As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on January 2 8 , 2021
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.   376
and/or
REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER INVESTMENT COMPANY ACT OF 1940
Amendment No.  379
(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)

[    ] immediately upon filing pursuant to paragraph (b)
[ X ] on February 1, 2021 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.



Ticker Symbol NAVFX

 


A series of the
Starboard Investment Trust


 
PROSPECTUS
February 1, 202 1
This prospectus contains information about The Sector Rotation Fund 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.

Investment Advisor
Grimaldi Portfolio Solutions, Inc.
1207 Route 9, Suite 10
Wappingers Falls, NY 12590




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 regulations adopted by the Securities and Exchange Commissions, 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 from your financial intermediary (such as a broker-dealer or bank). Instead, the reports will be made available on the Fund’s website at https://docs.nottinghamco.com/SectorRotation/ , and you will be notified by mail each time a report is posted and provided with a website link to access the report.

If you already elected to receive shareholder reports electronically, you will not be affected by this change and you need not take any action. You may elect to receive shareholder reports, prospectuses, and other communications from a 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://docs.nottinghamco.com/SectorRotation/ .

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 a 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
Summary
2
Additional Information about the Fund’s Investment Objective,
Principal Investment Strategies , and Risks

10
Investment Objective
10
Principal Investment Strategies
10
Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund
11
Temporary Defensive Positions
14
Disclosure of Portfolio Holdings
15
Management of the Fund
16
Investment Advisor
16
Distributor
17
Investing in the Fund
18
Purchase and Redemption Price
18
Buying or Selling Shares Through a Financial Intermediary
19
Purchasing Shares
19
Redeeming Your Shares
21
Frequent Purchases and Redemptions
24
Shareholder Statements and Reports
25
Other Important Information
26
Dividends, Distributions, and Taxes
26
Financial Highlights
27
Additional Information
Back Cover


SUMMARY
INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE
The Sector Rotation Fund (the “Fund”) seeks to achieve capital appreciation.
FEES AND EXPENSES OF THE FUND
These tables describe the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund:
Shareholder Fees
 
(fees paid directly from your investment)
 
Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed On Purchases
   (as a % of offering price)
None
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load)
   (as a % of the lesser of amount purchased or redeemed)
None
Redemption Fee
   (as a % of amount redeemed)
None

Annual Fund Operating Expenses
 
(expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
Management Fees
1.00%
Distribution and/or Service (12b‑1) Fees
0.25%
Other Expenses
0.85%
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses1
0.17%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses
2.27%
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.
2. The Fund’s Investment Advisor, Grimaldi Portfolio Solutions, Inc. (the “Advisor”), has entered into an expense limitation agreement (the “Expense Limitation Agreement”) with the Fund under which it has agreed to waive or reduce its management fees and assume other expenses of the Fund in an amount that limits the Fund’s Total Annual Fund 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 Advisor)) to not more than 2.14% of the average daily net assets of the Fund. This contractual arrangement is in effect through January 31, 202 2 , unless earlier terminated by the Board of Trustees of the Fund (the “Board” or the “Trustees”) for any reason at any time. The Advisor cannot recoup from the Fund any amounts paid by the Advisor under the expense limitation agreement.
2

Example.  This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem (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.  The Example includes the Fund’s contractual expense limitation through January 31, 202 2 . 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
$230
$709
$1,215
$2,605
Portfolio Turnover.  The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio).  A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the Example, affect the Fund’s performance. For the Fund’s most recent fiscal year ended September 30, 20 20 , the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 274.61 % of the average value of its portfolio.
PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES
Sector Rotation is a strategy that evaluates the relative strength and momentum of different sectors of the economy in order to identify short-term investment opportunities.  A sector is a segment of the market that isolates very specific types of assets.  Examples of sectors include, but are not limited to, consumer discretionary, health care, information technology, consumer staples, commodities, energy, financials, industrials, materials, real estate, telecommunications, and utilities. The Advisor employs a proprietary ranking system to identify the sectors that it believes are showing the greatest relative strength and increases the Fund’s exposure to those sectors. The Fund may also invest in a broader asset class or index based on the manager’s macro-economic forecast.
Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests in shares of exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”). An ETF is an open-end investment company that holds a portfolio of investments designed to track a particular market segment or underlying index. In seeking to achieve the Fund’s investment objectives, the Advisor may allocate Fund assets among equity ETFs representing various domestic and foreign markets, regions and countries. The Fund may invest in ETFs that hold foreign securities and American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”) but will not invest in emerging market securities to a significant extent. The Fund may invest in ETFs designed to provide investment results that match the performance or inverse (opposite) performance of an underlying index. Based on the manager’s macro-economic forecast, the Fund may also invest in ETFs designed to provide investment results that match a positive or negative multiple of the performance of an underlying index. The Fund will invest in securities of issuers across a range of market capitalizations, including large-, small- and mid-cap issuers, but the Advisor does not anticipate that the Fund will invest in securities of micro-cap and nano-cap issuers.
In selecting investments for the Fund, the Advisor seeks to identify securities that it believes exhibit attractive valuations based on characteristics such as price movement, volatility, price to earnings ratios, growth rates, price to cash flow, and price to book ratios. With respect to the Fund’s inverse positions, the Advisor seeks to identify securities that are designed to perform inverse to indexes with valuations that the Advisor believes are unattractive based on these same characteristics. The Advisor will incorporate asset class selection as part of the Fund’s overall portfolio.  This strategic asset allocation is the process of dividing securities among different kinds of assets to optimize the risk/reward trade-off based on achieving capital appreciation. The Advisor utilizes quantitative research to determine the Fund’s weightings between stocks, and cash, allocation among sectors and industries, and exposure to domestic and foreign markets. The Fund expects to engage in active and frequent trading of its portfolio securities.
3

From time to time, the Fund may also focus its investments in a limited number of market sectors, which may be any of the 11 major market sectors. As of September 30, 2019, the Fund was principally invested in the consumer discretionary, consumer staples, industrials, and information technology sectors.
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. The Fund is subject to certain risks, including the principal risks noted below, any of which may adversely affect the Fund’s net asset value per shares (“NAV”), trading price, yield, total return, and ability to meet its investment objectives. 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. Generally, the Fund will be subject to the following principal risks:
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.
4

Foreign Securities Risk.  The ETFs held by the Fund may have significant investments in foreign securities. Foreign securities 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 generally 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.
Investments in ETFs. Since the Fund invests in ETFs, the Fund will be subject to substantially the same risks as those associated with the direct ownership of the securities comprising the index on which the ETF is based and the value of the Fund’s investment will fluctuate in response to the performance of the underlying index.  ETFs typically incur fees that are separate from those of the Fund.  Accordingly, the Fund’s investments in ETFs will result in the layering of expenses such that shareholders will indirectly bear a proportionate share of the ETFs’ operating expenses, in addition to paying Fund expenses. ETFs are subject to additional risks such as the fact that its shares may trade at a market price that is above or below its net asset value (“NAV”) or an active market may not develop.
Leveraged or Inverse ETFs. The Fund may invest in leveraged and/or inverse ETFs, including multiple inverse (or ultra-short) ETFs. These ETFs are subject to additional risk not generally associated with traditional ETFs. Leveraged ETFs seek to multiply the performance of the particular benchmark that is tracked (which may be an index, a currency or other benchmark). Inverse ETFs seek to negatively correlate to the performance of the benchmark. These ETFs seek to achieve their returns by using various forms of derivative transactions, including by short-selling the underlying index. Ultra-short ETFs seek to multiply the negative return of the tracked index (e.g., twice the inverse return). As a result, an investment in an inverse ETF will decrease in value when the value of the underlying index rises. For example, an inverse ETF tracking the S&P 500 Index will gain 1% when the S&P falls 1% (if it is an ultra-short ETF that seeks twice the inverse return, it will gain 2%), and will lose 1% if the S&P 500 gains 1% (if an ultra-short ETF that seeks twice the inverse return, it would lose 2%). By investing in ultra-short ETFs and gaining magnified short exposure to a particular index, the Fund can commit less assets to the investment in the securities represented on the index than would otherwise be required.
5

Manager Risk.  The Advisor’s ability to choose suitable investments has a significant impact on the ability of the Fund to achieve its investment objectives. The portfolio manager’s experience is discussed in the section of this prospectus entitled “Management of the Fund – Investment Advisor.”
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 securities markets. Stock prices 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 stock may even be affected by factors unrelated to the value or condition of its issuer, such as changes in interest rates, national and international economic and/or political conditions and general equity market conditions.  In a declining stock market, prices for all companies (including those in the Fund’s portfolio) may decline regardless of their long-term prospects. The Fund’s performance per share will change daily in response to such factors.
Portfolio Turnover Risk.  The Advisor 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. 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.  The payment of taxes on gains could adversely affect the Fund’s performance. Any distributions resulting from such gains will be considered ordinary income for federal income tax purposes.
Sector Focus Risk.  Because the Fund’s investments may, from time to time, be more heavily invested in particular sectors, the value of its shares may be especially sensitive to factors and economic risks that specifically affect those sectors.  As a result, the Fund’s share price may fluctuate more widely than the value of shares of a mutual fund that invests in a broader range of industries. The specific risks for each of the sectors in which the Fund may focus its investments include the additional risks described below:
Consumer Discretionary.  Companies in this sector may be adversely affected by negative changes in the domestic and international economies, interest rates, competition, consumer confidence, disposable household income, and consumer spending.  These companies are also subject to severe competition and changes in demographics and consumer tastes, which may have an adverse effect on the performance of these companies.

6

Consumer Staples.  Companies in this sector may be adversely affected by negative changes in the domestic and international economies, interest rates, competition, consumer confidence, and consumer spending. These companies also are subject to the risk that government regulation could affect the permissibility of using various production methods and food additives, which regulations could affect company profitability. The success of food, household, and personal product companies may be strongly affected by consumer tastes, marketing campaigns, and other factors affecting supply and demand.
Industrials. Companies in this sector are affected by supply and demand both for their specific product or service and for industrial sector products in general. Government regulation, world events, and economic conditions will affect the performance of these companies. These companies can also be cyclical, subject to sharp price movements, and significantly affected by government spending policies.
Information Technology.  The performance of companies in this sector may be adversely affected by intense competition both domestically and internationally; limited product lines, markets, financial resources, or personnel; rapid product obsolescence and frequent new product introduction; dramatic and unpredictable changes in growth rates; and dependence on patent and intellectual property rights.
Small-Cap and Mid-Cap Securities Risk.  The Fund or ETFs held by the Fund may invest in securities of small-cap and mid-cap companies, which involve 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 Fund’s shares will be more volatile than a fund that invests exclusively in large-capitalization companies.
PERFORMANCE INFORMATION
The following bar chart and table shown 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 Fund’s average annual total returns compare to those of a broad-based securities market index. The Fund’s past performance (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future. Updated performance information is available online at https://docs.nottinghamco.com/NAVFX .
The Fund was reorganized on June 27, 2011, from a series of the World Funds Trust, a Delaware statutory trust (the “Predecessor Fund”), to a series of Starboard Investment Trust (the “Trust), a Delaware statutory trust (the “Reorganization”). The performance information shown below includes information for the Predecessor Fund. The Predecessor Fund commenced operations on December 30, 2009. Shareholders of the Predecessor Fund approved the Reorganization on June 22, 2011, and received shares of the Fund on June 27, 2011. The performance information shown below is intended to serve as an illustration of the variability of the Fund’s returns since the Fund is a continuation of the Predecessor Fund and has the same investment objectives and strategies and substantially the same investment policies as the Predecessor Fund. While the Fund is substantially similar to the Predecessor Fund, and, theoretically, would have invested in the same portfolio of securities, the Fund’s performance during the same time period may have been different than the performance of the Predecessor Fund due to, among other things, differences in fees and expenses.
7

Calendar Year Returns
During the periods shown in the bar chart above, the Fund’s highest quarterly return was 19.36 % (quarter ended June 30, 2020 ) and the Fund’s lowest quarterly return was -20.81 % (quarter ended March 31, 2020 ).
Average Annual Total Returns Period Ended
December 31, 20 20
Past
1 Year
Past 5
Years
Past 10
Years
Sector Rotation Fund
Return Before Taxes
Return After taxes on Distributions
Return After taxes on Distributions and Sale of Shares
11.53%
11.29%
9.36%

10.08%
8.65%
7.94%

8.73%
7.00%
6.63%
S&P 500 Total Return Index
(reflects no deductions for fees, expenses, or taxes)
18.40%
15.22%

13.88%

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 OF THE FUND
The Fund’s investment advisor is Grimaldi Portfolio Solutions, Inc.  The Fund’s portfolio is managed on a day-to-day basis by Mark Anthony Grimaldi.  Mr. Grimaldi is president of Grimaldi Portfolio Solutions, Inc., and has been the portfolio manager of the Fund since its inception in 2009.
PURCHASE AND SALE OF FUND SHARES
The minimum initial investment is $2,500 and the minimum subsequent investment is $100 ($50 under an automatic investment plan), although the minimums may be waived or reduced in some cases.
8

The Fund’s shares are available for purchase and are redeemable on any business day through your broker-dealer or directly from the Fund by mail, facsimile, telephone, and bank wire. Purchase and redemption orders by mail should be sent to the Sector Rotation Fund, c/o Nottingham Shareholder Services, Post Office Box 4365, Rocky Mount, North Carolina 27803-0365.  Purchase and redemption orders by facsimile should be transmitted to 919-882-9281. Please call the Fund at 1-800-773-3863 to conduct telephone transactions or to receive wire instructions for bank wire orders.  Investors who wish to purchase or redeem Fund shares through a broker-dealer should contact the broker-dealer directly.
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.
9

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE FUND’S INVESTMENT
OBJECTIVE, PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES, AND RISKS
INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE
The Fund seeks to achieve capital appreciation. The Fund’s investment objective is not a fundamental policy and may 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 place. There is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve its investment objective.
PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES
The Fund’s principal investment strategies are discussed in the “Summary” section. The Fund’s principal investment strategies may be changed by the Fund’s Board without shareholder approval unless otherwise noted in this prospectus or the Fund’s Statement of Additional Information.
Sector Rotation is a strategy that evaluates the relative strength and momentum of different sectors of the economy in order to identify short-term investment opportunities.  A sector is a segment of the market that isolates very specific types of assets.  Examples of sectors include, but are not limited to, consumer discretionary, health care, information technology, consumer staples, commodities, energy, financials, industrials, materials, real estate, telecommunications, and utilities. The Advisor employs a proprietary ranking system to identify the sectors that it believes are showing the greatest relative strength and increases the Fund’s exposure to those sectors.  The Fund may also invest in a broader asset class or index based on the manager’s macro-economic forecast.
Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests in shares of ETFs.  An ETF is an open-end investment company that holds a portfolio of investments designed to track a particular market segment or underlying index. In seeking to achieve the Fund’s investment objective, the Advisor may allocate Fund assets among domestic and foreign equity ETFs representing various markets, regions and countries. The Fund may invest in ETFs that hold foreign securities and ADRs but will not invest in emerging market securities to a significant extent. The Fund may invest in ETFs designed to provide investment results that match the performance or inverse (opposite) performance of an underlying index. Based on the manager’s macro-economic forecast, the Fund may also invest in ETFs designed to provide investment results that match a positive or negative multiple of the performance of an underlying index. The Fund will invest in securities of issuers across a range of market capitalizations, including large-, small- and mid-cap issuers, but the Advisor does not anticipate that the Fund will invest in securities of micro-cap and nano-cap issuers.
In selecting investments for the Fund, the Advisor seeks to identify securities that it believes exhibit attractive valuations based on characteristics such as price movement, volatility, price to earnings ratios, growth rates, price to cash flow, and price to book ratios.  With respect to the Fund’s inverse positions, the Advisor seeks to identify securities that are designed to perform inverse to indexes with valuations that the Advisor believes are unattractive based on these same characteristics. The Advisor will incorporate asset class selection as part of the Fund’s overall portfolio.  This strategic asset allocation is the process of dividing securities among different kinds of assets to optimize the risk/reward trade-off based on achieving capital appreciation. The Advisor utilizes quantitative research to determine the Fund’s weightings between stocks, and cash, allocation among sectors and industries, and exposure to domestic and foreign markets. The Fund expects to engage in active and frequent trading of its portfolio securities.
10

In determining the Fund’s asset allocation, the Advisor considers macroeconomic trends, its view of the business cycle, and comparable industry/sector strength based on those cyclical and macroeconomic trends, as well as the underlying strategy and holdings of potential ETF investments. The Advisor seeks to allocate the Fund’s investments in advantageous sectors and investments and move the Fund’s assets out of sectors and investments that the Advisor views as likely to underperform relative to market conditions.
From time to time, the Fund may also focus its investments in a limited number of market sectors, which may be any of the 11 major market sectors. As of September 30, 2019, the Fund was principally invested in the consumer discretionary, consumer staples, industrials, and information technology sectors.
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. Generally, the Fund will be subject to the following principal risks:
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.
11

