service interruptions, any failure by one of our essential service providers should be reported to the ERT Leader. There are an immeasurable number of circumstances that should be considered in the event of an interruption such as its geographic scope, its estimated duration, and our ability to conduct operations despite the interruption. Therefore, the ERT Leader will assess the situation, consult with appropriate personnel, and take action as appropriate under the circumstances.

 

5

 

 

APPENDIX  I

 

Other essential service providers

 

There are several other service providers whom we deem essential to the successful operation of this firm. We have identified these service providers on Exhibit G to this BCP. Except for routine service interruptions, any failure by one of our essential service providers should be reported to the ERT Leader. Due to the immeasurable amount of circumstances that should be considered in the event of an interruption, the ERT Leader will assess the situation, consult with appropriate personnel, and take action as appropriate under the circumstances.

 

Two service providers in particular represent the most essential providers for daily activity, these are Newport and Bloomberg. The firm has identified and constructed a back-up plan in the case of a failure or outage by these providers. In the case of a Newport outage the firm has devices an excel spreadsheet in which orders could be easily populated and sent to the chosen broker rather than via FIX connection from the order management system. In the case of a Bloomberg outage, the firm would be required to conduct reconciliation and analysis manually in excel. The firm would take in fund holdings directly from the fund accountants and index files directly from the index providers. The firm would have access to sufficient pricing and corporate action information from the accounting and index files to complete the necessary analysis.

 

Certain essential service providers must be contacted immediately in the event of a Disaster Recovery Operation. Once a Disaster Recovery Operation is underway, the Emergency Response ERT Service Provider Liaison will ensure that each of the firm’s essential service providers that may be affected by a loss or interruption, are notified. Essential service providers will be provided with sufficient information to continue to conduct business with us on an interim basis until we are able to resume normal business operations.

 

Financial Resources

 

We shall maintain a close watch on all of our financial accounts by monitoring them on an ongoing basis. On at least a monthly basis, we reconcile each account to ensure that there are no financial resources which are unaccounted for. We have identified each of our financial accounts on Exhibit H to this BCP.

 

We shall maintain insurance coverage as we deem necessary to protect the firm under certain circumstances. To the extent that any portion of our business is covered by insurance, it shall be referenced in Exhibit H .

 

We have appointed a Financial Coordinator to the Emergency Response ERT as set forth on Exhibit B . The ERT Financial Coordinator shall be vested with the authority to conduct day-to- day financial affairs of the firm including check-writing authority. In the event of a Disaster Recovery Operation, the ERT Financial Coordinator shall coordinate the use of cash reserves and available lines of credit to fund the Disaster Recovery Operation. Additionally, the ERT Financial Coordinator shall facilitate notification and use of any protections provided by insurance. The financial resources available to the ERT Financial Coordinator are referenced in Exhibit H . The ERT financial Coordinator shall not, under any circumstances or for any period of time, use any client funds or securities for our operations.

 

6

 

 

APPENDIX  I

 

Key Personnel

 

While every one of our employees is important to us, we recognize that certain individuals are “key personnel” for purposes of the ongoing business interests of this firm. In the event of an unforeseen loss of any of our key personnel, we must ensure that the objectives of this BCP, and therefore, our fiduciary duty to our clients, are met. Specifically, we must: (a) minimize the impact of the interruption; (b) sustain a minimally acceptable level of service for an extended period of time; and (c) return to normal business activities as quickly as possible.

 

Our key personnel have been identified on Exhibit I to this BCP. Each of our key personnel has been assigned an interim successor to cover their position on an immediate and temporary basis in the event of loss. Additionally, we have taken steps independent of this BCP to ensure our long- term continuity after the loss of one of our key personnel. These additional steps have been documented in Exhibit I to this BCP.

 

To make certain that all employees have accurate and relevant information regarding the loss and succession of any key personnel, the ERT Leader shall be responsible for informing our employees of any situation if we deem it necessary. Employees will generally be advised of the personnel loss and the interim successor that will be covering their responsibilities on an immediate and temporary basis.

 

General Matters

 

Distribution

 

This BCP and each revision will be distributed to all employees. Upon receipt of a revised BCP, employees should destroy any prior versions in their possession. Initially and annually, all employees will acknowledge their receipt and understanding of the BCP and agree to abide by the BCP and participate in its facilitation to the extent requested by the Emergency Response ERT Leader.

 

Training

 

Each employee will be provided with adequate training about this BCP. Training will be provided initially and, thereafter, at least every six months in a method directed by the ERT.

 

External communications

 

Once a Disaster Recovery Operation is underway, the Emergency Response ERT Client Liaison, as set forth on Exhibit B , will ensure that each of the firm’s clients (if any) that may be affected by a loss or interruption are contacted. Clients will be provided with sufficient information to allay their concerns, and to the extent necessary, continue to conduct business with us on an interim basis until we are able to resume normal business operation.

 

To the extent necessary, the Emergency Response ERT Regulatory Liaison, as set forth on Exhibit B , shall contact each of the regulators (including self-regulatory organizations) with which we maintain registrations, licenses, notice filings, and/or membership to advise them of the Disaster

 

7

 

 

APPENDIX  I

 

Recovery Operation. Additionally, where necessary, the ERT Regulatory Liaison should immediately arrange to amend any regulatory filings or documents that need to reflect these material changes, and file any such documents with any appropriate regulators.

 

Authorization

 

Members of the Emergency Response ERT and their designees shall be granted the appropriate authority to direct and instruct the vendors and service providers as necessary to ensure the continued use or restoration of our operational capabilities. Such authority may be in the firm of a limited power-of-attorney or other written authorization.

 

Expenses

 

We shall reimburse our employees for all expenses incurred when taking any reasonable actions in connection with this BCP. Employees are required to maintain records of each expense along with the business justification and submit them to us in a timely manner once normal operations have resumed.

 

Third Party Delegation

 

We may delegate to a non-affiliated third party vendor, the responsibility to implement certain portions of this BCP. We will ensure that any third party’s responsibilities will be consistent with this BCP, and/or any other applicable policies and procedures. In all cases, however, the ultimate responsibility for implementation of this BCP lies with the Emergency Response ERT.

 

Recordkeeping

 

We will maintain the following documents under this BCP along with our books and records:

 

 

1.

A copy of each version of this BCP, as adopted;

 

2.

A copy of any supporting documents required for implementation of this BCP including, but not limited to, all exhibits as amended or executed; and

 

3.

A copy of any documentation created as a result of the implementation of any part of this BCP (i.e. Disaster Recovery Operation).

 

8

 

 

APPENDIX  I

 

BCP Evaluation and Periodic Testing

 

This BCP shall be maintained by the ERT Leader in conjunction with the ERT Administrator. This BCP is intended to serve as a living document and should be reviewed periodically and revised as necessary to address changes in our business circumstances otherwise material to our business. Such review should be performed as necessary but in no event less than annually. At least annually, the Emergency Response ERT shall meet and review thus BCP to ensure that it continues to meet its objectives.

 

On a periodic basis, but at least prior to each annual meeting of the ERT, the ERT Leader must identify areas of the BCP that pose potential vulnerabilities to the firm and conduct testing in these selected areas. Subsequent to the testing period, the ERT Leader shall prepare a report describing the areas that were tested and the results of the tests. This report shall be presented to the ERT on or before each annual meeting of the ERT.

 

During its annual meeting, the ERT shall make recommendations to the ERT Leader on proposed updates and revisions to the BCP. The ERT Leader shall perform a formal review of the BCP and integrate any necessary revisions and updates based upon prior testing, the recommendations of the ERT and the formal review. From time to time, the ERT Leader may make other changes to the BCP where appropriate.

 

Disclosures

 

A general description of the protections contemplated by this BCP may be made available to clients and other interested parties solely at our discretion. Due to the sensitive nature of specific information contained in this BCP, however, it shall be disclosed as we deem necessary to our employees, attorneys, regulators, and such other parties who are subject to a duty of confidentiality, whether by contract, regulation, or professional code of conduct.

 

Exceptions

 

We may choose to deviate from the actions prescribed in this BCP in certain situations such as:

 

 

(1)

where such actions would be impractical given unforeseen circumstances;

 

(2)

where we deem that another action would be more favorable to the best interests of our clients;

 

(3)

where the prescribed action would place the personal safety of our employees at risk;

 

(4)

where the prescribed action would cause us to violate permanent or temporary laws, rules, regulations, or orders that apply to us; and/or

 

(5)

any situation where, in our sole judgment, the prescribed action would not be in our clients’ best interest. In situations where we deviate from the actions prescribed in this BCP, the ERT Administrator will document the deviation and include the reason. This documentation will be presented to the ERT at their next meeting so they may determine if the deviation was a limited circumstance or if this BCP should be revised to accommodate the deviation in the future.

 

9

 

 

APPENDIX  I

 

Inquiries

 

Any questions regarding this BCP should be directed to the ERT Leader, or any individual they may designate to respond to such inquiries.

 

Key Personnel

 

The firm has determined two key individuals in which immediate succession plans would need to be implemented should those individuals become incapacitated or become immediately unavailable to the firm. Those individuals are Dustin Lewellyn, Chief Investment Officer, and Anthony Castelli, Chief Compliance Officer. Should those key individuals become unavailable the named interim successor would take over that individual’s duties as the Board would meet to determine long term planning.

 

Key Personnel  Interim Successor
Dustin Lewellyn  Ernesto Tong
Anthony Castelli George Madrigal

 

10

 

 

APPENDIX  I

 

Exhibit A Outstanding Trading Products

 

Product   Name

Symbol

SEC   Filing  

Status

Emerging Markets Internet and Commerce

EMQQ

1940 Act

Master Income ETF

HIPS

1940 Act

Gavekal Knowledge Leaders DM

KLDW

1940 Act

Innovator IBD 50

FFTY

1940 Act

Amplify Online Retail

IBUY

1940 Act

Aptus Behavioral Momentum

BEMO

1940 Act

Purefunds ISE Cyber Security

HACK

1940 Act

BlueStar TA-BIGITech Israel Technology ETF

ITEQ

1940 Act

Tierra XP Latam Real Estate

LARE

1940 Act

Amplify YieldShares Prime 5 Dividend ETF

PFV

1940 Act

Amplify YieldShares CWP Dividend and Option Income ETF

DIVO

1940 Act

 

11

 

 

APPENDIX  I

 

Exhibit B – Emergency Response Team

 

 

ERT Task Checklist

 

This report details the people and subtask assignments made to teams within plan. Contact information is provided for each of the individuals assigned to a team position.

 

Point of Contact (BC POC) List:

 

BC POC

Main Phone

Alternate Phone

Work Email

 

 

 

 

Dustin Lewellyn

916-730-2065

 

dustin.lewellyn@penserra.com

 

BC POC Backup

Main Phone

Alternate Phone

Work Email

 

 

 

 

George Madrigal

925-594-5001

415-717-9276

george.madrigal@penserra.com

 

General Recovery Tasks:

 

Upon notification by the Crisis Management Team (“CMT”), instruct critical staff to;

 

 

ï

Relocate to the Recovery Site, if possible, and find the designated work area.

