485APOS 1 d165093d485apos.htm NUSHARES ETF TRUST Nushares ETF Trust

AS FILED WITH THE U.S. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION ON JULY 7, 2021.

Investment Company Act of 1940 File No.: 811-23161

Securities Act of 1933 File No.: 333-212032

 

 

 

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

 

FORM N-1A

 

REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE
SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
  
Pre-Effective Amendment No.   
Post-Effective Amendment No. 68   
and/or     
REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE
INVESTMENT COMPANY ACT OF 1940
  
Amendment No. 71   

(Check appropriate box or boxes)

 

 

Nushares ETF Trust

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Charter)

333 West Wacker Drive

Chicago, IL 60606

(Address of Principal Executive Offices, Zip Code)

(312) 917-7700

(Registrant’s Telephone Number, including Area Code)

 

Diana R. Gonzalez

Vice President and Secretary

333 West Wacker Drive

Chicago, IL 60606

(Name and Address of Agent for Service)

  

Copy to:

Eric F. Fees

Chapman and Cutler LLP

111 West Monroe Street

Chicago, IL 60603

and

W. John McGuire

Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP

1111 Pennsylvania Ave, NW

Washington, DC 20004

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

 

  Immediately upon filing pursuant to paragraph (b)     On (date) pursuant to paragraph (b)
  On (date) pursuant to paragraph (a)(1)     75 days after filing pursuant to paragraph (a)(2)
  60 days after filing pursuant to paragraph (a)(1)     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.

 

 

 


Preliminary Prospectus dated July 7, 2021
Subject to Completion

         

 

Exchange-Traded Funds

 

[ ]
2021

       
   

Listing Exchange

Ticker Symbol

Fund Name

     

Nuveen Growth Opportunities ETF

 

NYSE Arca

[        ]

THIS ETF IS DIFFERENT FROM A TRADITIONAL ETF

A traditional ETF tells the public what assets it holds each day. This ETF will not. This may create additional risks for your investment. For example:

·  You may have to pay more money to trade this ETF’s shares. This ETF will provide less information to traders, who tend to charge more for trades when they have less information.

· The price you pay to buy ETF shares on an exchange may not match the value of the ETF’s portfolio. The same is true when you sell shares. These price differences may be greater for this ETF compared to other ETFs because it provides less information to traders.

·  These additional risks may be even greater in bad or uncertain market conditions.

·  The ETF will publish on its website each day a Proxy Portfolio (“Proxy Portfolio”) designed to help trading in shares of the ETF. While the Proxy Portfolio includes some of the ETF’s holdings, it is not the ETF’s actual portfolio.

The differences between this ETF and other ETFs may also have advantages. By keeping certain information about the ETF secret, this ETF may face less risk that other traders can predict or copy its investment strategies. This may improve the ETF’s performance. If other traders are able to copy or predict the ETF’s investment strategies, however, this may hurt the ETF’s performance.

 

The Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) has not approved or disapproved these securities or passed upon the adequacy of this prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

As permitted by regulations adopted by the Securities and Exchange Commission, paper copies of the Fund’s annual and semi-annual shareholder reports will not be sent to you by mail unless you specifically request paper copies of the reports. Instead, the reports will be made available on the Fund’s website (www.nuveen.com), and you will be notified by mail each time a report is posted and provided with a website link to access the report.

You may elect to receive shareholder reports and other communications from the Fund electronically at any time by contacting the financial intermediary (such as a broker-dealer or bank) through which you hold your Fund shares.

You may elect to receive all future reports in paper free of charge at any time by contacting your financial intermediary. Your election to receive reports in paper will apply to all funds held in your account with your financial intermediary.

Prospectus

For additional information regarding the unique attributes and risks of this ETF, see the later discussion with respect to the Proxy Portfolio in the Fund’s principal investment strategies and associated risks, including “Proxy Portfolio Structure Risk,” “Authorized Participant Concentration Risk,” “Predatory Trading Practices Risk,” “Premium/Discount Risk,” “Trading Issues Risk” and “Tracking Error Risk,” as well as the “Investing in the Fund—Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares” and “Proxy Portfolio and Proxy Overlap” sections set forth below and the “Proxy Portfolio” and “Disclosure of Portfolio Holdings” sections in the Fund’s statement of additional information.

 

The Information in this Prospectus is not complete and may be changed. We may not sell these securities until the registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This Prospectus is not an offer to sell these securities and it is not soliciting an offer to buy these securities in any state where the offer or sale is not permitted.


   
 

Table of Contents

   
 

Section 1  Fund Summary  2

Nuveen Growth Opportunities ETF 2

Section 2 Additional Detail About the
Fund’s Strategies, Holdings and Risks
 8

Investment Objective and Principal Investment Strategies  8

Portfolio Holdings 8

Risks 11

Section 3 Fund Managment  22

Who Manages the Fund 22

Management Fees 23

Section 4 Investing in the Fund  24

Purchase and Sale of Shares 24

Purchase and Redemption of Creation Units  27

Distributor 28

Distribution and Service Payments  28

Frequent Trading 29

Section 5 General Information  30

Dividends and Distributions 30

Taxes 30

Net Asset Value 33

Premium/Discount Information 34

Listing Exchange 34

Proxy Portfolio and Proxy Overlap  35

   
 

 NOT FDIC OR GOVERNMENT INSURED MAY LOSE VALUE  NO BANK GUARANTEE


Section 1 Fund Summary

Nuveen Growth Opportunities ETF

Investment Objective

The investment objective of the Fund is to seek long-term capital appreciation.

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

The table below describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold and sell shares of the Fund. You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, when buying or selling shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in this table or the example that follows:

Annual Fund Operating Expenses

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

   

Management Fees

[ ]%

Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees

None

Other Expenses*

0.00%

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

[ ]%

* Other Expenses are estimated for the current fiscal year.

Example

The following example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. The example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then sell all your shares at the end of a period. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. The example does not reflect brokerage commissions that you may pay when you purchase and sell Fund shares. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

   

1 Year

$[    ]

3 Years

$[    ]

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. The Fund has not completed its first fiscal year, and therefore it does not have a portfolio turnover rate to report.

Principal Investment Strategies

Under normal market conditions, the Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by normally investing primarily in exchange-traded equity securities of U.S. companies with market capitalizations of at least $1 billion. The fund is “non-diversified,” which means that it may invest a significant portion of its assets in a relatively small number of issuers, which may increase risk. At times and depending on market conditions, the Fund may also invest a significant percentage of its assets in a small number of business sectors or industries. The Fund may also invest up to 20% of its assets in exchange-traded American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”) and common stocks of non-U.S. issuers, including emerging market issuers, that are listed and trade on a foreign exchange contemporaneously with Fund shares. Under normal conditions, the portfolio managers will select 40 to 65 stocks for the Fund’s portfolio. As of the date of this prospectus, the Fund invests a significant portion of its assets in companies in the information technology sector.

The portfolio managers attempt to include securities in the Fund’s portfolio that exhibit the greatest combination of earnings growth, quality business fundamentals, and attractive valuation relative to the broader market and peer group. The portfolio managers ordinarily look for several of the following characteristics when analyzing companies for potential inclusion within the Fund: attractive earnings growth, strong cash-flow outlook, a commitment to research and development, proprietary products and/or services, exposure to areas with emerging or expanding market share, a well-capitalized balance sheet, favorable or improving return on invested capital, integrity of the management team, and attractive relative valuation. Environmental, social and governance (“ESG”) data is integrated as part of the investment

   

2

Section 1 Fund Summaries


process with the purpose of identifying additional risks and/or opportunities that may not be identifiable through traditional fundamental research. The portfolio managers maintain discretion to invest in companies that do not exhibit positive ESG characteristics if it supports the overall investment objectives of the Fund. In addition to exchange-traded equity securities (such as common stocks and preferred securities), the Fund may utilize U.S. listed, exchange-traded futures contracts.

Semi-Transparent ETF with Proxy Portfolio Structure. The Fund is a type of exchange-traded fund (“ETF”). Unlike traditional ETFs, however, which generally publish their portfolio holdings on a daily basis, the Fund discloses a portfolio transparency substitute—the “Proxy Portfolio”— and certain related information about the relative performance of the Proxy Portfolio and the Fund’s actual portfolio (“Actual Portfolio”) holdings (the “Proxy Portfolio Disclosures”), which are intended to help keep the market price of the Fund’s shares trading at or close to the underlying net asset value (“NAV”) per share of the Fund. While the Proxy Portfolio includes some of the Fund’s holdings, it is not the Fund’s Actual Portfolio, and the Fund will not disclose the daily holdings of the Actual Portfolio. Although the Fund seeks to benefit from keeping its portfolio information secret, market participants may attempt to use the Proxy Portfolio to identify the Fund’s trading strategy, which if successful, could result in such market participants engaging in certain predatory trading practices that may have the potential to harm the Fund and its shareholders. The Fund’s exemptive relief limits the types of securities in which the Fund can invest, which may constrain the Fund’s ability to implement its investment strategies. The Fund is actively managed and does not intend to track an index.

Principal Risks

You could lose money by investing in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. Each risk summarized below is considered a “principal risk” of investing in the Fund, regardless of the order in which it appears.

Proxy Portfolio Structure Risk—Unlike traditional ETFs that provide daily disclosure of their portfolio holdings, the Fund does not disclose the daily holdings of the Actual Portfolio. Instead, the Fund discloses a Proxy Portfolio that is designed to reflect the economic exposure and risk characteristics of the Fund’s Actual Portfolio on any given trading day. Although the Proxy Portfolio and Proxy Portfolio Disclosures are intended to provide Authorized Participants (defined below) and other market participants with enough information to allow them to engage in effective arbitrage transactions that will keep the market price of the Fund’s shares trading at or close to the underlying NAV per share of the Fund, while at the same time enabling them to establish cost-effective hedging strategies to reduce risk, there is a risk that market prices will vary significantly from the underlying NAV of the Fund. See “Premium/Discount Risk.” Similarly, shares of the Fund may trade at a wider bid/ask spread than shares of traditional ETFs, and may therefore be more costly for investors to trade. See “Trading Issues Risk.” Also, the Fund will incur expenses to license the Proxy Portfolio mechanism, which may impact shareholder returns. Additionally, the proxy mechanism itself may result in additional trading costs, which also may negatively impact shareholder returns. In addition, although the Proxy Portfolio is designed to protect the Fund from predatory practices such as front-running and free-riding, market participants may nevertheless be able to use the Proxy Portfolio and Proxy Portfolio Disclosures to engage in trading practices that disadvantage the Fund. See “Predatory Trading Practices Risk.” The Fund will monitor on an ongoing basis the premium/discount between the market price and the NAV of the Fund’s shares, but there can be no assurance that the Proxy Portfolio methodology will operate as intended. The Proxy Portfolio methodology is novel and not yet proven as an effective arbitrage mechanism. The effectiveness of the Proxy Portfolio methodology as an arbitrage mechanism is contingent upon, among other things, the effectiveness of the Fund’s Factor Model analysis in creating a Proxy Portfolio that performs in a manner substantially identical to the performance of the Fund’s Actual Portfolio and the willingness of Authorized Participants and other market participants to trade based on the Proxy Portfolio. In the event that the Proxy Portfolio methodology does not result in effective arbitrage opportunities in the Fund shares, the Fund may exhibit wider premiums/discounts, bid/ask spreads and tracking error. At certain thresholds for such premiums/discounts, bid/ask spreads and tracking error, the Fund’s Board of Trustees will consider possible remedial measures, which may include liquidation or conversion to a fully-transparent, active ETF or a mutual fund.

·  Premium/Discount Risk—Shares of the Fund are listed for trading on the NYSE Arca, Inc. (the “NYSE Arca”) and are bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices that may differ from their most recent NAV. The market value of the Fund’s shares will fluctuate, in some cases materially, in response to changes in the Fund’s NAV, the intraday value of the Fund’s holdings, and the relative supply and demand for the Fund’s shares on the exchange. Although the Proxy Portfolio is intended to provide investors with enough information to allow for an effective arbitrage mechanism that will keep the market price of the Fund at or close to the Fund’s NAV, there is a risk (which may increase during periods of market disruption or volatility) that market prices for Fund shares will vary significantly from the Fund’s NAV. This risk may be greater for the Fund than for traditional ETFs that disclose their full portfolio holdings on a daily basis because the publication of the Proxy Portfolio does not

   

Section 1 Fund Summaries

3


provide the same level of transparency as the publication of the full portfolio by a fully transparent active ETF. This could cause the Fund’s shares to have wider bid/ask spreads and larger premiums/discounts than fully transparent ETFs using the same investment strategies. Disruptions to creations and redemptions, the existence of extreme market volatility or potential lack of an active trading market for shares may result in shares trading at a significant premium or discount to NAV and/or in a reduced liquidity of your investment. During such periods, you may be unable to sell your shares or may incur significant losses if you sell your shares. There are various methods by which investors can purchase and sell shares and various types of orders that may be placed. Investors should consult their financial intermediary before purchasing or selling shares of the Fund. If a shareholder purchases shares at a time when the market price is at a premium to the NAV or sells shares at a time when the market price is at a discount to the NAV, the shareholder may sustain losses.

· Authorized Participant Concentration Risk—Only certain institutional investors (typically market makers or other broker-dealers) (“Authorized Participants”) may engage in creation or redemption transactions directly with the Fund. The Fund has a limited number of institutions that act as Authorized Participants, none of which are or will be obligated to engage in creation or redemption transactions. To the extent that these institutions exit the business or are unable to process creation and/or redemption orders with respect to the Fund and no other Authorized Participant is able to step forward to create or redeem Creation Units, Fund shares may trade at a discount to NAV and possibly face trading halts and/or delisting. The Fund’s novel structure may affect the number of entities willing to act as Authorized Participants, and this risk may be exacerbated during times of market stress.

·  Predatory Trading Practices Risk—Although the Fund seeks to benefit from keeping its portfolio holdings information secret, market participants may attempt to use the Proxy Portfolio and related Proxy Portfolio Disclosures to identify the Fund’s holdings and trading strategy. If successful, this could result in such market participants engaging in predatory trading practices that could harm the Fund and its shareholders. The Proxy Portfolio and related Proxy Portfolio Disclosures have been designed to mitigate the risk that market participants could “reverse engineer” the Fund’s portfolio and investment strategy, but they may not be successful in this regard.

·  Trading Issues Risk—Trading in Fund shares on the NYSE Arca may be halted in certain circumstances. If 10% or more of the Fund’s Actual Portfolio does not have readily available market quotations, the Fund will promptly request that the NYSE Arca halt trading in the Fund’s shares. Such trading halts may have a greater impact on the Fund compared to other ETFs due to its lack of transparency. If the trading of a security held in the Fund’s Actual Portfolio is halted or otherwise does not have readily available market quotations and the sub-adviser believes that the lack of any such readily available market quotations may affect the reliability of the Proxy Portfolio as an arbitrage vehicle or otherwise determines it is in the best interest of the Fund, the sub-adviser promptly will disclose on the Fund’s website the identity and weighting of such security for so long as such security’s trading is halted or otherwise does not have readily available market quotations and remains in the Actual Portfolio. There can be no assurance that the requirements of the NYSE Arca necessary to maintain the listing of the Fund will continue to be met. Because the Fund trades on the basis of a published Proxy Portfolio, it may trade at a wider bid/ask spread and may experience a wider premium/discount than traditional ETFs that publish their portfolios on a daily basis, and therefore, may cost investors more to trade especially during periods of market disruption or volatility.

· Tracking Error Risk—Although the Proxy Portfolio is designed to reflect the economic exposure and risk characteristics of the Fund’s Actual Portfolio on any given trading day, there is a risk that the performance of the Proxy Portfolio will diverge from the performance of the Actual Portfolio, potentially materially.

Active Management Risk—The Fund’s sub-adviser actively manages the Fund’s investments. Consequently, the Fund is subject to the risk that the investment techniques and risk analyses employed by the Fund’s sub-adviser may not produce the desired results. This could cause the Fund to lose value or its investment results to lag relevant benchmarks or other funds with similar objectives.

Currency Risk—Changes in currency exchange rates will affect the value of non-U.S. dollar denominated securities, the value of dividends and interest earned from such securities, and gains and losses realized on the sale of such securities. A strong U.S. dollar relative to these other currencies will adversely affect the value of the Fund’s portfolio.

Cybersecurity Risk—Cybersecurity risk is the risk of an unauthorized breach and access to Fund assets, customer data (including private shareholder information), or proprietary information, or the risk of an incident occurring that causes the

   

4

Section 1 Fund Summaries


Fund, its investment adviser or sub-adviser, custodian, transfer agent, distributor or other service provider or a financial intermediary to suffer a data breach, data corruption or lose operational functionality. Successful cyber-attacks or other cyber-failures or events affecting the Fund or its service providers may adversely impact the Fund or its shareholders. Additionally, a cybersecurity breach could affect the issuers in which the Fund invests, which may cause the Fund’s investments to lose value.

Depositary Receipt Risk— To the extent the Fund invests in depositary receipts, the Fund will be subject to many of the same risks as when investing directly in non-U.S. securities, including risks associated with fluctuations in currency exchange rates as well as changes to the economic or political conditions in other countries. ADRs are depositary receipts issued by a U.S. financial institution that are listed and trade on a U.S. exchange. ADRs entitle their holder to all dividends and capital gains paid out on the underlying foreign shares. When the Fund invests in ADRs rather than investing directly in their underlying foreign shares, the Fund is exposed to the risk that the ADRs may not provide a return that corresponds precisely with the return of the underlying foreign shares.

Emerging Markets Risk—The risk of foreign investment often increases in countries with emerging markets. For example, these countries may have more unstable governments than developed countries and their economies may be based on only a few industries. Because their financial markets may be very small, prices of financial instruments in emerging market countries may be volatile and difficult to determine. Financial instruments of issuers in these countries may have lower overall liquidity than those of issuers in more developed countries. Financial and other reporting by companies and government entities also may be less reliable or difficult to obtain in emerging market countries. In addition, foreign investors such as the Fund are subject to a variety of special restrictions in many emerging market countries. Shareholder claims and regulatory actions that are available in the U.S. may be difficult or impossible to pursue in emerging market countries.

Equity Security Risk—Equity securities in the Fund’s portfolio may decline significantly in price over short or extended periods of time, and such declines may occur because of declines in the equity market as a whole, or because of declines in only a particular country, company, industry, or sector of the market. From time to time, the Fund may invest a significant portion of its assets in companies in one or more related sectors or industries which would make the Fund more vulnerable to adverse developments affecting such sectors or industries. Holders of common stock generally are subject to more risks than holders of preferred securities because the status of common stockholders upon the bankruptcy of the issuer is subordinated to that of preferred security holders. Given the Fund’s focus on dividend-paying securities, the Fund may, from time to time, have a greater exposure to higher dividend-yield sectors and industries than the broad equity market which would make the Fund more vulnerable to adverse developments affecting such sectors or industries.

Foreign Investment Risk—Non-U.S. issuers or U.S. issuers with significant non-U.S. operations may be subject to risks in addition to those of issuers located in or that principally operate in the United States as a result of, among other things, political, social and economic developments abroad and different legal, regulatory and tax environments. To the extent the Fund invests a significant portion of its assets in the securities of companies in a single country or region, it may be more susceptible to adverse conditions affecting that country or region. Additionally, non-U.S. securities may have relatively low market liquidity, greater market volatility, decreased publicly available information and less reliable financial information about issuers, and inconsistent and potentially less stringent accounting, auditing and financial reporting requirements than domestic issuers.

Futures Contract Risk—The use of futures contracts involves additional risks and transaction costs, which could leave the Fund in a worse position than if it had not used these instruments. Futures contracts may entail investment exposures that are greater than their cost would suggest. As a result, a small investment in futures contracts could have a large impact on performance.

Growth Stock Risk—Growth stocks tend to be more volatile than certain other types of stocks and their prices usually fluctuate more dramatically than the overall stock market. A stock with growth characteristics can have sharp price declines due to decreases in current or expected earnings and may lack dividends that can help cushion its share price in a declining market.

Information Technology Sector Risk—The Fund currently invests a significant portion of its assets in the information technology sector, although this may change over time. The information technology sector can be significantly affected by changes in, among other things, the supply and demand for specific products and services, the pace of technological development and product obsolescence, market competition, government regulation, and patent and intellectual property rights.

   

Section 1 Fund Summaries

5


Large-Cap Company Risk—Because it invests primarily in securities of large-capitalization companies, the Fund may underperform funds that invest primarily in securities of smaller capitalization companies during periods when the securities of such companies are in favor.

Market Risk—The market value of the Fund’s investments may go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably and for short or extended periods of time, due to the particular circumstances of individual issuers or due to general conditions impacting issuers more broadly. Global economies and financial markets have become highly interconnected, and thus economic, market or political conditions or events in one country or region might adversely impact the value of the Fund’s investments whether or not the Fund invests in such country or region. Events such as war, terrorism, natural and environmental disasters and the spread of infectious illnesses or other public health emergencies may have a severe negative impact on the global economy, could cause financial markets to experience extreme volatility and losses, and could result in the disruption of trading and the reduction of liquidity in many instruments.

Market Trading Risks—The Fund is an ETF, and as with all ETFs, Fund shares may be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. Although it is expected that the market price of a Fund share typically will approximate its net asset value (“NAV”), there may be times when the market price and the NAV diverge more significantly, particularly in times of market volatility or steep market declines. Thus, you may pay more or less than NAV when you buy Fund shares on the secondary market, and you may receive more or less than NAV when you sell those shares. Although the Fund’s shares are listed for trading on a national securities exchange, it is possible that an active trading market may not develop or be maintained, in which case transactions may occur at wider bid/ask spreads (which may be especially pronounced for smaller funds). Trading of the Fund’s shares may be halted by the activation of individual or market-wide trading halts (which halt trading for a specific period of time when the price of a particular security or overall market prices decline by a specified percentage). In times of market stress, the Fund’s underlying portfolio holdings may become less liquid, which in turn may affect the liquidity of the Fund’s shares and/or lead to more significant differences between the Fund’s market price and its NAV. Market makers are under no obligation to make a market in the Fund’s shares, and Authorized Participants are not obligated to submit purchase or redemption orders for the Fund’s shares. In the event market makers cease making a market in the Fund's shares or Authorized Participants stop submitting creation or redemption orders, Fund shares may trade at a larger premium or discount to NAV.

Non-Diversification Risk—As a non-diversified fund, the Fund may invest a larger portion of its assets in the securities of a limited number of issuers and may be more sensitive to any single economic, business, political or regulatory occurrence affecting an issuer than a diversified fund.

Preferred Security Risk—Preferred securities generally are subordinated to bonds and other debt instruments in a company’s capital structure and therefore will be subject to greater credit risk than those debt instruments. In addition, preferred securities are subject to other risks, such as having no or limited voting rights, being subject to special redemption rights, having distributions deferred or skipped, having floating interest rates or dividends, which may result in a decline in value in a falling interest rate environment, having fixed interest rates or dividends, which may result in a decline in value in a rising interest rate environment, having limited liquidity, changing or unfavorable tax treatments and possibly being issued by companies in heavily regulated industries.

Service Provider Operational Risk—The Fund’s service providers, such as the Fund’s administrator, custodian or transfer agent, may experience disruptions or operating errors that could negatively impact the Fund. Although service providers are required to have appropriate operational risk management policies and procedures, and to take appropriate precautions to avoid and mitigate risks that could lead to disruptions and operating errors, it may not be possible to identify all of the operational risks that may affect the Fund or to develop processes and controls to completely eliminate or mitigate their occurrence or effects.

