As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on December 29, 2020
File Nos. 333-159484 and 811-22298
 
  

  
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C.  20549
FORM N-1A

REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
Pre-Effective Amendment No.
Post-Effective Amendment No.   371
and/or
REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER INVESTMENT COMPANY ACT OF 1940
Amendment No. 374
(Check appropriate box or boxes)
Starboard Investment Trust
(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Charter)
116 South Franklin Street, P. O. Box 69, Rocky Mount, NC  27802
(Address of Principal Executive Offices)
252-972-9922
(Registrant’s Telephone Number, including Area Code)


Paracorp Inc.
2140 South Dupont Hwy., Camden, DE  19934
(Name and Address of Agent for Service)

With Copies to:

Terrence Davis, Esq.
Greenberg Traurig, LLP
3333 Piedmont RD., NE
Suite 2500
Atlanta, GA 30305
 
Tanya Boyle, Esq.
Greenberg Traurig, LLP
2200 Ross Avenue, Suite 5200
Dallas, TX 75201
Tracie Coop, Esq.
The Nottingham Company
116 S. Franklin Street
Rocky Mount, NC 27802
As soon as practicable after the Effective Date of this Registration Statement
(Approximate Date of Proposed Public Offering)

It is proposed that this filing will become effective: (check appropriate box)

[ X ] immediately upon filing pursuant to paragraph (b)
[   ] on (date) pursuant to paragraph (b)
[   ] 60 days after filing pursuant to paragraph (a)(1)
[   ] on (date) pursuant to paragraph (a)(1)
[   ] 75 days after filing pursuant to paragraph (a)(2)
[   ] on (date) pursuant to paragraph (a)(2) of Rule 485

If appropriate, check the following box:

[  ] This post-effective amendment designates a new effective date for a previously filed post-effective amendment.






Adaptive Growth Opportunities ETF
(Ticker: AGOX)


A series of the
Starboard Investment Trust
  

 
PROSPECTUS
December 29 , 2020

This prospectus contains information about the Adaptive Growth Opportunities ETF that you should know before investing. You should read this prospectus carefully, before you invest or send money, and keep it for future reference. For questions or for Shareholder Services, please call 1-800-773-3863.

Shares of the Fund are listed and traded on NYSE Arca (“Exchange”).










The securities offered by this prospectus have not been approved or disapproved by the Securities and Exchange Commission, nor has the Securities and Exchange Commission passed upon the adequacy of this prospectus.  Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
 


Beginning on January 1, 2021, as permitted by the regulations adopted by the Securities and Exchange Commission, paper copies of the Fund’s shareholder reports will no longer be sent by mail, unless you specifically request paper copies of the reports from the Fund or your financial intermediary (such as a broker-dealer or bank). Instead, the reports will be made available on the Fund’s website at https://etfpages.com/AGOX , and you will be notified by mail each time a report is posted and provided with a website link to access the report.

If you previously elected to receive shareholder reports electronically, you will not be affected by this change and you need not take any action. You may elect to receive shareholder reports, prospectuses, and other communications from the Fund electronically anytime by contacting your financial intermediary (such as a broker-dealer or bank) or, if you are a direct investor, by enrolling at https://etfpages.com/AGOX .


You may elect to receive all future shareholder reports in paper free of charge. If you invest through a financial intermediary, you can contact your financial intermediary to request that you continue to receive paper copies of your shareholder reports. If you invest directly with the Fund, you can call 800-773-3863 to let the Fund know you wish to continue receiving paper copies of your shareholder reports. Your election to receive reports in paper will apply to all funds held with your financial intermediary.




TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
FUND SUMMAR Y

2

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE FUND’S INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE,
PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES, AND RISK S

11
Investment Objective
11
Principal Investment Strategies
11
Non-Principal Investment Strategies
12
Principal Investment Risks
12
Non-Principal Investment Risks for the Fund
18
Portfolio Holdings Information
18
Temporary Defensive Positions
18
   
MANAGEMENT OF THE FUND
19
Investment Advisor
19
Investment Sub-Advisor
20
   
SHAREHOLDER INFORMATION
21
Purchase and Redemption of Shares
21

HOW TO BUY AND SELL SHARES

22

FREQUENT PURCHASES AND REDEMPTIONS

25

SHAREHOLDER STATEMENTS AND REPORTS

26

FUND SERVICE PROVIDERS

26

OTHER IMPORTANT INFORMATION

27
Dividends, Distributions, and Taxes
27
Taxes
27
Taxes on Distributions
28
Taxes on Exchange-Listed Share Sales
28
Taxes on Purchase and Redemption of Creation Units
28
Financial Highlights
29
Additional Information
Back Cover



SUMMARY
ADAPTIVE GROWTH OPPORTUNITIES ETF
INVESTMENT OBJECTIVES
The Adaptive Growth Opportunities ETF (the “Fund”) seeks capital appreciation.
FEES AND EXPENSES OF THE FUND
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold and sell shares of the Fund (“Shares”). You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and example below.
Annual Fund Operating Expenses
(ongoing expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
Management Fees
1.00%
Other Expenses
0.24%
Interest Expense on securities on margin
0.01%
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses1
0.30%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses
1.5 5 %
1. “Acquired Fund” means any investment company in which the Fund invests or has invested during the previous fiscal year. The “Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses” and “Net Annual Fund Operating Expenses” will not match the Fund’s gross and net expense ratios reported in the Financial Highlights from the Fund’s financial statements, which reflect the operating expenses of the Fund and do not include Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses.

Example. This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem (or you hold) all of your shares at the end of those periods.  The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
1 Year
3 Years
5 Years
10 Years
$158
$490
$845
$1,845
Portfolio Turnover.  The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance.  For the fiscal year ended May 31, 2020, the Predecessor Fund’s (defined in “Performance Information” below) portfolio turnover rate was 319.85% of the average value of its portfolio.
2

PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES
As an actively managed exchange-traded fund (“ETF”), the Fund will not seek to replicate the performance of an index. The Fund’s portfolio manager seeks to achieve the Fund’s investment objective of capital appreciation by investing in exchange-traded funds that are registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”) and not affiliated with the Fund (“Portfolio Funds”) that invest in equity securities of any market capitalization of issuers from a number of countries throughout the world , including emerging market countries. In addition to its indirect investments, t he Fund may also invest in individual large cap equities ,   fixed income securities, and cash and cash equivalents directly . The Fund is considered “diversified” under the 1940 Act.
The strategy primarily utilizes ETFs and equities but may also use fixed income securities to diversify the Fund’s asset classes. The Manager uses a top-down approach to identify sectors that the manager believes will produce strong performance relative to the overall market and makes investments to capitalize on these market predictions. Top-down investing is an investment analysis approach that involves looking first at the macro picture of the economy, and then looking at the smaller factors in finer detail. After looking at the big-picture conditions around the world, the manager then examines the general market conditions followed by particular industry sectors to select those sectors that it predicts will outperform the market. When the manager deems it appropriate to position the portfolio defensively, this strategy considers cash to be an asset class and will allocate a significant percentage to direct investments in cash and cash equivalents . The fixed income securities in which the Fund will invest will be investment grade and may be of any duration or maturity .
The Portfolio Funds will not be limited in their investments by market capitalization or sector criteria, and may invest in foreign securities, including foreign securities in emerging markets. The Portfolio Funds in which the Fund invests will have investment objectives similar to the Fund’s or will otherwise hold permitted investments under the Fund’s investment policies.  Although the Fund principally invests in Portfolio Funds with no sales related expenses or very low sales related expenses, the Fund is not precluded from investing in Portfolio Funds with sales-related expenses, redemption fees, and/or service fees. The portfolio manager will sell a Portfolio Fund when a more attractive investment opportunity is identified, or the Fund’s portfolio needs to be rebalanced due to increases or decreases in the Fund’s net assets. As a result of its strategy, the Fund may have a relatively high level of portfolio turnover compared to other mutual funds, which may affect the Fund’s performance due to higher transactions costs and higher taxes. Portfolio turnover will not be a limiting factor in making investment decisions.
PRINCIPAL RISKS OF INVESTING IN THE FUND
The loss of your money is a principal risk of investing in the Fund.  Investments in the Fund are subject to investment risks, including the possible loss of some or the entire principal amount invested. There can be no assurance that the Fund will be successful in meeting its investment objective. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit or obligation of any bank, is not endorsed or guaranteed by any bank, and is not insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. The Fund will be subject to the following principal risks:
3

Common Stock Risk.  Investments in shares of common stock may fluctuate in value response to many factors, including the activities of the individual issuers whose securities the Fund or Portfolio Fund owns, general market and economic conditions, interest rates, and specific industry changes.  Such price fluctuations subject the Fund to potential losses.  During temporary or extended bear markets, the value of common stocks will decline, which could also result in losses for the Fund.
Control of Portfolio Funds Risk. The Portfolio Funds each have their own unique investment objective, strategies, and risks. There is no guarantee that the Portfolio Funds will achieve their investment objectives and the Fund has exposure to the investment risks of the Portfolio Funds in direct proportion to the allocation of assets among the funds. The investment policies of the Portfolio Funds may differ from the Fund’s policies.
Although the Fund and the Advisor will evaluate regularly each Portfolio Fund to determine whether its investment program is consistent with the Fund’s investment objective, the Advisor will not have any control over the investments made by a Portfolio Fund.  The investment advisor to each Portfolio Fund may change aspects of its investment strategies at any time.  The Advisor will not have the ability to control or otherwise influence the composition of the investment portfolio of a Portfolio Fund.
Equity Securities Risk.  Investments in equity securities may fluctuate in value response to many factors, including the activities of the individual issuers whose securities the Portfolio Fund owns, general market and economic conditions, interest rates, and specific industry changes. Such price fluctuations subject the Fund to potential losses. During temporary or extended bear markets, the value of equity securities will decline, which could also result in losses for the Fund.
Fixed Income Risk.   When the Fund invests in fixed income securities, the value of your investment in the Fund will fluctuate with changes in interest rates. Typically, a rise in interest rates causes a decline in the value of fixed income securities owned by the Fund. Interest rates are currently at historical lows, which may impact the Fund’s risk profile. In general, the market price of fixed income securities with longer maturities will increase or decrease more in response to changes in interest rates than shorter-term securities. Other risk factors include credit risk (the debtor may default), extension risk (an issuer may exercise its right to repay principal on a fixed rate obligation held by the Fund later than expected), and prepayment risk (the debtor may pay its obligation early, reducing the amount of interest payments). These risks could affect the value of a particular investment by the Fund, possibly causing the Fund's share price and total return to be reduced and fluctuate more than other types of investments.
ETF Investing Risk.  The Fund’s investment in ETFs may subject the Fund to additional risks than if the Fund would have invested directly in the ETF’s underlying securities. These risks include the possibility that an ETF may experience a lack of liquidity that can result in greater volatility than its underlying securities, an ETF may trade at a premium or discount to its net asset value, or an ETF may not replicate exactly the performance of the benchmark index it seeks to track. In addition, investing in an ETF may also be costlier than if the Fund had owned the underlying securities directly. The Fund and, indirectly, shareholders of the Fund, bear a proportionate share of the ETF’s expenses, which include management and advisory fees and other expenses. In addition, the Fund will pay brokerage commissions in connection with the purchase and sale of the ETFs in its portfolio.
4

Fund Investing Risk.  Investments in other investment companies subject the Fund to additional operating and management fees and expenses. Investors in the Fund will indirectly bear fees and expenses charged by the funds in which the Fund invests, in addition to the Fund’s direct fees and expenses.  The Fund’s performance depends in part upon the performance of the investment advisor to each Portfolio Fund, the strategies and instruments used by the Portfolio Funds, and the Advisor's ability to select Portfolio Funds and effectively allocate fund assets among them.
Cash and Cash Equivalents Risk. At any time, the Fund may have significant investments in cash or cash equivalents. When a substantial portion of a portfolio is held in cash or cash equivalents, there is the risk that the value of the cash account, including interest, will not keep pace with inflation, thus reducing purchasing power over time.
Foreign Securities and Emerging Markets Risk. Foreign securities have investment risks different from those associated with domestic securities. The value of foreign investments may be affected by the value of the local currency relative to the U.S. dollar, changes in exchange control regulations, application of foreign tax laws, changes in governmental economic or monetary policy, or changed circumstances in dealings between nations. There may be less government supervision of foreign markets, resulting in non-uniform accounting practices and less publicly available information about issuers of foreign securities. In addition, foreign brokerage commissions, custody fees, and other costs of investing in foreign securities are often higher than in the United States. Investments in foreign issues could be affected by other factors not present in the United States, including expropriation, armed conflict, confiscatory taxation, and potential difficulties in enforcing contractual obligations. In addition to the risks of foreign securities in general, countries in emerging markets are more volatile and can have relatively unstable governments, social and legal systems that do not protect shareholders, economies based on only a few industries, and securities markets that trade a small number of issues which could reduce liquidity. There is also less publicly available information on emerging market companies due to differences in regulation, accounting, auditing, and financial recordkeeping requirements, and the information available may be unreliable or outdated.
Investment Advisor Risk.  The portfolio manager’s ability to choose suitable investments has a significant impact on the ability of the Fund to achieve its investment objectives.
Management Risk. The Fund is subject to management risk because it is an actively managed portfolio. In managing the Fund’s portfolio securities, the Sub-Advisor will apply investment techniques and risk analyses in making investment decisions for the Fund, but there can be no guarantee that these will produce the desired results. The Sub-Advisor’s decisions relating to the Fund’s duration will also affect the Fund’s yield, and in unusual circumstances will affect its share price. To the extent that the Sub-Advisor anticipates interest rates imprecisely, the Fund’s yield at times could lag those of other similarly managed funds.
Large-Cap Securities Risk.  Stocks of large companies as a group can fall out of favor with the market, causing the Fund to underperform investments that have a greater focus on mid-cap or small-cap stocks. Larger, more established companies may be slow to respond to challenges and may grow more slowly than smaller companies.
5

Market Risk.  Market risk refers to the possibility that the value of securities held by the Fund may decline due to daily fluctuations in the market.  Market prices for securities change daily as a result of many factors, including developments affecting the condition of both individual companies and the market in general.  The price of a security may even be affected by factors unrelated to the value or condition of its issuer, including changes in interest rates, economic and political conditions, and general market conditions.  The Fund’s performance per share will change daily in response to such factors.
Portfolio Turnover Risk.  The portfolio manager will sell Portfolio Funds and other securities when it is in the best interest of the Fund and its shareholders to do so without regard to the length of time they have been held. As portfolio turnover may involve paying brokerage commissions and other transaction costs, there could be additional expenses for the Fund.  High rates of portfolio turnover may also result in the realization of short-term capital gains and losses.  Any distributions resulting from such gains will be considered ordinary income for federal income tax purposes.
Quantitative Model Risk. Portfolio Funds or other investments selected using quantitative methods may perform differently from the market as a whole. There can be no assurance that these methodologies will enable the Fund to achieve its objective.
Small-Cap and Mid-Cap Securities Risk.  Investments in securities of small-cap and mid-cap companies involves greater volatility than investing in larger and more established companies.  Small-cap and mid-cap companies can be subject to more abrupt or erratic share price changes than larger, more established companies.  Securities of these types of companies have limited market liquidity, and their prices may be more volatile.  You should expect that the value of the Portfolio Fund’s shares will be more volatile than a fund that invests exclusively in large-capitalization companies.
Cybersecurity Risk. As part of its business, the Advisor processes, stores, and transmits large amounts of electronic information, including information relating to the transactions of the Fund. The Advisor and the Fund are therefore susceptible to cybersecurity risk. Cybersecurity failures or breaches of the Fund or its service providers have the ability to cause disruptions and impact business operations, potentially resulting in financial losses, the inability of Fund shareholders to transact business, violations of applicable privacy and other laws, regulatory fines, penalties, and/or reputational damage. The Fund and its shareholders could be negatively impacted as a result.
COVID-19 Risk. An outbreak of infectious respiratory illness caused by a novel coronavirus known as COVID-19 was first detected in China in December 2019 and has now been detected globally. COVID-19 has resulted in travel restrictions, closed international borders, enhanced health screenings at ports of entry and elsewhere, disruption of and delays in healthcare service preparation and delivery, prolonged quarantines, cancellations, supply chain disruptions, and lower consumer demand, as well as general concern and uncertainty. The impact of COVID-19, and other infectious illness outbreaks that may arise in the future, could adversely affect the economies of many countries or the entire global economy, individual issuers and capital markets in ways that cannot necessarily be foreseen. In addition, the impact of infectious illnesses in emerging market countries may be greater due to generally less established healthcare systems. Public health crises caused by the COVID-19 outbreak may exacerbate other pre-existing political, social and economic risks in certain countries or globally. As such, issuers of debt securities with operations, productions, offices, and/or personnel in (or other exposure to) areas affected with the virus may experience significant disruptions to their business and/or holdings.  The potential impact on the credit markets may include market illiquidity, defaults and bankruptcies, among other consequences, particularly on issuers in the airline, travel and leisure and retail sectors.  The extent to which COVID-19 will affect the Fund, the Fund’s service providers’ and/or issuer’s operations and results will depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted, including new information that may emerge concerning the severity of COVID-19 and the actions taken to contain COVID-19. Economies and financial markets throughout the world are becoming increasingly interconnected. As a result, whether or not the Fund invests in securities of issuers located in or with significant exposure to countries experiencing economic, political and/or financial difficulties, the value and liquidity of the Fund’s investments may be negatively affected by such events. If there is a significant decline in the value of the Fund’s portfolio, this may impact the Fund’s asset coverage levels for certain kinds of derivatives and other portfolio transactions. The duration of the COVID-19 outbreak and its impact on the global economy cannot be determined with certainty.
6

Authorized Participant Risk. Only an authorized participant (“Authorized Participant” or “APs”) may engage in creation or redemption transactions directly with the Fund. The Fund has a limited number of institutions that may act as Authorized Participants on an agency basis (i.e., on behalf of other market participants). Authorized Participant concentration risk may be heightened for exchange-traded funds (ETFs), such as the Fund, that invest in securities issued by non-U.S. issuers or other securities or instruments that have lower trading volumes.
ETF Structure Risks. The Fund is structured as an ETF and as a result is subject to the special risks, including:
o
Not Individually Redeemable. Shares are not individually redeemable and may be redeemed by the Fund at NAV only in large blocks known as “Creation Units.”  You may incur brokerage costs purchasing enough Shares to constitute a Creation Unit.
o
Trading Issues. An active trading market for the Fund’s shares may not be developed or 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, such as extraordinary market volatility. There can be no assurance that Shares will continue to meet the listing requirements of the Exchange. If the Fund’s shares are traded outside a collateralized settlement system, the number of financial institutions that can act as authorized participants that can post collateral on an agency basis is limited, which may limit the market for the Fund’s shares.
o
Cash purchases . To the extent Creation Units are purchased by APs in cash instead of in-kind, the Fund will incur certain costs such as brokerage expenses and taxable gains and losses. These costs could be imposed on the Fund and impact the Fund’s NAV if not fully offset by transaction fees paid by the APs.
o
Market Price Variance Risk. The market prices of Shares will fluctuate in response to changes in NAV and supply and demand for Shares and will include a “bid-ask spread” charged by the exchange specialists, market makers or other participants that trade the particular security. There may be times when the market price and the NAV vary significantly. This means that Shares may trade at a discount to NAV.

7

In times of market stress, market makers may step away from their role market making in shares of ETFs and in executing trades, which can lead to differences between the market value of Fund shares and the Fund’s net asset value.
To the extent authorized participants exit the business or are unable to process creations or redemptions and no other AP can step in to do so, there may be a significantly reduced trading market in the Fund’s shares, which can lead to differences between the market value of Fund shares and the Fund’s net asset value.
The market price for the Fund’s shares may deviate from the Fund’s net asset value, particularly during times of market stress, with the result that investors may pay significantly more or receive significantly less for Fund shares than the Fund’s net asset value, which is reflected in the bid and ask price for Fund shares or in the closing price.
When all or a portion of an ETFs underlying securities trade in a market that is closed when the market for the Fund’s shares is open, there may be changes from the last quote of the closed market and the quote from the Fund’s domestic trading day, which could lead to differences between the market value of the Fund’s shares and the Fund’s net asset value.
In stressed market conditions, the market for the Fund’s shares may become less liquid in response to the deteriorating liquidity of the Fund’s portfolio. This adverse effect on the liquidity of the Fund’s shares may, in turn, lead to differences between the market value of the Fund’s shares and the Fund’s net asset value.
Early Close/Trading Halt Risk. An exchange or market may close or issue trading halts on specific securities, or the ability to buy or sell certain securities or financial instruments may be restricted, which may prevent the Fund from buying or selling certain securities or financial instruments. In these circumstances, the Fund may be unable to rebalance its portfolio, may be unable to accurately price its investments and may incur substantial trading losses.
PERFORMANCE INFORMATION
The following bar chart and table provide an indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Fund’s performance from year to year and by showing how the average annual total returns for the Fund compared to that of a broad-based securities market index. The Fund acquired all of the assets and liabilities of the Adaptive Growth Opportunities Fund, a series of Starboard Investment Trust (the “Trust”), (the “Predecessor Fund”) in a tax-free reorganization on [               ], 2020. In connection with this acquisition, shares of the Predecessor Fund’s Institutional Class shares, Class A shares, and Class C shares were exchanged for shares of the Fund. The Predecessor Fund had an investment objective and strategies that were, in all material respects, the same as those of the Fund, and was managed in a manner that, in all material respects, complied with the investment guidelines and restrictions of the Fund. The performance information set forth below reflects the historical performance of the Predecessor Fund shares.  Prior to July 31, 2015, the Fund had a different investment advisor. The performance information set forth below does not reflect the Fund’s current strategy or ETF structure. The Fund’s past performance is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future.  Updated performance information is available online at  https://etfpages.com/AGOX .
8


Calendar Year Returns

During the periods shown in the bar chart above the Fund’s highest quarterly return was 13.90% (quarter ended March 31, 2019) and lowest quarterly return was -14.72% (quarter ended December 31, 2018).  The Fund’s year-to-date return as of September 30, 2020 was 18.04%.

Average Annual Total Returns
Periods Ended December 31, 2019
Past 1
Year

Past 5
Years
Since
Inception
(9/20/2012)
Adaptive Growth Opportunities ETF
Before taxes
After taxes on distributions
After taxes on distributions and sale of shares
23.72%
22.27%
13.40%

8.83%
7.89%
6.81%
10.23%
9.38%
8.21%
Morningstar Moderate Aggressive Target Risk TR Index1
(reflects no deductions for fees and expenses)
22.95%

7.96%
8.95%
S&P Global Broad Market TR Index
(reflects no deductions for fees and expenses)
26.76%

8.87%
10.13%

1. In prior prospectuses, the Fund compared its performance against the S&P Global Broad Market TR Index. The Advisor believes the Morningstar Moderate Aggressive Target Risk TR Index is a more appropriate and accurate index against which to compare the Fund’s investment strategies than the S&P Global Broad Market TR Index as the Fund will utilize a defensive overlay and may result in higher allocations to cash or other investments not included in the S&P Global Broad Market TR Index and, therefore, the Morningstar Moderate Aggressive Target Risk TR Index will replace the S&P Global Broad Market TR Index in future comparisons.
9


After-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes.  Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown and are not applicable to investors who hold Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements such as a 401(k) plan or an individual retirement account (IRA).
MANAGEMENT
Investment Advisor. Cavalier Investments, LLC d/b/a Adaptive Investments, serves as the Fund’s investment advisor.
Investment Sub-Advisor. Bluestone Capital Management, LLC (the “Sub-Advisor” or “Bluestone”), serves as the Fund’s investment sub-advisor.
Portfolio Manager. The Fund’s portfolio manager is Brian Shevland.  Mr. Shevland has provided services to the Fund since September 2018.
PURCHASE AND SALE OF FUND SHARES
The Fund will issue and redeem shares at NAV only in large blocks of 25,000 shares (each block of shares is called a “Creation Unit”). Creation Units are issued and redeemed for cash and/or in-kind for securities. Except when aggregated in Creation Units in transactions with APs, the shares are not redeemable securities of the Fund. 
Individual shares of the fund may only be bought and sold in the secondary market through a broker or dealer at a market price. Because ETF shares trade at market prices rather than NAV, shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (premium) or less than NAV (discount). An investor may incur costs attributable to the difference between the highest price a buyer is willing to pay to purchase shares of the Fund (bid) and the lowest price a seller is willing to accept for shares of the Fund (ask) when buying or selling shares in the secondary market (the “bid-ask spread”). You may access recent information, including information on the Fund’s NAV, Market Price, premiums and discounts, and bid-ask spreads, on the Fund’s website at https://etfpages.com/AGOX.

TAX INFORMATION
Fund distributions are generally taxable to you as ordinary income or capital gains, unless you are investing through a tax deferred arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or an individual retirement account (IRA). Distributions on investments made through tax deferred arrangement will generally be taxed later upon withdrawal of assets from those accounts.
PAYMENTS TO BROKER-DEALERS AND
OTHER FINANCIAL INTERMEDIARIES
If you purchase shares of the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank) the Fund, and its related companies, may pay the intermediary for the sale of Fund shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.
10

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE FUND’S INVESTMENT
OBJECTIVE, PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES, AND RISKS
INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE
The investment objective for the Fund is capital appreciation. The investment objective is not fundamental policies and can be changed without shareholder approval by a vote of the Board. Shareholders will receive 60 days’ prior written notice before a change to an investment objective takes effect.
PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES
As an actively managed ETF, the Fund will not seek to replicate the performance of an index. The Fund’s portfolio manager seeks to achieve the Fund’s investment objective of capital appreciation by investing in Portfolio Funds that invest in equity securities of any market capitalization of issuers from a number of countries throughout the world , including emerging market countries. In addition to its indirect investments, the Fund may also invest in individual large cap equities fixed income securities, and cash and cash equivalents directly . The Fund is considered “diversified” under the 1940 Act.
The strategy primarily utilizes ETFs and equities but may also use fixed income securities to diversify the Fund’s asset classes. The Manager uses a top-down approach to identify sectors that the manager believes will produce strong performance relative to the overall market and makes investments to capitalize on these market predictions. Top-down investing is an investment analysis approach that involves looking first at the macro picture of the economy, and then looking at the smaller factors in finer detail. After looking at the big-picture conditions around the world, the manager then examines the general market conditions followed by particular industry sectors to select those sectors that it predicts will outperform the market. When the manager deems it appropriate to position the portfolio defensively, this strategy considers cash to be an asset class and will allocate a significant percentage to direct investments in cash and cash equivalents . The fixed income securities in which the Fund will invest will be investment grade and may be of any duration or maturity .
The portfolio manager will track a variety of asset categories (including commodities and currencies ) in order to select securities for the Fund’s portfolio. The manager will combine top down analysis with bottom up analysis for security selection. The top down analysis focuses on key cycles that influence the market environment. The bottom up analysis includes an analysis of the fundamentals of sectors, which focuses on earnings growth and profitability metrics. The portfolio manager will select securities within sectors that capture these insights and may include foreign and domestic securities and commodity-related securities.
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The Portfolio Funds will not be limited in their investments by market capitalization or sector criteria, and may invest in foreign securities, including foreign securities in emerging markets. The Portfolio Funds in which the Fund invests will have investment objectives similar to the Fund’s or will otherwise hold permitted investments under the Fund’s investment policies.  Although the Fund principally invests in Portfolio Funds with no sales related expenses or very low sales related expenses, the Fund is not precluded from investing in Portfolio Funds with sales-related expenses, redemption fees, and/or service fees. The portfolio manager will sell a Portfolio Fund when a more attractive investment opportunity is identified, or the Fund’s portfolio needs to be rebalanced due to increases or decreases in the Fund’s net assets. As a result of its strategy, the Fund may have a relatively high level of portfolio turnover compared to other mutual funds, which may affect the Fund’s performance due to higher transactions costs and higher taxes. Portfolio turnover will not be a limiting factor in making investment decisions.
NON-PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES
The Fund may invest in put options and use market index positions as option collateral.  Such investments will be less than 10% of the applicable Fund’s assets and will not be a principal strategy.
PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT RISKS
The Fund is subject to various risks, including the principal risks noted below, any of which may adversely affect the Fund’s NAV, trading price, yield, total return and ability to meet its investment objective. You could lose all or part of your investment in the Fund, and the Fund could underperform other investments.
Authorized Participant Risk. Only an Authorized Participant may engage in creation or redemption transactions directly with the Fund. The Fund has a limited number of institutions that may act as Authorized Participants on an agency basis (i.e., on behalf of other market participants). Authorized Participant concentration risk may be heightened for exchange-traded funds (ETFs), such as the Fund, that invest in securities issued by non-U.S. issuers or other securities or instruments that have lower trading volumes.
Cash and Cash Equivalents Risk. At any time, the Fund may have significant investments in cash or cash equivalents. When a substantial portion of a portfolio is held in cash or cash equivalents, there is the risk that the value of the cash account, including interest, will not keep pace with inflation, thus reducing purchasing power over time.
Control of Portfolio Funds Risk.  The Portfolio Funds each have their own unique investment objective, strategies, and risks.  There is no guarantee that the Portfolio Funds will achieve their investment objectives and the Fund has exposure to the investment risks of the Portfolio Funds in direct proportion to the allocation of assets among the funds.  The investment policies of the Portfolio Funds may differ from the Fund’s policies.
Although the Fund and the Advisor will evaluate regularly each Portfolio Fund to determine whether its investment program is consistent with the Fund’s investment objective, the Advisor will not have any control over the investments made by a Portfolio Fund.  Even though each Portfolio Fund is subject to certain constraints, the investment advisor of each Portfolio Fund may change aspects of its investment strategies at any time.  The Advisor will not have the ability to control or otherwise influence the composition of the investment portfolio of a Portfolio Fund.
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COVID-19 Risk. An outbreak of infectious respiratory illness caused by a novel coronavirus known as COVID-19 was first detected in China in December 2019 and has now been detected globally. COVID-19 has resulted in travel restrictions, closed international borders, enhanced health screenings at ports of entry and elsewhere, disruption of and delays in healthcare service preparation and delivery, prolonged quarantines, cancellations, supply chain disruptions, and lower consumer demand, as well as general concern and uncertainty. The impact of COVID-19, and other infectious illness outbreaks that may arise in the future, could adversely affect the economies of many countries or the entire global economy, individual issuers and capital markets in ways that cannot necessarily be foreseen. In addition, the impact of infectious illnesses in emerging market countries may be greater due to generally less established healthcare systems. Public health crises caused by the COVID-19 outbreak may exacerbate other pre-existing political, social and economic risks in certain countries or globally. As such, issuers of debt securities with operations, productions, offices, and/or personnel in (or other exposure to) areas affected with the virus may experience significant disruptions to their business and/or holdings.  The potential impact on the credit markets may include market illiquidity, defaults and bankruptcies, among other consequences, particularly on issuers in the airline, travel and leisure and retail sectors.  The extent to which COVID-19 will affect the Fund, the Fund’s service providers’ and/or issuer’s operations and results will depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted, including new information that may emerge concerning the severity of COVID-19 and the actions taken to contain COVID-19. Economies and financial markets throughout the world are becoming increasingly interconnected. As a result, whether or not the Fund invests in securities of issuers located in or with significant exposure to countries experiencing economic, political and/or financial difficulties, the value and liquidity of the Fund’s investments may be negatively affected by such events. If there is a significant decline in the value of the Fund’s portfolio, this may impact the Fund’s asset coverage levels for certain kinds of derivatives and other portfolio transactions. The duration of the COVID-19 outbreak and its impact on the global economy cannot be determined with certainty.
Common Stock Risk.  Investments in shares of common stock may fluctuate in value response to many factors, including the activities of the individual issuers whose securities the Fund or Portfolio Fund owns, general market and economic conditions, interest rates, and specific industry changes.  Such price fluctuations subject the Fund to potential losses.  In addition, regardless of any one company’s particular prospects, a declining stock market may produce a decline in prices for all equity securities, which could also result in losses for the Fund.  Market declines may continue for an indefinite period of time, and investors should understand that during temporary or extended bear markets, the value of common stocks will decline.
Cybersecurity Risk. As part of its business, the Advisor processes, stores, and transmits large amounts of electronic information, including information relating to the transactions of the Fund. The Advisor and the Fund are therefore susceptible to cybersecurity risk. Cyber-attacks include, among other behaviors, stealing or corrupting data maintained online or digitally, denial of service attacks on websites, the unauthorized release of confidential information, and causing operational disruption. Successful cyber-attacks against, or security breakdowns of, the Fund or its advisor, custodians, fund accountant, fund administrator, transfer agent, pricing vendors, and/or other third-party service providers may adversely impact the Fund and its shareholders. For instance, cyber-attacks may interfere with the processing of shareholder transactions, impact the Fund’s ability to calculate its NAV, cause the release of private shareholder information or confidential Fund information, impede trading, cause reputational damage, and subject the Fund to regulatory fines, penalties or financial losses, reimbursement or other compensation costs, and/or additional compliance costs. The Fund also may incur substantial costs for cybersecurity risk management in order to guard against any cyber incidents in the future. The Fund and its shareholders could be negatively impacted as a result.
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Early Close/Trading Halt Risk. An exchange or market may close or issue trading halts on specific securities, or the ability to buy or sell certain securities or financial instruments may be restricted, which may prevent the Fund from buying or selling certain securities or financial instruments. In these circumstances, the Fund may be unable to rebalance its portfolio, may be unable to accurately price its investments and may incur substantial trading losses.
Equity Securities Risk.  Investments in equity securities may fluctuate in value response to many factors, including the activities of the individual issuers whose securities the Portfolio Fund owns, general market and economic conditions, interest rates, and specific industry changes. Such price fluctuations subject the Fund to potential losses. During temporary or extended bear markets, the value of equity securities will decline, which could also result in losses for the Fund.
ETF Investing Risk.  An investment in an ETF is an investment in another investment company and therefore the Fund’s shareholders will indirectly bear its proportionate share of any fees and expenses of the ETFs in which the Fund invests in addition to the Fund’s own fees and expenses. As a result, the cost of investing will be higher than the cost of investing directly in the ETFs and may be higher than mutual funds that invest directly in stocks and bonds. ETFs are subject to the following risks: (i) the market price of an ETF’s shares may trade above or below its NAV; (ii) an active trading market for an ETF’s shares may not develop or be maintained; (iii) trading of an underlying ETF’s shares may be halted if the listing exchange’s officials deem such action appropriate, the shares are delisted from the exchange, or the activation of market wide “circuit breakers” (which are tied to large decreases in stock prices) halts stock trading generally; or (iv) the ETF may fail to achieve close correlation with the index that it tracks due to a variety of factors, such as rounding of prices and changes to the index and/or regulatory policies, resulting in the deviation of the ETF’s returns from that of its corresponding index. Some ETFs may be thinly traded, and the resulting higher costs associated with respect to purchasing and selling the ETFs of the ETFs in its portfolio will be borne by the Fund.
ETF Structure Risks.  The Fund is structured as an ETF and as a result is subject to the special risks, including:
o
Not Individually Redeemable. Shares are not individually redeemable and may be redeemed by the Fund at NAV only in large blocks known as “Creation Units.”  You may incur brokerage costs purchasing enough Shares to constitute a Creation Unit.
o
Trading Issues. An active trading market for the Fund’s shares may not be developed or 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, such as extraordinary market volatility. There can be no assurance that Shares will continue to meet the listing requirements of the Exchange. If the Fund’s shares are traded outside a collateralized settlement system, the number of financial institutions that can act as authorized participants that can post collateral on an agency basis is limited, which may limit the market for the Fund’s shares.

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o
Cash purchases . To the extent Creation Units are purchased by APs in cash instead of in-kind, the Fund will incur certain costs such as brokerage expenses and taxable gains and losses. These costs could be imposed on the Fund and impact the Fund’s NAV if not fully offset by transaction fees paid by the APs.
o
Market Price Variance Risk. The market prices of Shares will fluctuate in response to changes in NAV and supply and demand for Shares and will include a “bid-ask spread” charged by the exchange specialists, market makers or other participants that trade the particular security. There may be times when the market price and the NAV vary significantly. This means that Shares may trade at a discount to NAV.
In times of market stress, market makers may step away from their role market making in shares of ETFs and in executing trades, which can lead to differences between the market value of Fund shares and the Fund’s net asset value.
To the extent authorized participants exit the business or are unable to process creations or redemptions and no other AP can step in to do so, there may be a significantly reduced trading market in the Fund’s shares, which can lead to differences between the market value of Fund shares and the Fund’s net asset value.
The market price for the Fund’s shares may deviate from the Fund’s net asset value, particularly during times of market stress, with the result that investors may pay significantly more or receive significantly less for Fund shares than the Fund’s net asset value, which is reflected in the bid and ask price for Fund shares or in the closing price.
When all or a portion of an ETFs underlying securities trade in a market that is closed when the market for the Fund’s shares is open, there may be changes from the last quote of the closed market and the quote from the Fund’s domestic trading day, which could lead to differences between the market value of the Fund’s shares and the Fund’s net asset value.
In stressed market conditions, the market for the Fund’s shares may become less liquid in response to the deteriorating liquidity of the Fund’s portfolio. This adverse effect on the liquidity of the Fund’s shares may, in turn, lead to differences between the market value of the Fund’s shares and the Fund’s net asset value.
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Fixed Income Risk.  Fixed income risk factors include credit risk (the debtor may default) and prepayment risk (the debtor may pay its obligation early or later than expected, potentially reducing the amount of interest payments or extending time to principal repayment).  These risks could affect the value of a particular investment possibly causing the Fund's share price and total return to be reduced and fluctuate more than other types of investments.  When the Fund invests in fixed income securities the value of your investment in the Fund will fluctuate with changes in interest rates.  Typically, a rise in interest rates causes a decline in the value of fixed income securities.  Interest rates are currently at historical lows, which may impact the Fund’s risk profile. In general, the market price of debt securities with longer maturities will increase or decrease more in response to changes in interest rates than shorter-term securities. If the U.S. Federal Reserve’s Federal Open Market Committee (“FOMC”) raises the federal funds interest rate target, interest rates across the U.S. financial system may rise. However, the magnitude of rate changes across maturities and borrower sectors is uncertain. Rising rates may decrease liquidity and increase volatility, which may make portfolio management more difficult and costly to the Fund and its shareholders. Additionally, default risk increases if issuers must borrow at higher rates. Generally, these changing market conditions may cause the Fund’s share price to fluctuate or decline more than other types of equity investments.
Foreign Securities and Emerging Markets Risk.  Foreign securities have investment risks different from those associated with domestic securities.  Changes in foreign economies and political climates are more likely to affect the Fund or a Portfolio Fund with significant investments in foreign securities than another fund that invests exclusively in domestic securities. The value of foreign currency denominated securities or foreign currency contracts is affected by the value of the local currency relative to the U.S. dollar.  There may be less government supervision of foreign markets, resulting in non-uniform accounting practices and less publicly available information about issuers of foreign securities. The value of foreign investments may be affected by changes in exchange control regulations, application of foreign tax laws (including withholding tax), changes in governmental economic or monetary policy (in this country or abroad), or changed circumstances in dealings between nations.  In addition, foreign brokerage commissions, custody fees, and other costs of investing in foreign securities are often higher than in the United States.  Investments in foreign issues could be affected by other factors not present in the United States, including expropriation, armed conflict, confiscatory taxation, and potential difficulties in enforcing contractual obligations.
The Fund and Portfolio Funds may also invest in emerging markets, which are markets of countries in the initial stages of industrialization and have low per capital income.  In addition to the risks of foreign securities in general, countries in emerging markets are more volatile and can have relatively unstable governments, social and legal systems that do not protect shareholders, economies based on only a few industries, and securities markets that trade a small number of issues which could reduce liquidity. There is also less publicly available information on emerging market companies due to differences in regulation, accounting, auditing, and financial recordkeeping requirements, and the information available may be unreliable or outdated.
Fund Investing Risk.  Investments in other investment companies subject the Fund to additional operating and management fees and expenses. Investors in the Fund will indirectly bear fees and expenses charged by the funds in which the Fund invests, in addition to the Fund’s direct fees and expenses.  As a result, the cost of investing in the Fund will be higher than the cost of investing directly in the Portfolio Funds and also may be higher than other funds that invest directly in securities. The Fund’s performance depends in part upon the performance of the investment advisor to each Portfolio Fund, the strategies and instruments used by the Portfolio Funds, and the portfolio manager's ability to select Portfolio Funds and effectively allocate fund assets among them.  Furthermore, the use of a fund of funds structure could affect the timing, amount, and character of distributions and therefore may increase the amount of taxes payable by you.
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Investment Advisor Risk.  The portfolio manager’s ability to choose suitable investments has a significant impact on the ability of the Fund to achieve its investment objectives.
Large-Cap Securities Risk.  Stocks of large companies as a group can fall out of favor with the market, causing the Fund to underperform investments that have a greater focus on mid-cap or small-cap stocks. Larger, more established companies may be slow to respond to challenges and may grow more slowly than smaller companies.
Management Risk. The Fund is subject to management risk because it is an actively managed portfolio. In managing the Fund’s portfolio securities, the Sub-Advisor will apply investment techniques and risk analyses in making investment decisions for the Fund, but there can be no guarantee that these will produce the desired results. The Sub-Advisor’s decisions relating to the Fund’s duration will also affect the Fund’s yield, and in unusual circumstances will affect its share price. To the extent that the Sub-Advisor anticipates interest rates imprecisely, the Fund’s yield at times could lag those of other similarly managed funds.
Market Risk.  Market risk refers to the possibility that the value of securities held by the Fund may decline due to daily fluctuations in the market. Market prices for securities change daily as a result of many factors, including developments affecting the condition of both individual companies and the market in general.  The price of a security may even be affected by factors unrelated to the value or condition of its issuer, including changes in interest rates, economic and political conditions, and general market conditions. The Fund’s performance per share will change daily in response to such factors.
Portfolio Turnover Risk.  The portfolio manager will sell Portfolio Funds and other securities when it is in the best interest of the Fund and its shareholders to do so without regard to the length of time they have been held.  As portfolio turnover may involve paying brokerage commissions and other transaction costs, there could be additional expenses for the Fund.  High rates of portfolio turnover may also result in the realization of short-term capital gains and losses.  Any distributions resulting from such gains will be considered ordinary income for federal income tax purposes.
Quantitative Model Risk.  Portfolio Funds or other investments selected using quantitative methods may perform differently from the market as a whole for many reasons, including the factors used in building the quantitative analytical framework, the weights placed on each factor, and changing sources of market returns, among others.  There can be no assurance that these methodologies will enable the Fund to achieve its objective.
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Small-Cap and Mid-Cap Securities Risk.  Investments in securities of small-cap and mid-cap companies involve greater risk than investing in larger and more established companies.  This greater risk is, in part, attributable to the fact that the securities of these companies are usually less marketable and, therefore, more volatile than securities of larger, more established companies or the market in general.  Because these companies normally have fewer shares outstanding than larger companies, it may be more difficult to buy or sell significant amounts of such shares without an unfavorable impact on prevailing prices.  Another risk factor is that these companies often have limited product lines, markets, or financial resources and may lack management depth.  Small-cap and mid-cap companies are typically subject to greater changes in earnings and business prospects than are larger, more established companies. These companies may be more vulnerable than larger companies to adverse business or economic developments, the risk exists that the companies will not succeed, and the prices of the companies’ shares could dramatically decline in value.  You should expect that the value of the Fund’s shares will be more volatile than a fund that invests exclusively in large-capitalization companies.
NON-PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT RISKS
Risks from Purchasing Options.  If a put option purchased by the Fund is not sold when it has remaining value and if the market price of the underlying security remains equal to or greater than the exercise price, the Fund will lose its entire investment in the option.  Since many factors influence the value of an option, including the price of the underlying security, the exercise price, the time to expiration, the interest rate, and the dividend rate of the underlying security, the Advisor’s success in implementing the Fund’s strategy may depend on an ability to predict movements in the prices of individual securities, fluctuations in markets, and movements in interest rates. There is no assurance that a liquid market will exist when the Fund seeks to close out an option position.  Where a position in a purchased option is used as a hedge against price movements in a related position, the price of the option may move more or less than the price of the related position.
PORTFOLIO HOLDINGS INFORMATION
A description of the Fund’s policies and procedures with respect to the disclosure of its portfolio securities is available in the Fund’s Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”).
TEMPORARY DEFENSIVE POSITIONS
The Fund may, from time to time, take temporary defensive positions that are inconsistent with the Fund’s principal investment strategies in an attempt to respond to adverse market, economic, political, or other conditions.  During such an unusual set of circumstances, a Fund may hold up to 100% of its portfolio in cash or cash equivalent positions.  When a Fund takes a temporary defensive position, that Fund may not be able to achieve its investment objective.
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MANAGEMENT OF THE FUND
INVESTMENT ADVISOR
The Fund’s investment advisor is Cavalier Investments, LLC d/b/a Adaptive Investments, of 12600 Deerfield Drive, Suite #100, Alpharetta, Georgia 30004 (the “Advisor”).  The Advisor was established in 2015 and is registered as an investment advisor with the SEC under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended (the “Advisers Act”). The Advisor manages the investment portfolio and business affairs of the Fund pursuant to an investment advisory agreement between the Trust and the Advisor, with respect to the Fund (the “Investment Advisory Agreement”).  As of May 31, 2020, the Advisor had approximately $244 million in assets under management.
The Fund’s Advisor intends to primarily utilize an investment sub-advisor in seeking the particular investment objectives of the Fund.  The Advisor will be responsible for monitoring and overseeing the investment sub-advisor, including the monitoring of risk and the continual validation of the sub-advisor and investment strategy.
The Advisor and the sub-advisor, as applicable to their managed assets, are responsible for the selection of broker-dealers through which the Fund executes portfolio transactions.
During the period between June 1, 2015, and July 31, 2015, FolioMetrix, LLC, was the investment adviser to the Fund. From August 1, 2015, until August 19, 2015, a previous investment advisor served the Fund, Compass Capital Corporation. Compass Capital Corporation sponsored the creation of the current Advisor. The Advisor underwent a change in control in August 2016, at which time a new advisory agreement was approved by the Board and its shareholders.
Manager-of-Managers Order. The Trust and the Advisor have applied for and obtained an exemptive order (the “Order”) from the SEC that permits the Advisor, with the Trust’s Board of Trustees’ approval, to enter into sub-advisory agreements with one or more sub-advisors without obtaining shareholder approval. The Order permits the Advisor, subject to the approval of the Board of Trustees, to replace sub-advisors or amend sub-advisory agreements, including fees, without shareholder approval whenever the Advisor and the Trustees believe such action will benefit the Fund and its shareholders.
Advisor Compensation.  As full compensation for the investment advisory services provided to the Fund, the Advisor receives monthly compensation based on the Fund’s average daily net assets at the following annual rates:
Fund
Rate
Adaptive Growth Opportunities ETF
1.00%
Expense Limitation Agreement.  In the interest of limiting expenses of the Fund, the Advisor has entered into an expense limitation agreement with the Trust, pursuant to which the Advisor has agreed to waive or reduce its fees and to assume other expenses so that the total annual operating expenses of the Fund (exclusive of (i) any front-end or contingent deferred loads; (ii) brokerage fees and commissions, (iii) acquired fund fees and expenses; (iv) fees and expenses associated with investments in other collective investment vehicles or derivative instruments (including for example option and swap fees and expenses); (v) borrowing costs (such as interest and dividend expense on securities sold short); (vi) taxes; and (vii) extraordinary expenses, such as litigation expenses (which may include indemnification of Fund officers and Trustees and contractual indemnification of Fund service providers (other than the Advisor)) to not more than the amounts set forth in the table below of the average daily net assets of the Institutional, Class A, and Class C shares of the Fund, respectively. Net annual operating expenses for the Fund may exceed these limits to the extent that it incurs expenses enumerated above as exclusions. The expense limitation agreement runs through December 31, 2021 and may be terminated by the Board at any time. The Advisor cannot recoup from the Fund any amounts paid by the Advisor under the expense limitation agreement.
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Operating Expense Limit
 