 

 

ï

Contact critical 3rd parties (vendors, regulatory agencies, etc.). Inform them of the event and provide current location, contact information, and changes in operations as necessary.

 

 

ï

When finished, inform the CMT that the 3rd parties have been contacted.

 

 

ï

Determine the availability of all other team members within the department. Once all team members have been accounted for, a team meeting will be held to discuss mental/physical ability to commence work (the BC POC will determine which staff have not been impacted by the incident and are best suited to begin work).

     
  ï  Discuss priorities and assign tasks and identify any additional employees who can work

 

     Dustin Lewellyn      –     Emergency Response Team Leader

 

George Madrigal      –     Emergency Response Team Administrator

 

12

 

 

APPENDIX  I

 

 

Exhibit C – Contingent Office Facility

 

 

 

Primary Backup Facility:

 

 

Penserra Backup Office Facility

4 Orinda Way Suite 100A Orinda, CA 94563

 

 

Remote Backup Capabilities:

 

Penserra employees have been set-up with computer laptops as well as desktop computers. This provides remote flexibility as many, if not all, operational functions are internet based and can be performed anywhere there is internet access.

 

The phone system is VOIP (Voice-Over-Internet Protocol) and third-party hosted. This allows phones to be remotely hardwired where there is internet access. Once hardwired into an internet connection, the phone searches out for the host system and connects as if in the primary office. Also, mobile phones numbers are listed for all employees and those numbers can send and receive calls almost anywhere, and in some instances provide tethered or hot-spot access to the internet.

 

13

 

 

APPENDIX  I

 

 

Exhibit D – Mission Critical Documents

 

 

 

1.

Banking records and statements

 

 

2.

Insurance policies; Workers Compensation, General Business Liability, Health, E&O/D&O and Fidelity Bond

 

 

3.

Vendor Contact information

 

It should be noted that many of these documents have been backed by scanning them and saving them as PDF files. These soft-copies are stored on a mass storage device off-site after business hours.

 

14

 

 

APPENDIX  I

 

 

Exhibit E - If phones are down

 

Short-term

 

1.

Attempt to contact team leader or other team members using personal mobile phones.

 

2.

Attempt to contact team leader or team members using email or text message.

 

3.

If Primary facility is not open or is not safely reachable, await contact from team leader via above channels.

 

4.

The phone system is VOIP (Voice-over-Internet Protocol) and third-party hosted and allows phones to be remotely hardwired where there is internet access. Once hardwired into the internet, the phone searches out for the host system and connects as if in the primary office. If the phone can be removed from the office, employ the above remote connection feature.

 

 

Medium-term

 

1.

If primary facility is open for business and safely reachable, but communications are down, use your best judgment to report to the office or to await contact from the team leader or designee.

 

2.

If backup facility was designated to be used, and is safely reachable, but communication is not available, use your best judgment to report to the backup facility or await contact from the team leader or designee.

  5. As noted above, the phone system is VOIP and allows phones to be remotely hardwired where there is internet access and connects as if in the primary office. If the phone can be removed from the office, employ the above remote connection feature.

 

15

 

 

APPENDIX  I

 

 

Exhibit F – Utility Providers

 

 

 

140 Broadway LLC (NY) 212-943-1500

Skepter Developement LLC (CA) 925-969-1936 Time Warner Cable (NY) 704-945-8333

Windstream Communications (NY/CA) 925-956-4988 Neighborhood Computing (NY/CA) 925-377-5257 Mid American Energy (IA) 888-427-5632

Mediacom (IA) 855-633-4226

 

 

 

 

 

WEBSITE

 

www.penserra.com

 

16

 

 

APPENDIX  I

 

Exhibit G – Key Service Providers

 

Custodian, Accounting, Distributor:

 

Contact Information

 

Name

Role

Phone

Email

 

 

 

Exchange Traded Concepts, LLC

 

10900 Hefner Pointe Drive, Suite 207 Oklahoma City OK 73120

 

 

 

 

Garrett Stevens

 

CEO

 

405.778.8374

 

garrett@exchangetradedconcepts.com

 

 

Jay Baker

 

Cap Mkts

 

405.778.8377

 

Jay@exchangetradedconcepts.com

 

 

Exchange Traded Funds Managers Group (ETFMG)

 

30 Maple Street #2 Summit NJ 07901

 

 

 

 

Sam Masucci

 

CEO

 

908 897 0510

 

sam@etfmg.com

 

 

Barney Karol

 

President

 

908 897 0525

 

barney@etfmg.com

 

 

Amplify

 

310 S Hale Street Wheaton IL 60187

 

 

 

 

Christian Magoon

 

CEO

 

630 207 3646

 

cmagoon@amplifyetfs.com

 

 

John Phillips

 

COO

 

630 464 7600

 

jphillips@amplifyetfs.com

 

 

Innovator

 

325 Chestnut Street, Suite 512 Philadelphia PA 19106

 

 

 

 

David Jacovini

 

CEO

 

215 979 3754

 

djacovini@innovatorfunds.com

 

 

Michael Gries

 

CCO

 

215 979 3750

 

mgries@innovatorfunds.com

 

 

Aptus Capital Advisors

 

407 Johnson Ave. Fairhope AL 36532

 

 

 

 

JD Gardner

 

CEO

 

251 517 7198

 

jdgardner@aptuscapitaladvisors.com

 

 

John Goldsberry

 

 

 

johngoldsberry@aptuscapitaladvisors.com

 

 

 

SEI:

 

One Freedom Valley Drive; Oaks, PA 19456

 

 

 

 

  Chris Rebman

Account Manager - lead

  610.676.3807

  crebman@seic.com

 

17

 

 

APPENDIX  I

 

LJ Robinson

Fund Accounting, Manager

610.676.1351

lrobinson@seic.com

Jason McGhin

SEI Distribution Co.

610.676.3806

jmcghin@seic.com

 

Brown Brothers   Harriman

50   Post   Office Square,   Boston MA 02110

   

Ryan Sullivan

Relationship Management

617-772-6905

ryan.sullivan@bbh.com

Kelsey Payne

Custody

617-772-6346

kelsey.payne@bbh.com

 

US Bank

Minneapolis,   Milwaukee, St.   Louis,   Columbus

     

Sean Conley

ETF Specialist

614 232 8062

Sean.conley@usbank.com

 

Mutual Fund

 

 

Kyle Gaffaney

- GLOBAL

651-466-5948 kyle.gaffaney@usbank.com
 

Custody

 

 
 

Fund

   

Dave Sorenson

Accounting Manager

414 287 3697

 

 

BNY   Mellon

 

2 Hanson   Pl, 9 th   Floor   Brooklyn NY 11217

     
 

John Striano

Client Service

718 315 4091

John.striano@bnymellon.com

 

Newport (Instinet)

309   West   49 th   Street   New   York, NY 10019

     

Sean Conk

Client Service

212-310-7464

newportoms@instinet.com

Bloomberg

3 Pier, Suite   101   San Francisco, CA 94111

     

Barry Layton

Client Service

415-617-7213

blaytonjr@bloomberg.net

 

18

 

 

APPENDIX  I

 

Exhibit H – Banking and Insurance

 

 

BANK   ACCOUNT:

 

Entity

Institution

Type   of   Account

Account   Number

       

First Republic Bank

 

Checking

******

 

INSURANCE   POLICIES:

       

Entity

 

Type   of   Insurance

Policy   Number

       
       

Scottsdale Insurance Company 

 

Errors & Omission 

  FNS0003845-NY-09-01

       
Continental Insurance Company    ERISA 596386059
       
AIG   Fidelity 015200291
       
Hanover Insurance Company   General Liability #OBF D086664 00

 

19

 

 

APPENDIX  I

 

Exhibit I – Key Penserra Personnel

 

Penserra Capital Management LLC www.Penserra.com Main   Dial-In

 

Name

 

Non-Work   Email

 

Cell

     

Castelli, Anthony*

Acastelli01@gmail.com

718-541-0228

     

Lewellyn, Dustin*

dlewellyn@yahoo.com

916-730-2065

     

Madrigal, George*

George.madrigal@yahoo.com

415-717-9276

Tong, Ernesto   415-867-0725
Desai, Anand    408-655-9749

    

* Member of Emergency Response team.

 

Conference   Call-In   :   Conference   Dial-in   Number:   (415)   363-6338;   (646) 558-

6338   Participant   Access

Code:   6597610#

 

20

 

 

APPENDIX  J

 

 

PENSERRA CAPITAL MANAGEMENT LLC

BOOKS AND RECORDS POLICY

 

 

 

I.

Background

 

Rule 204-2 under the Advisers Act requires investment advisers to maintain certain books and records listed in the attached Required Books and Records table. Investment advisers should also establish policies and procedures governing:

 

 

ï

The accurate creation of books and records;

 

 

ï

Any appropriate limitations on the availability of certain books and records to certain employees and outside entities; and

 

 

ï

The proper disposal of books and records that need not be maintained for business or regulatory compliance purposes.

 

The accurate creation and proper maintenance and use of books and records are an important foundation of any investment adviser’s operations and compliance with applicable Federal Securities Laws.

 

Record retention policies and procedures should be tailored to reflect an adviser’s size and operations. Furthermore, any record retention program should be periodically reevaluated, particularly following significant regulatory, operational, or technological changes. Record retention program reviews should evaluate, among other things:

 

 

ï

The effectiveness of the current record retention program;

 

 

ï

Whether the use of electronic and/or hard-copy storage media are meeting the adviser’s needs;

 

 

ï

Employees’ awareness of, and compliance with, the adviser’s record retention program;

 

 

ï

Whether the adviser’s current practices are accurately reflected in its written policies and procedures;

 

 

ï

Whether the creation, maintenance, and confidentiality of certain books and records poses particular compliance or business risks for the adviser; and

 

 

ï

Whether the adviser has devoted appropriate amounts of resources to meet its record retention needs.

 

Employees should be aware that all of the records of a registered investment adviser can be subject to review by SEC examiners, irrespective of whether the records are required to be retained pursuant to Rule 204-2. Employees should be aware that the SEC’s examination authority includes emails and other electronic communications that relate to a registered investment adviser’s business activities, as well as emails and other electronic communications that are sent or received on the adviser’s computer systems.

 

 

 

 

APPENDIX  J

 

 

 

II.

Policies and Procedures

 

Books and records required by Rule 204-2 under the Advisers Act will be maintained for at least six years from the date that the record was created or last altered, whichever is more recent. 1 Some records’ retention periods run from the date the performance reporting they support is used. As a result, information supporting Penserra Capital Management LLC’s (the “Adviser”) track record should be retained for as long as the Adviser presents its track record, plus the required period after the last time it is used. Required records will be kept onsite for at least two years after they are created or last altered, and will be organized to permit easy location, access, and retrieval.