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.
Foreign Securities Risk.  The ETFs held by the Fund may have significant investments in foreign securities.  Foreign securities 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 generally 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.
Investments in ETFs.  Since the Fund invests in ETFs, the Fund will be subject to substantially the same risks as those associated with the direct ownership of the securities comprising the index on which the ETF is based and the value of the Fund’s investment will fluctuate in response to the performance of the underlying index.  ETFs typically incur fees that are separate from those of the Fund.  Accordingly, the Fund’s investments in ETFs will result in the layering of expenses such that shareholders will indirectly bear a proportionate share of the ETFs’ operating expenses, in addition to paying Fund expenses. ETFs are subject to the following risks that do not apply to traditional mutual funds: (i) an ETF’s shares may trade at a market price that is above or below its NAV; (ii) an active trading market for an ETF’s shares may not develop or be maintained; (iii) the ETF may employ an investment strategy that utilizes high leverage ratios; or (iv) trading of an ETF’s shares may be halted if the listing exchange’s officials deem such action appropriate, the shares are de-listed from the exchange, or the activation of market-wide “circuit breakers” (which are tied to large decreases in stock prices) halts stock trading generally.
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Leveraged or Inverse ETFs. The Fund may invest in leveraged and/or inverse ETFs, including multiple inverse (or ultra-short) ETFs. These ETFs are subject to additional risk not generally associated with traditional ETFs. Leveraged ETFs seek to multiply the performance of the particular benchmark that is tracked (which may be an index, a currency or other benchmark). Inverse ETFs seek to negatively correlate to the performance of the benchmark. These ETFs seek to achieve their returns by using various forms of derivative transactions, including by short-selling the underlying index. Ultra-short ETFs seek to multiply the negative return of the tracked index (e.g., twice the inverse return). As a result, an investment in an inverse ETF will decrease in value when the value of the underlying index rises. For example, an inverse ETF tracking the S&P 500 Index will gain 1% when the S&P falls 1% (if it is an ultra-short ETF that seeks twice the inverse return, it will gain 2%), and will lose 1% if the S&P 500 gains 1% (if an ultra-short ETF that seeks twice the inverse return, it would lose 2%). By investing in ultra-short ETFs and gaining magnified short exposure to a particular index, the Fund can commit less assets to the investment in the securities represented on the index than would otherwise be required.
Manager Risk.  The Advisor’s ability to choose suitable investments has a significant impact on the ability of the Fund to achieve its investment objectives. The portfolio manager’s experience is discussed in the section of this prospectus entitled “Management of the Fund – Investment Advisor.”
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 securities markets.  Stock prices 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 stock may even be affected by factors unrelated to the value or condition of its issuer, such as changes in interest rates, national and international economic and/or political conditions and general equity market conditions.  In a declining stock market, prices for all companies (including those in the Fund’s portfolio) may decline regardless of their long-term prospects. The Fund’s performance per share will change daily in response to such factors.
Portfolio Turnover Risk.  The Advisor 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. 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.  The payment of taxes on gains could adversely affect the Fund’s performance. Any distributions resulting from such gains will be considered ordinary income for federal income tax purposes.
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Sector Focus Risk.  Because the Fund’s investments may, from time to time, be more heavily invested in particular sectors, the value of its shares may be especially sensitive to factors and economic risks that specifically affect those sectors.  As a result, the Fund’s share price may fluctuate more widely than the value of shares of a mutual fund that invests in a broader range of industries. The specific risks for each of the sectors in which the Fund may focus its investments include the additional risks described below:
Consumer Discretionary.  Companies in this sector may be adversely affected by negative changes in the domestic and international economies, interest rates, competition, consumer confidence, disposable household income, and consumer spending.  These companies are also subject to severe competition and changes in demographics and consumer tastes, which may have an adverse effect on the performance of these companies.
Consumer Staples.  Companies in this sector may be adversely affected by negative changes in the domestic and international economies, interest rates, competition, consumer confidence, and consumer spending. These companies also are subject to the risk that government regulation could affect the permissibility of using various production methods and food additives, which regulations could affect company profitability. The success of food, household, and personal product companies may be strongly affected by consumer tastes, marketing campaigns, and other factors affecting supply and demand.
Industrials. Companies in this sector are affected by supply and demand both for their specific product or service and for industrial sector products in general. Government regulation, world events, and economic conditions will affect the performance of these companies. These companies can also be cyclical, subject to sharp price movements, and significantly affected by government spending policies.
Information Technology.  The performance of companies in this sector may be adversely affected by intense competition both domestically and internationally; limited product lines, markets, financial resources, or personnel; rapid product obsolescence and frequent new product introduction; dramatic and unpredictable changes in growth rates; and dependence on patent and intellectual property rights.
Small-Cap and Mid-Cap Securities Risk.  The Fund or ETFs held by the Fund may invest in securities of small-cap and mid-cap companies, which involve 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 Fund’s shares will be more volatile than a fund that invests exclusively in large-capitalization companies.
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 its portfolio in cash or cash equivalent positions.  When the Fund takes a temporary defensive position, the Fund may not be able to achieve its investment objective.
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DISCLOSURE OF PORTFOLIO HOLDINGS
A description of the Fund’s policies and procedures with respect to the disclosure of the Fund’s portfolio securities is available in the Statement of Additional Information.
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MANAGEMENT OF THE FUND
INVESTMENT ADVISOR
Grimaldi Portfolio Solutions, Inc. (previously Navigator Money Management, Inc.), a New York corporation formed in 1996 and located at 1207 Route 9, Suite 10, Wappingers Falls, NY 12590, manages the investments of the Fund pursuant to an investment advisory agreement (the "Advisory Agreement").  In addition to the Fund, the Advisor also provides investment advice to individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, trusts, estates, and charitable organizations. Pursuant to the investment advisory agreement with the Trust, the Advisor provides guidance and policy direction in connection with its daily management of the Fund’s assets. The Advisor is also responsible for the selection of broker-dealers for executing portfolio transactions, subject to the brokerage policies established by the Trustees, and the provision of certain executive personnel to the Fund.  As of September 30, 20 20 , Grimaldi Portfolio Solutions, Inc., had approximately $ 82 million in assets under management.
Advisor Compensation.  As full compensation for the investment advisory services provided to the Fund, the Advisor receives a monthly fee at the annual rate of 1.00% of the Fund’s average daily net assets. For the fiscal year ended September 30, 20 20 , the Advisor earned 1.00 % of the average daily net assets of the Fund, after fee waivers.
Disclosure Regarding Approval of Investment Advisory Agreement. A discussion regarding the Board’s basis for approval of the investment advisory agreement for the Fund can be found in the Fund’s annual report to shareholders for the period ended September 30, 20 20 . You may obtain a copy of the most recent semi-annual and annual reports, free of charge, upon request to the Fund.
Expense Limitation Agreement. In the interest of limiting expenses of the Fund, the Advisor has entered into the Expense Limitation Agreement with the Trust, pursuant to which the Advisor has agreed to waive or reduce its management fees and to assume other expenses of the Fund in an amount that limits the Fund’s 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)) is limited to 2.14%. This contractual arrangement is in effect through January 31, 202 2 , unless 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.
Portfolio Manager.  Mark Anthony Grimaldi, CFS, the Fund’s portfolio manager, has been the founder, president, and part owner of the Advisor since 1996.  Mr. Grimaldi has also served as vice president of The Prestige Organization, Inc, since 1996.  He began his career in money management in 1986 as an investment coordinator at Meyer Handelman Company in New York.  After two years, he joined Prime Financial Services as director of operations.  In 1992, Mr. Grimaldi accepted a position as manager of the Securities Operations division at Marshall & Sterling Consultants in Poughkeepsie, New York.  In 1997, he earned the Certified Fund Specialist (CFS) designation.  Mr. Grimaldi has held various securities licenses including Series 6, 7, 24, and 63.  From March of 1989 through October 2005, Mr. Grimaldi coordinated and taught securities training classes at Dutchess Community College in Poughkeepsie, New York.  In 2004, Mr. Grimaldi became chief portfolio manager of the Navigator Newsletters for which he currently writes the lead economic forecast article.  Mr. Grimaldi co-managed the ETF Market Opportunity Fund (formerly known as the Navigator Fund), a series of the Aviemore Funds, from January 1, 2008, through January 30, 2009.  Mr. Grimaldi served as the portfolio manager of the Fund’s predecessor, a fund series of the World Funds Trust, from its inception in 2009 until its reorganization into the Trust in 2011. Mr. Grimaldi graduated from Albany State University in 1985 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics. In 2014, Mr. Grimaldi co-authored his first book entitled The Money Compass: Where Your Money Went and How to Get it Back.
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The Statement of Additional Information provides additional information about the portfolio manager’s compensation, other accounts managed and ownership of securities in the Fund.
DISTRIBUTOR
Capital Investment Group, Inc. (“Distributor”), is the principal underwriter and distributor of the Fund’s shares and serves as the Fund’s exclusive agent for the distribution of the Fund’s shares.  The Distributor may sell the Fund’s shares to or through qualified securities dealers or others.
Rule 12b-1 Distribution Plan.  The Fund has adopted a plan of distribution pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”) (“Distribution Plan”) that allows the Fund to pay distribution and/or service fees in connection with the distribution of its shares and for services provided to shareholders. Under the Fund’s Plan, the Fund may pay an annual fee up to 0.25% of the average daily net assets of the Fund for shareholder services and distribution related expenses. Because the 12b-1 fees are paid out of the Fund’s assets on an on-going basis, these fees, over time, will increase the cost of your investment and may cost you more than paying other types of sales loads.
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INVESTING IN THE FUND
PURCHASE AND REDEMPTION PRICE
Shares of the Fund are sold and redeemed at net asset value.  Shares may be purchased by any account managed by the Advisor and any other institutional investor or any broker-dealer authorized to sell shares in the Fund.  The minimum initial investment is $2,500.  The minimum additional investment is $100. The Fund may, in the Advisor’s sole discretion, accept certain accounts with less than the minimum investment.
Determining the Fund’s Net Asset Value.  The price at which you purchase or redeem shares is based on the next calculation of the NAV after an order is received by the Fund or its designated agent in good form.  An order is considered to be in good form if it includes all necessary information and documentation related to a purchase or redemption request and, if applicable, payment in full of the purchase amount.  The Fund’s NAV per share is calculated by dividing the value of the Fund’s total assets, less liabilities (including Fund expenses, which are accrued daily), by the total number of outstanding shares of the Fund.  To the extent that the Fund holds portfolio securities that are primarily listed on foreign exchanges that trade on weekends or other days when the Fund does not price shares, the NAV of the Fund’s shares may change on days when shareholders will not be able to purchase or redeem the Fund’s shares. The NAV per share of the Fund is determined at the close of regular trading on the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) on the days the NYSE is open for trading. This is normally 4:00 p.m. Eastern time. The Fund’s shares will not be priced on the days on which the NYSE is closed for trading. In addition, the Fund’s shares will not be priced on the holidays listed in the SAI. See the section titled “Net Asset Value” in the SAI for more detail.
The pricing and valuation of portfolio securities is determined in good faith by a valuation committee in accordance with the Fund’s policies and procedures established by, and under the direction of, the Board. In determining the value of the Fund’s total assets, portfolio securities are generally calculated at market value by quotations from the primary market in which they are traded.  Foreign securities listed on foreign exchanges are valued based on 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.  Instruments with maturities of 60 days or less are valued at amortized cost, which approximates market value. The Fund normally uses third party pricing services to obtain market quotations. Securities and assets for which representative market quotations are not readily available or which cannot be accurately valued using the Fund’s normal pricing procedures are valued at fair value in good faith by either the Fund’s valuation committee or the Advisor in accordance with procedures established by, and under the supervision of, the Board. Fair value pricing may be used, for example, in situations where (i) an exchange-traded portfolio security is so thinly traded that there have been no transactions for that security over an extended period of time or the validity of a market quotation received is questionable; (ii) the exchange on which the portfolio security is principally traded closes early; or (iii) trading of the portfolio security is halted during the day and does not resume prior to the Fund’s NAV calculation.
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Pursuant to policies adopted by the Board, the Advisor consults with the Fund’s administrator on a regular basis regarding the need for fair value pricing.  The Advisor is responsible for notifying the Board (or the Fund’s valuation committee) when it believes that fair value pricing is required for a particular security. The Fund’s policies regarding fair value pricing are intended to result in a calculation of the Fund’s NAV that fairly reflects portfolio security values as of the time of pricing.  A portfolio security’s “fair value” price may differ from the price next available for that portfolio security using the Fund’s normal pricing procedures and the fair value price may differ from the price at which the security may ultimately be traded or sold. If such fair value price differs from the price that would have been determined using the Fund’s normal pricing procedures, a shareholder may receive more or less proceeds or shares from redemptions or purchases of Fund shares, respectively, than a shareholder would have otherwise received if the security were priced using the Fund’s normal pricing procedures. The performance of the Fund may also be affected if a portfolio security’s fair value price were to differ from the security’s price using the Fund’s normal pricing procedures.  To the extent the Fund invests in other open-end investment companies that are registered under the 1940 Act, the Fund’s NAV calculations are based upon the NAV reported by such registered open-end investment companies, and the prospectuses for these companies explain the circumstances under which they will use fair value pricing and the effects of using fair value pricing.
Other Matters.  Purchases and redemptions of shares by the same shareholder on the same day will be netted for the Fund.
BUYING OR SELLING SHARES
THROUGH A FINANCIAL INTERMEDIARY
Certain financial intermediaries have agreements with the Fund that allow them to enter purchase or redemption orders on behalf of clients and customers. These orders will be priced at the NAV next computed after the orders are received by the financial intermediary, subject to the order being in good form. Orders received in good form by the financial intermediary prior to the NYSE market close (normally 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time) will receive a share price based on that day’s NAV and orders received after the NYSE closes will receive a price based on the NAV determined at the close of regular trading on the next day that the NYSE is open.  You should look to the financial intermediary through whom you wish to invest for specific instructions on how to purchase or redeem shares of the Fund.
PURCHASING SHARES
You may purchase shares of the Fund on any day on which the NYSE is open for trading. Purchases can be made from the Fund by mail, facsimile, telephone, or bank wire. In addition, brokers that are authorized designees of the Fund may receive purchase and redemption orders on behalf of the Fund. These designated brokers are also authorized to designate other financial intermediaries to receive orders on behalf of the Fund. Such orders will be deemed to have been received by the Fund when an authorized designee, or broker-authorized designee, receives the order, subject to the order being in good form. The orders will be priced at the NAV next computed after the orders are received by the Fund, the authorized broker, or broker-authorized designee. Orders received in good form prior to the close of the NYSE (normally 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time) will receive a share price based on that day’s NAV and orders received after the close of the NYSE will receive a price based on the NAV determined at the close of regular trading on the next day that the NYSE is open.  Investors may also be charged a fee by a broker or agent if shares are purchased through a broker or agent.
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The Fund reserves the right to (i) refuse any request to purchase shares for any reason and (ii) suspend the offering of shares at any time.  An investor that has placed a purchase order will be notified as soon as possible in such circumstances.
Regular Mail Orders.  Payment for shares by mail must be made by check from a U.S. financial institution and payable in U.S. dollars. Cash, money orders, and traveler’s checks will not be accepted by the Fund.  If checks are returned due to insufficient funds or other reasons, your purchase will be canceled. You will also be responsible for any losses or expenses incurred by the Fund and its administrator and transfer agent. The Fund will charge a $35 fee and may redeem shares of the Fund owned by the purchaser or another identically registered account in another series of the Trust to recover any such losses.  For regular mail orders, please complete the Fund Shares Application and mail it, along with your check made payable to the Fund, to:
The Sector Rotation Fund
c/o Nottingham Shareholder Services
116 South Franklin Street
Post Office Box 4365
Rocky Mount, North Carolina 27803-0365
The application must contain your social security number or taxpayer identification number. If you have applied for a number prior to completing your account application but you have not received your number, please indicate this on the application and include a copy of the form applying for your number. Taxes are not withheld from distributions to U.S. investors if certain requirements of the Internal Revenue Service are met regarding the social security number and taxpayer identification number.
Bank Wire Purchases.  Purchases may also be made through bank wire orders. To establish a new account or add to an existing account by wire, please call the Fund at 1-800-773-3863 for wire instructions and to advise the Fund of the investment, dollar amount, and the account identification number.