Adaptive Growth Opportunities ETF
1.25%
For the fiscal year ended May 31, 2020, the Fund paid the Advisor management fees (after waivers) as a percentage of the Fund’s average daily net assets, as follows:
Fund
Net Advisory Fee Received
Adaptive Growth Opportunities ETF
0.68%
Disclosure Regarding Approval of Investment Advisory Agreement.  A discussion regarding the Trustees’ basis for approving the investment advisory agreement for the Fund will be available in the Fund’s annual report to shareholders for the period ended May 31, 2021 .   You may obtain a copy of the annual and semi-annual report, free of charge, upon request to the Fund.
INVESTMENT SUB-ADVISOR
The Sub-Advisor serves pursuant to an investment sub-advisory agreement with the Advisor as approved by the Trustees.  The Sub-Advisor, with oversight from the Advisor, makes day-to-day investment decisions for the Fund and selects broker-dealers for executing portfolio transactions, subject to the brokerage policies established by the Trustees. As compensation for the sub-advisory services provided to the Fund, the Advisor pays the Sub-Advisor a portion of the management fees that the Advisor receives from the Fund. The Sub-Advisor is a registered investment advisor.
For the fiscal year ended May 31, 2020, the Advisor paid the Sub-Advisor management fees as a percentage of the Fund’s average daily net assets, as follows:
Fund
Rate
Adaptive Growth Opportunities ETF
0.30%

The investment sub-advisor for the Fund is Bluestone Capital Management, LLC, located at 37 West Ave, Suite 201 , Wayne, PA 19087. Bluestone focuses on loss aversion, with strategies designed to improve the predictability and stability of returns. Bluestone provides a variety of strategies for separate accounts, as well as alternative solutions for individuals and institutional clients.
Portfolio Manager.  The Fund’s portfolio manager is Brian Shevland a. Mr. Shevland has provided services to the Fund since September 2018.
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Brian Shevland co-founded Bluestone and has served as the chief executive officer of Bluestone since 2010. Prior to his time with Bluestone, Mr. Shevland founded and managed Shevland Capital, an investment management business where he focused his efforts on tactical asset allocation strategies based on his theory that diversification alone does not provide significant enough protection against major market downturns. Mr. Shevland graduated with a B.S. in Business from the Honors Scholars Program at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington and studies International Finance at the University of Roehampton in London, England.
A description of the business experience of the portfolio manager is described below in “Investment Sub-Advisor.” The Fund’s Statement of Additional Information provides information about the portfolio manager’s compensation, other accounts managed by the portfolio manager, and the portfolio manager’s ownership of shares of the Fund.
Disclosure Regarding Approval of Sub-Advisory Agreement.  A discussion regarding the Trustees’ basis for approving the sub-advisory agreement for the Fund will be available in the Fund’s annual report to shareholders for the period ended May 31, 2021 .   You may obtain a copy of the annual and semi-annual report, free of charge, upon request to the Fund.
Shareholder Information
Purchase and Redemption of Shares
Shares of the Fund may be acquired or redeemed directly from the Fund at NAV only in Creation Units or multiples thereof, as discussed in the “How to Buy and Sell Shares” Section of this prospectus. Only an Authorized Participant may engage in creation or redemption transactions directly with the Fund. Once created, shares of the Fund generally trade in the secondary market in amounts less than a Creation Unit. Individual Fund shares may only be bought and sold in the secondary market through a broker or dealer at market price.
Shares of the Fund are listed for trading in the secondary market on the Exchange. Shares can be bought and sold throughout the trading day like other publicly traded shares. When buying or selling shares through a broker, you will incur customary brokerage commissions and other charges. In addition, you may incur the costs attributable to the difference between the highest price a buyer is willing to pay to purchase shares of the Fund (bid) and the lowest price a seller is willing to accept for shares of the Fund (ask) when buying or selling shares in the secondary market (the “bid-ask spread”). Because the Fund’s shares trade at market prices rather than net asset value, the price you pay or receive for the Fund’s shares may greater than NAV (premium) or less than NAV (discount) of such shares. The Fund trades under the Exchange ticker symbol AGOX.  You can access recent information, including information on the Fund’s NAV, market price, premiums and discounts, and bid-ask spreads, on the Fund’s website at https://etfpages.com/AGOX . The median bid-ask spread for the fiscal year ended May 31, 2020 is not available because the Fund was not operating as an ETF during the last fiscal year. The median bid-ask spread for the fiscal year ended May 31, 2021 will be available on the Fund’s website at https://etfpages.com/AGOX when it becomes available.
Book Entry. Shares of the Fund 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, and holds legal title to, all outstanding shares of a Fund and is recognized as the owner of all outstanding shares of the Fund.
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Investors owning shares of the Fund are beneficial owners as shown on the records of DTC or its participants. DTC serves as the securities depository for shares of the Fund. Participants in DTC include securities brokers and dealers, banks, trust companies, clearing corporations and other institutions that directly or indirectly maintain a custodial relationship with DTC. As a beneficial owner of shares, you are not entitled to receive physical delivery of stock certificates or to have shares registered in your name, and you are not considered a registered owner of shares. Therefore, to exercise any right as an owner of shares, you must rely upon the procedures of DTC and its participants. These procedures are the same as those that apply to any other securities that you hold in book- entry or “street name” form.
How to Buy and Sell Shares
Pricing Fund Shares. The trading price of the Fund’s shares on the Exchange is based on the market price, not the Fund’s NAV, so it may differ from a Fund’s daily NAV and can be affected by market forces such as supply and demand, economic conditions and other factors. Information regarding the number of days the market price of the Fund’s shares was greater than the Fund’s NAV and the number of days it was less than the Fund’s NAV (i.e., premium or discount) for the most recently completed calendar year, and the most recently completed calendar quarters is available on the Fund’s website at
https://etfpages.com/AGOX .
Determination of Net Asset Value. The NAV per Share for the Fund is determined once daily as of the close of the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”), usually 4:00 p.m. Eastern time, each day the NYSE is open for trading, based on prices at the time of closing provided that (a) any Fund assets or liabilities denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar are translated into U.S. dollars at the prevailing market rates on the date of valuation as quoted by one or more major banks or dealers that makes a two-way market in such currencies (or a data service provider based on quotations received from such banks or dealers); and (b) U.S. fixed income assets may be valued as of the announced closing time for trading in fixed income instruments in a particular market or exchange. The NAV of the Fund is calculated by dividing the value of the net assets of the Fund (i.e., the value of the Fund’s total assets minus its total liabilities) by the total number of outstanding shares of the Fund.
Fixed income securities are valued at market value. Market value generally means a valuation (i) obtained from an exchange, a pricing service or a major market maker (or dealer), (ii) based on a price quotation or other equivalent indication of value supplied by an exchange, a pricing service or a major market maker (or dealer), or (iii) based on amortized cost. The Fund’s debt securities are thus valued by reference to a combination of transactions and quotations for the same or other securities believed to be comparable in quality, coupon, maturity, type of issue, call provisions, trading characteristics and other features deemed to be relevant. To the extent a Fund’s debt securities are valued based on price quotations or other equivalent indications of value provided by a third-party pricing service, any such third-party pricing service may use a variety of methodologies to value some or all of a Fund’s debt securities to determine the market price.  For example, the prices of securities with characteristics like those held by a Fund may be used to assist with the pricing process. In addition, the pricing service may use proprietary pricing models.
Equity securities are valued at the last reported sale price on the principal exchange on which such securities are traded, as of the close of regular trading on the Exchange on the day the securities are being valued or, if there are no sales, at the mean of the most recent bid and asked prices. Equity securities that are traded in over-the-counter markets are valued at the NASDAQ Official Closing Price as of the close of regular trading on the Exchange on the day the securities are valued or, if there are no sales, at the mean of the most recent bid and asked prices.
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Securities will be valued at fair value when market quotations (or other market valuations such as those obtained from a pricing service) are not readily available or are deemed unreliable. Fair value determinations are made in accordance with the policies and procedures approved by the Board. Market quotations may not be readily available or may be determined to be unreliable when a security’s value or a meaningful portion of the Fund’s portfolio is believed to have been materially affected by a significant event. A significant event is an event that is likely to materially affect the value of the Fund’s investment. Such events may include a natural disaster, an economic event like a bankruptcy filing, a trading halt in a security, an unscheduled early market close or a substantial fluctuation in domestic and foreign markets that has occurred between the close of the principal exchange and the Exchange. In such a case, the value for a security is likely to be different from the last quoted market price. In addition, due to the subjective and variable nature of fair market value pricing, it is possible that the value determined for a particular asset may be materially different from the value realized upon such asset’s sale.
Trading in securities on many foreign securities exchanges and over-the-counter markets is normally completed before the close of business on the NYSE. In addition, securities trading in a particular country or countries may not take place on all U.S. business days or may take place on days that are not U.S. business days. Changes in valuations of certain securities may occur at times or on days on which the Fund’s NAV is not calculated and on which a Fund does not affect sales or redemptions of its shares.
Creation Units. Investors such as market makers, large investors, and institutions who wish to deal in Creation Units (large specified blocks of 25,000 shares or multiples thereof) directly with a Fund must have entered into an authorized participant agreement with Capital Investment Group, Inc. (the “Distributor”), and be accepted by the transfer agent, or purchase through a dealer that has entered into such an agreement. Set forth below is a brief description of the procedures applicable to purchase and redemption of Creation Units. For more detailed information, see “Creation and Redemption of Creation Unit Aggregations” in the Statement of Additional Information.
How to Buy Shares. In order to purchase Creation Units of the Fund, an investor must generally deposit a designated portfolio of securities (the “Deposit Securities”) (and/or an amount in cash in lieu of some or all of the Deposit Securities) and generally make a cash payment referred to as the “Cash Component.” For those APs that are not eligible for trading a Deposit Security, and in such other circumstances as the Sub-Advisor believes are in the best interests of a Fund, custom orders are available. The list of the names and the amounts of the Deposit Securities is made available by the Fund’s custodian through the facilities of the NSCC immediately prior to the opening of business each day of the Exchange. The Cash Component represents the difference between the NAV of a Creation Unit and the market value of the Deposit Securities. In the case of custom orders, cash- in-lieu may be added to the Cash Component to replace any Deposit Securities that either the AP may not be eligible to trade, or the Sub-Advisor believes are in the best interests of a Fund not to accept in-kind.
23

Orders must be placed in proper form by or through an AP that is a participant of the DTC (“DTC Participant”). All standard orders must be placed for one or more whole Creation Units of Shares of a Fund and must be received by the Distributor in proper form no later than the close of regular trading on the NYSE (ordinarily 4:00 p.m. Eastern time) (“Closing Time”) in order to receive that day’s closing NAV per Share. In the case of custom orders, as further described in the Statement of Additional Information, the order must be received by the Distributor no later than one hour prior to Closing Time in order to receive that day’s closing NAV per Share. A custom order may be placed by an AP in the event that the Trust permits or requires the substitution of an amount of cash to be added to the Cash Component to replace any Deposit Security which may not be available in sufficient quantity for delivery or which may not be eligible for trading by such AP or the investor for which it is acting or any other relevant reason. A fixed creation transaction fee of $250 per transaction (the “Creation Transaction Fee”) is applicable to each transaction regardless of the number of Creation Units purchased in the transaction. An additional variable charge for cash creations or partial cash creations may also be imposed to compensate the Fund for the costs associated with buying the applicable securities. The Fund may adjust these fees from time to time based on actual experience. The price for each Creation Unit will equal the Fund’s daily NAV per share times the number of Shares in a Creation Unit plus the fees described above and, if applicable, any transfer taxes.
Shares of the Fund may be issued in advance of receipt of all Deposit Securities subject to various conditions, including a requirement to maintain cash at least equal to 115% of the market value of the missing Deposit Securities on deposit with the Trust.
For more detailed information, see “Creation and Redemption of Creation Unit Aggregations” in the Statement of Additional Information.
Legal Restrictions on Transactions in Certain Securities. An investor subject to a legal restriction with respect to a particular security required to be deposited in connection with the purchase of a Creation Unit may, at a Fund’s discretion, be permitted to deposit an equivalent amount of cash in substitution for any security which would otherwise be included in the Deposit Securities applicable to the purchase of a Creation Unit. For more detailed information, see “Creation and Redemption of Creation Unit Aggregations” in the Statement of Additional Information.
Redemption of Shares. Shares may be redeemed only in Creation Units at their NAV and only on a day the Exchange is open for business. The Fund’s custodian makes available immediately prior to the opening of business each day of the Exchange, through the facilities of the NSCC, the list of the names and the amounts of the Fund’s portfolio securities that will be applicable that day to redemption requests in proper form (“Redemption Securities”). Redemption Securities received on redemption may not be identical to Deposit Securities, which are applicable to purchases of Creation Units. Unless cash redemptions or partial cash redemptions are available or specified for a Fund as set forth below, the redemption proceeds consist of the Redemption Securities, plus cash in an amount equal to the difference between the NAV of Shares being redeemed as next determined after receipt by the transfer agent of a redemption request in proper form, and the value of the Redemption Securities (the “Cash Redemption Amount”), less the applicable redemption fee and, if applicable, any transfer taxes. Should the Redemption Securities have a value greater than the NAV of Shares being redeemed, a compensating cash payment to a Fund equal to the differential, plus the applicable redemption fee and, if applicable, any transfer taxes will be required to be arranged for, by or on behalf of the redeeming shareholder.
24

An order to redeem Creation Units of a Fund may only be effected by or through an Authorized Participant. An order to redeem must be placed for one or more whole Creation Units and must be received by the transfer agent in proper form no later than the close of regular trading on the NYSE (normally 4:00 p.m. Eastern time) in order to receive that day’s closing NAV per Share. In the case of custom orders, as further described in the Statement of Additional Information, the order must be received by the transfer agent no later than 3:00 p.m. Eastern time.
For more detailed information, see “Creation and Redemption of Creation Unit Aggregations” in the Statement of Additional Information.
Distributions. Dividends and Capital Gains. Fund shareholders are entitled to their share of a Fund’s income and net realized gains on its investments. The Fund pays out substantially all its net earnings to its shareholders as “distributions.” Income dividends, if any, are distributed to shareholders quarterly. Net capital gains are distributed annually. Dividends may be declared and paid more frequently to comply with the distribution requirements of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”). Some portion of each distribution may result in a return of capital (which is a return of the shareholder’s investment in the Fund). Fund shareholders will be notified regarding the portion of the distribution that represents a return of capital.
Distributions in cash may be reinvested automatically in additional whole shares only if the broker through which the shares were purchased makes such option available.
Frequent Purchases and Redemptions
Fund shares can only be purchased and redeemed directly from the Fund in Creation Units by APs, and the vast majority of trading in Fund shares occurs on the secondary market. Because the secondary market trades do not directly involve the Fund, it is unlikely those trades would cause the harmful effects of market timing, including dilution, disruption of portfolio management, increases in the Fund’s trading costs and the realization of capital gains. With regard to the purchase or redemption of Creation Units directly with the Fund, to the extent effected in-kind (i.e., for securities), those trades do not cause the harmful effects that may result from frequent cash trades. To the extent trades are effected in whole or in part in cash, those trades could result in dilution to the Fund and increased transaction costs, which could negatively impact the Fund’s ability to achieve its investment objective. However, direct trading by APs is critical to ensuring that Fund shares trade at or close to NAV. The Fund also employs fair valuation pricing to minimize potential dilution from market timing. In addition, the Fund imposes transaction fees on purchases and redemptions of Fund shares to cover the custodial and other costs incurred by the Fund in effecting trades. These fees increase if an investor substitutes cash in part or in whole for securities, reflecting the fact that a Fund’s trading costs increase in those circumstances. Given this structure, the Trust has determined that it is not necessary to adopt policies and procedures to detect and deter market timing of the Fund’s shares.
25

Shareholder Statements and Reports
To keep you informed about your investments, the Fund will send you various account statements and reports, including:
Confirmation statements that verify your buy or sell transactions (except in the case of automatic purchases or redemptions from bank accounts. Please review your confirmation statements for accuracy.
Quarter-end and year-end shareholder account statements.
Reports for the Fund, which includes portfolio manager commentary, performance,
Shareholder tax forms.
With eDelivery, you can receive your tax forms, account statements, Fund reports, and prospectuses online rather than by regular mail. Taking advantage of this free service not only decreases the clutter in your mailbox, it also reduces your Fund fees by lowering printing and postage costs. To receive materials electronically, contact your financial intermediary (such as a broker-dealer or bank).
Fund Service Providers
Administrator. The Trust has entered into a Fund Accounting & Administration Agreement with The Nottingham Company (the “Administrator”), located at 116 South Franklin Street, Post Office Box 69, Rocky Mount, North Carolina 27802-0069. Under the Fund Administration Agreement, The Nottingham Company will serve as fund accountant, administrator and in other capacities for the Fund.
Custodian.  Clear Street, LLC (the “Custodian”), located at 55 Broadway, New York, NY 10006 is the custodian for the Fund. The Custodian is responsible for holding all cash assets and all portfolio securities of the Funds, releasing and delivering such securities as directed by the Fund, maintaining bank accounts in the names of the Fund, receiving for deposit into such accounts payments for shares of the Fund, collecting income and other payments due the Fund with respect to portfolio securities, and paying out monies of the Fund.
Transfer Agent. Nottingham Shareholder Services LLC (the “Transfer Agent”), located at 116 South Franklin Street, PO Box 4365, Rocky Mount, North Carolina 27803-0365, is the transfer agent for the Funds and serves as the dividend disbursing agent for the Fund.
Distributor. Capital Investment Group, Inc. is the distributor for the shares of the Fund (the “Distributor”). The Distributor is a registered broker-dealer and member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (“FINRA”).
Counsel. Greenberg Traurig LLP is counsel to the Trust.
Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm. BBD, LLP, located at 1835 Market Street, 3rd Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19103, serves as the Fund’s independent registered public accounting firm. They audit the Fund’s financial statements and perform other related audit services.
26

OTHER IMPORTANT INFORMATION
DIVIDENDS, DISTRIBUTIONS, AND TAXES
Fund shares are traded throughout the day in the secondary market on a national securities exchange on an intra-day basis and are created and redeemed in-kind and/or for cash in Creation Units at each day’s next calculated NAV. In-kind arrangements are designed to protect ongoing shareholders from the adverse effects on the Fund’s portfolio that could arise from frequent cash redemption transactions. In a mutual fund, redemptions can have an adverse tax impact on taxable shareholders if the mutual fund needs to sell portfolio securities to obtain cash to meet net fund redemptions. These sales may generate taxable gains for the ongoing shareholders of the mutual fund, whereas the Fund shares’ in-kind redemption mechanism generally will not lead to a tax event for the Fund or its ongoing shareholders.
Ordinarily, dividends from net investment income, if any, are declared and paid annually by the Fund. The Fund distributes its net realized capital gains, if any, to shareholders annually. The Fund may also pay a special distribution at the end of a calendar year to comply with federal tax requirements.
No dividend reinvestment service is provided by the Fund. Broker-dealers may make available the DTC book-entry Dividend Reinvestment Service for use by beneficial owners of the Fund for reinvestment of their dividend distributions. Beneficial owners should contact their broker to determine the availability and costs of the service and the details of participation therein. Brokers may require beneficial owners to adhere to specific procedures and timetables. If this service is available and used, dividend distributions of both income and realized gains will be automatically reinvested in additional whole shares of the Fund purchased in the secondary market.
Distributions in cash may be reinvested automatically in additional whole Fund shares only if the broker through whom you purchased Fund shares makes such option available.
TAXES
As with any investment, you should consider how your investment in Fund 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 Fund shares.
Unless your investment in Fund shares is made through a tax-exempt entity or tax-deferred retirement account, such as an individual retirement account, you need to be aware of the possible tax consequences when:
The Fund makes distributions,
You sell your Shares listed on the Exchange, and
You purchase or redeem Creation Units.
27

TAXES ON DISTRIBUTIONS
Distributions from the Fund’s net investment income, including net short-term capital gains, if any, are taxable to you as ordinary income, except that the Fund’s dividends attributable to its “qualified dividend income” (i.e., dividends received on stock of most domestic and certain foreign corporations with respect to which the Fund satisfies certain holding period and other restrictions), if any, generally are subject to federal income tax for non-corporate shareholders who satisfy those restrictions with respect to their Fund shares at the rate for net capital gain. A part of the Fund’s dividends also may be eligible for the dividends-received deduction allowed to corporations -- the eligible portion may not exceed the aggregate dividends the Fund receives from domestic corporations subject to federal income tax (excluding REITs) and excludes dividends from foreign corporations -- subject to similar restrictions. However, dividends a corporate shareholder deducts pursuant to that deduction are subject indirectly to the federal alternative minimum tax.
In general, your distributions are subject to federal income tax when they are paid, whether you take them in cash or reinvest them in the Fund (if that option is available). Distributions reinvested in additional Fund shares through the means of a dividend reinvestment service, if available, will be taxable to shareholders acquiring the additional Fund shares to the same extent as if such distributions had been received in cash. Distributions of net long-term capital gains, if any, in excess of net short-term capital losses are taxable as long-term capital gains, regardless of how long you have held the Fund shares.
Distributions in excess of the Fund’s current and accumulated earnings and profits are treated as a tax-free return of capital to the extent of your basis in the Fund shares and as capital gain thereafter. A distribution will reduce the Fund’s NAV per Share and may be taxable to you as ordinary income or capital gain (as described above) even though, from an investment standpoint, the distribution may constitute a return of capital.
By law, the Fund is required to withhold 28% of your distributions and redemption proceeds if you have not provided the Fund with a correct Social Security number or other taxpayer identification number and in certain other situations.
TAXES ON EXCHANGE-LISTED SHARE SALES
Any capital gain or loss realized upon a sale of Fund shares is generally treated as long-term capital gain or loss if the Fund shares have been held for more than one year and as short-term capital gain or loss if the Fund shares have been held for one year or less. The ability to deduct capital losses from sales of Fund shares may be limited.
TAXES ON PURCHASE AND REDEMPTION OF CREATION UNITS
An AP that exchanges securities for Creation Units generally will recognize a gain or a loss equal to the difference between the market value of the Creation Units at the time of the exchange and the sum of the exchanger’s aggregate basis in the securities surrendered plus any Cash Component it pays. An AP that exchanges Creation Units for securities will generally recognize a gain or loss equal to the difference between the exchanger’s basis in the Creation Units and the sum of the aggregate market value of the securities received plus any cash equal to the difference between the NAV of the Fund shares being redeemed and the value of the securities. The Internal Revenue Service (“Service”), however, may assert that a loss realized upon an exchange of securities for Creation Units cannot be deducted currently under the rules governing “wash sales” or for other reasons. Persons exchanging securities should consult their own tax advisor with respect to whether wash sale rules apply and when a loss might be deductible.
28

Any capital gain or loss realized upon redemption of Creation Units is generally treated as long-term capital gain or loss if the Fund shares have been held for more than one year and as short-term capital gain or loss if the Fund shares have been held for one year or less.
If an AP purchases or redeems Creation Units, the AP will be sent a confirmation statement showing how many Fund shares the AP purchased or sold and at what price. See “Additional Tax Information” in the SAI for a description of the newly effective requirement regarding basis determination methods applicable to Share redemptions and the Fund’s obligation to report basis information to the Service.
The foregoing discussion summarizes some of the possible consequences under current federal tax law of an investment in the Fund. It is not a substitute for personal tax advice. Consult your personal tax advisor about the potential tax consequences of an investment in the Fund shares under all applicable tax laws. See “Additional Tax Information” in the SAI for more information.
FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS
The Financial Highlights tables are intended to help you understand the financial performance of the Fund for the past five years. The Fund is a continuation of the Predecessor Fund and, therefore, the financial information includes results of the Predecessor Fund.  Certain information reflects financial results for a single share of the Fund. The total returns in the table represent the rate that an investor would have earned or lost on an investment in the Fund (assuming reinvestment of all dividends and distributions).  The financial data in the tables has been audited by BBD, LLP, an independent registered accounting firm, whose report, along with the Predecessor Fund’s financial statements, is included in the Predecessor Fund’s annual report to shareholders. The annual report is incorporated by reference into the Statement of Additional Information, both of which are available, free of charge, upon request, from the Fund.
29


INSTITUTIONAL CLASS SHARES

(For a Share Outstanding Throughout the Year)
 
Year
ended
May 31,
2020
Year
ended
May 31,
2019
Year
ended
May 31,
2018
Year
ended
May 31,
2017

Year
ended
May 31,
2016
Net Asset Value, Beginning of Year
$15.55
$17.45
$14.56
$11.81
$13.13
Income (Loss) from Investment Operations
 Net investment income (loss) (d)
 Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on
    Investments
Total from Investment Operations

0.01

2.69
2.70

0.01

(0.93)
(0.92)

(0.08)

2.99
2.91

0.05

2.73
2.78

0.05

(1.22)
(1.17)
Less Distributions from:
 Net investment income
 Net realized gains
Total Distributions
-
(0.47)
(0.47)
(0.82)
(0.16)
(0.98)
(0.02)
--
(0.02)
(0.03)
--
(0.03)
--
(0.15)
(0.15)
Net Asset Value, End of Year
$17.78
$15.55
$17.45
$14.56
$11.81
Total Return (a)
17.50%
(4.37)%
19.98%
23.53%
(8.92)%
Net Assets, End of Year (in thousands)
$59,869
$53,013
$37,778
$22,149
$8,113
Ratios of:
Interest Expense to Average Net Assets
Gross Expenses to Average Net Assets(b)
Net Expenses to Average Net Assets(b)
Net Investment Income (Loss) to Average Net
   Assets (b)(c)
0.01%
1.58%(f)
1.26%(f)

0.07%
-
1.57%
1.27%

0.08%
-
1.81%
1.35%

(0.52)%
-
2.56%
1.24%

0.39%

-
1.22%
0.91%(e)

0.41%(e)
Portfolio Turnover Rate
319.85%
268.30%
491.30%
439.72%
284.69%
(a) Includes adjustments in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America and, consequently, the net asset values for financial reporting purposes and the returns based upon those net asset values may differ from the net asset values and returns for shareholder transactions.
(b) Does not include expenses of the investment companies in which the Fund invests.
(c) Recognition of net investment income (loss) by the Fund is affected by the timing of the declaration of dividends by the underlying investment companies in which the Fund invests.
(d) Calculated using the average shares method.
(e Includes reimbursement of acquired fund fees and expenses for the period from June 1, 2015, through December 17, 2015.  The Fund’s expense limitation agreement was updated to exclude acquired fund fees and expenses from the waiver effective December 18, 2015.
(f) Includes interest expense.

30


ADDITIONAL INFORMATION



Adaptive Growth Opportunities
ETF
(TICKER: AGOX)


 
More information about the Fund can be found in the Statement of Additional Information, which is incorporated by reference into this prospectus. Additional information about the Fund’s investments is available in the annual and semi-annual reports to shareholders.  The annual reports include discussions of market conditions and investment strategies that significantly affected the Fund’s performance during its last fiscal year.
The Fund’s Statement of Additional Information and the annual and semi-annual reports are available, free of charge, on the website listed below and upon request by contacting the Fund (you may also request other information about the Fund or make shareholder inquiries) as follows:
 
By telephone:
1-800-773-3863

 
By mail:
Adaptive Funds
c/o Nottingham Shareholder Services
116 South Franklin Street
Post Office Box 4365
Rocky Mount, North Carolina 27803-0365

 
By e-mail:
shareholders@ncfunds.com

 
On the Internet:
www.ncfunds.com

Reports and other information about the Fund are available on the EDGAR Database on the SEC’s Internet site at http://www.sec.gov, and copies of this information may be obtained, upon payment of a duplicating fee, by electronic request at the following e-mail address: publicinfo@sec.gov.
No person is authorized to give any information or to make any representations about the Fund and its shares not contained in this Prospectus and you should not rely on any other information. Read and keep this Prospectus for future reference.
Investment Company Act File Number 811-22298

STATEMENT OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION


Adaptive Growth Opportunities ETF

Ticker
Principal Listing Exchange
AGOX
NYSE Arca

December 29 , 2020


A series of the
Starboard Investment Trust
116 South Franklin Street
Rocky Mount, North Carolina 27804
Telephone 1-800-773-3863



This Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”) is meant to be read in conjunction with the prospectus for the Adaptive Growth Opportunities ETF, dated December 29 , 2020, as amended or supplemented from time to time (the “Prospectus”), and is incorporated by reference in its entirety into the Prospectus. Because this SAI is not itself a prospectus, no investment in shares of the Adaptive Growth Opportunities ETF should be made solely upon the information contained herein. Copies of the Prospectus, annual report, and/or semi-annual report may be obtained at no charge by writing or calling the Fund at the address or phone number shown above or online at https://etfpages.com/AGOX . Capitalized terms used but not defined herein have the same meanings as in the Prospectus.


TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
GENERAL INFORMATION
2
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT INVESTMENT POLICIES
3
INVESTMENT LIMITATIONS
3
PORTFOLIO TRANSACTIONS
15
DESCRIPTION OF THE TRUST
16
MANAGEMENT AND OTHER SERVICE PROVIDERS
17
CREATION AND REDEMPTION OF CREATION UNITS
30
DISCLOSURE OF PORTFOLIO HOLDINGS
37
NET ASSET VALUE
37
ADDITIONAL TAX INFORMATION
38
DIVIDENDS AND DISTRIBUTIONS
42
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
43
APPENDIX A – DESCRIPTION OF RATINGS
44
APPENDIX B – PROXY VOTING POLICIES
47





GENERAL INFORMATION
Starboard Investment Trust (“Trust”) was organized on May 13, 2009, as a Delaware statutory trust and is authorized to have multiple series or portfolios. The Trust is registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) as an open-end management investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”).  The Trust currently consists of 12 separate series. This SAI relates to the Adaptive Growth Opportunities ETF (the “Fund”), which is a separate, diversified series of the Trust.  The Fund is an exchange-traded fund (commonly referred to as an “ETF”). ETFs are funds that trade like other publicly- traded securities. The Fund is actively managed and is not intended to track a market index.
The Fund acquired all of the assets and liabilities of the Adaptive Growth Opportunities Fund (“Predecessor Fund”), a series of the Starboard Investment Trust, in a tax-free reorganization on [    ], 2020. In connection with this acquisition, Institutional Class shares, Class A shares, and Class C shares of the Predecessor Fund were exchanged for shares of the Fund. Certain financial information included on the following pages is that of the Predecessor Fund. Prior to February 6, 2018, the Predecessor Fund was known as the Cavalier Global Opportunities Fund. Prior to October 1, 2020, the fund family was known as the Cavalier Funds and the Predecessor Fund’s name included “Cavalier” in the title rather than “Adaptive”.  Prior to August 4, 2015, the fund family was known as the Rx Funds and the Predecessor Fund’s name included “Rx” in the title rather than “Cavalier.” Prior to May 3, 2013, the fund family was known as the FMX Funds and the Predecessor Fund’s name included “ISM” in the title rather than “Rx.”  In addition, the Predecessor Fund was known as the ISM Strategic Equity Fund. As of August 20, 2015, the Predecessor Fund’s investment advisor was Cavalier Investments, LLC d/b/a Adaptive Investments, which is also the Fund’s investment advisor (the “Advisor” or “Adaptive Investments”). During the period between August 1, 2015, and August 19, 2015, the Predecessor Fund’s investment advisor was Compass Capital Corporation. Prior to August 1, 2015, the Predecessor Fund’s investment advisor was FolioMetrix, LLC.
This SAI describes the financial history, management and operation of the Fund, as well as the Fund’s investment objective and policies. It should be read in conjunction with the Prospectus.
Investments in the Funds are not:
Deposits or obligations of any bank;
Guaranteed or endorsed by any bank; or

Federally insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Federal Reserve Board, or any other federal agency.
The Fund will offer and issue Shares at net asset value (“NAV”) 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 specified by the Fund (the “Deposit Securities”), together with the deposit of a specified cash payment (the “Cash Component”).
The Fund’s Shares are listed on the New York Stock Exchange (the “NYSE” or the “Exchange”) under the trading symbols set out on the front cover.
Fund Shares will trade on the Exchange at market prices that may be below, at or above NAV. 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. In the event of the liquidation of the Fund, the Trust may lower the number of Shares in a Creation Unit.
The Trust reserves the right to offer a “cash” option for creations and redemptions of Fund Shares. 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 Trust cash at least equal to 105% and up to 115% 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 SEC applicable to management investment companies offering redeemable securities.
2