 

Employees may only remove records from the Adviser’s offices with the Chief Compliance Officer’s (“CCO”) approval.

 

All employees must be familiar with, and abide by, the Adviser’s record retention policies and procedures. The CCO is responsible for overseeing the Adviser’s record retention program. Any questions about the Adviser’s policies and procedures should be directed to the CCO.

 

Electronic Record Retention

 

The Adviser (or other entity maintaining a portion of the Adviser’s books and records) may maintain and preserve required records electronically so long as:

 

 

ï

The records are arranged or indexed in a way that permits easy location, access, and retrieval of any particular record;

 

 

ï

A duplicate copy of each electronic record is stored separately, either in electronic or hard copy format; and

 

 

ï

Upon request, the Adviser can promptly provide the SEC with:

 

 

o

A legible, true, and complete copy of the record in the format in which it is stored;

 

 

o

A legible, true, and complete printout of the record; and

 

 

o

The means to access, view, and print the records from the format in which they are stored.

 

If the Adviser converts hard copy documents into an electronic format for storage purposes, the Adviser will test to ensure that, upon conversion, the electronic documents are complete, true, legible, and retrievable.

 

 


 

1

Certain required records must be kept for longer periods of time, as shown in the attached Required Books and Records table.

 

2

 

 

APPENDIX  J

 

Records Warehousing

 

Records may be moved from the Adviser’s (or a service provider’s, as applicable) offices to an offsite storage facility when the records are no longer regularly needed and when any required on- site retention period (as described in the attached Required Books and Records table) has elapsed. The Adviser (or a service provider, as applicable) stores backup tapes that are used to save copies of the Adviser’s electronic network files offsite. The CCO or the CCO’s designee is responsible for overseeing any offsite storage of the Adviser’s records.

 

Document Destruction

 

The CCO has the sole authority to permit the destruction of any required record. No required record will be destroyed before the required retention period has lapsed. Please see the Privacy Protection and the Prevention of Identity Theft Policy and Procedures , Exhibit B, for further information.

 

3

 

 

 APPENDIX  J

 

Required Books and Records

 

 

Document

Required   Retention  

Period 1

Relevant   Advisers

  Act   Rule

Business Records

  1

Partnership agreement and any amendments, certificate of formation and articles of incorporation, by-laws, charters, minute books, and stock certificate books.

Onsite until the termination of the entity, plus 3 years.

  204-2(e)(2)

2

Copies or originals of all  written   agreements relating to the adviser’s business. Examples of such agreements include:

ï     Contracts with third-party vendors;

ï     Employment contracts; and

ï     Rental agreements and property leases.

  Onsite for 2 years, easily accessible for 6 years total.

  204-2(a)(10)

3

Books of original entry, including cash receipts and disbursements records, and any other records of original entry forming the basis of entries in any ledger.

Onsite for 2 years, easily accessible for 6 years total.

204-2(a)(1)

4

General and auxiliary ledgers reflecting asset, liability, reserve, capital, income and expense accounts.

204-2(a)(2)

5

Bank account information, including checkbooks, bank statements, canceled checks and cash reconciliations.

204-2(a)(4)

6

Bills and statements (or copies thereof), paid or unpaid, relating to the business of the adviser.

Onsite for 2 years, easily accessible for 6 years total.

204-2(a)(5)

 


 

1

Many required records must be kept for five years after the end of the fiscal year in which the record was created or last altered. In the interest of simplicity, and to prevent premature destruction, the retention period for these items has been stated as six years.

 

 

 

 

 APPENDIX  J

 

Document

Required   Retention  

Period 1

Relevant   Advisers

  Act   Rule

7

Trial balances and financial statements, including the income statement and balance sheet, and any internal audit working papers.

Onsite for 2 years, easily accessible for 6 years total.

204-2(a)(6)

Compliance and Internal   Control   Records

1

Compliance policies and procedures adopted pursuant to Rule 206(4)-7(a).

Onsite unless the policies and procedures have not been in effect for at least 6 years.

204-2(a)(17)(i)

2

Any records documenting the adviser’s periodic review of its compliance policies and procedures.

Onsite for 2 years, easily accessible for 6 years total.

204-2(a)(17)(ii)

3

Originals of any written Client complaints, and copies of the adviser’s written responses.

204-2(a)(7)

(generally)

Code of Ethics and Personal Trading Records

1

A copy of the adviser’s code of ethics currently in effect, or that was in effect at any time within the past six years.

Onsite unless the code of ethics not been in effect for at least 6 years.

204-2(a)(12)(i)

2

A record of any violation of the adviser’s code of ethics, and any action taken as a result of the violation.

Onsite for 2 years, easily accessible for 6 years total.

204-2(a)(12)(ii)

3

A record of all written acknowledgements of receipt of the code of ethics for each person who is, or within the past six years was, a Supervised Person of the adviser.

Onsite unless the individual has not been a Supervised Person for at least 6 years.

204-2(a)(12)(iii)

 

 

2

 

 

 APPENDIX  J

 

 

Document

Required   Retention  

Period 1

Relevant   Advisers  

Act   Rule

4

A record of each report made by an Access Person regarding personal securities transactions and holdings and copies of associated account statements and trade confirmations provided by broker-dealers and custodians.

Onsite for 2 years, easily accessible for 6 years total.

204-2(a)(13)(i)

5

A record of the names of people who are, or within the past six years were, Access Persons of the investment adviser.

Onsite unless the individual has not been an Access Person for at least 6 years.

204-2(a)(13)(ii)

6

A record of any decision, and the reasons supporting the decision, to approve an Access Person’s investment in an IPO or Private Placement.

Onsite for at least 6 years after the approval is granted.

204-2(a)(13)(iii)

Communications and Client   Relationship   Records

1

Originals of all written communications received, and copies of all written communications sent, by the adviser relating to:

 

ï    Any recommendation or advice that was made or proposed;

ï    Any receipt, disbursement, or delivery of funds or Securities; and

ï    The placing or execution of any order to trade a Security.

 

The adviser need not retain unsolicited, generally- distributed communications (commonly known as “junk mail”), as long as the communications were not prepared by or for the adviser.

Distributor’s offices for 2 years, easily accessible for 6 years total.

204-2(a)(7)

2

If applicable in the future, a copy of each Part 2 of Form ADV provided to any Client or prospect, as well as a record of the dates during which each version is used and a record of the dates that each brochure or brochure supplement was given to any client or prospective client.

204-2(a)(14)(i)

 

3

 

 

 APPENDIX  J

 

 

Document

Required   Retention  

Period 1

Relevant   Advisers

  Act   Rule

3

If applicable in the future, if the method used to compute managed assets for purposes of Item 4.E of Part 2A of Form ADV differs from the method used to compare regulatory assets under management in Item 5.F of Part 1A of Form ADV, the Adviser must retain documentation describing the method used for Item 4.E.

 

204-2(a)(14)(ii)

4

If applicable in the future, a memorandum describing any legal or disciplinary event listed on Part 2A or 2B of Form ADV that is presumed to be material, if the event is not disclosed in the Adviser’s Form ADV Part 2. The memorandum must explain the Adviser’s determination that the presumption of materiality is overcome.

 

204-2(a)(14)(iii)

5

A list of all accounts over which the adviser has discretionary authority.

Onsite for 2 years, easily accessible for 6 years total.

204-2(a)(8)

6

Copies or originals of all powers of attorney or other documents granting the adviser discretionary authority.

Onsite for 2 years, easily accessible for 6 years total.

204-2(a)(9)

7

Copies or originals of all written agreements between the adviser and any Client. Such agreements may include:

 

ï     Investment advisory contracts;

ï     Fee schedules;

ï     Clients’ investment objectives or restrictions; and

ï     Directed brokerage arrangements.

Onsite for 2 years, easily accessible for 6 years total.

204-2(a)(10)

Marketing and Performance Records

 

4

 

 

 APPENDIX  J

 

Document

Required   Retention  

Period 1

Relevant   Advisers  

Act   Rule

1

A copy of each notice, advertisement, investment letter, or other communication that the adviser sends, directly or indirectly, to 10 or more people outside of the adviser.

 

If such communication recommends the purchase or sale of a specific Security but does not state the reasons for such recommendation, the adviser must retain a memorandum indicating the reasons for the recommendation.

 

An adviser that sends the advertisement to more than 10 people need not keep a record of the names and addresses of the recipients. However, if the advertisement was sent to people named on a list, the adviser must retain a description of the list and its source along with the advertisement.

Distributor’s offices for 2 years, easily accessible for 6 years total, measured from the time when the adviser stops distributing the advertisement, or its content in the case of backup material for performance on rate of return.

204-2(a)(11)

and 

204-2(a)(7)

2

All accounts, books, internal working papers, and any other records or documents necessary to form the basis for, or demonstrate the calculation of, any performance or rate of return figures presented in any communication sent directly or indirectly to 10 or more people outside of the adviser. Records relating to valuation, including Valuation Committee minutes and final memoranda documenting Valuation Committee decisions.

 

An adviser may satisfy its obligations under this rule by retaining all account statements reflected in the performance presentation and all working papers necessary to demonstrate the performance calculations, so long as the account statements reflect all debits, credits, and other transactions in a Client’s account for the period of the statement.

204-2(a)(16)

 

5

 

 

 APPENDIX  J

 

Document

Required   Retention  

Period 1

Relevant   Advisers  

Act   Rule

Cash Solicitation   Records (IF   APPLICABLE IN THE FUTURE)

1

If applicable in the future, copies of each solicitor’s separate disclosure document and originals of each solicited Client’s acknowledgement of receipt of the solicitor’s disclosure document and Part 2 of the adviser’s Form ADV.

Onsite for 2 years, easily accessible for 6 years total.

204-2(a)(15)

2

If applicable in the future, copies of all written agreements between the adviser and any solicitors, as required by Rule 206(4)-3.

204-2(a)(10)

Records Relating to Political   Contributions

1

The names, titles and business and residence addresses of all “covered associates” of the investment adviser (as defined by Rule 206(4)-5).

Onsite for 2 years and easily accessible for 6 years total, but only if the Adviser has any clients or investors that are government entities.

204-2(a)(18)(i)(A)

2

All government entities to which the investment adviser provides or has provided investment advisory services, or which are or were investors in any covered investment pool to which the investment adviser provides investment advisory services, as applicable, in the past five years, but not prior to September 13, 2010.

204-2(a)(18)(i)(B)

3

All direct or indirect contributions made by the adviser or any of its covered associates to an official of a government entity, or direct or indirect payments to a political party of a state or political subdivision thereof, or to a political action committee. These records shall be maintained in chronological order and indicate the name and title of each contributor, the name and title of each recipient, the amount and date of each contribution, and whether the contribution was the subject of the exception for certain returned contributions.