Fund Performance

The Fund is new and therefore does not have performance history for a full calendar year. When this prospectus is updated after a full calendar year of operations, a bar chart and table will be included that will provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing the variability of the Fund’s returns based on net assets and comparing the Fund’s performance to a broad measure of market performance. Updated performance information is available at www.nuveen.com/etf or by calling (800) 257-8787.

   

6

Section 1 Fund Summaries


Management

Investment Adviser

Nuveen Fund Advisors, LLC

Sub-Adviser

Nuveen Asset Management, LLC

Portfolio Managers

     

Name

Title

Portfolio Manager of Fund Since

Karen Hiatt, CFA

Managing Director

[ ], 2021

Terrence Kontos, CFA

Managing Director

[ ], 2021

Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares

The Fund is an actively managed, semi-transparent ETF. Shares of the Fund are listed on a national securities exchange and can only be bought and sold in the secondary market through a broker-dealer at market prices. Because Fund shares trade at market prices rather than NAV, shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (at a “premium”) or less than NAV (at a “discount”). An investor may also incur costs attributable to the difference between the highest price a buyer is willing to pay to purchase Fund shares (bid) and the lowest price a seller is willing to accept for Fund shares (ask) when buying and selling shares in the secondary market (the “bid/ask spread”). Recent information regarding the Fund, including its NAV, market price, premiums and discounts, and bid/ask spreads, is available on the Fund’s website at www.nuveen.com/etf.

Tax Information

The Fund’s distributions are taxable and will generally be taxed as ordinary income or capital gains, unless you are investing through a tax-deferred account, such as an individual retirement account (“IRA”) or 401(k) plan (in which case you may be taxed upon withdrawal of your investment from such account).

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 or financial advisor), the Fund’s investment adviser or its affiliates may pay the intermediary for marketing activities and presentations, educational training programs, conferences, the development of technology platforms and reporting systems or other services related to the sale or promotion of Fund shares. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other financial intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.

   

Section 1 Fund Summaries

7


Section 2 Additional Detail About the Fund’s Strategies, Holdings and Risks

This prospectus contains important information about investing in the Fund. Please read this prospectus carefully before you make any investment decisions. Additional information regarding the Fund is available at www.nuveen.com/etf or by calling Nuveen Investor Services at (888) 290-9881.

The Fund is an actively-managed, semi-transparent ETF and does not intend to track an index. Unlike traditional ETFs that provide daily disclosure of their portfolio holdings, this Fund does not disclose the daily holdings of its actual portfolio. Instead, this Fund discloses a portfolio transparency substitute (a “Proxy Portfolio”) and certain related information about the relative performance of the Proxy Portfolio and the Fund’s actual portfolio (“Actual Portfolio”) holdings (the “Proxy Portfolio Disclosures”), which are intended to help keep the market price of the Fund’s shares trading at or close to the underlying net asset value per share of the Fund. While the Proxy Portfolio includes some of the Fund’s holdings, it is not the Fund’s Actual Portfolio, and the Fund will not disclose the daily holdings of the Actual Portfolio. The Fund’s exemptive relief limits the types of securities in which the Fund can invest, which may constrain the Fund’s ability to implement its investment strategy.

 

Investment Objective and Principal
Investment Strategies

The Fund’s investment objective, which is described in the “Fund Summary” section, may be changed by the Fund’s Board of Trustees (the “Board”) without shareholder approval.

The Fund’s investment policies may be changed by the Board without shareholder approval unless otherwise noted in this prospectus or the statement of additional information.

The Fund’s principal investment strategies are discussed in the “Fund Summary” section. These are the strategies that the Fund’s investment adviser and sub-adviser believe are most likely to be important in trying to achieve the Fund’s investment objective. This section provides more information about these strategies, as well as information about some additional strategies that the Fund’s sub-adviser uses, or may use, to achieve the Fund’s objective. The strategies described below are principal investment strategies unless otherwise noted. You should be aware that the Fund may also use strategies and invest in securities that are not described in this prospectus, but that are described in the statement of additional information. For a copy of the statement of additional information, call Nuveen Investor Services at (888) 290-9881 or visit the Fund’s website at www.nuveen.com/etf.

 

Portfolio Holdings

Additional information about the Fund’s portfolio holdings can be found below.

Equity Securities

The Fund invests in exchange-traded equity securities, including common stocks, preferred securities, real estate investment trusts, and depositary receipts.

   

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Non-U.S. Investments

The Fund may invest in common stocks of non-U.S. issuers that are listed and trade on a foreign exchange contemporaneously with Fund shares. The Fund will classify an issuer of a security as being a U.S. or non-U.S. issuer based on the determination of an unaffiliated, recognized financial data provider. Such determinations are based on a number of criteria, such as the issuer’s country of domicile, the primary exchange on which the security trades, the location from which the majority of the issuer’s revenue comes, and the issuer’s reporting currency. The Fund’s investment in non-U.S. equity securities may include direct investment in securities of non-U.S. companies traded overseas on a foreign exchange contemporaneously with Fund shares as well as ADRs.

Derivatives

The Fund may invest in certain derivatives as part of its principal investment strategy. Generally, a derivative is a financial contract the value of which depends upon, or is derived from, the value of an underlying asset, reference rate or index. Derivatives generally take the form of contracts under which the parties agree to payments between them based upon the performance of a wide variety of underlying references, such as stocks, bonds, loans, commodities, interest rates, currency exchange rates, and various domestic and foreign indices. The derivative instruments in which the Fund may invest are comprised of exchange-traded futures contracts that trade contemporaneously with Fund shares.

Derivatives may entail investment exposures that are greater than their cost would suggest. As a result, a small investment in derivatives could have a large impact on the Fund’s performance.

Cash Equivalents and Short-Term Investments

As a non-principal investment strategy, the Fund may invest in cash and cash equivalents, such as short-term U.S. Treasury securities, government money market funds, and repurchase agreements, in such proportions as warranted by prevailing market conditions and the Fund’s principal investment strategies. The Fund may temporarily invest without limit in such holdings for liquidity purposes, or in an attempt to respond to adverse market, economic, political or other conditions. Being invested in these securities may keep the Fund from participating in a market upswing and prevent the Fund from achieving its investment objective.

Investment Companies and Other Pooled Investment Vehicles

As a non-principal investment strategy, the Fund may invest in securities of other ETFs that invest primarily in securities of the types in which the Fund may invest directly. In addition, the Fund may invest a portion of its assets in pooled investment vehicles (other than investment companies) that invest primarily in securities of the types in which the Fund may invest directly. As a shareholder in an investment company or other pooled investment vehicle, the Fund will bear its ratable share of that vehicle’s expenses, and would remain subject to payment of the Fund’s management fees with respect to assets so invested. Shareholders would therefore be subject to duplicative expenses to the extent the Fund invests in an investment company or other pooled investment vehicle. In addition, the Fund will incur brokerage costs when purchasing and selling shares of ETFs. Securities of investment companies or other pooled investment vehicles may be leveraged, in which case the value and/or yield of such securities will tend to be more volatile than securities of unleveraged vehicles.

Generally, investments in other investment companies (including ETFs) are subject to statutory limitations prescribed by the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended ("1940 Act"). These limitations include a prohibition on the Fund acquiring more than 3%

   

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of the voting shares of any other investment company, and a prohibition on investing more than 5% of the Fund’s total assets in the securities of any one investment company or more than 10% of its total assets, in the aggregate, in investment company securities. Many ETFs, however, have either obtained exemptive relief from the Securities and Exchange Commission or may rely on Rule 12d1-4 under the 1940 Act to permit unaffiliated funds to invest in the ETFs’ shares beyond these statutory limitations, subject to certain conditions and pursuant to a contractual arrangement between the ETFs and the investing Fund. The Fund may rely on these exemptive orders or Rule 12d1-4 to invest in unaffiliated ETFs beyond the foregoing statutory limitations. Subject to certain conditions, the Fund also may invest in money market funds beyond the statutory limits described above.

Preferred Securities

The Fund may invest in exchange-traded preferred securities. Preferred securities, which generally pay fixed or adjustable rate dividends or interest to investors, have preference over common stock in the payment of dividends or interest and the liquidation of a company’s assets, which means that a company typically must pay dividends or interest on its preferred securities before paying any dividends on its common stock. On the other hand, preferred securities are junior to most other forms of the company’s debt, including both senior and subordinated debt. Because of their subordinated position in the capital structure of an issuer, the ability to defer dividend or interest payments for extended periods of time without triggering an event of default for the issuer, and certain other features, preferred securities are often treated as equity-like instruments by both issuers and investors, as their quality and value are heavily dependent on the profitability and cash flows of the issuer rather than on any legal claims to specific assets.

Securities Lending

The Fund may lend securities representing up to one-third of the value of its total assets to broker-dealers, banks, and other institutions to generate additional income. When the Fund loans its portfolio securities, it will receive, at the inception of each loan, cash collateral equal to at least 102% of the value of the loaned securities. Under the Fund’s securities lending agreement, the securities lending agent will generally bear the risk that a borrower may default on its obligation to return loaned securities. The Fund, however, will be responsible for the risks associated with the investment of cash collateral. The Fund may lose money on its investment of cash collateral or may fail to earn sufficient income on its investment to meet its obligations to the borrower.

When a dividend is paid on a security that is out on loan, the borrower receives the dividend and in turn makes a payment of the same amount to the Fund. Dividends, if they constitute “qualified dividends,” are taxable at the same rate as long-term capital gains. These payments made by borrowers, however, are not qualified dividends, and are taxable at higher ordinary income rates. As a result, some of the distributions received by shareholders who hold Fund shares in taxable accounts may be subject to taxation at a higher rate than if that Fund had not loaned its portfolio securities.

Temporary Defensive Positions

In certain situations or market conditions, the Fund may temporarily depart from its normal investment policies and strategies, provided that the alternative is consistent with the Fund’s investment objective and is in the best interest of the Fund’s shareholders.

   

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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 holdings is available in the Fund’s statement of additional information. In addition, the identities and quantities of the securities held by the Fund are disclosed on the Fund’s website.

 

Risks

Risk is inherent in all investing. Investing in the Fund involves risk, including the risk that you may receive little or no return on your investment or even that you may lose part or all of your investment. Therefore, before investing you should consider carefully the principal risks and certain other risks that you assume when you invest in the Fund. Each risk summarized below is considered a “principal risk” of investing in the Fund, regardless of the order in which it appears. Because of these risks, you should consider an investment in the Fund to be a long-term investment.

Principal Risks

Proxy Portfolio structure risk: Unlike traditional ETFs that provide daily disclosure of their portfolio holdings, the Fund does not disclose the daily holdings of the Actual Portfolio. Instead, the Fund discloses a Proxy Portfolio that is designed to reflect the economic exposure and risk characteristics of the Fund’s Actual Portfolio on any given trading day. Although the Proxy Portfolio and Proxy Portfolio Disclosures are intended to provide Authorized Participants and other market participants with enough information to allow them to engage in effective arbitrage transactions that will keep the market price of the Fund’s shares trading at or close to the underlying NAV per share of the Fund, while at the same time enabling them to establish cost-effective hedging strategies to reduce risk, there is a risk that market prices will vary significantly from the underlying NAV of the Fund. See “Premium/Discount Risk.” Similarly, shares of the Fund may trade at a wider bid/ask spread than shares of traditional ETFs, and may therefore be more costly for investors to trade. See “Trading Issues Risk.” Also, the Fund will incur expenses to license the Proxy Portfolio mechanism, which may impact shareholder returns. Additionally, the proxy mechanism itself may result in additional trading costs, which also may negatively impact shareholder returns. In addition, although the Proxy Portfolio is designed to protect the Fund from predatory practices such as front-running and free-riding, market participants may nevertheless be able to use the Proxy Portfolio and Proxy Portfolio Disclosures to engage in trading practices that disadvantage the Fund. See “Predatory Trading Practices Risk.” The Fund will monitor on an ongoing basis the premium/discount between the market price and the NAV of the Fund’s shares, but there can be no assurance that the Proxy Portfolio methodology will operate as intended. The Proxy Portfolio methodology is novel and not yet proven as an effective arbitrage mechanism. The effectiveness of the Proxy Portfolio methodology as an arbitrage mechanism is contingent upon, among other things, the effectiveness of the Fund’s Factor Model analysis in creating a Proxy Portfolio that performs in a manner substantially identical to the performance of the Fund’s Actual Portfolio and the willingness of Authorized Participants and other market participants to trade based on the Proxy Portfolio. In the event that the Proxy Portfolio methodology does not result in effective arbitrage opportunities in the Fund’s shares, the Fund may exhibit wider premiums/discounts, bid/ask spreads and tracking error. At certain thresholds for such premiums/discounts, bid/ask spreads and tracking error, the Fund’s Board of Trustees will consider possible remedial measures, which may include liquidation or conversion to a fully-transparent, active ETF or a mutual fund.

   

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· Premium/discount risk: Shares of the Fund are listed for trading on the NYSE Arca and are bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices that may differ from their most recent NAV. The NAV of the Fund’s shares will generally fluctuate with changes in the market value of the Fund’s holdings. The market value of the Fund’s shares will fluctuate, in some cases materially, in response to changes in the Fund’s NAV, the intraday value of the Fund’s holdings, and the relative supply and demand for the Fund’s shares on the exchange. Although the disclosure of the Proxy Portfolio and Proxy Portfolio Disclosure is intended to provide investors with enough information to allow for an effective arbitrage mechanism that will keep the market price of the Fund at or close to the Fund’s NAV, there is a risk (which may increase during periods of market disruption or volatility) that market prices for Fund shares will vary significantly from the Fund’s NAV. This risk may be greater for the Fund than for traditional ETFs that disclose their full portfolio holdings on a daily basis because publication of the Proxy Portfolio does not provide the same level of transparency as the publication of the full portfolio by a fully transparent active ETF. This could cause the Fund’s shares to have wider bid/ask spreads and larger premiums/discounts than fully transparent active ETFs using the same investment strategies. The Adviser and sub-advisers cannot predict whether shares will trade below, at or above their NAV. Price differences may be due, in large part, to the fact that supply and demand forces at work in the secondary trading market for shares will be closely related to, but not identical to, the same forces influencing the prices of the securities held by the Fund. While the creation/redemption feature is designed to make it more likely that the Fund’s shares normally will trade on stock exchanges at prices close to the Fund’s next calculated NAV, exchange prices are not expected to correlate exactly with the Fund’s NAV due to timing reasons, supply and demand imbalances and other factors. Disruptions to creations and redemptions, the existence of extreme market volatility or potential lack of an active trading market for shares may result in shares trading at a significant premium or discount to NAV and/or in a reduced liquidity of your investment. During such periods, you may be unable to sell your shares or may incur significant losses if you sell your shares. There are various methods by which investors can purchase and sell shares and various types of orders that may be placed. Investors should consult their financial intermediary before purchasing or selling shares of the Fund. If a shareholder purchases shares at a time when the market price is at a premium to the NAV or sells shares at a time when the market price is at a discount to the NAV, the shareholder may sustain losses.

·  Authorized Participant concentration risk: Only an Authorized Participant may engage in creation or redemption transactions directly with the Fund. The Fund has a limited number of institutions that act as Authorized Participants, none of which are or will be obligated to engage in creation or redemption transactions. To the extent that these institutions exit the business or are unable to process creation and/or redemption orders with respect to the Fund and no other Authorized Participant is able to step forward to create or redeem Creation Units, the Fund’s shares may trade at a discount to NAV and possibly face trading halts and/or delisting. The Fund’s novel structure may affect the number of entities willing to act as Authorized Participants, and this risk may be exacerbated during times of market stress.

·  Predatory trading practices risk: Although the Fund seeks to benefit from keeping its portfolio information secret, market participants may attempt to use the Proxy Portfolio and related Proxy Portfolio Disclosures to identify the Fund’s holdings

   

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and trading strategy. If successful, this could result in such market participants engaging in predatory trading practices that could harm the Fund and its shareholders. The Proxy Portfolio and related Proxy Portfolio Disclosures have been designed to minimize the risk that market participants could “reverse engineer” the Fund’s portfolio and investment strategy, but they may not be successful in this regard.

· Trading issues risk: Although the Fund’s shares are listed on the NYSE Arca, there can be no assurance that an active or liquid trading market for them will develop or be maintained. Trading in Fund shares on the NYSE Arca may be halted due to market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of the NYSE Arca, make trading in shares inadvisable. If 10% or more of the Fund’s Actual Portfolio does not have readily available market quotations, the Fund will promptly request that the NYSE Arca halt trading in the Fund’s shares. Such trading halts may have a greater impact on the Fund compared to other ETFs due to the Fund’s lack of transparency. In addition, trading in shares on the NYSE Arca is subject to trading halts caused by extraordinary market volatility pursuant to the NYSE Arca’s “circuit breaker” rules (rules that require a halt in trading in a specific period of time when market prices decline by a specified percentage during the course of a trading day). If the trading of a security held in the Fund’s Actual Portfolio is halted or otherwise does not have readily available market quotations and the sub-adviser believes that the lack of any such readily available market quotations may affect the reliability of the Proxy Portfolio as an arbitrage vehicle or otherwise determines it is in the best interest of the Fund, the sub-adviser promptly will disclose on the Fund’s website the identity and weighting of such security for so long as such security’s trading is halted or otherwise does not have readily available market quotations and remains in the Actual Portfolio. There can be no assurance that the requirements of the NYSE Arca necessary to maintain the listing of the Fund will continue to be met or will remain unchanged. In addition, an exchange or market may close or issue trading halts on specific securities, or the ability to buy or sell certain securities or financial instruments may be restricted, which may result in the Fund being unable to buy or sell certain securities or financial instruments. In such circumstances, the Fund may be unable to rebalance its portfolio, may be unable to accurately price its investments and/or may incur substantial trading losses. Because the Fund trades on the basis of published Proxy Portfolios, they may trade at a wider bid/ask spread and may experience a wider premium/ discount than traditional ETFs that publish their portfolios on a daily basis, and therefore, the Fund may cost investors more to trade especially during periods of market volatility.

· Tracking error risk: Although the Proxy Portfolio is designed to reflect the economic exposure and risk characteristics of the Fund’s Actual Portfolio on any given trading day, there is a risk that the performance of the Proxy Portfolio will diverge from the performance of the Actual Portfolio, potentially materially.

Active management risk: The Fund’s sub-adviser actively manages the Fund’s investments. Consequently, the Fund is subject to the risk that the investment techniques and risk analyses employed by the Fund’s sub-adviser may not produce the desired results. This could cause a fund to lose value or its investment results to lag relevant benchmarks or other funds with similar objectives. Additionally, legislative, regulatory or tax developments may affect the investment techniques available to the

   

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Fund’s sub-adviser in connection with managing a fund and may also adversely affect the ability of the Fund to achieve its investment goal.

Currency risk: Changes in currency exchange rates will affect the value of non-U.S. securities, the value of dividends and interest earned from such securities, gains and losses realized on the sale of such securities, and derivative transactions tied to such securities, and hence will affect the net asset value of a fund that invests in such securities. A strong U.S. dollar relative to these other currencies will adversely affect the value of a fund to the extent it invests in such non-U.S. securities. Even though the non-U.S. securities held by the Fund are traded in U.S. dollars, their prices are typically indirectly influenced by currency fluctuations.

Cybersecurity risk: Intentional cybersecurity breaches include: unauthorized access to systems, networks or devices (such as through “hacking” activity); infection from computer viruses or other malicious software code; and attacks that shut down, disable, slow, or otherwise disrupt operations, business processes, or website access or functionality. In addition, unintentional incidents can occur, such as the inadvertent release of confidential information (possibly resulting in the violation of applicable privacy laws).

A cybersecurity breach could result in the loss or theft of customer data or funds, the inability to access electronic systems (“denial of services”), loss or theft of proprietary information or corporate data, physical damage to a computer or network system, or costs associated with system repairs. Such incidents could cause the Fund, the Fund’s investment adviser or sub-adviser, a financial intermediary, or other service providers to incur regulatory penalties, reputational damage, additional compliance costs or financial loss. Negative impacts on the Fund could include the inability to calculate net asset value, transact business, process transactions on behalf of shareholders or safeguard data. In addition, such incidents could affect issuers in which the Fund invests, and thereby cause the Fund’s investments to lose value.

Depositary receipts risk: To the extent the Fund invests in depositary receipts, the Fund will be subject to many of the same risks as when investing directly in non-U.S. securities, including risks associated with fluctuations in currency exchange rates as well as changes to the economic or political conditions in other countries. ADRs are depositary receipts issued by a U.S. financial institution that represent a specified number of shares in a foreign stock and trade on a U.S. national securities exchange. When the Fund invests in ADRs rather than investing directly in their underlying foreign shares, the Fund is exposed to the risk that the ADRs may not provide a return that corresponds precisely with the return of the underlying foreign shares. Sponsored ADRs are issued with the support of the issuer of the foreign shares underlying the ADRs and carry all of the rights of common shares, including voting rights. The holder of an unsponsored ADR may have limited voting rights and may not receive as much information about the issuer of the underlying securities as would the holder of a sponsored ADR. Because the underlying foreign shares of ADRs are typically denominated or quoted in non-U.S. currencies, currency exchange rates may affect the value of the Fund’s portfolio. Further, since an ADR’s underlying shares trade on foreign exchanges at times when U.S. markets are not open for trading, the value of the ADR’s underlying shares may change materially at times when U.S. markets are not open for trading, regardless of whether there is an active U.S. market for Fund shares.

Emerging markets risk: The Fund invests in the securities of companies located in emerging market countries. The risk of foreign investment often increases in countries with emerging markets. Emerging markets generally do not have the level of market efficiency and strict standards in accounting and securities regulation to be on par with

   

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advanced economies. Obtaining disclosures comparable to frequency, availability and quality of disclosures required by securities in the U.S. may be difficult. Investments in emerging markets come with much greater risk due to political instability, domestic infrastructure problems and currency volatility. Because their financial markets may be very small, prices of financial instruments in emerging market countries may be volatile and difficult to determine. In addition, foreign investors such as a fund are subject to a variety of special restrictions in many emerging market countries. Shareholder claims that are available in the U.S., as well as regulatory oversight, authority and enforcement actions that are common in the U.S. by regulators, may be difficult or impossible for shareholders of securities in emerging market countries or for U.S. authorities to pursue.

Equity security risk: Equity securities in the Fund’s portfolio may decline significantly in price over short or extended periods of time. Even a long-term investment approach cannot guarantee a profit. Price changes may occur in the market as a whole, or they may occur in only a particular country, company, industry, or sector of the market. From time to time, a Fund may invest a significant portion of its assets in companies in one or more related sectors or industries which would make the Fund more vulnerable to adverse developments affecting such sectors or industries. Adverse events in any part of the U.S. and global financial markets may have unexpected negative effects on equity markets. These events may at times result in unusually high market volatility, including short-term volatility, which could negatively affect Fund performance.

A variety of factors can negatively affect the price of a particular company's equity securities. These factors may include, but are not limited to: poor earnings reports, a loss of customers, litigation against the company, general unfavorable performance of the company's sector or industry, or changes in government regulations affecting the company or its industry. In addition, the types of securities in which a particular fund invests, such as value stocks, growth stocks, large-, mid- and/or small-capitalization stocks, may underperform the market as a whole.

Foreign investment risk: Non-U.S. issuers or U.S. issuers with significant non-U.S. operations may be subject to risks in addition to or different than those of issuers that are located in the United States due to political, social and economic developments abroad, different regulatory environments and laws, potential seizure by the government of company assets, higher taxation, withholding taxes on dividends and interest and limitations on the use or transfer of portfolio assets. If any of these events were to occur, the affected security may experience drastic declines. In the event of a seizure of assets by a non-U.S. government, the Fund could lose its entire investment in that particular country.