Additional Investments.  You may also add to your account by mail or wire at any time by purchasing shares at the then current NAV.  The minimum additional investment is $100 ($50 under an automatic investment plan).  Before adding funds by bank wire, please call the Fund at 1-800-773-3863 for wire instructions and to advise the Fund of the investment, dollar amount, and the account identification number. Mail orders should include, if possible, the “Invest by Mail” stub that is attached to your confirmation statement.  Otherwise, please identify your account in a letter accompanying your purchase payment.
Automatic Investment Plan. The automatic investment plan enables shareholders to make regular monthly or quarterly investments in shares through automatic charges to their checking account. With shareholder authorization and bank approval, the Fund will automatically charge the shareholder’s checking account for the amount specified ($50 minimum), which will be automatically invested in shares at the public offering price on or about the 21st day of the month. The shareholder may change the amount of the investment or discontinue the plan at any time by writing the Fund.
Share Certificates. The Fund does not issue share certificates. Evidence of ownership of shares is provided through entry in the Fund’s share registry.  Investors will receive periodic account statements (and, where applicable, purchase confirmations) that will show the number of shares owned.
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Important Information about Procedures for Opening a New Account.  Under the Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001 (USA PATRIOT Act of 2001), the Fund is required to obtain, verify, and record information to enable the Fund to form a reasonable belief as to the identity of each customer who opens an account.  Consequently, when an investor opens an account, the Fund will ask for the investor’s name, street address, date of birth (for an individual), social security or other tax identification number (or proof that the investor has filed for such a number), and other information that will allow the Fund to identify the investor. The Fund may also ask to see the driver’s license or other identifying documents of the investor.  An investor’s account application will not be considered “complete” and, therefore, an account will not be opened and the investor’s money will not be invested until the Fund receives this required information. In addition, if after opening the investor’s account the Fund is unable to verify the investor’s identity after reasonable efforts, as determined by the Fund in its sole discretion, the Fund may (i) restrict further investments until the investor’s identity is verified; and (ii) close the investor’s account without notice and return the investor’s redemption proceeds to the investor. If the Fund closes an investor’s account because the Fund could not verify the investor’s identity, the Fund will value the account in accordance with the next NAV calculated after the investor’s account is closed.  In that case, the investor’s redemption proceeds may be worth more or less than the investor’s original investment.  The Fund will not be responsible for any losses incurred due to the Fund’s inability to verify the identity of any investor opening an account.
REDEEMING YOUR SHARES
You can redeem shares of the Fund on any day on which the NYSE is open for trading. The Fund typically expects that it will take up to seven days following the receipt of your redemption request to pay out redemption proceeds; however, the Fund typically expects that the payment of redemption proceeds will be initiated the next business day following the receipt of your redemption request regardless of the method of payment. The Fund may delay forwarding a redemption check for recently purchased shares while the Fund determines whether the purchase payment will be honored.  Such delay (which may take up to 15 days from the date of purchase) may be reduced or avoided if the purchase is made by certified check or wire transfer. In all cases, the NAV next determined after receipt of the request for redemption will be used in processing the redemption request. The Fund expects to pay redemptions from cash, cash equivalents, proceeds from the sale of additional Fund shares, and then from the sale of portfolio securities or in kind. These redemption payment methods will be used in regular and stressed market conditions. During drastic economic and market changes, telephone redemption privileges may be difficult to implement. The Fund may also suspend redemptions, if permitted by the 1940 Act: (i) for any period during which the NYSE is closed or trading on the NYSE is restricted; (ii) for any period during which an emergency exists as a result of which the Fund’s disposal of its portfolio securities is not reasonably practicable, or it is not reasonably practicable for the Fund to fairly determine the value of its net assets; or (iii) for such other periods as the Securities and Exchange Commission may by order permit for the protection of the Fund’s shareholders.
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Regular Mail Redemptions.  Regular mail redemption requests should be addressed to:
The Sector Rotation Fund
c/o Nottingham Shareholder Services
116 South Franklin Street
Post Office Box 4365
Rocky Mount, North Carolina 27803-0365
Regular mail redemption requests should include the following:
(1)
Your letter of instruction specifying the account number and number of shares (or the dollar amount) to be redeemed. This request must be signed by all registered shareholders in the exact names in which they are registered;
(2)
Any required signature guarantees (see “Signature Guarantees” below); and
(3)
Other supporting legal documents, if required in the case of estates, trusts, guardianships, custodianships, corporations, partnerships, pension or profit-sharing plans, and other entities.
Telephone and Bank Wire Redemptions.  Unless you decline the telephonic transaction privileges on your account application, you may redeem shares of the Fund by telephone.  You may also redeem shares by bank wire under certain limited conditions.  The Fund will redeem shares in this manner when so requested by the shareholder only if the shareholder confirms redemption instructions in writing.
The Fund may rely upon confirmation of redemption requests transmitted via facsimile (FAX# 919-882-9281).  The confirmation instructions must include the following:
(1) Name of Fund;
(2) Shareholder name and account number;
(3) Number of shares or dollar amount to be redeemed;
(4) Instructions for transmittal of redemption proceeds to the shareholder; and
(5) Shareholder signature as it appears on the application on file with the Fund.
You can choose to have redemption proceeds mailed to you at your address of record, your financial institution, or to any other authorized person, or you can have the proceeds sent by wire transfer to your financial institution ($5,000 minimum).  Redemption proceeds cannot be wired on days in which your financial institution is not open for business.  You can change your redemption instructions anytime you wish by filing a letter with your new redemption instructions with the Fund.  See “Signature Guarantees” below.
The Fund, in its discretion, may choose to pass through to redeeming shareholders any charges imposed by the Fund’s custodian for wire redemptions. If this cost is passed through to redeeming shareholders by the Fund, the charge will be deducted automatically from your account by redemption of shares in your account.  Your bank or brokerage firm may also impose a charge for processing the wire.  If wire transfer of funds is impossible or impractical, the redemption proceeds will be sent by regular mail to the designated account.
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You may redeem shares, subject to the procedures outlined above, by calling the Fund at 1-800-773-3863.  Redemption proceeds will only be sent to the financial institution account or person named in your Fund Shares Application currently on file with the Fund.  Telephone redemption privileges authorize the Fund to act on telephone instructions from any person representing him or herself to be the investor and reasonably believed by the Fund to be genuine.  The Fund will employ reasonable procedures, such as requiring a form of personal identification, to confirm that instructions are genuine.  The Fund will not be liable for any losses due to fraudulent or unauthorized instructions.  The Fund will also not be liable for following telephone instructions reasonably believed to be genuine.
Systematic Withdrawal Plan. A shareholder who owns shares of the Fund valued at $5,000 or more at the NAV may establish a systematic withdrawal plan (“Systematic Withdrawal Plan”) to receive a monthly or quarterly check in a stated amount (not less than $50). Each month or quarter, as specified, the Fund will automatically redeem sufficient shares from your account to meet the specified withdrawal amount. The shareholder may establish this service whether dividends and distributions are reinvested in shares of the Fund or paid in cash.  Call or write the Fund for an application form.
Minimum Account Size. The Trustees reserve the right to redeem involuntarily any account having a value of less than $2,500 (due to redemptions, exchanges, or transfers, and not due to market action) upon 30-days’ prior written notice.  If the shareholder brings his account NAV up to at least $2,500 during the notice period, the account will not be redeemed.  Redemptions from retirement accounts may be subject to federal income tax.  Shareholders may also be charged a fee by their broker or agent if shares are redeemed or transferred through their broker or agent.
Redemptions in Kind.  The Fund does not intend, under normal circumstances, to redeem its shares by payment in kind. It is possible, however, that conditions may arise in the future that would, in the opinion of the Board, make it undesirable for the Fund to pay for all redemptions in cash. In such cases, the Board may authorize payment to be made in readily marketable portfolio securities of the Fund. The securities will be chosen by the Fund, may be either a pro rata payment of each of the securities held by the Fund or a representative sample of securities, and will be valued at the same value assigned to them in computing the Fund’s NAV per share. Shareholders receiving them bear the market risks associated with the securities until they have been converted into cash, as well as taxable capital gains when the securities are converted to cash and may incur brokerage costs when these securities are sold. An irrevocable election has been filed under Rule 18f-1 of the 1940 Act, wherein the Fund must pay redemptions in cash, rather than in kind, to any shareholder of record of the Fund who redeems during any 90-day period, the lesser of (i) $250,000 or (ii) 1% of the Fund’s NAV at the beginning of such period.  Redemption requests in excess of this limit may be satisfied in cash or in kind at the Fund’s election.
Signature Guarantees.  To protect your account and the Fund from fraud, signature guarantees may be required to be sure that you are the person who has authorized a change in registration or standing instructions for your account.  Signature guarantees are generally required for (i) change of registration requests; (ii) requests to establish or to change exchange privileges or telephone and bank wire redemption service other than through your initial account application; (iii) transactions where proceeds from redemptions, dividends, or distributions are sent to a financial institution; and (iv) redemption requests in excess of $50,000.  Signature guarantees are acceptable from a member bank of the Federal Reserve System, a savings and loan institution, credit union (if authorized under state law), registered broker-dealer, securities exchange, or association clearing agency and must appear on the written request for change of registration, establishment or change in exchange privileges, or redemption request.
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FREQUENT PURCHASES AND REDEMPTIONS
Frequent purchases and redemptions of Fund shares by a shareholder, known as frequent trading, present a number of risks to the Fund’s other shareholders. These risks include dilution in the value of Fund shares held by long-term shareholders, interference with the efficient management of the Fund’s portfolio holdings, and increased brokerage and administration costs.  Due to the potential of a thin market for some of the Fund’s portfolio securities, as well as overall adverse market, economic, political, or other conditions that may affect the sale price of portfolio securities, the Fund could face untimely losses as a result of having to sell portfolio securities prematurely to meet redemptions. Frequent trading may also increase portfolio turnover, which may in turn result in increased capital gains taxes for shareholders.
The Board has adopted a policy that is intended to discourage frequent trading by shareholders. The Fund does not accommodate frequent trading.  Under the adopted policy, the Fund’s transfer agent provides a daily record of shareholder trades to the Advisor. The Fund’s transfer agent also monitors and tests shareholder purchase and redemption orders for frequent trading. The Advisor has the discretion to limit investments, by refusing further purchase and exchange orders, from a shareholder that the Advisor believes has a pattern of trades not in the best interests of the other shareholders.  In addition to this discretionary policy, the Fund will also limit investments from any shareholder account that, on two or more occasions during a 60 calendar day period, purchases and redeems shares over a period of less than 10 days having a redemption amount within 10% of the purchase amount and greater than $10,000.  In the event such a purchase and redemption pattern occurs, the shareholder account and any other account with the same taxpayer identification number will be precluded from investing in the Fund for at least 30 calendar days after the second redemption transaction.
The Fund and Advisor intend to apply this policy uniformly, except that the Fund may not be able to identify or determine that a specific purchase or redemption is part of a pattern of frequent trading or that a specific shareholder is engaged in frequent trading, particularly with respect to transactions made through omnibus accounts or accounts opened through financial intermediaries such as broker-dealers and banks. Omnibus account arrangements permit multiple investors to aggregate their respective share ownership and to purchase, redeem, and exchange Fund shares without the identity of the individual shareholders being immediately known to the Fund. Like omnibus accounts, accounts opened through financial intermediaries normally permit shareholders to purchase, redeem, and exchange Fund shares without the identity of the shareholder being immediately known to the Fund.  Consequently, the ability of the Fund to monitor and detect frequent trading through omnibus and intermediary accounts is limited, and there is no guarantee that the Fund can identify shareholders who might be engaging in frequent trading through these accounts or curtail such trading.
In addition, this policy will not apply if the Advisor determines that a purchase and redemption pattern does not constitute frequent trading, such as inadvertent errors that result in frequent purchases and redemptions.  Inadvertent errors shall include purchases and/or redemptions made unintentionally or by mistake (e.g., where a shareholder unintentionally or mistakenly invests in the Fund and redeems immediately after recognizing the error). The shareholder shall have the burden of proving to the sole satisfaction of the Advisor that a purchase and redemption pattern was the result of an inadvertent error.  In such a case, the Advisor may choose to allow further purchase and exchange orders from such shareholder.
24

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, and a discussion of 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), or, if you are a direct investor, please contact us at 1-800-773-3863 or visit https://docs.nottinghamco.com/SectorRotation/ to sign up for eDelivery.
25

OTHER IMPORTANT INFORMATION
DIVIDENDS, DISTRIBUTIONS, AND TAXES
The following information is meant as a general summary for U.S. taxpayers.  Additional tax information appears in the Fund’s Statement of Additional Information. Shareholders should rely on their own tax advisors for advice about the particular federal, state, and local tax consequences to them of investing in the Fund.
The Fund intends to meet all requirements under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, necessary to qualify and be eligible for treatment each year as a “regulated investment company” and thus does not expect to pay any U.S. federal income tax on income and capital gains that are timely distributed to shareholders.
Distributions from the Fund’s net investments income (other than qualified dividend income), including distributions out of the Fund’s net short-term capital gains, if any, are taxable as ordinary income. Distributions by the Fund of net long-term capital gains, if any, in excess of net short-term capital losses (capital gain dividends) are taxable as long-term capital gains, regardless of how long Fund shares have been held. Distributions by the Fund that qualify as qualified dividend income are taxable at long-term capital gain rates. In addition, a 3.8% U.S. Medicare contribution tax is imposed on “net investment income,” including, but not limited to, interests, dividends, and net gain, of U.S. individuals with income exceeding $200,000 (or $250,000 if married and filing jointly) and of estates and trusts.
Dividends will be qualified dividend income if they are attributable to qualified dividend income received by the Fund. Generally, qualified dividend income includes dividend income from taxable U.S. corporations and qualified non-U.S. corporations, provided that the Fund satisfies certain holding period requirements in respect of the stock of such corporations.
Dividends received by the Fund from a REIT or another regulated investment company (“RIC”) generally are qualified dividend income only to the extent such dividend distributions are made out of qualified dividend income received by such REIT or RIC.
The Fund will distribute most of its income and realized gains to its shareholders every year.  Income dividends paid by the Fund derived from net investment income, if any, will generally be paid annually. Capital gains distributions, if any, will be paid annually. Shareholders may elect to take dividends from net investment income or capital gains distributions, if any, in cash or reinvest them in additional Fund shares. Shareholders will generally be taxed on distributions paid by the Fund, regardless of whether distributions are received in cash or are reinvested in additional Fund shares. Distributions may be subject to state and local taxes, as well as federal taxes.
In general, a shareholder who sells or redeems shares will realize a capital gain or loss, which will be long-term or short-term, depending upon the shareholder’s holding period for the Fund shares.  An exchange of shares may be treated as a sale and any gain may be subject to tax.
26

As with all mutual funds, the Fund will be required in certain cases to withhold and remit to the U.S. Treasury a percentage of taxable dividends of gross proceeds realized upon sale paid to shareholders who: (i) have failed to provide a correct taxpayer identification number in the manner required; (ii) are subject to back-up withholding by the Internal Revenue Service for failure to include properly on their return payments of taxable interest or dividends; or (iii) have failed to certify to the Fund that they are not subject to backup withholding when required to do so. Back-up withholding is not an additional tax.  Any amounts withheld from payments to you may be refunded or credited against your U.S. federal income tax liability, if any, provided that the required information is furnished to the Internal Revenue Service. The Fund is required in certain circumstances to apply back-up withholding on taxable dividends, redemption proceeds, and certain other payments that are paid to any shareholder who does not furnish certain information and certifications or who is otherwise subject to back-up withholding.
Shareholders should consult with their own tax advisors to ensure that distributions and sale of Fund shares are treated appropriately on their income tax returns.
FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS
The Financial Highlights table is intended to help you understand the Fund’s financial performance for the past five years. Certain information reflects financial results for a single Fund share. 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 table has been audited by BBD, LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, whose report, along with the Fund’s financial statements is included in the 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.