EXCHANGE LISTING AND TRADING
Shares of the Fund are listed for trading, and trade throughout the day, on the Exchange. 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; or (ii) any other event shall occur or condition shall exist that, in the opinion of the Exchange, makes further dealings on the Exchange inadvisable. The Exchange will also remove the shares of the Fund from listing and trading upon termination of the Fund.
As in the case of other stocks traded on the Exchange, broker’s commissions on transactions will be based on negotiated commission rates at customary levels.
The Trust reserves the right to adjust the share prices of the Fund 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.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT INVESTMENT POLICIES
The Prospectus describes the Fund’s investment objective and principal investment strategies, as well as the principal investment risks of the Fund.  All investments in securities and other financial instruments involve a risk of financial loss.  No assurance can be given that the Fund’s investment program will be successful.  Investors should carefully review the descriptions of the Fund’s investments and their risks described in the Prospectus and this SAI.
The following descriptions and policies supplement the descriptions in the Prospectus and include descriptions of certain types of investments that may be made by the Fund but are not principal investment strategies of the Fund.  Any investment type not also described in the Prospectus is not a principal investment strategy of the Fund nor a principal investment risk of such Fund. Attached to this SAI is Appendix A, which contains descriptions of the rating symbols used by nationally recognized statistical rating organizations for securities in which the Fund may invest.  Appendix B contains copies of the Advisor’s Proxy Voting Policy and Procedures.
Common Stocks.  The equity portion of the Fund’s portfolio may include common stocks traded on domestic securities exchanges.  Prices of common stocks in which the Fund invests may fluctuate in response to many factors, including, but not limited to, the activities of the individual companies whose securities the Fund owns, general market and economic conditions, interest rates, and specific industry changes. Such price fluctuations subject the Fund to potential losses. In addition, regardless of any one company’s particular prospects, a declining stock market may produce a decline in prices for all common stocks, which could also result in losses for the Fund.  Market declines may continue for an indefinite period of time, and investors should understand that during temporary or extended bear markets, the value of common stocks will decline.
Investment Companies.  Investments in securities of other investment companies involve certain additional expenses and certain tax results, which would not be present in a direct investment in the underlying fund. The Fund expects to rely on Rule 12d1-1 under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”), when purchasing shares of a money market fund. Under Rule 12d1-1, the Fund may generally invest without limitation in money market funds as long as the Fund pay no sales charge, as defined in rule 2830(b)(8) of the Conduct Rules of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”), or service fee, as defined in Rule 2830(b)(9) of the Conduct Rules of FINRA, charged in connection with the purchase, sale, or redemption of securities issued by the money market fund; or the Advisor waives its management fee in an amount necessary to offset any sales charge or service fee.  The Fund will also purchase shares of other investment companies that are not money market funds.  Pursuant to Section 12(d)(1)(A) of the 1940 Acts, the Fund will be prevented from: (i) purchasing more than 3% of an investment company's outstanding shares; (ii) investing more than 5% of the Fund's assets in any single such investment company; and (iii) investing more than 10% of the Fund's assets in investment companies overall; unless: (a) the underlying investment company and/or the Fund has received an order for exemptive relief from such limitations from the SEC; and (b) the underlying investment company and the Fund take appropriate steps to comply with any conditions in such order.  In addition, the Fund is subject to Section 12(d)(1)(C), which provides that the Fund may not acquire shares of a closed-end fund if, immediately after such acquisition, the  Fund and other investment companies having the same adviser as the Fund would hold more than 10% of the closed-end fund’s total outstanding voting stock. However, Section 12(d)(1)(F) of the 1940 Act provides that the limitations of paragraph 12(d)(1) shall not apply to securities purchased or otherwise acquired by the Fund if immediately after such purchase or acquisition not more than 3% of the total outstanding shares of such investment company is owned by the Fund and all affiliated persons of the fund.  Investments by the Fund in other investment companies entail a number of risks unique to a fund of funds structure. These risks include the following:
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Multiple Layers of Fees.  By investing in other investment companies indirectly through the Fund, prospective investors will directly bear the fees and expenses of the Advisor and indirectly bear the fees and expenses of other investment companies and other investment companies’ managers as well.  As such, this multiple or duplicative layer of fees will increase the cost of investments in the Fund.
Lack of Transparency.  The Advisor will not be able to monitor the investment activities of the other investment companies on a continuous basis and the other investment companies may use investment strategies that differ from its past practices and are not fully disclosed to the Advisor and that involve risks that are not anticipated by the Advisor.  The Fund has no control over the risks taken by the underlying investment companies in which they invest.
Valuation of Investment Companies.  Although the Advisor will attempt to review the valuation procedures used by other investment companies’ managers, the Advisor will have little or no means of independently verifying valuations of the Fund’s investments in investment companies and valuations of the underlying securities held by other investment companies.  As such, the Advisor will rely significantly on valuations of other investment companies and the securities underlying other investment companies that are reported by other investment companies’ managers. In the event that such valuations prove to be inaccurate, the net asset value (“NAV”) of the Fund could be adversely impacted and an investor could incur a loss of investment in the Fund.
Illiquidity of Investments by and In Other Investment Companies.  The market prices, if any, for securities that are not registered, are subject to legal or other restrictions on transfer, or for which no liquid market exists tend to be volatile and restricted securities may sell at prices that are lower than similar securities that are not subject to legal restrictions on resale.  Further, the Fund may not be able to redeem their interests in other investment companies’ securities that they have purchased in a timely manner. If adverse market conditions were to develop during any period in which the Fund is unable to redeem interests in other investment companies, the Fund may suffer losses as a result of this illiquidity.  As such, the lack of liquidity and volatility of restricted securities held by other investment companies could adversely affect the value of the other investment companies.  Any such losses could adversely affect the value of the Fund’s investments and an investor could incur a loss of investment in the Fund.
Lack of Control.  Although the Fund and the Advisor will evaluate regularly each portfolio fund (“Portfolio Fund”) to determine whether such Portfolio Fund’s investment program is consistent with the Fund’s investment objective, the Advisor will not have any control over the investments made by a Portfolio Fund.  Even though each Portfolio Fund is subject to certain constraints, the investment advisor to each such Portfolio Fund may change aspects of their investment strategies at any time.  The Advisor will not have the ability to control or influence the composition of the investment portfolio of any Portfolio Fund.
Lack of Diversification.  There is no requirement that the underlying investments held by other investment companies be diversified. As such, other investment companies’ managers may target or concentrate other investment companies’ investments in specific markets, sectors, or types of securities. As a result, investments made by other investment companies are subject to greater volatility as a result of this concentration than if the other investment companies had non-concentrated and diversified portfolios of investments. Thus, the Fund’s portfolios (and by extension the value of an investment in the Fund) may therefore be subject to greater risk than the portfolio of a similar fund with investments in diversified investment companies.
Use of Leverage.  The other investment companies may utilize leverage (i.e., borrowing) to acquire their underlying portfolio investments. When other investment companies borrow money or otherwise leverage their portfolio of investments, doing so may exaggerate changes in the NAV of the shares of the other investment companies and in the return on the other investment companies’ investments. Borrowing will also cost other investment companies interest expense and other fees. As such, the value of the Fund’s investments in other investment companies may be more volatile and all other risks (including the risk of loss of an investment in other investment companies) tend to be compounded or magnified.  As a result, any losses suffered by other investment companies as a result of their use of leverage could adversely affect the value of the Fund’s investments and an investor could incur a loss of investment in the Fund.
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Exchange Traded Funds.  ETFs are traded on a securities exchange based on their market value.  An investment in an ETF presents the same risks as an investment in a conventional registered investment company (i.e., one that is not exchange traded).  In addition, all ETFs will have costs and expenses that will be passed on to the Fund, which will in turn increase the Fund’s expenses. ETFs are also subject to the following risks that often do not apply to conventional investment companies: (i) the market price of the ETF’s shares may trade at a discount to the ETF’s NAV, and as a result, ETFs may experience more price volatility than other types of portfolio investments which could negatively impact the Fund’s NAVs; (ii) an active trading market for an ETF’s shares may not develop or be maintained at a sufficient volume; (iii) trading of an ETF’s shares may be halted if the listing exchange deems such action appropriate; and (iv) ETF shares may be delisted from the exchange on which they trade, or “circuit breakers” (which are tied to large decreases in stock prices used by the exchange) may temporarily halt trading in the ETF’s stock.  ETFs are also subject to the risks of the underlying securities the ETF holds.  Finally, there may be legal limitations and other conditions imposed by SEC rules on the amount of the ETF shares that the Fund may acquire.
Equity Securities.  The equity portion of the Fund’s portfolio may be comprised of common stocks traded on domestic securities exchanges or on the over-the-counter market.  In addition to common stocks, the equity portion of the Fund’s portfolio may also include preferred stocks, convertible preferred stocks, convertible bonds and warrants.  Prices of equity securities in which the Fund invests may fluctuate in response to many factors, including the activities of the individual companies issuing the equity securities, general market and economic conditions, interest rates, and specific industry changes. Such price fluctuations subject the Fund to potential losses.  In addition, regardless of any one company’s prospects, a declining stock market may produce a decline in prices for all equity securities, which could also result in losses for the Fund. Market declines may continue for an indefinite period and investors should understand that during temporary or extended bear markets, the value of equity securities will decline.
Convertible securities entitle the holder to receive interest payments or a dividend preference until the security matures or is redeemed, or the conversion privilege is exercised. As a result of the conversion feature, the interest rate or dividend preference on a convertible security is generally less than would be the case if the securities were issued in non-convertible form.  Warrants entitle the holder to purchase equity securities at specific prices for a certain period of time. The prices do not necessarily move parallel to the prices of the underlying securities and the warrants have no voting rights, receive no dividends, and have no rights with respect to the assets of the issuer.
Foreign Investment Risk.  Foreign securities and foreign currency contracts involve investment risks different from those associated with domestic securities. Changes in foreign economies and political climates are more likely to affect the Fund than a mutual fund that invests exclusively in domestic securities. The value of foreign currency denominated securities or foreign currency contracts is affected by the value of the local currency relative to the U.S. dollar. There may be less government supervision of foreign markets, resulting in non-uniform accounting practices and less publicly available information about issuers of foreign currency denominated securities.  The value of foreign investments may be affected by changes in exchange control regulations, application of foreign tax laws (including withholding tax), changes in governmental administration or economic or monetary policy (in this country or abroad), or changed circumstances in dealings between nations.  In addition, foreign brokerage commissions, custody fees, and other costs of investing in foreign securities are often higher than in the United States.  Investments in foreign issues could be affected by other factors not present in the United States, including expropriation, armed conflict, confiscatory taxation, and potential difficulties in enforcing contractual obligations.
Uncertainties surrounding the sovereign debt of a number of European Union (EU) countries and the viability of the EU have disrupted and may in the future disrupt markets in the United States and around the world. If one or more countries leave the EU or the EU dissolves, the world's securities markets likely will be significantly disrupted. In June 2016, the United Kingdom approved a referendum to leave the EU, commonly referred to as “Brexit.” There is significant market uncertainty regarding Brexit's ramifications, and the range and potential implications of possible political, regulatory, economic, and market outcomes are difficult to predict. Political and military events, including the military crises in Ukraine and the Middle East, and nationalist unrest in Europe, also may cause market disruptions.
Fixed-Income Securities.  Zero-coupon bonds are purchased at a discount from their face values and accrue interest at the applicable coupon rate over a period of time. Fixed-income securities purchased by the Fund or other investment companies in which the Fund invests may consist of obligations of any rating. Fixed-income securities in the lowest investment grade categories have speculative characteristics, with changes in the economy or other circumstances more likely to lead to a weakened capacity of the bonds to make principal and interest payments than would occur with bonds rated in higher categories.  High yield bonds are typically rated below “Baa” by Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. (“Moody’s”), or below “BBB” by S&P Global Ratings (“S&P”) or below investment grade by other recognized rating agencies.  The Fund may invest directly in unrated securities or indirectly through other investment companies that invest in unrated securities. Such bonds are subject to greater market fluctuations and risk of loss of income and principal than higher rated bonds for a variety of reasons, including:
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Sensitivity to Interest Rate and Economic Change.  The economy and interest rates affect high yield securities differently than other securities. The prices of high yield bonds have been found to be less sensitive to interest rate changes than higher-rated investments, but more sensitive to adverse economic changes or individual corporate developments. Also, during an economic downturn or substantial period of rising interest rates, highly leveraged issuers may experience financial stress which would adversely affect their ability to service their principal and interest obligations, to meet projected business goals, and to obtain additional financing. If the issuer of a bond defaults, an underlying mutual fund may incur additional expenses to seek recovery.  In addition, periods of economic uncertainty and changes can be expected to result in increased volatility of market prices of high yield bonds and the Fund’s asset values.
Payment Expectations.  High yield bonds present certain risks based on payment expectations.  For example, high yield bonds may contain redemption and call provisions. If an issuer exercises these provisions in a declining interest rate market, the Fund or an investment company in which the Fund invests, as applicable, would have to replace the security with a lower yielding security, resulting in a decreased return for investors. Conversely, a high yield bond’s value will decrease in a rising interest rate market, as will the value of the other investment companies’ assets.  If the Fund or an investment company in which the Fund invests, as applicable, experiences unexpected net redemptions, it may be forced to sell its high yield bonds without regard to their investment merits, thereby decreasing the asset base upon which expenses can be spread and possibly reducing the rate of return.
Liquidity and Valuation.  To the extent that there is no established retail secondary market, there may be thin trading of high yield bonds, and this may impact the ability of the Fund, or the investment companies in which the Fund invests, to accurately value high yield bonds and may hinder their ability to dispose of the bonds. Adverse publicity and investor perceptions, whether or not based on fundamental analysis, may decrease the values and liquidity of high yield bonds, especially in a thinly traded market.
Credit Ratings.  Credit ratings evaluate the safety of principal and interest payments, not the market value risk of high yield bonds.  Also, because credit rating agencies may fail to timely change the credit ratings to reflect subsequent events, the Fund, or an investment company in which the Fund invests, must monitor the issuers of high yield bonds in their portfolios to determine if the issuers will have sufficient cash flow and profits to meet required principal and interest payments, and to assure the bonds’ liquidity so the Fund or an investment company in which the Fund invests, as applicable, can meet redemption requests.
High-yield securities are deemed speculative with respect to the issuer’s capacity to pay interest and repay principal over a long period of time. Special tax considerations are associated with investing in high-yield securities structured as zero coupon or “pay-in-kind” securities.  The Fund, or the investment companies in which the Fund invests, will report the interest on these securities as income even though it receives no cash interest until the security’s maturity or payment date.  The payment of principal and interest on most fixed-income securities purchased by the Fund, or an investment company in which the Fund invests, will depend upon the ability of the issuers to meet their obligations.  An issuer’s obligations under its fixed-income securities are subject to the provisions of bankruptcy, insolvency, and other laws affecting the rights and remedies of creditors, including the Federal Bankruptcy Code, and laws, if any, which may be enacted by federal or state legislatures extending the time for payment of principal or interest, or both, or imposing other constraints upon enforcement of such obligations. The power or ability of an issuer to meet its obligations for the payment of interest on, and principal of, its fixed-income securities may be materially adversely affected by litigation or other conditions.
The ratings of S&P, Moody’s, and other nationally recognized rating agencies represent their opinions as to the quality of fixed-income securities.  It should be emphasized, however, that ratings are general and are not absolute standards of quality, and fixed-income securities with the same maturity, interest rate, and rating may have different yields while fixed-income securities of the same maturity and interest rate with different ratings may have the same yield.  For a more detailed description of ratings, please see Appendix A.
Money Market Instruments. Money market instruments include U.S. Government obligations or corporate debt obligations (including those subject to repurchase agreements). Money market instruments also may include banker’s acceptances and certificates of deposit of domestic branches of U.S. banks, commercial paper, and variable amount demand master notes (“Master Notes”).  Banker’s acceptances are time drafts drawn on and “accepted” by a bank.  When a bank “accepts” such a time draft, it assumes liability for its payment. When the Fund or an investment company acquires a banker’s acceptance, the bank that “accepted” the time draft is liable for payment of interest and principal when due. The banker’s acceptance carries the full faith and credit of such bank. A certificate of deposit (“CD”) is an unsecured, interest bearing debt obligation of a bank. Commercial paper is an unsecured, short-term debt obligation of a bank, corporation, or other borrower. Commercial paper maturity generally ranges from two to 270 days and is usually sold on a discounted basis rather than as an interest-bearing instrument. Master Notes are unsecured obligations which are redeemable upon demand of the holder and which permit the investment of fluctuating amounts at varying rates of interest.
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U.S. Government Securities and U.S. Government Agency Securities.  U.S. Government securities and U.S. Government Agency securities include (i) U.S. Treasury notes, U.S. Treasury bonds, U.S. Treasury bills, and other U.S. Government obligations; (ii) obligations of the Government National Mortgage Association (GNMA) and other U.S. Government sponsored entities that are guaranteed by the U.S. Government; and (iii) obligations of the Federal National Mortgage Association (FNMA), Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (FHLMC), Federal Housing Administration (FHA), Federal Farm Credit Bank (FFCB), Federal Home Loan Bank (FHLB), Student Loan Marketing Association (SLMA), The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), and other U.S. Government authorities, agencies, and instrumentalities. While obligations of some U.S. Government agencies and sponsored entities are supported by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government (e.g. GNMA), others are not.  No assurance can be given that the U.S. Government will provide financial support to U.S. Government agencies or instrumentalities in the future since it is not obligated to do so by law.  The guarantee of the U.S. Government does not extend to the yield or value of the Fund’s shares.
Municipal Securities. Municipal securities share the attributes of debt obligations in general, but are generally issued by states, municipalities, and other political subdivisions, agencies, authorities, and instrumentalities of states and multi-state agencies or authorities. The municipal securities include general obligation bonds and limited obligation bonds (or revenue bonds), including industrial development bonds formerly issued pursuant to federal tax law. General obligation bonds are obligations involving the credit of an issuer possessing taxing power and are payable from such issuer’s general revenues and not from any particular source. Limited obligation bonds are payable only from the revenues derived from a particular facility or class of facilities or, in some cases, from the proceeds of a special excise or other specific revenue source. Tax-exempt private activity bonds and industrial development bonds generally are also revenue bonds and thus are not payable from the issuer’s general revenues. The credit and quality of private activity bonds and industrial development bonds are usually related to the credit of the user of the facilities. Payment of interest on and repayment of principal of such bonds is the responsibility of the user (and/or any guarantor).
Municipal securities are subject to credit and market risk. Prices of higher quality issues tend to fluctuate less with changes in market interest rates than prices of lower quality issues, and prices of longer maturity issues tend to fluctuate more than prices of shorter maturity issues. Prices and yields on municipal bonds are dependent on a variety of factors, including general money-market conditions, the financial condition of the issuer, general conditions of the municipal bond market, the size of a particular offering, the maturity of the obligation, and the rating of the issue. A number of these factors, including the ratings of particular issues, are subject to change from time to time. Information about the financial condition of an issuer of municipal bonds may not be as extensive as that which is made available by corporations whose securities are publicly traded. Obligations of issuers of municipal bonds are subject to the provisions of bankruptcy, insolvency and other laws, including the Federal Bankruptcy Reform Act of 1978, affecting the rights and remedies of creditors. Congress or state legislatures may seek to extend the time for payment of principal or interest, or both, or to impose other constraints upon enforcement of such obligations. There is also the possibility that as a result of litigation or other conditions, the power or ability of issuers to meet their obligations for the payment of interest and principal on their municipal bonds may be materially affected, or their obligations may be found to be invalid or unenforceable.
Debentures.  A debenture is long-term, unsecured debt instrument backed only by the integrity of the borrower, not by collateral, and documented by an indenture. Governments often issue debentures, in part because they cannot guarantee debt with assets (government assets are public property).  The principal risk with this type of investment is that the issuer will default or go into bankruptcy.  As an unsecured creditor, in the event of default or bankruptcy, the holder of a debenture does not have a claim against any specific assets of the issuing firm, so the investor will only be paid from the issuer’s assets after the secured creditors have been paid. While the Fund will not invest directly in debentures as a principal investment strategy, the Fund may invest in all types of debentures, including corporate and government debentures, directly or indirectly through investments in shares of other investment companies.
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Mortgage-Backed and Asset-Backed Securities.  Mortgage-backed securities are mortgage related securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government, its agencies and instrumentalities, or issued by nongovernment entities. Mortgage-related securities represent ownership in pools of mortgage loans assembled for sale to investors by various government agencies and government-related organizations, as well as by nongovernment issuers such as commercial banks, savings and loan institutions, mortgage bankers, and private mortgage insurance companies. Although certain mortgage-related securities are guaranteed by a third party or otherwise similarly secured, the market value of the security, which may fluctuate, is not so secured. These securities differ from conventional bonds in that the principal is paid back to the investor as payments are made on the underlying mortgages in the pool. Accordingly, the Fund or investment companies in which the Fund invests, as applicable, will receive scheduled payments of principal and interest along with any unscheduled principal prepayments on the underlying mortgages. Because these scheduled and unscheduled principal payments must be reinvested at prevailing interest rates, mortgage-backed securities do not provide an effective means of locking in long-term interest rates for the investor.
Asset-backed securities are structured like mortgage-backed securities, but instead of mortgage loans or interests in mortgage loans, the underlying assets may include such items as motor vehicle installment sales contracts or installment loan contracts, leases of various types of real and personal property, and receivables from credit card agreements and from sales of personal property.  Regular payments received on asset-backed securities include both interest and principal.  Asset-backed securities typically have no U.S. Government backing, though they are usually guaranteed up to a certain amount and time period by a letter of credit issued by a financial institution.  If the letter of credit is exhausted and the full amounts due on the underlying loans are not received because of unanticipated costs, depreciation, damage, or loss of the collateral securing the contracts, or other factors, certificate holders may experience delays in payment or losses on asset-backed securities.  Additionally, the ability of an issuer of asset-backed securities to enforce its security interest in the underlying assets may be limited.
If the Fund or an investment company in which the Fund invests purchases a mortgage-backed or other asset-backed security at a premium, the premium may be lost if there is a decline in the market value of the security whether resulting from changes in interest rates or prepayments in the underlying collateral. As with other interest-bearing securities, the prices of such securities are inversely affected by changes in interest rates. Although the value of a mortgage-backed or other asset-backed security may decline when interest rates rise, the converse is not necessarily true, since in periods of declining interest rates the mortgages and loans underlying the securities are prone to prepayment, thereby shortening the average life of the security and shortening the period of time over which income at the higher rate is received.  When the interest rates are rising, the rate of prepayment tends to decrease, thereby lengthening the period of time over which income at the lower rate is received. For these and other reasons, a mortgage-backed or other asset-backed security’s average maturity may be shortened or lengthened as a result of interest rate fluctuations and, therefore it is not possible to predict accurately the security’s return.  In addition, while the trading market for short-term mortgages and asset-backed securities is ordinarily quite liquid, in times of financial stress the trading market for these securities may become restricted.
Mortgage-backed securities that are issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government, its agencies, or instrumentalities, are not subject to the Fund’s industry concentration restrictions because securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government or any of its agencies or instrumentalities are excluded from the restriction. Privately-issued mortgage-backed securities are, however, subject to the Fund’s industry concentration restrictions.
Real Estate Securities.  The Fund, or investment companies in which the Fund invests, may invest in real estate investment trusts (“REITs”) and real estate operating companies, as well as other types of real estate securities including publicly traded common stock, preferred stock, limited partnerships (including real estate master limited partnerships), rights or warrants to purchase common stock or convertible securities of corporations engaged in real estate development.  A REIT is a pooled investment vehicle that is organized as a corporation or business trust which invests in income producing real estate or real estate loans or interests. Therefore, an investment in REITs or other real estate securities is subject to certain risks associated with the direct ownership of real estate and with the real estate industry in general. These risks include, among others:  possible declines in the value of real estate; risks related to general and local economic conditions; possible lack of availability of mortgage funds; overbuilding; extended vacancies of properties; increases in competition, property taxes, and operating expenses; changes in zoning laws; costs resulting from the clean-up of, and liability to third parties for damages resulting from, environmental problems; casualty or condemnation losses; uninsured damages from floods, earthquakes, or other natural disasters; limitations on and variations in rents; and changes in interest rates. To the extent that assets underlying the REIT’s investments are concentrated geographically, by property type, or in certain other respects, the REIT may be subject to certain of the foregoing risks to a greater extent.  Equity REITs invest the majority of their assets directly in real property and derive income from the collection of rents.  Equity REITs may be affected by changes in the value of the underlying property owned by the REITs.  Mortgage REITs invest the majority of their assets in real estate mortgages and derive income from the collection of interest payments. Mortgage REITs may be affected by the quality of any credit extended. REITs are dependent upon management skills, are not diversified, and are subject to heavy cash flow dependency, default by borrowers, and self-liquidation.  REITs are also subject to the possibilities of failing to qualify for tax-free pass-through of income under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), and failing to maintain their exemptions from registration under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”).
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REITs (especially mortgage REITs) are also subject to interest rate risks.  When interest rates decline, the value of a REIT’s investment in fixed rate obligations can be expected to rise.  Conversely, when interest rates rise, the value of a REIT’s investment in fixed rate obligations can be expected to decline. In contrast, as interest rates on adjustable rate mortgage loans are reset periodically, yields on a REIT’s investment in such loans will gradually align themselves to reflect changes in market interest rates, causing the value of such investments to fluctuate less dramatically in response to interest rate fluctuations than would investments in fixed rate obligations.  Investing in REITs involves risks similar to those associated with investing in small capitalization companies. REITs may have limited financial resources, may trade less frequently and in a limited volume, and may be subject to more abrupt or erratic price movements than larger company securities.
Derivative Instruments.  Options, futures, and other forms of financial derivatives specifically described below, the investments involve risks different from direct investments in the underlying securities. While transactions in derivatives may reduce certain risks, these transactions themselves entail certain other risks. Unanticipated changes in interest rates, securities prices, or currency exchange rates may result in a poorer overall performance of the Fund than if they had not entered into any derivatives transactions. Derivatives may magnify the Fund’s gains or losses, causing it to make or lose substantially more than it invested.
The Fund may invest in derivative instruments for both speculative and hedging purposes.  These investments can be made as a substitute for taking a direct position in the underlying asset or as part of a strategy that is intended to reduce the exposure of the Fund to various risks.  To the extent that the Fund invests directly in financial derivatives, the Fund will comply with the applicable requirements of the 1940 Act and the guidance of no-action letters issued by the SEC, including SEC Release 10666, that require the Fund to segregate assets or otherwise “cover” its positions in a manner that limits the Fund’s risk of loss.
When used for hedging purposes, increases in the value of the securities the Fund holds or intends to acquire should offset any losses incurred with a derivative.  Purchasing derivatives for purposes other than hedging could expose the Fund to greater risks.
The Fund’s ability to hedge securities through derivatives depends on the degree to which price movements in the underlying index or instrument correlate with price movements in the relevant securities. In the case of poor correlation, the price of the securities the Fund is hedging may not move in the same amount, or even in the same direction as the hedging instrument. The Advisor will try to minimize this risk by investing only in those contracts whose behavior it expects to resemble with the portfolio securities it is trying to hedge. However, if the Fund’s prediction of interest and currency rates, market value, volatility, or other economic factors is incorrect, the Fund may lose money, or may not make as much money as it expected.
Derivative prices can diverge from the prices of their underlying instruments, even if the characteristics of the underlying instruments are very similar to the derivative.  Listed below are some of the factors that may cause such a divergence:
current and anticipated short-term interest rates, changes in volatility of the underlying instrument, and the time remaining until expiration of the contract;
a difference between the derivatives and securities markets, including different levels of demand, how the instruments are traded, the imposition of daily price fluctuation limits or trading of an instrument stops; and
differences between the derivatives, including different margin requirements, different liquidity of such markets, and the participation of speculators in such markets.
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Derivatives based upon a narrow index of securities may present greater risk than derivatives based on a broad index. Since narrower indices are made up of a smaller number of securities, they are more susceptible to rapid and extreme price fluctuations because of changes in the value of those securities.
While currency futures and options values are expected to correlate with exchange rates, they may not reflect other factors that affect the value of the investments of the Fund. A currency hedge should protect a yen-denominated security from a decline in the yen but will not protect the Fund against a price decline resulting from deterioration in the issuer’s creditworthiness.  Because the value of the Fund’s foreign-denominated investments changes in response to many factors other than exchange rates, it may not be possible to match the amount of currency options and futures to the value of the Fund’s investments precisely over time.
Before a futures contract or option is exercised or expires, the Fund can terminate it only by entering into a closing purchase or sale transaction.  Moreover, the Fund may close out a futures contract only on the exchange the contract was initially traded.  Even when there appears to be an active market for options and futures, there is no guarantee that such a liquid market will exist.  If there is no secondary market for the contract, or the market is illiquid, the Fund may not be able to close out a position.  In an illiquid market, the Fund may:
have to sell securities to meet its daily margin requirements at a time when it is disadvantageous to do so;
have to purchase or sell the instrument underlying the contract;
not be able to hedge its investments; and
not be able to realize profits or limit its losses.
Derivatives may become illiquid (i.e., difficult to sell at a desired time and price) under a variety of market conditions:
an exchange may suspend or limit trading in a particular derivative instrument, an entire category of derivatives, or all derivatives, which sometimes occurs because of increased market volatility;
unusual or unforeseen circumstances may interrupt normal operations of an exchange;
the facilities of the exchange may not be adequate to handle current trading volume;
equipment failures, government intervention, insolvency of a brokerage firm or clearing house, or other occurrences may disrupt normal trading activity; or
investors may lose interest in a particular derivative or category of derivatives.
If the Fund incorrectly predicts securities market and interest rate trends, such Fund may lose money by investing in derivatives. For example, if the Fund were to write a call option based on the expectation that the price of the underlying security would fall, but the price were to rise instead, the Fund could be required to sell the security upon exercise at a price below the current market price. Similarly, if the Fund were to write a put option based on the expectation that the price of the underlying security would rise, but the price were to fall instead, the Fund could be required to purchase the security upon exercise at a price higher than the current market price.
Because of the low margin deposits required upon the opening of a derivative position, such transactions involve an extremely high degree of leverage. Consequently, a relatively small price movement in a derivative may result in an immediate and substantial loss (as well as gain) to the Fund and they may lose more than it originally invested in the derivative.
If the price of a futures contract changes adversely, the Fund may have to sell securities at a time when it is disadvantageous to do so to meet their minimum daily margin requirement. The Fund may lose margin deposits if a broker with whom they have an open futures contract or related option becomes insolvent or declares bankruptcy.
The prices of derivatives are volatile (i.e., they may change rapidly, substantially, and unpredictably) and are influenced by a variety of factors, including:
actual and anticipated changes in interest rates;
fiscal and monetary policies; and
national and international political events.
Most exchanges limit the amount by which the price of a derivative can change during a single trading day.  Daily trading limits establish the maximum amount that the price of a derivative may vary from the settlement price of that derivative at the end of trading on the previous day.  Once the price of a derivative reaches this value, the Fund may not trade that derivative at a price beyond that limit.  The daily limit governs only price movements during a given day and does not limit potential gains or losses.  Derivative prices have occasionally moved to the daily limit for several consecutive trading days, preventing prompt liquidation of the derivative.
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Government Regulation of Derivatives. It is possible that government regulation of various types of derivative instruments, including futures and swap agreements, may limit or prevent the Fund from using such instruments as a part of its investment strategy, and could ultimately prevent the Fund from being able to achieve its investment objective. It is impossible to predict fully the effects of legislation and regulation in this area, but the effects could be substantial and adverse.
The futures markets are subject to comprehensive statutes, regulations, and margin requirements. The SEC, the Commodities Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”), and the exchanges are authorized to take extraordinary actions in the event of a market emergency, including, for example, the implementation or reduction of speculative position limits, the implementation of higher margin requirements, the establishment of daily price limits, and the suspension of trading.
The regulation of swaps and futures transactions in the U.S., the European Union, and other jurisdictions is a rapidly changing area of law and is subject to modification by government and judicial action. There is a possibility of future regulatory changes altering, perhaps to a material extent, the nature of an investment in the Fund or the ability of the Fund to continue to implement its investment strategies.
Under recently adopted rules and regulations, transactions in some types of swaps (including interest rate swaps and credit default swaps on North American and European indices) are required to be centrally cleared, and additional types of swaps may be required to be centrally cleared in the future. In a transaction involving those swaps (“cleared derivatives”), the Fund’s counterparty is a clearing house, rather than a bank or broker. Since the Fund is not a member of clearing houses and only clearing members can participate directly in the clearing house, the Fund will hold cleared derivatives through accounts at clearing members. In cleared derivatives transactions, the Fund will make payments (including margin payments) to and receive payments from a clearing house through its accounts at clearing members. Clearing members guarantee performance of their clients’ obligations to the clearing house.
In addition, U.S. regulators, the European Union, and certain other jurisdictions have adopted minimum margin and capital requirements for uncleared over-the-counter (“OTC”) derivatives transactions. It is expected that these regulations will have a material impact on the Fund’s use of uncleared derivatives. These rules will impose minimum margin requirements on derivatives transactions between the Fund and its swap counterparties and may increase the amount of margin the Fund is required to provide. They will impose regulatory requirements on the timing of transferring margin, which may accelerate the Fund’s current margin process. They will also effectively require changes to typical derivatives margin documentation. Such requirements could increase the amount of margin the Fund needs to provide in connection with uncleared derivatives transactions and, therefore, make such transactions more expensive.
The SEC has also issued a proposed rule under the 1940 Act providing for the regulation of registered investment companies’ use of derivatives and certain related instruments. The ultimate impact, if any, of possible regulation remains unclear, but the proposed rule, if adopted, could, among other things, restrict the Fund’s ability to engage in derivatives transactions and/or increase the costs of such derivatives transactions such that the Fund may be unable to implement its investment strategy. These and other new rules and regulations could, among other things, further restrict the Fund’s ability to engage in, or increase the cost to the Fund of, derivatives transactions, for example, by making some types of derivatives no longer available to the Fund, increasing margin or capital requirements, or otherwise limiting liquidity or increasing transaction costs. The implementation of the clearing requirement has increased the costs of derivatives transactions for the Fund, since the Fund has to pay fees to its clearing members and is typically required to post more margin for cleared derivatives than it has historically posted for bilateral derivatives. The costs of derivatives transactions are expected to increase further as clearing members raise their fees to cover the costs of additional capital requirements and other regulatory changes applicable to the clearing members. These regulations are new and evolving, so their potential impact on the Fund and the financial system are not yet known. While the new regulations and central clearing of some derivatives transactions are designed to reduce systemic risk (i.e., the risk that the interdependence of large derivatives dealers could cause them to suffer liquidity, solvency or other challenges simultaneously), there is no assurance that the new mechanisms will achieve that result.
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Short Sales.  A short sale is a transaction in which a party sells a security it does not own or have the right to acquire (or that it owns but does not wish to deliver) in anticipation that the market price of that security will decline. When a party makes a short sale, the broker-dealer through which the short sale is made must borrow the security sold short and deliver it to the party purchasing the security.  The party is required to make a margin deposit in connection with such short sales; the party may have to pay a fee to borrow particular securities and will often be obligated to pay over any dividends and accrued interest on borrowed securities.  If the price of the security sold short increases between the time of the short sale and the time the party covers the short position, the party will incur a loss; conversely, if the price declines, the party will realize a capital gain. Any gain will be decreased, and any loss increased, by the transaction costs described above.
Options.  The purchase and writing of options involves certain risks.  During the option period, a call writer that holds the underlying security has, in return for the premium on the option, given up the opportunity to profit from a price increase in the underlying securities above the exercise price, but, as long as its obligation as a writer continues, has retained the risk of loss should the price of the underlying security decline. The writer of an option has no control over the time when it may be required to fulfill its obligation as a writer of the option. Once an option writer has received an exercise notice, it cannot effect a closing purchase transaction in order to terminate its obligation under the option and must deliver the underlying securities at the exercise price. If a put or call option is not sold when it has remaining value, and if the market price of the underlying security, in the case of a put, remains equal to or greater than the exercise price or, in the case of a call, remains less than or equal to the exercise price, the entire investment in the option will be lost.  Also, where a put or call option on a particular security is purchased to hedge against price movements in a related security, the price of the put or call option may move more or less than the price of the related security.  There can be no assurance that a liquid market will exist when an option position is closed out.  Furthermore, if trading restrictions or suspensions are imposed on the options market, it may not be possible to close out a position.
The Fund may write a call or put option only if the option is “covered” by holding a position in the underlying securities or by other means which would permit immediate satisfaction of the Fund’s obligation as writer of the option.  A written call option creates a potential obligation to sell the underlying security.  In order to make sure that this obligation can be met, the Fund could: (i) hold the security underlying the written option; (ii) hold an offsetting call option (one with a strike price that is the same or lower than the strike price of the written option); or (iii) segregate cash and liquid securities (which can be cash, U.S. Government securities, and other liquid debt or equity securities) that when added to collateral on deposit equals the market value of the underlying security. A written put option creates a potential obligation to buy the underlying security.  In order to make sure that this obligation can be met, the Fund could: (i) hold an offsetting put option (one with a strike price that is the same or higher than the strike price of the written option); or (ii) segregate cash and liquid securities that when added to collateral on deposit equals the strike price of the option.
Options offer large amounts of leverage, which will result in the Fund’s NAV being more sensitive to changes in the value of the related instrument. The Fund may purchase or write both exchange-traded and OTC options. Exchange-traded options in the United States are issued by a clearing organization affiliated with the exchange on which the option is listed that, in effect, guarantees completion of every exchange-traded option transaction. In contrast, OTC options are contracts between the Fund and its counterparty (usually a securities dealer or a bank) with no clearing organization guarantee. Thus, when the Fund purchases an OTC option, it relies on the counterparty from whom it purchased the option to make or take delivery of the underlying investment upon exercise of the option. Failure by the counterparty to do so would result in the loss of any premium paid by the Fund as well as the loss of any expected benefit of the transaction.
The Fund’s ability to establish and close out positions in exchange-listed options depends on the existence of a liquid market. However, there can be no assurance that such a market will exist at any particular time. Closing transactions can be made for OTC options only by negotiating directly with the counterparty, or by a transaction in the secondary market if any such market exists. There can be no assurance that the Fund will in fact be able to close out an OTC option position at a favorable price prior to expiration. In the event of insolvency of the counterparty, the Fund might be unable to close out an OTC option position at any time prior to its expiration, if at all.
If the Fund were unable to effect a closing transaction for an option it had purchased, due to the absence of a counterparty or secondary market, the imposition of price limits or otherwise, it would have to exercise the option to realize any profit. The inability to enter into a closing purchase transaction for a covered call option written by the Fund could cause material losses because the Fund would be unable to sell the investment used as cover for the written option until the option expires or is exercised.
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Options have varying expiration dates. The exercise price of the options may be below, equal to or above the current market value of the underlying security or instrument. Options purchased by the Fund that expire unexercised have no value, and the Fund will realize a loss in the amount of the premium paid and any transaction costs. If an option written by the Fund expires unexercised, the Fund realizes a gain equal to the premium received at the time the option was written. Transaction costs must be included in these calculations.
Futures Contracts.  A futures contract is a bilateral agreement to buy or sell a security (or deliver a cash settlement price, in the case of a contract relating to an index or otherwise not calling for physical delivery at the end of trading in the contracts) for a set price in the future.  Futures contracts are designated by boards of trade which have been designated “contracts markets” by the Commodities Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). No purchase price is paid or received when the contract is entered into.  Instead, the Fund, or investment companies in which the Fund invests, upon entering into a futures contract (and to maintain the open positions in futures contracts), would be required to deposit with their custodian in a segregated account in the name of the futures broker an amount of cash, U.S. Government securities, suitable money market instruments, or liquid, high-grade debt securities, known as “initial margin.”  The margin required for a particular futures contract is set by the exchange on which the contract is traded and may be significantly modified from time to time by the exchange during the term of the contract.  Futures contracts are customarily purchased and sold on margin that may range upward from less than 5% of the value of the contract being traded. By using futures contracts as a risk management technique, given the greater liquidity in the futures market than in the cash market, it may be possible to accomplish certain results more quickly and with lower transaction costs.
If the price of an open futures contract changes (by increase in the case of a sale or by decrease in the case of a purchase) such that the loss on the futures contract reaches a point at which the margin on deposit does not satisfy margin requirements, the broker will require an increase in the margin. However, if the value of a position increases because of favorable price changes in the futures contract such that the margin deposit exceeds the required margin, the broker will pay the excess to the Fund or investment companies in which the Fund invests. These subsequent payments, called “variation margin,” to and from the futures broker, are made on a daily basis as the price of the underlying assets fluctuates, making the long and short positions in the futures contract more or less valuable, a process known as “marking to the market.”  The Fund is expected to earn interest income on initial and variation margin deposits.
The Fund, and investment companies in which the Fund invests, will incur brokerage fees when they purchase and sell futures contracts.  Positions taken in the futures markets are not normally held until delivery or cash settlement is required but are instead liquidated through offsetting transactions that may result in a gain or a loss.  While futures positions taken by the Fund, and investment companies in which the Fund invests, will usually be liquidated in this manner, the Fund, and investment companies in which the Fund invests, may instead make or take delivery of underlying securities whenever it appears economically advantageous to do so.  A clearing organization associated with the exchange on which futures are traded assumes responsibility for closing out transactions and guarantees that as between the clearing members of an exchange, the sale and purchase obligations will be performed with regard to all positions that remain open at the termination of the contract.
In addition to the margin restrictions discussed above, transactions in futures contracts may involve the segregation of funds pursuant to requirements imposed by the SEC.  Under those requirements, where the Fund has a long position in a futures contract, it may be required to establish a segregated account (not with a futures commission merchant or broker) containing cash or certain liquid assets equal to the purchase price of the contract (less any margin on deposit).  However, segregation of assets is not required if the Fund “covers” a long position.  For a short position in futures or forward contracts held by the Fund, those requirements may mandate the establishment of a segregated account (not with a futures commission merchant or broker) with cash or certain liquid assets that, when added to the amounts deposited as margin, equal the market value of the instruments underlying the futures contracts (but are not less than the price at which the short positions were established).
Swaps.  A swap is an agreement between two parties (known as counterparties) where one stream of payments is exchanged for another.  The parties agree to exchange to exchange payments at specified dates (periodic payment dates) on the basis of a specified amount (the notional value of the agreement) with the payments calculated with reference to a specified asset, reference rate, or index. Swaps allow for a wide variety of transactions. For example, fixed rate payments may be exchanged for floating rate payments; U.S. dollar-denominated payments may be exchanged for payments denominated in a different currency; and payments tied to the price of one asset, reference rate, or index may be exchanged for payments tied to the price of another asset, reference rate, or index.  For purposes of calculating the NAV, the Fund will price swaps at their market value based on prices supplied by an independent pricing service, if available, or quotations obtained from broker-dealers.
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The Fund may use swaps for both speculative and hedging purposes.  Swaps can be used as part of a strategy that is intended to reduce the Fund’s exposure to various risks or as a substitute for taking a direct position in the underlying asset.  The Fund may use swaps to limit or manage exposure to fluctuations in interest rates, currency exchange rates, or potential defaults by credit issuers.  The Fund may also attempt to enhance returns by investing in total return swaps.  A total return swap provides the Fund with a return based on the performance of an underlying asset, in exchange for fee payments to a counterparty based on a specific rate.  If the underlying asset declines in value over the term of the swap, the Fund would be required to pay the dollar value of that decline to the counterparty.  For example, the Fund may agree to pay a counterparty the total return earned or realized on the notional amount of a particular stock and any dividends declared with respect to that stock. In return, the Fund would make payments based on the notional amount calculated at the specified rate and would be required to pay amounts resulting from a decline in the value of the stock.
Most swaps provide that when the periodic payment dates for both parties are the same, payments are netted, and only the net amount is paid to the counterparty entitled to receive the net payment. Consequently, the Fund’s current obligations (or rights) under a swap will generally be equal only to the net amount to be paid or received under the agreement, based on the relative values of the positions held by the Fund and the counterparty. During the term of a swap, the Fund is usually required to pledge to the counterparty, from time to time, an amount of cash or other assets equal to the total net amount (if any) that would be payable by the Fund to the counterparty if the swap were terminated on the date in question, including any early termination payments.
Since a swaps transaction can result in a loss greater than the amount invested, the Fund will comply with guidance from the staff of the SEC regarding asset coverage requirements, including Investment Company Act Release No. 10666 (Apr. 18, 1979), that require the Fund to segregate assets or otherwise “cover” its positions in a manner that limits the Fund’s risk of loss.  In particular, the Fund will ensure that its potential obligations with respect to the swap will be met by segregating liquid assets (which can be cash, U.S. Government securities, and other liquid debt or equity securities) on the Fund’s books or in a segregated account at the Fund’s custodian.  For swaps that call for periodic netting between the Fund and its counterparty, the segregated amount is the net amount due under the contract, as determined daily on a mark-to-market basis. For other kinds of swaps, the segregated amount is the notional value of the contract.
The use of swaps subjects the Fund to the risk of default by the counterparty.  A loss may be sustained as a result of the insolvency or bankruptcy of the counterparty or the failure of the counterparty to make required payments or otherwise comply with the terms of the agreement. If there is a default by the counterparty to such a transaction, there may be contractual remedies pursuant to the agreements related to the transaction, although bankruptcy and insolvency laws could affect the Fund’s rights as a creditor.   Additionally, the use of credit default swaps can result in losses if the Advisor does not correctly evaluate the creditworthiness of the issuer on which the credit default swap is based.
Because swaps are two-party contracts, they may subject the Fund to liquidity risk. If a swap is particularly large or if the relevant market is illiquid, the Fund may not be able to establish or liquidate a position at an advantageous time or price, which may result in significant losses. Participants in the swap markets are not required to make continuous markets in the swaps they trade. Participants could refuse to quote prices for swaps or quote prices with an unusually wide spread between the price at which they are prepared to buy and the price at which they are prepared to sell.
Swaps are highly specialized instruments, and their use involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with other traditional investments. The use of swaps requires an understanding not only of the referenced asset, reference rate, or index but also of the swap itself, without the benefit of observing the performance of the swap under all possible market conditions.  Whether the Fund will be successful in using swaps to achieve its investment goals depends on the ability of the Advisor to correctly forecast future market trends or the values of assets, reference rates, indexes, or other economic factors when establishing swap positions.
Liquidity Impact of Margin and Segregation Requirements.  Although the Fund will segregate cash and liquid assets in an amount sufficient to cover its open obligations with respect to written options and short sales, the segregated assets will be available to the Fund immediately upon closing out the positions, while settlement of securities transactions could take several days. However, because the Fund’s cash that may otherwise be invested would be held uninvested or invested in other liquid assets so long as the position remains open, the Fund’s returns could be diminished due to the opportunity losses of foregoing other potential investments.
Portfolio Turnover.  Portfolio turnover is a ratio that indicates how often the securities in a mutual fund’s portfolio change during a year’s time.  Higher numbers indicate a greater number of changes, and lower numbers indicate a smaller number of changes.  The Fund may sell portfolio securities without regard to the length of time they have been held in order to take advantage of new investment opportunities or changing market conditions.  Since portfolio turnover may involve paying brokerage commissions and other transaction costs, there could be additional expenses for the Fund.  High rates of portfolio turnover could lower performance of the Fund due to increased costs and may also result in the realization of capital gains.  If the Fund realizes capital gains when they sell portfolio investments, they must generally distribute those gains to shareholders, increasing their taxable distributions.
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Temporary Defensive Positions.  The Fund may, from time to time, take temporary defensive positions that are inconsistent with the Fund’s principal investment strategies in an attempt to respond to adverse market, economic, political, or other conditions.  During such an unusual set of circumstances, the Fund may hold up to 100% of their portfolios in cash or cash equivalent positions (e.g., money market securities, U.S. Government securities, and/or similar securities).  When the Fund takes a temporary defensive position, the Fund may not be able to achieve their investment objectives.
INVESTMENT LIMITATIONS
Fundamental Investment Restrictions. The following investment restrictions have been adopted by the Board with respect to the Fund. Except as otherwise stated, these investment restrictions are fundamental policies, which cannot be changed without the approval of the holders of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund. A vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund is defined by the 1940 Act as  the lesser of (i) 67% or more of the voting securities present at a shareholder meeting if the holders of more than 50% of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund are present or represented by proxy; or (ii) more than 50% of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund.
As a matter of fundamental policy, the Fund may not:
(1)
Issue senior securities, except as permitted by the 1940 Act;
(2)
Borrow money, except to the extent permitted under the 1940 Act (including, without limitation, borrowing to meet redemptions).  For purposes of this investment restriction, the entry into options, forward contracts, futures contracts, including those relating to indices, and options on futures contracts or indices shall not constitute borrowing;
(3)
Pledge, mortgage, or hypothecate its assets, except to the extent necessary to secure permitted borrowings and to the extent related to the deposit of assets in escrow in connection with writing covered put and call options and the purchase of securities on a when-issued or forward commitment basis and collateral and initial or variation margin arrangements with respect to options, forward contracts, futures contracts, including those relating to indices, and options on futures contracts or indices;
(4)
Act as an underwriter except to the extent that, in connection with the disposition of portfolio securities, the Fund may be deemed to be an underwriter under certain federal securities laws;
(5)
Purchase or sell real estate or direct interests in real estate; provided, however, that the Fund may purchase and sell securities which are secured by real estate and securities of companies which invest or deal in real estate (including, without limitation, investments in REITs, mortgage-backed securities, and privately-held real estate funds);
(6)
Invest in commodities, except that the Fund may purchase and sell options, forward contracts, futures contracts, including those relating to indices, and options on futures contracts or indices;
(7)
Make investments for the purpose of exercising control or management over a portfolio company;
(8)
Make loans, provided that the Fund may lend its portfolio securities in an amount up to 33% of total Fund assets, and provided further that, for purposes of this restriction, investment in U.S. Government obligations, short-term commercial paper, certificates of deposit, bankers’ acceptances, and repurchase agreements shall not be deemed to be the making of a loan;
(9)
With respect to 75% of its total assets: (i) purchase 10% or more of the outstanding voting securities of any one issuer; or (ii) purchase securities of any issuer if, as a result, 5% or more of the Fund’s total assets would be invested in that issuer’s securities.  This limitation does not apply to investments in (i) cash and cash items; (ii) securities of other registered investment companies; and (iii) obligations of the United States Government, its agencies, or instrumentalities; or

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(10)
Concentrate its investments. The Fund’s concentration policy limits the aggregate value of holdings of a single industry or group of industries (except U.S. Government and cash items) to less than 25% of the Fund’s total assets.
Senior securities may include any obligation or instrument issued by a fund evidencing indebtedness. The 1940 Act generally prohibits funds from issuing senior securities, although it does not treat certain transactions as senior securities, such as certain borrowings, short sales, reverse repurchase agreements, firm commitment agreements and standby commitments, with appropriate earmarking or segregation of assets to cover such obligations.
The Fund is allowed to pledge, mortgage, or hypothecate assets up to the amounts allowable under the 1940 Act, which presently allows an investment company to borrow from any bank (including pledging, mortgaging or hypothecating assets) in an amount up to 33 1/3% of its total assets (not including temporary borrowings not in excess of 5% of its total assets).
For purposes of the Fund’s concentration policy, if the Fund invests in one or more investment companies, the Fund will examine the holdings of such investment companies to ensure that the Fund is not indirectly concentrating its investments in a particular industry.  In determining the exposure of the Fund to a particular industry for purposes of the fundamental investment restriction on concentration, the Fund currently uses Standard & Poor’s Global Industry Classification Standard (GICS) in order to classify industries.
With respect to the fundamental investment restrictions above (other than those involving senior securities and borrowings), if a percentage limitation is adhered to at the time of investment, a later increase or decrease in percentage resulting from any change in value or net assets will not result in a violation of such restriction (i.e., percentage limitations are determined at the time of purchase).
With respect to the Fund that principally invests in unaffiliated investment companies, neither the Fund nor the Advisor will have control or influence over the activities of the unaffiliated investment companies.  While other investment companies are subject to certain constraints of the 1940 Act, the investment limitations of the other investment companies in which the Fund invests may differ from those of the Fund.
Non-Fundamental Policies. The following investment policies are not fundamental and may be changed without shareholder approval.
The Fund will not invest more than 15% of its net assets in securities for which there are legal or contractual restrictions on resale or other illiquid investments.
CONTINUOUS OFFERING
The method by which Creation Units are created and traded may raise certain issues under applicable securities laws. Because new Creation Units are issued and sold by the Fund on an ongoing basis, at any point a “distribution,” as such term is used in the Securities Act, may occur. 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 and liability provisions of the Securities Act. For example, a broker-dealer firm or its client may be deemed a statutory underwriter if it takes Creation Units after placing an order with the distributor, breaks them down into constituent shares, and sells 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 categorization as an underwriter.
Broker-dealer firms should also note that dealers who are not “underwriters” but are effecting transactions in shares, whether or not participating in the distribution of shares, are generally required to deliver a prospectus. This is because the prospectus delivery exemption in Section 4(3) of the Securities Act is not available in respect of such transactions as a result of Section 24(d) of the 1940 Act. Firms that incur a prospectus-delivery obligation with respect to shares of the Fund are reminded that under Securities Act Rule 153, a prospectus-delivery obligation under Section 5(b)(2) of the Securities Act owed to an exchange member in connection with a sale on the Exchange is satisfied by the fact that the Fund’s prospectus is available at the Exchange upon request. The prospectus delivery mechanism provided in Rule 153 is only available with respect to transactions on an exchange.
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PORTFOLIO TRANSACTIONS
Subject to the policies established by the Board, the Advisor makes decisions with respect to, and places orders for all purchases and sales of portfolio securities for the Fund.  The Advisor shall manage the Fund’s portfolios in accordance with the terms of the investment advisory agreement by and between the Advisor and the Trust on behalf of the Fund (the “Investment Advisory Agreement”), which is described in detail under “Management and Other Service Providers – Investment Advisor.”  The Advisor serves as investment advisor for a number of client accounts, including the Fund.  Investment decisions for the Fund are made independently from those for any other series of the Trust, if any, and for any other investment companies and accounts advised or managed by the Advisor.
Brokerage Selection. The Board has adopted, and the Trustees have approved, policies and procedures relating to the direction of mutual fund portfolio securities transactions to broker-dealers. The Advisor may not give consideration to sales of shares of the Fund as a factor in selecting broker-dealers to execute portfolio securities transactions.  The Advisor may, however, place portfolio transactions with broker-dealers that promote or sell the Fund’s shares so long as such transactions are done in accordance with the policies and procedures established by the Trustees that are designed to ensure that the selection is based on the quality of the broker’s execution and not on its sales efforts.  In selecting brokers to be used in portfolio transactions, the Advisor’s general guiding principle is to obtain the best overall execution for each trade, which is a combination of price and execution.  With respect to execution, the Advisor considers a number of discretionary factors, including, without limitation, the actual handling of the order, the ability of the broker to settle the trade promptly and accurately, the financial standing of the broker, the ability of the broker to position stock to facilitate execution, the Advisor’s past experience with similar trades, and other factors that may be unique to a particular order.  Recognizing the value of these discretionary factors, the Advisor may select brokers who charge a brokerage commission that is higher than the lowest commission that might otherwise be available for any given trade.
Under Section 28(e) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Investment Advisory Agreement, the Advisor is authorized to pay a brokerage commission in excess of that which another broker might have charged for effecting the same transaction, in recognition of the value of brokerage and/or research services provided by the broker. The research received by the Advisor may include, without limitation: information on the United States and other world economies; information on specific industries, groups of securities, individual companies, and political and other relevant news developments affecting markets and specific securities; technical and quantitative information about markets; analysis of proxy proposals affecting specific companies; accounting and performance systems that allow the Advisor to determine and track investment results; and trading systems that allow the Advisor to interface electronically with brokerage firms, custodians, and other providers. Research is received in the form of written reports, telephone contacts, personal meetings, research seminars, software programs, and access to computer databases.  In some instances, research products or services received by the Advisor may also be used by the Advisor for functions that are not research related (i.e. not related to the making of investment decisions). Where a research product or service has a mixed use, the Advisor will make a reasonable allocation according to the use and will pay for the non-research function in cash using its own funds.
The research and investment information services described above make available to the Advisor for its analysis and consideration the views and information of individuals and research staffs of other securities firms. These services may be useful to the Advisor in connection with advisory clients other than the Fund and not all such services may be useful to the Advisor in connection with the Fund. Although such information may be a useful supplement to the Advisor’s own investment information in rendering services to the Fund, the value of such research and services is not expected to reduce materially the expenses of the Advisor in the performance of its services under the Investment Advisory Agreement and will not reduce the management fees payable to the Advisor by the Fund.
The Fund may invest in securities traded in the over-the-counter market.  In these cases, the Fund may initiate trades through brokers on an agency basis and pay a commission in connection with the transaction. The Fund may also effect these transactions by dealing directly with the dealers who make a market in the securities involved, in which case the costs of such transactions would involve dealer spreads rather than brokerage commissions. With respect to securities traded only in the over-the-counter market, orders will be executed on a principal basis with primary market makers in such securities except where better prices or executions may be obtained on an agency basis or by dealing with those other than a primary market maker.
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The Fund’s fixed income portfolio transactions may be executed through broker-dealers on an agency basis or be principal transactions executed in over the counter markets on a “net” basis, which may include a dealer mark up. Where possible, the Advisor will deal directly with the broker-dealers who make a market in the securities involved except in those circumstances where better prices and execution are available elsewhere. Such broker-dealers usually act as principal for their own account.
The Fund may participate, if and when practicable, in bidding for the purchase of Fund securities directly from an issuer in order to take advantage of the lower purchase price available to members of a bidding group.  The Fund will engage in this practice, however, only when the Advisor, in its sole discretion, believes such practice to be otherwise in the Fund’s interest.
The following shows the aggregate amount of brokerage commissions paid the Fund during its three most recent fiscal years, as applicable.
2020
2019
2018
$58,232
$36,466
$3,110
The increase in brokerage commissions in the Fund for the fiscal year ended May 31, 2020, from the prior fiscal year was primarily due to an increase in trading activity as a result from increase in net assets during the year.
Aggregated Trades. While investment decisions for the Fund are made independently of the Advisor’s other client accounts, the Advisor’s other client accounts may invest in the same securities as the Fund. To the extent permitted by law, the Advisor may aggregate the securities to be sold or purchased for the Fund with those to be sold or purchased for other investment companies or accounts in executing transactions. When a purchase or sale of the same security is made at substantially the same time on behalf of the Fund and another investment company or account, the transaction will be averaged as to price and available investments allocated as to amount in a manner which the Advisor believes to be equitable to the Fund and such other investment company or account. In some instances, this investment procedure may adversely affect the price paid or received by the Fund or the size of the position obtained or sold by the Fund.
Portfolio Turnover.  The annualized portfolio turnover rate for the Fund is calculated by dividing the lesser of purchases or sales of portfolio securities for the fiscal year by the monthly average value of the portfolio securities owned during the fiscal year. The calculation excludes all securities whose maturities or expiration dates at the time of acquisition are one year or less. Portfolio turnover of the Fund may vary greatly from year to year as well as within a particular year and may be affected by cash requirements for redemption of shares and by requirements that enable the Fund to receive favorable tax treatment.  Portfolio turnover will not be a limiting factor in making Fund decisions, and the Fund may engage in short-term trading to achieve its investment objectives.  High rates of portfolio turnover could lower performance of the Fund due to increased transaction costs and may also result in the realization of short-term capital gains taxed at ordinary income tax rates.
The portfolio turnover rate for the Fund over the last two fiscal years is set forth below.
2020
2019
319.85%
268.30%


The increase in the portfolio turnover rate for the Fund for the fiscal year ended May 31, 2020, from the prior fiscal year was primarily due to an increase in portfolio trading.
DESCRIPTION OF THE TRUST
The Trust, which is a statutory trust organized under Delaware law on May 13, 2009, is an open-end management investment company.  The Trust’s Declaration of Trust (“Trust Instrument”) authorizes the Trustees to divide shares into series, each series relating to a separate portfolio of investments, and to classify and reclassify any unissued shares into one or more classes of shares of each such series.  The Trust currently consists of 1 3 series. The shares of some series are divided into classes, which are described in the Prospectus of each such series. Additional series and/or classes may be created from time to time.  The number of shares of each series in the Trust shall be unlimited.  When issued for payment as described in the Prospectus and this SAI, shares of the Fund will be fully paid and non‑assessable and shall have no preemptive rights.  The Trust does not issue share certificates.
18

In the event of a liquidation or dissolution of the Trust or an individual series, such as the Fund, shareholders of a particular series would be entitled to receive the assets available for distribution belonging to such series.  Shareholders of a series are entitled to participate equally in the net distributable assets of the particular series involved on liquidation, based on the number of shares of the series that are held by each shareholder. If there are any assets, income, earnings, proceeds, funds, or payments that are not readily identifiable as belonging to any particular series, the Trustees shall allocate them among any one or more of the series as they, in their sole discretion, deem fair and equitable.
Shareholders of all of the series of the Trust, including the Fund, will vote together and not separately on a series‑by‑series basis, except as otherwise required by law or when the Trustees determine that the matter to be voted upon affects only the interests of the shareholders of a particular series or class. Rule 18f-2 under the 1940 Act provides that any matter required to be submitted to the holders of the outstanding voting securities of an investment company such as the Trust shall not be deemed to have been effectively acted upon unless approved by the holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of each series affected by the matter. A series is affected by a matter unless it is clear that the interests of each series in the matter are substantially identical or that the matter does not affect any interest of the series. Under Rule 18f-2, the approval of an investment advisory agreement or any change in a fundamental investment policy would be effectively acted upon with respect to a series only if approved by a majority of the outstanding shares of such series. However, the rule also provides that the ratification of the appointment of independent accountants, the approval of principal underwriting contracts, and the election of Trustees may be effectively acted upon by shareholders of the Trust voting together, without regard to a particular series.  Rights of shareholders can only be modified by a majority vote.
When used in the Prospectus or this SAI, a “majority” of shareholders means the vote of the lesser of (i) 67% of the shares of the Trust or the applicable series or class present at a meeting if the holders of more than 50% of the outstanding shares are present in person or by proxy or (ii) more than 50% of the outstanding shares of the Trust or the applicable series or class.
Shareholders are entitled to one vote for each full share and a fractional vote for each fractional share held.  Shares have non-cumulative voting rights, which means that the holders of more than 50% of the shares voting for the election of Trustees can elect 100% of the Trustees, and in this event, the holders of the remaining shares voting will not be able to elect any Trustees.
The Trustees will hold office indefinitely, except that: (i) any Trustee may resign or retire, and (ii) any Trustee may be removed: (a) any time by written instrument signed by at least two-thirds of the number of Trustees prior to such removal; (b) at any meeting of shareholders of the Trust by a vote of two-thirds of the outstanding shares of the Trust; or (c) by a written declaration signed by shareholders holding not less than two-thirds of the outstanding shares of the Trust.  In case a vacancy on the Board shall for any reason exist, the vacancy shall be filled by the affirmative vote of a majority of the remaining Trustees, subject to certain restrictions under the 1940 Act.  Otherwise, there will normally be no meeting of shareholders for the purpose of electing Trustees, and the Trust does not expect to have an annual meeting of share-holders.
The Trust Instrument provides that the Trustees will not be liable in any event in connection with the affairs of the Trust, except as such liability may arise from a Trustee’s bad faith, willful misfeasance, gross negligence, or reckless disregard of duties. It also provides that all third parties shall look solely to the Trust’s property for satisfaction of claims arising in connection with the affairs of the Trust. With the exceptions stated, the Trust Instrument provides that a Trustee or officer is entitled to be indemnified against all liability in connection with the affairs of the Trust.
The Trust does not have information concerning the beneficial ownership of shares held by DTC Participants (as defined below).
Book Entry Only System. DTC Acts as Securities Depository for Fund shares. Shares of the Fund are represented by securities registered in the name of DTC or its nominee 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 NYSE Arca 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”).
19

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 affected as follows. Pursuant to the Depositary Agreement between the Trust and DTC, 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 Participant a fair and reasonable amount as reimbursement for the expenses attendant to such transmittal, all subject to applicable statutory and regulatory requirements.
Fund distributions shall be made to DTC or its nominee, Cede & Co., 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.
MANAGEMENT AND OTHER SERVICE PROVIDERS
The Trustees is governed by the Board, which is responsible for the management and supervision of the Fund. The Trustees meet periodically throughout the year to review contractual arrangements with companies that furnish services to the Fund, review performance of the Advisor and the Fund, and oversee activities of the Fund. This section of the SAI provides information about the persons who serve as Trustees and officers to the Trust as well as the entities that provide services to the Fund.
Trustees and Officers.  Following are the Trustees and officers of the Trust, their age and address, their present position with the Trust or the Fund, and their principal occupation during the past five years. The Trustees in the following table who are not “interested” persons of the Trust within the meaning of the 1940 Act (“Independent Trustees”) are indicted as such. The address of each Trustee and officer of the Trust, unless otherwise indicated, is 116 South Franklin Street, Rocky Mount, North Carolina 27804.
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Name and
Date of Birth


Position
held with
Funds or Trust


Length
of Time
Served



Principal Occupation
During Past 5 Years
Number of Portfolios in Fund
Complex Overseen
by Trustee
 


Other Directorships
Held by Trustee
During Past 5 Years
Independent Trustees
James H. Speed, Jr.
(06/1953)
Independent Trustee, Chairman
Trustee since 7/09, Chair since 5/12
Previously President and CEO of NC Mutual Life Insurance Company (insurance company) from 2003 to 2015.
13
Independent Trustee of the Brown Capital Management Mutual Funds for all its series from 2011 to present, Hillman Capital Management Investment Trust for all its series from 2009 to present, Centaur Mutual Funds Trust for all its series from 2013 to present, Chesapeake Investment Trust for all its series from 2016 to present, Leeward Investment Trust for all its series from 2018 to present, and WST Investment Trust for all its series from 2013 to present (all registered investment companies ). Member of Board of Directors of Communities in Schools of N.C. from 2001 to present. Member of Board of Directors of Investors Title Company from 2010 to present. Member of Board of Directors of AAA Carolinas from 2011 to present. Previously, member of Board of Directors of M&F Bancorp Mechanics & Farmers Bank from 2009 to 2019. Previously, member of Board of Visitors of North Carolina Central University School of Business from 1990 to 2016. Previously, Board of Directors of NC Mutual Life Insurance Company from 2004 to 2016. Previously, President and CEO of North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance Company from 2003 to 2015.
Theo H. Pitt, Jr.
(04/1936)
Independent Trustee
Since 9/10
Senior Partner, Community Financial Institutions Consulting (financial consulting) since 1999.
13
Independent Trustee of World Funds Trust for all its series from 2013 to present, Chesapeake Investment Trust for all its series from 2002 to present, Leeward Investment Trust for all its series from 2011 to present, and Hillman Capital Management Investment Trust for all its series from 2000 to present (all registered investment companies). Senior Partner of Community Financial Institutions Consulting from 1997 to present. Previously, Partner at Pikar Properties from 2001 to 2017.
Michael G. Mosley
(01/1953)
Independent Trustee
Since 7/10
Owner of Commercial Realty Services (real estate) since 2004.
13
None.
J. Buckley Strandberg
(03/1960)
Independent Trustee
Since 7/09
President of Standard Insurance and Realty since 1982.
13
None.