Other non-U.S. investment risks include the following:

·  Enforcing legal rights may be difficult, costly and slow in non-U.S. countries, and there may be special problems enforcing claims against non-U.S. governments.

· Non-U.S. companies may not be subject to accounting standards or governmental supervision comparable to U.S. companies, and there may be less public information about their operations.

·  Non-U.S. markets may be less liquid and more volatile than U.S. markets.

·  The U.S. and non-U.S. markets often rise and fall at different times or by different amounts due to economic or other developments particular to a given country or region. This phenomenon would tend to lower the overall price volatility of a portfolio that included both U.S. and non-U.S. securities. Sometimes, however, global trends will cause the U.S. and non-U.S. markets to move in the same

   

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direction, reducing or eliminating the risk reduction benefit of international investing.

· Non-U.S. securities traded on foreign exchanges, particularly in emerging markets countries, may be subject to further risks due to the inexperience of local investment professionals and financial institutions, the possibility of permanent or temporary termination of trading, and greater spreads between bid and asked prices for securities. In addition, non-U.S. exchanges and investment professionals are subject to less governmental regulation, and commissions may be higher than in the United States. Also, there may be delays in the settlement of non-U.S. exchange transactions.

· The Fund’s income from non-U.S. issuers may be subject to non-U.S. withholding taxes. In some countries, the Fund also may be subject to taxes on trading profits and, on certain securities transactions, transfer or stamp duties tax. To the extent non-U.S. income taxes are paid by the Fund, U.S. shareholders may be entitled to a credit or deduction for U.S. tax purposes.

Some countries restrict to varying degrees foreign investment in their securities markets. In some circumstances, these restrictions may limit or preclude investment in certain countries or may increase the cost of investing in securities of particular companies.

To the extent the Fund invests a significant portion of its assets in the securities of companies in a single country or region (or depositary receipts representing such securities), itis more likely to be impacted by events or conditions affecting that country or region. Investment in a fund may be more exposed to a single country or a region’s economic cycles, stock market valuations and currency, which could increase its risk compared with a more geographically diversified Fund. In addition, political, social, regulatory, economic or environmental events that occur in a single country or region may adversely affect the values of that country or region’s securities and thus the holdings of the Fund.

Futures contract risk: The use of futures contracts involves additional risks and transaction costs, which could leave the Fund in a worse position than if it had not used these instruments. Futures contracts may entail investment exposures that are greater than their cost would suggest. As a result, a small investment in futures contracts could have a large impact on performance. Additional risks associated with the use of futures contracts include: the risk of imperfect correlation, or even no correlation, between the price movements of the futures contracts and the price movements of the investments being hedged; losses caused by unanticipated market movements, which are potentially unlimited; the inability of the Fund’s sub-adviser to correctly predict the direction of securities prices and other economic factors; and the risk that the Fund may have to sell securities from its portfolio at a disadvantageous time if it has insufficient cash to meet margin requirements under the futures contract.

Growth stock risk: The growth stocks in which the Fund invests tend to be more volatile than certain other types of stocks and their prices usually fluctuate more dramatically than the overall stock market. Growth stocks may be more expensive relative to their earnings or assets compared to other types of equity securities. Accordingly, a stock with growth characteristics can have sharp price declines due to decreases in current or expected earnings and may lack dividends that can help cushion its share price in a declining market. In addition, growth stocks, at times, may not perform as well as value stocks or the stock market in general, and may be out of favor with investors for varying periods of time. Growth companies may be newer or smaller companies and may retain a large part of their earnings for research, development or investments in capital assets.

   

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Information technology sector risk: The Fund currently invests a significant portion of its assets in the information technology sector, although this may change over time. Securities of companies in the information technology sector can be significantly affected by changes in, among other things, the supply and demand for specific products and services, the pace of technological development and product obsolescence, market competition, government regulation, and patent and intellectual property rights.

Large-cap stock risk: While large-cap companies may be less volatile than those of mid-and small-cap companies, they still involve risk. To the extent the Fund invests in large capitalization stocks, the Fund may underperform funds that invest primarily in stocks of smaller capitalization companies during periods when the stocks of such companies are in favor. Large-capitalization companies may be unable to respond as quickly as smaller capitalization companies to competitive challenges or to changes in business, product, financial or other market conditions.

Market risk: The market value of the Fund’s investments may go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably and for short or extended periods of time. Market values may change due to the particular circumstances of individual issuers or due to general conditions impacting issuers more broadly within a specific country, region, industry, sector or asset class. Global economies and financial markets have become highly interconnected, and thus economic, market or political conditions or events in one country or region might adversely impact issuers in a different country or region. As a result, the value of the Fund’s investments may be negatively affected whether or not the Fund invests in a country or region directly impacted by such conditions or events.

Additionally, unexpected events and their aftermaths, including broad financial dislocations (such as the “great recession” of 2008-09), war, terrorism, natural and environmental disasters and the spread of infectious illnesses or other public health emergencies (such as the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic first detected in December of 2019), may adversely affect the global economy and the markets and issuers in which the Fund invests. These events could reduce consumer demand or economic output, result in market closures, travel restrictions or quarantines, or wide-spread unemployment, and generally have a severe negative impact on the global economy. Such events could also impair the information technology and other operational systems upon which the Fund’s service providers, including the investment adviser and sub-adviser, rely, and could otherwise disrupt the ability of employees of the Fund’s service providers to perform essential tasks on behalf of the Fund. Furthermore, such events could cause financial markets to experience elevated or even extreme volatility and losses, and could result in the disruption of trading and the reduction of liquidity in many instruments. Governmental and quasi-governmental authorities and regulators throughout the world have in the past responded to major economic disruptions with a variety of significant fiscal and monetary policy changes, including but not limited to, direct capital infusions into companies, new monetary programs and dramatically lower interest rates. An unexpected or quick reversal of these policies, or the ineffectiveness of these policies, could increase volatility in securities markets, which could adversely affect the value of the Fund’s investments.

Market trading risks: As with all ETFs, Fund shares may be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. Although it is expected that the market price of a Fund share typically will approximate its NAV, there may be times when the market price and the NAV diverge more significantly, particularly in times of market volatility or steep market declines. Thus, you may pay more or less than NAV when you buy Fund shares on the secondary market, and you may receive more or less than NAV when you sell those shares. In times of market stress, the Fund’s underlying portfolio holdings may

   

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become less liquid, which in turn may affect the liquidity of the Fund’s shares and/or lead to more significant differences between the Fund’s market price and its NAV.

Only certain institutional investors are eligible to purchase and redeem shares directly from the Fund at NAV. In addition, efficient trading in the Fund’s shares on the secondary market depends on the participation of firms acting as market makers and/or liquidity providers in the market place. To the extent these market maker and authorized participant firms exit the ETF business or otherwise significantly reduce their business activities and no other entities step forward to perform these functions, the Fund’s shares may trade at a material discount to NAV.

During periods of high market volatility, a Fund share may trade at a significant discount to its NAV, and in these circumstances certain types of brokerage orders may expose an investor to an increased risk of loss. A “stop order,” sometimes called a “stop-loss order,” may cause a Fund share to be sold at the next prevailing market price once the “stop” level is reached, which during a period of high volatility can be at a price that is substantially below NAV. By including a “limit” criteria with your brokerage order, you may be able to limit the size of the loss resulting from the execution of an ill-timed stop order.

Although the Fund’s shares are listed for trading on a national securities exchange, it is possible that an active trading market may not develop or be maintained, in which case transactions may occur at wider bid/ask spreads (discussed in further detail below). Trading of the Fund’s shares may be halted by the activation of individual or market-wide trading halts (which halt trading for a specific period of time when the price of a particular security or overall market prices decline by a specified percentage).

Buying or selling Fund shares on an exchange involves two types of costs that apply to all securities transactions. When buying or selling shares of the Fund through a broker, you will likely incur a brokerage commission and other charges. In addition, you may incur the cost of the “spread;” that is, the difference between what investors are willing to pay for Fund shares (the “bid” price) and the price at which they are willing to sell Fund shares (the “ask” price). The spread, which varies over time based on trading volume and market liquidity, is generally narrower if the Fund has more trading volume and market liquidity and wider if the Fund has less trading volume and market liquidity (which is often the case for funds that are newly launched or small in size). The Fund’s spread may also be impacted by market volatility generally and the liquidity of the underlying securities held by the Fund, particularly for newly launched or smaller funds. Because of the costs inherent in buying or selling Fund shares, frequent trading may detract significantly from investment results, and an investment in Fund shares may not be advisable for investors who anticipate regularly making small investments through a brokerage account.

Non-diversification risk: The Fund is a non-diversified fund and may invest a larger portion of its assets in a fewer number of issuers than a diversified fund. Because a relatively high percentage of the Fund’s assets may be invested in the securities of a limited number of issuers, the Fund’s portfolio and, therefore, performance may be more susceptible to any single economic, business, political or regulatory occurrence than the portfolio of a diversified fund. The Fund’s share price may fluctuate more than that of a comparable diversified fund.

Preferred security risk: There are special risks associated with investing in exchange-traded preferred securities:

Limited voting rights. Generally, preferred security holders have no voting rights with respect to the issuing company unless preferred dividends have been in

   

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Section 2 Additional Detail About the Fund's Strategies, Holdings and Risks


arrears for a specified number of periods, at which time the preferred security holders may elect a number of directors to the issuer’s board. Generally, once all the arrearages have been paid, the preferred security holders no longer have voting rights.

In the case of certain preferred securities issued by trusts or special purpose entities, holders generally have no voting rights except if a declaration of default occurs and is continuing. In such an event, preferred security holders generally would have the right to appoint and authorize a trustee to enforce the Trust’s or special purpose entity’s rights as a creditor under the agreement with its operating company.

Special redemption rights. In certain circumstances, an issuer of preferred securities may redeem the securities prior to their stated maturity date. For instance, for certain types of preferred securities, a redemption may be triggered by a change in federal income tax or securities laws or by regulatory or major corporate action. As with call provisions, a redemption by the issuer may negatively impact the return of the security held by a Fund.

Payment deferral. Generally, preferred securities may be subject to provisions that allow an issuer, under certain conditions, to skip (“non-cumulative” preferred securities) or defer (“cumulative” preferred securities) distributions without any adverse consequences to the issuer. Non-cumulative preferred securities can skip distributions indefinitely. Cumulative preferred securities typically contain provisions that allow an issuer, at its discretion, to defer distributions payments for up to 10 years. If a Fund owns a preferred security that is deferring its distribution, the Fund may be required to report income for tax purposes although it has not yet received such income. In addition, recent changes in bank regulations may increase the likelihood of issuers deferring or skipping distributions.

Subordination. Preferred securities generally are subordinated to bonds and other debt instruments in a company’s capital structure and therefore are subject to greater credit risk than those debt instruments.

Floating Rate Payments. The dividend or interest rates on preferred securities may be floating, or convert from fixed to floating at a specified future time. The market value of floating rate securities may fall in a declining interest rate environment and may also fall in a rising interest rate environment if there is a lag between the rise in interest rates and the reset. This risk may also be present with respect to fixed rate securities that will convert to a floating rate at a future time. A secondary risk associated with declining interest rates is the risk that income earned by a Fund on floating rate securities may decline due to lower coupon payments on the floating-rate securities. Finally, many financial instruments use or may use a floating rate based upon the London Interbank Offered Rate, or "LIBOR," which is expected to be phased out by the end of 2021. There remains some uncertainty regarding the future utilization of LIBOR and the nature of any replacement rate.

Fixed Rate Payments. The market value of preferred securities with fixed dividends or interest rates may decline in a rising interest rate environment.

Liquidity. Preferred securities may be substantially less liquid than many other securities, such as U.S. government securities or common stock. Less liquid securities involve the risk that the securities will not be able to be sold at the time

   

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desired by a Fund or at prices approximating the values at which the Fund is carrying the securities on its books.

Financial services industry. The preferred securities market is comprised predominately of securities issued by companies in the financial services industry. Therefore, preferred securities present substantially increased risks at times of financial turmoil, which could affect financial services companies more than companies in other sectors and industries.

Tax risk. A Fund may invest in preferred securities or other securities the federal income tax treatment of which may not be clear or may be subject to recharacterization by the Internal Revenue Service. It could be more difficult for a Fund to comply with the tax requirements applicable to regulated investment companies if the tax characterization of the Fund’s investments or the tax treatment of the income from such investments were successfully challenged by the Internal Revenue Service.

Regulatory risk. Issuers of preferred securities may be in industries that are heavily regulated and that may receive government funding. The value of preferred securities issued by these companies may be affected by changes in government policy, such as increased regulation, ownership restrictions, deregulation or reduced government funding.

Service provider operational risk: The Fund’s service providers, such as the Fund’s administrator, custodian or transfer agent, may experience disruptions or operating errors that could negatively impact the Fund. Although service providers are required to have appropriate operational risk management policies and procedures, and to take appropriate precautions to avoid and mitigate risks that could lead to disruptions and operating errors, it may not be possible to identify all of the operational risks that may affect the Fund or to develop processes and controls to completely eliminate or mitigate their occurrence or effects.

Non-Principal Risks

Global economic risk: National and regional economies and financial markets are becoming increasingly interconnected, which increases the possibilities that conditions in one country, region or market might adversely impact issuers in a different country, region or market. Changes in legal, political, regulatory, tax and economic conditions may cause fluctuations in markets and securities prices around the world, which could negatively impact the value of the Fund’s investments. Major economic or political disruptions, particularly in large economies like China’s, may have global negative economic and market repercussions. Additionally, events such as war, terrorism, natural and environmental disasters and the spread of infectious illnesses or other public health emergencies may adversely affect the global economy and the markets and issuers in which the Fund invests. Recent examples of such events include the outbreak of a novel coronavirus known as COVID-19 that was first detected in China in December 2019 and heightened concerns regarding North Korea’s nuclear weapons and long-range ballistic missile programs. These events could reduce consumer demand or economic output, result in market closure, travel restrictions or quarantines, and generally have a significant impact on the global economy. These events could also impair the information technology and other operational systems upon which the Fund’s service providers, including the investment adviser and sub-adviser, rely, and could otherwise disrupt the ability of employees of the Fund’s service providers to perform essential tasks on behalf of the Fund. Governmental and quasi-governmental authorities and regulators throughout the world have in the past responded to major economic disruptions with a

   

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Section 2 Additional Detail About the Fund's Strategies, Holdings and Risks


variety of significant fiscal and monetary policy changes, including but not limited to, direct capital infusions into companies, new monetary programs and dramatically lower interest rates. An unexpected or quick reversal of these policies, or the ineffectiveness of these policies, could increase volatility in securities markets, which could adversely affect the Fund’s investments.

Other investment companies risk: When the Fund invests in other investment companies, such as ETFs, shareholders bear both their proportionate share of Fund expenses and, indirectly, the expenses of the other investment companies. Furthermore, the Fund is exposed to the risks to which the other investment companies may be subject. For index-based ETFs, while such ETFs seek to achieve the same returns as a particular market index, the performance of an ETF may diverge from the performance of such index (commonly known as tracking error).

   

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Section 3 Fund Management

 

Who Manages the Fund

Nuveen Fund Advisors, LLC (the “Adviser”), the Fund’s investment adviser, offers advisory and investment management services to a broad range of clients, including investment companies and other pooled investment vehicles. The Adviser has overall responsibility for management of the Fund, oversees the management of the Fund’s portfolio, manages the Fund’s business affairs and provides certain clerical, bookkeeping and other administrative services. In addition, the Adviser arranges for sub-advisory, transfer agency, custody, fund administration and all other non-distribution related services necessary for the Fund to operate. The Adviser is a subsidiary of Nuveen, LLC (“Nuveen”), the investment management arm of Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association of America (“TIAA”). TIAA is a life insurance company founded in 1918 by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and is the companion organization of College Retirement Equities Fund (“CREF”). As of [ ], 2021, Nuveen managed approximately $[ ] trillion in assets, of which approximately $[ ] billion was managed by the Adviser. The Adviser is located at 333 West Wacker Drive, Chicago, Illinois 60606.

The Adviser has selected its affiliate, Nuveen Asset Management, LLC (“Nuveen Asset Management” or “NAM”), located at 333 West Wacker Drive, Chicago, Illinois 60606, to serve as sub-adviser to the Fund. Nuveen Asset Management manages the investment of the Fund’s assets on a discretionary basis, subject to the supervision of the Adviser. As of [ ], 2021, Nuveen Asset Management managed approximately $[ ] billion in assets.

The Fund is managed by multiple portfolio managers, who are responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund, with expertise in the area applicable to the Fund’s investments. Each portfolio manager may be responsible for different aspects of the Fund’s management. For example, one manager may be principally responsible for selecting appropriate investments for the Fund, while another may be principally responsible for asset allocation. The following is a list of the portfolio managers primarily responsible for managing the Fund’s investments, along with their relevant experience. The Fund’s portfolio managers may change from time to time.

         
     

Total Experience
(since dates
specified below)


Name & Title

Experience Over Past Five Years

At Sub-Adviser*

Total

     

Karen Hiatt, CFA
Managing Director

Nuveen Asset Management (equity portfolio management) (2021-Present), Allianz Global Investors (1998-2021)

2021

1992

       

Terrence Kontos, CFA

Managing Director

Nuveen Asset Management (equity portfolio management) (2012-Present)

2012

2005


* Including tenure at affiliate or predecessor firms, as applicable.

Additional information about the portfolio managers’ compensation, other accounts managed by the portfolio managers and the portfolio managers’ ownership of securities in the Fund is provided in the statement of additional information.

   

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Section 3 Fund Management


 

Management Fees

As compensation for the services it provides to the Fund, the Adviser is entitled to receive a management fee from the Fund based on a percentage of the Fund’s average daily net assets, at an annual rate of [    ]%.

The Adviser is responsible for substantially all other expenses of the Fund, except any future distribution and/or service fees, interest expenses, taxes, acquired fund fees and expenses, fees incurred in acquiring and disposing of portfolio securities, fees and expenses of the independent trustees (including any trustees’ counsel fees), certain compensation expenses of the Fund’s chief compliance officer, litigation expenses and extraordinary expenses.

Information regarding the Board’s approval of the investment management agreements will be available in the Fund’s first semi-annual or annual report following the Fund’s commencement of operations.

   

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Section 4 Investing in the Fund

 

Purchase and Sale of Shares

The Fund is an ETF, which differs from a mutual fund in important ways. Shares of a mutual fund are purchased and redeemed by all shareholders directly from the issuing fund at NAV. By contrast, most investors will buy and sell shares of the Fund through a broker on a national securities exchange, where the Fund’s shares are listed and trade throughout the day at market prices like shares of other publicly traded securities. The Fund does not impose any minimum investment for shares of the Fund purchased on an exchange or otherwise in the secondary market. The Fund’s shares trade under the trading symbol listed on the cover of this prospectus.

Purchasing or selling shares of the Fund on an exchange or other secondary market typically involves two types of costs. When purchasing or selling shares of the Fund through a broker, you may incur a brokerage commission. The commission is frequently a fixed amount and may be a significant proportional cost for investors seeking to buy or sell small amounts of shares. In addition, you may incur the cost of the “spread,” that is, any difference on the exchange between the bid price and the ask price for a share of the Fund. The spread will vary over time based on the Fund’s trading volume and market liquidity. The Fund has the potential for wider spreads given its semi-transparent structure, especially during periods of market stress or volatility. Shares of the Fund trade on an exchange at prices that may differ to varying degrees from the daily NAV of the shares.

The Fund’s primary listing exchange is the NYSE Arca (the “Listing Exchange”). The Listing Exchange is open for trading Monday through Friday and is closed on weekends and the following holidays: New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Presidents’ Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day.

Proxy Portfolio Methodology

Unlike a traditional ETF, the Fund does not disclose its portfolio holdings daily. Rather, the Fund discloses a portfolio transparency substitute—the “Proxy Portfolio”—and certain related information about the relative performance of the Proxy Portfolio and the Fund’s Actual Portfolio holdings, which are designed to facilitate an effective arbitrage mechanism for the Fund’s shares while protecting the identity of the Fund’s full portfolio holdings. The Fund believes that daily disclosure of its full portfolio holdings could enable market participants to predict the Fund’s trading strategy and trade ahead of the Fund’s portfolio trades (a practice known as “front-running”), or to copy the Fund’s investment strategy (a practice known as “free riding”). The purpose of the proxy portfolio methodology, as described below (the “Proxy Portfolio Methodology”) is to protect the Fund and its shareholders against such practices. Although the Fund does not publish its full portfolio holdings daily, the Proxy Portfolio Methodology is designed to allow Authorized Participants and other market makers to assess the intraday value and associated risk characteristics of the Fund’s then-current portfolio holdings (the “Actual Portfolio”).

An important feature of the Proxy Portfolio methodology is the daily disclosure of a basket of cash and securities—the Proxy Portfolio—that is designed and constructed to closely track the daily performance of the Fund’s Actual Portfolio. In addition to the Proxy Portfolio, the Fund will disclose daily the percentage weight overlap between the

   

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Section 4 Investing in the Funds


holdings of the Proxy Portfolio and the Actual Portfolio that formed the basis for the Fund’s calculation of NAV at the end of the prior Business Day (the “Proxy Overlap”). Daily disclosure of the Proxy Portfolio, the Proxy Overlap and the other related Proxy Portfolio Disclosures is designed to enable Authorized Participants and other market participants to accurately assess the profitability of arbitrage trades in shares of the Fund and to effectively hedge their risks associated with arbitrage and market making activities, thereby helping to ensure that investors can purchase and sell Fund shares in the secondary market at prices that are at or close to the underlying NAV per share of the Fund.

Proxy Portfolio

The goal of the Proxy Portfolio Methodology is to permit the Fund’s Proxy Portfolio, during all market conditions, to track closely the daily performance of the Fund’s Actual Portfolio and to minimize intra-day misalignment between the performance of the Proxy Portfolio and the performance of the Actual Portfolio. The Proxy Portfolio is designed to reflect the economic exposures and the risk characteristics of the Actual Portfolio on any given trading day.

Construction of a Proxy Portfolio that replicates the daily performance of the Actual Portfolio is achieved by performing a factor model analysis of the Fund’s Actual Portfolio. The factor model is comprised of three sets of factors or analytical metrics: market-based factors, fundamental factors, and industry/sector factors. The Fund will have a universe of securities (the “Model Universe”) that will be used to generate the Fund’s Proxy Portfolio. The Model Universe will be comprised of securities that the Fund can purchase and will be a financial index or stated portfolio of securities from which Fund investments will be selected. The results of the factor model analysis of the Fund’s Actual Portfolio are then applied to the Fund’s Model Universe of securities, resulting in the generation of a Proxy Portfolio, which consists of a subset of the securities in the Model Universe. The Proxy Portfolio is designed to perform in a manner substantially identical to the performance of the Actual Portfolio. The Proxy Portfolio will only include securities and investments in which the Fund may invest. However, while the Proxy Portfolio and the Actual Portfolio will likely hold some or many of the same securities, the Proxy Portfolio and the Fund’s Actual Portfolio will not include identical securities. The Proxy Portfolio will be reconstituted daily.