27


THE SECTOR ROTATION FUND
No Load Shares
(For a Share Outstanding Throughout each Year)
 
Year Ended September 30,
 
2020
2019
2018
2017
2016
Net Asset Value, Beginning of Year
$12.94
$14.58
$12.99
$11.61
$11.13
Income (Loss) from Investment Operations:
   Net investment income (loss)(a)
   Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on
      investments
   Total from investment operations

(0.07)

1.08
1.01

(0.05)

(0.46)
(0.51)

(0.10)

2.48
2.38

(0.04)

1.76
1.72

0.05

0.79
0.84
Less Distributions:
   From net investment income   
   From net realized gains
   Total distributions

--
(1.08)
(1.08)

(0.38)
(0.75)
(1.13)

(0.01)
(0.78)
(0.79)

--
(0.34)
(0.34)

--
(0.36)
(0.36)
Net Asset Value, End of Year
$12.87
$12.94
$14.58
$12.99
$11.61
Total Return ( b )
8.04%
(2.41)%
19.05%
15.17%
7.55%
Net Assets, End of Year (000’s)
$25,589
$24,941
$26,707
$23,798
$22,264
Ratios of:
   Gross expenses to average net assets (c) (d)
   Net expenses to average net assets (c)
   Net investment income (loss) to average
net assets (c)

2.10%
2.10%

(0.57)%

2.05%
2.02%

(0.38)%

1.96%
1.96%

(0.71)%

1.90%
1.89%

(0.35)%

1.77%
1.77%

0.41%
Portfolio Turnover Rate
274.61%
184.39%
219.74%
333.48%
345.74%
(a) Calculated using the average shares method.
(b) Total returns shown are historical in nature and assume changes in share price, reinvestment of dividends and capital gains distributions, if any, and exclude the effect of applicable sales charges and redemption fees. Had the Advisor not waived a portion of its fees, total returns would have been lower.
(c) Does not include expenses of investment companies in which the Fund invests.
(d) Represents the ratio of expenses to average net assets absent fee waiver and/or expense reimbursements by the Advisor.

28

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION


 


 
Additional information about the Fund is available in the Fund’s Statement of Additional Information, which is incorporated by reference into this prospectus. Additional information about the Fund’s investments is also available in the annual and semi-annual reports to shareholders.  The annual reports include a discussion 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:
The Sector Rotation Fund
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 is 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.
Investment Company Act File Number 811-22298

STATEMENT OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

February 1, 202 1
A series of the
Starboard Investment Trust
116 South Franklin Street
Post Office Box 69
Rocky Mount, North Carolina 27802-0069
Telephone 1-800-773-3863


TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
GENERAL INFORMATION
2
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT INVESTMENT POLICIES
2
INVESTMENT LIMITATIONS
13
PORTFOLIO TRANSACTIONS
15
DESCRIPTION OF THE TRUST
17
MANAGEMENT AND OTHER SERVICE PROVIDERS
18
ADDITIONAL PURCHASE AND REDEMPTION INFORMATION
28
SPECIAL SHAREHOLDER SERVICES
29
DISCLOSURE OF PORTFOLIO HOLDINGS
30
NET ASSET VALUE
32
ADDITIONAL TAX INFORMATION
33
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
35
APPENDIX A – DESCRIPTION OF RATINGS
36
APPENDIX B – PROXY VOTING POLICIES
40

This Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”) is meant to be read in conjunction with the Prospectus for The Sector Rotation Fund, dated February 1, 2020, as amended or supplemented from time to time (the “Prospectus”), and is incorporated by reference in its entirety into the Prospectus.  Because this Statement of Additional Information is not itself a Prospectus, no investment in shares of The Sector Rotation Fund should be made solely upon the information contained herein. The Fund’s financial statements and accompanying notes that appear in the Fund’s annual and semi-annual reports are incorporated by reference into this SAI. Copies of Prospectus, annual report, and/or semi-annual report may be obtained at no charge by writing or calling Fund at the address or phone number shown above or online at  https://docs.nottinghamco.com/SectorRotation/ . Capitalized terms used but not defined herein have the same meanings as in the Prospectus.

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 Sector Rotation Fund (the “Fund”), which is a separate, diversified series of the Trust. Pursuant to a reorganization that took place on June 27, 2011, the Fund is the successor by merger to a series of the World Funds Trust (“Predecessor Fund”), a Delaware statutory trust. The Predecessor Fund had the same investment objectives and strategies and substantially the same investment policies as the Fund.  The Predecessor Fund commenced operations in December 30, 2009. The Fund’s investment advisor is Grimaldi Portfolio Solutions, Inc. (previously Navigator Money Management, Inc.) (the “Advisor”). The Prospectus describes the Fund’s investment objectives and principal investment strategies, as well as the principal investment risks of the Fund.
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 Fund 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.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT INVESTMENT POLICIES
The Prospectus describes the Fund’s investment objective and principal investment strategy, 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. Unless otherwise noted, the investments described below may be made by the Fund directly or indirectly through its investments in other investment companies. 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 a copy of the Advisor’s Proxy Voting Policy and Procedures.
General Investment Risks.  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 Statement of Additional Information.
Investment Companies.  The Fund will invest in securities of other investment companies, including, without limitation, money market funds and exchange traded funds (“ETFs”).  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.  The Fund’s investments in such securities involve certain additional expenses and certain tax results, which would not be present in a direct investment in the underlying fund. Pursuant to Section 12(d)(1)(A) of the 1940 Act, 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 applicable 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 along with other conditions . 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:
2

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 Fund’s 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.  Other investment companies may invest in securities that are not registered, are subject to legal or other restrictions on transfer, or for which no liquid market exists.  The market prices, if any, for such securities 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 it has 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 other investment companies to determine whether their investment programs are consistent with the Fund’s investment objective, the Advisor will not have any control over the investments made by other investment companies.  Even though other investment companies are subject to certain constraints, the investment advisor to each such investment company 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 other investment companies.
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 portfolio (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.
3

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.
Exchange Traded Funds.  ETFs are traded on a securities exchange based on their market value.  An investment in an ETF generally presents the same primary 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 and which could negatively impact the Fund’s NAV; (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 (“OTC”) market.  In addition to common stocks, the equity portion of each Fund’s portfolio may also include preferred stocks, convertible preferred stocks, and convertible bonds. Prices of equity securities in which the Fund invests (either directly or indirectly through the Fund’s investment in shares of other investment companies) 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 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.
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 generally 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.
4

Fixed-Income Securities. Fixed-income securities include government and corporate bonds, money market instruments, high yield securities or "junk bonds" and zero-coupon bonds.  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 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 also invest in other mutual funds that invest in unrated securities of comparable quality under certain circumstances.  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:
Sensitivity to Interest Rate and Economic Change.  The economy and interest rates affect high yield securities differently than other securities. For example, 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 or market prices of high yield bonds and the Underlying 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 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 Fund's or other investment company’s assets.  If the Fund or an investment company in which the Fund invests 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 the Fund's or other investment company in which expenses can be spread  and  possibly  reducing  the  Fund's  or other investment company’s 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 a fund's ability to accurately value high yield bonds and may hinder a fund's 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 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 an investment company 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 a fund 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, such as 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.
5

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 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.  The Fund will invest in commercial paper only if it is rated in one of the top two rating categories by Moody’s, S&P, or Fitch Investors Service, Inc. (“Fitch’s), or if not rated, of equivalent quality in the Advisor’s opinion.  Commercial Paper may include Master Notes of the same quality. Master Notes are unsecured obligations that are redeemable upon demand of the holder and that permit the investment of fluctuating amounts at varying rates of interest.  Master Notes will be acquired by the Fund only through the Master Note program of the Fund’s custodian bank, acting as administrator thereof.  The Advisor will monitor, on a continuous basis, the earnings power, cash flow, and other liquidity ratios of the issuer of a Master Note held by the Fund.
U.S. Government Securities.  U.S. Government securities include U.S. Government obligations such as U.S. Treasury notes, U.S. Treasury bonds, and U.S. Treasury bills, obligations guaranteed by the U.S. Government such as Government National Mortgage Association (GNMA), as well as obligations of U.S. Government authorities, agencies, and instrumentalities such as 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), and The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA).  U.S. Government securities may also be acquired subject to repurchase agreements.  While obligations of some U.S. Government 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.
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 generally cannot guarantee debt with assets (government assets are public property). The primary 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.  The Fund may invest in all types of debentures, including corporate and government debentures.
Derivative Instruments Risk.  While the Fund does not intend to invest in derivatives directly, it may indirectly hold derivatives through the holdings of the funds in which it invests. When a fund enters into options, futures, and other forms of financial derivatives, such as foreign exchange contracts, 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. For example, unanticipated changes in interest rates, securities prices, or currency exchange rates may result in a poorer overall performance of a fund than if they had not entered into any derivatives transactions.  Derivatives may magnify a fund’s gains or losses, causing it to make or lose substantially more than it invested.  If a fund uses derivative instruments, such fund must 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 requires a fund to segregate assets or otherwise “cover” its positions in a manner that limits a fund’s risk of loss. The Fund has no specific limit on the amount it invests in derivatives, directly or indirectly, although practical limits are created by the requirement to segregate assets and hold offsetting positions in connection with such investments.
When used for hedging purposes, increases in the value of the securities a fund holds or intends to acquire should offset any losses incurred with a derivative. Purchasing derivatives for purposes other than hedging could expose a fund to greater risks.
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A 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 a fund is hedging may not move in the same amount, or even in the same direction as the hedging instrument.  A fund 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 a fund’s prediction of interest and currency rates, market value, volatility, or other economic factors is incorrect, a 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, such as different margin requirements, different liquidity of such markets, and the participation of speculators in such markets.
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 a fund. A currency hedge, for example, should protect a yen-denominated security from a decline in the yen, but will not protect a fund against a price decline resulting from deterioration in the issuer’s creditworthiness. Because the value of a 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 a fund’s investments precisely over time.
Before a futures contract or option is exercised or expires, a fund can terminate it only by entering into a closing purchase or sale transaction. Moreover, a 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 an 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, a fund may not be able to close out a position.  In an illiquid market, a 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.  For example:
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 a fund incorrectly predicts securities market and interest rate trends, such fund may lose money by investing in derivatives.  For example, if a 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, a fund could be required to sell the security upon exercise at a price below the current market price.  Similarly, if a fund were to write a put option based on the Advisor’s expectation that the price of the underlying security would rise, but the price were to fall instead, a fund could be required to purchase the security upon exercise at a price higher than the current market price.
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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, a fund may have to sell securities at a time when it is disadvantageous to do so to meet its minimum daily margin requirement. A 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, a 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.
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 a fund from using such instruments as a part of its investment strategy, and could ultimately prevent a 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 a fund or the ability of a 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”), a fund’s counterparty is a clearing house, rather than a bank or broker. Since a fund is not a member of a clearing house and only clearing members can participate directly in the clearing house, a fund will hold cleared derivatives through accounts at clearing members. In cleared derivatives transactions, a 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 OTC derivatives transactions. It is expected that these regulations will have a material impact on a fund’s use of uncleared derivatives. These rules will impose minimum margin requirements on derivatives transactions between a fund and its swap counterparties and may increase the amount of margin a fund is required to provide. They will impose regulatory requirements on the timing of transferring margin, which may accelerate a fund’s current margin process. They will also effectively require changes to typical derivatives margin documentation. Such requirements could increase the amount of margin a fund needs to provide in connection with uncleared derivatives transactions and, therefore, make such transactions more expensive.
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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 a fund’s ability to engage in derivatives transactions and/or increase the costs of such derivatives transactions such that a fund may be unable to implement its investment strategy. These and other new rules and regulations could, among other things, further restrict a fund’s ability to engage in, or increase the cost to a fund of, derivatives transactions, for example, by making some types of derivatives no longer available to a 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 a fund, since a 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 a 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.
Options.  While the Fund does not intend to purchase and write put and call options on securities directly, it may indirectly hold such securities through the holdings of the funds Fund’s investment in which it invests. 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 purchased by a fund 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, a fund will lose its entire investment in the option.  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 a fund seeks to close out an option position.  Furthermore, if trading restrictions or suspensions are imposed on the options market, a fund may be unable to close out a position.
A 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 a 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, a 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, a fund could (i) sell short the underlying security at the same or higher price than the strike price of the written put option; (ii) 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 (iii) 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 a fund’s NAV being more sensitive to changes in the value of the related instrument. A fund may purchase or write both exchange-traded and over-the-counter (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 a fund and its counterparty (usually a securities dealer or a bank) with no clearing organization guarantee. Thus, when a 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 a fund as well as the loss of any expected benefit of the transaction.
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A 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 a 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, a fund might be unable to close out an OTC option position at any time prior to its expiration, if at all.
If a 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 a fund could cause material losses because a fund would be unable to sell the investment used as cover for the written option until the option expires or is exercised.
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 a fund that expire unexercised have no value, and a fund will realize a loss in the amount of the premium paid and any transaction costs. If an option written by a fund expires unexercised, a 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.  While the Fund does not intend to invest in futures directly, it may indirectly hold futures through the holdings of the funds in which it invests. 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 that have been designated “contracts markets” by the CFTC. No purchase price is paid or received when the contract is entered into. Instead, a fund, upon entering into a futures contract (and to maintain a fund’s open positions in futures contracts), would be required to deposit with its 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 a fund. 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.”  A fund is expected to earn interest income on initial and variation margin deposits.
A fund will incur brokerage fees when it purchases and sells 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 a fund will usually be liquidated in this manner, a fund may instead make or take delivery of underlying securities whenever it appears economically advantageous for a fund 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.
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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 a 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 a fund “covers” a long position. For a short position in futures or forward contracts held by a 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).
Short Sales.  While the Fund does not intend to engage in short sales directly, the funds in which it invests may engage in 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.
Swaps.  While the Fund does not intend to invest in swaps directly, it may indirectly hold swaps through the holdings of the funds in which it invests. Swaps may include in currency, equity, interest rate, index and other swaps, which involve the exchange by an investor with another party of their respective commitments, in an attempt to obtain a particular return when it is considered desirable to do so, possibly at a lower cost than if a fund had invested directly in the asset that yielded the desired return. In the case of interest rate swaps, an investor may exchange with another party their respective commitments to pay or receive interest, such as an exchange of fixed rate payments for floating rate payments. Use of swaps subjects the investor to risk of default by the counterparties.  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 contractual remedies may not be sufficient in the event that the counterparty to the transaction is insolvent. The swap market has grown substantially in recent years with a large number of banks and investment banking firms acting both as principals and agents utilizing standardized swap documentation. As a result, the swap market has become relatively liquid in comparison with the markets for other similar instruments which are traded in the interbank market.  An investor may also enter into currency swaps or other swaps which are similar to interest rate swaps but may be surrogates for other instruments such as currency forwards or options.
Forward Commitment and When-Issued Securities.  While the Fund does not intend to purchase securities on a when-issued basis or for settlement at a future date directly, it may indirectly engage in such transactions through the holdings of the funds in which it invests. A fund may purchase securities on a when-issued basis or for settlement at a future date if a fund holds sufficient assets to meet the purchase price. In such purchase transactions, a fund will not accrue interest on the purchased security until the actual settlement. Similarly, if a security is sold for a forward date, the Fund will accrue the interest until the settlement of the sale. When-issued security purchases and forward commitments have a higher degree of risk of price movement before settlement due to the extended time period between the execution and settlement of the purchase or sale.  As a result, the exposure to the counterparty of the purchase or sale is increased. Although a fund would generally purchase securities on a forward commitment or when-issued basis with the intention of taking delivery, a fund may sell such a security prior to the settlement date if the Advisor feels such action is appropriate.  In such a case, a fund could incur a short-term gain or loss.
Repurchase Agreements.  While the fund does not intend to enter into repurchase agreements directly, it may indirectly engage in such transactions through the holdings of the funds in which it invests. A repurchase transaction occurs when an investor purchases a security (normally a U.S. Treasury obligation), and it then resells it to the vendor (normally a member bank of the Federal Reserve or a registered government securities dealer) and is required to deliver the security (and/or securities substituted for them under the repurchase agreement) to the vendor on an agreed upon date in the future.  The repurchase price exceeds the purchase price by an amount which reflects an agreed upon market interest rate effective for the period of time during which the repurchase agreement is in effect. Delivery pursuant to the resale normally will occur within one to seven days of the purchase. Repurchase agreements are considered “loans” under the 1940 Act, collateralized by the underlying security. The Trust has implemented procedures to monitor on a continuous basis the value of the collateral serving as security for repurchase obligations.  The Advisor will consider the creditworthiness of the vendor.  If the vendor fails to pay the agreed upon resale price on the delivery date, a fund will retain or attempt to dispose of the collateral. A fund’s risk is that such default may include any decline in value of the collateral to an amount which is less than 100% of the repurchase price, any costs of disposing of such collateral, and any loss resulting from any delay in foreclosing on the collateral. Repurchase agreements that do not provide for payment within seven days will be treated as illiquid securities.
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Illiquid Investments.  The Fund may invest up to 15% of net assets in illiquid securities, which are investments that cannot be sold or disposed of in the ordinary course of business within seven days at approximately the prices at which they are valued. This restriction is not limited to the time of purchase.  Under the supervision of the Board of Trustees of the Trust (the “Board” or the “Trustees”), the Advisor determines the liquidity of the Fund’s investments, and through reports from the Advisor, the Trustees monitor investments in illiquid instruments. In determining the liquidity of the Fund’s investments, the Advisor may consider various factors including (i) the frequency of trades and quotations; (ii) the number of dealers and prospective purchasers in the marketplace; (iii) dealer undertakings to make a market; (iv) the nature of the security (including any demand or tender features); and (v) the nature of the marketplace for trades (including the ability to assign or offset the Fund’s rights and obligations relating to the investment).  If through a change in values, net assets, or other circumstances, the Fund was in a position where more than 15% of its net assets were invested in illiquid securities, it would seek to take appropriate steps to protect liquidity.  Investment in illiquid securities poses risks of potential delays in resale and uncertainty in valuation.  Limitations on resale may have an adverse effect on the marketability of portfolio securities and the Fund may be unable to dispose of illiquid securities promptly or at reasonable prices.
Restricted Securities.  Within its limitation on investment in illiquid securities, the Fund may purchase restricted securities that generally can be sold in privately negotiated transactions, pursuant to an exemption from registration under the federal securities laws, or in a registered public offering. Where registration is required, the Fund may be obligated to pay all or part of the registration expense and a considerable period may elapse between the time it decides to seek registration and the time the Fund may be permitted to sell a security under an effective registration statement.  If during such a period adverse market conditions were to develop, the Fund might obtain a less favorable price than prevailed when it decided to seek registration of the security. Restricted securities that can be offered and sold to qualified institutional buyers under Rule 144A of the Securities Act of 1933 and are determined to be liquid under guidelines adopted by and subject to the supervision of the Trustees are not subject to the limitations on illiquid securities.
Lending of Portfolio Securities.  In order to generate additional income, the Fund may lend portfolio securities in an amount up to 33% of total Fund assets to broker-dealers, major banks, or other recognized domestic institutional borrowers of securities which the Advisor has determined are creditworthy under guidelines established by the Board. In determining whether the Fund will lend securities, the Advisor will consider all relevant facts and circumstances.  The Fund may not lend securities to any company affiliated with the Advisor. Each loan of securities will be collateralized by cash, U.S. Government securities, or standby letters of credit not issued by the Fund’s bank lending agent. The Fund might experience a loss if the borrower defaults on the loan.
The borrower at all times during the loan must maintain with the Fund cash or cash equivalent collateral. While the loan is outstanding, the borrower will pay the Fund any interest paid on the loaned securities, and the Fund may invest the cash collateral to earn additional income.  Alternatively, the Fund may receive an agreed-upon amount of interest income from the borrower who has delivered equivalent collateral. It is anticipated that the Fund may share with the borrower some of the income received on the collateral for the loan or the Fund will be paid a premium for the loan.  Voting rights for loaned securities will typically pass to the borrower, but the Fund will retain the right to call any security in anticipation of a vote that the Advisor deems material to the security on loan. Loans are subject to termination at the option of the Fund or the borrower at any time. The Fund may pay reasonable administrative and custodial fees in connection with a loan, and may pay a negotiated portion of the income earned on the cash to the borrower or placing broker.  As with other extensions of credit, there are risks of delay in recovery or even loss of rights in the collateral should the borrower fail financially.
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Securities lending involves counterparty risk, including the risk that the loaned securities may not be returned or returned in a timely manner and/or a loss of rights in the collateral if the borrower or the lending agent defaults or fails financially. This risk will be increased if a continuation of the current downturn in the economic conditions in the United States and around the world, particularly the recent failures of several major financial services firms, causes further declines in the securities markets and/or causes further financial instability in the borrowers or lending agents.  This risk is increased when the Fund’s loans are concentrated with a single or limited number of borrowers. There are no limits on the number of borrowers the Fund may use, and the Fund may lend securities to only one or a small group of borrowers. Mutual funds participating in securities lending bear the risk of loss in connection with investments of the cash collateral received from the borrowers, which do not trigger additional collateral requirements from the borrower.
Borrowing. The Fund may borrow money for investment purposes, which is a form of leveraging.  Leveraging investments, by purchasing securities with borrowed money, is a speculative technique that increases investment risk while increasing investment opportunity. Any such borrowing may make the Fund’s NAV more volatile than funds that do not borrow for investment purposes because leverage magnifies changes in the Fund’s NAV and on the Fund’s investments. Although the principal of such borrowings will be fixed, the Fund's assets may change in value during the time the borrowing is outstanding.  Leverage also creates interest expenses for the Fund.  To the extent the income derived from securities purchased with borrowed funds exceeds the interest the Fund will have to pay, the Fund's net income will be greater than it would be if leverage were not used. Conversely, if the income from the assets obtained with borrowed funds is not sufficient to cover the cost of leveraging, the net income of the Fund will be less than it would be if leverage were not used, and therefore the amount available for distribution to shareholders as dividends will be reduced.  The use of derivatives in connection with leverage creates the potential for significant loss. The Fund does not intend to use leverage in excess of 5% of total assets and will not make additional investments when outstanding borrowings exceed 5% of the Fund’s total assets. Any leveraging will comply with the applicable requirements of the 1940 Act and the guidance of no-action letters issued by the SEC, including Investment Company Act Release No. 10666 (Apr. 18, 1979), intended to minimize the use of leverage and the possibility that the Fund’s liabilities will exceed the value of its assets.
The Fund may also borrow money to meet redemptions or for other emergency purposes. Such borrowings may be on a secured or unsecured basis at fixed or variable rates of interest. The 1940 Act requires the Fund to maintain continuous asset coverage of not less than 300% with respect to all borrowings.  If such asset coverage should decline to less than 300% due to market fluctuations or other reasons, the Fund may be required to dispose of some of its portfolio holdings within three days in order to reduce the Fund's debt and restore the 300% asset coverage, even though it may be disadvantageous from an investment standpoint to dispose of assets at that time.  The Fund also may be required to maintain minimum average balances in connection with such borrowing or to pay a commitment or other fee to maintain a line of credit.  Either of these requirements would increase the cost of borrowing over the stated interest rate.
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 its 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 its investment objective.
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 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 in 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:
13