204-2(a)(18)(i)(C)

 

6

 

 

 APPENDIX  J

 

Document

Required   Retention  

Period 1

Relevant   Advisers  

Act   Rule

4

The name and business address of each entity to which the adviser provides or agrees to provide, directly or indirectly, payment to solicit a government entity for investment advisory services on its behalf.

Onsite for 2 years, easily accessible for 6 years total.

204-2(a)(18)(i)(D)

Trading and   Account   Management   Records

1

A trade ticket (or order memorandum) showing (i) each order given by the adviser for the purchase or sale of any security; (ii) any instruction received by the adviser concerning the purchase, sale, receipt, or delivery of any security; and (iii) any modification or cancellation of any such order or instruction.

 

Each trade ticket must show:

ï     The terms and conditions of the order,instruction, modification, or cancellation, (including a security identifier, the number of shares, the price, the commission, and the order type, among other things);

ï      The person connected with the adviser who recommended the transaction to the client and the person who placed the order;

ï     The client account for which the transaction was entered;

ï     The date of entry;

ï      The bank, broker, or dealer by or through whom the transaction was executed;

ï      Any applicable trade allocation information; and

ï      Whether  the  order  was  entered  pursuant  to discretionary authority.

 

If applicable, each trade ticket should also document the pre-trade allocation and any deviations from the allocation made after execution.

 

Administrator’s offices for 2 years, easily accessible for 6 years total.

204-2(a)(3)

 

7

 

 

 APPENDIX  J

 

Document

Required   Retention  

Period 1

Relevant   Advisers  

Act   Rule

2

Research files documenting the reasonable basis for the adviser’s investment recommendations. Such documentation may include third-party research, as well as analyses prepared by employees.

Onsite for 2 years, easily accessible for 6 years total.

204-2(a)(7)

(generally)

3

Records showing separately, for each client for which the adviser provides investment supervisory or management services, the securities purchased and sold, and the date, amount, and price of each such purchase and sale.

Administrator’s offices for 2 years, easily accessible for 6 years total.

204-2(c)(1)(i)

4

For each security currently held by any client for which the adviser provides investment supervisory or management services, information from which the adviser can promptly furnish the name of each such client and the client’s current interest in the security.

Information must be kept current.

204-2(c)(1)(ii)

With Respect   to Clients   for   whom   the Adviser   Exercises   Proxy   Voting   Authority

1

Copies of all proxy voting policies and procedures required by Rule 206(4)-6.

Onsite for 2 years, easily accessible for 6 years total.

204-2(c)(2)(i)

2

A copy of each proxy statement that the adviser receives regarding Client Securities. However, an adviser may satisfy this requirement by relying on a third party to retain a copy of the proxy statement on the adviser’s behalf, so long as the adviser has obtained an undertaking from the third party to provide a copy of the proxy statement promptly upon request. An adviser may also satisfy this requirement by relying on proxy statements available from the SEC’s Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis, and Retrieval (EDGAR) system.

204-2(c)(2)(ii)

 

8

 

 

 APPENDIX  J

 

Document

Required   Retention  

Period 1

Relevant   Advisers  

Act   Rule

3

A record of each vote cast by the adviser on behalf of a client. An adviser may satisfy this requirement by relying on a third party to retain, on the adviser’s behalf, a record of each vote cast, so long as the adviser has obtained an undertaking from the third party to provide a copy of the record promptly upon request.

 

204-2(c)(2)(iii)

4

A copy of any document created by the adviser that (a) was material to deciding how to vote proxies on behalf of a client, or (b) memorializes the basis for a proxy voting decision.

 

204-2(c)(2)(iv)

5

A copy of each written client request for information regarding how the adviser voted proxies on behalf of a client, and a copy of any associated written response by the adviser to any written or verbal client request for such information.

 

204-2(c)(2)(v)

With Respect   to Accounts over which the Adviser has Custody or Possession of   Client Funds   or Securities (IF   APPLICABLE IN THE FUTURE)

1

If applicable in the future, a journal or record showing all purchases, sales, receipts and deliveries of securities (including certificate numbers) for all such accounts and all other debits and credits to such accounts.

Onsite for 2 years, easily accessible for 6 years total.

204-2(b)(1)

 

9

 

 

 APPENDIX  J

 

Document

Required   Retention

  Period 1

Relevant   Advisers  

Act   Rule

2

If applicable in the future, a separate ledger account for each such account showing all purchases, sales, receipts and deliveries of securities, as well as the dates and prices of any such transactions, debits, and credits.

 

204-2(b)(2)

3

 If applicable in the future, copies of confirmations of trades effected all by or for any such account.

 

204-2(b)(3)

4

If applicable in the future, a record of each security held by any such account showing each relevant client’s name and interest, and the location of each such security.

 

204-2(b)(4)

5

If applicable in the future, any memorandum describing the basis upon which the adviser has determined that an affiliated entity with custody of Client assets is

“operationally independent” from the adviser.

 

204-2(b)(5)

6

If applicable in the future, a copy of any internal control report regarding the internal custodial controls of the adviser, or any affiliate, that acts as a Qualified Custodian with respect to client funds or securities.

 

204-2(a)(17)(iii)

 

10

 

 

APPENDIX  K

 

PENSERRA CAPITAL MANAGEMENT LLC

POLICY ON GIFTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

 

 

 

I.

Supervised Persons’ Receipt of Entertainment

 

Supervised Persons 1 may attend business meals, sporting events and other entertainment events at the expense of a third party giver, provided that the entertainment is not lavish or extravagant in nature and may not be misconstrued as payment for business. The Supervised Person must report his/her planned attendance to the CCO in writing prior to attending the event if the estimated cost is above $100, in which the CCO will grant or deny the request based on a number of pre-clearance factors. Supervised Persons should identify the giver, the estimated value and the associated company. This policy is intended to cover gifts to Supervised Persons that are given to Supervised Persons because of their affiliation with Penserra Capital Management LLC (“Adviser”). Therefore, gifts and invitations to events that a Supervised Person receives as a result of a family or other personal relationship are exempt from this policy.

 

 

II.

Supervised Persons’ Receipt of Gifts

 

Supervised Persons must report tany gift to the CCO in writing and may not accept gifts of more than a de minimus value ($100) from any one person or entity in the aggregate annually. Supervised persons should identify the giver, the estimated value and the associated company. Gifts of attendance at charitable events are valued at the actual cost of the event, not the full donation required to attend.

 

The Adviser expects that it will generally bear the costs of employee 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 the Adviser they should be treated as a gift to the employee for purposes of this policy.

 

 

III.

Penserra Capital Management LLC’s Gift and Entertainment Giving Policy

 

The Adviser and its Supervised Persons are prohibited from giving gifts or entertainment that may appear lavish or excessive, and must obtain approval to give gifts or entertainment in excess of $100 per year in aggregate to any investor, prospective investor, or individual or entity that the Adviser does, or is seeking to do, business with. The CCO shall review expense reports containing a gift or entertainment item(s) to ensure compliance with this policy prior to forwarding them for reimbursement . Supervised Persons should list the recipient(s) of gifts and entertainment and identify the associated company (companies) on expense reports.

 


 

1

“Supervised Persons” are members and officers of the Adviser (or any other person occupying a similar status or performing similar functions), employees of the Adviser, or any other persons who provide investment advice on behalf of the Adviser and who are subject to the supervision and control of the Adviser.

 

 

 

 

APPENDIX  K

 

 

 

IV.

Gifts and Entertainment Given to Union Officials

 

Any gift or entertainment provided by the Adviser to a labor union or a union official in excess of $100 per fiscal year must be reported on Department of Labor Form LM-10 within 90 days following the end of the Adviser’s fiscal year. Consequently, all gifts and entertainment provided to labor unions or union officials must be reported to the CCO in writing; the communication must list the recipient(s) and identify the associated labor union(s).

 

 

V.

Gifts and Entertainment – FCPA

 

The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (“FCPA”) prohibits the direct or indirect giving of, offering to give or promising to give, money or anything of value to a foreign official, a foreign political party or party official, or any candidate for foreign political office in order to corruptly obtain or retain a business benefit.

 

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 country, as well as facilitating payments for routine governmental action. 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 Adviser and its Supervised Persons must comply with the spirit and the letter of the FCPA at all times. Supervised Persons must obtain written pre-clearance from the CCO prior to giving anything of value that might be subject to the FCPA.

 

Supervised Persons must disclose all gifts and entertainment that may be subject to the FCPA to the CCO irrespective of value and including food and beverages provided during a legitimate business meeting. Supervised Persons must consult with the CCO or the CCO’s designee if there is any question as to whether gifts or entertainment need to be pre-cleared and/or reported in connection with this policy.

 

 

VI.

Gifts and Entertainment Monitoring

 

The CCO will utilize the below factors at minimum when reviewing gifts and entertainment for pre-clearance.

1: the absolute value of the gift and entertainment;

2: the frequency with which gift and entertainment is offered or given to a particular source;

3: the frequency with which the employee is offered or receives entertainment generally; and

4: the amount of fund brokerage or other transactions directed to the source over past time periods.

 

The CCO will use a log to track Supervised Persons’ provision and receipt of gifts and entertainment. This log will be utilized in performing a post-clearance review in which gifts and entertainment given and received will be tracked against any purported changes in business activity.

 

2

 

 

APPENDIX  L

 

PENSERRA CAPITAL MANAGEMENT LLC

POLITICAL AND CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTIONS POLICY AND PROCEDURES

 

 

I.     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 Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended (the “Pay-to-Play Rule”) limits political contributions to state and local government officials, candidates, and political parties by:

 

 

ï

Registered investment advisers; and

 

 

ï

“Covered associates” of the entities listed above.1

 

Importantly, for an adviser to a covered investment pool (which term is defined to include investment companies registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940), if a government entity invests or is solicited to invest in the covered investment pool, the adviser is treated for purposes of the Pay-to-Play Rule as though it were providing or seeking to provide investment advisory services directly to the government entity. This means that the Pay-to-Play Rule would apply with full effect to such an adviser. Penserra Capital Management LLC (“Adviser”) serves as sub-adviser for certain ETF Trusts, investment companies registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940; thus, the Pay-to-Play Rule would apply to the Adviser and its Covered associates.

 

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. Rule 206(4)-5 also includes a provision that prohibits any indirect action that would be prohibited if the same action was done directly.

 

 

 


1

A “covered associate” of an adviser is defined to include:

 

 

ï

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

 

 

ï

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

 

 

ï

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

 

 

 

 

APPENDIX  L

 

II.     Policies and Procedures

 

Political Contributions

 

Because of the potential ramifications on the Adviser’s operations, political contributions by the Adviser, its affiliates, or their employees to politically connected individuals or entities with the intention of influencing such parties for business purposes are strictly prohibited. Therefore, as a general rule and except as set forth in the next paragraph, political contributions by employees, their family members living in the same household, or entities affiliated with such persons (“Employee Contributions”) 2 are not permitted by the Adviser. This prohibition includes coordinating or soliciting any contribution or payment from a third party to an official of a government entity or a related local or state political party.