Name and
Date of Birth
Position held with
Funds or Trust
Length
of Time Served
Principal Occupation
During Past 5 Years
Officers
Katherine M. Honey
(09/1973)
President and Principal Executive Officer
Since 05/15
President of the Nottingham Company since 2018; EVP of The Nottingham Company from 2008 to 2018.

21


Name and
Date of Birth
Position held with
Funds or Trust
Length
of Time Served
Principal Occupation
During Past 5 Years
Ashley H. Lanham
(03/1984)
Treasurer, Assistant Secretary, Principal Accounting Officer and Principal Financial Officer
Since 05/15
Director of Fund Administration, The Nottingham Company since 2008.
Tracie A. Coop
(12/1976)
Secretary
Since 12/19
General Counsel, The Nottingham Company since 2019. Formerly, Vice President and Managing Counsel, State Street Bank and Trust Company from 2015 to 2019. Formerly, General Counsel for Santander Asset Management USA, LLC from 2013 to 2015.
Matthew Baskir
(07/1979)
Chief Compliance Officer
Since 04/20
Compliance Director, The Nottingham Company, Inc., since 2020. Formerly, Consultant at National Regulatory Services from 2019 to 2020. Formerly, Counsel at Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), Member Supervision from 2016-2019. Formerly Counsel at FINRA, Market Regulation Enforcement from 2014 – 2016.

Qualification of Trustees.  The Board believes that each Trustee’s experience, qualifications, attributes, or skills on an individual basis and in combination with those of the other Trustees on the Board lead to the conclusion that the Board possesses the requisite skills and attributes to carry out its oversight responsibilities with respect to the Trust. The Board believes that its Trustees’ ability to review, critically evaluate, question, and discuss information provided to them, to interact effectively with the Advisor, other service providers, counsel and independent auditors, and to exercise effective business judgment in the performance of its duties, support this conclusion. The Board also has considered the following experience, qualifications, attributes and/or skills, among others, of its members, as applicable, in reaching its conclusion: (i) such person’s business and professional experience and accomplishments, including prior experience in the financial services and investment management fields or on other boards; (ii) such person’s ability to work effectively with the other members of the Board; (iii) how the individual’s skills, experiences, and attributes would contribute to an appropriate mix of relevant skills and experience on the Board; (iv) such person’s character and integrity; (v) such person’s willingness to serve and willingness and ability to commit the time necessary to perform the duties of a Trustee; and (vi) as to each Trustee his status as an Independent Trustee.
In addition, the following specific experience, qualifications, attributes and/or skills were considered in respect of the listed Trustee. Mr. Mosley has had business experience as an owner of a real estate company.  Mr. Pitt has experience as an investor, including his role as trustee of several other investment companies and business experience as senior partner of a financial consulting company, as a partner of a real estate partnership and as an account administrator for a money management firm. Mr. Speed also has experience as an investor as trustee of several other investment companies and business experience as president and CEO of an insurance company and as president of a company in the business of consulting and private investing. Mr. Strandberg also has investment experience as a former trustee of another investment company and business experience as president of an insurance and property management company.
The Board has determined that each of the Trustees’ careers and background, combined with their interpersonal skills and general understanding of financial and other matters, enable the Trustees to effectively participate in and contribute to the Board’s functions and oversight of the Trust.
Board Structure.  The Board currently consists of four Trustees, all of whom are Independent. Mr. Speed, Jr. serves as the Independent Chairman of the Board.  The Board has established several standing committees: Audit Committee, Nominating Committee, Fair Valuation Committee, Governance Committee, and Qualified Legal Compliance Committee.  These standing committees are comprised entirely of the Independent Trustees. Other information about these standing committees is set forth below. The Board has determined that the Board’s structure is appropriate given the characteristics, size, and operations of the Trust.  The Board also believes that its leadership structure, including its committees, helps facilitate effective oversight of Trust management.  The Board reviews its structure annually.
With respect to risk oversight, the Board considers risk management issues as part of its general oversight responsibilities throughout the year.  The Board holds four regular board meetings each year during which the Board receives risk management reports and/or assessments from Trust management, the Advisor, administrator, transfer agent, and distributor, and receives an annual report from the Trust’s Chief Compliance Officer (“CCO”).  The Audit Committee also meets with the Trust’s independent registered public accounting firm on an annual basis, to discuss among other things, the internal control structure of the Trust’s financial reporting function. When appropriate, the Board may hold special meetings or communicate directly with Trust management, the CCO, the Trust’s third-party service providers, legal counsel, or independent public accountants to address matters arising between regular board meeting or needing special attention. In addition, the Board has adopted policies and procedures for the Trust to help detect and prevent and, if necessary, correct violations of federal securities laws.
22

The Board met eleven times during the fiscal year ended May 31, 2020.
Trustee Standing Committees.  The Trustees have established the following standing committees:
Audit Committee.  All of the Independent Trustees are members of the Audit Committee. The Audit Committee oversees the Fund’s accounting and financial reporting policies and practices, reviews the results of the annual audits of the Fund’s financial statements, and interacts with the Fund’s independent auditors on behalf of all the Trustees.  The Audit Committee operates pursuant to an Audit Committee Charter and meets periodically as necessary. The Audit Committee met eight times during the fiscal year ended May 31, 2020.
Fair Valuation Committee.  An Independent Trustee and a representative of the advisor are members of the Fair Valuation Committee. The Fair Valuation Committee has the authority to determine the fair value of specific securities under the methods established by the adopted Guidelines for Valuing Portfolio Securities. The Fair Valuation Committee meets only as necessary. The Fair Valuation Committee met four times during the fiscal year ended May 31, 2020.
Governance Committee. The Independent Trustees are the current members of the Governance Committee. The Governance Committee assists the Board in adopting fund governance practices and meeting certain fund governance standards.  The Governance Committee operates pursuant to a Governance Committee Charter and normally meets annually but may also meet as often as necessary to carry out its purpose. The Governance Committee met once during the fiscal year ended May 31, 2020.
Qualified Legal Compliance Committee.  The Independent Trustees are the current members of the Qualified Legal Compliance Committee. The Qualified Legal Compliance Committee receives, investigates, and makes recommendations as to appropriate remedial action in connection with any report of evidence of a material violation of securities laws or breach of fiduciary duty or similar violation by the Trust, its officers, Trustees, or agents.  The Qualified Legal Compliance Committee met once during the fiscal year ended May 31, 2020.
Beneficial Equity Ownership Information.  The table below sets forth, as of December 31, 2019, the dollar range of equity securities beneficially owned by each Trustee in the Fund, and the aggregate dollar range of equity securities in the Fund’s family of investment companies.
A = None; B = $1-$10,000; C = $10,001-$50,000; D = $50,001-$100,000; and E = over $100,000.
Name of Trustee
Dollar Range of Equity
Securities in the Fund
Aggregate Dollar Range of Equity
Securities in All Funds Overseen
or to be Overseen by Trustee
in Family of Investment Companies
James H. Speed, Jr.
A
A
Theo H. Pitt, Jr.
A
A
Michael G. Mosley
A.
A
J. Buckley Strandberg
A
A

Ownership of Securities of Advisor, Distributor, or Related Entities.  As of December 31, 2019, none of the Independent Trustees and/or their immediate family members own securities of the Advisor, Capital Investment Group, Inc. (the “Distributor”), or any entity controlling, controlled by, or under common control with the Advisor or Distributor.
23

Compensation.  Officers of the Trust and Trustees who are interested persons of the Trust or the Advisor receive no salary or fees from the Trust.  Independent Trustees receive $2,000 per series of the Trust each year but may receive up to an additional $500 per Fund per special meeting in the event that special meetings are held. This amount may be paid pro rata in the event that the Fund closes during the fiscal year.  The Trust reimburses each Trustee and officers of the Trust for his or her travel and other expenses relating to attendance at such meetings. Each of the Trustees serves as a Trustee to all series of the Trust, including the Fund. The following table sets forth the compensation estimated to be earned by each Trustee for services to the Fund and the aggregate compensation paid to the Trustees for services to the Fund Complex for the fiscal year ended May 31, 2021.
Name of Trustee
Aggregate
Compensation
from the Fund
Pension or
Retirement
Benefits Accrued
as Part of
Fund Expenses
Estimated Annual
Benefits Upon Retirement
Total Compensation from
Funds and Fund
Complex Paid
to Trustees
Independent Trustees
Michael G. Mosley
$2,000
None
None
$24,000
Theo H. Pitt, Jr.
$2,000
None
None
$24,000
James H. Speed, Jr.
$2,000
None
None
$24,000
J. Buckley Strandberg
$2,000
None
None
$24,000
Codes of Ethics.  The Trust, Advisor, and Distributor each have adopted a code of ethics, as required under Rule 17j-1 of the 1940 Act, which is designed to prevent affiliated persons of the Trust, Advisor, and Distributor from engaging in deceptive, manipulative, or fraudulent activities in connection with securities held or to be acquired by the Fund (which securities may also be held by persons subject to each such code of ethics).  There can be no assurance that the codes will be effective in preventing such activities.  The codes permit employees and officers of the Trust, Advisor, and Distributor to invest in securities held by the Fund, subject to certain restrictions and pre-approval requirements.  In addition, the Advisor’s code requires that portfolio managers and other investment personnel of the Advisor report their personal securities transactions and holdings, which are reviewed for compliance with the Trust’s and Advisor’s code of ethics.
Anti-Money Laundering Program.  The Trust has adopted an anti-money laundering program, as required by applicable law, that is designed to prevent the Fund from being used for money laundering or the financing of terrorist activities. The Trust’s CCO is responsible for implementing and monitoring the operations and internal controls of the program. Compliance officers at certain of the Fund’s service providers are also responsible for monitoring the program. The anti-money laundering program is subject to the continuing oversight of the Trustees.
Proxy Voting Policies.  The Trust has adopted a proxy voting and disclosure policy that delegates to the Advisor the authority to vote proxies for the Fund, subject to oversight by the Board. A copy of the Advisor’s Proxy Voting Policy and Procedures is included as Appendix B to this SAI.  No later than August 31st of each year, the Fund will file Form N-PX stating how the Fund voted proxies relating to portfolio securities during the most recent 12-month period ended June 30th.  Information regarding how the Fund voted proxies relating to portfolio securities during the most recent 12-month period ended June 30 is available (i) without charge, upon request, by calling the Fund at 1-800-773-3863 and (ii) on the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov.
Principal Holders of Voting Securities.  As of November 30, 2020, the Trustees and officers of the Trust as a group owned beneficially (i.e., had direct or indirect voting and/or investment power) none of the then outstanding shares of the Predecessor Fund. As of November 30, 2020, to the Trust’s knowledge, the following shareholders owned of record or beneficially 5% or more of the outstanding shares of the Predecessor Fund. Shareholders owning 25% or more of outstanding shares may be in control and may be able to affect the outcome of certain matters presented for a vote of Shareholders.
24

Predecessor Fund

Name and Address of
Owner
Percentage of
Ownership
Type of
Ownership
LPL Financial
4707 Executive Drive
San Diego, CA 92121 - 3091

34.76%

Record1
Charles Schwab & Co.
101 Montgomery Street
San Francisco, CA 94104-4122

12.25%

Record1
RBC Capital Markets
60 South Sixth Street – PO8
Minneapolis, MN 55402-440

11.90%

Record1
Pershing, LLC
1 Pershing Plaza
Jersey City, NJ 07399

5.95%

Record1

Investment Advisor.  Cavalier Investments, LLC, d/b/a Adaptive Investments located at 12600 Deerfield Parkway, Suite 100, Alpharetta, Georgia 30004, serves as the investment advisor to the Fund pursuant to an investment advisory agreement between the Trust, on behalf of the Fund, and Adaptive Investments. The Advisor is controlled by Cavalier 16, Inc., a company controlled by Gregory Rutherford. The Advisor supervises the Fund’s investments pursuant to an Investment Advisory Agreement. The Investment Advisory Agreement is effective for an initial two-year period and will be renewed thereafter only so long as such renewal and continuance is specifically approved at least annually: (i) by the Board or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund; and (ii) by vote of a majority of the Independent Trustees, cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on such approval. The Investment Advisory Agreement is terminable without penalty by the Trust by a vote of the Board or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities upon 60 calendar days’ written notice or by the Advisor upon 60 calendar days’ written notice.  The Investment Advisory Agreement provides that it will terminate automatically in the event of its “assignment,” as such term is defined in the 1940 Act.

The Advisor manages the Fund’s investments in accordance with the stated policies of the Fund, subject to oversight by the Board. The Advisor is responsible for investment decisions and provides the Fund with portfolio managers who are authorized to execute purchases and sales of securities.
Under the Investment Advisory Agreement, the Advisor is not liable for any error of judgment or mistake of law or for any loss suffered by the Fund in connection with the performance of such agreement, except a loss resulting from a breach of fiduciary duty with respect to the receipt of compensation for services, or a loss resulting from willful misfeasance, bad faith, or gross negligence on the part of the Advisor in the performance of its duties, or from its reckless disregard of its duties and obligations under the Investment Advisory Agreement.
As full compensation for the investment advisory services provided to the Fund, the Advisor receives monthly compensation based on the Fund’s average daily net assets calculated at the annual rate of 1.00%.
Expense Limitation Agreement.  In the interest of limiting expenses of the Fund, the Advisor has entered into an Expense Limitation Agreement with the Fund under which it has agreed to waive or reduce its fees and to assume other expenses of the Fund, if necessary, in an amount that limits the Fund’s annual operating expenses (exclusive of (i) any front-end or contingent deferred loads; (ii) brokerage fees and commissions, (iii) acquired fund fees and expenses; (iv) fees and expenses associated with investments in other collective investment vehicles or derivative instruments (including for example option and swap fees and expenses); (v) borrowing costs (such as interest and dividend expense on securities sold short); (vi) taxes; and (vii) extraordinary expenses, such as litigation expenses (which may include indemnification of Fund officers and Trustees and contractual indemnification of Fund service providers (other than the Adviser)) to not more than 1.25% of the average daily net assets of the Fund. Net annual operating expenses for the Fund may exceed these limits to the extent that they incur expenses enumerated above as exclusions. The Expense Limitation Agreement run s through December 31, 2021 and may be terminated by the Board at any time. It is expected that the Expense Limitation Agreements will continue from year-to-year thereafter, provided such continuance is specifically approved by a majority of the Trustees who (i) are not “interested persons” of the Trust or any other party to the Expense Limitation Agreement, as such term is defined in the 1940 Act, and (ii) have no direct or indirect financial interest in the operation of the Expense Limitation Agreement. The Advisor cannot recoup from the Fund any amounts paid by the Advisor under the Expense Limitation Agreement.
25

The following chart shows the total dollar amounts that the Predecessor Fund paid to Adaptive Investments over the past three fiscal years.
Net Amount Paid
for the fiscal years ended May 31,
(Paid to Adaptive Investments)
2020
2019
2018
$435,304
$379,758
$196,997*
*The advisory fee rate during the fiscal year was 1.10%. The expense cap during the fiscal year was 1.35%.

Investment Sub-Advisors.
Bluestone Capital Management, LLC (the “Sub-Advisor”), located at 37 West Avenue, Suite 301, Wayne, Pennsylvania 19087, serves as the investment sub-advisor to the Fund pursuant to an investment sub-advisory agreement between the Advisor and the Sub-Advisor.
The Sub-Advisor assists the Advisor in supervising the Fund’s investments pursuant to an Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement. The Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement is effective for an initial two-year period and will be renewed for a period of one year only so long as such renewal and continuance is specifically approved at least annually by the Trustees who are neither parties to the Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement nor interested persons of any such party, or by vote of a majority of the Fund’s outstanding voting securities. The Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement is terminable without penalty on 60-days’ notice by the Trustees, by the Advisor or Sub-Advisor, or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund. The Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement provides that it will terminate automatically in the event of its “assignment,” as such term is defined in the 1940 Act.
Under the Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement, the Sub-Advisor is not liable for any error of judgment or mistake of law or for any loss suffered by the Fund in connection with the performance of the Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement, except: a loss resulting from a breach of fiduciary duty with respect to the receipt of compensation for services; a loss resulting from willful misfeasance, bad faith, or gross negligence on the part of the Sub-Advisor in the performance of its duties; or a loss resulting from the Sub-Advisor’s reckless disregard of its duties and obligations under the Agreement.
The Fund does not pay a direct fee to the Sub-Advisor. The following charts show the aggregate fees paid to the Sub-Advisor by the Advisor over the past three fiscal years:
For the Fiscal Year ended May 31, 2020
Sub-Advisor
Compensation from
the Fund

Total Compensation
received
Bluestone Capital Management, LLC
$101,860
$101,860

For the Fiscal Year ended May 31, 2019
Sub-Advisor
Compensation from
the Fund

Total Compensation
received
 
Bluestone Capital Management, LLC
$39,4341
$39,434
 
Beaumont Capital Management, LLC
$27,3922
$27,392
1 Bluestone Capital Management, LLC, began serving as sub-advisor to the Fund September 6, 2018.
2 Beaumont Capital Management, LLC, stopped serving as sub-advisor to the Fund effective September 8, 2018.
26


For Fiscal Year Ended May 31, 2018
Sub-Advisor
Compensation from
the Fund

Total Compensation received
Beaumont Capital Management, LLC
$42,2581
$42,258
1 Beaumont Capital Management, LLC, stopped serving as sub-advisor to the Fund effective September 8, 2018.

Compensation.  The portfolio manager’s compensation varies with the general success of the Advisor or Sub-Advisor, respectively, as a firm. Mr. Shevland receives retained earnings of Bluestone Capital Management, LLC. The portfolio manager’s compensation is not directly linked to the Fund’s performance, although positive performance and growth in managed assets are factors that may contribute to the Advisor’s or a Sub-Advisor’s distributable profits and assets under management.
Ownership of Fund Shares.  The following table shows the amount of the Predecessor Fund’s equity securities beneficially owned by the portfolio manager as of May 31, 2020 (unless otherwise indicated) and stated as one of the following ranges: A = None; B = $1-$10,000; C = $10,001-$50,000; D = $50,001-$100,000; E = $100,001-$500,000; F = $500,001-$1,000,000; and G = over $1,000,000.

Portfolio Manager
Dollar Range of
Equity Securities in the Fund
Brian Shevland
E
Other Accounts.  In addition to the Fund, some of the portfolio managers are responsible for the day-to-day management of certain other accounts. The table below shows the number of, and total assets in, such other accounts as of the end of the Predecessor Fund’s fiscal year ended May 31, 2020.
 
Registered Investment
Companies
Other Pooled Investment
Vehicles

Other Accounts

Portfolio Manager
Number of
Accounts

Total Assets
Number of
Accounts

Total Assets
Number of
Accounts

Total Assets
All Accounts
Brian Shevland
0
$0
2
$41,200,000
920
$1,833,000,0000
Accounts with Performance-Based Advisory Fee
Brian Shevland
0
$0
2
$41,200,000
0
$0

Conflicts of Interests.  The portfolio manager’s management of “other accounts” may give rise to potential conflicts of interest in connection with their management of the Fund’s investments, on the one hand, and the investments of the other accounts, on the other. The other accounts consist of separately managed private clients (“Other Accounts”).  The Other Accounts might have similar investment objectives as the Fund, be compared to the same index as the Fund, or otherwise hold, purchase, or sell securities that are eligible to be held, purchased, or sold by the Fund.
Knowledge of the Timing and Size of Fund Trades:  A potential conflict of interest may arise as a result of the portfolio manager’s day-to-day management of the Fund. The portfolio manager knows the size and timing of trades for the Fund, and the Other Accounts, and may be able to predict the market impact of Fund trades. It is theoretically possible that the portfolio manager could use this information to the advantage of Other Accounts it manages and to the possible detriment of the Fund, or vice versa.
Investment Opportunities:  The Advisor provides investment supervisory services for a number of investment products that have varying investment guidelines. The portfolio manager works across different investment products.  Differences in the compensation structures of the Advisor’s investment products may give rise to a conflict of interest by creating an incentive for the Advisor to allocate the investment opportunities it believes might be the most profitable to the client accounts where it might benefit the most from the investment gains.
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Administrator.  The Trust has entered into a Fund Accounting and Administration Agreement with The Nottingham Company (“Administrator”), located at 116 South Franklin Street, Post Office Box 69, Rocky Mount, North Carolina 27802-0069. The Administrator performs the following services for the Fund: (i) procures on behalf of the Trust, and coordinates with the custodian and monitors the services it provides to the Fund; (ii) coordinates with and monitors any other third parties furnishing services to the Fund; (iii) provides the Fund with necessary office space, telephones, and other communications facilities and personnel competent to perform administrative and clerical functions for the Fund; (iv) assists or supervises the maintenance by third parties of such books and records of the Fund as may be required by applicable federal or state law; (v) assists in the preparation of all federal, state, and local tax returns and reports of the Fund required by applicable law; (vi) assists in the preparation of and, after approval by the Trust, files and arranges for the distribution of proxy materials and periodic reports to shareholders of the Fund as required by applicable law; (vii) assists in the preparation of and, after approval by the Trust, arranges for the filing of such registration statements and other documents with the SEC and other federal and state regulatory authorities as may be required by applicable law; (viii) reviews and submits to the officers of the Trust for their approval invoices or other requests for payment of Fund expenses and instructs the custodian to issue checks in payment thereof; and (ix) takes such other action with respect to the Fund as may be necessary in the opinion of the Administrator to perform its duties under the agreement. The Administrator will also provide certain accounting and pricing services for the Fund.
Compensation of the Administrator, which is an administration and accounting fee, based upon on the average daily net assets of the Fund at the following annual rates: 0.090% of the Fund’s first $250 million, 0.080% on the next $250 million, 0.060% on the next $250 million, 0.050% on the next $250 million, 0.040% on the next $1 billion, and 0.035% on all net assets over $2 billion, with an annual minimum fee of $53,000.  The Administrator also charges the Fund for certain costs involved with the daily valuation of investment securities and is reimbursed for out‑of‑pocket expenses .
The following shows the total dollar amounts that the Predecessor Fund paid to the Administrator for the last three fiscal years:
2020
2019
2018
$66,478
$51,800
$30,639

Distributor.  Under the Distribution Agreement between the Trust and Capital Investment Group, Inc. (the “Distributor”), the Distributor serves as the principal distributor and underwriter for the Fund. The Distributor is located at 100 E. Six Forks Road, Suite 200, Raleigh, NC 27609. Shares are continuously offered for sale by the Fund through the Distributor or its agent only in Creation Units, as described in the applicable Prospectus and below in the Creation and Redemption of Creation Units section of this SAI. Fund shares in amounts less than Creation Units are generally not distributed by the Distributor or its agent. The Distributor or its agent will arrange for the delivery of the applicable Prospectus and, upon request, this SAI to persons purchasing Creation Units and will maintain records of both orders placed with it or its agents and confirmations of acceptance furnished by it or its agents. The Distributor is a broker-dealer registered under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “1934 Act”), and a member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (“FINRA”). The Distributor is also licensed as a broker-dealer in all 50 U.S. states, as well as in Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the District of Columbia.
The Distribution Agreement for the Fund provides that it may be terminated at any time, without the payment of any penalty, on at least 60 days' prior written notice to the other party following (i) the vote of a majority of the Independent Trustees, or (ii) the 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 securities dealers (“Soliciting Dealers”) who will solicit purchases of Creation Units of Fund shares. Such Soliciting Dealers may also be Authorized Participants (as described below), Depository Trust Company (“DTC”) participants and/or investor services organizations. The Advisor, Sub-Advisor, or their Affiliates may, from time to time and from their own resources, pay, defray, or absorb costs relating to distribution, including payments out of their own resources to the Distributor, or to otherwise promote the sale of shares.
The Distributor is paid $ 6,500 per series of the Trust, per year.
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Transfer Agent.  The Trust has entered into a Dividend Disbursing and Transfer Agent Agreement with Nottingham Shareholder Services, LLC (“Transfer Agent”), a North Carolina limited liability company, to serve as transfer, dividend paying, and shareholder servicing agent for the Fund. The address of the Transfer Agent is 116 South Franklin Street, Post Office Box 4365, Rocky Mount, North Carolina 27803-0365.
Custodian.  Clear Street, LLC, located at 55 Broadway, New York, NY 10006, is the custodian for the Fund. The Custodian is responsible for holding all cash assets and all portfolio securities of the Fund, releasing and delivering such securities as directed by the Fund, maintaining bank accounts in the names of the Fund, receiving for deposit into such accounts payments for shares of the Fund, collecting income and other payments due the Fund with respect to portfolio securities and paying out monies of the Fund.
The Custodian is authorized to deposit securities in securities depositories or to use the services of sub-custodians, including foreign sub-custodians, to the extent permitted by and subject to the regulations of the SEC.
Compliance Services Administrator. The Trust has entered into a compliance services arrangement with The Nottingham Company, Inc., located at 116 S Franklin Street, Rocky Mount, North Carolina 27802. The Trust’s CCO will prepare and update the Trust’s compliance manual and monitor and test compliance with the policies and procedures under the Trust’s compliance manual.
Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm.  BBD, LLP, located at 1835 Market Street, 3rd Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19103, serves as the independent registered public accounting firm for the Fund. The independent registered public accounting firm conducts an annual audit of the Fund’s financial statements, and prepares the Fund’s federal, state, and excise tax returns. Shareholders will receive annual audited and semi-annual (unaudited) reports when published and written confirmation of all transactions in their account.  A copy of the most recent annual report will accompany the SAI whenever a shareholder or a prospective investor requests it.
Legal Counsel.  Greenberg Traurig LLP serves as legal counsel to the Trust and the Fund.
Additional Payments to Financial Firms.  The Advisor, and/or its Affiliates (“Advisor Entities”) pay certain broker-dealers, registered investment advisers, banks and other financial intermediaries (“Intermediaries”) for certain activities related to the Fund, other funds or exchange-traded products in general. Advisor Entities make these payments from their own assets and not from the assets of the Fund. Although a portion of Advisor Entities' revenue comes directly or indirectly in part from fees paid by the Fund and other funds, these payments do not increase the price paid by investors for the purchase of shares of, or the cost of owning, the Fund or other funds. Advisor Entities make payments for Intermediaries' participation in activities that are designed to make registered representatives, other professionals, and individual investors more knowledgeable about exchange-traded products, including the Fund, or for other activities, such as participation in marketing activities and presentations, educational training programs, conferences, the development of technology platforms, and reporting systems (“Education Costs”). Advisor Entities also make payments to Intermediaries for certain printing, publishing, and mailing costs associated with the Fund or materials relating to exchange-traded products in general (“Publishing Costs”). In addition, Advisor Entities make payments to Intermediaries that make shares of the Fund and certain other funds available to their clients, develop new products that feature the Fund, or otherwise promote the Fund and other funds. Advisor Entities may also reimburse expenses or make payments from their own assets to Intermediaries or other persons in consideration of services or other activities that the Advisor Entities believe may benefit the Fund's business or facilitate investment in the Fund. Payments of the type described above are sometimes referred to as revenue-sharing payments.
Payments to an Intermediary may be significant to the Intermediary, and amounts that Intermediaries pay to your salesperson or other investment professional may also be significant for your salesperson or other investment professional. Because an Intermediary may make decisions about which investment options it will recommend or make available to its clients or what services to provide for various products based on payments it receives or is eligible to receive, such payments may create conflicts of interest between the Intermediary and its clients and these financial incentives may cause the Intermediary to recommend the Fund and other funds over other investments. The same conflicts of interest and financial incentives exist with respect to your salesperson or other investment professional if he or she receives similar payments from his or her Intermediary firm.
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Any additions, modifications, or deletions to Intermediaries listed above that have occurred since the date noted above are not included in the list. Further, Advisor Entities make Education Costs and Publishing Costs payments to other Intermediaries that are not listed above. Advisor Entities may determine to make such payments based on any number of metrics. For example, Advisor Entities may make payments at year-end or other intervals in a fixed amount, an amount based upon an Intermediary's services at defined levels or an amount based on the Intermediary's net sales of one or more funds in a year or other period, any of which arrangements may include an agreed-upon minimum or maximum payment, or any combination of the foregoing. As of the date of this SAI, the Advisor anticipates that the payments paid by Advisor Entities in connection with the Fund and exchange-traded products in general will be immaterial to Advisor Entities in the aggregate for the next year. Please contact your salesperson or other investment professional for more information regarding any such payments his or her Intermediary firm may receive. Any payments made by the Advisor Entities to an Intermediary may create the incentive for an Intermediary to encourage customers to buy shares of the Fund.
The Fund may participate in certain market maker incentive programs of a national securities exchange in which an affiliate of the Fund would pay a fee to the exchange used for incentivizing one or more market makers in the securities of the Fund to enhance the liquidity and quality of the secondary market of securities of the Fund. The fee would then be credited by the exchange to one or more market makers that meet or exceed liquidity and market quality standards with respect to the securities of the Fund. Each market maker incentive program is subject to approval from the SEC. Any such fee payments made to an exchange will be made by an affiliate of the Fund solely for the benefit of the Fund and will not be paid from any Fund assets. Certain funds managed by the Advisor may also participate in such programs.
CREATION AND REDEMPTION OF CREATION UNITS
General. The Fund issues and sells shares of the Fund only in Creation Units on a continuous basis through the Distributor or its agent, without a sales load, at a price based on the NAV next determined after receipt, on any Business Day (as defined below), of an order received by the Distributor or its agent in proper form. A Creation Unit is an aggregation of 50,000 Shares for the Fund. On days when the Listing Exchange closes earlier than normal, the Fund may require orders to be placed earlier in the day. In its discretion, the Advisor and/or Sub-Advisor reserve the right to increase or decrease the number of the Fund's shares that constitute a Creation Unit. The Board reserves the right to declare a split or a consolidation in the number of shares outstanding of the Fund, and to make a corresponding change in the number of shares constituting a Creation Unit, in the event that the per share price in the secondary market rises (or declines) to an amount that falls outside the range deemed desirable by the Board.
A "Business Day" with respect to the Fund is any day on which the Exchange on which the Fund is listed for trading is open for business. As of the date of this SAI, each Listing Exchange observes the following holidays, as observed: New Year's Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Presidents' Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day.
Fund Deposit. The consideration for purchase of Creation Units of the Fund generally consists of the in-kind deposit of a designated portfolio of securities (Deposit Securities) and the Cash Component computed as described below. Together, the Deposit Securities and the Cash Component constitute the "Fund Deposit," which will be applicable (subject to possible amendment or correction) to creation requests received in proper form. The Fund Deposit represents the minimum initial and subsequent investment amount for a Creation Unit of the Fund.
The "Cash Component" is an amount equal to the difference between the NAV of the shares (per Creation Unit) and the "Deposit Amount," which is an amount equal to the market value of the Deposit Securities and serves to compensate for any differences between the NAV per Creation Unit and the Deposit Amount. Payment of any stamp duty or other similar fees and expenses payable upon transfer of beneficial ownership of the Deposit Securities are the sole responsibility of the Authorized Participant purchasing the Creation Unit. The Fund generally offers Creation Units partially for cash, but may, in certain circumstances, offer Creation Units solely for cash.
The Fund makes available through the NSCC on each Business Day prior to the opening of business on the Listing Exchange, the list of names and the required number of shares of each Deposit Security and the amount of the Cash Component to be included in the current Fund Deposit (based on information as of the end of the previous Business Day for the Fund). Such Fund Deposit is applicable, subject to any adjustments as described below, to purchases of Creation Units of shares of a given Fund until such time as the next-announced Fund Deposit is made available.
The identity and number of shares of the Deposit Securities change pursuant to changes in the composition of the Fund's portfolio and as rebalancing adjustments and corporate action events are reflected from time to time by the Sub-Advisor with a view to the investment objective of the Fund. The composition of the Deposit Securities may also change in response to adjustments to the weighting or composition of the component securities constituting the Fund's portfolio.
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The Fund reserves the right to permit or require the substitution of a "cash in lieu" amount to be added to the Cash Component to replace any Deposit Security that may not be available in sufficient quantity for delivery or that may not be eligible for transfer through DTC or the clearing process (as discussed below) or that the Authorized Participant is not able to trade due to a trading restriction. The Fund also reserves the right to permit or require a "cash in lieu" amount in certain circumstances, including circumstances in which (i) the delivery of the Deposit Security by the Authorized Participant (as described below) would be restricted under applicable securities or other local laws or (ii) the delivery of the Deposit Security to the Authorized Participant would result in the disposition of the Deposit Security by the Authorized Participant becoming restricted under applicable securities or other local laws, or in certain other situations.
Cash Purchase Method. Although the Fund does not ordinarily permit partial or full cash purchases of Creation Units of the Fund, when partial or full cash purchases of Creation Units are available or specified (Creation Units of the Fund are generally offered partially for cash), they will be effected in essentially the same manner as in-kind purchases thereof. In the case of a partial or full cash purchase, the Authorized Participant must pay the cash equivalent of the Deposit Securities it would otherwise be required to provide through an in-kind purchase, plus the same Cash Component required to be paid by an in-kind purchaser.
Role of the Authorized Participant. Creation Units may be purchased only by or through a DTC Participant that has entered into an authorized participant agreement with the Distributor (an "Authorized Participant"). Such Authorized Participant will agree, pursuant to the terms of such authorized participant agreement and on behalf of itself or any investor on whose behalf it will act, to certain conditions, including that such Authorized Participant will make available in advance of each purchase of shares an amount of cash sufficient to pay the Cash Component, once the NAV of a Creation Unit is next determined after receipt of the purchase order in proper form, together with the transaction fees described below. An Authorized Participant, acting on behalf of an investor, may require the investor to enter into an agreement with such Authorized Participant with respect to certain matters, including payment of the Cash Component. Investors who are not Authorized Participants must make appropriate arrangements with an Authorized Participant. Investors should be aware that their particular broker may not be a DTC Participant or may not have executed an authorized participant agreement and that orders to purchase Creation Units may have to be placed by the investor's broker through an Authorized Participant. As a result, purchase orders placed through an Authorized Participant may result in additional charges to such investor. The Fund does not expect to enter into an authorized participant agreement with more than a small number of DTC Participants. A list of current Authorized Participants may be obtained from the Distributor. The Distributor has adopted guidelines regarding Authorized Participants' transactions in Creation Units that are made available to all Authorized Participants. These guidelines set forth the processes and standards for Authorized Participants to transact with the Distributor and its agents in connection with creation and redemption transactions. In addition, the Distributor may be appointed as the proxy of the Authorized Participant and may be granted a power of attorney under its authorized participation agreement.
Purchase Orders. To initiate an order for a Creation Unit, an Authorized Participant must submit to the Distributor or its agent an irrevocable order to purchase shares of the Fund, in proper form, generally before 4:00 p.m., Eastern time on any Business Day to receive that day's NAV. The Distributor or its agent will notify the sub-adviser and the custodian of such order. The custodian will then provide such information to any appropriate sub-custodian. Procedures and requirements governing the delivery of the Fund Deposit are set forth in the procedures handbook for Authorized Participants and may change from time to time. Investors, other than Authorized Participants, are responsible for making arrangements for a creation request to be made through an Authorized Participant. The Distributor or its agent will provide a list of current Authorized Participants upon request. Those placing orders to purchase Creation Units through an Authorized Participant should allow sufficient time to permit proper submission of the purchase order to the Distributor or its agent by the Cutoff Time (as defined below) on such Business Day.
The Authorized Participant must also make available on or before the contractual settlement date, by means satisfactory to the Fund, immediately available or same day funds estimated by the Fund to be sufficient to pay the Cash Component next determined after acceptance of the purchase order, together with the applicable purchase transaction fees. Any excess funds will be returned following settlement of the issue of the Creation Unit. Those placing orders should ascertain the applicable deadline for cash transfers by contacting the operations department of the broker or depositary institution effectuating the transfer of the Cash Component. This deadline is likely to be significantly earlier than the Cutoff Time of the Fund. Investors should be aware that an Authorized Participant may require orders for purchases of shares placed with it to be in the particular form required by the individual Authorized Participant.
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The Authorized Participant is responsible for any and all expenses and costs incurred by the Fund, including any applicable cash amounts, in connection with any purchase order.
Timing of Submission of Purchase Orders. An Authorized Participant must submit an irrevocable order to purchase shares of the Fund generally before 4:00 p.m., Eastern time on any Business Day in order to receive that day's NAV. Creation Orders must be transmitted by an Authorized Participant by telephone or other transmission method acceptable to the Distributor or its agent pursuant to procedures set forth in the authorized participant agreement, as described below. Economic or market disruptions or changes, or telephone or other communication failure, may impede the ability to reach the Distributor or its agent or an Authorized Participant. The Fund’s deadline specified above for the submission of purchase orders is referred to as the Fund’s "Cutoff Time." The Distributor or its agent, in their discretion, may permit the submission of such orders and requests by or through an Authorized Participant at any time (including on days on which the Exchange is not open for business) via communication through the facilities of the Distributor's or its agent's proprietary website maintained for this purpose. Purchase orders and redemption requests, if accepted by the Fund, will be processed based on the NAV next determined after such acceptance in accordance with the Fund's Cutoff Times as provided in the authorized participant agreement and disclosed in this SAI.
Acceptance of Orders for Creation Units. Subject to the conditions that (i) an irrevocable purchase order has been submitted by the Authorized Participant (either on its own or another investor's behalf) and (ii) arrangements satisfactory to the Fund are in place for payment of the Cash Component and any other cash amounts which may be due, the Fund will accept the order, subject to the Fund's right (and the right of the Distributor and the Sub-Advisor) to reject any order until acceptance, as set forth below.
Once the Fund has accepted an order, upon the next determination of the NAV of the shares, such Fund will confirm the issuance of a Creation Unit, against receipt of payment, at such NAV. The Distributor or its agent will then transmit a confirmation of acceptance to the Authorized Participant that placed the order.
The Fund reserves the absolute right to reject or revoke a creation order transmitted to it by the Distributor or its agent if: (i) the order is not in proper form; (ii) the investor(s), upon obtaining the shares ordered, would own 80% or more of the currently outstanding shares of the Fund; (iii) the Deposit Securities delivered do not conform to the identity and number of shares specified, as described above; (iv) acceptance of the Deposit Securities would have certain adverse tax consequences to the Fund; (v) acceptance of the Fund Deposit would, in the opinion of counsel, be unlawful; (vi) acceptance of the Fund Deposit would, in the discretion of the Fund or the Sub-Advisor, have an adverse effect on the Fund or the rights of beneficial owners; or (vii) circumstances outside the control of the Fund, the Distributor or its agent and the Sub-Advisor make it impracticable to process purchase orders. The Distributor or its agent shall notify a prospective purchaser of a Creation Unit and/or the Authorized Participant acting on behalf of such purchaser of its rejection of such order. The Fund, the Custodian, and the Distributor or its agent 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 failure to give such notification.
Issuance of a Creation Unit. Except as provided herein, a Creation Unit will not be issued until the transfer of good title to the Fund of the Deposit Securities and the payment of the Cash Component have been completed. When the sub-custodian has confirmed to the custodian that the securities included in the Fund Deposit (or the cash value thereof) have been delivered to the account of the relevant sub-custodian or sub-custodians, the Distributor or its agent, and the Sub-Advisor shall be notified of such delivery and the Fund will issue and cause the delivery of the Creation Unit. Creation Units are generally issued on a "T+2 basis" (i.e., two Business Days after trade date). The Fund reserves the right to settle Creation Unit transactions on a basis other than T+2, including a shorter settlement period, if necessary or appropriate under the circumstances and compliant with applicable law. For example, each Fund reserves the right to settle Creation Unit transactions on a basis other than T+2 in order to accommodate non-U.S. market holiday schedules, to account for different treatment among non-U.S. and U.S. markets of dividend record dates and ex-dividend dates (i.e., the last day the holder of a security can sell the security and still receive dividends payable on the security) and in certain other circumstances.
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To the extent contemplated by an Authorized Participant's agreement with the Distributor, the Fund will issue Creation Units to such Authorized Participant, notwithstanding the fact that the corresponding Fund Deposits have not been received in part or in whole, in reliance on the undertaking of the Authorized Participant to deliver the missing Deposit Securities as soon as possible, which undertaking shall be secured by such Authorized Participant's delivery and maintenance of collateral having a value at least equal to 105% and up to 115%, which percentage the Fund may change at any time, in its sole discretion, of the value of the missing Deposit Securities in accordance with the Fund' then-effective procedures. The Fund may use such cash deposit at any time to buy Deposit Securities for the Fund. The only collateral that is acceptable to the Fund is cash in U.S. dollars. Such cash collateral must be delivered no later than 2:00 p.m., Eastern time on the contractual settlement date. The cash collateral posted by the Authorized Participant may be invested at the risk of the Authorized Participant, and income, if any, on invested cash collateral will be paid to that Authorized Participant. Information concerning the Fund's current procedures for collateralization of missing Deposit Securities is available from the Distributor or its agent. The authorized participant agreement will permit the Fund to buy the missing Deposit Securities at any time and will subject the Authorized Participant to liability for any shortfall between the cost to the Fund of purchasing such securities and the cash collateral including, without limitation, liability for related brokerage, borrowings, and other charges.
In certain cases, Authorized Participants may create and redeem Creation Units on the same trade date and in these instances, the Fund reserves the right to settle these transactions on a net basis or require a representation from the Authorized Participants that the creation and redemption transactions are for separate beneficial owners. All questions as to the number of shares of each security in the Deposit Securities and the validity, form, eligibility, and acceptance for deposit of any securities to be delivered shall be determined by the Fund and the Fund's determination shall be final and binding.
Costs Associated with Creation Transactions. A standard creation transaction fee is imposed to offset the transfer and other transaction costs associated with the issuance of Creation Units. The standard creation transaction fee is charged to the Authorized Participant on the day such Authorized Participant creates a Creation Unit, and is the same, regardless of the number of Creation Units purchased by the Authorized Participant on the applicable Business Day. The Authorized Participant may also be required to cover certain brokerage, tax, foreign exchange, execution, market impact, and other costs and expenses related to the execution of trades resulting from such transaction. Authorized Participants will also bear the costs of transferring the Deposit Securities to the Fund. Investors who use the services of a broker or other financial intermediary to acquire Fund shares may be charged a fee for such services.
The following table sets forth the Fund’s standard creation transaction fees (as described above):
Standard Creation
Transaction Fee
$ 250 minimum, $5.00 per domestic security