 (1)
Not invest 25% or more of its total assets in a particular industry or group of industries. This limitation is not applicable to investments in obligations issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government, its agencies, and instrumentalities or repurchase agreements with respect thereto.
(2)
Not borrow money or issue senior securities (as defined under the 1940 Act), except to the extent permitted under the 1940 Act, the rules and regulations thereunder or any exemption therefrom, as such statute, rules or regulations may be amended or interpreted from time to time.
(3)
Not make loans, except to the extent permitted under the 1940 Act, the rules and regulations thereunder or any exemption therefrom, as such statute, rules, or regulations may be amended or interpreted from time to time.
(4)
Not purchase or sell commodities or real estate, except to the extent permitted under the 1940 Act, the rules and regulations thereunder or any exemption therefrom, as such statute, rules or regulations may be amended or interpreted from time to time.
(5)
Not underwrite securities issued by other persons, except to the extent permitted under the 1940 Act, the rules and regulations thereunder or any exemption therefrom, as such statute, rules or regulations may be amended or interpreted from time to time.
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).
Illiquid Securities.  The Fund may invest up to 15% of net assets in illiquid securities, which are investments that cannot be sold or disposed of in the ordinary course of business within seven days at approximately the prices at which they are valued. This restriction is not limited to the time of purchase.
The following descriptions of certain provisions of the 1940 Act may assist investors in understanding the above policies and restrictions:
Concentration.  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.
Borrowing.  The 1940 Act allows a fund 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).  The Fund will not make additional investments in securities when outstanding borrowings exceed 5% of the Fund’s total assets.
Senior Securities.  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 obligation.  The Fund’s specific policies for segregation of assets are described in “Additional Information About Investment Policies” above.
Lending.  Under the 1940 Act, a fund may only make loans if expressly permitted by its investment policies.  The Fund's current investment policy on lending is as follows: the Fund may not make loans if, as a result, more than 33 1/3% of its total assets would be lent to other parties, except that the Fund may: (i) purchase or hold debt instruments in accordance with its investment objective and policies; (ii) enter into repurchase agreements; and (iii) engage in securities lending as described in its Statement of Additional Information.
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Underwriting.  Under the 1940 Act, underwriting securities involves a fund purchasing securities directly from an issuer for the purpose of selling (distributing) them or participating in any such activity either directly or indirectly.  Under the 1940 Act, a diversified fund may not make any commitment as underwriter, if immediately thereafter the amount of its outstanding underwriting commitments, plus the value of its investments in securities of issuers (other than investment companies) of which it owns more than 10% of the outstanding voting securities, exceeds 25% of the value of its total assets.
Commodities and Real Estate.  The 1940 Act does not directly restrict an investment company's ability to invest in commodities or real estate, but does require that every investment company have a fundamental investment policy governing such investments.  The Fund has adopted a fundamental policy that would permit direct investment in commodities or real estate.  However, the Fund's current investment policy is as follows: the Fund will not purchase or sell real estate, physical commodities, or commodities contracts, except that the Fund may purchase: (i) marketable securities issued by companies which own or invest in real estate (including REITs), commodities, or commodities contracts; and (ii) commodities contracts relating to financial instruments, such as financial futures contracts and options on such contracts.
Non-Fundamental Restrictions.  The following investment policies are not fundamental and may be changed without shareholder approval. As a matter of non-fundamental policy, the Fund may:
(1)
Not borrow money in an amount exceeding 33 1/3% of the value of its total assets, provided that, for purposes of this limitation, investment strategies that either obligate the Fund to purchase securities or require the Fund to segregate assets are not considered to be borrowing. Asset coverage of at least 300% is required for all borrowing, except where the Fund has borrowed money for temporary purposes in an amount not exceeding 5% of its total assets.
(2)
Not make loans if, as a result, more than 33 1/3% of its total assets would be lent to other parties, except that the Fund may: (i) purchase or hold debt instruments in accordance with its investment objective and policies; (ii) enter into repurchase agreements; and (iii) lend its securities.
(3)
Not purchase or sell real estate, real estate limited partnership interests, physical commodities, or commodities contracts except that the Fund may purchase: (i) marketable securities issued by companies which own or invest in real estate (including real estate investment trusts), commodities or commodities contracts; and (ii) commodities contracts relating to financial instruments, such as financial futures contracts and options on such contracts.
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 “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.
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Under Section 28(e) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the 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 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 OTC 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 OTC 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.
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 broker commissions paid by the Fund during the three most recent fiscal years ending September 30.
Fund
2020
2019
2018
Sector Rotation Fund
$27,095
$11,700
$16,996

The increase in brokerage commission for the Fund for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2020, from the prior fiscal year was due to an increase in trading volume. Due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the market, the Advisor was more active than in previous years. This activity, while necessary, caused an increase in brokerage commissions.
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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.  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 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. Under normal circumstances, the anticipated portfolio turnover rate for the Fund is expected to be greater than 100%.
The portfolio turnover rate for the Fund over the last two years, ended September 30, is set forth below.
Fund
2020
2019
Sector Rotation Fund
274.61%
184.39%
 
The portfolio turnover rate for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2020, increased from the prior fiscal year primarily due to an increase in trading volume due to the impact of that the Covid-19 pandemic had on the markets.
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 12 series. Additional series and/or classes may be created from time to time. The number of shares in each series of 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.
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.
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Shareholders of all of the series of the Trust, including the Fund, will vote together and not separately on a series‑by‑series or class-by-class 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 or class affected by the matter.  A series or class is affected by a matter unless it is clear that the interests of each series or class in the matter are substantially identical or that the matter does not affect any interest of the series or class. 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 or class.  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.
MANAGEMENT AND OTHER SERVICE PROVIDERS
The Trust 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 indicated 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.
12
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.
12
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.
12
None.
J. Buckley Strandberg
(03/1960)
Independent Trustee
Since 7/09
President of Standard Insurance and Realty since 1982.
12
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.

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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
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 chief executive officer 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 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.
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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 Fund’s 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 meeting 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.
The Board met eight een times during the fiscal year ended September 30, 20 20 .
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 nine times during the fiscal year ended September 30, 20 20 .
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 three times during the fiscal year ended September 30, 2019.
Governance Committee. All of the Independent Trustees are 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 twice during the fiscal year ended September 30, 20 20 .
Qualified Legal Compliance Committee.  All of the Independent Trustees are 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 meets only as necessary and met once during the fiscal year ended September 30, 20 20 .
Beneficial Equity Ownership Information.  The table below sets forth, as of December 31, 20 20 , 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 complex.
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A = None; B = $1-$10,000; C = $10,001-$50,000; D = $50,001-$100,000; and E = over $100,000.
Name of Trustee
Dollar Range of
Equity Securities in the Fund
Aggregate Dollar Range
of Equity Securities in
All Registered Investment
Companies Overseen By
Trustee in Family of
Investment Companies
Michael G. Mosley
A
A
Theo H. Pitt, Jr.
A
A
James H. Speed, Jr.
A
A
J. Buckley Strandberg
A
A

Ownership of Securities of Advisor, Distributor, or Related Entities.  As of December 31, 20 20 , 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 Fund’s distributor.
Compensation.  Officers of the Trust and Trustees who are interested persons of the Trust or the Advisor will receive no salary or fees from the Trust. Independent Trustees receive $2,000 per series of the Trust each year , and they may receive up to an additional $200 per meeting attended and $500 per series of the Trust per special meeting related to contractual renewal issues . This amount may be paid pro rata in the event that a 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.  Prior to April 1, 2020, the Independent Trustees received $2,000 per series of the Trust each year, and they received up to an additional $500 per series of the Trust per special meeting in the even that special meetings were held. Each of the Trustees serves as a Trustee to all series of the Trust, including the fund. During the fiscal year ended September 30, 2020, the Trustees received the amounts set forth in the following table for services to the Fund and the Fund Complex.
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 Fund and
Fund Complex Paid
to Trustees
Independent Trustees
Michael G. Mosley
$ 3,516.67
None
None
$ 46,900
Theo H. Pitt, Jr.
$ 3,516.67
None
None
$ 46,900
James H. Speed, Jr.
$ 3,516.67
None
None
$ 46,900
J. Buckley Strandberg
$ 3,516.67
None
None
$ 46,900
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 codes of ethics.
Anti-Money Laundering Program.  The Trust has adopted an anti-money laundering program, as required by applicable law, which 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.
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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 December 31, 20 20 , the Trustees and officers of the Trust as a group owned beneficially (i.e., had direct or indirect voting and/or investment power) less than 1% of the then outstanding shares of the Fund. As of December 31, 20 20 , to the Trust’s knowledge, the following shareholders owned of record or beneficially 5% or more of the outstanding shares of the 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.