 

New Supervised Persons 3 must disclose past political contributions made by the Supervised Person and family members living in the same household, or entities affiliated with such persons, on the attached form. The review will address the prior six months for potential covered associates who will have no involvement in the solicitation of clients or investors; contributions for all other potential covered associates will be reviewed for the past two years. The CCO will document findings and any discussions relating thereto, and the CCO and the individual in question will sign the disclosure documentation, which the CCO shall retain.

 

Finally, the Adviser and its affiliated entities shall not make direct or indirect political contributions.

 

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.

 

Certain states and localities may require Adviser, marketing employees of Adviser and third-party placement agents/solicitors to register as lobbyists prior to contacting government entities and/or government officials. These rules are evolving rapidly. Therefore, prior to entering into discussions with any government entity and/or government official, the CCO must make a determination whether local lobbying laws apply.

 

 


 

2

Rule 206(4)-5(d) prohibits acts done indirectly that, if done directly, would violate the rule. As a result, an adviser and its covered associates could not funnel payments through third parties, including, for example, consultants, attorneys, family members, friends or companies affiliated with the adviser as a means to circumvent the rule. Rule 206(4)-5(d) requires a showing of intent to circumvent the rule in order for such persons to trigger the time out specified in the rule.

 

 

3

“Supervised Persons” are members and officers of the Adviser (or any other person occupying a similar status or performing similar functions), employees of the Adviser, or any other persons who provide investment advice on behalf of the Adviser and who are subject to the supervision and control of the Adviser.

 

2

 

 

APPENDIX  L

 

 

Employees should direct any questions in this regard to the CCO.

 

Charitable Donations

 

Donations by the Adviser or employees to charities with the intention of influencing such charities to become clients or investors are strictly prohibited. Notify the CCO if you perceive an actual or apparent conflict of interest in connection with any charitable contribution, or if you believe that the contribution could give an appearance of impropriety.

 

Public Office

 

Employees must obtain written pre-approval from the CCO prior to running for any public office. Employees may not hold a public office if it presents any actual or apparent conflict of interest with the Adviser’s business activities.

 

Outside Business Activities

 

If an employee is associated with an outside business, such as by serving as an officer or director, the employee should recuse himself or herself from any decisions regarding that entity’s political contributions. If the employee believes that the outside business’ political contributions could give even the appearance of being related to the Adviser’s advisory activities or marketing initiatives, the employee must discuss the matter with the CCO.

 

3

 

 

APPENDIX L

 

 

Political Contribution Log

 

 

Contribution  

Date

Name and Title   of

  Employee   who made  

Contribution

Name and Title   of  

Recipient of  

Contribution

 

Contribution  

Amount

 

Notes (including whether the contribution was

  returned by the recipient   to the contributor)

         
         
         
         
         
         
         
         
         
         

 

 

 

Exhibit (p)(3)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

INTRODUCTION

1

     
1.

STANDARDS OF PROFESSIONAL CONDUCT

2

     
  (a)

Fiduciary Duties

2

  (b)

Compliance with Laws

2

  (c)

Corporate Culture

2

  (d)

Professional Misconduct

3

  (e)

Disclosure of Conflicts

3

  (f)

Undue Influence

3

  (g)

Confidentiality and Protection of Material Nonpublic Information

3

  (h)

Personal Securities Transactions

4

  (i)

Gifts

4

  (j)

Service on Boards

4

  (k)

Prohibition Against Market Timing

4

     
2.

WHO IS COVERED BY THIS CODE

4

     
3.

PROHIBITED TRANSACTIONS

5

     
  (a)

Blackout Period

5

  (b)

Requirement for Pre-clearance

5

  (c)

 Fund Officer Prohibition

5

     
4.

REPORTING REQUIREMENTS OF ACCESS PERSONS

6

     
  (a)

Reporting

6

  (b)

Exceptions from Reporting Requirement of Section 4

6

  (c)

Initial Holdings Reports

6

  (d)

Quarterly Transaction Reports

7

  (e)

New Account Opening; Quarterly New Account Report

7

  (f)

Annual Holdings Reports

7

  (g)

Alternative Reporting

7

  (h)

Report Qualification

8

  (i)

Providing Access to Account Information

8

  (j)

Confidentiality of Reports

8

     
5.

ACKNOWLEDGMENT AND CERTIFICATION OF COMPLIANCE

8

     
6.

REPORTING VIOLATIONS

9

     
7.

TRAINING

9

     
8.

REVIEW OFFICER

9

     
  (a)

Duties of Review Officer

9

 

i

 

 

  (b)

Potential Trade Conflict

10

  (c)

Required Records

10

  (d)

Post-Trade Review Process

11

  (e)

Submission to Fund Board

11

  (f)

Report to the Risk Committee

12

       
       

Appendix A - Foreside Companies

13

Appendix B - Definitions

14

       
       

Attachment A – Access Person Acknowledgement

16

Attachment B – Pre-Clearance Request Form

17

 

ii

 

 

INTRODUCTION

 

This Code of Ethics (the “Code”) has been adopted by Foreside Financial Group, LLC (“Foreside”) and each of its affiliated entities and direct or indirect wholly-owned subsidiaries as listed in Appendix A (each, a “Company” and collectively, the “Companies”). This Code pertains to the Companies’ distribution services to registered management investment companies or series thereof, as well as those funds for which certain employees of the Companies (or an affiliate thereof) serve as an officer or director of a registered investment company (“Fund Officer”) or have been designated an Access Person by the Review Officer1 (each a “Fund” and as set forth in the List of Access Persons & Reportable Funds). This Code:

 

 

1.

establishes standards of professional conduct;

 

2.

establishes standards and procedures for the detection and prevention of activities by which persons having knowledge of the investments and investment intentions of a Fund may abuse their fiduciary duties to the Fund; and

  3. addresses other types of conflict of interest situations.

    

Definitions of underlined terms are included in Appendix B.

 

Each Company, through its President, may impose internal sanctions should Access Persons of any Company (as identified on the List of Access Persons & Reportable Funds maintained by the Review Officer) violate these policies or procedures. A registered broker- dealer and its personnel may be subject to various regulatory sanctions, including censure, suspension, fines, expulsion or revocation of registration for violations of securities rules, industry regulations and the Company’s internal policies and procedures. In addition, negative publicity associated with regulatory investigations and private lawsuits can negatively impact and severely damage business reputation.

 

Furthermore, failure to comply with this Code is a very serious matter and may result in internal disciplinary action being taken. Such action may include, among other things, warnings, reprimands, restrictions on activities and/or suspension or termination of employment. Violations also may result in referral to regulatory, civil or criminal authorities where appropriate.

 

Should Access Persons require additional information about this Code or have ethics- related questions, please contact the Review Officer, as defined under Section 8 below, directly.

 

 


1 Each Company is adopting this Code pursuant to Rule 17j-1 with respect to certain funds that it distributes or for which an employee of the Company serves as a Fund Officer or has been designated as an Access Person. Pursuant to the exception noted under Rule 17j-1(c)(3), adopting and approving a Rule 17j-1 code of ethics with respect to a Fund, as well as the Code’s administration, by a principal underwriter is not required unless:

 

the principal underwriter is an affiliated person of the Fund or of the Fund’s adviser, or

 

an officer, director or general partner of the principal underwriter serves as an officer, director or general partner of the Fund or of the Fund’s investment adviser.

 

A Fund Officer is permitted to report as an Access Person under this Code with respect to the Funds listed on the List of Access Persons & Reportable Funds maintained by the Review Officer.

 

1

 

 

1.

STANDARDS OF PROFESSIONAL CONDUCT

 

Each Company forbids any Access Person from engaging in any conduct that is contrary to this Code. Furthermore, certain persons subject to the Code are also subject to other restrictions or requirements that affect their ability to open securities accounts, effect securities transactions, report securities transactions, maintain information and documents in a confidential manner and other matters relating to the proper discharge of their obligations to the Company or to a Fund.

 

Each Company has always held itself and its employees to the highest ethical standards. Although this Code is only one manifestation of those standards, compliance with its provisions is essential. Each Company adheres to the following standards of professional conduct, as well as those specific policies and procedures discussed throughout this Code:

 

(a)            Fiduciary Duties . Each Company and its Access Persons are fiduciaries and at all times shall:

 

 

act solely for the benefit of the Funds; and

 

place each Fund’s interests above their own.

 

(b)            Compliance with Laws . Access Persons shall maintain knowledge of and comply with all applicable federal and state securities laws, rules and regulations, and shall not knowingly participate or assist in any violation of such laws, rules or regulations.

 

It is unlawful for Access Persons to use any information concerning a security held or to be acquired by a Fund, or their ability to influence any investment decisions, for personal gain or in a manner detrimental to the interests of a Fund.

 

Access Persons shall not, directly or indirectly, in connection with the trading of a Fund’s shares or the purchase or sale of a security held or to be acquired by a Fund for which they are an Access Person:

 

 

(i)

employ any device, scheme or artifice to defraud a Fund or engage in any manipulative practice with respect to a Fund;

 

(ii)

make to a Fund any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state to a Fund a material fact necessary in order to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which they are made, not misleading;

 

(iii)

engage in any act, practice, or course of business that operates or would operate as a fraud or deceit upon a Fund; or

 

(iv)

engage in any manipulative practice with respect to securities, including price manipulation.

 

(c)            Corporate Culture . Access Persons, through their words and actions, shall act with integrity, encourage honest and ethical conduct and adhere to a high standard of business ethics.

 

2

 

 

(d)            Professional Misconduct . Access Persons shall not engage in any professional conduct involving dishonesty, fraud, deceit or misrepresentation, or commit any act that reflects adversely on their honesty, trustworthiness or professional competence. Access Persons shall not knowingly misrepresent, or cause others to misrepresent, facts about a Company to a Fund, a Fund’s shareholders, regulators or any member of the public. Disclosure in reports and documents should be fair and accurate.

 

(e)            Disclosure of Conflicts . As a fiduciary, each Company and Access Person has an affirmative duty of care, loyalty, honesty and good faith to act in the best interests of a Fund. Compliance with this duty can be achieved by trying to avoid conflicts of interest and by fully disclosing all material facts concerning any conflict that does arise with respect to any Fund. Access Persons must try to avoid situations that have even the appearance of conflict or impropriety.

 

This Code prohibits inappropriate favoritism of one Fund over another that would constitute a breach of fiduciary duty. Access Persons shall support an environment that fosters the ethical resolution of, and appropriate disclosure of, conflicts of interest, and shall comply with any prohibition on activities imposed by a Company if a conflict of interest exists. If any Access Person is (or becomes) aware of a personal interest that is, or might be, in conflict with the interest of a Fund, that Access Person must promptly disclose the situation or transaction and the nature of the conflict to the Review Officer for appropriate consideration.