Proxy Portfolio Disclosures

The composition of the Proxy Portfolio will be published on the Fund’s website at www.nuveen.com/etf each Business Day and will include the following information for each portfolio holding in the Proxy Portfolio: (1) ticker symbol; (2) CUSIP or other identifier; (3) description of holding; (4) quantity of each security or other asset held; and (5) percentage weight of the holding in the Proxy Portfolio. The Fund’s website will publish on a daily basis, per share for the Fund, the prior Business Day’s NAV and the Closing Price or Bid/Ask Price (each as defined below), and a calculation of the premium or discount of the Closing Price or Bid/Ask Price against such NAV. The Fund’s website will also publish other information metrics regarding the relative behavior of the Proxy Portfolio and the Actual Portfolio, including the Proxy Overlap (defined below). Additional information about how the Proxy Portfolio and the Proxy Overlap are calculated can be found in the SAI and on the Fund’s website at www.nuveen.com/etf. The website will also include Tracking Error for the Fund and, once the Fund has completed a fiscal year, the median bid/ask spread (expressed as a percentage rounded to the nearest hundredth), will be computed by identifying the Fund’s National Best Bid and Offer as of the end of each ten second interval during each trading day of the last thirty calendar days, dividing the difference between each such bid and offer by the midpoint of the

   

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25


National Best Bid and Offer and identifying the median of these values. Additionally, the Fund is required to disclose on their website a table showing the number of days the Fund’s shares traded at a premium or discount and a line graph showing the Fund’s share premiums or discounts during the most recently completed calendar year and the most recently completed calendar quarters since that year (or the life of the Fund).

The Fund believes that the Proxy Portfolio Disclosures will enable Authorized Participants and other market makers to use the component securities and their weightings of the Proxy Portfolio to calculate intraday values that approximate the value of the securities in the Actual Portfolio and, based thereon, assess whether the market price of the Fund’s shares is higher or lower than the approximate contemporaneous value of the Actual Portfolio. These activities are intended to facilitate an arbitrage mechanism that keeps market prices of the Fund’s shares at or close to the Fund’s NAV. Moreover, the Proxy Portfolio Disclosures generated by the Proxy Portfolio methodology are intended to facilitate effective hedging activities by market makers, so that share market price bid/ask spreads will be narrow.

Below are some definitions of the defined terms used above:

·  Closing Price – the official closing price of the Fund’s shares on the Fund’s primary listing exchange.

·  Bid/Ask Price – the midpoint of the highest bid and the lowest offer based upon the National Best Bid and Offer as of the time of calculation of the Fund’s NAV. 

· National Best Bid and Offer – the current national best bid and national best offer as disseminated by the Consolidated Quotation System or UTP Plan Securities Information Processor. 

· Proxy Overlap – the percentage weight overlap between the holdings of the prior Business Day’s Proxy Portfolio compared to the Actual Portfolio’s holdings that formed the basis for the Fund’s calculation of NAV at the end of the prior Business Day. The Proxy Overlap is calculated based on the Proxy Portfolio and portfolio holdings as of the prior Business Day. The Proxy Overlap is calculated by taking the lesser weight of each asset held in common between the Actual Portfolio and the Proxy Portfolio and adding the totals. Additional information about how the Proxy Overlap is calculated can be found on the Fund’s website at www.nuveen.com/etf. The Fund publishes the Proxy Overlap before the opening of Fund share trading each Business Day.

· Tracking Error – The standard deviation over the past three months of the daily proxy spread (i.e., the difference, in percentage terms, between the Proxy Portfolio per share NAV and that of the Actual Portfolio at the end of the trading day). The Fund calculates its Tracking Error at the end of each trading day and publishes the Tracking Error before the opening of Fund share trading each Business Day.

Book Entry

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

Investors owning shares of the Fund are beneficial owners as shown on the records of DTC or its participants. DTC serves as the securities depository for shares of the Fund. DTC participants include securities brokers and dealers, banks, trust companies, clearing corporations and other institutions that directly or indirectly maintain a custodial relationship with DTC. As a beneficial owner of shares, you are not entitled to receive

   

26

Section 4 Investing in the Funds


physical delivery of stock certificates or to have shares registered in your name, and you are not considered a registered owner of shares. Therefore, to exercise any right as an owner of shares, you must rely upon the procedures of DTC and its participants. These procedures are the same as those that apply to any other securities that you hold in book-entry or “street name” form.

Share Trading Prices

The trading prices of the Fund’s shares on the Listing Exchange generally differ from the Fund’s NAV and are affected by market forces such as the supply of and demand for the Fund’s shares as well as the securities held by the Fund, economic conditions and other factors. The price you pay or receive when you buy or sell your shares in the secondary market is based on the market price of the Fund’s shares, which may be more or less than the NAV of such shares. It is possible that Fund shares will trade with a larger premium/discount because of its semi-transparent structure, and this risk may increase during times of market stress or volatility.

Householding

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

Investments by Registered Investment Companies

Section 12(d)(1) of the 1940 Act restricts investments by registered investment companies in the securities of other investment companies, including shares of the Fund. Registered investment companies are permitted to invest in the Fund beyond the limits set forth in section 12(d)(1), subject to certain terms and conditions set forth in an SEC exemptive order applicable to the Fund, including that such investment companies enter into an agreement with the Fund.

 

Purchase and Redemption of Creation Units

Only certain institutional investors (typically market makers or other broker-dealers) who have entered into agreements with the Nuveen Securities, LLC, the Fund’s distributor (the “Distributor”), (i.e., Authorized Participants) may purchase and redeem shares directly from the Fund at NAV and only in large blocks of shares or multiples thereof (“Creation Units”). Except when aggregated in Creation Units, shares are not redeemable by the Fund. An Authorized Participant must be either a DTC participant or a member of the Continuous Net Settlement System of the National Securities Clearing Corporation (“NSCC”).

The Fund generally issues and redeems Creation Units in exchange for a designated in-kind basket of Fund securities and/or a designated amount of cash (together, the “Basket”). Each day the Listing Exchange is open for trading (a “Business Day”), prior to the opening of trading, the Fund publishes that day’s Basket through NSCC or another method of public dissemination.

Orders from Authorized Participants to create or redeem Creation Units may only be placed on a Business Day and are subject to approval by the Distributor. The names and quantities of the instruments that constitute the basket of securities in exchange for which the Fund issues or redeems shares will be the same as the Fund's Proxy Portfolio, except to the extent purchases and redemptions are made entirely or in part on a cash

   

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27


basis. The prices at which creations and redemptions occur are based on the next calculation of NAV after an order is received and deemed acceptable by the Distributor.

Information about the procedures regarding creation and redemption of Creation Units (including the cut-off times for receipt of creation and redemption orders) is included in the Fund’s statement of additional information.

 

Distributor

Nuveen Securities, LLC, the Fund’s distributor, distributes Creation Units for the Fund on an agency basis. The Distributor does not maintain a secondary market in shares of the Fund. The Distributor has no role in determining the policies of the Fund or the securities that are purchased or sold by the Fund. The Distributor’s principal address is 333 West Wacker Drive, Chicago, Illinois 60606.

 

Distribution and Service Payments

Distribution and Service Plan

The Fund has adopted a Distribution and Service Plan in accordance with Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act pursuant to which the Fund is authorized to pay fees at an annual rate of up to 0.25% of the Fund’s average daily net assets for the sale and distribution of the Fund’s shares. No distribution fees are currently charged to the Fund; there are no plans to impose distribution fees, and no such fees will be charged for at least twelve months from the date of this prospectus. Additionally, the implementation of any such fees would require approval by the Board prior to implementation. Because these fees would be paid out of the Fund’s assets on an on-going basis, if such fees are charged in the future, they would increase the cost of your investment and might cost you more over time than paying other types of sales charges.

Other Payments by the Adviser

The Adviser and/or its affiliates may make payments to broker-dealers, registered investment advisers, banks or other intermediaries (together, “intermediaries”) related to marketing activities and presentations, educational training programs, conferences, the development of technology platforms and reporting systems, data provision services, or their making shares of the Fund and certain other Nuveen ETFs available to their customers generally and in certain investment programs. Such payments, which may be significant to the intermediary, are not made by the Fund. Rather, such payments are made by the Adviser and/or its affiliates from their own resources, which come directly or indirectly in part from fees paid by the Nuveen ETFs complex. Payments of this type are sometimes referred to as revenue-sharing payments. A financial intermediary may make decisions about which investment options it recommends or makes available, or the level of services provided, to its customers based on the payments it is eligible to receive. Therefore, such payments to an intermediary create conflicts of interest between the intermediary and its customers and may cause the intermediary to recommend the Fund or other Nuveen ETFs over another investment. More information regarding these payments is contained in the Fund’s statement of additional information.

   

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Section 4 Investing in the Funds


 

Frequent Trading

The Fund does not impose any restrictions on the frequency of purchases and redemptions (“frequent trading”); however, the Fund reserves the right to reject or limit purchases at any time as described in the statement of additional information. In determining that no restrictions on frequent trading were necessary, the Board evaluated the risks of frequent trading to the Fund and its shareholders. The Board considered that the Fund’s shares can only be purchased and redeemed directly from the Fund in Creation Units by Authorized Participants, and that the vast majority of trading in the Fund’s shares occurs on the secondary market. Because secondary market trades do not involve the Fund directly, the Board concluded that such trades were unlikely to cause many of the harmful effects of frequent trading, including dilution, disruption of portfolio management, increases in the Fund’s trading costs and the realization of capital gains. With respect to purchases and redemptions by Authorized Participants directly from the Fund that are effected in-kind (i.e., for securities), the Board concluded that those trades do not have the potential to cause the harmful effects that may result from frequent cash trades. To the extent that the Fund may effect the purchase or redemption of Creation Units in exchange wholly or partially for cash, the Board recognized that such trades could result in dilution to the Fund and increased transaction costs, which could negatively impact the Fund’s ability to achieve its investment objective. However, the Board noted that direct trading by Authorized Participants is critical to ensuring that the Fund’s shares trade at or close to NAV. In addition, the Board recognized that the Fund imposes fixed and variable transaction fees on purchases and redemptions of Creation Units to cover the custodial and other costs incurred by the Fund in effecting trades.

   

Section 4 Investing in the Funds

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Section 5 General Information

 

Dividends and Distributions

As a Fund shareholder, you are entitled to your share of the Fund’s income and net realized gains on its investments. The Fund pays out substantially all of its net earnings to its shareholders as dividends and distributions.

The Fund may earn interest from its investments in common stocks. These amounts, net of expenses and taxes (if applicable), are passed along to Fund shareholders as dividends. Dividends, if any, are declared and paid annually.

The Fund will generally realize short-term capital gains or losses whenever it sells assets held for one year or less. Net short-term capital gains will generally be treated as ordinary income when distributed to shareholders. The Fund will generally realize long-term capital gains or losses whenever it sells assets held for more than one year. Net capital gains (the excess of the Fund’s net long-term capital gains over its net short-term capital losses) are distributed to shareholders once a year at year end.

The Fund reserves the right to declare special distributions if such action is necessary or advisable to preserve its status as a regulated investment company or to avoid imposition of income or excise taxes on undistributed income or realized gains.

Your broker is responsible for distributing any dividends and capital gain distributions to you.

Dividend Reinvestment Service

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

 

Taxes

As with any investment, you should consider how your investment in shares of the Fund will be taxed. The tax information in this prospectus is provided as general information, based on current laws, which may be changed by legislative, judicial or administrative action. You should not consider this summary to be a comprehensive explanation of the tax treatment of the Fund, or the tax consequences of an investment in the Fund. There is no guarantee that shares of the Fund will receive certain regulatory or accounting treatment. You should consult your own tax professional about the tax consequences of an investment in shares of the Fund. Unless your investment in Fund shares is made through a tax-exempt entity or tax-deferred retirement account, such as an IRA, you need to be aware of the possible tax consequences when the Fund makes distributions, you sell Fund shares, or (for Authorized Participants only) you purchase or redeem Creation Units.

Taxes and Tax Reporting

The Fund intends to qualify each year for treatment as a regulated investment company. If it meets certain minimum distribution requirements, a regulated investment company is

   

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Section 5 General Information


not subject to tax at the fund level on income and gains from investments that are timely distributed to shareholders. However, the Fund’s failure to qualify as a regulated investment company or to meet minimum distribution requirements would result (if certain relief provisions were not available) in fund-level taxation and, consequently, a reduction in income available for distribution to shareholders.

The Fund intends to make distributions that may be taxed as ordinary income or capital gains. Distributions of the Fund’s net capital gain are taxable as long-term capital gains regardless of how long you have owned your shares. For non-corporate shareholders, long-term capital gains are generally taxable at tax rates up to 20% (lower tax rates apply to individuals in lower tax brackets), while distributions from short-term capital gains and net investment income are generally taxable as ordinary income. The tax you pay on a given capital gains distribution depends generally on how long the Fund has held the portfolio securities it sold and not on how long you have owned your Fund shares.

Dividends that are reported by the Fund as qualified dividend income are generally taxable to non-corporate shareholders at tax rates of up to 20% (lower rates apply to individuals in lower tax brackets). Qualified dividend income generally is income derived from dividends paid to the Fund by U.S. corporations or certain foreign corporations that are either incorporated in a U.S. possession or eligible for tax benefits under certain U.S. income tax treaties. In addition, dividends that the Fund receives in respect of stock of certain foreign corporations may be qualified dividend income if that stock is readily tradable on an established U.S. securities market. For dividends to be taxed as qualified dividend income to a non-corporate shareholder, the Fund must satisfy certain holding period requirements with respect to the underlying stock and the non-corporate shareholder must satisfy holding period requirements with respect to his or her ownership of Fund shares. Holding periods may be suspended for these purposes for stock that is hedged.

Corporate shareholders may be entitled to a dividends-received deduction for the portion of dividends they receive from the Fund that are attributable to dividends received by the Fund from U.S. corporations, subject to certain limitations.

The sale of shares in your account may produce a gain or loss, and is a taxable event. Any capital gain or loss realized upon a sale of Fund shares is generally treated as a long-term gain or loss if you held the shares you sold for more than one year. Any capital gain or loss realized upon a sale of Fund shares held for one year or less is generally treated as a short-term gain or loss, except that any capital loss on a sale of shares held for six months or less is treated as a long-term capital loss to the extent of long-term capital gain dividends paid with respect to such shares. The ability to deduct capital losses may be limited depending on your circumstances.

In general, your distributions are subject to federal income tax for the year in which they are paid. Distributions paid in January, but declared and payable to shareholders of record in October, November or December of the prior year, however, may be taxable to you in the prior year. Distributions are generally taxable even if they are paid from income or gains earned by the Fund before your investment (and thus were included in the price you paid for your shares).

Early in each year, you will receive a statement from the firm through which you hold your Fund shares detailing the amount and nature of all distributions that you were paid during the prior year. The tax status of your distributions is the same whether you reinvest them or elect to receive them in cash. 

   

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31


Dividends and distributions from the Fund and capital gain on the sale of Fund shares are generally taken into account in determining a shareholder’s “net investment income” for purposes of the Medicare contribution tax applicable to certain individuals, estates and trusts.

When seeking to satisfy redemption requests in whole or in part on a cash basis, the Fund may be required to sell portfolio securities in order to obtain the cash needed to distribute redemption proceeds. This may cause the Fund to recognize investment income and/or capital gains or losses that it might not have recognized if it had completely satisfied the redemption in-kind. As a result, the Fund may be less tax efficient if it includes such a cash payment than if the in-kind redemption process were used. The Fund may be required to sell certain securities from its Actual Portfolio, including to the extent the composition of the Actual Portfolio differs from that of the Proxy Portfolio, prior to effecting an in-kind redemption to ensure it distributes the proper securities to Authorized Participants. Any such sales may generate taxable gain or loss.

Distributions (other than capital gain dividends) paid to individual shareholders that are neither citizens nor residents of the U.S. or to foreign entities will generally be subject to a U.S. withholding tax at the rate of 30%, unless a lower treaty rate applies. Gains realized by foreign shareholders from the sale or other disposition of shares of the Fund generally are not subject to U.S. taxation, unless the recipient is an individual who is physically present in the U.S. for 183 days or more per year. The Fund may, under certain circumstances, report all or a portion of a dividend as an “interest-related dividend” or a “short-term capital gain dividend,” which would generally be exempt from this 30% U.S. withholding tax, provided certain other requirements are met. Different tax consequences may result if you are a foreign shareholder engaged in a trade or business within the United States or if you are a foreign shareholder entitled to claim the benefits of a tax treaty.

Please note that if you do not furnish the Fund with your correct Social Security number or employer identification number, you fail to provide certain certifications to the Fund, you fail to certify whether you are a U.S. citizen or a U.S. resident alien, or the Internal Revenue Service notifies the Fund to withhold, federal law requires the Fund to withhold federal income tax from your distributions and redemption proceeds at the applicable withholding rate.

Buying or Selling Shares Close to a Record Date

Buying Fund shares shortly before the record date for a taxable dividend or capital gain distribution is commonly known as “buying the dividend” and generally should be avoided by taxable investors. The entire distribution may be taxable to you even though a portion of the distribution effectively represents a return of your purchase price.

Cost Basis Method

You may elect a cost basis method to apply to shares held in your account with your financial intermediary. The cost basis method you select will determine the order in which such shares are sold and how your cost basis information is calculated and subsequently reported to you and to the Internal Revenue Service. Please consult your tax advisor to determine which cost basis method best suits your specific situation. Please contact your financial intermediary for instructions on how to make your election. If you do not make an election, your financial intermediary will choose its own default cost basis method.

Taxes on Creation and Redemption of Creation Units

An Authorized Participant having the U.S. dollar as its functional currency for U.S. federal income tax purposes that exchanges securities for Creation Units generally will

   

32

Section 5 General Information


recognize a gain or loss equal to the difference between (i) the sum of the market value of the Creation Units at the time of the exchange and any amount of cash received by the Authorized Participant in the exchange and (ii) the sum of the exchanger’s aggregate basis in the securities surrendered and any amount of cash paid for such Creation Units. An Authorized Participant who redeems Creation Units will generally recognize a gain or loss equal to the difference between the exchanger’s basis in the Creation Units and the sum of the aggregate U.S. dollar market value of the securities plus the amount of any cash received for such Creation Units. The Internal Revenue Service, however, may assert that a loss that is realized upon an exchange of securities for Creation Units may not be currently deducted under the rules governing “wash sales” (for a person who does not mark-to-market its holdings), or on the basis that there has been no significant change in economic position.

Gain or loss recognized by an Authorized Participant upon an issuance of Creation Units in exchange for securities, or upon a redemption of Creation Units, may be capital or ordinary gain or loss depending on the circumstances. Any capital gain or loss realized upon an issuance of Creation Units in exchange for securities will generally be treated as long-term capital gain or loss if the securities have been held for more than one year. Any capital gain or loss realized upon the redemption of a Creation Unit will generally be treated as long-term capital gain or loss if the Fund shares comprising the Creation Unit have been held for more than one year. Otherwise, such capital gains or losses are treated as short-term capital gains or losses.

Persons exchanging securities for Creation Units should consult their own tax advisors with respect to the tax treatment of any creation or redemption transaction and whether the wash sales rules apply and when a loss might be deductible. If you purchase or redeem Creation Units, you will be sent a confirmation statement showing how many Fund shares you purchased or redeemed and at what price.

Foreign Investments by the Fund

Dividends, interest and other income received by the Fund with respect to foreign securities may give rise to withholding and other taxes imposed by foreign countries. Tax conventions between certain countries and the United States may reduce or eliminate such taxes. The Fund may need to file special claims for refund to secure the benefit of a reduced rate. If as of the close of a taxable year more than 50% of the total assets of the Fund consist of stock or securities of foreign corporations, the Fund may elect to “pass through” to investors the amount of foreign income and similar taxes (including withholding taxes) paid by the Fund during that taxable year. If the Fund elects to “pass through” such foreign taxes, then investors will be considered to have received as additional income their respective shares of such foreign taxes, but may be entitled to either a corresponding tax deduction in calculating taxable income, or, subject to certain limitations, a credit in calculating federal income tax.

The foregoing discussion summarizes some of the consequences under current U.S. federal tax law of an investment in the Fund. It is not a substitute for personal tax advice. You may also be subject to state and local taxation on Fund distributions and sales of shares. Consult your personal tax advisor about the potential tax consequences of an investment in shares of the Fund under all applicable tax laws.

 

Net Asset Value

The Fund’s NAV is determined as of the close of trading (normally 4:00 p.m. New York time) on the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) on each Business Day. The Fund’s NAV per share is calculated by taking the value of the Fund’s total assets, including

   

Section 5 General Information

33


interest or dividends accrued but not yet collected, less all liabilities, and dividing by the total number of shares outstanding. The Fund’s latest NAV per share is available on the Fund’s website at www.nuveen.com/etf.

In determining NAV, exchange-traded instruments generally are valued at the last reported sales price or official closing price on an exchange, if available. Independent pricing services typically value non-exchange-traded instruments utilizing a range of market-based inputs and assumptions, including readily available market quotations obtained from broker-dealers making markets in such instruments, cash flows, and transactions for comparable instruments. In pricing certain instruments, the pricing services may consider information about an instrument’s issuer or market activity provided by the Adviser or Sub-Adviser.

If a price cannot be obtained from a pricing service or other pre-approved source, or if, in the judgment of the Adviser, a price is unreliable, a portfolio instrument will be valued at its fair value as determined in good faith by the Board or its appointee. The Adviser may determine that a price is unreliable in various circumstances. For example, a price may be deemed unreliable if it has not changed for an identified period of time, or has changed from the previous day’s price by more than a threshold amount, and recent transactions and/or broker dealer price quotations differ materially from the price in question.

The Board has adopted valuation procedures for the Fund and has appointed the Adviser’s Valuation Committee with the day-to-day responsibility for fair value determinations. All fair value determinations made by the Valuation Committee are subject to review and ratification by the Board. As a general principle, the fair value of a portfolio instrument is the amount that an owner might reasonably expect to receive upon the instrument’s current sale. A range of factors and analysis may be considered when determining fair value, including relevant market data, interest rates, credit considerations and/or issuer specific news. However, fair valuation involves subjective judgments, and it is possible that the fair value determined for a portfolio instrument may be materially different from the value that could be realized upon the sale of that instrument.

 

Premium/Discount Information

Information showing the number of days the market price of the Fund’s shares was greater than the Fund’s NAV per share (i.e., at a premium) and the number of days it was less than the Fund’s NAV per share (i.e., at a discount) for various time periods will be made available on the Fund’s website at www.nuveen.com/etf beginning at the end of the calendar quarter following the Fund’s inception date.

 

Fund Service Providers

Brown Brothers Harriman (“BBH”) is the administrator, custodian and transfer agent for the Fund.

 

Listing Exchange

Shares of the Fund are not sponsored, endorsed or promoted by the Listing Exchange. The Listing Exchange makes no representation or warranty, express or implied, to the owners of shares of the Fund or any member of the public regarding the ability of the Fund to achieve its investment objective. The Listing Exchange is not responsible for, nor has it participated in, the determination of the timing of, prices of or quantities of

   

34

Section 5 General Information


shares of the Fund to be issued, nor in the determination or calculation of the equation by which the shares are redeemable. The Listing Exchange has no obligation or liability to owners of shares of the Fund in connection with the administration, marketing or trading of shares of the Fund. Without limiting any of the foregoing, in no event shall the Listing Exchange have any liability for any direct, indirect, special, punitive, consequential or any other damages (including lost profits) even if notified of the possibility of such damages.

 

Proxy Portfolio and Proxy Overlap

Information regarding the contents of the Proxy Portfolio, and the percentage weight overlap between the holdings of the Proxy Portfolio and the Fund’s Actual Portfolio holdings that formed the basis for its calculation of NAV at the end of the prior Business Day (the “Proxy Overlap”), can be found at www.nuveen.com/etf.

   

Section 5 General Information

35


Several additional sources of information are available to you, including the codes of ethics adopted by the Fund, Nuveen, the Adviser and the Sub-Adviser. The statement of additional information, incorporated by reference into this prospectus, contains detailed information on the policies and operation of the Fund included in this prospectus. Additional information about the Fund’s investments will be available in the annual and semi-annual reports to shareholders. In the Fund’s annual report, you will find a discussion of the market conditions and investment strategies that significantly affected the Fund’s performance during its last fiscal year. The Fund’s most recent statement of additional information, annual and semi-annual reports and certain other information are available, free of charge, by calling Nuveen Investor Services at (888) 290-9881, on the Fund’s website at www.nuveen.com/etf, or through your financial advisor. Shareholders may call the toll free number above with any inquiries.