Name and Address of Owner
Percentage of Ownership

Type of Ownership
Charles Schwab & Company, Inc.
211 Main Street
San Francisco, CA 94104
84.37%

Record*
* The Fund believes that such entity does not have a beneficial ownership interest in such shares.
Investment Advisor.  Grimaldi Portfolio Solutions, Inc. (formerly Navigator Money Management, Inc.), located at Route 9, Suite 10, Wappingers Falls, NY 12590, serves as the investment advisor to the Fund pursuant to an investment advisory agreement between the Trust, on behalf of the Fund, and Grimaldi Portfolio Solutions, Inc. The Advisor is controlled by Mark Anthony Grimaldi, principal and president, and Joseph V. Visconti, principal and vice president. The Advisor supervises the Fund’s investments pursuant to the Advisory Agreement.  The 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 of the Trust 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 Advisory Agreement is terminable without penalty by the Trust by a vote of the Board of the Trust 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 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 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 Advisory Agreement.
For its investment advisory services to the Fund, the Advisor is paid a management fee by the Fund, based on a percentage of the Fund’s daily net assets, at an annual rate of 1.00% of the Fund’s net assets.
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Expense Limitation Agreement, In the interest of limiting expenses of the Fund, the Advisor has entered into an Expense Limitation Agreement with the Fund, pursuant to which the Advisor has agreed to waive or reduce its management fee and to assume other expenses of the Fund 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)) is limited to 2.14%. This contractual arrangement is in effect through January 31, 202 2 , unless 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.  It is expected that the Expense Limitation Agreement 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.
For the last three fiscal years, the Fund paid fees for the services of the Advisor in the amounts shown below.
Fiscal Year Ended September 30,
Advisory Fees Incurred
Advisory Fees Waived
2020
$246,337
$0
2019
$248,332
$3,851
2018
$248,975
$0

Portfolio Managers.  The Fund’s portfolio is managed on a day-to-day basis by Mark Anthony Grimaldi.
Compensation.  The portfolio manager’s compensation varies with the general success of the Advisor as a firm. The portfolio manager’s compensation consists of a fixed annual salary, plus additional remuneration based on the Advisor’s assets under management. 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 distributable profits and assets under management.
Ownership of Fund Shares.  The table below shows the amount of the Fund’s equity securities beneficially owned by each portfolio manager as of September 30, 20 20 , 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.
Name of
Portfolio Manager
Dollar Range of
Equity Securities in the Fund
Mark Anthony Grimaldi
F
Other Accounts.  In addition to the Fund, the portfolio manager is 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 Fund’s fiscal year ended September 30, 20 20 .
Portfolio Manager
Registered Investment
Companies
Other Pooled Investment
Vehicles
Other Accounts
Number of
Accounts
Total Assets
Number of
Accounts
Total Assets
Number of
Accounts
Total Assets
All Accounts
Mark Anthony Grimaldi
0
$0
0
$0
420
$56,000,000
Accounts with Performance-Based Advisory Fee
Mark Anthony Grimaldi
0
$0
0
$0
0
$0
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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.
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 based upon an administration fee on the average daily net assets of the Fund, is at the following annual rates: 0.100% of the Fund’s first $250 million, 0.080% on the next $250 million, 0.060% on the next $250 million, and 0.050% on the next $250 million, 0.040% on the next $1 billion, and 0.035% on the average daily net assets over $2 billion, with a monthly minimum general administration fee of $2,000. The Administrator currently receives a monthly fund accounting fee of $2,250 per Fund for accounting and recordkeeping services with an additional fee of $500 per month for each additional class of shares plus an asset-based fee of 0.01% of the net assets of the Fund. The Administrator will also receive the following to procure and pay the custodian for the Fund: 0.02% on the first $200 million of the Fund’s net assets and 0.009% on all assets over $200 million plus transaction fees with a minimum annual fee of $5,000. 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 Fund paid to the Administrator for the last three fiscal years:
 
2020
2019
2018
Administration Fees
$29,909
$24,981
$24,951
Fund Accounting Fees
$29,547
$29,904
$29,489

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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.
Distributor.  The Fund will conduct a continuous offering of its securities. Capital Investment Group, Inc., located at 100 E. Six Forks Road, Suite 200, Raleigh, North Carolina 27609, acts as the underwriter and distributor of the Fund’s shares for the purpose of facilitating the registration of shares of the Fund under state securities laws and assisting in sales of Fund shares pursuant to a distribution agreement (“Distribution Agreement”) between the Trust, on behalf of the Fund, and the Distributor.  In this regard, the Distributor has agreed at its own expense to qualify as a broker‑dealer under all applicable federal or state laws in those states that the Fund shall from time to time identify to the Distributor as states in which the Fund wishes to offer its shares for sale, in order that state registrations may be maintained for the Fund. The Distributor is a broker‑dealer registered with the SEC and a member in good standing of the FINRA.  The Distributor is entitled to receive an annual fee of $5,000 per Fund for performing certain recordkeeping, communication, and other administrative services for the Fund. Such administrative services shall include, but are not limited to, the following: (i) maintaining records with respect to submissions to the FINRA, dealer discounts, brokerage fees and commissions, and selling agreements; (ii) maintaining an account with the National Securities Clearing Corporation's Fund/SERV System for the purpose of processing account registrations, maintaining accounts, and communicating transaction data; (iii) preparing reports for the Board as shall be reasonably requested from time to time; and (iv) performing other services for the Trust as agreed to by the Distributor and the Trust from time to time.  The Distributor and Trust agree that the services described above are of an administrative nature and such services, as well as the fee provided in connection therewith, are not, nor are they intended to be, payment for marketing and/or distribution services related to, or the promotion of, the sale of the Fund’s shares. The Distribution Agreement may be terminated by either party upon 60-days’ prior written notice to the other party and will terminate automatically in the event of its assignment.  The Distributor serves as exclusive agent for the distribution of the shares of the Fund.
The Distributor for the Fund received the following commissions and other compensation during the fiscal year ended September 30, 20 20 .
Net Underwriting
Discounts and
Commissions
Compensation
on Redemptions
and Repurchases

Brokerage
Commissions

Other
Compensation
$0
$0
$0
$5,000

Rule 12b-1 Plan.  The Fund has adopted a Plan of Distribution pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act for the Fund (the “Plan”). Pursuant to the Plan, the Fund is authorized to pay the Distributor a fee at an annual rate of 0.25% of the average daily net assets of the Fund as compensation for the Distributor’s account maintenance services and as compensation for the Distributor’s sales of the Fund. Such fees are to be paid by the Fund monthly, or at such other intervals, as the Board shall determine. Such fees shall be based upon the average daily net assets of the Fund during the preceding month, and shall be calculated and accrued daily. The Fund may pay fees to the Distributor at a lesser rate, as agreed upon by the Board and the Distributor.
Pursuant to the Plan, the Fund may: (i) incur certain expenses, including reimbursing the Distributor and others for items such as advertising expenses, selling expenses, commissions, travel or other expenses reasonably intended to result in sales of the Fund; and/or (ii) pay compensation for providing account maintenance services to Fund shareholders, including arranging for certain dealers or brokers, administrators and others to provide them services. 
The services to be provided by recipients may include, but are not limited to, the following: assistance in the offering and sale of Fund shares and in other aspects of the marketing of the shares to clients or prospective clients of the respective recipients; answering routine inquiries concerning the Fund; assisting in the establishment and maintenance of accounts or sub-accounts in the Fund and in processing purchase and redemption transactions; making the Fund’s investment plan and shareholder services available; and providing such other information and services to investors in shares of the Fund as the Distributor for the Trust, on behalf of the Fund, may reasonably request. The distribution services shall also include any advertising and marketing services provided by or arranged by the Distributor with respect to the Fund.
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The Distributor is required to provide a written report, at least quarterly, to the Board, specifying in reasonable detail the amounts expended pursuant to the Plan and the purposes for which such expenditures were made. Further, the Distributor will inform the Board of any Rule 12b-1 fees to be paid by the Distributor to recipients.
The initial term of the Plan is one year and will continue in effect from year to year thereafter, provided such continuance is specifically approved, at least annually, by a majority of the Board and a majority of the Trustees who are not “interested persons” of the Trust and do not have a direct or indirect financial interest in the Plan (“Rule 12b-1 Trustees”) by votes cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on the Plan. The Plan may be terminated at any time by the Board or the Fund by vote of a majority of the Rule 12b-1 Trustees or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting shares of the Fund.
The Plan may not be amended to increase materially the amount of the Distributor’s compensation to be paid by the Fund, unless such amendment is approved by the vote of a majority of the outstanding voting shares of the Fund (as defined in the 1940 Act). All material amendments must be approved by a majority of the Board of the Trust and a majority of the Rule 12b- 1 Trustees by votes cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on the Plan. During the term of the Plan, the selection and nomination of non-interested Trustees of the Trust will be committed to the discretion of current non-interested Trustees. The Distributor will preserve copies of the Plan, any related agreements, and all reports, for a period of not less than six years from the date of such document and for at least the first two years in an easily accessible place.
Any agreement related to the Plan will be in writing and provide that: (a) it may be terminated by the Trust or the Fund at any time upon sixty days’ written notice, without the payment of any penalty, by vote of a majority of the respective Rule 12b-1 Trustees, or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting shares of the Fund; (b) it will automatically terminate in the event of its assignment (as defined in the 1940 Act); and (c) it will continue in effect for a period of more than one year from the date of its execution or adoption only so long as such continuance is specifically approved at least annually by a majority of the Board and a majority of the Rule 12b-1 Trustees by votes cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on such agreement.
The following chart shows the distribution and service fees the Fund accrued for the three most recent fiscal years ended September 30.
Fund
2020
2019
2018
Sector Rotation Fund
$61,584
$62,083
$62,244
The following chart describes the dollar amount and the manner in which amounts accrued by the Fund under the Plan were spent during the past fiscal year ended September 30, 20 20 .
   
Advertising
$ 0
Printing and Mailing of Prospectuses to Other than Current
Shareholders
$0
Compensation to Underwriters
$ 61,584
Compensation to Broker-Dealers
$ 0
Compensation to Sales Personnel
$0
Interest, Carrying, or Other Financing Charges
$0
Other
$0