Redemption of Creation Units. Shares of the Fund may be redeemed by Authorized Participants only in Creation Units at their NAV next determined after receipt of a redemption request in proper form by the Distributor or its agent and only on a Business Day. The Fund will not redeem shares in amounts less than Creation Units. There can be no assurance, however, that there will be sufficient liquidity in the secondary market at any time to permit assembly of a Creation Unit. Investors should expect to incur brokerage and other costs in connection with assembling a sufficient number of shares to constitute a Creation Unit that could be redeemed by an Authorized Participant. Beneficial owners also may sell shares in the secondary market.
The Fund generally redeems Creation Units partially for cash. Please see the Cash Redemption Method section below and the following discussion summarizing the in-kind method for further information on redeeming Creation Units of the Fund.
The Fund makes available through the NSCC, prior to the opening of business on the Listing Exchange on each Business Day, the designated portfolio of securities (including any portion of such securities for which cash may be substituted) that will be applicable (subject to possible amendment or correction) to redemption requests received in proper form (as defined below) on that day ("Fund Securities"), and an amount of cash (the "Cash Amount," as described below). Such Fund Securities and the corresponding Cash Amount (each subject to possible amendment or correction) are applicable, in order to effect redemptions of Creation Units of the Fund until such time as the next announced composition of the Fund Securities and Cash Amount is made available. Fund Securities received on redemption may not be identical to Deposit Securities that are applicable to creations of Creation Units. Procedures and requirements governing redemption transactions are set forth in the handbook for Authorized Participants and may change from time to time.
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If redemptions are not paid in cash, the redemption proceeds for a Creation Unit generally consist of Fund Securities, plus the Cash Amount, which is an amount equal to the difference between the NAV of the shares being redeemed, as next determined after the receipt of a redemption request in proper form, and the value of Fund Securities, less a redemption transaction fee (as described below).
The Fund may, in its sole discretion, substitute a "cash in lieu" amount to replace any Fund Security. The Fund also reserves the right to permit or require a "cash in lieu" amount in certain circumstances, including circumstances in which: (i) the delivery of the Fund Security to the Authorized Participant would be restricted under applicable securities or other local laws; or (ii) the delivery of the Fund Security to the Authorized Participant would result in the disposition of the Fund Security by the Authorized Participant due to restrictions under applicable securities or other local laws, or in certain other situations. The amount of cash paid out in such cases will be equivalent to the value of the substituted security listed as the Fund Security. If the Fund Securities have a value greater than the NAV of the shares, a compensating cash payment equal to the difference is required to be made by or through an Authorized Participant by the redeeming shareholder. The Fund generally redeems Creation Units partially for cash.
Cash Redemption Method. Although the Fund does not ordinarily permit partial or full cash redemptions of Creation Units of the Fund, when partial or full cash redemptions of Creation Units are available or specified (Creation Units of the Fund are generally redeemed partially for cash), they will be affected in essentially the same manner as in-kind redemptions thereof. In the case of partial or full cash redemption, the Authorized Participant receives the cash equivalent of the Fund Securities it would otherwise receive through an in-kind redemption, plus the same Cash Amount to be paid to an in-kind redeemer.
Costs Associated with Redemption Transactions. A redemption transaction fee is imposed to offset transfer and other transaction costs that may be incurred by the Fund. The standard redemption transaction fee is charged to the Authorized Participant on the day such Authorized Participant redeems a Creation Unit and is the same regardless of the number of Creation Units redeemed by an Authorized Participant on the applicable Business Day. The Authorized Participant may also be required to cover certain brokerage, tax, foreign exchange, execution, market impact, and other costs and expenses related to the execution of trades resulting from such transaction. Authorized Participants will also bear the costs of transferring the Fund Securities from the Fund to their account on their order. Investors who use the services of a broker or other financial intermediary to dispose of Fund shares may be charged a fee for such services.
The following table sets forth the Fund’ standard redemption transaction fees (as described above):
Standard Redemption
Transaction Fee
$ 250 minimum, $5.00 per domestic security

Placement of Redemption Orders. Redemption requests for Creation Units of the Fund must be submitted to the Distributor by or through an Authorized Participant. An Authorized Participant must submit an irrevocable request to redeem shares of the Fund generally before 4:00 p.m., Eastern time on any Business Day in order to receive that day's NAV. On days when the Exchange closes earlier than normal, the Fund may require orders to redeem Creation Units to be placed earlier that day.  Investors, other than Authorized Participants, are responsible for making arrangements for a redemption request to be made through an Authorized Participant. The Distributor or its agent will provide a list of current Authorized Participants upon request.
The Authorized Participant must transmit the request for redemption in the form required by the Fund to the Distributor or its agent in accordance with procedures set forth in the authorized participant agreement. Investors should be aware that their particular broker may not have executed an authorized participant agreement and that, therefore, requests to redeem Creation Units may have to be placed by the investor's broker through an Authorized Participant who has executed an authorized participant agreement. At any time, only a limited number of broker-dealers will have an authorized participant agreement in effect. Investors making a redemption request should be aware that such request must be in the form specified by such Authorized Participant. Investors making a request to redeem Creation Units should allow sufficient time to permit proper submission of the request by an Authorized Participant and transfer of the shares to the Fund' transfer agent; such investors should allow for the additional time that may be required to effect redemptions through their banks, brokers, or other financial intermediaries if such intermediaries are not Authorized Participants.
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A redemption request is considered to be in "proper form" if: (i) an Authorized Participant has transferred or caused to be transferred to the Fund's transfer agent the Creation Unit redeemed through the book-entry system of DTC so as to be effective by the Exchange closing time on any Business Day; (ii) a request in form satisfactory to the Fund is received by the Distributor or its agent from the Authorized Participant on behalf of itself or another redeeming investor within the time periods specified above; and (iii) all other procedures set forth in the authorized participant agreement are properly followed. If the transfer agent does not receive the investor's shares through DTC's facilities by 10:00 a.m., Eastern time on the Business Day next following the day that the redemption request is received, the redemption request shall be rejected. Investors should be aware that the deadline for such transfers of shares through the DTC system may be significantly earlier than the close of business on the Exchange. Those making redemption requests should ascertain the deadline applicable to transfers of shares through the DTC system by contacting the operations department of the broker or depositary institution effecting the transfer of the shares.
Upon receiving a redemption request, the Distributor or its agent shall notify the Fund and the Fund's transfer agent of such redemption request. The tender of an investor's shares for redemption and the distribution of the securities and/or cash included in the redemption payment made in respect of Creation Units redeemed will be made through DTC and the relevant Authorized Participant to the Beneficial Owner thereof as recorded on the book-entry system of DTC or the DTC Participant through which such investor holds, as the case may be, or by such other means specified by the Authorized Participant submitting the redemption request.
A redeeming Authorized Participant, whether on its own account or acting on behalf of a Beneficial Owner, must maintain appropriate security arrangements with a qualified broker-dealer, bank or other custody providers in each jurisdiction in which any of the portfolio securities are customarily traded, to which account such portfolio securities will be delivered.
Deliveries of redemption proceeds by the Fund generally will be made within two Business Days (i.e., "T+2"). The Fund reserves the right to settle redemption transactions on a basis other than T+2, including a shorter settlement period, if necessary or appropriate under the circumstances and compliant with applicable law. For example,  the Fund reserves the right to settle redemption transactions on a basis other than T+2 to accommodate non-U.S. market holiday schedules (as discussed in the Regular Holidays section of this SAI), to account for different treatment among non-U.S. and U.S. markets of dividend record dates and dividend ex-dates (i.e., the last date the holder of a security can sell the security and still receive dividends payable on the security sold) and in certain other circumstances. The Regular Holidays section of this SAI hereto identifies the instances, if any, where more than seven days would be needed to deliver redemption proceeds. Pursuant to an order of the SEC, the Fund will make delivery of redemption proceeds within the number of days stated in the Regular Holidays section of this SAI, up to a maximum of 14 days.
If neither the Authorized Participant nor the Beneficial Owner on whose behalf the Authorized Participant is acting has appropriate arrangements to take delivery of Fund Securities in the applicable non-U.S. jurisdiction and it is not possible to make other such arrangements, or if it is not possible to effect deliveries of Fund Securities in such jurisdiction, the Fund may in its discretion exercise its option to redeem such shares in cash, and the redeeming Beneficial Owner will be required to receive its redemption proceeds in cash. In such case, the investor will receive a cash payment equal to the NAV of its shares based on the NAV of the Fund next determined after the redemption request is received in proper form (minus a redemption transaction fee and additional charges specified above to offset the Fund's brokerage and other transaction costs associated with the disposition of Fund Securities). Redemptions of shares for Fund Securities will be subject to compliance with applicable U.S. federal and state securities laws and the Fund (whether or not it otherwise permits cash redemptions) reserves the right to redeem Creation Units for cash to the extent that the Fund cannot lawfully deliver specific Fund Securities upon redemptions or cannot do so without first registering the Fund Securities under such laws.
Although the Fund does not ordinarily permit cash redemptions of Creation Units (except that, as noted above, Creation Units of the Fund generally will be redeemed partially for cash), in the event that cash redemptions are permitted or required by the Fund, proceeds will be paid to the Authorized Participant redeeming shares as soon as practicable after the date of redemption (within seven calendar days thereafter, except for the instances listed in the section Regular Holidays below, in which more than seven calendar days would be needed).
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To the extent contemplated by an Authorized Participant's agreement with the Distributor or its agent, in the event an Authorized Participant has submitted a redemption request in proper form but is unable to transfer all or part of the Creation Unit to be redeemed to the Fund, at or prior to 10:00 a.m., Eastern time on the Exchange business day after the date of submission of such redemption request, the Distributor or its agent will accept the redemption request in reliance on the undertaking by the Authorized Participant to deliver the missing shares as soon as possible. Such undertaking shall be secured by the Authorized Participant's delivery and maintenance of collateral consisting of cash, in U.S. dollars in immediately available funds, having a value at least equal to 105% and up to 115%, which percentage the Fund may change at any time, in its sole discretion, of the value of the missing shares. Such cash collateral must be delivered no later than 10:00 a.m., Eastern time on the day after the date of submission of such redemption request and shall be held by the Custodian and marked-to-market daily. The fees of the Custodian in respect of the delivery, maintenance, and redelivery of the cash collateral shall be payable by the Authorized Participant. The cash collateral posted by the Authorized Participant may be invested at the risk of the Authorized Participant, and income, if any, on invested cash collateral will be paid to that Authorized Participant. The authorized participant agreement permits the Fund to acquire shares of the Fund at any time and subjects the Authorized Participant to liability for any shortfall between the aggregate of the cost to the Fund of purchasing such shares, plus the value of the Cash Amount, and the value of the cash collateral together with liability for related brokerage and other charges.
The right of redemption may be suspended or the date of payment postponed with respect to the Fund: (i) for any period during which the Exchange is closed (other than customary weekend and holiday closings); (ii) for any period during which trading on the Exchange 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's portfolio securities or determination of its NAV is not reasonably practicable; or (iv) in such other circumstance as is permitted by the SEC.
Taxation on Creations and Redemptions of Creation Units. An Authorized Participant generally will recognize either gain or loss upon the exchange of Deposit Securities for Creation Units. This gain or loss is calculated by taking the market value of the Creation Units purchased over the Authorized Participant's aggregate basis in the Deposit Securities exchanged therefor. However, the IRS may apply the wash sales rules to determine that any loss realized upon the exchange of Deposit Securities for Creation Units is not currently deductible. Authorized Participants should consult their own tax advisors.
Current U.S. federal income tax laws dictate that capital gain or loss realized from the redemption of Creation Units will generally create long-term capital gain or loss if the Authorized Participant holds the Creation Units for more than one year, or short-term capital gain or loss if the Creation Units were held for one year or less, if the Creation Units are held as capital assets.
Regular Holidays. For every occurrence of one or more intervening holidays in the applicable foreign market that are not holidays observed in the U.S. equity market, the redemption settlement cycle will be extended by the number of such intervening holidays. In addition to holidays, other unforeseeable closings in a foreign market due to emergencies may also prevent the Trust from delivering securities within normal settlement period.
The securities delivery cycles currently practicable for transferring Portfolio Securities to redeeming investors, coupled with foreign market holiday schedules, will require a delivery process longer than seven calendar days for each such Fund, in certain circumstances. The holidays applicable to the Fund during such periods are listed below, as are instances where more than seven days will be needed to deliver redemption proceeds. Although certain holidays may occur on different dates in subsequent years, the number of days required to deliver redemption proceeds in any given year is not expected to exceed the maximum number of days listed below for the Fund. The proclamation of new holidays, the treatment by market participants of certain days as “informal holidays” (e.g., days on which no or limited securities transactions occur, as a result of substantially shortened trading hours), the elimination of existing holidays, or changes in local securities delivery practices, could affect the information set forth herein at some time in the future.
For the calendar years 2021 and 2022, the dates of regular holidays affecting the relevant securities markets of the below listed countries are as follows:
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Canada
2021
January 1
May 24
September 6
December 28
February 15
July 1
October 11
 
April 2
August 2
December 27
 
2022
January 3
May 23
September 5
December 27
February 21
July 1
October 10
 
April 15
August 8
December 26
 
United States
2021
January 1
April 2
September 6
 
January 18
May 31
November 25
 
February 15
July 5
December 24
 
2022
January 17
May 30
November 24
 
February 21
July 4
December 26
 
April 15
September 5
   

DISCLOSURE OF PORTFOLIO HOLDINGS
The Trust has adopted a policy regarding the disclosure of information about the Trust’s portfolio holdings. The Fund and its service providers may not receive compensation or any other consideration (which includes any agreement to maintain assets in the Fund or in other investment companies or accounts managed by the Advisor, Sub-Advisor or any affiliated person of the Advisor or Sub-Advisor) in connection with the disclosure of portfolio holdings information of the Trust. The Trust’s policy is implemented and overseen by the chief compliance officer of the Fund, subject to the oversight of the Board. Periodic reports regarding these procedures will be provided to the Board. The Board must approve all material amendments to this policy. The Fund’s complete portfolio holdings are publicly disseminated each day the Fund is open for business through financial reporting and news services, including publicly accessible Internet web sites. 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 daily prior to the opening of the NYSE Arca via the National Securities Clearing Corporation (“NSCC”). The basket represents one Creation Unit of the Fund. The Trust, the Advisor, Sub-Advisor and the Distributor will not disseminate non-public information concerning the Trust.
NET ASSET VALUE
The NAV and NAV per share of the Fund is determined at the close of regular trading on the NYSE (normally 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time. The Fund’s NAV is not calculated on the days on which the NYSE is closed.  The New York Stock Exchange generally recognizes the following holidays:  New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, President’s Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day. The days on which these holidays are observed and any other holiday recognized by the NYSE will be deemed a business holiday on which the NAV of the Fund will not be calculated.
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The NAV per share of the Fund is calculated separately by adding the value of the Fund’s securities and other assets belonging to the Fund, subtracting the liabilities charged to the Fund, and dividing the result by the number of outstanding shares of the Fund. “Assets belonging to” the Fund consist of the consideration received upon the issuance of shares of the Fund together with all net investment income, realized gains/losses and proceeds derived from the investment thereof, including any proceeds from the sale of such investments, any funds or payments derived from any reinvestment of such proceeds, and a portion of any general assets of the Trust not belonging to a particular Fund.  Assets belonging to the Fund are charged with the direct liabilities of the Fund and with a share of the general liabilities of the Trust, which are normally allocated in proportion to the number of or the relative NAVs of all of the Trust’s series at the time of allocation or in accordance with other allocation methods approved by the Trustees.  Subject to the provisions of the Trust Instrument, determinations by the Trustees as to the direct and allocable liabilities, and the allocable portion of any general assets, with respect to the Fund are conclusive.
The pricing and valuation of portfolio securities is determined in good faith in accordance with procedures established by, and under the direction of, the Trustees.  Values are determined according to generally accepted accounting practices and all laws and regulations that apply.  Using methods approved by the Trustees, the assets of the Fund are valued as follows:
Securities that are listed on a securities exchange are valued at the last quoted sales price provided by a third-party pricing service at the time the valuation is made.  Price information on listed securities is taken from the exchange where the security is primarily traded by the Fund.
Securities that are listed on an exchange and which are not traded on the valuation date are valued at the bid price.
Unlisted securities for which market quotations are readily available are valued at the latest quoted sales price, if available, at the time of valuation, otherwise, at the latest quoted bid price.
Options are valued at the mean of the last quoted bid and ask prices provided by a third-party pricing service from the primary exchange or the board of trade on which such options are traded.
Foreign securities listed on foreign exchanges are valued with quotations from the primary market in which they are traded and are translated from the local currency into U.S. dollars using current exchange rates.
Temporary cash investments with maturities of 60 days or less will be valued at amortized cost, which approximates market value.
Securities for which no current quotations are readily available are valued at fair value as determined in good faith using methods approved by the Trustees.  Securities may be valued on the basis of prices provided by a pricing service when such prices are believed to reflect the fair market value of such securities.
ADDITIONAL TAX INFORMATION
The Fund intends to qualify for and has elected or intends to elect to be treated as a separate regulated investment company (a “RIC”) under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code, as amended (the “Code”). As a RIC, the Fund will not be subject to U.S. Federal income tax on the portion of its taxable investment income and capital gains that it distributes to its shareholders. To qualify for treatment as a RIC, the Fund must annually distribute at least 90% of its net investment company taxable income (which includes dividends, interest and net short-term capital gains) and meet several other requirements relating to the nature of its income and the diversification of its assets. If the Fund fails to qualify for any taxable year as a RIC, all of its taxable income will be subject to tax at regular corporate income tax rates without any deduction for distributions to shareholders, and such distributions generally will be taxable to shareholders as ordinary dividends to the extent of the relevant Fund's current and accumulated earnings and profits.
The Fund is treated as a separate corporation for federal income tax purposes. The Fund therefore is considered to be a separate entity in determining its treatment under the rules for RICs described herein and in the Prospectus.
The Fund will be subject to a 4% excise tax on certain undistributed income if it does not distribute to its shareholders in each calendar year at least 98.2% of its ordinary income (taking into account certain deferrals and elections) for the calendar year plus 98.2% of its net capital gains for twelve months ended October 31 of such year. The Fund intends to declare and distribute dividends and distributions in the amounts and at the times necessary to avoid the application of this 4% excise tax.
As a result of tax requirements, the Trust on behalf of the Fund has the right to reject an order to purchase Shares if the purchaser (or group of purchasers) would, upon obtaining the Shares so ordered, own 80% or more of the outstanding Shares of such Fund and if, pursuant to section 351 of the Code, that Fund would have a basis in the Deposit Securities different from the market value of such securities on the date of deposit. The Trust also has the right to require information necessary to determine beneficial Share ownership for purposes of the 80% determination.
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The Fund may make investments that are subject to special federal income tax rules, such as investments in repurchase agreements, money market instruments, convertible securities, and structured notes. Those special tax rules can, among other things, affect the timing of income or gain, the treatment of income as capital or ordinary and the treatment of capital gain or loss as long-term or short-term. The application of these special rules would therefore also affect the character of distributions made by the Fund. The Fund may need to borrow money or dispose of some of its investments earlier than anticipated in order to meet its distribution requirements.
Certain of the Fund’s investments may be subject to special U.S. 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) adversely affect when a purchase or sale of stock or securities is deemed to occur, (v) adversely alter the intended characterization of certain complex financial transactions (vi) cause the Fund to recognize income or gain without a corresponding receipt of cash, and (vii) produce non-qualifying income for purposes of the income test required to be satisfied by a RIC. The application of these rules could cause the Fund to be subject to U.S. federal income tax or the nondeductible 4% excise tax and, under certain circumstances, could affect the Fund’s status as a RIC. The Fund will monitor its investments and may make certain tax elections in order to mitigate the effect of these provisions.
The Fund may invest a portion of its net assets in below investment grade instruments. Investments in these types of instruments may present special tax issues for the Fund. U.S. federal income tax rules are not entirely clear about issues such as when the Fund may cease to accrue interest, original issue discount (OID) or market discount, when and to what extent deductions may be taken for bad debts or worthless instruments, how payments received on obligations in default should be allocated between principal and income, and whether exchanges of debt obligations in a bankruptcy or workout context are taxable. These and other issues will be addressed by the Fund to the extent necessary in order to seek to ensure that it distributes sufficient income that it does not become subject to U.S. federal income or excise tax.
Under Section 988 of the Code, special rules are provided for certain transactions in a foreign currency other than the taxpayer's functional currency (i.e., unless certain special rules apply, currencies other than the U.S. dollar). In general, foreign currency gains or losses from forward contracts, from futures contracts that are not “regulated futures contracts,” and from unlisted options will be treated as ordinary income or loss under Section 988 of the Code. Also, certain foreign exchange gains or losses derived with respect to foreign fixed income securities are also subject to Section 988 treatment. In general, therefore, Section 988 gains or losses will increase or decrease the amount of the Fund’s investment company taxable income available to be distributed to shareholders as ordinary income, rather than increasing or decreasing the amount of the Fund’s net capital gain.
Income received by the Fund from sources within foreign countries may be subject to withholding and other taxes imposed by such countries. Tax conventions between certain countries and the U.S. may reduce or eliminate such taxes. If more than 50% of the value of the Fund’s total assets at the close of its taxable year consists of stock or securities of foreign corporations, or if at least 50% of the value of the Fund’s total assets at the close of each quarter of its taxable year is represented by interests in other RICs, that Fund may elect to “pass through” to its shareholders the amount of foreign taxes paid or deemed paid by that Fund. If this election is made, a shareholder generally subject to tax will be required to include in gross income (in addition to taxable dividends actually received) its pro rata share of the foreign taxes paid by the Fund, and may be entitled either to deduct (as an itemized deduction) his or her pro rata share of foreign taxes in computing his taxable income or to use it (subject to limitations) as a foreign tax credit against his or her U.S. federal income tax liability. No deduction for foreign taxes may be claimed by a shareholder who does not itemize deductions. Each shareholder will be notified after the close of the Fund’s taxable year whether the foreign taxes paid by the Fund will “pass-through” for that year. Various other limitations, including a minimum holding period requirement, apply to limit the credit and/or deduction for foreign taxes for purposes of regular federal tax and/or alternative minimum tax.
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The Fund may gain commodity exposure through investment in exchange traded funds that are treated as RICs or “qualified publicly traded partnerships” or grantor trusts for U.S. federal income tax purposes. An exchange traded fund that seeks to qualify as a RIC may gain commodity exposure through investment in commodity- linked notes and in subsidiaries that invest in commodity-linked instruments. Although the IRS has issued numerous favorable private letter rulings to certain RICs that gain commodity exposure in this manner, such rulings can be relied on only by the taxpayers to whom they are issued. Moreover, the IRS currently is reconsidering whether and how a RIC should be permitted to gain commodity exposure. Future IRS guidance (or possibly legislation, other regulatory guidance or court decisions) could limit the ability of an exchange traded fund that qualifies as a RIC to gain commodity exposure regardless of whether that exchange traded fund previously received a favorable IRS private letter ruling with respect to such investment activity. Investments by the Fund in “qualified publicly traded partnerships” and grantor trusts that engage in commodity trading must be monitored and limited to enable the Fund to satisfy certain asset diversification and qualifying income tests for qualification as a RIC. Failure to satisfy either test would jeopardize the Fund’s status as a RIC. Loss of such status could materially adversely affect the Fund.
The Fund or some of the REITs in which the Fund may invest may be permitted to hold residual interests in real estate mortgage investment conduits (“REMIC”s). Under Treasury Regulations not yet issued, but that may apply retroactively, a portion of the Fund’s income from a REIT that is attributable to the REIT’s residual interest in a REMIC (referred to in the Code as an “excess inclusion”) will be subject to federal income tax in all events. These regulations are expected to provide that excess inclusion income of a RIC, such as the Fund, will be allocated to shareholders of the RIC in proportion to the dividends received by shareholders, with the same consequences as if shareholders held the related REMIC residual interest directly.
In general, excess inclusion income allocated to shareholders (i) cannot be offset by net operating losses (subject to a limited exception for certain thrift institutions), (ii) will constitute unrelated business taxable income to entities (including a qualified pension plan, an individual retirement account, a 401(k) plan, a Keogh plan, or other tax-exempt entity) subject to tax on unrelated business income, thereby potentially requiring such an entity that is allocated excess inclusion income, and that otherwise might not be required to file a tax return, to file a tax return and pay tax on such income, and (iii) in the case of a non-U.S. shareholder, will not qualify for any reduction in U.S. federal withholding tax.
If at any time during any taxable year a “disqualified organization” (as defined in the Code) is a record holder of a share in a RIC, then the RIC will be subject to a tax equal to that portion of its excess inclusion income for the taxable year that is allocable to the disqualified organization, multiplied by the highest federal income tax rate imposed on corporations. It is not expected that a substantial portion of the Fund’s assets will be residual interests in REMICs. Additionally, the Fund does not intend to invest in REITs in which a substantial portion of the assets will consist of residual interests in REMICs.
Distributions from the Fund's net investment income, including net short-term capital gains, if any, and distributions of income from securities lending, are taxable as ordinary income. Distributions reinvested in additional Shares of the Fund through the means of a dividend reinvestment service will be taxable dividends to Shareholders acquiring such additional Shares to the same extent as if such dividends had been received in cash. Distributions of net long-term capital gains, if any, in excess of net short-term capital losses are taxable as long-term capital gains, regardless of how long shareholders have held the Shares.
Dividends declared by the Fund in October, November, or December and paid to shareholders of record of such months during the following January may be treated as having been received by such shareholders in the year the distributions were declared.
Long-term capital gains tax of non-corporate taxpayers are generally taxed at a maximum rate of either 15% or 20%, depending on whether the taxpayer’s income exceeds certain threshold amounts. In addition, some ordinary dividends declared and paid by the Fund to non-corporate shareholders may qualify for taxation at the lower reduced tax rates applicable to long-term capital gains, provided that holding period and other requirements are met by the Fund and the shareholder. The Fund will report to shareholders annually the amounts of dividends received from ordinary income, the amount of distributions received from capital gains and the portion of dividends which may qualify for the dividends received deduction. In addition, the Fund will report the amount of dividends to non-corporate shareholders eligible for taxation at the lower reduced tax rates applicable to long-term capital gains.
An additional 3.8% Medicare tax is imposed on certain net investment income (including ordinary dividends and capital gain distributions received from the Fund and net gains from redemptions or other taxable dispositions of Fund shares) of U.S. individuals, estates, and trusts to the extent that such person’s “modified adjusted gross income” (in the case of an individual) or “adjusted gross income” (in the case of an estate or trust) exceeds certain threshold amounts.
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The sale, exchange, or redemption of Shares may give rise to a gain or loss. In general, any gain or loss realized upon a taxable disposition of Shares will be treated as long-term capital gain or loss if the Shares have been held for more than one year. Otherwise, the gain or loss on the taxable disposition of Shares will be treated as short-term capital gain or loss. A loss realized on a sale or exchange of Shares of the Fund may be disallowed if other substantially identical Shares are acquired (whether through the automatic reinvestment of dividends or otherwise) within a sixty-one (61) day period beginning thirty (30) days before and ending thirty (30) days after the date on which the Shares are disposed. In such a case, the basis of the Shares acquired must be adjusted to reflect the disallowed loss. Any loss upon the sale or exchange of Shares held for six (6) months or less is treated as long-term capital loss to the extent of any capital gain dividends received by the shareholders (including undistributed capital gain included in income). Distribution of ordinary income and capital gains may also be subject to state and local taxes.
Legislation passed by Congress requires reporting to you and the IRS annually on Form 1099-B not only the gross proceeds of Fund shares you sell or redeem but also their cost basis. Shareholders should contact their intermediaries with respect to reporting of cost basis and available elections with respect to their accounts.
If, for any calendar year, the total distributions made exceed the Fund's current and accumulated earnings and profits, the excess will, for federal income tax purposes, be treated as a tax-free return of capital to each shareholder up to the amount of the shareholder's basis in his or her shares, and thereafter as gain from the sale of shares. The amount treated as a tax-free return of capital will reduce the shareholder's adjusted basis in his or her shares, thereby increasing his or her potential gain or reducing his or her potential loss on the subsequent sale of his or her shares.
Distributions of ordinary income paid to shareholders who are nonresident aliens or foreign entities (“Foreign Shareholders”) that are not effectively connected to the conduct of a trade or business within the U.S. will generally be subject to a 30% U.S. withholding tax unless a reduced rate of withholding or a withholding exemption is provided under applicable treaty law. However, Foreign Shareholders will generally not be subject to U.S. withholding or income tax on gains realized on the sale of Shares or on dividends from capital gains unless (i) such gain or capital gain dividend is effectively connected with the conduct of a trade or business within the U.S., or (ii) in the case of a non-corporate shareholder, the shareholder is present in the U.S. for a period or periods aggregating 183 days or more during the year of the sale or capital gain dividend and certain other conditions are met. Gains on the sale of Shares and dividends that are effectively connected with the conduct of a trade or business within the U.S. will generally be subject to U.S. federal net income taxation at regular income tax rates.
Under an exemption recently made permanent by Congress, the Fund is not required to withhold any amounts with respect to distributions to foreign shareholders that are properly designated by the Fund as “interest-related dividends” or “short-term capital gain dividends,” provided that the income would not be subject to federal income tax if earned directly by the foreign shareholder. However, the Fund may withhold tax on these amounts regardless of the fact that it is not required to do so. Nonresident shareholders are urged to consult their own tax advisors concerning the applicability of the U.S. withholding tax.
Under the Foreign Investment in Real Property Tax Act of 1980 (“FIRPTA”), a Foreign Shareholder is subject to withholding tax in respect of a disposition of a U.S. real property interest and any gain from such disposition is subject to U.S. federal income tax as if such person were a U.S. person. Such gain is sometimes referred to as “FIRPTA gain.” If the Fund is a “U.S. real property holding corporation” and is not domestically controlled, any gain realized on the sale or exchange of Fund shares by a Foreign Shareholder that owns at any time during the five-year period ending on the date of disposition more than 5% of a class of Fund shares would be FIRPTA gain. The Fund will be a “U.S. real property holding corporation” if, in general, 50% or more of the fair market value of its assets consists of U.S. real property interests, including stock of certain U.S. REITs.
The Code provides a look-through rule for distributions of FIRPTA gain by a RIC if all of the following requirements are met: (i) the RIC is classified as a “qualified investment entity” (which includes a RIC if, in general more than 50% of the RIC’s assets consists of interest in REITs and U.S. real property holding corporations); and (ii) you are a Foreign Shareholder that owns more than 5% of the Fund’s shares at any time during the one-year period ending on the date of the distribution. If these conditions are met, Fund distributions to you to the extent derived from gain from the disposition of a U.S. real property interest, may also be treated as FIRPTA gain and therefore subject to U.S. federal income tax, and requiring that you file a nonresident U.S. income tax return. Also, such gain may be subject to a 30% branch profits tax in the hands of a Foreign Shareholder that is a corporation. Even if a Foreign Shareholder does not own more than 5% of the Fund’s shares, Fund distributions that are attributable to gain from the sale or disposition of a U.S. real property interest will be taxable as ordinary dividends subject to withholding at a 30% or lower treaty rate.
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Withholding is required (at a 30% rate) with respect to payments of taxable dividends and (effective January 1, 2019) redemption proceeds and certain capital gain dividends made to certain non-U.S. entities that fail to comply (or be deemed compliant) with extensive new reporting and withholding requirements designed to inform the U.S. Department of the Treasury of U.S.-owned foreign investment accounts. Shareholders may be requested to provide additional information to the Fund to enable the applicable withholding agent to determine whether withholding is required.
Non-U.S. Shareholders may also be subject to U.S. estate tax with respect to their shares of the Fund.
Some shareholders may be subject to a withholding tax on distributions of ordinary income, capital gains and any cash received on redemption of Creation Units (“backup withholding”). Generally, shareholders subject to backup withholding will be those for whom no certified taxpayer identification number is on file with the Fund or who, to the Fund’s knowledge, have furnished an incorrect number. When establishing an account, an investor must certify under penalty of perjury that such number is correct and that such investor is not otherwise subject to backup withholding.
The foregoing discussion is a summary only and is not intended as a substitute for careful tax planning. Purchasers of Shares should consult their own tax advisors as to the tax consequences of investing in such Shares, including under federal, state, local, and other tax laws. Finally, the foregoing discussion is based on applicable provisions of the Code, regulations, judicial authority, and administrative interpretations in effect on the date hereof. Changes in applicable authority could materially affect the conclusions discussed above, possibly retroactively.
The Fund is required for federal income tax purposes to mark to market and recognize as income for each taxable year its net unrealized gains and losses on certain futures contracts as of the end of the year as well as those actually realized during the year. Gain or loss from futures and options contracts on broad-based indexes required to be marked to market will be 60% long-term and 40% short-term capital gain or loss. Application of this rule may alter the timing and character of distributions to shareholders. The Fund may be required to defer the recognition of losses on futures contracts, options contracts and swaps to the extent of any unrecognized gains on offsetting positions held by the Fund.
In order for the Fund to continue to qualify for federal income tax treatment as a RIC, at least 90% of its gross income for a taxable year must be derived from qualifying income, i.e., dividends, interest, income derived from loans or securities, gains from the sale of securities or of foreign currencies, or other income derived with respect to the relevant Fund’s business of investing in securities (including net income derived from an interest in certain “qualified publicly traded partnerships”). It is anticipated that any net gain realized from the closing out of futures or options contracts will be considered gain from the sale of securities or derived with respect to the Fund’s business of investing in securities and therefore will be qualifying income for purposes of the 90% gross income requirement.
DIVIDENDS AND DISTRIBUTIONS
General Policies. Dividends from net investment income, if any, are declared and paid on an annual basis for the Fund. 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 RIC or to avoid imposition of income or excise taxes on undistributed income.
Dividends and other distributions on 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 relevant 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 broker to determine the availability and costs of the service and the details of participation therein. Brokers may require Beneficial Owners to adhere to specific procedures and timetables.
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FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
The audited financial statements of the Predecessor Fund for the fiscal year ended May 31, 2020, including the financial highlights appearing in the Annual Report to shareholders, are incorporated by reference and made a part of this document. You may request a copy of the Fund’s annual and semi-annual reports at no charge by calling the Fund at 1-800-773-3863.
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APPENDIX A – DESCRIPTION OF RATINGS
The Fund may acquire from time to time certain securities that meet the following minimum rating criteria (“Investment-Grade Debt Securities”) (or if not rated, of equivalent quality as determined by the Advisor).  The various ratings used by the nationally recognized securities rating services are described below.
A rating by a rating service represents the service’s opinion as to the credit quality of the security being rated.  However, the ratings are general and are not absolute standards of quality or guarantees as to the creditworthiness of an issuer.  Consequently, the Advisor believes that the quality of Investment-Grade Debt Securities in which the Fund may invest should be continuously reviewed and that individual analysts give different weightings to the various factors involved in credit analysis.  A rating is not a recommendation to purchase, sell, or hold a security, because it does not take into account market value or suitability for a particular investor.  When a security has received a rating from more than one service, each rating is evaluated independently.  Ratings are based on current information furnished by the issuer or obtained by the rating services from other sources that they consider reliable.  Ratings may be changed, suspended, or withdrawn as a result of changes in or unavailability of such information, or for other reasons.
S&P Global Ratings.  The following summarizes the highest four ratings used by S&P Global Ratings, a division of McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., for bonds which are deemed to be Investment‑Grade Debt Securities by the Advisor:
AAA – An obligation rated ‘AAA’ has the highest rating assigned by S&P Global Ratings. The obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is extremely strong.
AA – An obligation rated ‘AA’ differs from the highest-rated obligations only to a small degree. The obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is very strong.
A – An obligation rated ‘A’ is somewhat more susceptible to the adverse effects of changes in circumstances and economic conditions than obligations in higher-rated categories. However, the obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is still strong.
BBB – An obligation rated ‘BBB’ exhibits adequate protection parameters. However, adverse economic conditions or changing circumstances are more likely to lead to a weakened capacity of the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.
To provide more detailed indications of credit quality, the AA, A, and BBB ratings may be modified by the addition of a plus or minus sign to show relative standing within these major rating categories.
Bonds rated BB, B, CCC, CC, and C are not considered by the Advisor to be Investment‑Grade Debt Securities and are regarded as having significant speculative characteristics.  BB indicates the least degree of speculation and C the highest.  While such obligations will likely have some quality and protective characteristics, these may be outweighed by large uncertainties or major exposures to adverse conditions.
Commercial paper rated A‑1 by S&P Global Ratings indicates that the degree of safety regarding timely payment is strong.  Those issues determined to possess extremely strong safety characteristics are denoted A‑1+.  Capacity for timely payment on commercial paper rated A‑2 is satisfactory, but the relative degree of safety is not as high as for issues designated A‑1.
The rating SP‑1 is the highest rating assigned by S&P Global Ratings to short term notes and indicates strong capacity to pay principal and interest.  An issue determined to possess a very strong capacity to pay debt service is given a plus (+) designation.  The rating SP‑2 indicates a satisfactory capacity to pay principal and interest, with some vulnerability to adverse financial and economic changes over the term of the notes.  The rating SP-3 indicates a speculative capacity to pay principal and interest.
Moody’s Investor Service, Inc.  The following summarizes the highest four ratings used by Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. (“Moody’s”), for fixed-income obligations with an original maturity of one year or more, which are deemed to be Investment-Grade Debt Securities by the Advisor:
Aaa – Bond obligations rated Aaa are judged to be of the highest quality, subject to the lowest level of credit risk.
Aa – Bond obligations rated Aa are judged to be of high quality and are subject to very low credit risk.
A – Bond obligations rated A are considered upper-medium grade and are subject to low credit risk.
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Baa – Bond obligations rated Baa are judged to be medium-grade and subject to moderate credit risk and as such may possess certain speculative characteristics.
Obligations that are rated Ba, B, Caa, Ca, or C by Moody’s are not considered “Investment-Grade Debt Securities” by the Advisor.  Obligations rated Ba are judged to have speculative elements and are subject to substantial credit risk.  Obligations rated B are considered speculative and are subject to high credit risk.  Obligations rated Caa are judged to be of poor standing and are subject to very high credit risk.
Note: Moody’s appends numerical modifiers 1, 2, and 3 to each generic rating classification from Aa through Caa.  The modifier 1 indicates that the obligation ranks in the higher end of its generic rating category; the modifier 2 indicates a mid-range ranking; and the modifier 3 indicates a ranking in the lower end of that generic rating category.
Short-Term Ratings.
Moody’s short-term ratings are opinions of the ability of issuers to honor short-term financial obligations.  Ratings may be assigned to issuers, short-term programs, or individual short-term debt instruments.  Such obligations generally have an original maturity not exceeding thirteen months, unless explicitly noted.
Moody’s employs the following designations to indicate the relative repayment ability of rated issuers:
P-1 – Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated Prime-1 have a superior ability to repay short-term debt obligations.
P-2 – Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated Prime-2 have a strong ability to repay short-term debt obligations.
P-3 – Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated Prime-3 have an acceptable ability to repay short-term debt obligations.
NP – Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated Not Prime do not fall within any of the Prime rating categories.
Note: Canadian issuers rated P-1 or P-2 have their short-term ratings enhanced by the senior-most long-term rating of the issuer, its guarantor, or support-provider.
US Municipal Short-Term Debt and Demand Obligation Ratings.
Short-Term Debt Ratings.  There are three rating categories for short-term municipal obligations that are considered investment grade.  These ratings are designated as Municipal Investment Grade (MIG) and are divided into three levels – MIG 1 through MIG 3.  In addition, those short-term obligations that are of speculative quality are designated SG, or speculative grade.  MIG ratings expire at the maturity of the obligation.
MIG 1 – This designation denotes superior credit quality.  Excellent protection is afforded by established cash flows, highly reliable liquidity support, or demonstrated broad-based access to the market for refinancing.
MIG 2 – This designation denotes strong credit quality.  Margins of protection are ample, although not as large as in the preceding group.
MIG 3 – This designation denotes acceptable credit quality.  Liquidity and cash-flow protection may be narrow, and market access for refinancing is likely to be less well-established.
SG – This designation denotes speculative-grade credit quality.  Debt instruments in this category may lack sufficient margins of protection.
Demand Obligation Ratings.  In the case of variable rate demand obligations (VRDOs), a two-component rating is assigned; a long or short-term debt rating and a demand obligation rating.  The first element represents Moody’s evaluation of the degree of risk associated with scheduled principal and interest payments.  The second element represents Moody’s evaluation of the degree of risk associated with the ability to receive purchase price upon demand (“demand feature”), using a variation of the MIG rating scale, the Variable Municipal Investment Grade or VMIG rating.
When either the long- or short-term aspect of a VRDO is not rated, that piece is designated NR, e.g., Aaa/NR or NR/VMIG 1.
VMIG rating expirations are a function of each issue’s specific structural or credit features.
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VMIG 1 – This designation denotes superior credit quality.  Excellent protection is afforded by the superior short-term credit strength of the liquidity provider and structural and legal protections that ensure the timely payment of purchase price upon demand.
VMIG 2 – This designation denotes strong credit quality.  Good protection is afforded by the strong short-term credit strength of the liquidity provider and structural and legal protections that ensure the timely payment of purchase price upon demand.
VMIG 3 – This designation denotes acceptable credit quality.  Adequate protection is afforded by the satisfactory short-term credit strength of the liquidity provider and structural and legal protections that ensure the timely payment of purchase price upon demand.
SG – This designation denotes speculative-grade credit quality.  Demand features rated in this category may be supported by a liquidity provider that does not have an investment grade short-term rating or may lack the structural and/or legal protections necessary to ensure the timely payment of purchase price upon demand.
Fitch Ratings. The following summarizes the highest four ratings used by Fitch, Inc. (“Fitch”):
Long-Term Ratings.
AAA – Highest credit quality.  ‘AAA’ ratings denote the lowest expectation of credit risk.  They are assigned only in cases of exceptionally strong capacity for timely payment of financial commitments.  This capacity is highly unlikely to be adversely affected by foreseeable events.
AA – Very high credit quality.  ‘AA’ ratings denote expectations of very low default risk.  They indicate very strong capacity for payment of financial commitments.  This capacity is not significantly vulnerable to foreseeable events.
A – High credit quality.  ‘A’ ratings denote expectations of low default risk.  The capacity for payment of financial commitments is considered strong.  This capacity may, nevertheless, be more vulnerable to adverse business or economic conditions than is the case for higher ratings.
BBB – Good credit quality.  ‘BBB’ ratings indicate that expectations of default risk are currently low.  The capacity for payment of financial commitments is considered adequate, but adverse business or economic conditions are more likely to impair this capacity.
Long-term securities rated below BBB by Fitch are not considered by the Advisor to be Investment-Grade Debt Securities.  Securities rated BB and B are regarded as speculative with regard to a possible credit risk developing.  BB is considered speculative and B is considered highly speculative.  Securities rated CCC, CC, and C are regarded as a high default risk.  A rating CC indicates that default of some kind appears probable, while a rating C signals imminent default.  Securities rated DDD, D, and D indicate a default has occurred.
Short-Term Ratings.
F1 – Highest short-term credit quality.  The rating F1 indicates the strongest intrinsic capacity for timely payment of financial commitments; may have an added “+” to denote any exceptionally strong credit feature.
F2 – Good short-term credit quality.  The rating F2 indicates good intrinsic capacity for timely payment of financial commitments.
F3 – Fair short-term credit quality.  The rating F3 indicates the intrinsic capacity for timely payment of financial commitments is adequate.
B – Speculative short-term credit quality.  The rating B indicates minimal capacity for timely payment of financial commitments, plus heightened vulnerability to near term adverse changes in financial and economic conditions.
Short-term rates B, C, and D by Fitch are considered by the Advisor to be below investment-grade securities.  Short-term securities rated B are considered speculative, securities rated C have a high default risk, and securities rated D denote actual or imminent payment default.
(+) or (-) suffixes may be appended to a rating to denote relative status within major rating categories.  Such suffixes are not added to long-term ratings “AAA” category, categories below “CCC”, or short-term ratings other than “F1”.  The suffix “NR” indicates that Fitch does not publicly rate the issuer or issue in question.
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APPENDIX B – PROXY VOTING POLICIES
The following proxy voting policies are provided:
(1)
The Advisors’ Proxy Voting and Disclosure Policy, including a detailed description of the Advisors’ specific proxy voting guidelines.

(2)
The Sub-Advisors’ Proxy Voting and Disclosure Policy.


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Cavalier Investments, LLC
d/b/a
Adaptive Investments
Proxy Voting Policy


Policy
With respect to accounts over which Adaptive performs proxy voting, it maintains written policies and procedures as to the handling, research, voting and reporting of proxy voting and makes appropriate disclosures about Adviser’s proxy policies and practices. Our policy and practice includes the responsibility to receive and vote Client proxies where authorized and disclose any potential conflicts of interest as well as making information available to Clients about the voting of proxies for their portfolio securities and maintaining relevant and required records. Adviser’s Advisory Agreements evidence whether voting authority has been retained by the Client. Under ERISA, Adviser is responsible to vote proxies for the Client in the absence of specific written acknowledgement by the Client that the authority has been retained or granted elsewhere.
Background & Description
Proxy voting is an important right of shareholders and reasonable care and diligence must be undertaken to ensure that such rights are properly and timely exercised. The purpose of these proxy voting policies and procedures are to set forth the principles, guidelines and procedures by which Adaptive votes the securities owned by its Clients for which Adviser exercises voting authority and discretion (the “Proxies”).
These policies and procedures have been designed to ensure that Proxies are voted in the best interests of our Clients in accordance with our fiduciary duties and Rule 206(4)-6 under the Advisers Act. Investment advisers registered with the SEC, and which exercise voting authority with respect to Client securities, are required by Rule 206(4)-6 of the Advisers Act to (a) adopt and implement written policies and procedures that are reasonably designed to ensure that Client securities are voted in the best interests of Clients, which must include how an adviser addresses material conflicts that may arise between an adviser's interests and those of its Clients; (b) to disclose to Clients how they may obtain information from the adviser with respect to the voting of proxies for their securities; (c) to describe to Clients a summary of its proxy voting policies and procedures and, upon request, furnish a copy to its Clients; and (d) maintain certain records relating to the adviser's proxy voting activities when the adviser does have proxy voting authority.
Responsibility for voting the Proxies is established by investment management agreements or comparable documents with our Clients, and our proxy voting guidelines have been tailored to reflect these specific contractual obligations.  In addition, our proxy guidelines reflect the fiduciary standards and responsibilities for ERISA accounts set out in Department of Labor Bulletin 94-2. These policies and procedures do not apply to any Client that has retained authority and discretion to vote its own proxies or delegated such authority and discretion to a third party; Adviser takes no responsibility for the voting of any proxies on behalf of any such Client. For those Clients that have delegated such authority and discretion to Adviser, these policies and procedures apply equally to registered investment companies, institutional and retail accounts. These proxy voting policies and procedures are available to all Clients of Adviser upon request, subject to the provision that these policies and procedures are subject to change at any time without notice.
Responsibility
The Proxy Committee is responsible for the implementation and monitoring of Adviser’s Proxy Voting Policies  and  Procedures,  including  associated  practices,  disclosures  and  recordkeeping, as  well  as oversight of a third party voting agent, if one exists. The Proxy Committee may delegate responsibility for the performance of these activities (provided that it maintains records evidencing individuals to whom authority has been delegated) but oversight and ultimate responsibility remain with the Proxy Committee.
Procedures
Adaptive has delegated to Institutional Shareholder Services Inc. (“ISS”), an independent service provider, the administration of proxy voting for the Fund’s portfolio securities, subject to oversight by the Proxy Voting Committee, which consists of the same members as the Compliance Committee. Adaptive has a adopted the ISS Voting Guidelines (“Guidelines”), and absent a conflict, will vote the proxies consistent with the Guidelines. Once a year, prior to each proxy voting season, Adaptive will review the Guidelines to ensure they wish to vote consistent with the Guidelines.
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If Adaptive detects a material conflict of interest in connection with a proxy solicitation, it will abide by the following procedures:

x
With respect to clients that are registered investment companies, the Advisor will notify the client of the conflict and will vote the client’s shares in accordance with the client’s instructions; and

x
With respect to other clients, the Advisor will vote the proxy in accordance with the specifics of the Voting Guidelines (if addressed in the Voting Guidelines) or may abstain (if not addressed in the Voting Guidelines).
Adaptive will not neglect its proxy voting responsibilities, but it may abstain from voting if it deems that abstaining is in its Clients’ best interests. For example, Adaptive may be unable to vote securities that have been lent by the custodian. Also, proxy voting in certain countries involves “share blocking,” which limits Adaptive’s ability to sell the affected security during a blocking period that can last for several weeks. Adaptive believes that the potential consequences of being unable to sell a security usually outweigh the benefits of participating in a proxy vote, so Adaptive generally abstains from voting when share blocking is required. A member of the Proxy Committee will prepare and maintain memoranda describing the rationale for any instance in which Adaptive does not vote a Client’s proxy.
Adaptive will ensure that its third-party proxy voting vendor, ISS, is retaining the following information in connection with each proxy vote:
x The Issuer’s name;
x The security’s ticker symbol or CUSIP, as applicable;
x The shareholder meeting date;
x The number of shares that Adaptive voted;
x A brief identification of the matter voted on;
x Whether the matter was proposed by the Issuer or a security-holder;
x Whether Adaptive casts a vote;
x How Adaptive casts its vote (for the proposal, against the proposal, or abstain); and
x Whether Adaptive casts its vote with or against management.