You may also obtain this and other Fund information directly from the SEC. Reports and other information about the Fund are available on the EDGAR Database on the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov. You may also request Fund information by sending an e-mail request to publicinfo@sec.gov. The SEC may charge a copying fee for this information.

Distributed by
Nuveen Securities, LLC
333 West Wacker Drive
Chicago, Illinois 60606
www.nuveen.com/etf

No person has been authorized to give any information or to make any representations other than those contained in this prospectus in connection with the offer of Fund shares, and, if given or made, the information or representations must not be relied upon as having been authorized by the Fund. Neither the delivery of this prospectus nor any sale of Fund shares shall under any circumstance imply that the information contained herein is correct as of any date after the date of this prospectus. Please read and keep this prospectus for future reference.

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

The Fund is a series of Nushares ETF Trust, whose Investment Company Act file number is 811-23161.

 

NPR-XXXX-XX21P



THE INFORMATION IN THIS STATEMENT OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION IS NOT COMPLETE
AND MAY BE CHANGED. WE MAY NOT SELL THESE SECURITIES UNTIL THE REGISTRATION
STATEMENT FILED WITH THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION IS EFFECTIVE. THIS
STATEMENT OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION IS NOT AN OFFER TO SELL THESE SECURITIES AND
IT IS NOT SOLICITING AN OFFER TO BUY THESE SECURITIES IN ANY STATE WHERE THE OFFER
OR SALE IS NOT PERMITTED.

         
   
   
 

[                ], 2021

   

Nuveen Growth Opportunities ETF

 
 

Ticker Symbol: [        ]

 
 

Listing Exchange: NYSE Arca, Inc.

 

STATEMENT OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

This Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”) is not a prospectus. This SAI relates to, and should be read in conjunction with, the prospectus dated [                ], 2021, for Nuveen Growth Opportunities ETF (the “Fund”), a series of Nushares ETF Trust (the “Trust”), as such prospectus may be revised from time to time (the “Prospectus”). Capitalized terms used herein that are not defined have the same meaning as in the Prospectus, unless otherwise noted. A Prospectus may be obtained without charge from the Fund by visiting the Fund’s website at www.nuveen.com/etf, or by calling (888) 290-9881.

The Fund’s audited financial statements for the most recent fiscal year (when available) are incorporated in this SAI by reference to the Fund’s most recent Annual Report to Shareholders. When available, you may obtain a copy of the Fund’s Annual Report at no charge by request to the Fund by visiting the website or calling the phone number noted above.


TABLE OF CONTENTS

     

GENERAL INFORMATION

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1

PROXY PORTFOLIO

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1

GENERAL RISKS

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4

CONTINUOUS OFFERING

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5

INVESTMENT RESTRICTIONS

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5

INVESTMENT POLICIES AND TECHNIQUES

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7

Asset Coverage Requirements

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7

Borrowing Money

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7

Cash Equivalents

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7

Derivatives

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8

Equity Securities

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12

Lending of Portfolio Securities

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13

Non-U.S. Securities

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13

Other Investment Policies and Techniques

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15

EXCHANGE LISTING

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16

MANAGEMENT

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17

Board Leadership Structure and Risk Oversight

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27

Board Diversification and Trustee Qualifications

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30

Board Compensation

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34

Share Ownership

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35

SERVICE PROVIDERS

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36

Investment Adviser

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36

Sub-Adviser

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36

Portfolio Managers

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37

Administrator, Custodian, and Transfer Agent

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38

Distributor

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38

Distribution and Service Plan

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39

Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

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39

Securities Lending Agent

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39

CODES OF ETHICS

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40

PROXY VOTING POLICIES

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40

BROKERAGE TRANSACTIONS

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40

DISCLOSURE OF PORTFOLIO HOLDINGS

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43

The Proxy Portfolio

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43

Actual Portfolio Distribution to the Public

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43

BOOK ENTRY

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44

CONTROL PERSONS AND PRINCIPAL HOLDERS OF SECURITIES

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45

PURCHASE AND REDEMPTION OF CREATION UNITS

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45

Purchase (Creation)

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45

Redemption

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48

Required Early Submission of Orders

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49

Transaction Fees

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49

DETERMINATION OF NET ASSET VALUE

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50

CAPITAL STOCK

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50

TAX MATTERS

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51

Federal Income Tax Matters

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51

Qualification as a Regulated Investment Company (RIC)

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52

Taxation of the Fund

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52


     

Distributions

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53

Sale or Exchange of Shares

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55

Backup Withholding

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55

Federal Tax Treatment of Certain Fund Investments

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55

Foreign Investments

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55

Tax-Exempt Shareholders

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56

Non-U.S. Investors

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56

Creation and Redemption of Creation Units

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57

Section 351

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57

Certain Reporting Regulations

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57

Cost Basis Reporting

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57

Capital Loss Carry-Forward

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58

General Considerations

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58

DIVIDENDS AND DISTRIBUTIONS

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58

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

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58


GENERAL INFORMATION

The Fund is a non-diversified series of the Trust, an open-end management investment company organized as a Massachusetts business trust on February 20, 2015. Each series of the Trust represents shares of beneficial interest in a separate portfolio of securities and other assets, with its own objective and policies. The Fund is an exchange-traded fund (“ETF”) within the Nuveen family of ETFs (the “Nuveen ETFs”). The Fund’s investment adviser is Nuveen Fund Advisors, LLC (“Nuveen Fund Advisors” or the “Adviser”). The Fund's sub-adviser is Nuveen Asset Management, LLC (“Nuveen Asset Management” or the “Sub-Adviser”). The Adviser has agreed to pay all organizational and offering expenses of the Trust.

Unlike a mutual fund, the Fund issues and redeems shares at its net asset value per share (“NAV”) only in large block aggregations of a specified number of shares (“Creation Units”). Only certain institutional investors who have entered into agreements with the Fund’s distributor (“Authorized Participants”) may purchase and redeem shares directly from the Fund at NAV. Except when aggregated in Creation Units, shares of the Fund are not redeemable securities. See “Purchase and Redemption of Creation Units” later in this SAI for more information.

The Fund's shares will be listed for trading on the NYSE Arca, Inc., a national securities exchange (the “Listing Exchange”). The shares will trade on the Listing Exchange at market prices that may differ from the shares’ NAVs.

The Fund is an actively managed, semi-transparent ETF that is a licensee of the Natixis proxy portfolio model and is subject to the terms of the exemptive relief based on the exemptive order issued by the SEC to Natixis Advisors, L.P. and Natixis ETF Trust II on December 10, 2019 (the “Natixis Order”).

The Fund intends to qualify each year for treatment as a regulated investment company (a “RIC”) under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), so that it will not be subject to federal income tax on income and gains that are timely distributed to Fund shareholders. The Fund invests its assets, and otherwise conducts its operations, in a manner that is intended to satisfy the qualifying income, diversification and distribution requirements necessary to establish and maintain eligibility for such treatment.

PROXY PORTFOLIO

Proxy Portfolio Methodology

Unlike a traditional ETF, the Fund does not disclose its portfolio holdings daily. Rather, the Fund discloses a portfolio transparency substitute, known as the “Proxy Portfolio,” and certain related information about the relative performance of the Proxy Portfolio and the Fund’s Actual Portfolio holdings, which are designed to facilitate an effective arbitrage mechanism for the Fund’s shares while protecting the identity of the Fund’s full portfolio holdings. The Fund believes that daily disclosure of its full portfolio holdings could enable market participants to predict the Fund’s trading strategy and trade ahead of the Fund’s portfolio trades (a practice known as “front-running”), or to copy the Fund’s investment strategy (a practice known as “free riding”). The purpose of the proxy portfolio methodology, as described below (the “Proxy Portfolio Methodology”) is to protect the Fund and its shareholders against such practices. Although the Fund does not publish its full portfolio holdings daily, the Proxy Portfolio Methodology is designed to allow Authorized Participants and other market makers to assess the intraday value and associated risk characteristics of the Fund’s Actual Portfolio.

An important feature of the Proxy Portfolio Methodology is the daily disclosure of a basket of cash and securities—the Proxy Portfolio—that is designed and constructed to closely track the daily performance of the Fund’s Actual Portfolio. In addition to the Proxy Portfolio, the Fund will disclose daily the percentage weight overlap between the holdings of the Proxy Portfolio and the Actual Portfolio that formed the basis for the Fund’s calculation of NAV at the end of the prior Business Day (the “Proxy Overlap”). Daily disclosure of the Proxy Portfolio, the Proxy Overlap and the other related Proxy Portfolio Disclosures is designed to enable Authorized Participants and other market participants to accurately assess the profitability of arbitrage trades in shares of the Fund and to effectively hedge their risks associated with arbitrage and market making activities, thereby helping to ensure that investors can purchase and sell Fund shares in the secondary market at prices that are at or close to the underlying NAV per share of the Fund.

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Proxy Portfolio

The goal of the Proxy Portfolio Methodology is to permit the Fund’s Proxy Portfolio, during all market conditions, to track closely the daily performance of the Fund’s Actual Portfolio and to minimize intra-day misalignment between the performance of the Proxy Portfolio and the performance of the Actual Portfolio. The Proxy Portfolio is designed to reflect the economic exposures and the risk characteristics of the Actual Portfolio on any given trading day.

Construction of a Proxy Portfolio that replicates the daily performance of the Actual Portfolio is achieved by performing a factor model analysis of the Fund’s Actual Portfolio. The factor model is comprised of three sets of factors or analytical metrics: market-based factors, fundamental factors, and industry/sector factors. The Fund will have a universe of securities (the “Model Universe”) that will be used to generate the Fund’s Proxy Portfolio. The Model Universe will be comprised of securities that the Fund can purchase and will be a financial index or stated portfolio of securities from which Fund investments will be selected. The results of the factor model analysis of the Fund’s Actual Portfolio are then applied to the Fund’s model universe of securities, resulting in the generation of a Proxy Portfolio, which consists of a small subset of the securities in the Model Universe. The Proxy Portfolio is designed to perform in a manner substantially identical to the performance of the Actual Portfolio. The Proxy Portfolio will only include securities and investments in which the Fund may invest. However, while the Proxy Portfolio and the Actual Portfolio will likely hold some or many of the same securities, the Proxy Portfolio and the fund’s Actual Portfolio may not include identical securities. The Proxy Portfolio will be reconstituted daily.

Proxy Portfolio Disclosures

The composition of the Proxy Portfolio will be published on the Fund’s website at www.nuveen.com/etf each Business Day and will include the following information for each portfolio holding in the Proxy Portfolio: (1) ticker symbol; (2) CUSIP or other identifier; (3) description of holding; (4) quantity of each security or other asset held; and (5) percentage weight of the holding in the Proxy Portfolio. The Fund’s website will publish on a daily basis, per share for the Fund, the prior Business Day’s NAV and the Closing Price or Bid/Ask Price (each as defined below), and a calculation of the premium/discount of the Closing Price or Bid/Ask Price against such NAV. The Fund’s website will also publish a variety of other information metrics regarding the relative behavior of the Proxy Portfolio and the Actual Portfolio, including the Proxy Overlap (defined below). Additional information about how the Proxy Portfolio and the Proxy Overlap are calculated can be found in this SAI and on the Fund’s website at www.nuveen.com/etf. The website will also include Tracking Error for the Fund and, once the Fund has completed a fiscal year, the median bid/ask spread (expressed as a percentage rounded to the nearest hundredth), will be computed by identifying the Fund’s National Best Bid and Offer as of the end of each ten second interval during each trading day of the last thirty calendar days, dividing the difference between each such bid and offer by the midpoint of the National Best Bid and Offer and identifying the median of these values. Additionally, the Fund is required to disclose on its website a table showing the number of days the Fund’s shares traded at a premium/discount and a line graph showing the Fund’s share premiums or discounts during the most recently completed calendar year and the most recently completed calendar quarters since that year (or the life of the Fund).

The Fund believes that the Proxy Portfolio Disclosures will enable Authorized Participants and other market makers to use the component securities and their weightings of the Proxy Portfolio to calculate intraday values that approximate the value of the securities in the Actual Portfolio and, based thereon, assess whether the market price of the Fund’s shares is higher or lower than the approximate contemporaneous value of the Actual Portfolio. These activities are intended to facilitate an arbitrage mechanism that keeps market prices of the Fund’s shares at or close to the Fund’s NAV. Moreover, the Proxy Portfolio Disclosures generated by the Proxy Portfolio Methodology are intended to facilitate effective hedging activities by market makers, so that share market price bid/ask spreads will be narrow. Below are some definitions of the defined terms used above:

· Closing Price – the official closing price of the share on the Fund’s primary listing exchange.

· Bid/Ask Price – the midpoint of the highest bid and the lowest offer based upon the National Best Bid and Offer as of the time of calculation of the Fund’s NAV.

· National Best Bid and Offer – the current national best bid and national best offer as disseminated by the Consolidated Quotation System or UTP Plan Securities Information Processor.

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· Proxy Overlap – the percentage weight overlap between the holdings of the prior Business Day’s Proxy Portfolio compared to the Actual Portfolio’s holdings that formed the basis for the Fund’s calculation of NAV at the end of the prior Business Day. The Proxy Overlap is calculated based on the Proxy Portfolio and portfolio holdings as of the prior Business Day. The Proxy Overlap is calculated by taking the lesser weight of each asset held in common between the Actual Portfolio and the Proxy Portfolio and adding the totals. Additional information about how the Proxy Overlap is calculated can be found on the Fund’s website at www.nuveen.com/etf.

·  Tracking Error – At the end of each trading day, the Fund will calculate its Proxy Overlap and the standard deviation over the past three months of the daily proxy spread (i.e., the difference, in percentage terms, between the Proxy Portfolio per share NAV and that of the Actual Portfolio at the end of the trading day) and publish such information before the opening of Fund share trading each Business Day.

Monitoring of Actual and Proxy Portfolio Securities

A security held in the Actual Portfolio but not in the Proxy Portfolio might not have readily available market quotations, which could be the situation when, for example, the Fund’s primary listing exchange institutes an extended trading halt in a portfolio security, leading to a potential increase in the difference between the value of the Actual Portfolio and Proxy Portfolio. If the trading of a security held in the Fund’s Actual Portfolio is halted or otherwise does not have readily available market quotations and the Adviser or a Sub-Adviser believes that the lack of any such readily available market quotations may affect the reliability of the Proxy Portfolio as an arbitrage vehicle or otherwise determines it is in the best interest of the Fund, the Adviser or a Sub-Adviser promptly will disclose on the Fund’s website the identity and weighting of such security for so long as such security’s trading is halted or otherwise does not have readily available market quotations and remains in the Actual Portfolio. The Adviser and Sub-Adviser believe that this intraday corrective measure will allow sufficient market information so that market participants can continue to engage in share arbitrage and hedging transactions effectively. If securities representing 10% or more of the Fund’s Actual Portfolio do not have readily available market quotations, the Adviser or a Sub-Adviser would promptly request that the Fund’s primary listing exchange halt trading in the Fund’s shares.

The Adviser and Sub-Adviser believe that in situations where a security in the Proxy Portfolio does not have a readily available market quotation, the effectiveness of the Proxy Portfolio as an arbitrage vehicle is unlikely to be materially affected given the large number of securities expected to be included in the Proxy Portfolio. If, however, the Adviser or a Sub-Adviser believes that the lack of any such readily available market quotations may affect the reliability of the Proxy Portfolio as an arbitrage vehicle or otherwise determines it is in the best interest of the Fund, the Adviser or a Sub-Adviser will promptly take any remedial steps it believes necessary and appropriate.

Oversight of Arbitrage Mechanism

Both the Adviser and the Board will oversee the effectiveness of the Fund’s arbitrage mechanism. The Adviser will conduct day-to-day oversight of the arbitrage mechanism and the Board will consider, and receive reports regarding, the effectiveness of the Fund’s arbitrage mechanism at its quarterly meetings. The reports provided to the Board will provide key data and metrics relating to the effectiveness of the Fund’s arbitrage mechanism, including information regarding the premiums or discounts between the market prices and NAVs of the Fund’s shares during the quarter, the bid-ask spreads for the shares during the quarter and any other information the Board deems reasonably necessary. This information will be designed to enable the Board to assess whether the Fund’s arbitrage mechanism is effective and whether trading activity in Fund shares warrants additional scrutiny. The Adviser will monitor the premiums or discounts between the market prices and NAVs of the Fund’s shares and the bid/ask spreads for the Fund’s shares on a daily basis at the end of each Business Day.

The Board and the Adviser intend to implement a structure, as specified in policies and procedures, involving both robust governance and a series of escalating and calibrated potential responses that are designed to respond to the seriousness and the specific causes of a disruption in the arbitrage mechanism. Given that this structure is unlike existing ETFs, the Adviser will monitor on an on-going basis how shares trade, including the level of any premium/discount to NAV and the bid/ask spreads on market transactions. Pursuant to the Adviser’s and Fund’s policies and procedures, for at least the first three years after the launch of the Fund, the Adviser will promptly call a meeting of the Board (and will present to the Board for its consideration, recommendations for appropriate remedial measures) and the

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Board will promptly meet (1) if the Tracking Error exceeds 1%; (2) if, for 30 or more days in any quarter or 15 days in a row (a) the absolute difference between either the Closing Price or the Bid/Ask Price, on one hand, and NAV, on the other, exceeds 2%; or (b) the bid/ask spread exceeds 2%; or (3) as otherwise deemed necessary or appropriate by the Adviser. In such a circumstance, the Board will consider the continuing viability of the Fund, whether shareholders are being harmed, and what, if any, corrective measures would be appropriate to, among other things, narrow the Tracking Error, premium/discount, or bid/ask spread, as applicable. The Board will then decide whether to take any such action. Potential actions may include, but are not limited to: (a) changing lead market makers; (b) listing the Fund on a different Exchange; (c) changing the size of Creation Units; (d) changing the Fund’s investment objective or strategy; (e) publicly disclosing additional information regarding the Proxy Portfolio and/or Actual Portfolio; and (f) revising the algorithms and Model Universe used as part of the Proxy Portfolio Methodology. Should the Adviser conclude that the premium/discount between the market price and NAV of the shares remains persistently high, it could recommend to the Board that it liquidate the applicable Fund or authorize the Adviser to pursue the potential conversion of the Fund to a fully-transparent, active ETF or a mutual fund. The Board will also regularly review the Fund’s historical premiums/discounts and bid-ask spreads following the three-year period after the Fund’s launch, under the same standards as applied during the first three years of the Fund’s life, and determine if any corrective measures may be appropriate.

Protecting Confidential Information

Because the Fund does not publish the portfolio holdings of its Actual Portfolios on a daily basis, the selective disclosure of material non-public information, such as the portfolio holdings of or information related to the Actual Portfolios, would be more likely to benefit the recipient and provide an unfair advantage than comparable information from traditional ETFs that disclose their portfolio holdings daily. Accordingly, each Actual Portfolio will be treated as material, non-public information under the codes of ethics for each of the Trust, Adviser, Sub-Adviser and Distributor. Further, each agreement between the Trust and a service provider that may be given access to the Actual Portfolio will contain appropriate confidentiality provisions and prohibit trading based on such non-public information. In addition, the Fund and each person acting on behalf of the Fund will be required to comply with Regulation Fair Disclosure as if it applied to them (except that the exemptions provided in Rule 100(b)(2)(iii) therein shall not apply).

GENERAL RISKS

An investment in the Fund should be made with an understanding that the value of the Fund’s portfolio securities may fluctuate in accordance with changes in the financial condition of an issuer or counterparty, changes in specific economic or political conditions that affect a particular security or issuer and changes in general economic or political conditions. The Fund may not outperform other investment strategies over short- or long-term market cycles and the Fund may decline in value. The Fund’s shares may trade above or below its NAV. An investor in the Fund could lose money over short or long periods of time. The price of the securities and other investments held by the Fund and thus the value of the Fund’s portfolios are expected to fluctuate in accordance with general economic conditions, interest rates, political events, and other factors.

Investor perceptions may also impact the value of the Fund’s investments and the value of an investment in the Fund’s shares. These investor perceptions are based on various and unpredictable factors, including expectations regarding government, economic, monetary and fiscal policies, inflation and interest rates, economic expansion or contraction, and global or regional political, economic, public health or banking crises. Issuer-specific conditions may also affect the value of the Fund’s investments. The financial condition of an issuer of a security or counterparty to a contract may cause it to default or become unable to pay interest or principal due on the security or contract. The Fund cannot collect interest and principal payments if the issuer or counterparty defaults. Accordingly, the value of an investment in the Fund may change in response to issuer or counterparty defaults and changes in the credit ratings of the Fund’s portfolio securities.

Although the Fund attempts to invest in liquid securities and instruments, there can be no guarantee that a liquid market for such securities and instruments will be made or maintained or that any such market will be or remain liquid. The price at which securities may be sold and the value of the Fund’s shares will be adversely affected if trading markets for the Fund’s portfolio securities are limited or absent, or if bid/ask spreads are wide.

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CONTINUOUS OFFERING

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

For example, a broker-dealer firm or its client may be deemed a statutory underwriter if, after placing an order for Creation Units with Nuveen Securities, LLC (“Nuveen Securities” or the “Distributor”), the broker-dealer or its client breaks them down into constituent shares and sells such shares directly to customers, or if the broker-dealer or its client chooses to couple the creation of a supply of new shares with an active selling effort involving solicitation of secondary market demand for shares. A determination of whether one is an underwriter for purposes of the 1933 Act must take into account all the facts and circumstances pertaining to the activities of the broker-dealer or its client in the particular case, and the examples mentioned above should not be considered a complete description of all the activities that could lead to a categorization as an underwriter.

Broker-dealer firms should also note that dealers who are not “underwriters” but are effecting transactions in shares, whether or not participating in the distribution of shares, are generally required to deliver a prospectus. This is because the prospectus delivery exemption in Section 4(3) of the 1933 Act is not available in respect of such transactions as a result of Section 24(d) of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”). Firms that incur a prospectus-delivery obligation with respect to shares of the Fund are reminded that pursuant to Rule 153 under the 1933 Act, a prospectus-delivery obligation under Section 5(b)(2) of the 1933 Act owed to an exchange member in connection with a sale on the Listing Exchange is satisfied by the fact that the Fund’s Prospectus is available at the Listing Exchange upon request. The prospectus delivery mechanism provided in Rule 153 is only available with respect to transactions on an exchange.

INVESTMENT RESTRICTIONS

In addition to the investment objectives and policies set forth in the Prospectus and under “Investment Policies and Techniques” below, the Fund is subject to the investment restrictions set forth below. The investment restrictions set forth in numbers (1) through (6) below are fundamental and cannot be changed with respect to the Fund without approval by the holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of the Fund as defined in the 1940 Act, i.e., by the lesser of the vote of (a) 67% of the shares of the Fund present at a meeting where more than 50% of the outstanding shares are present in person or by proxy, or (b) more than 50% of the outstanding shares of the Fund.

The Fund may not:

(1) Borrow money or issue senior securities, except as permitted by the 1940 Act, as interpreted or modified from time to time by any regulatory authority having jurisdiction.

(2) Act as an underwriter of another issuer’s securities, except to the extent that the Fund may be deemed to be an underwriter within the meaning of the Securities Act of 1933 in connection with the purchase and sale of portfolio securities.

(3) Make loans except as permitted by the 1940 Act and exemptive orders granted under the 1940 Act.