Custodian.  UMB Bank, n.a., with its principal place of business located at 1010 Grand Boulevard, Kansas City, Missouri 64106, serves as custodian for the Fund’s assets (the “Custodian”).  The Custodian acts as the depository for the Fund, safekeeps its portfolio securities, collects all income and other payments with respect to portfolio securities, disburses monies at the Fund’s request, and maintains records in connection with its duties as custodian.  For its services, the custodian is entitled to receive a monthly fee from the Administrator based on the average net assets of the Fund plus additional out-of-pocket and transaction expenses as incurred by the Fund
Compliance Services Administrator.  The Trust has entered into a compliance services arrangement with The Nottingham Company , 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.
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Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm.  BBD, LLP, located at 1835 Market Street, 3rd Floor, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 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 PURCHASE AND REDEMPTION INFORMATION
Reference is made to “Purchasing Shares” and “Redeeming Shares” in the Prospectus for more information concerning how to purchase and redeem shares. The following information supplements the information regarding share purchases and share redemptions in the Prospectus:
Regular Account. The regular account allows for voluntary investments to be made at any time. Available to individuals, custodians, corporations, trusts, estates, corporate retirement plans, and others, investors are free to make additions to or withdrawals from their account. When an investor makes an initial investment in the Fund, a shareholder account is opened in accordance with the investor’s registration instructions. Each time there is a transaction in a shareholder account, such as an additional investment or the reinvestment of a dividend or distribution, the shareholder will receive a confirm-ation statement showing the current transaction and all prior transactions in the shareholder account during the calendar year to date, along with a summary of the status of the account as of the transaction date. As stated in the Prospectus, share certificates are normally not issued.
Purchases.  Shares of the Fund are offered and sold on a continuous basis and may be purchased through authorized investment dealers or directly by contacting the Distributor, or the Fund directly. The purchase price of shares of the Fund is based on the NAV next determined after the order is received, subject to the order being received by the Fund in good form.  NAV is normally determined at the close of regular trading on the NYSE on days the NYSE is open for trading, as described under “Net Asset Value”.  The NAV per share of the Fund is not calculated on days on which the NYSE is closed for holidays.  An order received prior to the close of the NYSE will be executed at the price calculated on the date of receipt and an order received after the close of the NYSE will be executed at the price calculated as of that time on the next business day.
The Fund reserves the right in its sole discretion to: (i) suspend the offering of its shares; (ii) reject purchase orders when in the judgment of management such rejection is in the best interest of the Fund and its shareholders; and (iii) reduce or waive the minimum for initial and subsequent investments under circumstances where certain economies can be achieved in sales of Fund shares.
Redemptions.  The Fund may suspend redemption privileges or postpone the date of payment (i) during any period that the NYSE is closed for other than customary weekend and holiday closings, or that trading on the NYSE is restricted as determined by the SEC; (ii) during any period when an emergency exists as defined by the rules of the SEC as a result of which it is not reasonably practicable for the Fund to dispose of securities owned by it, or to determine fairly the value of its assets; and (iii) for such other periods as the SEC may permit.  The Fund may also suspend or postpone the recordation of the transfer of shares upon the occurrence of any of the foregoing conditions.  Any redemption may be more or less than the shareholder’s cost depending on the market value of the securities held by the Fund. No charge is made by the Fund for redemptions other than the possible charge for wiring redemption proceeds.
Involuntary Redemptions.  In addition to the situations described in the Prospectus under “Redeeming Fund Shares,” the Fund may redeem shares involuntarily to reimburse the Fund for any loss sustained by reason of the failure of a shareholder to make full payment for shares purchased by the shareholder or to collect any charge relating to a transaction effected for the benefit of a shareholder which is applicable to Fund shares as provided in the  Prospectus from time to time or to close a shareholder’s account if the Fund is unable to verify the shareholder’s identity.
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Other Information.  If an investor realizes a gain on the redemption, the reinvestment will not affect the amount of any federal capital gains tax payable on the gain. If an investor realizes a loss on the redemption, the reinvestment may cause some or all of the loss to be disallowed as a tax deduction, depending on the number of shares purchased by reinvestment and the period of time that has elapsed after the redemption, although for tax purposes, the amount disallowed is added to the cost of the shares acquired upon the reinvestment.
SPECIAL SHAREHOLDER SERVICES
The Fund offers the following special shareholder services:
Automatic Investment Plan. The automatic investment plan enables shareholders to make regular monthly or quarterly investments in shares through automatic charges to their checking account. With shareholder authorization and bank approval, the Administrator will automatically charge the checking account for the amount specified ($50 minimum) which will be automatically invested in shares at the NAV on or about the 21st day of the month. The shareholder may change the amount of the investment or discontinue the plan at any time by writing to the Fund.
Purchases In Kind.  The Fund may accept securities in lieu of payment for the purchase of shares in the Fund. The acceptance of such securities is at the sole discretion of the Advisor based upon the suitability of the securities accepted for inclusion as a long-term investment of the Fund, the marketability of such securities, and other factors that the Advisor may deem appropriate. If accepted, the securities will be valued using the same criteria and methods as described in “Purchase and Redemption Price – Determining the Fund’s Net Asset Value” in the Prospectus.
Systematic Withdrawal Plan.  Shareholders owning shares with a value of $5,000 or more may establish a systematic withdrawal plan (“Systematic Withdrawal Plan”). A shareholder may receive monthly or quarterly payments, in amounts of not less than $100 per payment, by authorizing the Fund to redeem the necessary number of shares periodically (each month, or quarterly) in order to make the payments requested. The Fund has the capability of electronically depositing the proceeds of the systematic withdrawal directly to the shareholders personal bank account ($5,000 minimum per bank wire). Instructions for establishing this service are included in the Fund Shares Application, enclosed in the Prospectus, or are available by calling the Fund. If the shareholder prefers to receive his or her systematic withdrawal proceeds in cash, or if such proceeds are less than the $5,000 minimum for a bank wire, checks will be made payable to the designated recipient and mailed with-in seven days of the valuation date.  If the designated recipient is other than the registered shareholder, the signature of each shareholder must be guaranteed on the application (see “Redeeming Shares – Signature Guarantees” in the Prospectus). A corporation (or partnership) must also submit a “Corporate Resolution” (or “Certification of Partnership”) indi-cat-ing the names, titles, and required number of signatures auth-orized to act on its behalf.  The application must be signed by a duly authori-zed officer(s) and the corporate seal affixed. Costs in conjunction with the administration of the plan are borne by the Fund. Shareholders should be aware that such systematic withdrawals may deplete or use up entirely their initial investment and may result in real-ized long-term or short-term capital gains or losses.  The Syste-matic Withdrawal Plan may be terminated at any time by the Fund upon 60-days’ written notice or by a shareholder upon written notice to the Fund. Applications and further details may be obtained by calling the Fund at 1-800-773-3863 or by writing to:
The Sector Rotation Fund
c/o Nottingham Shareholder Services
116 South Franklin Street
Post Office Box 4365
Rocky Mount, NC 27803-0365
Redemptions In-Kind. The Fund does not intend, under normal circumstances, to redeem its securities by payment in kind.  It is possible, however, that conditions may arise in the future which would, in the opinion of the Trustees, make it undesirable for the Fund to pay for all redemptions in cash. In such case the Trustees may authorize payment to be made in readily marketable portfolio securities of the Fund. The securities will be chosen by the Fund, may be either a pro rata payment of each of the securities held by the Fund or a representative sample of securities, and will be valued at the same value assigned to them in computing the NAV per share. Shareholders receiving them would incur brokerage costs when these securities are sold.  An irrevocable election has been filed under Rule 18f‑1 of the 1940 Act, wherein the Fund committed to pay redemptions in cash, rather than in kind, to any shareholder of record of the Fund who redeems during any 90-day period, the lesser of (a) $250,000 or (b) one percent (1%) of the Fund’s NAV at the beginning of such period.
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Transfer of Registration.  To transfer shares to another owner, send a written request to the Fund at the address shown above.  Your request should include the following:  (i) the Fund name and existing account registration; (ii) signature(s) of the registered owner(s) exactly as the signature(s) appear(s) on the account registration; (iii) the new account registration, address, social security or taxpayer identification number, and how dividends and capital gains are to be distributed; (iv) signature guarantees (See the Prospectus under the heading “Signature Guarantees”); and (v) any additional documents which are required for transfer by corporations, administrators, executors, trustees, guardians, etc.  If you have any questions about transferring shares, call or write the Fund.
Employees and Affiliates of the Fund. The Fund has adopted initial investment minimums for the purpose of reducing the cost to the Fund (and consequently to the shareholders) of communicating with and servicing its shareholders. At the discretion of the Advisor, the Fund may allow investments in the Fund with a reduced minimum initial investment from its Trustees, officers, and employees; the Advisor and certain parties related thereto; including clients of the Advisor or any sponsor, officer, committee member thereof, or the immediate family of any of them.  In addition, accounts having the same mailing address may be aggregated for purposes of the minimum investment if they consent in writing to sharing a single mailing of shareholder reports, proxy statements (but each such shareholder would receive his/her own proxy), and other Fund literature.
Dealers.  The Distributor, at its expense, may provide additional compensation in addition to dealer discounts and brokerage commissions to dealers in connection with sales of shares of the Fund. Compensation may include financial assistance to dealers in connection with conferences, sales or training programs for their employees, seminars for the public, advertising campaigns regarding the Fund, and/or other dealer-sponsored special events. In some instances, this compensation may be made available only to certain dealers whose representatives have sold or are expected to sell a significant amount of such shares. Compensation may include payment for travel expenses, including lodging, incurred in connection with trips taken by invited registered representatives and members of their families to locations within or outside of the United States for meetings or seminars of a business nature. Dealers may not use sales of the Fund shares to qualify for this compensation to the extent such may be prohibited by the laws of any state or any self-regulatory agency, such as the Financial Industries Regulatory Authority.  None of the aforementioned compensation is paid directly by the Fund or its shareholders although the Distributor may use a portion of the payment it receives under the Plan to pay these expenses.
DISCLOSURE OF PORTFOLIO HOLDINGS
The Board has adopted a policy that governs the disclosure of portfolio holdings. This policy is intended to ensure that such disclosure is in the best interests of the shareholders of the Fund and to address possible conflicts of interest.  Under the Fund’s policy, the Fund generally will not disclose portfolio holdings to a third party unless such information is made available to the public. The policy provides that the Fund may disclose non-public portfolio holdings information as required by law and under other limited circumstances that are set forth in more detail below.
The Fund will generally make portfolio holdings information available to the public at http://www.ncfunds.com/holdings/current-245.htm, including the complete portfolio holdings from the previous day as reported on a monthly basis. This information is generally available within ten days of the month end and will remain available until the next month’s portfolio holdings report becomes available.  You may obtain a copy of these monthly portfolio holdings reports by calling the Fund at 1-800-773-3863. The Fund will also file these quarterly portfolio holdings reports with the SEC on Form N-CSR or Form N- PORT , as applicable.  The Fund’s Form N-CSR and Form N- PORT are available on the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov. The first and third quarter portfolio holdings reports will be filed with the SEC on Form N- PORT and the second and fourth fiscal quarter portfolio holdings reports will be included with the semi-annual and annual financial statements, respectively, which are sent to shareholders and filed with the SEC on Form N-CSR.
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To the extent that the Fund’s portfolio holdings have previously been disclosed publicly either through a filing made with the SEC on Form N-CSR or Form N- PORT , or by being posted to the Fund’s website, such holdings may also be disclosed to any third party that requests them.
Consistent with policies approved by the Board, the officers of the Fund will share non-public portfolio holdings information with the Fund’s service providers that require such information for legitimate business and Fund oversight purposes. Recipients of non-public portfolio holdings information have a duty not to trade on that confidential information. The Fund has not (and does not intend to) enter into any arrangement providing for the receipt of compensation or other consideration in exchange for the disclosure of non-public portfolio holdings information, other than the benefits that result to the Fund and its shareholders from providing such information, which include the publication of Fund ratings and rankings.
The Advisor, as well as the Custodian, fund accountant and Administrator, and CCO, have full daily access to the Fund’s portfolio holdings. These service providers are subject to obligations requiring them to keep non-public portfolio holdings information confidential.  In some, but not all, cases these confidentiality obligations are established by written agreements. The Board has concluded that the confidentiality obligations in place for these parties are adequate to safeguard the Fund from unauthorized disclosure of non-public portfolio holdings information.  In addition, the Advisor has a code of ethics that prohibits covered persons from disclosing or trading based on non-public portfolio holdings information.
The Fund’s Distributor, Transfer Agent, independent public accountants, and legal counsel have access to the Fund’s portfolio holdings on an ad hoc, as needed basis. The Distributor and Transfer Agent are subject to written agreements that establish confidentiality obligations with respect to the Fund’s portfolio holdings. The independent public accountants and legal counsel are subject to professional obligations that require them to keep non-public portfolio holdings information confidential. The Board has concluded that the confidentiality obligations in place for these parties are adequate to safeguard the Fund from unauthorized disclosure of non-public portfolio holdings information.
Broadridge ICS, Allegra Design Marketing Print Mail, PrintGrafix (a division of Sunbelt Graphics Systems, Inc.), PrinterLink Communications Group, Inc., Riverside Printing, Inc., and V.G. Reed & Sons are financial printers the Fund may engage for, among other things, the printing and/or distribution of regulatory and compliance documents.  These service providers are subject to written agreements that establish confidentiality obligations with respect to the Fund’s portfolio holdings.
The Fund and its service providers may also provide non-public portfolio holdings information to appropriate regulatory agencies as required by applicable laws and regulations.
The Fund currently does not provide non-public portfolio holdings information to any other third parties.  In the future, the Advisor may establish ongoing arrangements with other third parties if the Advisor determines that the Fund has a legitimate business purpose for doing so, determines that the disclosure is in the shareholders' best interest, and the recipient is subject to a duty of confidentiality. These parties could include, by way of example, financial data processing companies that provide automated data scanning and monitoring services for the Fund, research companies that allow the Advisor to perform attribution analysis for the Fund; and the Advisor’s proxy voting agent to assess and vote proxies on behalf of the Fund. The Advisor is responsible for determining which other third parties have a legitimate business purpose for receiving the Fund’s portfolio holdings information.
The Fund’s policy regarding disclosure of portfolio holdings is subject to the continuing oversight and direction of the Board.  Oversight includes: (i) review and approval of the policy on disclosure of portfolio holdings as necessary, including review of the parties receiving non-public portfolio holdings information; (ii) periodic assessment of compliance in connection with a report from the Trust’s CCO, (iii) receipt of reports on any conflicts of interest where disclosure of information about portfolio holdings may conflict or appear to conflict with the interests of the Fund’s investment advisor, any principal underwriter for the Trust, or an affiliated person of the Trust, and (iv) receipt of reports on any known disclosure of the Fund’s portfolio holdings to unauthorized third parties.  The Fund and Advisor are obligated to report issues that arise under the policy on disclosure of portfolio holdings to the CCO. Material compliance matters are then reported to the Board.
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NET ASSET VALUE
The NAV 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 NYSE 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.
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 series of shares. 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.
Values are determined according to generally accepted accounting practices and all laws and regulations that apply.  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 at the time of valuation.
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. Instruments with maturities in excess of sixty days are valued at prices provided by a third-party pricing source.
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.
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.
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ADDITIONAL TAX INFORMATION
The following summarizes certain additional tax considerations generally affecting the Fund and its shareholders that are not described in the Prospectus. No attempt is made to present a detailed explanation of the tax treatment of the Fund or its shareholders or any particular category of shareholders. The discussions here and in the Prospectus are not intended as a substitute for careful tax planning and are based on United States federal income tax laws that are in effect on the date hereof and which may be changed by legislative, judicial, or administrative action.  In addition, no attempt is made to address tax concerns applicable to an investor with a special tax status such as a financial institution, real estate investment trust, insurance company, regulated investment company, individual retirement account, other tax-exempt entity, dealer in securities or non-U.S. investor. Furthermore, this discussion does not reflect possible application of the alternative minimum tax.  Unless otherwise noted, this discussion assumes the common shares are held by U.S. persons and that such shares are held as capital assets.  Investors are advised to consult their tax advisors with specific reference to their own tax situations.
The Fund, and any other series of the Trust, will be treated as a separate corporate entity under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (“Code”), and intends to qualify or remain qualified as a regulated investment company under Subchapter M of the Code.  In order to so qualify, the Fund must elect to be a regulated investment company or have made such an election for a previous year and must satisfy certain requirements relating to the amount of distributions and source of its income for a taxable year.  At least 90% of the gross income of the Fund must be derived from dividends, interest, payments with respect to securities loans, gains from the sale or other disposition of stocks, securities, or foreign currencies, and other income derived with respect to the Fund’s business of investing in such stock, securities or currencies and net income derived from an interest in a qualified publicly traded partnership.  Any income derived by the Fund from a partnership (other than a qualified publicly traded partnership) or trust is treated as derived with respect to the Fund’s business of investing in stock, securities, or currencies only to the extent that such income is attributable to items of income that would have been qualifying income if realized by the Fund in the same manner as by the partnership or trust.
An investment company may not qualify as a regulated investment company for any taxable year unless it satisfies certain requirements with respect to the diversification of its investments at the close of each quarter of the taxable year.  In general, at least 50% of the value of its total assets must be represented by cash, cash items, government securities, securities of other regulated investment companies, and other securities which, with respect to any one issuer, do not represent more than 5% of the total assets of the Fund or more than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of such issuer.  In addition, not more than 25% of the value of the Fund’s total assets may be invested in (i) the securities (other than government securities or the securities of other regulated investment companies) of any one issuer; (ii) the securities of two or more issuers (other than securities of another regulated investment company) if the issuers are controlled by the Fund and they are, pursuant to Internal Revenue Service Regulations, engaged in the same or similar or related trades or businesses; or (iii) the securities of one or more publicly traded partnerships.  The Fund intends to satisfy all requirements on an ongoing basis for continued qualification as a regulated investment company.
Some, but not all, of the dividends paid by the Fund may be taxable at the reduced long-term capital gains tax rate for individual shareholders.  If the Fund designates a dividend as qualified dividend income, it generally will be taxable to individual shareholders at the long-term capital gains tax rate, provided certain holding period requirements are met.
Taxable dividends paid by the Fund to corporate shareholders will be taxed at corporate income tax rates.  Corporate shareholders may be entitled to a dividends received deduction (“DRD”) for a portion of the dividends paid and designated by the Fund as qualifying for the DRD.
If the Fund designates a dividend as a capital gains distribution, it generally will be taxable to shareholders as long-term capital gains, regardless of how long the shareholders have held their Fund shares or whether they received in cash or reinvested in additional shares.  All taxable dividends paid by the Fund other than those designated as qualified dividend income or capital gains distributions will be taxable as ordinary income to shareholders, whether received in cash or reinvested in additional shares. To the extent the Fund engages in increased portfolio turnover, short-term capital gains may be realized, and any distribution resulting from such gains will be considered ordinary income for federal tax purposes. The Fund’s net realized capital gains from securities transactions will be distributed only after reducing such gains by the amount of any available capital loss carryforwards. Capital losses may be carried forward indefinitely and retain the character of the original loss. Capital loss carryforwards are available to offset future realized capital gains. To the extent that these carryforwards are used to offset future capital gains it is probable that the amount offset will not be distributed to shareholders. As of September 30, 2019, the Fund had no capital loss carryforwards.
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Certain individuals, estates, and trusts must pay a 3.8% Medicare surtax on “net investment income” including, among other things, dividends, and proceeds of sale in respect of securities like the shares, subject to certain exceptions. Prospective investors should consult with their own tax advisors regarding the effect, if any, of this surtax on their ownership and disposition of the shares.
Shareholders who hold Fund shares in a tax-deferred account, such as a retirement plan, generally will not have to pay tax on Fund distributions until they receive distributions from their account.
The Fund, and any other series of the Trust, will designate (i) any dividend of qualified dividend income as qualified dividend income; (ii) any distribution of long-term capital gains as a capital gain dividend; and (iii) any dividend eligible for the corporate DRD as such in a written notice mailed to shareholders within 60 days after the close of the Fund’s taxable year.  Shareholders should note that, upon the sale or exchange of Fund shares, if such shares have not been held for at least six months, any loss on the sale or exchange of those shares will be treated as long-term capital loss to the extent of the capital gain dividends received with respect to the shares.
To the extent that a distribution from the Fund is taxable, it is generally included in a shareholder’s gross income for the taxable year in which the shareholder receives the distribution.  However, if the Fund declares a dividend in October, November, or December but pays it in January, it will be taxable to shareholders as if the dividend was received in the year it was declared.  Every year, each shareholder will receive a statement detailing the tax status of any Fund distributions for that year.
A 4% nondeductible excise tax is imposed on regulated investment companies that fail to currently distribute an amount equal to specified percentages of their ordinary taxable income and capital gain net income (excess of capital gains over capital losses).  The Fund intends to make sufficient distributions or deemed distributions of its ordinary taxable income and any capital gain net income prior to the end of each calendar year to avoid liability for this excise tax.
If for any taxable year the Fund does not qualify for the special federal income tax treatment afforded regulated investment companies, all of its taxable income will be subject to federal income tax at regular corporate rates (without any deduction for distributions to its shareholders) at the Fund level.  In such event, dividend distributions (whether or not derived from interest on tax-exempt securities) would be taxable as qualified dividends to individual shareholders, to the extent of the Fund’s current and accumulated earnings and profits, and would be eligible for the DRD for corporations, provided in each case that certain holding period and other requirements are met.
In general, a shareholder who sells or redeems shares will realize a capital gain or loss, which will be long-term or short-term, depending upon the shareholder’s holding period for the Fund shares.  An exchange of shares may be treated as a sale and any gain may be subject to tax.
The Fund will be required in certain cases to withhold and remit to the U.S. Treasury a percentage of taxable dividends or of gross proceeds realized upon sale paid to shareholders who (i) have failed to provide a correct taxpayer identification number in the manner required; (ii) are subject to back-up withholding by the Internal Revenue Service for failure to include properly on their return payments of taxable interest or dividends; or (iii) have failed to certify to the Fund that they are not subject to backup withholding when required to do so.  Back-up withholding is not an additional tax.  Any amounts withheld from payments to you may be refunded or credited against your U.S. federal income tax liability, if any, provided that the required information is furnished to the Internal Revenue Service.
Depending upon the extent of the Fund’s activities in states and localities in which its offices are maintained, in which its agents or independent contractors are located, or in which it is otherwise deemed to be conducting business, the Fund may be subject to the tax laws of such states or localities.  In addition, in those states and localities that have income tax laws, the treatment of the Fund and its shareholders under such laws may differ from their treatment under federal income tax laws.
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Dividends paid by the Fund to non-U.S. shareholders may be subject to U.S. withholding tax unless reduced by treaty (and the shareholder files a valid Internal Revenue Service Form W-8BEN, or other applicable form, with the Fund certifying foreign status and treaty eligibility) or the non-U.S. shareholder files an Internal Revenue Service Form W-8ECI, or other applicable form, with the Fund certifying that the investment to which the distribution relates is effectively connected to a United States trade or business of such non-U.S. shareholder (and, if certain tax treaties apply, is attributable to a United States permanent establishment maintained by such non-U.S. shareholder).  The Fund may elect not to withhold the applicable withholding tax on any distribution representing a capital gain dividend to a non-U.S. shareholder.  Special rules may apply to non-U.S. shareholders with respect to the information reporting requirements and withholding taxes and non-U.S. shareholders should consult their tax advisors with respect to the application of such reporting requirements and withholding taxes.
The Fund will send shareholders information each year on the tax status of dividends and distributions.  A dividend or capital gains distribu-tion paid shortly after shares have been purchased, although in effect a return of investment, is subject to federal income taxa-tion. Dividends from net investment income, along with capital gains, will be taxable to shareholders, whether received in cash or Fund shares and no matter how long the shareholder has held Fund shares, even if they reduce the NAV of shares below the shareholder’s cost and thus, in effect, result in a return of a part of the shareholder’s investment.
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
The audited financial statements of the Fund for the fiscal year ended September 30, 20 20 , 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 Securities by the Advisor:
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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.
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.
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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.
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.
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Long-term securities rated below BBB by Fitch are not considered by the Advisor to be investment-grade 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
GRIMALDI PORTFOLIO SOLUTIONS, INC.