Any attempt to influence the proxy voting process by Issuers or others not identified in these policies and procedures should be promptly reported to the CCO. Similarly, any Client’s attempt to influence proxy voting with respect to other Clients’ securities should be promptly reported to the CCO.
Under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (“ERISA”), investment advisers have special fiduciary responsibilities. Under ERISA, if the authority to manage a plan has been delegated to an investment manager, only the investment manager has the authority to vote proxies on behalf of the plan except, when the plan named fiduciary has reserved to itself or to another named fiduciary (as authorized by the plan document) the right to direct a plan trustee regarding the voting of proxies.
Adaptive will vote proxies on behalf of the Fund that are managed by the firm upon receiving written authorization from the fund board.  In voting on each and every issue, Adaptive has established a Proxy Voting Committee. This Committee will be responsible for voting proxies in the best interests of the Fund.
PROXY VOTING GUIDELINES: GENERAL
Adaptive   believes   the   best   financial   interest   of   its   clients   is   consistent   with   management’s recommendations. Therefore, Adaptive will generally vote consistent with management’s recommendations absent a compelling documented basis to vote otherwise. This will mean voting “for” proposals that are determined to improve the management of a company, increase the rights or preferences of the voted securities, and/or increase the chance that a premium offer would be made for the company or for the voted securities.
Adaptive’s  decision  to  vote  in  support  or  opposition  of  a  proposal  will  be  based  on  the  specific circumstances described in the proxy statement and other available information.
Adaptive will also consider any voting guidelines issued by clients, so long as these guidelines are consistent with Adaptive’s duties under applicable law, including ERISA.
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VOTING GUIDELINES: ROUTINE MATTERS
Adaptive expects to vote proxies in favor of routine proposals, unless there is specific information that approval of the proposal would adversely affect the value of the investment or would not be in the best interest of clients.  Such routine matters generally include, among others:  election of directors, appointment of independent auditors, increase in the outstanding common stock or other equity classes, date and place of the annual meeting, ratification of directors’ actions on routine matters, and indemnification of directors and/or officers.
VOTING PROCEDURES: SOCIAL CONSCIENCE/MORAL ISSUES
Adaptive will generally vote against proxies requiring management action on a moral or social issue unless such issue has escalated to the point where the company may be adversely affected by protests, governmental actions, or other serious economic consequences if no action is taken.   Where the economic impact of a proposal is not clear, a vote to “abstain” may be appropriate.
VOTING PROCEDURES: FINANCIAL OR CORPORATE GOVERNANCE QUESTIONS
Financial and corporate governance issues take more time to consider and may be complicated by activities such as hostile takeovers and mergers.  Adaptive will generally vote in favor of the following types of proposals:  incentive compensation plans for certain key employees and directors, mandatory retirement age for directors, confidential voting, cumulative voting, proposals to  lower barriers to shareholder action, proposals to restore shareholder ability to remove directors with or without cause.
Adaptive will generally vote against the following types of financial and corporate governance proposals: board entrenchment proposals and anti-takeover measures, such as “poison pill” and “golden parachute” provisions, limitations on shareholder ability to act, blank check preferred stock authorizations, eliminating cumulative voting rights, and proposals to adopt classified boards.
VOTING GUIDELINES: CLIENT GUIDELINES
Some Adaptive clients may have their own set of proxy voting guidelines. These may conflict with the proxy guidelines discussed above or the voting guidelines of another client.  If such a situation arises, Adaptive will comply with  client  guidelines by voting the proxies attributable to that client on a proportionate basis (based on the number of shares held by the client).
CLASS ACTIONS
As a fiduciary, Adaptive always seeks to act in Clients’ best interests with good faith, loyalty, and due care. Adaptive’s standard advisory contract authorizes the Company to direct Client participation in class actions. The Proxy Voting Committee will determine whether Clients will (a) participate in a recovery achieved through a class actions, or (b) opt out of the class action and separately pursue their own remedy. The Proxy Voting Committee oversees the completion of Proof of Claim forms and any associated documentation, the submission of such documents to the claim administrator, and the receipt of any recovered monies. The CCO will maintain documentation associated with Clients’ participation in class actions.
Employees must notify the CCO if they are aware of any material conflict of interest associated with Clients’ participation in class actions. The Proxy Voting Committee will evaluate any such conflicts and determine an appropriate course of action for Adaptive.
Adaptive generally does not serve as the lead plaintiff in class actions because the costs of such participation typically exceed any extra benefits that accrue to lead plaintiffs.
DISCLOSURES TO CLIENTS
Adaptive includes a description of its policies and procedures regarding proxy voting and class actions in Part 2 of Form ADV, along with a statement that Clients can contact the CCO to obtain a copy of these policies and procedures and information about how Adaptive voted with respect to the Client’s securities.
Any request for information about proxy voting or class actions should be promptly forwarded to the CCO, who will respond to any such requests.
As a matter of policy, Adaptive does not disclose how it expects to vote on upcoming proxies. Additionally, Adaptive does not disclose the way it voted proxies to unaffiliated third parties without a legitimate need to know such information.
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INVESTMENTS IN REGISTERED INVESTMENT COMPANIES
Section 12(d)(1)(F) of the Act provides a conditional exemption from the 5% and 10% limits in Section 12(d)(1)(A). Section 12(d)(1)(F) permits an acquiring fund to purchase or otherwise acquire shares of an underlying fund if, immediately after the purchase or acquisition, the acquiring fund and all of its affiliated persons would not own more than 3% of the underlying fund’s total outstanding stock, and if certain sales load restrictions are met. In addition, Section 12(d)(1)(F) provides that the acquiring fund “shall exercise voting rights by proxy or otherwise with respect to any security purchased or acquired pursuant to Section 12(d)(1)(F) in the manner prescribed by Section 12(d)(1)(E).”
In the event that there is a proxy vote with respect to shares of another investment company purchased and held by the Fund under Section 12(d)(1)(F), then the Fund will either (i) vote such shares in the same proportion as the vote of all other holders of such securities; or (ii) contact its shareholders for instructions regarding how to vote the proxy.
ADVISER TO A RIC
Adaptive has agreed to be responsible for voting proxies of issuers of securities held in the Adaptive Funds, a series of funds within the Starboard Investment Trust, in accordance with its proxy voting policies and procedures, outlined above.  The purposes of this procedure is to ensure that the Investment Manager complies with other obligations for disclosure and filing requirements that is required to be performed as the RIC’s Proxy Administrator. Each RIC is required to describe the policies and procedures that each adviser uses to determine how to vote proxies relating to portfolio securities. As such, Adaptive will provide its Proxy Voting Policy, and if requested by the Starboard Investment Trust, a summary of such Proxy Voting Policy for inclusion in the RIC’s Registration Statement, and will promptly provide the Starboard Investment Trust with any material amendments to the Proxy Voting Policy within a reasonable time after such amendment has taken effect.
Annually, through the review of the RIC’s registration statement, Adaptive’s CCO, or his designee, will review the disclosures in the registration statement and identify whether the appendix to the SAI with Adaptive’s Proxy Voting Policy is current.
Securities on Loan
The RIC may lend portfolio securities to brokers, dealers and other financial organizations that meet capital and other credit requirements or other criteria established by the RIC’s Board. Voting rights on the loaned securities may pass to the borrower.  However, the RIC’s policy states that the RIC must be entitled to exercise voting rights over the loaned securities in the event of a material event affecting its portfolio securities on loan. Adaptive will determine if a vote is material enough to warrant calling back the security out on loan, and will vote the securities in accordance with its proxy voting policies and procedures.
Quarterly Certification
On a quarterly basis, Adaptive will certify to the RICs’ Board that:
1. Adaptive has followed the Trust’s and the Advisor’s Proxy Voting and Disclosure Policies in voting proxies on behalf of the Fund.
2. If there have been any material issues or other items to report with respect to the Trust’s and Advisor’s Proxy Voting Policies.
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Bluestone Capital Management, LLC
Proxy Voting Policy
Bluestone Capital Management, as a matter of policy and as a fiduciary to our clients, has responsibility for voting proxies for portfolio securities consistent with the best economic interests of the clients. Our firm maintains written policies and procedures as to the handling, research, voting and reporting of proxy voting and makes appropriate disclosures about our firm’s proxy policies and practices. Our policy and practice includes the responsibility to monitor corporate actions, receive and vote client proxies and disclose any potential conflicts of interest as well as making information available to clients about the voting of proxies for their portfolio securities and maintaining relevant and required records.
Background
Proxy voting is an important right of shareholders and reasonable care and diligence must be undertaken to ensure that such rights are properly and timely exercised. Investment advisers registered with the SEC, and which exercise voting authority with respect to client securities, are required by Rule 206(4)-6 of the Advisers Act to (a) adopt and implement written policies and procedures that are reasonably designed to ensure that client securities are voted in the best interests of clients, which must include how an adviser addresses material conflicts that may arise between an adviser's interests and those of its clients; (b) to disclose to clients how they may obtain information from the adviser with respect to the voting of proxies for their securities; (c) to describe to clients a summary of its proxy voting policies and procedures and, upon request, furnish a copy to its clients; and (d) maintain certain records relating to the adviser's proxy voting activities when the adviser does have proxy voting authority.
Responsibility
Lee Calfo, has the responsibility for the implementation and monitoring of our proxy voting policy, practices, disclosures and record keeping, including outlining our voting guidelines in our procedures.
Procedure
Bluestone Capital Management has adopted procedures to implement the firm’s policy and reviews to monitor and insure the firm’s policy is observed, implemented properly and amended or updated, as appropriate, which include the following:
Voting Procedures
All employees will forward any proxy materials received on behalf of clients to Lee Calfo;
Lee Calfo, will determine which client accounts hold the security to which the proxy relates;
Absent material conflicts, Lee Calfo, will determine how Bluestone Capital Management should vote the proxy in accordance with applicable voting guidelines, complete the proxy and vote the proxy in a timely and appropriate manner.
Disclosure
Bluestone Capital Management will provide conspicuously displayed information in its Disclosure Document summarizing this proxy voting policy and procedures, including a statement that clients may request information regarding how Bluestone Capital Management voted a client’s proxies, and that clients may request a copy of these policies and procedures.
Kenneth Smith, will also send a copy of this summary to all existing clients who have previously received Bluestone Capital Management's Disclosure Document; or Kenneth Smith may send each client the amended Disclosure Document. Either mailing shall highlight the inclusion of information regarding proxy voting.
Client Requests for Information
All client requests for information regarding proxy votes, or policies and procedures, received by any employee should be forwarded to Lee Calfo.
In response to any request Lee Calfo will prepare a written response to the client with the information requested, and as applicable will include the name of the issuer, the proposal voted upon, and how Bluestone Capital Management voted the client’s proxy with respect to each proposal about which client inquired.

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Voting Guidelines
In the absence of specific voting guidelines from the client, Bluestone Capital Management will vote proxies in the best interests of each particular client. Bluestone Capital Management's policy is to vote all proxies from a specific issuer the same way for each client absent qualifying restrictions from a client. Clients are permitted to place reasonable restrictions on Bluestone Capital Management's voting authority in the same manner that they may place such restrictions on the actual selection of account securities.
As a general policy, Bluestone Capital Management believes that the management of each of the invested companies makes proxy voting recommendations that are in the best interest for the company and its shareholders. Bluestone Capital Management will therefore, as a matter of procedure, vote in a manner that is consistent with management recommendations except in certain specific situations where Bluestone Capital Management determines management recommendation is not consistent with its client’s interests. Any vote cast inconsistent with management recommendations will be specifically documented.
Conflicts of Interest
Bluestone Capital Management will identify any conflicts that exist between the interests of the adviser and the client by reviewing the relationship of Bluestone Capital Management with the issuer of each security to determine if Bluestone Capital Management or any of its employees has any financial, business or personal relationship with the issuer.
If a material conflict of interest exists, Kenneth Smith or Lee Calfo will determine whether it is appropriate to disclose the conflict to the affected clients, to give the clients an opportunity to vote the proxies themselves, or to address the voting issue through other objective means such as voting in a manner consistent with a predetermined voting policy or receiving an independent third party voting recommendation.
Bluestone Capital Management will maintain a record of the voting resolution of any conflict of interest.
Recordkeeping
Bluestone Capital Management retains records in accordance with the SEC’s five-year retention requirement and can be accessed by Bluestone Capital Management at any time.
Each proxy statement that Bluestone Capital Management receives;
A record of each vote that Bluestone Capital Management casts;
Furthermore, Bluestone Capital Management will retain any records that relate to the following.
Any document Bluestone Capital Management created that was material to making a decision how to vote proxies inconsistent with management recommendations.
A copy of each written request from a client for information on how Bluestone Capital
Management voted such client’s proxies, and a copy of any written response.





53


File Nos. 333-159484 and 811-22298



STARBOARD INVESTMENT TRUST
PART C
OTHER INFORMATION


ITEM 28. Exhibits
(a)
Declaration of Trust dated May 12, 2009 (“Trust Instrument”), is incorporated herein by reference to Registrant’s registration statement on Form N-1A (“Registration Statement”) filed on May 26, 2009.

(b)
By-Laws are incorporated herein by reference to the Registration Statement filed on May 26, 2009.

(c)
Articles III, V, and VI of the Trust Instrument define the rights of holders of the securities being registered and are incorporated herein by reference to the Registration Statement filed on May 26, 2009.

(d)(1)
Investment Advisory Agreement dated March 12, 2020  between the Registrant and Cavalier Investments, LLC (d/b/a Adaptive Investments), as investment advisor for the Adaptive Income Fund, Adaptive Fundamental Growth Fund, Adaptive Growth Opportunities Fund, Adaptive Hedged High Income Fund, Adaptive Tactical Economic Fund and Adaptive Tactical Rotation Fund (“Adaptive Funds”) is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 365 to the Registration Statement filed on September 28, 2020.

(d)(2)
Form of Investment Advisory Agreement dated December 17, 2020 between the Registrant and Cavalier Investments, LLC (d/b/a Adaptive Investments), as investment advisor for the Adaptive Growth Opportunities ETF is filed herewith.

(d)( 3 )
Investment Advisory Agreement dated September 15, 2010 between the Registrant and Roumell Asset Management, LLC, as investment advisor for the Roumell Opportunistic Value Fund, is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 27 to the Registration Statement filed on November 15, 2010.

(d)( 4 )
Investment Advisory Agreement dated April 28, 2011 between the Registrant and Grimaldi Portfolio Solutions, Inc., as investment advisor for The Sector Rotation Fund, is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 42 to the Registration Statement filed on June 27, 2011.

(d)( 5 )
Investment Advisory Agreement dated May 29, 2012, as amended July 11, 2012, between the Registrant and Arin Risk Advisors, LLC, as investment advisor for the Arin Large Cap Theta Fund, is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 67 to the Registration Statement filed on July 12, 2012.

(d)( 6 )
Investment Advisory Agreement dated June 8, 2017 between the Registrant and Deschutes Portfolio Strategies, LLC d/b/a Matisse Capital, as investment advisor for the Matisse Discounted Closed-End Fund Strategy, is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 268 to the Registration Statement filed on July 28, 2017.



(d)( 7 )
Investment Advisory Agreement dated May 3, 2017 between the Registrant and QCI Asset Management, Inc., as investment advisor for the QCI Balanced Fund, is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 318 to the Registration Statement filed on January 28, 2019.

(d)( 8 )
Investment Advisory Agreement dated March 8, 2018 between the Registrant and Deschutes Portfolio Strategy, LLC d/b/a Matisse Capital, as investment advisor for the Matisse Discounted Bond CEF Strategy, is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 302 to the Registration Statement filed on August 3, 2018.

(d)( 9 )
Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement dated September 5, 2018 between Cavalier Investments, LLC (d/b/a Adaptive Investments) and Bluestone Capital Management, LLC, as sub-advisor for the Adaptive Growth Opportunities Fund, is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 308 to the Registration Statement filed on September 28, 2018.

(d)(10)
Form of Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement dated December 17, 2020 between Cavalier Investments, LLC (d/b/a Adaptive Investments) and Bluestone Capital Management, LLC, as sub-advisor for the Adaptive Growth Opportunities ETF is filed herewith.

(e)(1)(i)
Distribution Agreement dated July 16, 2009 between the Registrant and Capital Investment Group, Inc., as distributor for each series of the Trust, is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 219 to the Registration Statement filed on September 28, 2015.

(e)(1)(ii)
Amended and Restated Appendix A dated September 12, 2019 to the Distribution Agreement between the Registrant and Capital Investment Group, Inc., as distributor for each series of the Trust, is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 350 filed on December 27, 2019.

(f)
Not Applicable.

(g)(1)(i)
Custody Agreement dated December 9, 2011, between the Registrant, UMB Bank, n.a., and The Nottingham Company (“Custody Agreement”) is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 219 to the Registration Statement filed on September 28, 2015.

(g)(1)(ii)
Amended and Restated Appendix A dated September 11, 2019 to the Custody Agreement is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 350 filed on December 27, 2019.

(g)(1)(iii)
Amended and Restated Appendix B dated September 12, 2019 to the Custody Agreement is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 350 filed on December 27, 2019.

(g)(1)(iv)
Rule 17f-5 Delegation Agreement dated October 21, 2019 between the Registrant and UMB Bank, n.a., is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 350 filed on December 27, 2019.

(g)(2)
Form of Custody Agreement between the Registrant and Clear Street, LLC is filed herewith.

(h)(1)(i)
Fund Accounting and Administration Agreement dated April 15, 2016 between the Registrant and The Nottingham Company, as administrator for the Starboard Investment Trust (“Fund Accounting and Administration Agreement”), is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 230 to the Registration Statement filed on June 28, 2016.




(h)(1)(ii)
Amended and Restated Appendix A dated June 11, 2020 to the Fund Accounting and Administration Agreement is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 356 to the Registration Statement filed on June 26, 2020.

(h)(2)(i)
Dividend Disbursing and Transfer Agent Agreement dated December 8, 2014 between the Registrant and Nottingham Shareholder Services, LLC, as transfer agent for the Registrant, is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 190 to the Registration Statement filed on December 11, 2014.

(h)(2)(ii)
Amended and Restated Schedule 1 dated September 12, 2019 to the Dividend Disbursing and Transfer Agent Agreement is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 350 filed on December 27, 2019.

(h)(3) (i)
Expense Limitation Agreement dated July 27, 2020 between the Registrant and Cavalier Investments, LLC (d/b/a Adaptive Investments), as investment advisor for the Adaptive Funds, is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 365 to the Registration Statement filed on September 28, 2020.

(h)(3)(ii)
Form of Expense Limitation Agreement dated December 17, 2020 between the Registrant and Cavalier Investments, LLC (d/b/a Adaptive Investments), as investment advisor for the Adaptive Growth Opportunities ETF is filed herewith.

(h)(4)
Expense Limitation Agreement dated June 11, 2020 between the Registrant and Deschutes Portfolio Strategy, LLC d/b/a Matisse Capital, as investment advisor for the Matisse Discounted Closed-End Fund Strategy and Matisse Discounted Bond CEF Strategy, is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 359 to the Registration Statement filed on July 29, 2020.

(h)(5)
Expense Limitation Agreement dated September 6, 2018 between the Registrant and QCI Asset Management, Inc., as investment advisor for the QCI Balanced Fund, is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 318 to the Registration Statement filed on January 28, 2019.

(h)(6)
Expense Limitation Agreement dated September 10, 2020 between the Registrant and Roumell Asset Management, Inc., as investment advisor for the Roumell Opportunistic Value Fund, is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 370 to the Registration Statement filed December 29, 2020 .

(h)(7)
Expense Limitation Agreement dated September 6, 2018 between the Registrant and Grimaldi Portfolio Solutions, Inc., as investment advisor for The Sector Rotation Fund, is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 317 to the Registration Statement filed on January 28, 2019.

(h)(8)
Operating Plan between Arin Risk Advisors, LLC and The Nottingham Company, with respect to the Arin Large Cap Theta Fund, is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 65 to the Registration Statement filed on May 4, 2012.

 (i)(1)
Opinion and Consent of Counsel is filed herewith. .

(j)

(k)
Not applicable.

(l)(1)
Initial Subscription Agreement for the Roumell Opportunistic Value Fund is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 61 to the Registration Statement filed on December 29, 2011.

(l)(2)
Initial Subscription Agreement for the Arin Large Cap Theta Fund is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 80 to the Registration Statement filed on October 22, 2012.




(l)(3)
Initial Subscription Agreement for the Matisse Discounted Closed-End Fund Strategy is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 80 to the Registration Statement filed on October 22, 2012.

(l)(4)
Initial Subscription Agreement for the QCI Balanced Fund is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 175 to the Registration Statement filed on July 29, 2014.

(l)( 5 )
Initial Subscription Agreement for Matisse Discounted Bond CEF Strategy is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 302 to the Registration Statement filed on August 3, 2018.

(l)(6)
Form of Initial Subscription Agreement for the Adaptive Growth Opportunities ETF is filed herewith.

(m)(1)
Amended and Restated Distribution Plan under Rule 12b-1 for the Adaptive Funds is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 277 to the Registration Statement filed on September 28, 2017.

(m)(2)
Distribution Plan under Rule 12b-1 for the Arin Large Cap Theta Fund is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 172 to the Registration Statement filed on June 30, 2014.

(m)(3)
Distribution Plan under Rule 12b-1 for the QCI Balanced Fund is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 159 to the Registration Statement filed on November 15, 2013.

(m)(5)
Distribution Plan under Rule 12b-1 for The Sector Rotation Fund is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 253 to the Registration Statement filed on April 13, 2017.

(n)(1)
Rule 18f-3 Multi-Class Plan for the Adaptive Funds is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 350 filed on December 27, 2019.

(n)(2)
Rule 18f-3 Multi-Class Plan for the Arin Large Cap Theta Fund is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 350 filed on December 27, 2019.

(n)(3)
Rule 18f-3 Multi-Class Plan for the QCI Balanced Fund is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 159 to the Registration Statement filed on November 15, 2013.

(o)
Reserved.

(p)(1)
Code of Ethics dated June 11, 2020 for the Registrant is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 356 filed on June 26, 2020.

(p)(2)
Code of Ethics for Adaptive Investments, investment advisor to the Adaptive Funds, is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 237 to Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed on September 28, 2016.

(p)(3)
Code of Ethics for Roumell Asset Management, LLC, investment advisor to the Roumell Opportunistic Value Fund, is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 284 to the Registration Statement filed on December 29, 2017.

(p)(4)
Code of Ethics for Grimaldi Portfolio Solutions, Inc., investment advisor to The Sector Rotation Fund, is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 317 filed on January 28, 2019.





(p)(5)
Code of Ethics for Arin Risk Advisors, LLC, investment advisor to the Arin Large Cap Theta Fund, is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 230 to the Registration Statement filed on June 28, 2016.

(p)(6)
Code of Ethics for Deschutes Portfolio Strategies, Inc., d/b/a Matisse Capital, investment advisor to the Matisse Discounted Closed-End Strategy and Matisse Discounted Bond CEF Strategy, is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 268 filed on July 28, 2017.

(p)(7)
Code of Ethics for QCI Asset Management, Inc., investment advisor to the QCI Balanced Fund, is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 318 filed on January 28, 2019.

(p)(8)
Code of Ethics for Capital Investment Group, Inc., distributor for each series of the Trust, is Incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 305 to the Registration Statement filed on September 28, 2018.

(p)(10)
Code of Ethics for Bluestone Capital Management, LLC, investment sub-advisor to the Adaptive Tactical Economic Fund, is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 308 to the Registration Statement filed on September 28, 2018.

(q)(1)
Powers of Attorney are incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 350 filed on December 27, 2019.

(q)(2)
Power of Attorney dated September 3, 2020 for Ashley H. Lanham is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 370 filed on December 29, 2020 .


ITEM 29.  Persons Controlled by or Under Common Control with the Registrant
No person is controlled by or under common control with the Registrant.
ITEM 30.  Indemnification
Under Delaware law, Section 3817 of the Treatment of Delaware Statutory Trusts empowers Delaware business trusts to indemnify and hold harmless any trustee or beneficial owner or other person from and against any and all claims and demands whatsoever, subject to such standards and restrictions as may be set forth in the governing instrument of the business trust.  The Registrant’s Trust Instrument contains the following provisions:
Article VII. Section 2.  Indemnification and Limitation of Liability.  The Trustees shall not be responsible or liable in any event for any neglect or wrong-doing of any officer, agent, employee, Advisor or Principal Underwriter of the Trust, nor shall any Trustee be responsible for the act or omission of any other Trustee, and, as provided in Section 3 of this Article VII, the Trust out of its assets shall indemnify and hold harmless each and every Trustee and officer of the Trust from and against any and all claims, demands, costs, losses, expenses, and damages whatsoever arising out of or related to such Trustee's performance of his or her duties as a Trustee or officer of the Trust; provided that nothing herein contained shall indemnify, hold harmless or protect any Trustee or officer from or against any liability to the Trust or any Shareholder to which he or she would otherwise be subject by reason of willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of the duties involved in the conduct of his or her office.
Every note, bond, contract, instrument, certificate or undertaking and every other act or thing whatsoever issued, executed or done by or on behalf of the Trust or the Trustees or any of them in connection with the Trust shall be conclusively deemed to have been issued, executed or done only in or with respect to their or his or her capacity as Trustees or Trustee, and such Trustees or Trustee shall not be personally liable thereon.

Article VII. Section 3.  Indemnification.
(a) Subject to the exceptions and limitations contained in Subsection (b) below:
(i) every person who is, or has been, a Trustee or an officer, employee or agent of the Trust (including any individual who serves at its request as director, officer, partner, trustee or the like of another organization in which it has any interest as a shareholder, creditor or otherwise) (“Covered Person”) shall be indemnified by the Trust or the appropriate Series to the fullest extent permitted by law against liability and against all expenses reasonably incurred or paid by him 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 a Covered Person and against amounts paid or incurred by him in the settlement thereof; and
(ii) as used herein, the words “claim,” “action,” “suit,” or “proceeding” shall apply to all claims, actions, suits or proceedings (civil, criminal or other, including appeals), actual or threatened, and the words “liability” and “expenses” shall include, without limitation, attorneys, fees, costs, judgments, amounts paid in settlement, fines, penalties and other liabilities.
(b) No indemnification shall be provided hereunder to a Covered Person:
(i) who shall have been adjudicated by a court or body before which the proceeding was brought (A) to be liable to the Trust or its Shareholders by reason of willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of the duties involved in the conduct of his office, or (B) not to have acted in good faith in the reasonable belief that his action was in the best interest of the Trust; or
(ii) in the event the matter is not adjudicated by a court or other appropriate body, unless there has been a determination that such Covered Person did not engage in willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of the duties involved in the conduct of his office: by at least a majority of those Trustees who are neither Interested Persons of the Trust nor are parties to the matter based upon a review of readily available facts (as opposed to a full trial-type inquiry); or by written opinion of independent legal counsel based upon a review of readily available facts (as opposed to a full trial-type inquiry).
(c) The rights of indemnification herein provided may be insured against by policies maintained by the Trust, shall be severable, shall not be exclusive of or affect any other rights to which any Covered Person may now or hereafter be entitled, and shall inure to the benefit of the heirs, executors and administrators of a Covered Person.
(d) To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, expenses incurred in defending any proceeding may be advanced by the Trust before the disposition of the proceeding upon receipt of an undertaking by or on behalf of such Covered Person that such amount will be paid over by him to the Trust or applicable Series if it is ultimately determined that he is not entitled to indemnification under this Section; provided, however, that either a majority of the Trustees who are neither Interested Persons of the Trust nor parties to the matter, or independent legal counsel in a written opinion, shall have determined, based upon a review of readily available facts (as opposed to a full trial-type inquiry) that there is reason to believe that such Covered Person will not be disqualified from indemnification under this Section.
(e) Any repeal or modification of this Article VII by the Shareholders, or adoption or modification of any other provision of the Declaration or By-laws inconsistent with this Article, shall be prospective only, to the extent that such repeal, or modification would, if applied retrospectively, adversely affect any limitation on the liability of any Covered Person or indemnification available to any Covered Person with respect to any act or omission which occurred prior to such repeal, modification or adoption.
In addition, the Registrant has entered into the following agreements: Investment Advisory Agreements, Investment Sub-Advisory Agreements, and Distribution Agreements.  These agreements provide indemnification for those entities and their respective affiliates.  Certain personnel of the Advisors, Distributor or Administrator may serve as trustees and/or officers of the Trust.

Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (“Securities Act”), may be permitted to trustees, officers and controlling persons of the Registrant by the Registrant pursuant to the Trust Instrument or otherwise, the Registrant is aware that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission, such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and, therefore, is unenforceable.  In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the Registrant of expenses incurred or paid by trustees, officers or controlling persons of the Registrant in connection with the successful defense of any act, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such trustees, officers or controlling persons in connection with the shares being registered, the Registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issues.
ITEM 31.  Business and other Connections of the Investment Advisor
(a) Cavalier Investments, LLC (d/b/a Adaptive Investments) serves as the investment adviser to the Adaptive Funds and Adaptive Growth Opportunities ETF.  The information required by this Item 31 regarding any other business, profession, vocation or employment of a substantial nature engaged in by Cavalier Investments, LLC and its directors, officers or partners during the past two years is included in Cavalier Investments, LLC’s Form ADV filed with the SEC (File No. 801-106545) and is incorporated herein by reference.
(b) Roumell Asset Management, LLC serves as the investment adviser to the Roumell Opportunistic Value Fund.  The information required by this Item 31 regarding any other business, profession, vocation or employment of a substantial nature engaged in by Roumell Asset Management, LLC and its directors, officers or partners during the past two years is included in Roumell Asset Management, LLC’s Form ADV filed with the SEC (File No. 801-60837) and is incorporated herein by reference.
(c) Grimaldi Portfolio Solutions, Inc. serves as the investment adviser to The Sector Rotation Fund.  The information required by this Item 31 regarding any other business, profession, vocation or employment of a substantial nature engaged in by Grimaldi Portfolio Solutions, Inc. and its directors, officers or partners during the past two years is included in Grimaldi Portfolio Solutions, Inc.’s Form ADV filed with the SEC (File No. 801-51163) and is incorporated herein by reference.
(d) Arin Risk Advisors, LLC serves as the investment adviser to the Arin Large Cap Theta Fund.  The information required by this Item 31 regarding any other business, profession, vocation or employment of a substantial nature engaged in by Arin Risk Advisors, LLC and its directors, officers or partners during the past two years is included in Arin Risk Advisors, LLC’s Form ADV filed with the SEC (File No. 801-70598) and is incorporated herein by reference.
(e) Deschutes Portfolio Strategies, LLC d/b/a Matisse Capital serves as the investment adviser to the Matisse Discounted Closed-End Fund Strategy and Matisse Discounted Bond CEF Strategy.  The information required by this Item 31 regarding any other business, profession, vocation or employment of a substantial nature engaged in by Deschutes Portfolio Strategies, LLC and its directors, officers or partners during the past two years is included in Deschutes Portfolio Strategies, LLC’s Form ADV filed with the SEC (File No. 801-72004) and is incorporated herein by reference.
(f) QCI Asset Management, Inc. serves as the investment adviser to the QCI Balanced Fund.  The information required by this Item 31 regarding any other business, profession, vocation or employment of a substantial nature engaged in by QCI Asset Management, Inc. and its directors, officers or partners during the past two years is included in QCI Asset Management, Inc.’s Form ADV filed with the SEC (File No. 801-12815) and is incorporated herein by reference.
(g) Bluestone Capital Management, LLC serves as the investment sub-adviser to the Adaptive Growth Opportunities Fund and Adaptive Growth Opportunities ETF.  The information required by this Item 31 regarding any other business, profession, vocation or employment of a substantial nature engaged in by Bluestone Capital Management, LLC and its directors, officers or partners during the past two years is included in Bluestone Capital Management, LLC’s Form ADV filed with the SEC (File No. 801-77657) and is incorporated herein by reference.


ITEM 32.  Principal Underwriter
(a) Capital Investment Group, Inc. is underwriter and distributor for Starboard Investment Trust, Aspiration Funds, Hillman Capital Management Investment Trust, Leeward Investment Trust, and Spinnaker ETF Series.
(b) Set forth below is information concerning each director and officer of the Distributor.  The principal business address of the Distributor and each such person is 100 E Six Forks Road, Suite 200, Raleigh, NC 27609.

(1)
(2)
(3)

Name
Position and Offices
With Underwriter

Positions and Offices
with Registrant
Richard K. Bryant
CEO
None
Benjamin T. Brooks
President
None
Con T. McDonald
Assistant Vice-President
None
W. Harold Eddins, Jr.
Assistant Vice-President
None
Kurt A. Dressler
Assistant Vice-President
None
Ronald L. King
Chief Compliance Officer
None

(c) Not applicable.
ITEM 33.  Location of Accounts and Records
(a)
The Registrant maintains accounts, books and other documents required by Section 31(a) of the 1940 Act and the rules thereunder (“Records”) at the offices of The Nottingham Company, 116 S. Franklin Street, Rocky Mount, NC 27802.
(b)
UMB Bank, n.a. maintains all Records relating to its service as custodian to the Registrant at its offices located at 928 Grand Boulevard, 5th Floor, Kansas City, Missouri 64106.
(c)
The Nottingham Company maintains all Records related to its services as administrator and fund accountant to the Registrant at its offices located at 116 South Franklin Street, Rocky Mount, North Carolina 27802.
(d)
Nottingham Shareholder Services, LLC maintains all Records related to its services as dividend disbursing and transfer agent to the Registrant at 116 South Franklin Street, Rocky Mount, North Carolina 27802.
(e)
Arin Risk Advisors, LLC maintains all Records related to its services as investment advisor for the Arin Large Cap Theta Fund at its offices located at 1100 East Hector Street, Suite 215, Conshohocken, Pennsylvania 19428.
(f)
Cavalier Investments, LLC (d/b/a Adaptive Investments) maintains all Records related to its services as investment advisor to the Adaptive Funds and Adaptive Growth Opportunities ETF at its offices located at 12600 Deerfield Drive, Suite 100, Alpharetta, GA 30004.
(g)
Bluestone Capital Management, LLC maintains all Records related to its services as investment sub-advisor to the Adaptive Growth Opportunities Fund and Adaptive Growth Opportunities ETF at its offices located at 37 West Avenue, Suite 301, Wayne, PA 19087.
(h)
Deschutes Portfolio Strategies, Inc. d/b/a Matisse Capital maintains all Records related to its services as investment advisor to the Matisse Discounted Closed-End Fund Strategy and Matisse Discounted Bond CEF Strategy at its offices located at 4949 Meadows Road, Suite 200, Lake Oswego, Oregon 97035.
(i)
Grimaldi Portfolio Solutions, Inc. maintains all Records related to its services as investment advisor to The Sector Rotation Fund at its offices located at 1207 Route 9, Suite 10, Wappingers Falls, NY 12590.


(j)
Roumell Asset Management, LLC maintains all Records related to its services as investment advisor to the Roumell Opportunistic Value Fund at its offices located at 2 Wisconsin Circle, Suite 640, Chevy Chase, Maryland 20815.
(k)
QCI Asset Management, Inc. maintains all Records related to its services as investment advisor for the QCI Balanced Fund at its offices located at 1040 Pittsford Victor Road, Pittsford, New York 14534.
ITEM 34.  Management Services
None.
ITEM 35.  Undertakings
None.



SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (“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, thereto duly authorized, in the City of Rocky Mount, State of North Carolina on this 29th  day of December, 2020.

 
STARBOARD INVESTMENT TRUST
     
 
By:
/s/ Katherine M. Honey*
   
Katherine M. Honey
   
President and Principal Executive Officer


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

Signature
Title
Date
     
/s/James H. Speed, Jr.*
Trustee and Chairman
December 29, 2020
James H. Speed, Jr.
   
     
/s/J. Buckley Strandberg*
Trustee
December 29, 2020
J. Buckley Strandberg
   
     
/s/Michael G. Mosley*
Trustee
December 29, 2020
Michael G. Mosley
   
     
/s/Theo H. Pitt, Jr.*
Trustee
December 29, 2020
Theo H. Pitt, Jr.
   
     
/s/Katherine M. Honey*
President and Principal Executive Officer
December 29, 2020
Katherine M. Honey
   
     
/s/Ashley H. Lanham*
Ashley H. Lanham
Treasurer, Principal Financial Officer and Principal Accounting Officer
December 29, 2020
     
/s/ Tracie A. Coop
*By: Tracie A. Coop
        Attorney-in-Fact pursuant to Powers of Attorney dated December 12, 2019 incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 350 filed on December 27, 2019 and the Power-of-Attorney dated September 3, 2020 incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 370 filed on December 29, 2020 .

Exhibit Index

(d)(2)
Form of Investment Advisory Agreement for Adaptive Growth Opportunities ETF

(d)(10)
Form of Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement for Adaptive Growth Opportunities ETF

(g)(2)
(h)(3)(ii)
Form of Expense Limitation Agreement for Adaptive Growth Opportunities ETF

(i)(1)
(j)
(l)(6)
Form of Initial Subscription Agreement for the Adaptive Growth Opportunities ETF







Exhibit (d)(2)
FORM OF INVESTMENT ADVISORY AGREEMENT

THIS INVESTMENT ADVISORY AGREEMENT (“Agreement”) is made and entered into as of this 17th day of December, 2020, by and between STARBOARD INVESTMENT TRUST, a Delaware statutory trust (the “Trust”), and Cavalier Investments, LLC d/b/a Adaptive Investments, a Massachusetts limited liability company (the “Advisor”), located at 12600 Deerfield Drive, Suite #100, Alpharetta, GA 30005, on behalf of the series of the Adaptive Fund Family enumerated in Appendix A hereof (such series, together with all other series subsequently established by the Trust and made subject to this Agreement in accordance with the terms contained below, being herein referred to as a “Fund,” and collectively as the “Funds.”).

WHEREAS, The Trust is registered as an open-end management investment company under the Investment Company act of 1940, as amended (the “Act”); and

WHEREAS, the Trust is authorized to issue shares of beneficial interest in separate series, each having its own investment objective or objectives, policies and limitations; and

WHEREAS, the Trust offers such shares in the series named on Appendix A hereto; and

WHEREAS, the Advisor is or soon will be registered as an investment advisor under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, and engages or will soon engage in the business of asset management; and

WHEREAS, the Trust desires to retain the Advisor to render investment advisory services to the Trust with respect to each Fund in the manner and on the terms and conditions hereinafter set forth, and the Advisor is willing to furnish such services;

NOW, THEREFORE, the parties hereto agree as follows:

1.
APPOINTMENT OF THE ADVISOR
The Trust appoints the Advisor as investment advisor to the Funds, each a series of the Trust, for the period and on the terms set forth in this Agreement.  The Advisor accepts such appointment and agrees to furnish the services set forth herein, for the compensation indicated in Appendix A.


2.
OBLIGATIONS OF THE ADVISOR
Subject to the supervision of the Trust’s Board of Trustees, the Advisor will provide a continuous investment program for the Funds.

(a)
Services.  The Advisor agrees to perform the following services for the Funds and Trust:

i.
Manage the investment and reinvestment of the assets of the Funds;

ii.
Continuously review, supervise, and administer the investment program of the Funds;

iii.
Determine, in its discretion, the securities to be purchased, retained, or sold (and implement those decisions) with respect to the Funds;

iv.
Provide the Funds and Trust with records concerning the Advisor’s activities under this Agreement which the Funds and Trust are required to maintain;

v.
Render regular reports to the Trust’s trustees and officers concerning the Advisor’s discharge of the foregoing responsibilities; and

vi.
Perform such other services as agreed by the Advisor and the Trust from time to time.

The Advisor shall discharge the foregoing responsibilities subject to the control of the trustees and officers of the Trust and in compliance with (i) such policies as the trustees may from time to time establish; (ii) the Funds’ objectives, policies, and limitations as set forth in the prospectus and statement of additional information, as the same may be amended from time to time; and (iii) with all applicable laws and regulations.  All services to be furnished by the Advisor under this Agreement may be furnished through the medium of any directors, officers, or employees of the Advisor or through such other parties as the Advisor may determine from time to time.

(b)
Expenses and Personnel.  The Advisor agrees, at its own expense or at the expense of one or more of its affiliates, to render its services and to provide the office space, furnishings, equipment, and personnel as may be reasonably required in the judgment of the trustees and officers of the Trust to perform the services on the terms and for the compensation provided herein.  The Advisor shall authorize and permit any of its officers, directors, and employees, who may be elected as trustees or officers of the Trust, to serve in the capacities in which they are elected.  Except to the extent expressly assumed by the Advisor herein and except to the extent required by law to be paid by the Advisor, the Trust shall pay all costs and expenses in connection with its operation.



(c)
Fund Transactions.  The Advisor is authorized to select the brokers or dealers that will execute the purchases and sales of portfolio securities for each Fund.  With respect to brokerage selection, the Advisor shall seek to obtain the best overall execution for fund transactions, which is a combination of price, quality of execution, and other factors.  The Advisor may, in its discretion, purchase and sell portfolio securities from and to brokers and dealers who provide the Advisor with brokerage, research, analysis, advice, and similar services, and the Advisor may pay to these brokers and dealers, in return for such services, a higher commission or spread than may be charged by other brokers and dealers, provided that the Advisor determines in good faith that such commission is reasonable in terms either of that particular transaction or of the overall responsibility of the Advisor to each Fund and its other clients and that the total commission paid by each Fund will be reasonable in relation to the benefits to each Fund and its other clients over the long-term.  The Advisor will promptly communicate to the officers and the trustees of the Trust such information relating to portfolio transactions as they may reasonably request.

(d)
Books and Records.  All books and records prepared and maintained by the Advisor for the Funds and Trust under this Agreement shall be the property of the Funds and Trust and, upon request, the Advisor shall surrender to the Funds and Trust such of the books and records so requested.

(e)
Compliance Procedures.  The Advisor will, in accordance with Rule 206(4)-7 of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, adopt and implement written policies and procedures reasonably designed to prevent violations of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 and will provide the Trust with copies of such written policies and procedures upon request.
(f)
Code of Ethics.  The Advisor has adopted a written code of ethics complying with the requirements of Rule 17j-l under the Act and will provide the Trust with a copy of the code and evidence of its adoption. Within forty-five (45) days of the last calendar quarter of each year while this Agreement is in effect, the Advisor will provide to the Board of Trustees of the Trust a written report that describes any issues arising under the code of ethics since the last report to the Board of Trustees, including, but not limited to, information about material violations of the code and sanctions imposed in response to the material violations; and which certifies that the Advisor has adopted procedures reasonably necessary to prevent “access persons” (as that term is defined in Rule 17j-l) from violating the code.


3.
COMPENSATION
The Trust will pay, or cause to be paid to, the Advisor and the Advisor will accept as full compensation an investment advisory fee, based upon the average daily net assets of each Fund, computed daily and payable, in one or more payments during the calendar month but not later than two business days following the end of each calendar month, according to the schedule attached hereto as Appendix A.

4.
STATUS OF ADVISOR
The services of the Advisor to the Funds and Trust are not to be deemed exclusive, and the Advisor shall be free to render similar services to others so long as its services to the Funds and Trust are not impaired thereby; provided, however, that without providing written notice to the Trust’s Board of Trustees, the Advisor will not serve as investment advisor to any other registered investment company having a similar investment strategy to that of each Fund.  The Advisor shall be deemed to be an independent contractor and shall, unless otherwise expressly provided or authorized, have no authority to act for or represent the Trust or the Funds in any way or otherwise be deemed an agent of the Funds or Trust.  Nothing in this Agreement shall limit or restrict the right of any director, officer, or employee of the Advisor, who may also be a trustee, officer, or employee of the Trust, to engage in any other business or to devote his or her time and attention in part to the management or other aspects of any other business, whether of a similar nature or a dissimilar nature.

5.
RETENTION OF SUB-ADVISOR
Subject to the Trust’s obtaining the initial and periodic approvals required under Section 15 of the Act, the Advisor may retain one or more sub-advisors, at the Advisor’s own cost and expense, for the purpose of managing the investments of the assets of one or more Funds of the Trust. Retention of one or more sub-advisors shall in no way reduce the responsibilities or obligations of the Advisor under this Agreement and the Advisor shall, subject to Section 6 of this Agreement, be responsible to the Trust for all acts or omissions of any sub-advisor in connection with the performance of the Advisor’s duties hereunder.
6.
LIMITATION OF LIABILITY AND INDEMNIFICATION
The Advisor assumes no responsibility under this Agreement other than to render the services called for hereunder.  The Advisor shall not be liable for any error of judgment or for any loss suffered by the Funds or Trust in connection with the matters to which this Agreement relates, except a loss resulting from a breach of fiduciary duty with respect to receipt of compensation for services or a loss resulting from willful misfeasance, bad faith, or gross negligence on the part of the Advisor in the performance of its duties or from reckless disregard by the Advisor of its obligations and duties under this Agreement.  It is agreed that the Advisor shall have no responsibility or liability for the accuracy or completeness of the Trust’s registration statement under the Investment Company Act of 1940 or the Securities Act of 1933, except for information supplied by the Advisor for inclusion therein.  The Trust agrees to indemnify the Advisor to the full extent permitted by the Trust’s Declaration of Trust.