(4) Purchase or sell physical commodities, unless acquired as a result of ownership of securities or other instruments; but this restriction shall not prohibit the Fund from investing in options on commodity indices, commodity futures contracts and options thereon, commodity-related swap agreements, other commodity-related derivative instruments, and investment companies that provide exposure to commodities.

(5) Purchase or sell real estate unless acquired as a result of ownership of securities or other instruments (but this shall not prohibit the Fund from purchasing or selling securities or other instruments backed by real estate or of issuers engaged in real estate activities).

(6) Purchase the securities of any issuer if, as a result, 25% or more of the Fund’s total assets would be invested in the securities of issuers whose principal business activities are in the

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same industry; except that this restriction shall not be applicable to securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government or any agency or instrumentality thereof.

Except with respect to the limitation set forth in number (1) above, the foregoing restrictions and limitations will apply only at the time of purchase of securities, and the percentage limitations will not be considered violated unless an excess or deficiency occurs or exists immediately after and as a result of an acquisition of securities, unless otherwise indicated.

For purposes of applying the limitations set forth in number (1) above, under the 1940 Act as currently in effect, the Fund is not permitted to issue senior securities, except that the Fund may borrow from any bank if immediately after such borrowing the value of the Fund’s total assets is at least 300% of the principal amount of all of the Fund’s borrowings (i.e., the principal amount of the borrowings may not exceed 33⅓% of the Fund’s total assets). In the event that such asset coverage shall at any time fall below 300%, the Fund shall, within three calendar days thereafter (not including Sundays and holidays), reduce the amount of its borrowings to an extent that the asset coverage of such borrowing shall be at least 300%. No exemptive orders have been issued with respect to the limitation set forth in number (1). No Fund will borrow for investment purposes or hold short positions.

For purposes of applying the limitation set forth in number (3) above, there are no limitations with respect to unsecured loans made by the Fund to an unaffiliated party. However, if the Fund loans its portfolio securities, the obligation on the part of the Fund to return collateral upon termination of the loan could be deemed to involve the issuance of a senior security within the meaning of Section 18(f) of the 1940 Act. In order to avoid violation of Section 18(f), the Fund may not make a loan of portfolio securities if, as a result, more than one-third of its total asset value (at market value computed at the time of making a loan) would be on loan.

For purposes of applying the limitations set forth in number (6) above, issuers of the following securities will not be considered to be members of any industry: securities of the U.S. government and its agencies or instrumentalities; except as set forth in the following sentence, tax-exempt securities of state, territory, possession or municipal governments and their authorities, agencies, instrumentalities or political subdivisions; and repurchase agreements collateralized by any such obligations. To the extent that the income from a municipal bond is derived principally from the assets and revenues of non-governmental users, the securities will be deemed to be from the industry of that non-governmental user. To the extent the Fund invests in other investment companies, it will consider the investments of the underlying investment companies when determining compliance with the limitations set forth in number (6) above, to the extent the Fund has sufficient information about such investments. For purposes of this limitation, all sovereign debt of a single country will be considered investments in a single industry.

Where a security is guaranteed by a governmental entity or some other facility, such as a bank guarantee or letter of credit, such a guarantee or letter of credit would be considered a separate security and would be treated as an issue of such government, other entity or bank.

The foregoing fundamental investment policies, together with the investment objective of the Fund, cannot be changed without approval by holders of a “majority of the Fund’s outstanding voting shares.” As defined in the 1940 Act, this means the vote of (i) 67% or more of the Fund’s shares present at a meeting, if the holders of more than 50% of the Fund’s shares are present or represented by proxy, or (ii) more than 50% of the Fund’s shares, whichever is less.

In addition, the Fund’s fundamental policies will comply with the exemptive relief based on the Natixis Order.

In addition to the foregoing fundamental investment policies, the Fund is also subject to the following non-fundamental restrictions and policies, which may be changed by the Fund’s Board of Trustees (the “Board”) without a shareholder vote.

The Fund may not:

(1) Acquire any securities of registered open-end investment companies or registered unit investment trusts in reliance on subparagraph (F) or subparagraph (G) of Section 12(d)(1) of the 1940 Act.

(2) Invest directly in futures, options on futures and swaps to the extent that the Adviser would be required to register with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”) as a commodity pool operator. See “Investment Policies and Techniques—Derivatives—Limitations on the Use of CFTC-Regulated Futures, Options on Futures and Swaps.”

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INVESTMENT POLICIES AND TECHNIQUES

The following information supplements the discussion of the Fund’s investment objective, principal investment strategies, policies and techniques that appears in the Prospectus for the Fund. Additional information concerning principal investment strategies of the Fund, and other investment strategies that may be used by the Fund, is set forth below in alphabetical order.

If a percentage limitation on investments by the Fund stated in this SAI or the Prospectus is adhered to at the time of an investment, a later increase or decrease in percentage resulting from changes in asset value will not be deemed to violate the limitation except in the case of the limitations on borrowing. In connection with the Fund’s investment restrictions, any reference in this SAI or the Prospectus to a specific rating encompasses all gradations of that rating (e.g., if this SAI or the Prospectus states that the Fund may invest in securities rated as low as B, the fund may invest in securities rated B-).

References in this section to the Adviser also apply, to the extent applicable, to the Sub-Adviser of the Fund.

Asset Coverage Requirements

Consistent with SEC staff guidance, the Fund will only engage in transactions that expose it to an obligation to another party if it owns either (a) an offsetting position for the same type of financial asset or (b) cash or liquid securities, designated on the Fund’s books or held in a segregated account, with a value sufficient at all times to cover its potential obligations not covered as provided in (a). Examples of transactions governed by these asset coverage requirements include, for example, futures contracts. Assets used as offsetting positions, designated on the Fund’s books, or held in a segregated account cannot be sold while the positions requiring cover are open unless replaced with other appropriate assets. As a result, the commitment of a large portion of assets to be used as offsetting positions or to be designated or segregated in such a manner could impede portfolio management or the ability to meet redemption requests or other current obligations.

In the case of futures contracts that are not contractually required to cash settle, the Fund must set aside or earmark liquid assets equal to such contracts’ full notional value (generally, the total numerical value of the asset underlying a future or forward contract at the time of valuation) while the positions are open. With respect to futures contracts that are contractually required to cash settle, however, the Fund is permitted to set aside or earmark liquid assets or enter into an offsetting position in an amount equal to the Fund’s daily mark-to-market net obligation (i.e., the Fund’s daily net liability) under the contracts, if any, rather than such contracts’ full notional value. By setting aside or earmarking assets equal to only its net obligations under cash-settled futures contracts, the Fund may employ leverage to a greater extent than if the Fund were required to segregate assets equal to the full notional value of such contracts.

The SEC recently adopted new Rule 18f-4 under the 1940 Act, which imposes limits on the amount of derivatives the Fund can enter into and replaces the asset segregation framework previously used by the Fund to comply with Section 18 of the 1940 Act, among other requirements. The Fund will comply with the new rule’s asset segregation framework and other requirements upon the SEC’s compliance date in 2022.

The Fund reserves the right to modify their policies in the future to comply with any changes in the positions from time to time articulated by the SEC or its staff, such as the SEC’s recently adopted Rule 18f-4, regarding asset segregation.

Borrowing Money

The Fund may borrow money from a bank as permitted by the 1940 Act, or other governing statute, by the rules thereunder, or by the SEC or other regulatory agency with authority over the Fund, but only for temporary or emergency purposes. Although the 1940 Act presently allows the 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), under normal circumstances any borrowings by the Fund will not exceed 10% of the Fund’s total assets.

Cash Equivalents and Short-Term Investments

The Fund may hold assets in cash or cash equivalents, including short-term U.S. Treasury securities, government money market funds, and repurchase agreements, in such proportions as

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warranted by prevailing market conditions and the Fund’s principal investment strategies. The Fund may only invest in short-term taxable fixed income securities with a maturity of one year or less and whose issuers have a long-term rating of at least A- or higher by Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services, a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. (“Standard & Poor’s”), A3 or higher by Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. (“Moody’s”) or A- or higher by Fitch, Inc. (“Fitch”). Short-term taxable fixed income securities are defined to include, without limitation, the following:

(1) U.S. Government Securities. The Fund may invest in U.S. government securities, including bills, notes and bonds differing as to maturity and rates of interest, which are either issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Treasury. The U.S. government does not guarantee the market value of its securities, and consequently, the value of such securities may fluctuate.

(2) Repurchase Agreements. The Fund may invest in repurchase agreements which involve purchases of debt securities. In such an action, at the time the Fund purchases the security, it simultaneously agrees to resell and redeliver the security to the seller, who also simultaneously agrees to buy back the security at a fixed price and time. This assures a predetermined yield for the Fund during its holding period since the resale price is always greater than the purchase price and reflects an agreed-upon market rate. Such actions afford an opportunity for the Fund to invest temporarily available cash. The Fund may enter into repurchase agreements only with respect to certain obligations. Collateral may consist of any fixed income security which is an eligible investment for the Fund. The Fund’s custodian will hold the securities underlying any repurchase agreement, or the securities will be part of the Federal Reserve/Treasury Book Entry System. The market value of the collateral underlying the repurchase agreement will be determined on each business day. If at any time the market value of the collateral falls below the repurchase price under the repurchase agreement (including any accrued interest), the Fund will promptly receive additional collateral (so the total collateral is an amount at least equal to the repurchase price plus accrued interest). Repurchase agreements may be considered loans to the seller, collateralized by the underlying securities. The risk to the Fund is limited to the ability of the seller to pay the agreed-upon sum on the repurchase date; in the event of default, the repurchase agreement provides that the Fund is entitled to sell the underlying collateral. If the value of the collateral declines after the agreement is entered into, however, and if the seller defaults under a repurchase agreement when the value of the underlying collateral is less than the repurchase price, the Fund could incur a loss of both principal and interest. The portfolio managers monitor the value of the collateral at the time the action is entered into and at all times during the term of the repurchase agreement. The portfolio managers do so in an effort to determine that the value of the collateral always equals or exceeds the agreed-upon repurchase price to be paid to the Fund. If the seller were to be subject to a federal bankruptcy proceeding, the ability of the Fund to liquidate the collateral could be delayed or impaired because of certain provisions of the bankruptcy laws.

(3) Money Market Funds. The Fund may invest in government money market funds. The Fund will bear its proportionate share of the money market fund’s fees and expenses (see “Other Investment Companies and Other Pooled Investment Vehicles” below).

Derivatives

Subject to the limitations set forth below under “Limitations on the Use of CFTC-Regulated Futures, Options on Futures and Swaps,” the Fund may use derivative instruments as described below. Generally, a derivative is a financial contract the value of which depends upon, or is derived from, the value of an underlying asset, reference rate or index. Derivatives generally take the form of contracts under which the parties agree to payments between them based upon the performance of a wide variety of underlying references, such as stocks, bonds, loans, commodities, interest rates, currency exchange rates, and various domestic and foreign indices.

The Fund may use derivatives for a variety of reasons, including as a substitute for investing directly in securities, as part of a hedging strategy (that is, for the purpose of reducing risk to the Fund), or for other purposes related to the management of the Fund. Derivatives permit the Fund to increase or decrease the level of risk, or change the character of the risk, to which its portfolio is exposed in much the same way as the Fund can increase or decrease the level of risk, or change the character of the risk, of its portfolio by making investments in specific securities. However, derivatives may entail investment exposures that are greater than their cost would suggest. As a result, a small investment in derivatives could have a large impact on the Fund’s performance.

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The Fund may use exchange-traded, U.S.-listed futures contracts. The Fund does not engage in over-the-counter (“OTC”) derivatives. When exchange-traded derivatives are purchased and sold, a clearing agency associated with the exchange stands between each buyer and seller and effectively guarantees performance of each contract, either on a limited basis through a guaranty fund or to the full extent of the clearing agency’s balance sheet.

The use of derivative instruments is subject to applicable regulations of the SEC, the CFTC, various state regulatory authorities and, with respect to exchange-traded derivatives, the several exchanges upon which they are traded. As discussed above under “Asset Coverage Requirements,” in order to engage in certain transactions in derivatives, the Fund may be required to hold offsetting positions or to hold cash or liquid securities in a segregated account or designated on the Fund’s books. In addition, the Fund’s ability to use derivative instruments may be limited by tax considerations.

The particular derivative instruments the Fund can use are described below. The Fund’s portfolio managers may decide not to employ some or all of these instruments, and there is no assurance that any derivatives strategy used by the Fund will succeed. The Fund may employ new derivative instruments and strategies when they are developed, if those investment methods are consistent with the Fund’s investment objective and are permissible under applicable regulations governing the Fund.

Futures

The Fund may engage in futures transactions. The Fund may buy and sell futures contracts that relate to an asset that the Fund could invest in directly, or in the case of an index future, is based on an index of a type of asset that the Fund could invest in directly, such as an S&P 500 index future. The Fund may only enter into futures contracts which are standardized and traded on a U.S. futures exchange, such as the Chicago Board of Trade or the Chicago Mercantile Exchange.

A futures contract is an agreement between two parties to buy and sell a security, interest rate or currency (each a “financial instrument”) for a set price on a future date. Certain futures contracts, such as futures contracts relating to individual securities, call for making or taking delivery of the underlying financial instrument. However, these contracts generally are closed out before delivery by entering into an offsetting purchase or sale of a matching futures contract. Other futures contracts, such as futures contracts on indices, do not call for making or taking delivery of the underlying financial instrument, but rather are agreements pursuant to which two parties agree to take or make delivery of an amount of cash equal to the difference between the value of the financial instrument at the close of the last trading day of the contract and the price at which the contract was originally written. These contracts also may be settled by entering into an offsetting futures contract.

Unlike when the Fund purchases or sells a security, no price is paid or received by the Fund upon the purchase or sale of a futures contract. Initially, the Fund will be required to deposit with its futures broker (also known as a futures commission merchant (“FCM”)) an amount of cash or securities equal to a specified percentage of the contract amount. This amount is known as initial margin. The margin deposit is intended to ensure completion of the contract. Minimum initial margin requirements are established by the futures exchanges and may be revised. In addition, FCMs may establish margin deposit requirements that are higher than the exchange minimums. Cash held as margin is generally invested by the FCM in high-quality instruments permitted under CFTC regulations, with returns retained by the FCM and interest paid to the Fund on the cash at an agreed-upon rate. The Fund will also receive any interest paid from coupon-bearing securities, such as Treasury securities, held in margin accounts. Subsequent payments to and from the FCM, called variation margin, will be made on a daily basis as the price of the underlying financial instrument fluctuates, making the futures contract more or less valuable, a process known as marking the contract to market. Changes in variation margin are recorded by the Fund as unrealized gains or losses. At any time prior to expiration of the futures contract, the Fund may elect to close the position by taking an opposite position that will operate to terminate its position in the futures contract. A final determination of variation margin is then made, additional cash is required to be paid by or released to the Fund, and the Fund realizes a gain or loss. In the event of the bankruptcy or insolvency of an FCM that holds margin on behalf of the Fund, the Fund may be entitled to the return of margin owed to it only in proportion to the amount received by the FCM’s other customers, potentially resulting in losses to the Fund. Futures transactions also involve brokerage costs.

Most U.S. futures exchanges limit the amount of fluctuation permitted in futures contract prices during a single trading day. The daily limit establishes the maximum amount that the price of a futures contract may vary either up or down from the previous day’s settlement price at the end of a trading session. Once the daily limit has been reached in a particular type of futures contract, no trades may be

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made on that day at a price beyond that limit. The daily limit governs only price movement during a particular trading day and therefore does not limit potential losses, because the limit may prevent the liquidation of unfavorable positions. Futures contract prices have occasionally moved to the daily limit for several consecutive trading days with little or no trading, thereby preventing prompt liquidation of futures positions and subjecting some futures traders to substantial losses.

Limitations on the Use of CFTC-Regulated Futures

The Fund will limit its direct investments in CFTC-regulated futures (“CFTC Derivatives”) to the extent necessary for the Adviser to claim the exclusion from regulation as a commodity pool operator with respect to the Fund under CFTC Rule 4.5, as such rule may be amended from time to time. Under Rule 4.5 as currently in effect, the Fund will limit its trading activity in CFTC Derivatives (excluding activity for “bona fide hedging purposes,” as defined by the CFTC) such that it meets one of the following tests:

· Aggregate initial margin and premiums required to establish its positions in CFTC Derivatives do not exceed 5% of the liquidation value of the Fund’s portfolio, after taking into account unrealized profits and losses on such positions; or

· Aggregate net notional value of its positions in CFTC Derivatives does not exceed 100% of the liquidation value of the Fund’s portfolio, after taking into account unrealized profits and losses on such positions.

With respect to the Fund, the Adviser has filed a notice of eligibility for exclusion from the definition of the term commodity pool operator under the Commodity Exchange Act and therefore is not subject to registration or regulation as a commodity pool operator thereunder.

The requirements for qualification as a regulated investment company may also limit the extent to which the Fund may invest in CFTC Derivatives. See “Tax Matters—Qualification as a Regulated Investment Company.”

Federal Income Tax Treatment of Futures Contracts

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

Risks and Special Considerations Concerning Derivatives

The use of derivative instruments involves certain general risks and considerations as described below.

(1) Market Risk. Market risk is the risk that the value of the underlying assets may go up or down. Adverse movements in the value of an underlying asset can expose the Fund to losses. The successful use of derivative instruments depends upon a variety of factors, particularly the portfolio managers’ ability to predict movements in the relevant markets, which may require different skills than predicting changes in the prices of individual securities. There can be no assurance that any particular strategy adopted will succeed.

(2) Counterparty Risk. Counterparty risk is the risk that a loss may be sustained as a result of the failure of a counterparty to comply with the terms of a derivative instrument. The counterparty risk for exchange-traded derivatives is generally less than for OTC derivatives, since generally a clearing agency, which is the issuer or counterparty to each exchange-traded instrument, provides a guarantee of performance. For many OTC instruments, there is no similar clearing agency guarantee. In all transactions, the Fund will bear the risk that the counterparty will default, and this could result in a loss of the expected benefit of the derivative transactions and possibly other losses to the Fund. The Fund will enter into derivatives transactions only with counterparties that its portfolio managers reasonably believe are capable of performing under the contract.

(3) Correlation Risk. Correlation risk is the risk that there might be an imperfect correlation, or even no correlation, between price movements of a derivative instrument and price

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movements of investments being hedged. When a derivative transaction is used to completely hedge another position, changes in the market value of the combined position (the derivative instrument plus the position being hedged) result from an imperfect correlation between the price movements of the two instruments. With a perfect hedge, the value of the combined position remains unchanged with any change in the price of the underlying asset. With an imperfect hedge, the value of the derivative instrument and its hedge are not perfectly correlated. This might occur due to factors unrelated to the value of the investments being hedged, such as speculative or other pressures on the markets in which these instruments are traded. The effectiveness of hedges using instruments on indices will depend, in part, on the degree of correlation between price movements in the index and the price movements in the investments being hedged.

(4) Liquidity Risk. Liquidity risk is the risk that a derivative instrument cannot be sold, closed out or replaced quickly at or very close to its fundamental value. Generally, exchange contracts are very liquid because the exchange clearinghouse is the counterparty of every contract. OTC transactions are less liquid than exchange-traded derivatives since they often can only be closed out with the other party to the transaction. The Fund might be required by applicable regulatory requirements to maintain assets as “cover,” maintain segregated accounts, and/or make margin payments when it takes positions in derivative instruments involving obligations to third parties (i.e., instruments other than purchase options). If the Fund is unable to close out its positions in such instruments, it might be required to continue to maintain such assets or accounts or make such payments until the position expires, matures or is closed out. These requirements might impair the Fund’s ability to sell a security or make an investment at a time when it would otherwise be favorable to do so, or require that the Fund sell a portfolio security at a disadvantageous time. The Fund’s ability to sell or close out a position in an instrument prior to expiration or maturity depends upon the existence of a liquid secondary market or, in the absence of such a market, the ability and willingness of the counterparty to enter into a transaction closing out the position. There is no assurance that any derivatives position can be sold or closed out at a time and price that is favorable to the Fund.

(5) Legal Risk. Legal risk is the risk of loss caused by the unenforceability of a party’s obligations under the derivative. While a party seeking price certainty agrees to surrender the potential upside in exchange for downside protection, the party taking the risk is looking for a positive payoff. Despite this voluntary assumption of risk, a counterparty that has lost money in a derivative transaction may try to avoid payment by exploiting various legal uncertainties about certain derivative products.

(6) Systemic or “Interconnection” Risk. Systemic or interconnection risk is the risk that a disruption in the financial markets will cause difficulties for all market participants. In other words, a disruption in one market will spill over into other markets, perhaps creating a chain reaction.

(7) Leverage Risk. Leverage risk is the risk that the Fund may be more volatile than if it had not been leveraged due to leverage’s tendency to exaggerate the effect of any increase or decrease in the value of the Fund’s portfolio securities. The use of leverage may also cause the Fund to liquidate portfolio positions when it may not be advantageous to do so to satisfy its obligations or to meet segregation requirements.

(8) Regulatory Risk. The Dodd-Frank Act Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the “Dodd-Frank Act”) has initiated a dramatic revision of the U.S. financial regulatory framework and covers a broad range of topics, including (among many others) a reorganization of federal financial regulators; a process intended to improve financial systemic stability and the resolution of potentially insolvent financial firms; and new rules for derivatives trading. In particular, the Dodd-Frank Act makes broad changes to the OTC derivatives market, grants significant new authority to the SEC and the CFTC to regulate OTC derivatives and market participants, and will require clearing and exchange trading of many OTC derivatives transactions. New requirements, such as capital requirements and mandatory clearing of OTC derivatives transactions, have impacted and may continue to impact the costs to a fund of trading these instruments and, as a result, may affect returns to investors in the Fund. Instruments in which the Fund may invest, or the issuers of such instruments, may be affected by the new legislation and regulation in ways that are unforeseeable. Certain of the implementing regulations have not yet been finalized or made effective. Accordingly, the ultimate impact of the Dodd-Frank Act, including on the derivative instruments in which the Fund may invest, is not yet certain.

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Equity Securities

Under normal market conditions, the Fund primarily invests in equity securities, which include common stocks, preferred securities and interests in real estate investment trusts.

Common Stocks

Common stocks represent units of ownership in a company. Common stocks usually carry voting rights and earn dividends. Unlike preferred securities, dividends on common stocks are not prescribed in advance but are declared at the discretion of a company’s board.

While investing in stocks allows shareholders to participate in the benefits of owning a company, such shareholders must accept the risks of ownership. Unlike bondholders, who have preference to a company’s earnings and cash flow, common stockholders are entitled only to the residual amount after a company meets its other obligations. For this reason, the value of a company’s stock will usually react more strongly to actual or perceived changes in the company’s financial condition or prospects than its debt obligations. Stockholders of a company that fares poorly can lose money.

Stock markets tend to move in cycles with short or extended periods of rising and falling stock prices. The value of a company’s stock may fall because of:

· Factors that directly relate to that company, such as decisions made by its management or lower demand for the company’s products or services;

· Factors affecting an entire industry, such as increases in production costs; and

· Changes in financial market conditions that are relatively unrelated to the company or its industry, such as changes in interest rates, currency exchange rates or inflation rates.

An investment in common stocks of issuers with small or medium market capitalizations generally involves greater risk and price volatility than an investment in common stocks of larger, more established companies. This increased risk may be due to the greater business risks of their small or medium size, limited markets and financial resources, narrow product lines and frequent lack of management depth. The securities of small and medium capitalization companies are often traded in the over-the-counter market, and might not be traded in volumes typical of securities traded on a national securities exchange. Thus, the securities of small and medium capitalization companies are likely to be less liquid and subject to more abrupt or erratic market movements than securities of larger, more established companies.