Proxy and Corporate Action Voting
Policies and Procedures

I. POLICY.
Grimaldi Portfolio Solutions, Inc. (formerly Navigator Money Management, Inc.) (the “Adviser”) acts as a discretionary investment adviser for various clients, including clients governed by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (“ERISA”) and registered open-end management investment companies (i.e., “mutual funds”). The Adviser is registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) as an investment adviser pursuant to the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended (the “Advisers Act”). Some of the Adviser’s clients have delegated to the Adviser the authority to vote proxies or act with respect to corporate actions that may arise with respect to securities held within such client’s investment portfolio. Corporate actions may include, for example and without limitation, tender offers or exchanges, bankruptcy proceedings, and class actions. The Adviser’s authority to vote proxies or act with respect to other corporate actions is established through the delegation of discretionary authority under its investment advisory agreements. Therefore, unless a client (including a “named fiduciary” under ERISA) specifically reserves the right, in writing, to vote its own proxies or to take shareholder action with respect to other corporate actions requiring shareholder actions, the Adviser will vote all proxies and act on all other actions in a timely manner as part of its full discretionary authority over client assets in accordance with these policies and procedures.
When voting proxies or acting with respect to corporate actions on behalf of clients, the Adviser’s utmost concern is that all decisions be made solely in the best interests of the client (and for ERISA accounts, plan beneficiaries and participants, in accordance with the letter and spirit of ERISA). The Adviser will act in a prudent and diligent manner intended to enhance the economic value of the assets in the client’s account.
II. PURPOSE.
The purpose of these policies and procedures is to memorialize the procedures and policies adopted by the Adviser to enable it to comply with its fiduciary responsibilities to clients and the requirements of Rule 206(4)-6 under the Advisers Act. These policies and procedures also reflect the fiduciary standards and responsibilities set forth by the Department of Labor for ERISA accounts.
III. PROCEDURES.
The Adviser is ultimately responsible for ensuring that all proxies received are voted in a timely manner and in a manner consistent with the Adviser’s determination of the client’s best interests. Although many proxy proposals may be voted in accordance with the Guidelines described in Section V below, some proposals require special consideration which may dictate that the Adviser makes an exception to the Guidelines.
The Adviser is also responsible for ensuring that all corporate action notices or requests which require shareholder action that are received are addressed in a timely manner and consistent action is taken across all similarly situated client accounts.
A. Conflicts of Interest.
Where a proxy proposal raises a material conflict between the Adviser’s interests and a client’s interest, including a mutual fund client, the Adviser will resolve such a conflict in the manner described below:
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1.
Vote in Accordance with the Guidelines. To the extent that the Adviser has little or no discretion to deviate from the Guidelines with respect to the proposal in question, the Adviser shall vote in accordance with such pre-determined voting policy.
2.
Obtain Consent of Clients.  To the extent that the Adviser has discretion to deviate from the Guidelines with respect to the proposal in question, the Adviser will disclose the conflict to the relevant clients and obtain their consent to the proposed vote prior to voting the securities.  The disclosure to the client will include sufficient detail regarding the matter to be voted on and the nature of the conflict so that the client will be able to make an informed decision regarding the vote.  If a client does not respond to such a conflict disclosure request or denies the request, the Adviser will abstain from voting the securities held by that client’s account.
3.
Client Directive to Use an Independent Third Party.  Alternatively, a client may, in writing, specifically direct the Adviser to forward all proxy matters in which the Adviser has a conflict of interest regarding the client’s securities to an identified independent third party for review and recommendation. Where such independent third party’s recommendations are received on a timely basis, the Adviser will vote all such proxies in accordance with such third party’s recommendation.  If the third party’s recommendations are not timely received, the Adviser will abstain from voting the securities held by that client’s account.
The Adviser will review the proxy proposal for conflicts of interest as part of the overall vote review process. All material conflicts of interest so identified will be addressed as described above in this Section III, A.
B. Limitations.
In certain circumstances, in accordance with a client’s investment advisory agreement (or other written directive) or where the Adviser has determined that it is in the client’s best interest, the Adviser will not vote proxies received.
The following are certain circumstances where the Adviser will limit its role in voting proxies:
1.
Client Maintains Proxy Voting Authority.  Where a client specifies in writing that it will maintain the authority to vote proxies itself or that it has delegated the right to vote proxies to a third party, the Adviser will not vote the securities and will direct the relevant custodian to send the proxy material directly to the client. If any proxy material is received by the Adviser for such account, it will promptly be forwarded to the client or specified third party.
2.
Terminated Account. Once a client account has been terminated in accordance with its investment advisory agreement, the Adviser will not vote any proxies received after the termination date. However, the client may specify in writing that proxies should be directed to the client (or a specified third party) for action.
3.
Limited Value. If the Adviser determines that the value of a client’s economic interest or the value of the portfolio holding is indeterminable or insignificant, the Adviser may abstain from voting a client’s proxies. The Adviser also will not vote proxies received for securities which are no longer held by the client’s account. In addition, the Adviser generally will not vote securities where the economic value of the securities in the client account is less than $500.
4.
Securities Lending Programs. When securities are out on loan, they are transferred into the borrower’s name and are voted by the borrower, in its discretion. However, where the Adviser determines that a proxy vote (or other shareholder action) is materially important to the client’s account, the Adviser may recall the security for the purposes of voting.
5.
Unjustifiable Costs. In certain circumstances, after doing a cost-benefit analysis, the Adviser may abstain from voting where the cost of voting a client’s proxy would exceed any anticipated benefits from the proxy proposal.
6.  RECORD KEEPING.
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In accordance with Rule 204-2 under the Advisers Act, the Adviser will maintain for the time periods set forth in the Rule: (i) these proxy voting procedures and policies, and all amendments thereto; (ii) all proxy statements received regarding client securities (provided however, that the Adviser may rely on the proxy statement filed on EDGAR as its records); (iii) a record of all votes cast on behalf of clients; (iv) records of all written client requests for proxy voting information; (v) a copy of any written response made by the Adviser to any written or oral client request for proxy voting information; (vi) any documents prepared by the Adviser that were material to making a decision on how to vote or that memorialized the basis for the decision; and (vii) all records relating to requests made to clients regarding conflicts of interest in voting the proxy.
The Adviser will describe in its Form ADV, Part II (or other brochure fulfilling the requirement of Rule 204-3 under the Advisers Act) its proxy voting policies and procedures and will inform clients how they may obtain information on how the Adviser voted proxies with respect to the clients’ portfolio securities. The Adviser will also provide to each mutual fund client a copy of its policies and procedures. Clients may obtain information on how their securities were voted or a copy of the policies and procedures by written request addressed to the Adviser.
The Adviser will coordinate with all mutual fund clients to assist in the provision of all information required to be filed by such mutual funds on Form N-PX. Form N-PX will provide information concerning each matter relating to a portfolio security considered at any shareholder meeting with respect to which a mutual fund was entitled to vote. Each Form N-PX will need to be filed no later than August 31st of each year, and will cover all proxy votes with respect to which a mutual fund was entitled to vote for the period July 1st through June 30th. The Adviser shall maintain and provide the following information concerning any shareholder meetings with respect to which a mutual fund they manage was entitled to vote:
o the name of the issuer of the portfolio security;
o the exchange ticker symbol of the portfolio security(1);
o the CUSIP number of the portfolio security(1);
o the shareholder meeting date;
o a brief description of the matter voted on;
o whether the matter was put forward by the issuer or a shareholder;
o whether the mutual fund voted;
o how the mutual fund cast its vote; and
o whether the mutual fund cast its vote for or against management.

V. GUIDELINES.
Each proxy issue will be considered individually. The following guidelines are a partial list to be used in voting proposals contained in the proxy statements but will not be used as rigid rules.
A. Oppose.
The Adviser will generally vote against any management proposal that clearly has the effect of restricting the ability of shareholders to realize the full potential value of their investment. Proposals in this category would include:
1. Issues regarding the issuer’s board entrenchment and anti-takeover measures such as the following:
a. Proposals to stagger board members’ terms;
b. Proposals to limit the ability of shareholders to call special meetings;
c. Proposals to require super majority votes;
d. Proposals requesting excessive increases in authorized common or preferred shares where management provides no explanation for the use or need of these additional shares;
e. Proposals regarding “fair price” provisions;
f. Proposals regarding “poison pill” provisions; and
g. Permitting “green mail”.
2. Providing cumulative voting rights.

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B. Approve.
Routine proposals are those which do not change the structure, bylaws, or operations of the corporation to the detriment of the shareholders. Given the routine nature of these proposals, proxies will nearly always be voted with management. Traditionally, these issues include:
1.
Election of independent accountants recommended by management, unless seeking to replace if there exists a dispute over policies.
2.
Date and place of annual meeting.
3.
Limitation on charitable contributions or fees paid to lawyers.
4.
Ratification of directors’ actions on routine matters since previous annual meeting.
5.
Confidential voting. Confidential voting is most often proposed by shareholders as a means of eliminating undue management pressure on shareholders regarding their vote on proxy issues. The Adviser will generally vote to approve these proposals as shareholders can later divulge their votes to management on a selective basis if a legitimate reason arises.
6.
Limiting directors’ liability.
7.
Eliminate preemptive rights. Preemptive rights give current shareholders the opportunity to maintain their current percentage ownership through any subsequent equity offerings. These provisions are no longer common in the U.S. and can restrict management’s ability to raise new capital.
8.
The Adviser will generally vote to approve the elimination of preemptive rights, but will oppose the elimination of listed preemptive rights, e.g., on proposed issues representing more than an acceptable level of total dilution.
9.
Employee Stock Purchase Plans.
10.
Establish 40 1(k) Plans.

C.
Case-By-Case.

The Adviser will review each issue in this category on a case-by-case basis.  Voting decisions will he made based on the financial interest of the client involved. These matters include proposals to:
1.
Pay directors solely in stock;
2.
Eliminate director’s mandatory retirement policy;
3.
Rotate annual meeting location or date;
4.
Changes in the state of incorporation;
5.
Social and corporate responsibility issues;
6.
Option and stock grants to management and directors; and
7.
Allowing indemnification of directors and/or officers after reviewing the applicable laws and extent of protection requested.

D.
Investment Company Issues.

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

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

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The Adviser will generally vote with management’s recommendation on the election of directors and trustees, the approval of independent accountants, the approval of a change in a fundamental investment objective, policy or limitation, and the approval of a change in the state of incorporation. On the approval of a new investment adviser or sub-adviser, approval of a change in investment advisory fee, approval of a distribution (i.e., Rule 12b-1) plan, or the approval of a plan of reorganization or merger, the Adviser will review each issue on a case-by-case basis. Voting decisions will be made based on the financial interest of the client involved.
(1)
The exchange ticker symbol and CUSIP number may be difficult to obtain for certain portfolio securities, such as foreign issuers. Accordingly, such information may be omitted if it’s not available through reasonably practicable means.
Proxy Voting for the Fund

Currently NAVFX only invests in ETF’s which do not issue proxies.  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
 
 
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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)
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 incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 373 to the Registration Statement filed on January 12, 2021 .
(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)
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 incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 373 to the Registration Statement filed on January 12, 2021 .
(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 24, 2020 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. 373 to the Registration Statement filed on January 12, 2021 .
(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)
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 Registrant (“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 September 24, 2020 to the Fund Accounting and Administration Agreement is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 373 to the Registration Statement filed on January 12, 2021 .
(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, (“Dividend Disbursing and Transfer Agent Agreement”) 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 24, 2020 to the Dividend Disbursing and Transfer Agent Agreement is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 373 to the Registration Statement filed on January 12, 2021 .
(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)
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 incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 373 to the Registration Statement filed on January 12, 2021 .
(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 March 12 , 20 20 between the Registrant and Grimaldi Portfolio Solutions, Inc., as investment advisor for The Sector Rotation Fund, is filed herewith .
(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 of Counsel is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 371 to the Registration Statement filed on December 29, 2020.
(i)(2)
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)
Initial Subscription Agreement for the Adaptive Growth Opportunities ETF is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 373 to the Registration Statement filed on January 12, 2021 .
(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)
Clear Street, LLC maintains all Records relating to its service as custodian to the Adaptive Growth Opportunities ETF at its offices located at 55 Broadway, New York, New York 10006.
(d)
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.
(e)
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.
(f)
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.
(g)
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.

(h)
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.
(i)
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.
(j)
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.
(k)
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.
(l)
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 2 8 th  day of January, 2021.

 
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
January 2 8 , 2021
James H. Speed, Jr.
   
     
/s/J. Buckley Strandberg*
Trustee
January 2 8 , 2021
J. Buckley Strandberg
   
     
/s/Michael G. Mosley*
Trustee
January 2 8 , 2021
Michael G. Mosley
   
     
/s/Theo H. Pitt, Jr.*
Trustee
January 2 8 , 2021
Theo H. Pitt, Jr.
   
     
/s/Katherine M. Honey*
President and Principal Executive Officer
January 2 8 , 2021
Katherine M. Honey
   
     
/s/Ashley H. Lanham*
Ashley H. Lanham
Treasurer, Principal Financial Officer and Principal Accounting Officer
January 2 8 , 2021
     
/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

(g)(2)
Custody Agreement between the Registrant and Clear Street, LLC.
(h)(7)
(i)(2)
(j)



Exhibit (g)(2)
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”); and
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”).
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 organizations) regarding account deposits in connection with transactions by the 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 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, gross 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. During the initial term, notwithstanding Section 13.01 to the contrary, this Agreement may be terminated on no less than 90 days prior notice for any or no reason by delivery of a written notice of early termination by either party to the other party. After the initial term, notwithstanding Section 13.01 to the contrary, this Agreement may be terminated on no less than 30 days prior notice for any or no reason by delivery of a written notice of early termination by either party to the other party. Any event of termination pursuant to the two immediately preceding sentences will require the party sending the termination notice to be subject to Sections 13.03 or 13.04, as applicable. 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 addition to any liability arising from any material breach of this Agreement or any action referenced in the last sentence of Section 13.02, 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 addition to any liability arising from 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; (b) Intentionally omitted.
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
 
By:  /s/ Katherine M. Honey
Name:  Katherine M. Honey
Title:  President
CLEAR STREET LLC
 
By:  /s/ Chris Pento
Name:  Chris Pento
Title:  CEO



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











B-1
Exhibit (h)(7)

EXPENSE LIMITATION AGREEMENT

THIS EXPENSE LIMITATION AGREEMENT (“Agreement”) is made and entered into effective as this 12th day of March, 2020, by and between STARBOARD INVESTMENT TRUST, a Delaware statutory trust (the “Trust”), on behalf of its series, THE SECTOR ROTATION FUND (the “Fund”), and GRIMALDI PORTFOLIO SOLUTIONS, INC., a New York corporation (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, the Fund is a series of the Trust; and
WHEREAS, the Trust, on behalf of the Fund, and the Advisor have entered into an Investment Advisory Agreement dated April 28, 2011 (“Advisory Agreement”), pursuant to which the Advisor provides investment advisory services to the Fund; and
WHEREAS, the Advisor has executed that certain Security Agreement, dated March 12, 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 and the Advisor have determined that it is appropriate and in the best interests of the Fund and its shareholders to limit the expenses of the Fund, and, therefore, have entered into this Agreement, in order to maintain the Fund’s expense ratio 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.  The 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 Adviser)). These expenses are typically shown on the financial statements of the Fund and are classified as the Fund Operating Expenses.

(b)
Due from Advisor Reimbursement. To the extent that the 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 the 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.  The Fund’s maximum operating expense limits in any year shall be calculated as a percentage of the average daily net assets of the Fund. The fee shall be calculated as of the last business day of each month based upon the average daily net assets of the Fund determined in the manner described in the 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 the Fund.
(d)
Method of Computation.  To determine the Advisor’s liability with respect to the Excess Amount, each month the Fund’s 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 the 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 the 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 the Fund with respect to the previous fiscal year shall equal the Excess Amount.
2.
TERM AND TERMINATION
This Agreement shall continue in effect until January 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 the Fund upon termination of the 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 the 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 Sector Rotation Fund

By:
/s/ Katherine M. Honey
Name:
Katherine M. Honey
Title:
President

GRIMALDI PORTFOLIO SOLUTIONS, INC.



By:
/s/ Mark Anthony Grimaldi
Name:
Mark Anthony Grimaldi
Title:
President






{Signature Page to Expense Limitation Agreement}


EXPENSE LIMITATION AGREEMENT
Appendix A
OPERATING EXPENSE LIMIT SCHEDULE

FUND
OPERATING EXPENSE LIMIT
Sector Rotation Fund
2.14%




































Exhibit (i)(2)


January 12, 2021

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

Dear Board Members:

A legal opinion (the “Legal Opinion”) that we prepared was filed with Post-Effective Amendment No. 371 to the Starboard Investment Trust Registration Statement (the “Registration Statement”). We hereby give you our consent to incorporate by reference the Legal Opinion into Post-Effective Amendment No. 373 to the Registration Statement (the “Amendment”). We also consent to all references to us in the Amendment.
Very truly yours,

/s/ Greenberg Traurig LLP

Greenberg Traurig LLP

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 November 23, 2020 on the financial statements and financial highlights of Sector Rotation Fund, a series of shares of beneficial interest in Starboard Investment Trust. Such financial statements and financial highlights appear in the September 30, 2020 Annual Report to Shareholders which is incorporated by reference into the Statement of Additional Information.


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  BBD, LLP
 

 

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
January 27, 2021