Any liability of the Advisor to the Funds shall not automatically impart liability on the part of the Advisor to any other series of the Trust.  The Funds shall not be liable for the obligations of any other series of the Trust, nor shall any other series of the Trust be liable for the obligations of the Funds.  The limitations of liability provided under this section are not to be construed so as to provide for limitation of liability for any liability (including liability under U.S. federal securities laws that, under certain circumstances, impose liability even on persons that act in good faith) to the extent (but only to the extent) that such limitation of liability would be in violation of applicable law, but will be construed so as to effectuate the applicable provisions of this section to the maximum extent permitted by applicable law.


7.
LIABILITY OF SHAREHOLDERS
Notice is hereby given that, as provided by applicable law, the obligations of or arising out of this Agreement are not binding upon any of the shareholders of the Trust individually but are binding only upon the assets and property of the Trust and that the shareholders shall be entitled, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, to the same limitation on personal liability as shareholders of private corporations for profit.

8.
REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES
(a)
Advisor’s Representations.  The Advisor represents and warrants to the Trust as follows: (i) the Advisor is a limited liability company duly organized and in good standing under the laws of the State of Massachusetts and is fully authorized to enter into this Agreement and carry out its duties and obligations hereunder; and (ii) the Advisor is registered as an investment advisor with the Securities and Exchange Commission under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, and shall maintain such registration in effect at all times during the term of this Agreement.

(b)
Trust’s Representations.  The Trust represents and warrants to the Advisor as follows: (i) the Trust has been duly organized as a statutory trust under the laws of the State of Delaware and is authorized to enter into this Agreement and carry out its terms; (ii) the Trust is registered as an investment company with the Securities and Exchange Commission under the Investment Company Act of 1940; (iii) shares of each Fund are (or will be) registered for offer and sale to the public under the Securities Act of 1933; and (iv) such registrations will be kept in effect during the term of this Agreement.

9.
NOTICE OF CHANGE IN CONTROL
The Advisor is obligated to notify the Trust if there is a change in control of the Advisor at least thirty days prior to the effective date of the change, or as soon as practicable in the event that thirty days’ notice is not possible.

10.
DURATION AND TERMINATION
This Agreement shall remain in effect for an initial term of two years from the date hereof, and from year to year thereafter provided such continuance is approved at least annually by the vote of a majority of the trustees of the Trust who are not “interested persons” (as defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940) of the Trust, which vote must be cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on such approval; provided that:

(a)
The Trust may, at any time and without the payment of any penalty, terminate this Agreement upon 60 calendar days’ written notice of a decision to terminate this Agreement by (i) the Trust’s trustees; or (ii) the vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Funds;

(b)
This Agreement shall immediately terminate in the event of its assignment (within the meaning of the Investment Company Act of 1940 and the rules thereunder); and

(c)
The Advisor may, at any time and without the payment of any penalty, terminate this Agreement upon 60 calendar days’ written notice to the Funds and Trust.

(d)
The terms of paragraph 5 of this Agreement shall survive the termination of this Agreement.


11.
AMENDMENT OR ASSIGNMENT OF AGREEMENT
(a)
Amendment.  No provision of this Agreement may be changed, waived, discharged, or terminated orally, but only by a written instrument signed by the party against which enforcement of the change, waiver, discharge or termination is sought.  No material amendment of this Agreement shall be effective until approved by vote of the holders of a majority of the Funds’ outstanding voting securities (as defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940).

(b)
Assignment.  The parties agree that assignment of this Agreement constitutes a material breach, and further that this Agreement shall terminate automatically and immediately in the event of its assignment.

12.
STRUCTURE OF AGREEMENT
The Trust is entering into this Agreement solely on behalf of the Funds.  Without limiting the generality of the foregoing: (i) no breach of any term of this Agreement shall create a right or obligation with respect to any series of the Trust other than the Funds; (ii) under no circumstances shall the Advisor have the right to set off claims relating to each Fund by applying property of any other series of the Trust; and (iii) the business and contractual relationships created by this Agreement, consideration for entering into this Agreement, and the consequences of such relationship and consideration relate solely to each Fund.

13.
MISCELLANEOUS
(a)
Headings.  The captions in this Agreement are included for convenience of reference only and in no way define or limit any of the provisions hereof or otherwise affect their construction or effect.

(b)
Use of Names.  The Trust acknowledges that all rights to the name “Cavalier Investments” belong to the Advisor, and the Trust is being granted a limited license to use such words in its name, the name of its series and the name of its classes of shares.

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

(d)
Applicable Law.  This Agreement shall be construed in accordance with, and governed by, the laws of the State of Delaware.



[Signatures on Following Page]

[Signature Page to Investment Advisory Agreement]

REPRESENTATION OF SIGNATORIES.  Each of the undersigned expressly warrants and represents that they have full power and authority to sign this Agreement on behalf of the party indicated and that their signature will bind the party indicated to the terms hereof.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be executed by their officers designated below as of the day and year first above written.


STARBOARD INVESTMENT TRUST




By:  
Name:  Katherine M. Honey
Title:  President and Principal Executive Officer

CAVALIER INVESTMENTS, LLC
d/b/a ADAPTIVE INVESTMENTS




By:  
Name:  Gregory A. Rutherford
Title:  Chief Executive Officer





INVESTMENT ADVISORY AGREEMENT

Appendix A
COMPENSATION SCHEDULE
(as of December 17, 2020)

For the services delineated in this Agreement, the Advisor shall receive an investment advisory fee equal to an annualized rate of the average daily net assets of each of the Funds as listed below.  The fee shall be computed and accrued daily and paid in one or more payments during the calendar month, but not later than two business days following the end of each calendar month, based upon the average daily net assets of each Fund.

FUND
INVESTMENT ADVISORY FEE
1. Adaptive Growth Opportunities ETF
1.00%

STARBOARD INVESTMENT TRUST
On behalf of the Fund


By:  
Name:  Katherine M. Honey
Title:  President and Principal Executive Officer


CAVALIER INVESTMENTS, LLC
d/b/a ADAPTIVE INVESTMENTS


By:  
Name:  Gregory A. Rutherford
Title:  Chief Executive Officer


Exhibit (d)(10)

FORM OF INVESTMENT SUB-ADVISORY AGREEMENT

This Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement (“Agreement”) is made and entered into as of December 17, 2020, by and between Cavalier Investments, LLC d/b/a Adaptive Investments, a Massachusetts limited liability company (“Advisor”) and Bluestone Capital Management, LLC, a Pennsylvania limited liability company (“Sub-Advisor”), in relation to the Adaptive Growth Opportunities ETF (the “Fund”), a series of the Starboard Investment Trust, a Delaware statutory trust (the “Trust”).

WHEREAS, the Advisor acts as the investment advisor to the Fund, pursuant to that certain Investment Advisory Agreement, dated December 17, 2020, as amended, between the Advisor and the Trust with respect to the Fund (“Advisory Agreement”);

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

WHEREAS, the Trust is authorized to issue separate series, each of which will offer a separate class of shares of beneficial interest, each series having its own investment objective or objectives, policies, and limitations;

WHEREAS, the Trust currently offers shares in multiple series, may offer shares of additional series in the future, and intends to offer shares of additional series in the future;

WHEREAS, each of the Advisor and Sub-Advisor is registered as an investment advisor under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended (“Advisers Act”), and engages in the business of asset management; and

WHEREAS, the Advisor, subject to the approval of the Board of Trustees of the Trust (“Trustees”), desires to retain the Sub-Advisor to assist the Advisor in rendering certain investment management services to the Fund, and the Sub-Advisor is willing to render such services;

WHEREAS, the Trustees, including a majority of those Trustees who are not parties to this Agreement or interested persons (as such term is defined in the Act) of any such party (the “Independent Trustees”), by a vote cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on such approval have approved this Agreement;

NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual covenants herein contained, the parties hereto agree as follows:

1. Engagement and Obligations of Sub-Advisor.  The Advisor hereby appoints and retains the Sub-Advisor to act as a sub-advisor to the Advisor and to provide the following services for the period and on the terms and conditions set forth in this agreement.

 (a)      Services.  The Sub-Advisor agrees to perform the following services (the “Services”):


(i)
subject to the general supervision of the Trustees and the Advisor, the Sub-Advisor shall, employing its discretion, manage the investment operations of the portion of the Fund’s portfolio allocated to the Sub-Advisor from time to time by the Advisor, which may range from 0% to 100% in the Advisor’s sole discretion (the “Allocated Assets”), and the composition of the portfolio of securities and investments (including cash) belonging to the Allocated Assets of the Fund,, including the purchase, retention, and disposition thereof, in accordance with all applicable laws and regulations, any policies and procedures established by the Trust or the Advisor, and the Fund’s investment objective, policies and restrictions as stated in the Fund’s then-current prospectus and statement of additional information or any similar offering documents of the Fund (together, the “Prospectus”);


(ii)
select brokers and dealers to execute the purchase and/or sale, consistent with the Sub-Advisor's duty to seek "best execution" on behalf of the Fund, of portfolio securities of the Fund;


(iii)
provide the Advisor and the Fund with such records concerning the Sub-Advisor’s activities under this Agreement as the Advisor and the Trust may request from time to time or as otherwise required by applicable law; and


(iv)
render regular reports to the Advisor and the Trustees concerning the Sub-Advisor’s discharge of the foregoing responsibilities.

All Services to be furnished by the Sub-Advisor under this Agreement may be furnished through the medium of any directors, officers, or employees of the Sub-Advisor or through such other parties as the Sub-Advisor may determine from time to time.

(b) Expenses and Personnel.  The Sub-Advisor agrees, at its own expense or at the expense of one or more of its affiliates, to render the Services and to provide the office space, furnishings, equipment and personnel as may be reasonably required to perform the Services on the terms and for the compensation provided herein.

(c) Books and Records.  All books and records prepared and maintained by the Sub-Advisor for the Advisor and/or the Fund under this Agreement shall be the property of the Advisor and/or the Fund and, upon reasonable request therefore, the Sub-Advisor shall surrender to the appropriate party such of the books and records so reasonably requested.

2. Compensation of the Sub-Advisor.  The Advisor will pay to the Sub-Advisor an investment advisory fee (the “Fee”) equal to an annualized rate of the average daily net assets of the Allocated Assets (“AUM”) as follows:


Adaptive Growth Opportunities ETF
Sub-Advisor Allocated Assets
Fee Rate
$0 to $20 Million
Zero
>$20 Million to $40 Million
15 basis points (on all AUM)
Above $40 Million
30 basis points (on all AUM)

The Fee shall be calculated as of the last business day of each month based upon the AUM, and shall be paid to the Sub-Advisor by the Advisor on a quarterly basis within a 30-day period at the conclusion of each quarter as agreed to between the Advisor and Sub-Advisor. The Fund will not pay a direct fee to the Sub-Advisor.

3. Status of Investment Sub-Advisor.  The services of the Sub-Advisor to the Advisor and the Fund are not to be deemed exclusive, and the Sub-Advisor shall be free to render similar services to others (including, without limitation, any other registered investment management company, or series thereof) so long as its Services to the Fund are not impaired thereby.  The Sub-Advisor shall be deemed to be an independent contractor and shall, unless otherwise expressly provided or authorized, have no authority to act for or represent the Advisor or the Fund in any way or otherwise be deemed an agent of the Advisor or the Fund.  Nothing in this Agreement shall limit or restrict the right of any director, officer or employee of the Sub-Advisor, who may also be a trustee, officer or employee of the Advisor or the Fund, to engage in any other business or to devote his or her time and attention in part to the management or other aspects of any other business, whether of a similar nature or a dissimilar nature.

4. Permissible Interests.  Trustees, agents, and stockholders of the Fund and the Advisor are or may be interested in the Sub-Advisor (or any successor thereof) as directors, partners, officers, or stockholders, or otherwise; and directors, partners, officers, agents, and stockholders of the Sub-Advisor are or may be interested in the Advisor or the Fund as trustees, directors, officers, stockholders or otherwise; and the Sub-Advisor (or any successor) is or may be interested in the Advisor or the Fund as a stockholder or otherwise.

5. Limits of Liability; Indemnification.  The Sub-Advisor assumes no responsibility under this Agreement other than to render the Services called for hereunder.  The Sub-Advisor shall not be liable for any error of judgment or for any loss suffered by the Advisor or the Fund in connection with the matters to which this Agreement relates, except a loss resulting from a breach of fiduciary duty with respect to receipt of compensation for services (in which case any award of damages shall be limited to the period and the amount set forth in Section 36(b)(3) of the Act) or a loss resulting from willful misfeasance, bad faith or gross negligence on its part in the performance of, or from reckless disregard by it of its obligations and duties under, this Agreement. It is agreed that the Sub-Advisor shall have no responsibility or liability for the accuracy or completeness of the Trust’s registration statement under the Act or the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, except for information supplied by the Sub-Advisor for inclusion therein.


The Sub-Advisor will indemnify the Advisor and its directors, members, partners, officers, employees and agents (“Advisor Parties”) against and hold the Advisor Parties harmless from any and all losses, claims, damages, liabilities or expenses (including reasonable counsel fees and expenses) arising from any claim, demand, action or suit which results from the Sub-Advisor Parties’ (as such term is defined immediately below) willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of the Sub-Advisor's obligations and duties under this Agreement.

The Advisor will indemnify the Sub-Advisor and its directors, members, partners, officers, employees and agents (“Sub-Advisor Parties”) against and hold the Sub-Advisor Parties harmless from any and all losses, claims, damages, liabilities or expenses (including reasonable counsel fees and expenses) arising from any claim, demand, action or suit which results from the Advisor Parties' willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of the Advisor's obligations and duties under this Agreement.

6. Term.  This Agreement shall remain in effect for an initial term of two years from the date hereof, and from year to year thereafter provided such continuance is approved at least annually by the vote of a majority of the Independent Trustees, which vote must be cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on such approval; provided, however, this Agreement may be terminated at any time on at least 60 days prior written notice to the Sub-Advisor, without the payment of any penalty, (i) by vote of the Trustees or (ii) by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities (as defined in the Act) of the Fund; and provided, further, that this Agreement may be terminated at any time by the Advisor, on at least 60 days’ prior written notice to the Sub-Advisor.  The Sub-Advisor may terminate this Agreement at any time, without the payment of any penalty, on at least 60 days prior written notice to the Advisor and the Fund. This Agreement will automatically and immediately terminate in the event of its assignment (as defined in the Act) or upon the termination of the Advisory Agreement.

7. Prohibited Conduct.  The Sub-Advisor may not consult with any other sub-advisor of the Trust concerning transactions in securities or other assets for any investment portfolio of the Trust, including the Fund, except that such consultations are permitted between the current and successor sub-advisor of the Fund in order to effect an orderly transition of portfolio management duties so long as such consultations are not concerning transactions prohibited by Section 17(a) of the Act.


8. Use of Names.

(a) It is understood that the names “Cavalier Investments,” “Adaptive Investments” and “Adaptive Growth Opportunities ETF” or any derivative thereof or logo associated with those names is the valuable property of the Advisor and/or its affiliates, and that the Sub-Advisor has the right to use such name (or derivative or logo) only with the approval of the Advisor and only so long as the Advisor is Advisor to the Trust and/or the Fund.  Upon termination of the Advisory Agreement between the Trust and the Advisor, the Trust or the Advisor shall notify the Sub-Advisor of the termination of the Advisory Agreement and the Sub-Advisor shall as soon as is reasonably possible cease to use such name (or derivative or logo).  

(b) It is understood that the name “Bluestone Capital” or any derivative thereof or logos associated with that name are the valuable property of the Sub-Advisor and its affiliates and that the Trust and/or the Fund have the right to use such names (or derivatives or logos) in offering materials of the Trust with the approval of the Sub-Advisor and for so long as the Sub-Advisor is a sub-advisor to the Trust and/or the Fund.  Upon termination of this Agreement between the Advisor, and the Sub-Advisor, the Trust shall as soon as is reasonably possible cease to use such names (or derivatives or logos).

9. Cooperation; Confidentiality.  Each party to this Agreement agrees to cooperate with each other party and with all appropriate governmental authorities having the requisite jurisdiction (including, but not limited to, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") in connection with any investigation or inquiry relating to this Agreement or the Trust. If any party to this Agreement becomes legally compelled to disclose any confidential information of the other party or is served with any regulatory request, subpoena, discovery device, court order or other legal process seeking confidential information of the other party, the party being so compelled, prior to such disclosure and to the extent permitted by law, shall first provide the other party with prompt written notice of such disclosure obligation and cooperate, if requested, with the other party in its attempts to prevent such disclosure.

Subject to the foregoing, the Sub-Advisor shall treat as confidential all information pertaining to the Trust and actions of the Trust, the Advisor and the Sub-Advisor, and the Advisor shall treat as confidential and use only in connection with the Fund all information furnished to the Trust or the Advisor by the Sub-Advisor, in connection with its duties under the Agreement, except that the aforesaid information need not be treated as confidential if required to be disclosed under applicable law or at the request of regulators or self-regulatory organizations, if generally available to the public through means other than by disclosure by the Sub-Advisor or the Advisor, or if available from a source other than the Advisor, Sub-Advisor, or the Trust.  Notwithstanding any of the foregoing, the Sub-Advisor may disclose confidential information if specifically authorized by the Advisor or the Trust and the Advisor or the Trust may disclose confidential information if specifically authorized by the Sub-Advisor. Each party’s obligation to hold the Confidential Information obtained from the other party in strict confidence as forth herein shall survive the performance in full or the termination of this Agreement for so long as such information remains confidential.


10. Amendments.  No provision of this Agreement may be changed, waived, discharged or terminated orally, but only by an instrument in writing signed by the party against which enforcement of the change, waiver, discharge or termination is sought, and no amendment of this Agreement shall be effective until approved by vote of the holders of a majority of the Trust’s outstanding voting securities.

11. Applicable Law.  This Agreement shall be construed in accordance with, and governed by, the substantive laws of the State of Delaware, without regard to the principles of the conflict of laws or the choice of laws, provided that nothing herein shall be construed in a manner inconsistent with the Act, the Advisers Act or rules or orders of the SEC thereunder.

12. Representations and Warranties.

(a) Representations and Warranties of the Sub-Advisor.  The Sub-Advisor hereby represents and warrants to the Advisor and the Fund as follows: (i) the Sub-Advisor is a limited liability company duly organized and in good standing under the laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and is fully authorized to enter into this Agreement and carry out its duties and obligations hereunder; and (ii) the Sub-Advisor is registered as an investment advisor with the SEC under the Advisers Act, and shall maintain such registration in effect at all times during the term of this Agreement.

(b) Representations and Warranties of the Advisor.  The Advisor hereby represents and warrants to the Sub-Advisor as follows: (i) the Advisor is a corporation duly organized and in good standing under the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and is fully authorized to enter into this Agreement and carry out its duties and obligations hereunder; and (ii) the Advisor is registered as an investment advisor with the SEC under the Advisers Act, and shall maintain such registration in effect at all times during the term of this Agreement.

13. Severability.  If any provision of this Agreement shall be held or made invalid by a court decision, statute, rule or otherwise, the remainder of this Agreement shall not be affected thereby and, to this extent, the provisions of this Agreement shall be deemed to be severable.

14. Notice.  Any notice must be in writing and shall be deemed to have been given when (1) delivered in person, (2) dispatched by telegram or electric facsimile transfer (confirmed in writing by postage prepaid first class mail simultaneously dispatched), (3) sent by internationally recognized overnight courier service (with receipt confirmed by such overnight courier service), or (4) sent by registered or certified mail, to the other party at the address of such party set forth below or at such other address as such party may from time to time specify in writing to the other party.

If to the Advisor:
Cavalier Investments, LLC
12600 Deerfield, Suite #100
Alpharetta, GA 30005

If to the Sub-Advisor:
Bluestone Capital Management LLC
37 West Ave, Suite 201
Wayne, PA 19087


15. Notice of Certain Changes in Sub-Advisor.  The Sub-Advisor is hereby obligated to notify the Fund and Advisor if there is a material change in the Sub-Advisor’s equity ownership, whether, as the case may be, of members, shareholders, general or limited partners, or senior executive personnel, within a reasonable time before such change takes place.
16. Miscellaneous.
(a)
The term “affiliate” or “affiliated person” as used in this Agreement shall mean “affiliated person” as defined in Section 2(a)(3) of the Act.
(b)
The captions of this Agreement are included for convenience only and in no way define or limit any of the provisions hereof or otherwise affect their construction or effect.
(c)
If any provision of this Agreement shall be held or made invalid by a court decision, statute, rule or otherwise, the remainder of this Agreement shall not be affected thereby, and to this extent, the provisions of this Agreement shall be deemed to be severable.
(d)
Nothing herein shall be construed as constituting the Sub-Advisor as an agent of the Advisor or constituting the Advisor as an agent of the Sub-Advisor.
(e)
The Advisor and the Sub-Advisor each affirm that it has procedures in place reasonably designed to protect the privacy of non-public personal consumer/customer financial information.
(f)
The Advisor and the Sub-Advisor acknowledge that each may have obligations under the laws and regulations of the United States to verify the source of funds and identity of investors in accordance with the USA Patriot Act, and any rules or regulations adopted thereunder (collectively the “Patriot Act”).  Each party agrees to assist the other parties in monitoring transactions in accordance with the Patriot Act.  If required by applicable law or regulation, each party shall provide the other parties with documentation evidencing the identity of a beneficial owner or owners of shares of the Fund upon request when a party is required by a law, court order, or by administrative or regulatory entity to disclose the identity of the beneficial owner(s).
(g)
This Agreement may be executed in counterparts, all of which together shall constitute one Agreement, binding on all the parties.
(h)
The undersigned each have the power, on behalf of their respective entities, to enter into, execute, and deliver this Agreement and to perform fully the party’s obligations under this Agreement. This Agreement is valid and binding on and enforceable against each party in accordance with the terms and conditions herein.
(i)
Any term or condition of this Agreement may be waived at any time by the party that is entitled to the benefit thereof, to the extent permitted by law, but no such waiver shall be effective unless set forth in a written instrument duly executed by or on behalf of the party waiving such term or condition. No waiver by any party of any term or condition of this Agreement, in any one or more instances, shall be deemed to be or be construed as a waiver of the same or any other term or condition of this Agreement on any future occasion. All remedies, either under this Agreement, by law, in equity, or otherwise afforded will be cumulative and not in the alternative.


[SIGNATURES ON NEXT PAGE]



[Signature Page to Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement]


IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be executed as of the day and the year first written above.


INVESTMENT ADVISOR:
CAVALIER INVESTMENTS, LLC
d/b/a ADAPTIVE INVESTMENTS


By:  
Name:  Gregory A. Rutherford
Title:  Chief Executive Officer




INVESTMENT SUB-ADVISOR:
BLUESTONE CAPITAL MANAGEMENT, LLC


By:  
Name:  Lee Calfo
Title:  President





Exhibit (g)(2)

FORM OF CUSTODY AGREEMENT

THIS AGREEMENT is made and entered into as of this 17th day of December, 2020, by and between STARBOARD INVESTMENT TRUST, a Delaware statutory trust having its principal place of business at 116 South Franklin Street, Rocky Mount, North Carolina 27804 (the “Trust”), and Clear Street, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company and a broker- dealer regulated under the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “1934 Act”) (the “Custodian”).

WHEREAS, the Trust is registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”), as an open-end management investment company, and is authorized to issue shares of beneficial interest in separate series, with each such series representing interests in a separate portfolio of securities and other assets;

WHEREAS, the Custodian is a company that is a member of a “national securities exchange”, as defined in the 1934 Act, having the qualifications prescribed in Section 17(f)(1) of the 1940 Act and Rule 17f-1 thereunder, and is a member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (“FINRA”);

WHEREAS, the Trust desires to retain the Custodian to act as custodian of the cash and securities of each series of the Trust listed on Exhibit B hereto (as amended from time to time) (each a “Fund” and collectively, the “Funds”); and

WHEREAS, the Board of Trustees of the Trust has delegated to OBP Capital, LLC, the responsibilities set forth in Rule 17f-5(c) under the 1940 Act and OBP Capital, LLC, is willing to undertake the responsibilities and serve as the foreign custody manager for the Trust.

NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the promises and mutual covenants herein contained, and other good and valuable consideration, the receipt of which is hereby acknowledged, the parties hereto, intending to be legally bound, do hereby agree as follows:


ARTICLE I CERTAIN DEFINITIONS
Whenever used in this Agreement, the following words and phrases shall have the meanings set forth below unless the context otherwise requires:

1.01
Assets” means Securities, monies, and other property held by the Custodian for the benefit of a Fund.

1.02
“Authorized Person” means any Officer or person who has been designated as such by written notice and named in Exhibit A and delivered to the Custodian by the Trust, or if the Trust has notified the Custodian in writing that it has an authorized investment manager or other agent (including its administrator), delivered to the Custodian by the Trust’s investment advisor or other agent. Such Officer or person shall continue to be an Authorized Person until such time as the

Custodian receives Written Instructions from the Trust or the Trust’s investment advisor or other agent that any such person is no longer an Authorized Person.

1.03
“Board of Trustees” shall mean the trustees from time to time serving under the Trust’s declaration of trust, as amended from time to time.

1.04
“Book-Entry System”  shall mean a federal book-entry system  as provided in Subpart    O of Treasury Circular No. 300, 31 CFR 306, in Subpart B of 31 CFR Part 350, or in such book- entry regulations of federal agencies as are substantially in the form of such Subpart O.

1.05
“Business Day” shall mean any day recognized as a settlement day by The New York Stock Exchange, Inc. and any other day for which the Trust computes the net asset value of Shares of the Fund.

1.06
“Eligible Foreign Custodian” has the meaning set forth in Rule 17f-5(a)(1), including a majority-owned or indirect subsidiary of a U.S. Bank (as defined in Rule 17f-5), a bank holding company meeting the requirements of an Eligible Foreign Custodian (as set forth in Rule 17f-5 or by other appropriate action of the SEC), or a foreign branch of a Bank (as defined in Section 2(a)(5) of the 1940 Act) meeting the requirements of a custodian  under Section 17(f) of the 1940 Act; the term does not include any Eligible Securities Depository.

1.07
“Eligible Securities Depository” shall mean a system for the central handling of securities as that term is defined in Rule 17f-7(b)(1) under the 1940 Act.


1.08
“Foreign Securities” means any of the Fund’s investments (including foreign currencies) for which the primary market is outside the United States and such cash and cash equivalents as are reasonably necessary to effect the Fund’s transactions in such investments.

1.09
“Fund Custody Account” shall mean any of the accounts in the name of the Trust, which is provided for in Section 3.02 below.

1.10
“IRS” shall mean the Internal Revenue Service.

1.11
“Memo Segregation” shall mean a Securities Depository’s inventory control mechanism that allows the Custodian to instruct the Securities Depositary to protect the fully- paid-for customer securities maintained in the Custodian’s Depository Account, whereby such securities are moved from a free position to a protected (segregated) position, but are not actually physically segregated from other securities maintained in the Custodian’s Depository Account.

1.12
“Officer” shall mean the Chairman, President, any Vice President, any Assistant Vice President, the Secretary, any Assistant Secretary, the Treasurer, or any Assistant Treasurer of the Trust, or any other position deemed as an officer by the Board of Trustees.

1.13
“SEC” shall mean the Securities and Exchange Commission.

1.14
“Securities” shall include, without limitation, common and preferred stocks, bonds, call options, put options, debentures, notes, bank certificates of deposit, bankers' acceptances, mortgage-backed securities or other obligations, and any certificates, receipts, warrants or other instruments or documents representing rights to receive, purchase or subscribe for the same, or evidencing or representing any other rights or interests therein, or any similar property or assets that the Custodian or its agents have the facilities to clear and service.

1.15
“Securities Depository” shall mean The Depository Trust Company and any other clearing agency registered with the SEC under Section 17A of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “1934 Act”), which acts as a system for the central handling of Securities where all Securities of any particular class or series of an issuer deposited within the system are treated as fungible and may be transferred or pledged by bookkeeping entry without physical delivery of the Securities.

1.16
“Shares” shall mean, with respect to a Fund, the units of beneficial interest issued by the Trust on account of the Fund.


1.17
“Sub-Custodian” shall mean and include (i) any branch of a “U.S. bank,” as that term is defined in Rule 17f-5 under the 1940 Act, and (ii) any “Eligible Foreign Custodian” having a contract with the Custodian that the Custodian and the foreign custody manager have determined will provide reasonable care of assets of the Fund based on the standards specified in Section 3.3 below. Such contract shall be in writing and shall include provisions that provide: (i) that the Foreign Securities will not be subject to any right, charge, security interest, lien or claim of any kind in favor of the Sub-Custodian or its creditors except a claim of payment for their safe custody or administration, in the case of cash deposits, liens or rights in favor of creditors of the Sub-Custodian arising under bankruptcy, insolvency, or similar laws; (ii) that beneficial ownership for the Foreign Securities will be freely transferable without the payment of money or value other than for safe custody or administration; (iii) that adequate records will be maintained identifying the Assets as belonging to the Fund or as being held by a third party for the benefit of the Fund;(iv) that the Fund’s independent public accountants will be given access to those records or confirmation of the contents of those records; and (v) that the Fund will receive periodic reports with respect to the safekeeping of the Assets, including, but not limited to, notification of any transfer to or from a Fund's account or a third party account containing assets held for the benefit of the Fund. Such contract may contain, in lieu of any or all of the provisions specified in (i)-(v) above, such other provisions that the Custodian and the foreign custody manager determine will provide, in their entirety, the same or a greater level of care and protection for the Assets as the specified provisions.

1.18
“Written Instructions” shall mean (i) written communications actually received by the Custodian and signed by an Authorized Person, (ii) communications by facsimile or Internet electronic e-mail or any other such system  from  one  or more persons reasonably believed by the Custodian to be an Authorized Person.

ARTICLE II. APPOINTMENT OF CUSTODIAN
2.01
Appointment. The Trust hereby appoints the Custodian as custodian of all Assets at any time during the period of this Agreement, on the terms and conditions set forth in this Agreement, and the Custodian hereby accepts such appointment and agrees to perform the services and duties set forth in this Agreement. The Assets shall, at all times, be subject to inspection by the SEC. The Trust hereby delegates to the Custodian, subject to Rule 17f-5(b), the responsibilities with respect to the Fund’s Foreign Securities, and the Custodian hereby accepts such delegation as foreign custody manager with respect to the Funds. The services and duties of the Custodian shall be confined to those matters expressly set forth herein, and no implied duties are assumed by or may be asserted against the Custodian hereunder.

2.02
Documents to be Furnished. The following documents, including any amendments thereto, will be provided contemporaneously with the execution of the Agreement to the Custodian by the Trust:

(a)
A copy of the Trust’s declaration of trust, certified by the Secretary;

(b)
A copy of the Trust’s bylaws, certified by the Secretary;

(c)
A copy of the resolution of the Board of Trustees of the Trust appointing the Custodian, certified by the Secretary;


(d)
A copy of the current prospectuses and statements of additional information of the Trust (the “Prospectus”); and

(e)
A certification of the Chairman or the President and the Secretary of the Trust setting forth the names and signatures of the current Officers of the Trust and other Authorized Persons.

2.03
Notice of Appointment of Transfer Agent. The Trust agrees to notify the Custodian in writing of the appointment, termination or change in appointment of any transfer agent of the Fund.

ARTICLE III.

CUSTODY OF CASH AND SECURITIES

3.01
Segregation. All Securities and non-cash property held by the Custodian for the account of the Fund (other than Securities maintained in a Securities Depository, Eligible Securities Depository or Book-Entry System, including via Memo Segregation with respect to each of the aforementioned depositories and system) shall be physically segregated from other Securities and non-cash property in the possession of the Custodian (including the Securities and non-cash property of the other series of the Trust, if applicable) and shall be identified as subject to this Agreement. For the avoidance of doubt, Securities maintained in a Securities Depository, Eligible Securities Depository or Book-Entry System shall be segregated by the use of Memo Segregation and shall not be physically segregated from other Securities and non- cash property in the possession of the Custodian (including the Securities and non-cash property of the other series of the Trust, if applicable).


3.02
Fund Custody Accounts. As to each Fund, the Custodian shall open and maintain a custody account in the name of the Trust coupled with the name of the Fund, subject only to draft or order of the Custodian, in which the Custodian shall enter and carry all Assets (including Securities that may be maintained in a Securities Depository and segregated in the Depository Account via Memo Segregation), which are delivered to it. Absent a written agreement between the Custodian and the Trust, Assets held by Custodian shall not be re- hypothecated, pledged, assigned, invested or otherwise disposed of by the Custodian and beneficial ownership shall be freely transferable without payment of money or value other than for safe custody and administration.

3.03
Appointment of Agents.

(a)
In its discretion, the Custodian may appoint one or more Sub-Custodians to establish and maintain arrangements with (i) Eligible Securities Depositories or (ii) Eligible Foreign Custodians who are members of the Sub-Custodian’s network to hold the Assets and to carry out such other provisions of this Agreement as it may determine; provided, however, that the appointment of any such agents and maintenance of any Assets of the Fund shall not relieve the Custodian of any of its obligations or liabilities under this Agreement. The Custodian shall be liable for the actions of any Sub-Custodians (regardless of whether Assets are maintained in the custody of a Sub- Custodian, a member of its network or an Eligible Securities Depository) appointed by it as if such actions had been done by the Custodian.

(b)
If, after the initial appointment of Sub-Custodians by the Board of Trustees in connection with this Agreement, the Custodian wishes to appoint other Sub-Custodians to hold property of the Fund, it will so notify the Trust and make the necessary determinations as to any such new Sub-Custodian's eligibility under Rule 17f-5 under the 1940 Act.

(c)
In performing its delegated responsibilities as foreign custody manager to the Funds to place or maintain the Fund’s assets with a Sub-Custodian, the Custodian will determine that the Assets will be subject to reasonable care, based on the standards applicable to custodians in the country in which the Assets will be held by that Sub-Custodian, after considering all factors relevant to Custodian to safekeeping of such assets, including, without limitation the factors specified in Rule 17f-5(c)(1).

(d)
The agreement between the Custodian and each Sub-Custodian acting hereunder shall contain the required provisions set forth in Rule 17f-5(c)(2) under the 1940 Act.

(e)
At the end of each calendar quarter, the Custodian shall provide written reports notifying the Board of Trustees of the withdrawal or placement of the Assets with a Sub-Custodian and of any material changes in the Fund’s arrangements. The Custodian shall promptly take such steps as may be required to withdraw Assets from any Sub-Custodian arrangement that has ceased to meet the requirements of Rule 17f-5 or Rule 17f-7 under the 1940 Act, as applicable.


(f)
With respect to its responsibilities under this Section 3.03, the Custodian hereby warrants to the Trust that it agrees to exercise reasonable care, prudence and diligence such as a person having responsibility for the safekeeping of property of the Fund. The Custodian further warrants that the Assets will be subject to reasonable care if maintained with a Sub- Custodian, after considering all factors relevant to the safekeeping of such Assets, including, without limitation: (i) the Sub-Custodian's practices, procedures, and internal controls for certificated securities (if applicable), its method of keeping custodial records, and its security and data protection practices; (ii) whether the Sub-Custodian has the requisite financial strength to provide reasonable care for the Assets; (iii) the Sub- Custodian's general reputation and standing and, in the case of a Securities Depository, the Securities Depository's operating history and number of participants; (iv) ensuring that the Assets held by a Sub-Custodian shall not, without the consent of the Trust, be sold, re-hypothecated, pledged, assigned, invested or otherwise disposed by the Sub-Custodian and beneficial ownership of the Securities held by such Sub-Custodian shall be freely transferable without payment of money or value other than that for safe custody and administration; and (v) whether the Fund will have jurisdiction over and be able to enforce judgments against the Sub- Custodian, such as by virtue of the existence of any offices of the Sub-Custodian in the United States or the Sub-Custodian's consent to service of process in the United States.

(g)
The Custodian shall establish a system or ensure that its Sub-Custodian has established a system to monitor on a continuing basis (i) the appropriateness of maintaining the Assets with a Sub-Custodian or Eligible Foreign Custodians who are members of a Sub- Custodian’s network; (ii) the performance of the contract governing the Fund’s arrangements with such Sub-Custodian or Eligible Foreign Custodian’s members of a Sub- Custodian’s network; and (iii) the custody risks of maintaining Assets with an Eligible Securities Depository. The Custodian must promptly notify the Fund or its investment adviser of any material change in these risks.

(h)
The Custodian shall use reasonable commercial efforts to timely collect all income and other payments with respect to Foreign Securities to which the Fund shall be entitled either by law or pursuant to custom in the securities business and shall credit such income, as collected, to the Trust.  In the event that extraordinary measures are required to collect such income, the Trust and Custodian shall consult as to the measures and as to the compensation and expenses of the Custodian relating to such measures.

3.04
Delivery of Assets to Custodian. The Trust shall deliver, or cause to be delivered, to the Custodian all of the Assets, including (i) all payments of income, payments of principal and capital distributions received by the Fund with respect to such Assets owned by the Fund at any time during the period of this Agreement, and (ii) all cash received by the Fund for the issuance of Shares. The Custodian shall not be responsible for such Assets until actually received by it.

3.05
Securities Depositories and Book-Entry Systems. The Custodian may deposit and/or maintain Securities of the Fund in a Securities Depository or in a Book-Entry System, subject to the following provisions:


(a)
The Custodian, on an on-going basis, shall deposit in a Securities Depository or Book-Entry System all Securities eligible for deposit therein and shall make use of such Securities Depository or Book-Entry System to the extent possible and practical in connection with its performance hereunder, including, without limitation, in connection with settlements of purchases and sales of Securities, loans of Securities, and deliveries and returns of collateral consisting of Securities.

(b)
Securities of the Fund kept in a Book-Entry System or Securities Depository shall be kept in an account (“Depository Account”) of the Custodian in such Book-Entry System or Securities Depository, and may be segregated via Memo Segregation.

(c)
The records of the Custodian and the Custodian’s account on the books of the Book Entry System and Securities Depository, as the case may be, with respect to Securities of the Fund maintained in a Book- Entry System or Securities Depository shall, by book-entry, or otherwise identify such Securities as belonging to the Fund.

(d)
If Securities purchased by the Fund are to be held in a Book-Entry System or Securities Depository, the Custodian shall facilitate Fund’s payment for such Securities upon (i) receipt of advice from the Book-Entry System or Securities Depository that such Securities have been transferred to the Depository Account, and (ii) the making of an entry on the records of the Custodian to reflect such payment and transfer for the account of the Fund. If Securities sold by the Fund are held in a Book-Entry System or Securities Depository, the Custodian shall transfer such Securities upon (i) receipt of advice from the Book-Entry System or Securities Depository that payment for such Securities has been transferred to the Depository Account, and (ii) the making of an entry on the records of the Custodian to reflect such transfer and payment for the account of the Fund.

(e)
Upon request, the Custodian shall provide the Trust with copies of any report (obtained by the Custodian from a Book-Entry System or Securities Depository in which Securities of the Fund are kept) on the internal accounting controls and procedures for safeguarding Securities deposited in such Book-Entry System or Securities Depository.


(f)
Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement, the Custodian shall be liable to the Trust for any loss or damage to the Fund resulting from the use of a Book-Entry System or Securities Depository by reason of any gross negligence or willful misconduct on the part of the Custodian or any Sub-Custodian. At its election, the Trust shall be subrogated to the rights of the Custodian with respect to any claim against a Book-Entry System or Securities Depository or any other person from any loss or damage to the Fund arising from the use of such Book-Entry System or Securities Depository, if and to the extent that the Fund has not been made whole for any such loss or damage.

(g)
With respect to its responsibilities under this Section 3.05 and pursuant to Rule 17f-4 under the 1940 Act, the Custodian hereby warrants to the Trust that it agrees to (i) exercise due care in accordance with reasonable commercial standards in discharging its duty as a securities intermediary to obtain and thereafter maintain such assets, (ii) provide, promptly upon request by the Trust, such reports as are available concerning the Custodian’s internal accounting controls and financial strength, and (iii) require any Sub-Custodian to exercise due care in accordance with reasonable commercial standards in discharging its duty as a  securities intermediary to obtain and thereafter maintain assets corresponding to the security entitlements of its entitlement holders.

3.06
Disbursement of Moneys from Fund Custody Account. Upon receipt of Written Instructions, the Custodian shall disburse moneys from the Fund Custody Account but only in the following cases or as otherwise may be permitted by applicable laws or regulations:

(a)
For the purchase of Securities for the Fund but only in accordance with Section 4.01 of this Agreement and only (i) in the case of Securities (other than options on Securities, futures contracts and options on futures contracts), against the delivery to the Custodian (or any Sub-Custodian) of such Securities registered as provided in Section 3.09 below or in proper form for transfer, or if the purchase of such Securities is effected through a Book-Entry System or Securities Depository, in accordance with the conditions set forth in Section 3.05 above; (ii) in the case of options on Securities, against delivery to the Custodian (or any Sub-Custodian) of such receipts as are required by the customs prevailing among dealers in such options; (iii) in the case of futures contracts and options on futures contracts, against delivery to the Custodian (or any Sub-Custodian) of evidence of title thereto in favor of the Fund or any nominee referred to in Section 3.09 below; and (iv) in the case of repurchase or reverse repurchase agreements entered into between the Trust and a bank that is a member of the Federal Reserve System or between the Trust and a primary dealer in U.S. Government securities, against delivery of the purchased Securities either in certificate form or through an entry crediting the Custodian's account at a Book-Entry System or Securities Depository with such Securities;

(b)
In connection with the conversion, exchange or surrender, as set forth in Section 3.07(f) below, of Securities owned by the Fund;

(c)
For the payment of any dividends or capital gain distributions declared by the Fund;


(d)
In payment of the redemption price of Shares as provided in Section 5.01 below;

(e)
For the payment of any expense or liability incurred by the Fund, including, but not limited to, the following payments for the account of the Fund: interest; taxes; administration, investment advisory, accounting, auditing, transfer agent, custodian, trustee and legal fees; and other operating expenses of the Fund; in all cases, whether or not such expenses are to be in whole or in part capitalized or treated as deferred expenses;

(f)
For transfer in accordance with the provisions of any agreement among the Trust, the Custodian and a broker-dealer registered under the 1934 Act and a member of FINRA, relating to compliance with rules of the Options Clearing Corporation and of any registered national securities exchange (or of any similar organization or organizations) regarding escrow or other arrangements in connection with transactions by the Fund;

(g)
For transfer in accordance with the provisions of any agreement among the Trust, the Custodian and a futures commission merchant registered under the Commodity Exchange Act, relating to compliance with the rules of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission and/or any contract market (or any similar organization or organizations) regarding account deposits in connection with transactions by the Fund;

(h)
For the funding of any uncertificated time deposit or other interest-bearing account with any banking institution (including the Custodian), which deposit or account has a term of one year or less; and

(i)
For any other proper purpose, but only upon receipt of Written Instructions, specifying the amount and purpose of such payment, declaring such purpose to be a proper corporate purpose, and naming the person or persons to whom such payment is to be made.

3.07
Delivery of Securities from Fund Custody Account. Upon receipt of Written Instructions, the Custodian shall release and deliver, or cause the Sub-Custodian to release and deliver, Securities from the Fund Custody Account but only in the following cases or as otherwise may be permitted by applicable laws or regulations:

(a)
Upon the sale of Securities for the account of the Fund but only against receipt of payment therefor in cash, by certified or cashier’s check or bank credit;

(b)
In the case of a sale effected through a Book-Entry System or Securities Depository, in accordance with the provisions of Section 3.05 above;

(c)
To an offeror’s depository agent in connection with tender or other similar offers for Securities of the Fund; provided that, in any such case, the cash or other consideration is to be delivered to the Custodian;

(d)
To the issuer thereof or its agent (i) for transfer into the name of the Fund, the Custodian or any Sub-Custodian, or any nominee or nominees of any of the foregoing, or (ii) for exchange for a different number of certificates or other evidence representing the same aggregate face amount or number of units; provided that, in any such case, the new Securities are to be delivered to the Custodian;


(e)
To the broker selling the Securities, for examination in accordance with the “street delivery” custom;

(f)
For exchange or conversion pursuant to any plan of merger, consolidation, recapitalization, reorganization or readjustment of the issuer of such Securities, or pursuant to provisions for conversion contained in such Securities, or pursuant to any deposit agreement, including surrender or receipt of underlying Securities in connection with the issuance or cancellation of depository receipts; provided that, in any such case, the new Securities and cash, if any, are to be delivered to the Custodian;

(g)
Upon receipt of payment therefor pursuant to any repurchase or reverse repurchase agreement entered into by the Fund;

(h)
In the case of warrants, rights or similar Securities, upon the exercise thereof, provided that, in any such case, the new Securities and cash, if any, are to be delivered to the Custodian;

(i)
For delivery in connection with any loans of Securities of the Fund, but only against receipt of such collateral as the Trust shall have specified to the Custodian in Written Instructions;


(j)
For delivery as security in connection with any borrowings by the Fund requiring a pledge of assets by the Trust, but only against receipt by the Custodian of the amounts borrowed;

(k)
Pursuant to any authorized plan of liquidation, reorganization, merger, consolidation or recapitalization of the Trust;

(l)
For delivery in accordance with the provisions of any agreement among the Trust, the Custodian and a broker-dealer registered under the 1934 Act and a member of FINRA, relating to compliance with the rules of the Options Clearing Corporation and of any registered national securities exchange (or of any similar organization or organizations) regarding escrow or other arrangements in connection with transactions by the Fund;

(m)
For delivery in accordance with the provisions of any agreement among the Trust, the Custodian and a futures commission merchant registered under the Commodity Exchange Act, relating to compliance with the rules of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission and/or any contract market (or any similar organization or organizations) regarding account deposits in connection with transactions by the Fund;

(n)
For any other proper corporate purpose, but only upon receipt of Written Instructions, specifying the Securities to be delivered, setting forth the purpose for which such delivery is to be made, declaring such purpose to be a proper corporate purpose, and naming the person or persons to whom delivery of such Securities shall be made; or

(o)
To brokers, clearing banks or other clearing agents for examination or trade execution in accordance with market custom; provided that in any such case the Custodian shall have no responsibility or liability for any loss arising from the delivery of such securities prior to receiving payment for such securities except as may arise from the Custodian’s own negligence or willful misconduct.

3.08
Actions Not Requiring Written Instructions.  Unless otherwise instructed by the Trust,  the Custodian shall with respect to all Securities held for the Fund:

(a)
Subject to Section 9.04 below, collect on a timely basis all income and other payments to which the Fund is entitled either by law or pursuant to custom in the securities business ;

(b)
Present for payment and, subject to Section 9.04 below, collect on a timely basis the amount payable upon all Securities which may mature or be called, redeemed, or retired, or otherwise become payable;

(c)
Endorse for collection, in the name of the Fund, checks, drafts and other negotiable instruments;

(d)
Surrender interim receipts or Securities in temporary form for Securities in definitive form;

(e)
Execute, as custodian, any necessary declarations or certificates  of ownership required  of it under the federal income tax laws or the laws or regulations of any other taxing authority now or hereafter in effect, and prepare and submit reports to the IRS and the Trust at such time, in such manner and containing such information as is prescribed by the IRS;


(f)
Hold for the Fund, either directly or, with respect to Securities held therein, through a Book- Entry System or Securities Depository, all rights and similar Securities issued with respect to Securities of the Fund; and

(g)
In general, and except as otherwise directed in Written Instructions, attend to all non- discretionary details in connection with the sale, exchange, substitution, purchase, transfer and other dealings with Securities and other assets of the Fund that may be required by law.