Preferred Securities

Like common stocks, preferred securities are also units of ownership in a company, but preferred securities normally have preference over common stocks in the payment of dividends and the liquidation of the company. In all other respects, however, preferred securities are subordinated to the liabilities of the issuer. Unlike common stocks, preferred securities are generally not entitled to vote on corporate matters. Types of preferred securities include adjustable-rate preferred securities, fixed dividend preferred securities, perpetual preferred securities and sinking fund preferred securities. Generally, the market value of preferred securities with a fixed dividend rate and no conversion element varies inversely with interest rates and perceived credit risk.

Because preferred securities are generally junior to most other forms of debt securities and other obligations of the issuer, deterioration in the credit quality of the issuer will cause greater changes in the value of a preferred security than in a more senior debt security with similar stated yield characteristics.

Real Estate Investment Trusts

Real estate investment trusts (“REITs”) are publicly traded corporations or trusts that specialize in acquiring, holding, and managing residential, commercial or industrial real estate located in the United States or foreign countries. A REIT is not taxed at the entity level on income distributed to its shareholders or unitholders if it distributes to shareholders or unitholders at least 90% of its taxable income for each taxable year and complies with regulatory requirements relating to its organization, ownership, assets and income.

REITs generally can be classified as equity REITs, mortgage REITs and hybrid REITs. An equity REIT invests the majority of its assets directly in real property and derives its income primarily from rents and from capital gains on real estate appreciation which are realized through property sales. A mortgage REIT invests the majority of its assets in real estate mortgage loans and services its income primarily from interest payments. A hybrid REIT combines the characteristics of an equity REIT and a mortgage REIT.

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Investing in REITs would subject the Fund to risks associated with the real estate industry. The real estate industry has been subject to substantial fluctuations and declines on a local, regional and national basis in the past and may continue to be in the future. Real property values and income from real property may decline due to general and local economic conditions, overbuilding and increased competition, increases in property taxes and operating expenses, changes in zoning laws, casualty or condemnation losses, regulatory limitations on rents, changes in neighborhoods and in demographics, increases in market interest rates, or other factors. Factors such as these may adversely affect companies which own and operate real estate directly, companies which lend to such companies, and companies which service the real estate industry.

The Fund may also be subject to risks associated with direct investments in REITs. Equity REITs will be affected by changes in the values of and income from the properties they own, while mortgage REITs may be affected by the credit quality of the mortgage loans they hold. In addition, REITs are dependent on specialized management skills and on their ability to generate cash flow for operating purposes and to make distributions to shareholders or unitholders. REITs may have limited diversification and are subject to risks associated with obtaining financing for real property, as well as to the risk of self-liquidation. REITs also can be adversely affected by their failure to qualify for tax-free pass-through treatment of their income under the Code or their failure to maintain an exemption from registration under the 1940 Act. By investing in REITs indirectly through the Fund, a shareholder bears not only a proportionate share of the expenses of the Fund, but also may indirectly bear similar expenses of some of the REITs in which it invests.

Lending of Portfolio Securities

In order to generate additional income, the Fund may lend portfolio securities representing up to one-third of the value of its total assets to broker-dealers, banks or other institutional borrowers of securities that the Adviser has determined are creditworthy. The securities lending agent will generally bear the risk that a borrower may default on its obligation to return loaned securities; however, the Fund bears the risk that the securities lending agent may default on its contractual obligations to the Fund. The Fund also bears the market risk with respect to the investment of the cash collateral used to secure the loan. The Fund may lose money on its investment of cash collateral or may fail to earn sufficient income on its investment to meet its obligations to the borrower. The Fund will pay a portion of the income earned on other lending transactions to the placing broker and may pay administrative and custodial fees in connection with these loans.

In these loan arrangements, the Fund will receive cash collateral equal to at least 102% of the value of the securities loaned as determined at the time of loan origination. If the market value of the loaned securities increases, the borrower must furnish additional collateral to the Fund. During the time portfolio securities are on loan, the borrower pays the Fund any dividends or interest paid on the securities. Loans are subject to termination at any time by the Fund or the borrower. While the Fund does not have the right to vote securities on loan, it would terminate the loan and regain the right to vote if that were considered important with respect to the investment.

When the Fund lends portfolio securities to a borrower, payments in lieu of dividends made by the borrower to the Fund will not constitute “qualified dividends” taxable at the same rate as long-term capital gains, even if the actual dividends would have constituted qualified dividends had the Fund held the securities. However, the Fund currently recalls all loaned securities from the borrower so that it may receive dividends paid on the securities, if any.

Non-U.S. Securities

The Fund may invest in common stocks listed on a foreign exchange that trade on such exchange contemporaneously with Fund shares. Investments in securities of non-U.S. companies involve risks in addition to the usual risks inherent in domestic investments, including currency risk. The value of a non-U.S. security in U.S. dollars tends to decrease when the value of the U.S. dollar rises against the non-U.S. currency in which the security is denominated and tends to increase when the value of the U.S. dollar falls against such currency.

Non-U.S. securities are affected by the fact that in many countries there is less publicly available information about issuers than is available in the reports and ratings published about companies in the United States and such issuers may not be subject to uniform accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards. Other risks inherent in non-U.S. investments include expropriation; confiscatory taxation; withholding taxes on dividends and interest; less extensive regulation of non-U.S. brokers, securities markets and issuers; diplomatic developments; and political or social instability. Non-U.S. economies may

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differ favorably or unfavorably from the U.S. economy in various respects, and many non-U.S. securities are less liquid and their prices tend to be more volatile than comparable U.S. securities. From time to time, non-U.S. securities may be difficult to liquidate rapidly without adverse price effects.

The Fund may also invest in non-U.S. securities by purchasing exchange-traded American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”). Generally, ADRs, in registered form, are denominated in U.S. dollars and are designated for use in the U.S. securities markets. ADRs are receipts typically issued by a U.S. bank or trust company evidencing ownership of the underlying non-U.S. security. ADRs GDRs are deemed to have the same classification as the underlying securities they represent, except that ADRs shall be treated as indirect non-U.S. investments. Thus, an ADR representing ownership of common stock will be treated as common stock. ADRs do not eliminate all of the risks associated with directly investing in the securities of non-U.S. companies, such as changes in non-U.S. currency exchange rates. However, by investing in ADRs rather than directly in non-U.S. companies’ stock, the Fund avoids currency risks during the settlement period.

Depositary receipts may be available through “sponsored” or “unsponsored” facilities. A sponsored facility is established jointly by a depositary and the issuer of the security underlying the receipt. An unsponsored facility may be established by a depositary without participation by the issuer of the security underlying the receipt. There are greater risks associated with holding unsponsored depositary receipts. For example, if the Fund holds an unsponsored depositary receipt, it will generally bear all of the costs of establishing the unsponsored facility. In addition, the depositary of an unsponsored facility frequently is under no obligation to distribute shareholder communications received from the issuer of the deposited security. Whether a sponsored or unsponsored facility, there is no assurance that either would pass through to the holders of the receipts voting rights with respect to the deposited securities.

Securities transactions conducted outside the United States may not be regulated as rigorously as in the United States, may not involve a clearing mechanism and related guarantees, and are subject to the risk of governmental actions affecting trading in, or the prices of, non-U.S. securities, currencies and other instruments. The value of such positions also could be adversely affected by (i) other complex non-U.S. political, legal and economic factors, (ii) lesser availability than in the United States of data on which to make trading decisions, (iii) the imposition of different exercise and settlement terms and procedures and the margin requirements than in the United States, and (iv) currency exchange rate changes, and lower trading volume and liquidity.

Emerging Markets Risk

The Fund may invest in securities issued by companies located in emerging markets. Emerging market countries are generally in the initial stages of their industrialization cycles with low per capita income. The markets of emerging markets countries are generally more volatile than the markets of developed countries with more mature economies. They generally do not have the level of market efficiency and strict standards in accounting and securities regulation to be on par with advanced economies, but emerging markets will typically have a physical financial infrastructure, including banks, a stock exchange and a unified currency. Investors may also have limited rights relative to companies domiciled in emerging market countries, and investors may be unable to pursue the same avenues of recourse available to investors of U.S. companies, such as class action lawsuits and fraud claims, either as a matter of law or practicality. Investments in emerging markets come with much greater risk due to political instability, domestic infrastructure problems, currency volatility and limited investment opportunities (many large companies may still be “state-run” or private). Also, local securities exchanges may not offer liquid markets for outside investors. All of the risks of investing in non-U.S. securities described above are heightened by investing in emerging markets countries.

Currency Risk

By investing in non-U.S. securities, the Fund will be subject to currency risk, which is the risk that an increase in the U.S. dollar relative to the non-U.S. currency will reduce returns or portfolio value. In addition, even though the non-U.S. securities held by the Fund are traded in U.S. dollars, their prices are typically indirectly influenced by currency fluctuations. Generally, when the U.S. dollar rises in value relative to a non-U.S. currency, the Fund’s investment in securities denominated in that currency will lose value because its currency is worth fewer U.S. dollars. On the other hand, when the value of the U.S. dollar falls relative to a non-U.S. currency, the Fund’s investments denominated in that currency will tend to increase in value because that currency is worth more U.S. dollars. The exchange rates between the U.S. dollar and non-U.S. currencies depend upon such factors as supply and demand in the currency exchange markets, international balance of payments, governmental intervention, speculation and other

S-14


economic and political conditions. Although the Fund value their assets daily in U.S. dollars, the Fund may not convert their holdings of non-U.S. currencies to U.S. dollars on a daily basis. The Fund may incur conversion costs when they convert their holdings to another currency. Non-U.S. exchange dealers may realize a profit on the difference between the price at which the Fund buys and sells currencies. The Fund may engage in non-U.S. currency exchange transactions in connection with their portfolio investments. The Fund conduct their non-U.S. currency exchange transactions either on a spot (i.e., cash) basis at the spot rate prevailing in the non-U.S. currency exchange market or through forward contracts to purchase or sell non-U.S. contracts. The Fund may also be subject to currency risk through investments in ADRs and other non-U.S. securities denominated in U.S. dollars.

Other Investment Policies and Techniques

Over-the-Counter Market

The Fund may invest in over-the-counter securities. In contrast to the securities exchanges, the over-the-counter market is not a centralized facility that limits trading activity to securities of companies which initially satisfy certain defined standards. Generally, the volume of trading in an unlisted or over-the-counter security is less than the volume of trading in a listed security. This means that the depth of market liquidity of some securities in which the Fund invests may not be as great as that of other securities and, if the Fund were to dispose of such a security, it might have to offer the securities at a discount from recent prices, or sell the securities in small lots over an extended period of time.

Initial Public Offerings (“IPO”)

The Fund may invest a portion of their assets in securities of companies offering shares in IPOs. IPOs may have a magnified performance impact on the Fund with a small asset base. The impact of IPOs on the Fund’s performance likely will decrease as the Fund’s asset size increases, which could reduce the Fund’s total returns. IPOs may not be consistently available to the Fund for investing, particularly as the Fund’s asset base grows. Because IPO shares frequently are volatile in price, the Fund may hold IPO shares for a very short period of time. This may increase the turnover of the Fund and may lead to increased expenses for the Fund, such as commissions and transaction costs. By selling shares, the Fund may realize taxable gains it will subsequently distribute to shareholders. In addition, the market for IPO shares can be speculative and/or inactive for extended periods of time. The limited number of shares available for trading in some IPOs may make it more difficult for the Fund to buy or sell significant amounts of shares without an unfavorable impact on prevailing prices. Holders of IPO shares (including the Fund) can be affected by substantial dilution in the value of their shares, by sales of additional shares and by concentration of control in existing management and principal shareholders.

The Fund’s investment in IPO shares may include the securities of unseasoned companies (companies with less than three years of continuous operations), which present risks considerably greater than common stocks of more established companies. These companies may have limited operating histories and their prospects for profitability may be uncertain. These companies may be involved in new and evolving businesses and may be vulnerable to competition and changes in technology, markets and economic conditions. These companies may also be more dependent on key managers and third parties and may have limited product lines.

When-Issued or Delayed-Delivery Transactions

The Fund may from time to time purchase securities on a “when-issued” or other delayed-delivery basis. The price of securities purchased on a when-issued basis is fixed at the time the commitment to purchase is made, but delivery and payment for the securities take place at a later date. Normally, the settlement date occurs within 45 days of the purchase. During the period between the purchase and settlement, no payment is made by the Fund to the issuer and no interest is accrued on debt securities and no dividend income is earned on equity securities. Forward commitments involve a risk of loss if the value of the security to be purchased declines prior to the settlement date. This risk is in addition to the risk of decline in value of the Fund’s other assets. Although when-issued securities may be sold prior to the settlement date, the Fund intends to purchase such securities with the purpose of actually acquiring them. At the time the Fund makes the commitment to purchase a security on a when-issued basis, it will record the transaction and reflect the value of the security in determining its net asset value. The Fund does not believe that net asset value will be adversely affected by purchases of securities on a when-issued basis.

The Fund will designate on its books or maintain in a segregated account cash and liquid securities equal in value to commitments for when-issued securities. When the time comes to pay for

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when-issued securities, the Fund will meet its obligations from then-available cash flow, sale of the segregated securities, sale of other securities or, although it would not normally expect to do so, from the sale of the when-issued securities themselves (which may have a market value greater or less than the Fund’s payment obligation).

Investment Companies and Other Pooled Investment Vehicles

The Fund may invest in other investment companies, including open-end funds, closed-end funds, unit investment trusts, and exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”) registered under the 1940 Act (“1940 Act ETFs”). Under the 1940 Act, the Fund’s investment in such securities is generally limited to 3% of the total voting stock of any one investment company; 5% of such Fund’s total assets with respect to any one investment company; and 10% of such Fund’s total assets in the aggregate. Many 1940 Act ETFs, however, have obtained exemptive relief from the SEC to permit unaffiliated funds to invest in their shares beyond these statutory limits, subject to certain conditions and pursuant to contractual arrangements between the ETFs and the investing funds. The Fund may rely on these exemptive orders in investing in 1940 Act ETFs. The Fund will only invest in other investment companies and pooled investment vehicles that invest primarily in Fund-eligible investments. The Fund’s investments in other investment companies may include government money market mutual funds. Investments in government money market funds are not subject to the percentage limitations set forth above.

ETFs in which the Fund may invest are a type of index fund bought and sold on a securities exchange. An ETF trades like common stock and represents a portfolio of securities designed to track a particular market index. ETFs can give exposure to all or a portion of the U.S. market, a foreign market, a region, a commodity, a currency, or to any other index that an ETF tracks. The risks of owning an ETF generally reflect the risks of owning the underlying securities they are designed to track, although lack of liquidity in an ETF could result in it being more volatile and ETFs have management fees that increase their costs. An ETF may fail to accurately track the returns of the market segment or index that it is designed to track, and the price of an ETF’s shares may fluctuate. In addition, because they, unlike traditional mutual funds, are traded on an exchange, ETFs are subject to the following risks: (i) the performance of the ETF may not replicate the performance of the underlying index that it is designed to track; (ii) the market price of the ETF’s shares may trade at a premium or discount to the ETF’s net asset value; (iii) an active trading market for an ETF may not develop or be maintained; and (iv) there is no assurance that the requirements of the exchange necessary to maintain the listing of the ETF will continue to be met or remain unchanged. Trading in an ETF may be halted if the trading in one or more of the ETF’s underlying securities is halted, which could result in the ETF being more volatile. In the event substantial market or other disruptions affecting ETFs should occur in the future, the liquidity and value of the Fund’s shares could also be substantially and adversely affected.

If the Fund invests in other investment companies or pooled investment vehicles, Fund shareholders will bear not only their proportionate share of the Fund’s expenses, but also, indirectly, the similar expenses of the underlying investment companies or pooled investment vehicles. Shareholders would also be exposed to the risks associated not only with the Fund, but also with the portfolio investments of the underlying investment companies or pooled investment vehicles. Shares of certain closed-end funds may at times be acquired at market prices representing premiums to their net asset values. Shares acquired at a premium to their net asset value may be more likely to subsequently decline in price, resulting in a loss to the Fund and its shareholders.

EXCHANGE LISTING AND TRADING

A discussion of exchange listing and trading matters associated with an investment in the Fund is contained in the Prospectus under “Purchase and Sale of Shares.” The discussion below supplements, and should be read in conjunction with, such section of the Prospectus.

The shares of the Fund are approved for listing and trading on the Listing Exchange, subject to notice of issuance. The Fund’s shares trade on the Listing Exchange at prices that may differ to some degree from their NAV. There can be no assurance that the requirements of the Listing Exchange necessary to maintain the listing of the Fund’s shares will continue to be met.

The Listing Exchange will consider the suspension of trading in, and will initiate delisting proceedings of, Fund shares under any of the following circumstances: (1) if any of the requirements set forth in the Listing Exchange rules are not continuously maintained; (2) if, where the Listing Exchange has filed a separate proposal under Section 19(b) of the 1940 Act, any of the statements regarding (a) the index composition; (b) the description of the Fund; (c) limitations on the Fund’s portfolio holdings or

S-16


reference assets; or (d) the applicability of the Listing Exchange listing rules specified in such proposal are not continuously maintained; (3) if, following the initial twelve-month period after the commencement of trading of the Fund on the Listing Exchange, there are fewer than 50 beneficial holders of the shares of such Fund for 30 or more consecutive trading days; (4) if the value of the Fund’s underlying index is no longer calculated or available or an interruption to the dissemination of the value of the index persists past the trading day in which it occurred or the underlying index is replaced with a new index, unless the new underlying index meets certain Listing Exchange requirements; or (5) if such other event shall occur or condition exists that, in the opinion of the Listing Exchange, makes further dealings on the Listing Exchange inadvisable. In addition, the Listing Exchange will remove the shares from listing and trading upon termination of the Trust or the Fund.

If the trading of a security held in the Fund’s Actual Portfolio is halted or otherwise does not have readily available market quotations and the Adviser believes that the lack of any such readily available market quotations may affect the reliability of the Proxy Portfolio as an arbitrage vehicle or otherwise determines it is in the best interest of the Fund, the Adviser promptly will disclose on the Fund’s website the identity and weighting of such security for so long as such security’s trading is halted or otherwise does not have readily available market quotations and remains in the Actual Portfolio. If securities representing 10% or more of the Fund’s Actual Portfolio do not have readily available market quotations, the Adviser will promptly request that the Listing Exchange halt trading in the Fund’s shares.

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

As in the case of other publicly traded securities, brokers’ commissions on transactions in Fund shares will be based on negotiated commission rates at customary levels.

The base and trading currency of the Fund is the U.S. dollar. The base currency is the currency in which the Fund’s NAV per share is calculated and the trading currency is the currency in which shares of the Fund are listed and traded on the Listing Exchange.

MANAGEMENT

The management of the Trust, including general supervision of the duties performed for the Fund by the Adviser under the Management Agreement, is the responsibility of the Board. The number of trustees of the Trust is twelve, all of whom are not interested persons (referred to herein as “independent trustees”). None of the independent trustees has ever been a trustee, director or employee of, or consultant to, the Adviser or its affiliates. The names, business addresses and years of birth of the trustees and officers of the Fund, their principal occupations and other affiliations during the past five years, the number of portfolios each trustee oversees and other directorships they hold are set forth below. Except as noted in the table below, the trustees of the Trust are directors or trustees, as the case may be, of 145 Nuveen-sponsored registered investment companies (the “Nuveen Funds”), which include 67 open-end mutual funds (the “Nuveen Mutual Funds”), 62 closed-end funds and 16 Nuveen ETFs.

S-17


             

Name, Business Address
and Year of Birth

Position(s) Held
with the Trust

Term of Office
and Length of
Time Served
with the Trust

Principal Occupation(s)
During Past Five Years

Number of
Portfolios
in Fund
Complex
Overseen by
Trustee

Other
Directorships
Held by
Trustee
During Past
Five Years

Independent Trustees:

 
           

Jack B. Evans
333 West Wacker Drive
Chicago, IL 60606
1948

Trustee

Term—Indefinite*
Length of Service—
Since 2016

Chairman (since 2019), formerly, President (1996-2019), The Hall-Perrine Foundation, (private philanthropic corporation); Life Trustee of Coe College and the Iowa College Foundation; formerly, Director, Public Member, American Board of Orthopedic Surgery (2015-2020); formerly, Director (1998-2003), Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago; formerly, President and Chief Operating Officer (1972-1995), SCI Financial Group, Inc., (regional financial services firm); formerly, Member and President Pro Tem of the Board of Regents for the State of Iowa University System (2000-2004); formerly, Director (1996-2015), The Gazette Company (media and publishing).

145

Director and Chairman (since 2009), United Fire Group, a publicly held company; formerly, Director (2000-2004), Alliant Energy.

           

William C. Hunter
333 West Wacker Drive
Chicago, IL 60606
1948

Trustee

Term—Indefinite*
Length of Service—
Since 2016

Dean Emeritus, formerly, Dean (2006-2012), Tippie College of Business, University of Iowa; Past Director (2005-2015) and past President (2010-2014) of Beta Gamma Sigma, Inc., The International Business Honor Society; formerly, Director (1997-2007), Credit Research Center at Georgetown University; formerly, Dean and Distinguished Professor of Finance, School of Business at the University of Connecticut (2003-2006); previously, Senior Vice President and Director of Research at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago (1995-2003).

145

Director (since 2009) of Wellmark, Inc.; formerly, Director (2004-2018) of Xerox Corporation.

           

Amy B.R. Lancellotta

333 West Wacker Drive

Chicago, IL 60606

1959

Trustee

Term-Indefinite*

Length of Service-Since 2021

Formerly, Managing Director, Independent Directors Council

(IDC) (supports the fund independent director community and is part of the Investment Company Institute (ICI), which represents regulated investment companies) (2006-2019); formerly, various positions with ICI (1989-2006); Member of the Board of Directors, Jewish Coalition Against Domestic Absue (JCADA) (since 2020).

145

None

           

S-18


           

Name, Business Address
and Year of Birth

Position(s) Held
with the Trust

Term of Office
and Length of
Time Served
with the Trust

Principal Occupation(s)
During Past Five Years

Number of
Portfolios
in Fund
Complex
Overseen by
Trustee

Other
Directorships
Held by
Trustee
During Past
Five Years

Name, Business Address
and Year of Birth

Position(s) Held
with the Trust

Term of Office
and Length of
Time Served
with the Trust

Principal Occupation(s)
During Past Five Years

Number of
Portfolios
in Fund
Complex
Overseen by
Trustee

Other
Directorships
Held by
Trustee
During Past
Five Years

Joanne T. Medero

333 West Wacker Drive

Chicago, IL 60606

1954

Trustee

Term-Indefinite*

Length of Service-Since 2021

Formerly, Managing Director, Government Relations and Public Policy (2009-2020) and Senior Advisor to the Vice Chairman (2018-2020), BlackRock, Inc. (global investment management firm); formerly, Managing Director, Global Head of Government Relations and Public Policy, Barclays Group (IBIM)(investment banking, investment management businesses) (2006-2009); formerly, Managing Director, Global General Counsel and Corporate Secretary, Barclays Global Investors (global investment management firm) (1996-2006); formerly, Partner, Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP (law firm) (1993-1995); formerly, General Counsel, Commodity Futures Trading Commission (government agency overseeing U.S. derivatives markets) (1989-1993); formerly, Deputy Associate Director/Associate Director for Legal and Financial Affairs, Office of Presidential Personnel, The White House (1986-1989); Member of the Board of Directors, Baltic-American Freedom Foundation (seeks to provide opportunities for citizens of the Baltic states to gain education and professional development through exchanges in the U.S.) (since 2019)

145

None

           

S-19


           

Albin F. Moschner
333 West Wacker Drive
Chicago, IL 60606
1952

Trustee

Term—Indefinite*
Length of Service—
Since 2016

Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Northcroft Partners, LLC, (management consulting), (since 2012); previously, held positions at Leap Wireless International, Inc.,(consumer wireless service) including Consultant (2011-2012), Chief Operating Officer (2008-2011) and Chief Marketing Officer (2004-2008); formerly, President, Verizon Card Services division of Verizon Communications, Inc.(telecommunications services) (2000-2003); formerly, President, One Point Services at One Point Communications (telecommunications services) (1999-2000); formerly, Vice Chairman of the Board, Diba, Incorporated (1996-1997); formerly, various executive positions (1991-1996) and Chief Executive Officer (1995-1996) of Zenith Electronics Corporation (consumer electronics).