 

(f)            Undue Influence . Access Persons shall not cause or attempt to cause any Fund to purchase, sell or hold any security in a manner calculated to create any personal benefit to them or others whose accounts they hold a beneficial ownership interest (i.e., their spouse or domestic partner, minor children or relatives who reside in the Access Person’s household) or over which they have direct or indirect influence or control.

 

(g)            Confidentiality and Protection of Material Nonpublic Information. The term “Material Nonpublic Information” refers to information that is both material information and nonpublic information, and also may be referred to as “Inside Information.” Information is considered to be “Nonpublic Information” unless it has been publicly disclosed, for example, through public filing with a securities regulator, issuance of a press release or the issuance of a prospectus. The term “Material Information” has no specific definition, but, for the purposes of this Code, it shall refer to any information that might have an effect on the market for a security generally or any information that a reasonable person would consider important in a decision to buy, hold or sell a security. Examples of material nonpublic information may include, but are not limited to: sales results; earnings (or loss) estimates (including significant changes to previously released information); dividend actions; strategic plans; new products, discoveries or services; significant personnel changes; acquisition, merger and divestiture plans; liquidity issues; proposed securities offerings; major pending or threatened litigation or potential claims; restructurings and recapitalizations; and the negotiation or termination of major contracts or relationships.

 

3

 

 

Information concerning the identity of portfolio holdings and financial circumstances of a Fund is confidential. Access Persons are responsible for safeguarding such material nonpublic information about a Fund, including portfolio recommendations and fund holdings. Except as required in the normal course of carrying out their business responsibilities and as permitted by a Fund’s policies and procedures, Access Persons shall not reveal information relating to the investment intentions or activities of any Fund, or securities that are being considered for purchase or sale on behalf of any Fund.

 

Access Persons in possession of material nonpublic information must maintain the confidentiality of such information, and each Company shall be bound by a Fund’s policies and procedures with regard to disclosure of an investment company’s identity, affairs and portfolio holdings. The obligation to safeguard such Fund information would not preclude Access Persons from providing necessary information to, for example, persons providing services to a Company or a Fund’s account such as brokers, accountants, custodians and fund transfer agents, or in other circumstances when the Fund consents, as long as such disclosure conforms to the Fund’s portfolio holdings disclosure policies and procedures.

 

In any case, Access Persons shall not:

 

 

trade based upon inside information, especially where Fund trades are likely to be pending or imminent; or

 

use or share knowledge of any material nonpublic information of a Fund for personal gain or benefit or for the personal gain or benefit of others.

 

(h)            Personal Securities Transactions . All personal securities transactions shall be conducted in such a manner as to be consistent with this Code and to avoid any actual or potential conflict of interest or any abuse of any Access Person’s position of trust and responsibility.

 

(i)            Gifts . Access Persons shall not accept or provide anything in excess of $100.00 (per individual per year) or any other preferential treatment, in each case as a gift, to or from any broker-dealer or other entity with which a Company or a Fund does business.

 

(j)            Service on Boards . Access Persons shall not serve on the boards of trustees (or directors) of publicly traded companies, absent prior authorization based upon a determination by the Review Officer that the board service would be consistent with the interests of the Company, a Fund and its shareholders.

 

(k)            Prohibition Against Market Timing . Access Persons shall not engage in market timing of shares of Reportable Funds (a list of which are provided in the List of Access Persons & Reportable Funds maintained by the Review Officer). For purposes of this section, an Access Person’s trades shall be considered ‘market timing’ if made in violation of any stated policy in the Fund’s prospectus.

 

2.

WHO IS COVERED BY THIS CODE

 

All Access Persons, in each case only with respect to the Reportable Funds as listed on the List of Access Persons & Reportable Funds maintained by the Review Officer, shall abide by this Code. Access Persons are required to comply with specific reporting requirements as set forth in Sections 3 and 4 of this Code.

 

4

 

 

3.

PROHIBITED TRANSACTIONS

 

(a)            Blackout Period . Access Persons shall not purchase or sell a Reportable Security in an account in their name, or in the name of others in which they hold a beneficial ownership interest or over which they have direct or indirect influence or control, if they had actual knowledge at the time of the transaction that, during the 24 hour period immediately preceding or following the transaction, the security was purchased or sold or was considered for purchase or sale by a Fund.

 

(b)            Requirement for Pre-clearance . Access Persons must obtain prior written approval from the Review Officer before:

 

 

(i)

directly or indirectly acquiring beneficial ownership in securities in an initial public offering for which no public market in the same or similar securities of the issue has previously existed;

 

(ii)

directly or indirectly acquiring beneficial ownership in securities in a private placement; and

 

(iii)

directly or indirectly purchasing, selling or acquiring shares of a Reportable Fund for which they are an Access Person.

 

All requests for pre-clearance of securities transactions must be submitted to the Review Officer for review using the Pre-Clearance Request Form, in the form of Attachment B .

 

In determining whether to pre-clear the transaction, the Review Officer shall consider, among other factors, whether such opportunity is being offered to the Access Person by virtue of his or her position with the Fund or would result in a conflict of interest. Other factors to be considered may include: discussion with the Access Person concerning the reason for the requested transaction and how he or she became aware of the investment; the Access Person’s work role; the size and holding period of the proposed investment; the market capitalization of the issuer; the liquidity of the security; and other relevant factors. The Review Officer granting or denying the request must document the basis for the decision and notify the requesting person whether the trading request is approved or denied.

 

A pre-clearance request should not be submitted for a transaction that the requesting person does not intend to execute. Pre-clearance trading authorization is valid only from the time when approval is granted through the next business day. If the transaction is not executed within this period, an explanation of why the pre-cleared transaction was not completed must be submitted to the Review Officer within five (5) days. With respect to any effected transaction, the Access Person must provide the Review Officer with a transaction report evidencing the transaction consistent with the reporting requirements of Section 4.

 

(c)            Fund Officer Prohibition . No Fund Officer shall directly or indirectly seek to obtain information (other than that necessary to accomplish the functions of the office) from any Fund portfolio manager regarding (i) the status of any pending securities transaction for a Fund or (ii) the merits of any securities transaction contemplated by the Fund Officer.

 

5

 

 

4.

REPORTING REQUIREMENTS OF ACCESS PERSONS

 

(a)            Reporting . Access Persons must report the information described in this Section with respect to transactions in any Reportable Security in which they have, or by reason of such transaction acquire, any direct or indirect beneficial ownership . Access Persons must submit the appropriate reports to the Review Officer, unless they are otherwise required by a Fund, pursuant to a Code of Ethics adopted by the Fund, to report to the Fund or another entity.

 

(b)            Exceptions from Reporting Requirement of Section 4 . Access Persons need not submit:

 

 

(i)

any report with respect to securities held in accounts over which the Access Person had no direct or indirect influence or control;

 

(ii)

a quarterly transaction report with respect to 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;

 

(iii)

a quarterly transaction report with respect to transactions effected which were non-volitional on the part of the Access Person, including acquisitions of Reportable Securities by gift or inheritance; or

 

(iv)

a quarterly transaction report if the report would duplicate information contained in broker trade confirmations or account statements that the Company holds in its records so long as the Company receives the confirmations or statements no later than thirty (30) days after the end of the applicable calendar quarter.

 

(c)            Initial Holdings Reports . No later than ten (10) days after a person becomes an Access Person, the person must report the following information:

 

 

(i)

the title, type of security, and as applicable the exchange ticker symbol or CUSIP number, number of shares and principal amount of each Reportable Security (whether or not publicly traded) in which the person has any direct or indirect beneficial ownership as of the date the person became an Access Person;

 

(ii)

the name of any broker, dealer or bank with whom the person maintains an account in which any securities were held for the Access Person’s direct or indirect benefit as of the date the person became an Access Person; and

 

(iii)

the date that the report is submitted by the Access Person.

 

The information contained in the initial holdings report must be current as of a date no more than forty-five (45) days prior to the date the person becomes an Access Person.

 

6

 

 

(d)            Quarterly Transaction Reports . No later than thirty (30) days after the end of a calendar quarter, each Access Person must submit a quarterly transaction report which includes, at a minimum, the following information with respect to any transaction during the quarter in a Reportable Security (whether or not publicly traded) in which the Access Person had any direct or indirect beneficial ownership:

 

 

(i)

the date of the transaction, the title, and as applicable the exchange ticker symbol or CUSIP number, the interest rate and maturity date (if applicable), the number of shares and the principal amount of each Reportable Security involved;

 

(ii)

the nature of the transaction (i.e., purchase, sale or any other type of acquisition or disposition);

 

(iii)

the price of the Reportable Security at which the transaction was effected;

 

(iv)

the name of the broker, dealer or bank with or through which the transaction was effected; and

 

(v)

the date that the report is submitted.

 

(e)            New Account Opening; Quarterly New Account Report . Each Access Person shall provide written notice to the Review Officer prior to opening any new account with any entity through which a Reportable Securities (whether or not publicly traded) transaction may be effected for which the Access Person has direct or indirect beneficial ownership.

 

In addition, no later than thirty (30) days after the end of a calendar quarter, each Access Person must submit a Quarterly New Account Report with respect to any account established by such a person in which any Reportable Securities (whether or not publicly traded) were held during the quarter for the direct or indirect benefit of the Access Person. The Quarterly New Account Report shall cover, at a minimum, all accounts at a broker-dealer, bank or other institution opened during the quarter and provide the following information:

 

 

(1)

the name of the broker, dealer or bank with whom the Access Person has established the account;

 

(2)

the date the account was established; and

 

(3)

the date that the report is submitted by the Access Person.

 

(f)            Annual Holdings Reports . Annually, each Access Person must report the following information (which information must be current as of a date no more than forty-five (45) days before the report is submitted):

 

 

(i)

the title, type of security, and as applicable the exchange ticker symbol or CUSIP number, number of shares and principal amount of each Reportable Security (whether or not publicly traded) in which the Access Person had any direct or indirect beneficial ownership;

 

(ii)

the name of any broker, dealer or bank with whom the Access Person maintained an account in which any securities are held for the Access Person’s direct or indirect benefit; and

 

(iii)

the date that the report is submitted by the Access Person.

 

(g)            Alternative Reporting . The submission to the Review Officer of duplicate broker trade confirmations and account statements on all securities transactions required to be reported under this Section shall satisfy the reporting requirements of Section 4. The annual holdings report may be satisfied by confirming annually, in writing, the accuracy of the information delivered by, or on behalf of, the Access Person to the Review Officer and recording the date of the confirmation.

 

7

 

 

(h)            Report Qualification . Any report may contain a statement that the report shall not be construed as an admission by the person making the report that he or she has any direct or indirect beneficial ownership in the Reportable Securities to which the report relates.