3.09
Registration and Transfer of Securities.  All Securities held for the Fund that are issued or issuable only in bearer form shall be held by the Custodian in that form, provided that any such Securities shall be held in Book-Entry System if eligible therefor. All other Securities held for the Fund may be registered in the name  of the Fund, the Custodian, a Sub- Custodian or any nominee thereof, or in the name of a Book- Entry System, Securities Depository or any nominee of either thereof. The records of the Custodian with respect to Foreign Securities of the Fund that are maintained with a Sub-Custodian in an account that is identified as belonging to the Custodian for the benefit of its customers shall identify those Securities as belonging to the Fund. The Trust shall furnish to the Custodian appropriate instruments to enable the Custodian to hold or deliver in proper form for transfer, or to register in the name of any of the nominees referred to above or in the name of a Book-Entry System or Securities Depository, any Securities registered in the name of the Fund.

3.10
Records.

(a)
The Custodian shall maintain complete and accurate records with respect to the Assets held for the Fund, including (i) journals or other records of original entry containing an itemized daily record in detail of all receipts and deliveries of Securities and all receipts and disbursements of cash; (ii) ledgers (or other records) reflecting (A) Securities in transfer,
(B) Securities in physical possession, (C) monies and Securities borrowed and monies and Securities loaned (together with a record of the collateral therefor and substitutions of such collateral), (D) dividends and interest received, and (E) dividends receivable and interest receivable; and (iii) canceled checks and bank records related thereto. The Custodian shall keep such other books and records of the Fund as the Trust may reasonably request, or as may be required by the 1940 Act, including, but not limited to, those necessary to comply with Section 31 of the 1940 Act and Rule 31a-2 promulgated thereunder.


(b)
All such books and records maintained by the Custodian shall (i) be maintained in compliance with the rules and regulations of the SEC, (ii) be the property of the Trust and at all times during the regular business hours of the Custodian be made available upon request for inspection by duly authorized officers, employees or agents of the Trust and employees or agents of the SEC, and (iii) if required to be maintained by Rule 31a-1 under the 1940 Act, be preserved for the periods prescribed in Rules 31a-1 and 31a-2 under the 1940 Act.

3.11
Fund Reports by Custodian. The Custodian shall furnish the Trust with a daily activity statement and a summary of all transfers to or from each Fund Custody Account on the day following such transfers. At least monthly, the Custodian shall furnish the Trust with a detailed statement of the Assets held by the Custodian and the Sub-Custodians for the Fund under this Agreement.

3.12
Other Reports by Custodian.  As the Trust may reasonably request from time to time, the Custodian shall provide the Trust with reports on the internal accounting controls and procedures for safeguarding Securities that are employed by the Custodian or any Sub-Custodian.

3.13
Proxies and Other Materials. The Custodian shall use reasonable efforts to cause all proxies relating to Securities that are not registered in the name of the Fund to be promptly executed by the registered holder of such Securities, without indication of the manner in which such proxies are to be voted, and shall promptly deliver to the Trust such proxies, all proxy soliciting materials and all notices relating to such Securities received by Custodian utilizing standard industry practices. With respect to the Foreign Securities, the Custodian will use reasonable commercial efforts to facilitate the exercise of voting and other shareholder rights, subject to the laws, regulations and practical constraints that may exist in the country where such securities are issued. The Trust acknowledges that local conditions, including lack of regulation, onerous procedural obligations, lack of notice and other factors may have the effect of severely limiting the ability of the Trust to exercise shareholder rights.


3.14
Information on Corporate Actions. The Custodian shall promptly deliver to the Trust information received by the Custodian and pertaining to Securities being held by the Fund with respect to optional tender or exchange offers, calls for redemption or purchase, expiration of rights, or similar transaction. If the Fund desires to take action with respect to any tender offer, exchange offer or other similar transaction, the Fund shall notify the Custodian at least three Business Days prior to the date on which the Custodian is to take such action, provided that the Custodian shall use reasonable efforts to take any such action or exercise any such rights requested by the Fund at the Fund’s expense. The Fund will promptly provide or cause to be provided to the Custodian relevant information for any Security which has unique put/option provisions, and in each event, at least three Business Days prior to the beginning date of the tender period.

ARTICLE IV.

PURCHASE AND SALE OF INVESTMENTS OF THE FUND

4.01
Purchase of Securities. Promptly upon each purchase of Securities for the Fund, Written Instructions shall be delivered to the Custodian, specifying (i) the name of the issuer or writer of such Securities, and the title or other description thereof, (ii) the number of shares, principal amount (and accrued interest, if any) or other units purchased, (iii) the date of purchase and settlement,
(iv) the purchase price per unit, (v) the total amount payable upon such purchase, and (vi) the name of the person to whom such amount is payable. The Custodian shall upon receipt of such Securities purchased by the Fund pay out of the moneys held for the account of the Fund the total amount specified in such Written Instructions to the person named therein. The Custodian shall not be under any obligation to pay out moneys to cover the cost of a purchase of Securities for the Fund, if in the Fund Custody Account there is insufficient cash available to settle the purchase of Securities in the Fund.

4.02
Liability for Payment in Advance of Receipt of Securities Purchased. In any and every case where payment for the purchase of Securities for the Fund is made by the Custodian in advance of receipt of the Securities purchased and in the absence of specified Written Instructions to so pay in advance, the Custodian shall be liable to the Fund for such payment.

4.03
Sale of Securities. Promptly upon each sale of Securities by the Fund, Written Instructions shall be delivered to the Custodian, specifying (i) the name of the issuer or writer of such Securities, and the title or other description thereof, (ii) the number of shares, principal amount (and accrued interest, if any), or other units sold, (iii) the date of sale and settlement, (iv) the sale price per unit, (v) the total amount payable upon such sale, and (vi) the person to whom such Securities are to be delivered. Upon receipt of the total amount payable to the Fund as specified in such Written Instructions, the Custodian shall deliver such Securities to the person specified in such Written Instructions. Subject to the foregoing, the Custodian may accept payment in such form as shall be satisfactory to it, and may deliver Securities and arrange for payment in accordance with the customs prevailing among dealers in Securities.


4.04
Delivery of Securities Sold. Notwithstanding Section 4.03 above or any other provision of this Agreement, the Custodian, when instructed to deliver Securities against payment, shall be entitled, if in accordance with generally accepted market practices and procedures in the foreign or domestic jurisdiction in which the transaction occurs, to deliver such Securities prior to actual receipt of final payment therefore.  In any such case, and to the extent any such delivery of Securities by the Custodian is not made in error or as a result of the Custodian’s negligence, the Trust shall bear the risk that final payment for such Securities may not be made or that such  Securities may be returned or otherwise held or disposed of by or through the person to whom they were delivered, and the Custodian shall have no liability for any of the foregoing.

4.05
Payment for Securities Sold. In its sole discretion and from time to time, the Custodian may credit the Fund Custody Account, prior to actual receipt of final payment thereof, with (i) proceeds from the sale of Securities that it has been instructed to deliver against payment, (ii) proceeds from the redemption of the Assets, and (iii) income from the Assets. Any such credit shall be conditional upon actual receipt by Custodian of final payment and may be reversed if final payment is not actually received in full. The Custodian may, in its sole discretion and from time to time, permit the Fund to use funds so credited to the Fund Custody Account in anticipation of actual receipt of final payment. Any such funds shall be repayable promptly upon demand made by the Custodian at any time prior to the actual receipt of all final payments in anticipation of which funds were credited to the Fund Custody Account.

4.06
Advances by Custodian for Settlement. The Custodian may, in its sole discretion and from time to time, advance funds to the Trust to facilitate the settlement of a Fund's transactions in the Fund Custody Account. Any such advance shall be repayable promptly upon demand made by Custodian.

ARTICLE V.

PURCHASE AND REDEMPTION OF FUND SHARES

5.01
Portfolio Composition File. On a daily basis, the Fund shall prepare and provide to the Custodian for submission to National Securities Clearing Corporation (the “NSCC”) the Fund’s Portfolio Composition File (“PCF”). The Fund shall ensure that each PCF provided to the Custodian for submission to NSCC comports in all respects with NSCC’s ETF Portfolio Data Service file specifications, and the Fund must provide the PCF to the Custodian no later than one (1) hour in advance of NSCC’s required delivery time.


5.02
Sale of Shares. Upon Written Instructions from the Fund’s administrator, the Custodian shall receive from the Transfer Agent through Security Depository’s Deposit and Withdrawal at Custodian (“DWAC”) service (free of payment) any Shares in such amount as set forth in each such Written Instructions, and, once all Assets are received from an authorized participant in the amount and of the nature specified in the Written Instructions, the Custodian shall deliver Shares to the authorized participant through method provided in the Written Instructions.

5.03
Redemption of Shares. Upon Written Instructions from the Fund’s administrator specifying that Assets are required to redeem Shares of the Fund, and once the Shares are received from an authorized participant in the amount and of the nature specified in the Written Instructions provided by the Fund’s administrator, the Custodian shall deliver to the authorized participant all Assets in the amount, of the nature, and through the method specified in such Written Instructions provided by the Fund’s administrator.

5.04
Deposit and Maintenance of Collateral for Securities not Received. In accordance with the provisions of the Fund’s prospectus, shares of the Fund may be issued to an authorized participant in advance of receipt of all the designated portfolio of securities (“Deposit Securities”) subject to various conditions, including a requirement for the authorized participant to maintain cash on deposit with the Custodian for the account of the Fund in an amount as determined by the Fund in its sole discretion. On a daily basis, by 2:00 p.m. New York time, the Custodian will deliver to the Fund a list of the missing Deposit Securities. The Fund will instruct the Custodian, by 3:00 p.m. New York time as to the amount of collateral or daily marked to market value of the missing Deposit Securities (“Variation Margin Call”) to be received from the authorized participant and instruct the authorized participant as to the amounts to be delivered to the Custodian. The Fund shall ensure that the Authorized Participant satisfies the Variation Margin Call on the same day, by the close of the Federal Reserve wire for money transactions.

ARTICLE VI. SEGREGATED ACCOUNTS
6.01 Upon receipt of Written Instructions, on Custodian’s forms and in accordance with Custodian’s standard practices, the Custodian shall establish and maintain a segregated account or accounts for and on behalf of the Fund, into which account or accounts may be transferred Assets, including Securities maintained in a Depository Account (provided, that, Securities maintained in a Book Entry System or Securities Depository shall solely be segregated via Memo Segregation):

(a)
in accordance with the provisions of any agreement between the Trust and the Custodian and any other broker-dealer registered under the 1934 Act and a member of FINRA (or any futures commission merchant registered under the Commodity Exchange Act), relating to compliance with the rules of the Options Clearing Corporation and of any registered national securities exchange (or the Commodity Futures Trading Commission or any registered contract market), or of any similar organization or organizations, regarding escrow or other arrangements in connection with transactions by the Fund;


(b)
for purposes of segregating cash or Securities in connection with securities options purchased or written by the Fund or in connection with financial futures contracts (or options thereon) purchased or sold by the Fund;

(c)
which constitute collateral for loans of Securities made by the Fund;

(d)
for purposes of compliance by the Fund with requirements under the 1940 Act for the maintenance of segregated accounts by registered investment companies in connection with reverse repurchase agreements and when-issued, delayed delivery and firm commitment transactions; and

(e)
for other proper corporate purposes, but only upon receipt of Written Instructions, setting forth the purpose or purposes of such segregated account and declaring such purposes to be proper corporate purposes.

Each segregated account established under this Article VI shall be established and maintained for the Fund only, provided, that, the Securities held in a Book Entry System or a Securities Depository shall solely be segregated via Memo Segregation. All Written Instructions relating to a segregated account shall specify the Fund.


ARTICLE VII. COMPENSATION OF CUSTODIAN
7.01 Compensation. The Custodian shall be compensated for providing the services set forth in this Agreement in accordance with the fee schedule set forth on Exhibit C hereto (as amended from time to time). The Custodian shall also be compensated for such out-of-pocket expenses (e.g., telecommunication charges, postage and delivery charges, and reproduction charges) as are reasonably incurred by the Custodian in performing its duties hereunder. The Trust shall pay all such fees and reimbursable expenses within 30 calendar days following receipt of the billing notice, except for any fee or expense subject to a good faith dispute. The Trust shall notify the Custodian in writing within 30 calendar days following receipt of each invoice if the Trust is disputing any amounts in good faith. The Trust shall pay such disputed amounts within 10 calendar days of the day on which the parties agree to the amount to be paid. With the exception of any fee or expense the Trust is disputing in good faith as set forth above, unpaid invoices shall accrue a finance charge of the lesser of 1½% per month after the due date or the maximum permitted by applicable law. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary, amounts owed by the Trust to the Custodian shall be paid solely out of the assets and property of the particular Fund involved.

ARTICLE VIII. REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES

8.01
Representations and Warranties of the Trust. The Trust hereby represents and warrants to the Custodian, which representations and warranties shall be deemed to be continuing throughout the term of this Agreement, that:

(a)
It is duly organized and existing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its organization, with full power to carry on its business as now conducted, to enter into this Agreement and to perform its obligations hereunder;

(b)
This Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Trust in accordance with all requisite action and constitutes a valid and legally binding obligation of the Trust, enforceable in accordance with its terms, subject to bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium and other laws of general application affecting the rights and remedies of creditors and secured parties;

(c)
It is responsible for determining compliance with the 1940 Act, and the rules and regulations thereunder, including any obligations in connection with entering into this Agreement; and

(d)
It is conducting its business in compliance in all material respects with all applicable laws and regulations, both state and federal, and has obtained all regulatory approvals necessary to carry on its business as now conducted; there is no statute, rule, regulation, order or judgment binding on it and no provision of its charter, bylaws or any contract binding it or affecting its property which would prohibit its execution or performance of this Agreement.

8.02
Representations and Warranties of the Custodian. The Custodian hereby represents and warrants to the Trust, which representations and warranties shall be deemed to be continuing throughout the term of this Agreement, that:

(a)
It is duly organized and existing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its organization, with full power to carry on its business as now conducted, to enter into this Agreement and to perform its obligations hereunder;


(b)
It is a member of a “national securities exchange,” as defined in the 1934 Act, subject to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission, and a member of FINRA.

(c)
This Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Custodian in accordance with all requisite action and constitutes a valid and legally binding obligation of the Custodian, enforceable in accordance with its terms, subject to bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium and other laws of general application affecting the rights and remedies of creditors and secured parties;

(d)
No legal or administrative proceedings have been instituted or threatened which would materially impair the Custodian’s ability to perform its duties and obligations under this Agreement; and

(e)
It is conducting its business in compliance in all material respects with all applicable laws and regulations, both state and federal, and has obtained all regulatory approvals necessary to carry on its business as now conducted; there is no statute, rule, regulation, order or judgment binding on it and no provision of its charter, bylaws or any contract binding it or affecting its property which would prohibit its execution or performance of this Agreement.

ARTICLE IX. CONCERNING THE CUSTODIAN

9.01
Standard of Care. The Custodian shall exercise good faith and reasonable care in the performance of its duties under this Agreement. The Custodian shall not be liable for any error of judgment or mistake of law, shareholder fraud or for any loss suffered by the Trust in connection with its duties under this Agreement, except a loss arising out of or relating to the Custodian’s (or a Sub-Custodian’s) refusal or failure to materially comply with the terms of this Agreement (or any sub-custody agreement) or from its (or a Sub-Custodian’s) bad faith, gross negligence or willful misconduct in the performance of its duties under this Agreement (or any sub-custody agreement). The Custodian shall be entitled to rely on and may act upon advice of counsel on all matters, and shall be without liability for any action reasonably taken or omitted pursuant to such advice.  The Custodian shall not be under any obligation at any time to ascertain whether the Trust is in compliance with the 1940 Act, the regulations thereunder, the provisions of the Trust’s charter documents or by-laws, or its investment objectives and policies as then in effect.

9.02
Actual Collection Required. The Custodian shall not be liable for, or considered to be the custodian of, any cash belonging to the Fund or any money represented by a check, draft or other instrument for the payment of money, until the Custodian or its agents actually receive such cash or collect on such instrument.

9.03
No Responsibility for Title, etc. So long as and to the extent that it is in the exercise of reasonable care, the Custodian shall not be responsible for the title, validity or genuineness of any property or evidence of title thereto received or delivered by it pursuant to this Agreement.

9.04
Limitation on Duty to Collect. Custodian shall not be required to enforce collection, by legal means or otherwise, of any money or property due and payable with respect to Securities held for the Fund if such Securities are in default or payment is not made after due demand or presentation.

9.05
Reliance Upon Documents and Instructions. The Custodian shall be entitled to rely upon any certificate, notice or other instrument in writing received by it and reasonably believed by it to be genuine. The Custodian shall be entitled to rely upon any Written Instructions actually received by it pursuant to this Agreement.

9.06
Express Duties Only.  The Custodian shall have no duties or obligations whatsoever except such duties and obligations as are specifically set forth in this Agreement, and no covenant or obligation shall be implied in this Agreement against the Custodian.


9.07
Cooperation.

(a)
The Custodian shall cooperate with and supply necessary information to the entity or entities appointed by the Trust to keep the books of account of the Fund and/or compute the value of the assets of the Fund.  The Custodian shall take all such reasonable actions as the Trust may from time to time request to enable the Trust to obtain, from year to year, favorable opinions from the Trust's independent accountants with respect to the Custodian's activities hereunder in connection with (i) the preparation of the Trust's reports on Form N-1A and Form N-CEN and any other reports required by the SEC, annual, semi-annual, or otherwise and (ii) the fulfillment by the Trust of any other requirements of the SEC.

(b)
The Custodian shall cooperate to allow the Assets to be verified by actual examination at the end of each annual and semi-annual fiscal period by an independent public accountant retained by the Fund, and to be examined by such accountant at least one other time, chosen by the accountant, during each fiscal year. A certificate of such accountant stating that an examination of such securities has been made, and describing the nature and extent of the examination, will be filed by the Trust on Form N-17f-1 promptly after each examination.

(c)
The Custodian shall perform its duties hereunder in compliance with all applicable laws and regulations and provide any sub-certifications reasonably requested by the Trust in connection with any certification required of the Trust pursuant to the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 or any rules or regulations promulgated by the SEC thereunder, provided the same shall not be deemed to change the Custodian’s standard of care as set forth herein.

(d)
In order to assist the Trust in satisfying the requirements of Rule 38a-1 under the 1940 Act (the “Rule”), the Custodian will provide the Trust’s Chief Compliance Officer with reasonable access to the Custodian’s personnel and records relating to the services provided by it under this Agreement, and will provide quarterly compliance reports and related certifications regarding any Material Compliance Matter (as defined in the Rule) involving the Custodian that affect or could affect the Trust.


ARTICLE X. INDEMNIFICATION

10.01
Indemnification by Trust. The Trust, on behalf of each Fund, shall indemnify and hold harmless the Custodian, any Sub-Custodian and any nominee thereof (each, a “Custodian Indemnified Party” and collectively, the “Custodian Indemnified Parties”) from and against any and all claims, demands, losses, expenses and liabilities of any and every nature (including reasonable attorneys' fees) that a Custodian Indemnified Party may sustain or incur or that may be asserted against a Custodian Indemnified Party by any person arising directly or indirectly (i) from the fact that Securities are registered in the name of any such nominee, (ii) from any action taken or omitted to be taken by the Custodian or such Sub-Custodian (a) at the request or direction of or in reliance on the advice of the Trust on behalf of each Fund, or (b) upon Written Instructions, (iii) from the performance or non-performance of its obligations under this Agreement or any sub- custody agreement, or (iv) in connection with or related to the Fund Custody Account, provided that neither the Custodian nor any such Sub-Custodian shall be indemnified and held harmless from and against any such claim, demand, loss, expense or liability arising from its bad faith, fraud, negligence or willful misconduct in the performance of its duties under this Agreement (or any sub-custody agreement). This indemnity shall be a continuing obligation of the Trust, its successors and assigns, notwithstanding the termination or expiration of this Agreement. As used in this paragraph, the terms “Custodian” and “Sub-Custodian” shall include their respective directors, officers and employees.

10.02
Indemnification by Custodian. The Custodian shall indemnify and hold harmless the Trust from and against any and all claims, demands, losses, expenses, and liabilities of any and every nature (including reasonable attorneys’ fees) that the Trust may sustain or incur or that may be asserted against the Trust by any person arising directly or indirectly out of any action taken or omitted to be taken by a Custodian Indemnified Party as a result of the Custodian Indemnified Party’s refusal or failure to comply with the terms of this Agreement (or any sub-custody agreement), or from its bad faith, gross negligence or willful misconduct in the performance of its duties under this Agreement (or any sub-custody agreement). This indemnity shall be continuing obligation of the Custodian, its successors and assigns, notwithstanding the termination of this Agreement. As used in this paragraph, the term “Trust” shall include the Trust’s trustees, officers and employees.

10.03
Miscellaneous.
(a)
Neither party to this Agreement shall be liable to the other party for consequential, special or punitive damages under any provision of this Agreement. The indemnity provisions of this Article shall indefinitely survive the termination and/or assignment of this Agreement.


(b)
In order that the indemnification provisions contained in this Article X shall apply, it is understood that if in any case the indemnitor may be asked to indemnify or hold the indemnitee harmless, the indemnitor shall be fully and promptly advised of all pertinent facts concerning the situation in question, and it is further understood that the indemnitee will use all reasonable care to notify the indemnitor promptly concerning any situation that presents or appears likely to present the probability of a claim for indemnification. The indemnitor shall have the option to defend the indemnitee against any claim that may be the subject of this indemnification. In the event that the indemnitor so elects, it will so notify the indemnitee and thereupon the indemnitor shall take over complete defense of the claim, and the indemnitee shall in such situation initiate no further legal or other expenses for which it shall seek indemnification under this Article X. The indemnitee shall in no case confess any claim or make any compromise in any case in which the indemnitor will be asked to indemnify the indemnitee except with the indemnitor’s prior written consent.

ARTICLE XI. FORCE MAJEURE
Neither the Custodian nor the Trust shall be liable for any failure or delay in performance of its obligations under this Agreement arising out of or caused, directly or indirectly, by circumstances beyond its reasonable control, including, without limitation, acts of God; earthquakes; fires; floods; wars; civil or military disturbances; acts of terrorism; sabotage; strikes; epidemics; riots; power failures; computer failure and any such circumstances beyond its reasonable control as may cause interruption, loss or malfunction of utility, transportation, computer (hardware or software) or telephone communication service; accidents; labor disputes; acts of civil or military authority; governmental actions; or inability to obtain labor, material, equipment or transportation; provided, however, that in the event of a failure or delay, the Custodian (i) shall not discriminate against the Fund in favor of any other customer of the Custodian in making computer time and personnel available to input or process the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, and (ii) shall use its commercially reasonable efforts to ameliorate the effects of any such failure or delay.

ARTICLE XII.

PROPRIETARY AND CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION

12.01 The Custodian agrees on behalf of itself and its directors, officers, and employees to treat confidentially and as proprietary information of the Trust, all records and other information relative to the Trust and prior, present, or potential shareholders of the Trust (and clients of said shareholders), and not to use such records and information for any purpose other than the performance of its responsibilities and duties hereunder, except (i) after prior notification to and approval in writing by the Trust, which approval shall not be unreasonably withheld and may not be withheld where the Custodian may be exposed to civil or criminal contempt proceedings for failure to comply, (ii) when requested to divulge such information by duly constituted governmental or regulatory authorities with jurisdiction over the Custodian, although the Custodian will promptly report such disclosure to the Trust if disclosure is permitted by applicable law and regulation or otherwise, and shall provide the Trust with a reasonable opportunity to review the disclosure, to the extent practicable before it is made, and to interpose its own objections to, or seek to limit, the disclosure at its own expense or (iii) when   so requested by the Trust. Records and other information which have become known to the public through no wrongful act of the Custodian or any of its employees, agents or representatives, and information that was already in the possession of the Custodian prior to receipt thereof from the Trust or its agent, shall not be subject to this paragraph. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein, the Custodian will not be required to report disclosure associated with any routine audit of the Custodian by any supervisory or regulatory body that Custodian is registered with or otherwise subject to the regulation of. The Trust shall similarly maintain confidentiality of any proprietary information of Custodian that it may obtain during the course of this Agreement.



ARTICLE XIII. EFFECTIVE PERIOD; TERMINATION
13.01
Effective Period. This Agreement shall become effective as of the date first written above and will continue in effect for a period of one (1) year. After the expiration of the initial term, this Agreement shall automatically renew for successive one (1)  year terms unless a written notice  of non-renewal is delivered by the non-renewing party no later than 30 days prior to the expiration of the initial term or any renewal term, as the case may be.

13.02
Termination. This Agreement may be terminated by either party upon giving 45 days’ prior written notice to the other party or such shorter period as is mutually agreed upon by the parties. Notwithstanding the foregoing, this Agreement may be terminated by any party upon the breach of the other party of any material term of this Agreement if such breach is not cured within 15 days of notice of such breach to the breaching party. In addition, the Trust may, at any time, immediately terminate this Agreement in the event of the appointment of a conservator or receiver for the Custodian by regulatory authorities or upon the happening of a like event at the direction of an appropriate regulatory agency or court of competent jurisdiction.

13.03
Early Termination by Trust. In the absence of any material breach of this Agreement, should the Trust elect to terminate this Agreement prior to the end of the initial term, the Trust agrees to pay the following fees:

(a)
All monthly fees through the initial term of the Agreement, including the repayment of any negotiated discounts, as applicable;

(b)
All reasonable and customary fees associated with converting services to a successor service provider;

(c)
All reasonable and customary fees associated with any record retention and/or tax reporting obligations that may not be eliminated due to the conversion to a successor service provider.


13.04
Early Termination by the Custodian. In the absence of any material breach of this Agreement, should the Custodian elect to terminate this Agreement prior to the end of the initial term, the Custodian agrees to pay the following fees:

(a)
All reasonable and customary fees associated with converting services to a successor service provider; repayment of any negotiated discounts;

(b)
All reasonable and customary fees associated with any record retention and/or tax reporting obligations that may not be eliminated due to the conversion to a successor service provider.

13.05
Appointment of Successor Custodian. If a successor custodian shall have been appointed by the Board of Trustees, the Custodian shall, upon receipt of a notice of acceptance by the successor custodian, on such specified date of termination (i) deliver directly to the successor custodian all Assets (other than Securities held in a Book-Entry System or Securities Depository) then owned by the Fund and held by the Custodian as custodian, and (ii) transfer any Securities held in a Book-Entry System or Securities Depository to an account of or for the benefit of the Fund at the successor custodian, provided that the Trust shall have paid to the Custodian all fees, expenses and other amounts to the payment or reimbursement of which it shall then be entitled. In addition, the Custodian shall, at the expense of the Trust, transfer to such successor copies of all relevant books, records, correspondence, and other data established or maintained by the Custodian under this Agreement in a form reasonably acceptable to the Trust (if such form differs from the form in which the Custodian has maintained the same, the Trust shall pay any expenses associated with transferring the data to such form), and will cooperate in the transfer of such duties and responsibilities, including provision for assistance from the Custodian’s personnel in the establishment of books, records, and other data by such successor. Upon such delivery and transfer, the Custodian shall be relieved of all obligations under this Agreement. Any transfer to a successor custodian shall be treated as a termination by the Trust for purposes of this Agreement.

13.06
Failure to Appoint Successor Custodian. If a successor custodian is not designated by the Trust on or before the date of termination of this Agreement, then the Custodian shall have the right to deliver to an entity in compliance with Section 17(f) of the 1940 Act. Upon such delivery and transfer, such entity shall be the successor custodian under this Agreement and the Custodian shall be relieved of all obligations under this Agreement. In addition, under these circumstances, copies of all books, records and other data of the Trust shall be returned to the Trust. Notwithstanding the foregoing, either party may retain copies of Confidential Information to the extent required by applicable laws or regulations or as may be retained as party of an automated archival or backup system.


ARTICLE XIV. CLASS ACTIONS
The Custodian shall distribute class action notices and other relevant documentation to the Trust or its designee and the Custodian is relieved from any and all liability and responsibility for filing class action claims on behalf of the Trust.

ARTICLE XV. MISCELLANEOUS
15.01
Compliance with Laws. The Trust has and retains primary responsibility for all compliance matters relating to the Fund, including but not limited to compliance with the 1940 Act, the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, the USA Patriot Act of 2001 and the policies and limitations of the Fund relating to its portfolio investments as set forth in its Prospectus and statement of additional information. The Custodian’s services hereunder shall not relieve the Trust of its responsibilities for assuring such compliance or the Board of Trustee’s oversight responsibility with respect thereto. The Trust shall immediately notify the Custodian if the investment strategy of any Fund materially changes or if it (or any Fund) becomes subject to any new law, rule, regulation, or order of a governmental or judicial authority of competent jurisdiction that materially impacts the operations of the Trust or any Fund or the services provided under this Agreement.

15.02
Amendment. This Agreement may not be amended or modified in any manner except by written agreement executed by the Custodian and the Trust, and authorized or approved by the Board of Trustees.

15.03
Assignment. This Agreement shall extend to and be binding upon the parties hereto and their respective successors and assigns; provided, however, that this Agreement shall not be assignable by the Trust without the written consent of the Custodian, or by the Custodian without the written consent of the Trust accompanied by the authorization or approval of the Board of Trustees.

15.04
Governing Law. This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York, without regard to conflicts of law principles. To the extent that the applicable laws of the State of New York, or any of the provisions herein, conflict with the applicable provisions of the 1940 Act, the latter shall control, and nothing herein shall be construed in a manner inconsistent with the 1940 Act or any rule or order of the SEC thereunder.


15.05. Jurisdiction; Waiver of Trial by Jury.

(a)
The parties hereto irrevocably submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the state courts of The State of New York and to the exclusive jurisdiction of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York for the purpose of any suit, action or other proceeding arising out of or based upon this Agreement or the subject matter hereof. The parties hereto waive, to the extent not prohibited by applicable law that cannot be waived, and agree not to assert, by way of motion, as a defense or otherwise, in any such proceeding brought in any of the above-named courts, any claim that it is not subject personally to the jurisdiction of such court, that its property is exempt or immune from attachment or execution, that such proceeding is brought in an inconvenient forum, that the venue of such proceeding is improper, or that this Agreement or the subject matter hereof may not be enforced in or by such court;

(b)
EACH PARTY WAIVES, TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, ANY RIGHT IT MAY HAVE TO A TRIAL BY JURY IN RESPECT OF ANY SUIT, ACTION OR PROCEEDING RELATING TO THIS AGREEMENT.

15.06. No Agency Relationship. Nothing herein contained shall be deemed to authorize or empower either party to act as agent for the other party to this Agreement, or to conduct business in the name, or for the account, of the other party to this Agreement.

15.07. Services Not Exclusive. Nothing in this Agreement shall limit or restrict the Custodian from providing services to other parties that are similar or identical to some or all of the services provided hereunder.

15.08. Invalidity. Any provision of this Agreement which may be determined by competent authority to be prohibited or unenforceable in any jurisdiction shall, as to such jurisdiction, be ineffective to the extent of such prohibition or unenforceability without invalidating the remaining provisions hereof, and any such prohibition or unenforceability in any jurisdiction shall not invalidate or render unenforceable such provision in any other jurisdiction. In such case, the parties shall in good faith modify or substitute such provision consistent with the original intent of the parties.

15.09. Notices. Any notice required or permitted to be given by either party to the other shall be in writing and shall be deemed to have been given on the date delivered personally or by courier service, or three days after sent by registered or certified mail, postage prepaid, return receipt requested, or on the date sent and confirmed received by facsimile transmission to the other party’s address set forth below:

Notice to the Custodian shall be sent to: Clear Street, LLC
55 Broadway
New York, New York 10006
Attn: Chief Compliance Officer
Phone: (646) 647-1123
Email: cscompliance@clearstreet.io
and notice to the Trust shall be sent to:
Starboard Investment Trust
116 South Franklin Street
Rocky Mount, North Carolina 27804 Attn: Legal Department
Phone: 252-984-3816
Email: legal.department@ncfunds.com


15.10
Multiple Originals. This Agreement may be executed on two or more counterparts, each of which when so executed shall be deemed an original, but such counterparts shall together constitute but one and the same instrument.

15.11
No Waiver. No failure by either party hereto to exercise, and no delay by such party in exercising, any right hereunder shall operate as a waiver thereof. The exercise by either party hereto of any right hereunder shall not preclude the exercise of any other right, and the remedies provided herein are cumulative and not exclusive of any remedies provided at law or in equity.

15.12
References to Custodian. The Trust shall not circulate any printed matter which contains any reference to Custodian without the prior written approval of Custodian, excepting printed matter contained in the Prospectus or statement of additional information for the Fund and such other printed matter as merely identifies Custodian as custodian for the Fund. The Trust shall submit printed matter requiring approval to Custodian in draft form, allowing sufficient time for review by Custodian and its counsel prior to any deadline for printing.

15.13 Insurance. The Custodian shall maintain a fidelity bond covering larceny and embezzlement, an insurance policy with respect to directors and officers’ errors and omissions coverage and electronic data processing insurance coverage, in amounts that are appropriate in light of its duties and responsibilities hereunder. Upon the request of the Trust, the Custodian shall provide evidence that coverage is in place. The Custodian shall notify the Trust should its insurance coverage with respect to professional liability or errors and omissions coverage be reduced or canceled. Such notification shall include the date of cancellation or reduction and the reasons therefore. The Custodian shall notify the Trust promptly of any material claims against it with respect to services performed under this Agreement, whether or not they may be covered by insurance, and shall notify the Trust promptly should the total outstanding claims made by the Custodian under its insurance coverage materially impair, or threaten to materially impair, the adequacy of its coverage.

15.14 Trust Limitations. This Agreement is executed by the Trust with respect to each of the Funds and the obligations hereunder are not binding on any of the trustees, officers or shareholders of the Trust individually but are binding only on the Fund to which such obligations pertain and the assets and property of such Fund. All obligations of the Trust under this Agreement shall apply only on a Fund-by-Fund basis, and the assets of one Fund shall not be liable for the obligations of another Fund.

15.15 Other Agreements. The parties hereby confirm that they will negotiate in good faith at a later date the terms and conditions of a Fully Paid Lending agreement that is mutually beneficial to the parties.



(signatures on the following page)



IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be executed by a duly authorized officer on one or more counterparts as of the date first above written.



 STARBOARD INVESTMENT TRUST
 CLEAR STREET, LLC
 
 
 By:  ___________________________
By:  ________________________________
   
Name:__________________________
Name:_______________________________
   
Title:  ___________________________
 


EXHIBIT A AUTHORIZED PERSONS

Set forth below are the names and specimen signatures of the persons authorized by the Trust to administer the Fund Custody Accounts.



Name
Telephone/Fax Number
Signature
     
     
     
     
     
     
     















A-1




EXHIBIT B

Fund Names

Separate Series of Starboard Investment Trust

Name of Series

Adaptive Growth Opportunities ETF


Exhibit (h)(3)(ii)

FORM OF EXPENSE LIMITATION AGREEMENT


THIS EXPENSE LIMITATION AGREEMENT (“Agreement”) is made and entered into effective as of the 17th day of December, 2020, by and between Starboard Investment Trust, a Delaware statutory trust (the “Trust”), on behalf of its series listed on Appendix A hereto (the “Fund(s)”), and Cavalier Investments, LLC d/b/a Adaptive Investments, a Massachusetts limited liability company (the “Advisor”), with respect to the following:

WHEREAS, the Trust is a statutory trust organized under the Certificate of Trust (“Trust Instrument”) and is registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the “Act”) as an open-end management investment company; and

WHEREAS, each Fund is a series of the Trust; and

WHEREAS, the Trust, on behalf of the Funds, and the Advisor have entered into an Investment Advisory Agreement dated September 24, 2020, as amended (“Advisory Agreement”), pursuant to which the Advisor provides investment advisory services to the Fund(s);

WHEREAS, the Advisor has executed that certain Security Agreement, dated September 24, 2020, providing for a collateral account to secure any amounts due from the Advisor under this Agreement and granting a security interest in the collateral account to the Trust on behalf of the Fund (the “Security Agreement”); and

WHEREAS, the Fund(s) and the Advisor have determined that it is appropriate and in the best interests of each Fund and its shareholders to limit the expenses of the Fund(s), and, therefore, have entered into this Agreement, in order to maintain the Fund(s)’ expense ratios within the Operating Expense Limit, as defined below;


NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual covenants herein contained and other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which is hereby acknowledged, the parties hereto agree as follows:

1. EXPENSE LIMITATION


(a)
Applicable Expense Limit. Each Fund has set an Operating Expense Limit, outlined below and stated in Appendix A. Applicable Expense shall be defined as the aggregate expenses of every character, including but not limited to investment advisory fees of the Advisor, administration fees, distribution and shareholder service fees, fees necessary for professional services, and costs associated with regulatory compliance and maintaining legal existence and shareholder relations, and other such fees and expenses, but does not include: (i) any front-end or contingent deferred loads; (ii) brokerage fees and commissions, (iii) acquired fund fees and expenses; (iv) fees and expenses associated with investments in other collective investment vehicles or derivative instruments (including for example option and swap fees and expenses); (v) borrowing costs (such as interest and dividend expense on securities sold short); (vi) taxes; and (vii) extraordinary expenses, such as litigation expenses (which may include indemnification of Fund officers and Trustees and contractual indemnification of Fund service providers (other than the Advisor)). These expenses are typically shown on the financial statements of each Fund and are classified as the Fund Operating Expenses.


b)
Due from Advisor Reimbursement. To the extent that each Fund’s Operating Expenses exceed the Operating Expense Limit, as defined herein, such excess amount (the “Excess Amount”) shall be the liability of the Advisor. Those expenses incurred on behalf of each Fund and the Advisor, particularly those expenses advanced on the Advisor’s behalf for Fund marketing and distribution, shall also be the liability of the Advisor and payable to the party advancing such expenses on the Advisor’s behalf. Marketing expenses are specifically excluded as being deemed a liability of any party other than the Advisor.


(c)
Expense Limit Calculation. Each Fund’s maximum operating expense limits in any year shall be calculated as a percentage of the average daily net assets of that Fund. The fee shall be calculated as of the last business day of each month based upon the average daily net assets of each Fund determined in the manner described in that Fund’s Prospectus and Statement of Additional Information. For purposes of the Operating Expense Limit, that calculation shall include all the expenses directly charged to the net asset value of that Fund.


(d)
Method of Computation. To determine the Advisor’s liability with respect to the Excess Amount, each month the Funds’ Operating Expenses shall be annualized as of the last day of the month (the “Report Period”). If the annualized Fund Operating Expenses for any month exceed the Operating Expense Limit of a Fund, the Advisor shall first waive or reduce its investment advisory fee for such month by an amount sufficient to reduce the annualized Fund Operating Expenses to an amount no higher than the Operating Expense Limit. If the amount of the waived or reduced investment advisory fee for any such month is insufficient to pay the Excess Amount, the Advisor shall also remit to that Fund an amount that, together with the waived or reduced investment advisory fee, is sufficient to pay such Excess Amount within ten days of the Report Period. If the Advisor fails to make the full payment needed within 30 days of the Report Period, the provisions of the Security Agreement will take effect.



(e)
Year-End Adjustment. If necessary, on or before the last day of the first month of each fiscal year, an adjustment payment shall be made by the appropriate party in order that the amount of the investment advisory fees waived or reduced and other payments remitted by the Advisor to each Fund with respect to the previous fiscal year shall equal the Excess Amount.

2. TERM AND TERMINATION

This Agreement shall continue in effect through December 31, 2021 and shall thereafter continue in effect from year to year for successive one-year periods unless terminated as provided in this paragraph. This Agreement may be terminated, without payment of any penalty, by: (i) the Trust at any time, so long as such action has been authorized by resolution of a majority of the Trustees who are not party to this Agreement or “interested persons” of the Trust, as defined in the Act, or by a vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Trust; and (ii) by the Advisor upon thirty days’ prior written notice to the Trust at its principal place of business, such termination to be effective as of the close of business on the last day of the then-current one-year period. In addition, this Agreement shall terminate with respect to each Fund upon termination of that Fund’s Advisory Agreement.

3. MISCELLANEOUS


(a)
Captions. The captions in this Agreement are included for convenience only and in no other way define or delineate any provisions hereof or otherwise affect their construction or effect.


(b)
Interpretation. Nothing herein contained shall be deemed to require the Trust or any Fund to take any action contrary to the Trust’s Declaration of Trust or by- laws, or any applicable statutory or regulatory requirement to which it is subject or by which it is bound, or to relieve or deprive the Trust’s Board of Trustees of its responsibility for and control of the conduct of the affairs of the Trust or any Fund.



(c)
Definitions. Any question of interpretation of any term or provision of this Agreement, including but not limited to the investment advisory fee, the computations of net asset values, and the allocation of expenses, having a counterpart in or otherwise derived from the terms and provisions of the Advisory Agreement or the Act, shall have the same meaning as, and be resolved by reference to, such Advisory Agreement or the Act.


(d)
Entire Agreement. This Agreement and all the exhibits attached hereto and the Security Agreement constitute the entire agreement of the parties with respect to the subject matter of this Agreement and supersedes all prior negotiations, agreements, and understandings with respect thereto.


(e)
Amendment. No amendment or modification to this Agreement, or any attachment hereto, shall be valid unless made in writing and executed by all parties hereto.


(f)
Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in any number of counterparts, each of which shall be deemed an original.



[SIGNATURES ON FOLLOWING PAGE]



REPRESENTATION OF SIGNATORIES. Each of the undersigned expressly warrants and represents that they have full power and authority to sign this Agreement on behalf of the party indicated and that their signature will bind the party indicated to the terms hereof.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties have caused this Agreement to be signed by their respective officers thereunto duly authorized as of the day and year first above written.



STARBOARD INVESTMENT TRUST On behalf of the Adaptive ETFs





By: 
Name:  Katherine M. Honey
Title:  President



CAVALIER INVESTMENTS, LLC
d/b/a Adaptive Investments






By: 
Name:  Gregory A. Rutherford, CFP
Title:  President







{Signature Page to Expense Limitation Agreement}


EXPENSE LIMITATION AGREEMENT

Appendix A
OPERATING EXPENSE LIMIT SCHEDULE



FUND
OPERATING EXPENSE LIMIT
1.   Adaptive Growth Opportunities ETF
1.25%

Exhibit (i)(1)


December 29, 2020

Starboard Investment Trust
116 South Franklin Street
P. O. Box 69
Rocky Mount, NC  27802

Dear Board Members:
This letter is in response to your request for our opinion in connection with the filing of Post-Effective Amendment No. 371 to the Registration Statement, 1933 Act File No. 333-159484 and 1940 Act File No. 811-22298 (the “Registration Statement”), of Starboard Investment Trust (the “Trust”).
We have examined a copy of the Trust’s Certificate of Trust, Declaration of Trust, the Trust’s By-laws, the Trust’s record of the various actions by the Trustees thereof, and all such agreements, certificates of public officials, certificates of officers and representatives of the Trust and others, and such other documents, papers, statutes and authorities as we deem necessary to form the basis of the opinion hereinafter expressed. We have assumed the genuineness of the signatures and the conformity to original documents of the copies of such documents supplied to us as copies thereof.
Based upon the foregoing, we are of the opinion that, after Post-Effective Amendment No. 371 is effective for purposes of applicable federal and state securities laws, the shares of each series listed on the attached exhibit A, if issued in accordance with the then current Prospectus and Statement of Additional Information of the Trust, will be legally issued, fully paid and non-assessable.
We hereby give you our permission to file this opinion with the Securities and Exchange Commission as an exhibit to Post-Effective Amendment No. 371 to the Registration Statement. This opinion may not be filed with any subsequent amendment, or incorporated by reference into a subsequent amendment, without our prior written consent. This opinion is prepared for the Trust and its shareholders, and may not be relied upon by any other person or organization without our prior written approval.
Very truly yours,

/s/ Greenberg Traurig, LLP

Greenberg Traurig, LLP


Exhibit A


1.  
Adaptive Fundamental Growth Fund
2.  
Adaptive Growth Opportunities ETF
3.  
Adaptive Growth Opportunities Fund
4.  
Adaptive Hedged High Income Fund
5.  
Adaptive Hedged Income Fund
6.  
Adaptive Tactical Economic Fund
7.  
Adaptive Tactical Rotation Fund
8.  
Arin Large Cap Theta Fund
9.  
Matisse Discounted Bond CEF Strategy
10. 
Matisse Discounted Closed-End Fund Strategy
11. 
QCI Balanced Fund
12. 
Roumell Opportunistic Value Fund
13. 
The Sector Rotation Fund


Exhibit (j)













CONSENT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM




We consent to the references to our firm in the Registration Statement on Form N-1A of the Starboard Investment Trust and to the use of our report dated July 28, 2020 on the financial statements and financial highlights of Adaptive Growth Opportunities Fund (the “Predecessor Fund”), a series of shares of beneficial interest in Starboard Investment Trust. Such financial statements and financial highlights appear in the Predecessor Fund’s May 31, 2020 Annual Report to Shareholders which is incorporated by reference into the Statement of Additional Information.




BBD, LLP
 



Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
December 28, 2020
Exhibit (l)(6)

FORM OF
SUBSCRIPTION AGREEMENT BETWEEN
THE TRUST AND THE INVESTORS

Adaptive Growth Opportunities ETF

A Series of
Starboard Investment Trust

LETTER OF INVESTMENT INTENT

December __, 2020

Cavalier Investments, LLC d/b/a Adaptive Investments (the “Purchaser”) subscribes to purchase a beneficial interest (“Interest”) of the Adaptive Growth Opportunities ETF (“Fund”), a series of Starboard Investment Trust, in the amount of $10.00 for one (1) share at net asset value of $10.00 per share, in consideration for which the Purchaser agrees to transfer to you upon demand cash in the amount of $10.00.

The Purchaser acknowledges receipt of a copy of the Fund’s prospectus and recognizes that the Fund will not be fully operational until it commences a public offering of its shares.  Accordingly, a number of features of the Fund described in the prospectus, including, without limitation, redemption of shares upon request of shareholders, will not be available until it is fully operational.

The Purchaser represents and warrants as follows:

(1)
Purchaser is aware that no federal or state agency has made any finding or determination as to the fairness for investment, nor any recommendation nor endorsement, of the Interest;

(2)
Purchaser has such knowledge and experience of financial and business matters as will enable it to utilize the information made available to it in connection with the offering of the Interest to evaluate the merits and risks of the prospective investment and to make an informed investment decision;


(3)
Purchaser recognizes that the Fund has no financial or operating history and, further, that investment in the Fund involves certain risks and that Purchaser understands the risks related to the purchase of the Interest and acknowledges that it can bear the economic risks of such an investment for an indefinite period of time and can suffer the complete loss thereof;


(4)
Purchaser is purchasing the Interest for its own account, for investment purposes only, and not with any present intention of redemption, distribution, or resale of the Interest, either in whole or in part;



(5)
Any resale of the Interest, or any part thereof, may be subject to restrictions under the federal securities laws and Purchaser will not sell the Interest purchased by it without registration of the Fund under the Securities Act of 1933 or exemption therefrom;


(6)
Purchaser has been furnished with and has read this agreement, the prospectus, and such other documents relating to the Fund as it has requested and as have been provided to it by the Fund; and


(7)
Purchaser also has had the opportunity to ask questions of, and receive answers from, officers of the Fund concerning the Fund and the terms of the offering.

In Witness Whereof, this Subscription Agreement has been executed by the parties hereto as of the day and date first above written.

STARBOARD INVESTMENT TRUST on behalf of its series,
Adaptive Growth Opportunities ETF

By:  ______________________________
Name:  ____________________________
Title:  _____________________________


Cavalier Investments, LLC
d/b/a Adaptive Investments

By:  ______________________________
Name:  ____________________________
Title:  _____________________________