 

 

(i)

Providing Access to Account Information . Access Persons will promptly:

 

 

(i)

provide full access to a Fund, its agents and attorneys to any and all records and documents which a Fund considers relevant to any securities transactions or other matters subject to the Code;

 

(ii)

cooperate with a Fund, or its agents and attorneys, in investigating any securities transactions or other matter subject to the Code;

 

(iii)

provide a Fund, its agents and attorneys with an explanation (in writing if requested) of the facts and circumstances surrounding any securities transaction or other matter subject to the Code; and

 

(iv)

promptly notify the Review Officer or such other individual as a Fund may direct, in writing, from time to time, of any incident of noncompliance with the Code by anyone subject to this Code.

 

(j)            Confidentiality of Reports . Transaction and holdings reports will be maintained in confidence, except to the extent necessary to implement and enforce the provisions of this Code or to comply with requests for information from regulatory or government agencies or law enforcement where applicable.

 

5.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT AND CERTIFICATION OF COMPLIANCE

 

Each Access Person is required to acknowledge in writing, initially and annually (in the form of Attachment A ), that the person has received, read and understands the Code (and in the case of any amendments thereto, shall similarly acknowledge such amendment) and recognizes that he or she is subject to the Code. Further, each such person is required to certify annually that he or she has:

 

 

read, understood and complied with all the requirements of the Code;

 

disclosed or reported all personal securities transactions pursuant to the requirements of the Code; and

 

not engaged in any prohibited conduct.

 

If an Access Person is unable to make the above representations, he or she shall report any violations of this Code to the Review Officer.

 

8

 

 

6.

REPORTING VIOLATIONS

 

Access Persons shall report any violations of this Code promptly to the Review Officer, unless the violations implicate the Review Officer, in which case the individual shall report the violations to the Chief Risk Officer or Chief Executive Officer of Foreside, as appropriate. Such reports will be confidential, to the extent permitted by law, and investigated promptly and appropriately. Retaliation against an individual who reports a violation is prohibited and constitutes a further violation of this Code.

 

Reported violations of the Code will be investigated and appropriate actions will be taken. Types of reporting that are required include, but are not limited to:

 

 

Noncompliance with applicable laws, rules and regulations;

 

Fraud or illegal acts involving any aspect of the Company’s business;

 

Material misstatements in regulatory filings, internal books and records, Fund records or reports;

 

Activity that is harmful to a Fund, including Fund shareholders; and

 

Deviations from required controls and procedures that safeguard a Fund or a Company.

 

Access Persons should seek advice from the Review Officer with respect to any action or transaction that may violate this Code, and refrain from any action or transaction that might lead to the appearance of a violation. Access Persons should promptly report any apparent or suspected violations in addition to actual or known violations of this Code to the Review Officer.

 

7.

TRAINING

 

Training with respect to the Code will occur periodically and all Access Persons are required to attend any training sessions or read any applicable materials. Training may include, among other things, (1) periodic orientation or training sessions with new and existing personnel to remind them of their obligations under the Code and/or (2) certifications that Access Persons have read and understood the Code, and require re-certification that they have re-read, understand and have complied with the Code.

 

8.

REVIEW OFFICER

 

(a)            Duties of Review Officer . The President of Foreside has been appointed by the President of each Company as the Review Officer to:

 

 

(i)

review all securities transaction and holdings reports and maintain the names of persons responsible for reviewing these reports;

 

(ii)

identify all persons of each Company who are Access Persons subject to this Code, promptly inform each Access Person of the requirements of this Code and provide them with a copy of the Code and any amendments;

 

9

 

 

  (iii) compare, on a quarterly basis, all Reportable Securities transactions with each Fund’s completed portfolio transactions to determine whether a Code violation may have occurred;
 

(iv)

maintain signed acknowledgments and certifications by each Access Person who is then subject to this Code, in the form of Attachment A ;

 

(v)

inform all Access Persons of their requirements to obtain prior written approval from the Review Officer prior to directly or indirectly acquiring beneficial ownership of a security in any private placement, initial public offering or Reportable Fund;

 

(vi)

ensure that Access Persons receive adequate training on the principles and procedures of this Code;

 

(vii)

review, at least annually, the adequacy of this Code and the effectiveness of its implementation; and

 

(viii)

submit a written report to a Fund’s Board and Foreside’s Risk Committee as described in Section 8(e) and (f), respectively.

 

The Chief Risk Officer of Foreside shall review any reportable securities transactions of the Review Officer, and shall assume the responsibilities of the Review Officer in his or her absence. The Review Officer may delegate responsibilities described herein to an appropriate Foreside representative.

 

( b)            Potential Trade Conflict . When there appears to be a Reportable Securities transaction that conflicts with the Code, the Review Officer shall request a written explanation from the Access Person with regard to the transaction. If, after post-trade review, it is determined that there has been a material violation of the Code, a report will be made by the Review Officer with a recommendation of appropriate action to be taken to the Risk Committee of Foreside, the President of each Company, where applicable, the Chief Compliance Officer of each Company’s Broker-Dealer, where applicable, and a Fund’s Board of Trustees (or Directors), where applicable.

 

(c)            Required Records . The Review Officer shall maintain and cause to be maintained:

 

 

(i)

a copy of any code of ethics adopted by each Company that is in effect, or at any time within the past five (5) years was in effect, in an easily accessible place;

 

(ii)

a record of any violation of any code of ethics, and of any action taken as a result of such violation, in an easily accessible place for at least five (5) years after the end of the fiscal year in which the last entry was made on any such report, the first two (2) years in an easily accessible place;

 

(iii)

a copy of each holdings and transaction report (including duplicate confirmations and statements) made by anyone subject to this Code as required by Section 4 for at least five (5) years after the end of the fiscal year in which the report is made, the first two (2) years in an easily accessible place;

 

(iv)

a record of all written acknowledgements and certifications by each Access Person who is currently, or within the past five (5) years was, an Access Person (records must be kept for 5 years after individual ceases to be a Access Person under the Code);

 

10

 

 

 

(v)

a list of all persons who are currently, or within the past five years were , required to make reports or who were responsible for reviewing these reports pursuant to any code of ethics adopted by each Company, in an easily accessible place;

 

(vi)

a copy of each written report and certification required pursuant to Section 8(e) of this Code for at least five (5) years after the end of the fiscal year in which it is made, the first two (2) years in an easily accessible place;

 

(vii)

a record of any decision, and the reasons supporting the decision, approving the acquisition of securities by Access Persons under Section 3(b) of this Code, for at least five (5) years after the end of the fiscal year in which the approval is granted; and

 

(viii)

a record of any decision, and the reasons supporting the decision, granting an Access Person a waiver from, or exception to, the Code for at least five (5) years after the end of the fiscal year in which the waiver is granted.

 

(d)            Post-Trade Review Process . Following receipt of trade confirms and statements, transactions will be screened by the Review Officer (or his or her designee) for the following:

 

 

(i)

same day trades : transactions by Access Persons occurring on the same day as the purchase or sale of the same security by a Fund for which they are an Access Person.

 

(ii)

blackout period trades : transactions by Access Persons occurring within 24 hours before or after the time as the purchase or sale of the same security by a Fund for which they are an Access Person.

 

(iii)

fraudulent conduct : transaction by Access Persons which, within the most recent fifteen (15) days, is or has been held by a Fund or is being or has been considered by a Fund for purchase by a Fund.

 

(iv)

market timing of Reportable Funds : transactions by Access Persons that appear to be market timing of Reportable Funds.

 

(v)

other activities : transactions which may give the appearance that an Access Person has executed transactions not in accordance with this Code or otherwise reflect patterns of abuse.

 

 

(e)

Submission to Fund Board .

 

 

(i)

The Review Officer shall, at a minimum, annually prepare a written report to the Board of Trustees (or Directors) of a Fund listed in the List of Access Persons & Reportable Funds maintained by the Review Officer that:

 

 

A.

describes any issues under this Code or its procedures since the last report to the Trustees (or Directors), including, but not limited to, information about material violations of the code or procedures and sanctions imposed in response to the material violations; and

 

B.

certifies that each Company has adopted procedures reasonably necessary to prevent Access Persons from violating this Code.

 

11

 

 

 

(ii)

The Review Officer shall ensure that this Code and any material amendments are submitted to the Board of Trustees (or Directors) for approval for those funds listed in the List of Access Persons & Reportable Funds maintained by the Review Officer.

 

 

(f)

Report to the Risk Committee . The Review Officer shall prepare a written report to the Risk Committee of Foreside (and the President of each Company, where applicable, and the Chief Compliance Officer of each Company’s Broker- Dealer, where applicable) regarding any material issues that arose during the year under the Code, including, but not limited to, material violations of and sanctions under the Code.

 

 

 

Adopted: May 1, 2009
Amended: October 14, 2009 (updated Appendix A )
Amended: September 29, 2011 (updated Appendix A )
Amended: March 15, 2012 (updated Appendix A )
Amended: April 4, 2012 (updated Appendix A )
Amended: July 5, 2012 (updated Appendix A )
Amended: November 30, 2012 (updated Appendix A )
Amended: December 24, 2013 (updated Appendix A )
Amended: March 26, 2014
Amended: July 11, 2014 (updated Appendix A )
Amended: June 10, 2015 (updated Appendix A )
Amended: October 16, 2015 (updated Appendix A )
Amended: December 30, 2015
Amended: April 26, 2016 (updated Appendix A )
Amended: August 1, 2016 (updated Appendix A )

  

12

 

 

 

 

CODE OF ETHICS

 

APPENDIX A

FORESIDE COMPANIES

 

 

The following affiliated entities and direct or indirect wholly-owned subsidiaries of Foreside Financial Group, LLC are subject to the Code of Ethics:

 

BHIL Distributors, LLC*

Fairholme Distributors, LLC*

Foreside Consulting Services, LLC (f/k/a Foreside Alternative Investment Services, LLC)

Foreside Distribution Services, L.P.*

Foreside Distributors, LLC

Foreside Fund Officer Services, LLC (f/k/a Foreside Compliance Services, LLC)

Foreside Fund Partners LLC (f/k/a Arden Securities LLC) *

Foreside Fund Services, LLC*

Foreside Funds Distributors LLC*

Foreside Global Services, LLC (f/k/a Fund Source US, LLC) *

Foreside Investment Services, LLC*

Foreside Management Services, LLC

Foreside Securities, LLC*

Foreside Services, Inc.

Funds Distributor, LLC*

IMST Distributors, LLC*

IVA Funds Distributors, LLC*

MGI Funds Distributors, LLC*

Northern Funds Distributors, LLC*

Orbis Investments (U.S.), LLC*

PNC Funds Distributor, LLC*

RidgeWorth Distributors LLC*

Sterling Capital Distributors, LLC*

 

 

* FINRA-registered broker-dealer

 

 

The companies listed on this Appendix A may be amended from time to time, as required.

 

13

 

 

 

CODE OF ETHICS

 

APPENDIX B

DEFINITIONS

 

 

(a)

Access Person :

 

  (i)(1) of a Company means each director or officer of the Companies who in the ordinary course of business makes, participates in or obtains information regarding the purchase or sale of Reportable Securities for a Fund or whose functions or duties as part of the ordinary course of business relate to the making of any recommendation to a Fund regarding the purchase or sale of Reportable Securities.
     
  (ii)(2) of a Fund, whereby an employee or agent of a Company serves as an officer of a Fund (“ Fund Officer ”). Such Fund Officer is an Access Person of a Fund and is permitted to report under this Code unless otherwise required by a Fund’s Code of Ethics.
     
  (iii)(3) of a Company includes anyone else specifically designated by the Review Officer.

 

(b)

Beneficial Owner shall have the meaning as that set forth in Rule 16a-1(a)(2) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, except that the determination of direct or indirect beneficial ownership shall apply to all Reportable Securities that an Access Person owns or acquires. A beneficial owner of a security is any person who, directly or indirectly, through any contract, arrangement, understanding, relationship or otherwise, has or shares a direct or indirect pecuniary interest (the opportunity, directly or indirectly, to profit or share in any profit derived from a transaction in the subject securities) in a security. An Access Person is presumed to be a beneficial owner of securities that are held by his or her immediate family members sharing the Access Person’s household.

 

(c)

Indirect pecuniary interest in a security includes securities held by a person’s immediate family sharing the same household. Immediate family means any child, stepchild, grandchild, parent, stepparent, grandparent, spouse, sibling, mother-in-law, father-in-law, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, brother-in-law, or sister-in-law (including adoptive relationships).

 

(d)

Control means the power to exercise a controlling influence over the management or policies of an entity, unless this power is solely the result of an official position with the company. Ownership of 25% or more of a company’s outstanding voting securities is presumed to give the holder thereof control over the company. This presumption may be rebutted by the Review Officer based upon the facts and circumstances of a given situation.

  

14

 

 

(e)

Purchase or sale includes, among other things, the writing of an option to purchase or sell a Reportable Security.

 

(f)

Reportable Fund (see List of Access Persons & Reportable Funds maintained by the Review Officer) means any fund that triggers the Company’s compliance with a Rule 17j-1 Code of Ethics or any fund for which an employee or agent of the Company serves as a Fund Officer.

 

(g)

Reportable Security means any security such as a stock, bond, future, investment contract or any other instrument that is considered a ‘security’ under Section 2(a)(36) of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, except:

 

 

(i)

direct obligations of the Government of the United States;

 

(ii)

bankers’ acceptances and bank certificates of deposits;

 

(iii)

commercial paper and debt instruments with a maturity at issuance of less than 366 days and that are rated in one of the two highest rating categories by a nationally recognized statistical rating organization;

 

(iv)

repurchase agreements covering any of the foregoing;

 

(v)

shares issued by money market mutual funds;

 

(vi)

shares of SEC registered open-end investment companies ( other than a Reportable Fund ); and

 

(vii)

shares of unit investment trusts that are invested exclusively in one or more open- end funds, none of which are Reportable Funds.

 

Included in the definition of Reportable Security are:

 

 

Shares of a Reportable Fund;

 

Options on securities, on indexes, and on currencies;

 

All kinds of limited partnerships;

 

Foreign unit trusts, UCITs, SICAVs and foreign mutual funds; and

 

Private investment funds, hedge funds and investment clubs.

 

(h)

Security held or to be acquired by the Fund means

 

 

(i)

any Reportable Security which, within the most recent fifteen (15) days (x) is or has been held by the applicable Fund or (y) is being or has been considered by the applicable Fund or its investment adviser for purchase by the applicable Fund; and

 

(ii)

and any option to purchase or sell, and any security convertible into or exchangeable for, a Reportable Security.

 

15

 

 

 

CODE OF ETHICS

 

ATTACHMENT A

ACCESS PERSON ACKNOWLEDGMENT

 

 

I understand that I am an Access Person subject to the Code of Ethics (the “Code”) adopted by each Company. I have read and understand the current Code, and will comply with it in all respects. In addition, I certify that I have complied with the requirements of the Code in that I have disclosed or reported all personal securities accounts and transactions required to be disclosed or reported pursuant to the requirements of the Code.

 

 

     
Signature   Date
     
     
     
Printed Name    

 

  

This form must be completed and returned to the Corporate Compliance Department:

 

Foreside Financial Group, LLC

ATTN: Review Officer (or his or her designee)

Three Canal Plaza, Third Floor

Portland, ME 04101

 

 

Received By: __________________________________________________________

 

 

Date: ________________________________________________________________

 

16

 

 

 

CODE OF ETHICS

 

ATTACHMENT B

PRE-CLEARANCE REQUEST FORM

 

As an Access Person subject to the Code of Ethics (the “Code”) adopted by Foreside Financial Group, LLC (“Foreside”), I hereby request approval to purchase an initial public offering, private placement or shares of a Reportable Fund for which I am an Access Person. Pursuant to my request, I provide the following information concerning the security where applicable.

 

1. Name of security/investment:  

    

2. Type of security/interest:  

 

3. Name of brokerage firm/other entity:  

 

4. Account number:  

 

5. Type of transaction (buy/sell/other-specify):  

 

6. Number of shares/interest:  

 

7. Price of each security/interest:  

 

8. Name of firm offering the investment opportunity:  

 

9. Please describe how you became aware of this investment opportunity:  

 


 


 

I understand that it is a violation of the Code to purchase an initial public offering, private placement or shares of a Reportable Fund for which I am an Access Person without receiving prior written approval from Foreside’s Review Officer. I further understand that (i) any pre-clearance trading authorization is valid only from the time when approval is granted through the next business day and (ii) an explanation of why the pre-cleared transaction was not completed must be submitted to the Review Officer within five (5) days if the transaction is not executed within the period. I also agree to provide the Review Officer with a transaction report evidencing the pre-cleared transaction consistent with the reporting requirements of Section 4. of the Code.

 

 

       
Signature   Date  
       
       
Print Name    Job Title  

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

17

 

 

To be completed by Foreside’s Review Officer and returned to the Access Person.

Approval request granted:

 

Yes: _______ No: _______

 

The following criteria were considered in assessing the Access Person’s pre-clearance request ( use back of page if necessary ):______________________________________________

 

 


 

 


 

 


 

 

 


 

 


 

 


 

 


 

 


 

 


 

 

 

 

       
Authorized Signature   Date  

     

18

Exhibit (q)

 

Innovator ETFs Trust II

 

Power of Attorney

 

Know All Men By These Presents , that the undersigned, a trustee of the above-referenced organizations, hereby constitutes and appoints John Southard (with full power to act alone) his true and lawful attorney-in-fact and agent, for him on his behalf and in his name, place and stead, in any and all capacities, to sign and file one or more Registration Statements on Form N-1A under the Securities Act of l933 and the Investment Company Act of l940, including any amendment or amendments thereto, with all exhibits, and any and all other documents required to be filed with any regulatory authority, federal or state, relating to the registration thereof, or the issuance of securities thereof, without limitation, granting unto said attorneys, and each of them, full power and authority to do and perform each and every act and thing requisite and necessary to be done in and about the premises in order to effectuate the same as fully to all intents and purposes as he might or could do if personally present, hereby ratifying and confirming all that said attorneys-in-fact and agents, or any of them, may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.

 

 

 

 

In Witness Whereof , the undersigned trustee of the above-referenced organizations has hereunto set his hand this 20th day of June, 2018.

 

 

  /s/ H. Bruce Bond
  H. Bruce Bond

 

 

 

 

Innovator ETFs Trust II

 

Power of Attorney

 

Know All Men By These Presents , that the undersigned, a trustee of the above-referenced organizations, hereby constitutes and appoints H. Bruce Bond and John Southard and each of them (with full power to each of them to act alone) his true and lawful attorney-in-fact and agent, for him on his behalf and in his name, place and stead, in any and all capacities, to sign and file one or more Registration Statements on Form N-1A under the Securities Act of l933 and the Investment Company Act of l940, including any amendment or amendments thereto, with all exhibits, and any and all other documents required to be filed with any regulatory authority, federal or state, relating to the registration thereof, or the issuance of securities thereof, without limitation, granting unto said attorneys, and each of them, full power and authority to do and perform each and every act and thing requisite and necessary to be done in and about the premises in order to effectuate the same as fully to all intents and purposes as he might or could do if personally present, hereby ratifying and confirming all that said attorneys-in-fact and agents, or any of them, may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.

 

 

 

 

In Witness Whereof , the undersigned trustee of the above-referenced organizations has hereunto set his hand this 20th day of June, 2018.

 

 

  /s/ Mark Berg
  Mark Berg

 

 

 

 

Innovator ETFs Trust II

 

Power of Attorney

 

Know All Men By These Presents , that the undersigned, a trustee of the above-referenced organizations, hereby constitutes and appoints H. Bruce Bond and John Southard and each of them (with full power to each of them to act alone) his true and lawful attorney-in-fact and agent, for him on his behalf and in his name, place and stead, in any and all capacities, to sign and file one or more Registration Statements on Form N-1A under the Securities Act of l933 and the Investment Company Act of l940, including any amendment or amendments thereto, with all exhibits, and any and all other documents required to be filed with any regulatory authority, federal or state, relating to the registration thereof, or the issuance of securities thereof, without limitation, granting unto said attorneys, and each of them, full power and authority to do and perform each and every act and thing requisite and necessary to be done in and about the premises in order to effectuate the same as fully to all intents and purposes as he might or could do if personally present, hereby ratifying and confirming all that said attorneys-in-fact and agents, or any of them, may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.

 

 

 

 

In Witness Whereof , the undersigned trustee of the above-referenced organizations has hereunto set his hand this 20th day of June, 2018.

 

 

  /s/ Joe Stowell
  Joe Stowell

 

 

 

 

Innovator ETFs Trust II

 

Power of Attorney

 

Know All Men By These Presents , that the undersigned, a trustee of the above-referenced organizations, hereby constitutes and appoints H. Bruce Bond and John Southard and each of them (with full power to each of them to act alone) his true and lawful attorney-in-fact and agent, for him on his behalf and in his name, place and stead, in any and all capacities, to sign and file one or more Registration Statements on Form N-1A under the Securities Act of l933 and the Investment Company Act of l940, including any amendment or amendments thereto, with all exhibits, and any and all other documents required to be filed with any regulatory authority, federal or state, relating to the registration thereof, or the issuance of securities thereof, without limitation, granting unto said attorneys, and each of them, full power and authority to do and perform each and every act and thing requisite and necessary to be done in and about the premises in order to effectuate the same as fully to all intents and purposes as he might or could do if personally present, hereby ratifying and confirming all that said attorneys-in-fact and agents, or any of them, may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.

 

 

 

 

In Witness Whereof , the undersigned trustee of the above-referenced organizations has hereunto set his hand this 20th day of June, 2018.

 

 

  /s/ Brian J. Wildman
  Brian J. Wildman