145

Formerly, Chairman (2019), Director (2012-2019), USA Technologies, Inc., a provider of solutions and services to facilitate electronic payment transactions; formerly, Director, Wintrust Financial Corporation (1996-2016).

S-20


           

Name, Business Address
and Year of Birth

Position(s) Held
with the Trust

Term of Office
and Length of
Time Served
with the Trust

Principal Occupation(s)
During Past Five Years

Number of
Portfolios
in Fund
Complex
Overseen by
Trustee

Other
Directorships
Held by
Trustee
During Past
Five Years

           

John K. Nelson
333 West Wacker Drive
Chicago, IL 60606
1962

Trustee

Term—Indefinite*
Length of Service—
Since 2016

Member of Board of Directors of Core12 LLC,(private firm which develops branding, marketing and communications strategies for clients) (since 2008); served The President's Council of Fordham University (2010-2019) and previously a Director of the Curran Center for Catholic American Studies (2009-2018); formerly, senior external advisor to the Financial Services practice of Deloitte Consulting LLP. (2012-2014); former Chair of the Board of Trustees of Marian University (2010-2014 as trustee, 2011-2014 as Chair); formerly Chief Executive Officer of ABN AMRO Bank N.V., North America, and Global Head of the Financial Markets Division (2007-2008), with various executive leadership roles in ABN AMRO Bank N.V. between 1996 and 2007.

145

None

           

Judith M. Stockdale
333 West Wacker Drive
Chicago, IL 60606
1947

Trustee

Term—Indefinite*
Length of Service—
Since 2016

Board Member of the Land Trust Alliance (national public charity addressing natural land and water conservation in the U.S.) (since 2013); formerly, Board Member of the U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities (national endowment addressing forest health, sustainable forest production and markets, and economic health of forest-reliant communities in the U.S.) (2013-2019); formerly, Executive Director (1994-2012), Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation (private foundation endowed to support both natural land conservation and artistic vitality); prior thereto, Executive Director, Great Lakes Protection Fund (endowment created jointly by seven of the eight Great Lakes states’ Governors to take a regional approach to improving the health of the Great Lakes) (1990-1994).

145

None

S-21


           

Name, Business Address
and Year of Birth

Position(s) Held
with the Trust

Term of Office
and Length of
Time Served
with the Trust

Principal Occupation(s)
During Past Five Years

Number of
Portfolios
in Fund
Complex
Overseen by
Trustee

Other
Directorships
Held by
Trustee
During Past
Five Years

           

Carole E. Stone
333 West Wacker Drive
Chicago, IL 60606
1947

Trustee

Term—Indefinite*
Length of Service—
Since 2016

Former Director, Chicago Board Options Exchange (2006-2017) and C2 Options Exchange, Incorporated (2009-2017); formerly, Commissioner, New York State Commission on Public Authority Reform (2005-2010).

145

Formerly, Director, Cboe Global Markets, Inc. (2010-2020), (formerly named, CBOE Holdings, Inc.)

           

Matthew Thornton III
333 West Wacker Drive
Chicago, IL 60606
1958

Trustee

Term—Indefinite*
Length of Service—
Since 2020

Formerly, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer (2018-2019), FedEx Freight Corporation, a subsidiary of FedEx Corporation (“FedEx”) (provider of transportation, e-commerce and business services through its portfolio of companies); formerly, Senior Vice President, U.S. Operations (2006-2018), Federal Express Corporation, a subsidiary of FedEx; formerly, Member of the Board of Directors (2012-2018), Safe Kids Worldwide® (a non-profit organization dedicated to preventing childhood injuries).

145

Member of the Board of Directors (since 2014), The Sherwin-Williams Company (develops, manufactures, distributes and sells paints, coatings and related products); Director (since 2020), Crown Castle International (provider of communications infrastructure).

S-22


           

Name, Business Address
and Year of Birth

Position(s) Held
with the Trust

Term of Office
and Length of
Time Served
with the Trust

Principal Occupation(s)
During Past Five Years

Number of
Portfolios
in Fund
Complex
Overseen by
Trustee

Other
Directorships
Held by
Trustee
During Past
Five Years

           

Terence J. Toth
333 West Wacker Drive
Chicago, IL 60606
1959

Chair of the Board and Trustee

Term—Indefinite*
Length of Service—
Since 2016

Formerly, Co-Founding Partner, Promus Capital (investment advisory firm) (2008-2017); Director of Quality Control Corporation (manufacturing) (since 2012); formerly, Director, Fulcrum IT Service LLC (information technology services firm to government entities) (2010-2019); formerly, Director, LogicMark LLC (health services) (2012-2016); formerly, Director, Legal & General Investment Management America, Inc.(asset management) (2008-2013); formerly, CEO and President, Northern Trust Global Investments (financial services) (2004-2007); Executive Vice President, Quantitative Management & Securities Lending (2000- 2004); prior thereto, various positions with Northern Trust Company (financial services) (since 1994); Member of Catalyst Schools of Chicago Board (since 2008) and Mather Foundation Board (philanthropy) (since 2012) and is Chair of its Investment Committee; formerly, Member, Chicago Fellowship Board (philanthropy) (2005-2016); formerly, Member, Northern Trust Mutual Funds Board (2005-2007), Northern Trust Global Investments Board (2004-2007), Northern Trust Japan Board (2004-2007), Northern Trust Securities Inc. Board (2003-2007) and Northern Trust Hong Kong Board (1997-2004).

145

None

S-23


           

Name, Business Address
and Year of Birth

Position(s) Held
with the Trust

Term of Office
and Length of
Time Served
with the Trust

Principal Occupation(s)
During Past Five Years

Number of
Portfolios
in Fund
Complex
Overseen by
Trustee

Other
Directorships
Held by
Trustee
During Past
Five Years

           

Margaret L. Wolff
333 West Wacker Drive
Chicago, IL 60606
1955

Trustee

Term—Indefinite*
Length of Service—
Since 2016

Formerly, Of Counsel (2005-2014), Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP (Mergers & Acquisitions Group) (legal services); Member of the Board of Trustees of New York-Presbyterian Hospital (since 2005); Member (since 2004) and Chair (since 2015) of the Board of Trustees of The John A. Hartford Foundation (philanthropy dedicated to improving the care of older adults); formerly, Member (2005-2015) and Vice Chair (2011-2015) of the Board of Trustees of Mt. Holyoke College.

145

Formerly, Member of the Board of Directors (2013-2017) of Travelers Insurance Company of Canada and The Dominion of Canada General Insurance Company (each, a part of Travelers Canada, the Canadian operation of The Travelers Companies, Inc.).

           

Robert L. Young
333 West Wacker Drive
Chicago, IL 60606
1963

Trustee

Term—Indefinite*
Length of Service—
Since 2017

Formerly, Chief Operating Officer and Director, J.P. Morgan Investment Management Inc. (financial services) (2010-2016); formerly, President and Principal Executive Officer (2013-2016), and Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer (2005-2010), of J.P. Morgan Funds; formerly, Director and various officer positions for J.P. Morgan Investment Management Inc. (formerly, JPMorgan Funds Management, Inc. and formerly, One Group Administrative Services) and JPMorgan Distribution Services, Inc.(financial services) (formerly, One Group Dealer Services, Inc.) (1999-2017).

145

None

*  Each trustee serves an indefinite term until his or her successor is elected.

S-24


         

Name, Business Address
and Year of Birth

Position(s) Held
with the Trust

Term of Office
and Length of
Time Served
with the Trust

Principal Occupation(s)
During Past Five Years

Officers of the Trust:

 
       

Jordan M. Farris
333 West Wacker Drive
Chicago, IL 60606
1980

Chief Administrative Officer

Term—Until
August 2021
Length of Service—
Since 2019

Managing Director (since 2017), formerly, Vice President (2016-2017), Head of Product Management and Development, ETFs, Nuveen; Managing Director (since 2019), Nuveen Fund Advisors, LLC; formerly, Director, Guggenheim Funds Distributors (2013-2016).

       

Mark J. Czarniecki
901 Marquette Avenue
Minneapolis, MN 55402
1979

Vice President and Assistant Secretary

Term—Until
August 2021
Length of Service—
Since 2016

Vice President and Assistant Secretary of Nuveen Securities, LLC (since 2016) and Nuveen Fund Advisors, LLC (since 2017); Vice President and Associate General Counsel of Nuveen (since 2013); Vice President, Assistant Secretary and Associate General Counsel of Nuveen Asset Management, LLC (since 2018).

       

Diana R. Gonzalez
333 West Wacker Drive
Chicago, IL 60606
1978

Vice President and Secretary

Term—Until
August 2021
Length of Service—
Since 2017

Vice President and Assistant Secretary of Nuveen Fund Advisors, LLC (since 2017); Vice President and Associate General Counsel of Nuveen (since 2017); Associate General Counsel of Jackson National Asset Management (2012-2017).

       

Nathaniel T. Jones
333 West Wacker Drive
Chicago, IL 60606
1979

Vice President and Treasurer

Term—Until
August 2021
Length of Service—
Since 2016

Senior Managing Director (since 2021), formerly, Managing Director (2017-2021), Senior Vice President (2016-2017), formerly, Vice President (2011-2016) of Nuveen; Managing Director (since 2015) of Nuveen Fund Advisors, LLC; Chartered Financial Analyst.

       

Tina M. Lazar
333 West Wacker Drive
Chicago, IL 60606
1961

Vice President

Term—Until
August 2021
Length of Service—
Since 2016

Managing Director (since 2017), formerly, Senior Vice President (2014-2017) of Nuveen Securities, LLC.

       

Brian J. Lockhart
333 West Wacker Drive
Chicago, IL 60606
1974

Vice President

Term—Until
August 2021
Length of Service—
Since 2019

Senior Managing Director (since 2021), formerly, Managing Director (2017-2021), Vice President (2010-2017) of Nuveen, Head of Investment Oversight (since 2017), formerly, Team Leader of Manager Oversight (2015-2017); Managing Director (since 2019), Nuveen Fund Advisors, LLC; Chartered Financial Analyst and Certified Financial Risk Manager. 

       

Jacques M. Longerstaey
8500 Andrew Carnegie Blvd.
Charlotte, NC 28262
1963

Vice President

Term—Until
August 2021
Length of Service—
Since 2019

Senior Managing Director, Chief Risk Officer, Nuveen, LLC (since May 2019); Senior Managing Director (since May 2019) of Nuveen Fund Advisors, LLC; formerly, Chief Investment and Model Risk Officer, Wealth & Investment Management Division, Wells Fargo Bank (NA) (from 2013–2019).

S-25


       

Name, Business Address
and Year of Birth

Position(s) Held
with the Trust

Term of Office
and Length of
Time Served
with the Trust

Principal Occupation(s)
During Past Five Years

       

Kevin J. McCarthy
333 West Wacker Drive
Chicago, IL 60606
1966

Vice President and Assistant Secretary

Term—Until
August 2021
Length of Service—
Since 2016

Senior Managing Director (since 2017) and Secretary and General Counsel (since 2016) of Nuveen Investments, Inc., formerly, Executive Vice President (2016-2017), Managing Director and Assistant Secretary (2008-2016); Senior Managing Director (since 2017) and Assistant Secretary (since 2008) of Nuveen Securities, LLC, formerly, Executive Vice President (2016-2017) and Managing Director (2008-2016); Senior Managing Director (since 2017), Secretary (since 2016) of Nuveen Fund Advisors, LLC, formerly, Co-General Counsel (2011-2020) Executive Vice President (2016-2017), Managing Director (2008-2016) and Assistant Secretary (2007-2016); Senior Managing Director (since 2017), Secretary (since 2016) of Nuveen Asset Management, LLC, formerly, Associate General Counsel (2011-2020), Executive Vice President (2016-2017) and Managing Director and Assistant Secretary (2011-2016); Vice President (since 2007) and Secretary (since 2016) (formerly, Assistant Secretary) of NWQ Investment Management Company, LLC, Santa Barbara Asset Management, LLC, and Winslow Capital Management, LLC (since 2010); Senior Managing Director (since 2017) and Secretary (since 2016) of Nuveen Alternative Investments, LLC.

       

Jon Scott Meissner
8500 Andrew Carnegie Blvd.
Charlotte, NC 28262
1973

Vice President and Assistant Secretary

Term—Until
August 2021
Length of Service—
Since 2019

Managing Director of Mutual Fund Tax and Financial Reporting groups at Nuveen (since 2017); Managing Director (since 2019) of Nuveen Fund Advisors, LLC; Senior Director of Teachers Advisors, LLC and TIAA-CREF Investment Management, LLC (since 2016); Senior Director (since 2015) Mutual Fund Taxation to the TIAA-CREF Funds, the TIAA-CREF Life Funds, the TIAA Separate Account VA-1 and the CREF Accounts; has held various positions with TIAA since 2004.

       

Deann D. Morgan
730 Third Avenue
New York, NY 10017
1969

Vice President

Term—Until
August 2021
Length of Service—
Since 2020

President, Nuveen Fund Advisors, LLC (since November 2020); Executive Vice President, Global Head of Product at Nuveen (since November 2019); Co-Chief Executive Officer of Nuveen Securities, LLC (since 2020); Managing Member of MDR Collaboratory LLC (since 2018); Managing Director, Head of Wealth Management Product Structuring & COO Multi Asset Investing, The Blackstone Group (2013-2017).

       

Christopher M. Rohrbacher
333 West Wacker Drive
Chicago, IL 60606
1971

Vice President and Assistant Secretary

Term—Until
August 2021
Length of Service—
Since 2016

Managing Director (since 2017), formerly, Senior Vice President (2016-2017), General Counsel (since 2020) and Assistant Secretary (since 2016) of Nuveen Fund Advisors, LLC; Managing Director and Assistant Secretary (since 2017) of Nuveen Securities, LLC; Managing Director, Associate General Counsel and Assistant Secretary of Nuveen Asset Management, LLC (since 2020); Managing Director (since 2017), and Associate General Counsel (since 2016), formerly, Senior Vice President (2012-2017) and Assistant General Counsel (2008-2016) of Nuveen.

       

William A. Siffermann
333 West Wacker Drive
Chicago, IL 60606
1975

Vice President

Term—Until
August 2021
Length of Service—
Since 2017

Managing Director (since 2017), formerly Senior Vice President (2016-2017) and Vice President (2011-2016) of Nuveen.

S-26


       

Name, Business Address
and Year of Birth

Position(s) Held
with the Trust

Term of Office
and Length of
Time Served
with the Trust

Principal Occupation(s)
During Past Five Years

       

E. Scott Wickerham
8500 Andrew Carnegie Blvd.
Charlotte, NC 28262
1973

Vice President and Controller

Term—Until
August 2021
Length of Service—
Since 2019

Senior Managing Director, Head of Public Investment Finance of Nuveen (since 2019), formerly, Managing Director; Senior Managing Director (since 2019) of Nuveen Fund Advisors, LLC; Principal Financial Officer, Principal Accounting Officer and Treasurer (since 2017) of the TIAA-CREF Funds, the TIAA-CREF Life Funds, the TIAA Separate Account VA-1 and the Principal Financial Officer, Principal Accounting Officer (since 2020) and Treasurer (since 2017) to the CREF Accounts; formerly, Senior Director, TIAA-CREF Fund Administration (2014-2015); has held various positions with TIAA since 2006.

       

Mark L. Winget
333 West Wacker Drive
Chicago, IL 60606
1968

Vice President and Assistant Secretary

Term—Until
August 2021
Length of Service—
Since 2008

Vice President and Assistant Secretary of Nuveen Securities, LLC (since 2008); Vice President and Assistant Secretary of Nuveen Fund Advisors, LLC (since 2019); Vice President, Associate General Counsel and Assistant Secretary of Nuveen Asset Management, LLC (since 2020); Vice President (since 2010) and Associate General Counsel (since 2019), formerly, Assistant General Counsel (2008-2016) of Nuveen.

       

Gifford R. Zimmerman
333 West Wacker Drive
Chicago, IL 60606
1956

Vice President and Chief Compliance Officer

Term—Until
August 2021
Length of Service—
Since 2016

Formerly, Managing Director (2002-2020) and Assistant Secretary (2002-2020) of Nuveen Securities, LLC; formerly, Managing Director (2002-2020), Assistant Secretary (1997-2020) and Co-General Counsel (2011-2020) of Nuveen Fund Advisors, LLC; formerly, Managing Director (2004-2020) and Assistant Secretary (1994-2020) of Nuveen Investments, Inc.; formerly, Managing Director, Assistant Secretary and Associate General Counsel of Nuveen Asset Management, LLC (2011-2020); formerly, Vice President and Assistant Secretary of NWQ Investment Management Company, LLC, (2002-2020), Santa Barbara Asset Management, LLC (2006-2020) and Winslow Capital Management, LLC (2010-2020); Chartered Financial Analyst.

Board Leadership Structure and Risk Oversight

The Board oversees the operations and management of the Nuveen Funds, including the duties performed for the Nuveen Funds by the Adviser. The Board has adopted a unitary board structure. A unitary board consists of one group of trustees who serve on the board of every fund in the Nuveen Fund complex. In adopting a unitary board structure, the trustees seek to provide effective governance through establishing a board, the overall composition of which will, as a body, possess the appropriate skills, diversity (including, among other things, gender, race and ethnicity), independence and experience to oversee the Nuveen Funds’ business. With this overall framework in mind, when the Board, through its Nominating and Governance Committee discussed below, seeks nominees for the Board, the trustees consider, not only the candidate’s particular background, skills and experience, among other things, but also whether such background, skills and experience enhance the Board’s diversity and at the same time complement the Board given its current composition and the mix of skills and experiences of the incumbent trustees. The Nominating and Governance Committee believes that the Board generally benefits from diversity of background (including, among other things, gender, race and ethnicity), skills, experience and views among its members, and considers this a factor in evaluating the composition of the Board, but has not adopted any specific policy on diversity or any particular definition of diversity.

The Board believes the unitary board structure enhances good and effective governance, particularly given the nature of the structure of the investment company complex. Funds in the same complex generally are served by the same service providers and personnel and are governed by the same regulatory scheme which raises common issues that must be addressed by the trustees across the fund complex (such as compliance, valuation, liquidity, brokerage, trade allocation or risk management). The Board believes it is more efficient to have a single board review and oversee common policies and procedures which increases the Board’s knowledge and expertise with respect to the many aspects of

S-27


fund operations that are complex-wide in nature. The unitary structure also enhances the Board’s influence and oversight over the Adviser and other service providers.

In an effort to enhance the independence of the Board, the Board also has a chair that is an independent trustee. The Board recognizes that a chair can perform an important role in setting the agenda for the Board, establishing the boardroom culture, establishing a point person on behalf of the Board for fund management, and reinforcing the Board’s focus on the long-term interests of shareholders. The Board recognizes that a chair may be able to better perform these functions without any conflicts of interests arising from a position with fund management. Accordingly, the trustees have elected Mr. Toth to serve as the independent Chair of the Board. Specific responsibilities of the Chair include: (i) presiding at all meetings of the Board and of the shareholders; (ii) seeing that all orders and resolutions of the trustees are carried into effect; and (iii) maintaining records of and, whenever necessary, certifying all proceedings of the trustees and the shareholders.

Although the Board has direct responsibility over various matters (such as advisory contracts, underwriting contracts and fund performance), the Board also exercises certain of its oversight responsibilities through several committees that it has established and which report back to the full Board. The Board believes that a committee structure is an effective means to permit trustees to focus on particular operations or issues affecting the Nuveen Funds, including risk oversight. More specifically, with respect to risk oversight, the Board has delegated matters relating to valuation and compliance to certain committees (as summarized below) as well as certain aspects of investment risk. In addition, the Board believes that the periodic rotation of trustees among the different committees allows the trustees to gain additional and different perspectives of a Nuveen Fund’s operations. The Board has established six standing committees: the Executive Committee, the Dividend Committee, the Audit Committee, the Compliance, Risk Management and Regulatory Oversight Committee, the Nominating and Governance Committee and the Open-End Funds Committee. The Board may also from time to time create ad hoc committees to focus on particular issues as the need arises. The membership and functions of the standing committees are summarized below.

The Executive Committee, which meets between regular meetings of the Board, is authorized to exercise all of the powers of the Board. The members of the Executive Committee are Mr. Toth, Chair, Mr. Moschner, and Ms. Wolff. During the fiscal year ended October 31, 2020, the Executive Committee did not meet.

The Audit Committee assists the Board in the oversight and monitoring of the accounting and reporting policies, processes and practices of the Nuveen Funds, and the audits of the financial statements of the Nuveen Funds; the quality and integrity of the financial statements of the Nuveen Funds; the Nuveen Funds’ compliance with legal and regulatory requirements relating to the Nuveen Funds’ financial statements; the independent auditors’ qualifications, performance and independence; and the pricing procedures of the Nuveen Funds and the Adviser’s internal valuation group. It is the responsibility of the Audit Committee to select, evaluate and replace any independent auditors (subject only to Board and, if applicable, shareholder ratification) and to determine their compensation. The Audit Committee is also responsible for, among other things, overseeing the valuation of securities comprising the Nuveen Funds’ portfolios. Subject to the Board’s general supervision of such actions, the Audit Committee addresses any valuation issues, oversees the Nuveen Funds’ pricing procedures and actions taken by the Adviser’s internal valuation group which provides regular reports to the committee, reviews any issues relating to the valuation of the Nuveen Funds’ securities brought to its attention and considers the risks to the Nuveen Funds in assessing the possible resolutions to these matters. The Audit Committee may also consider any financial risk exposures for the Nuveen Funds in conjunction with performing its functions.

To fulfill its oversight duties, the Audit Committee receives annual and semi-annual reports and has regular meetings with the external auditors for the Nuveen Funds and the Adviser’s internal audit group. The Audit Committee also may review in a general manner the processes the Board or other Board committees have in place with respect to risk assessment and risk management as well as compliance with legal and regulatory matters relating to the Nuveen Funds’ financial statements. The committee operates under a written charter adopted and approved by the Board. Members of the Audit Committee shall be independent (as set forth in the charter) and free of any relationship that, in the opinion of the trustees, would interfere with their exercise of independent judgment as an Audit Committee member. The members of the Audit Committee are Ms. Stone, Chair, Mr. Evans, Dr. Hunter, Mr. Nelson, Mr. Moschner and Ms. Stockdale, each of whom is an independent trustee of the Nuveen Funds. During the fiscal year ended October 31, 2020, the Audit Committee met four times.

S-28


The Nominating and Governance Committee is responsible for seeking, identifying and recommending to the Board qualified candidates for election or appointment to the Board. In addition, the Nominating and Governance Committee oversees matters of corporate governance, including the evaluation of Board performance and processes, the assignment and rotation of committee members, and the establishment of corporate governance guidelines and procedures, to the extent necessary or desirable, and matters related thereto. Although the unitary and committee structure has been developed over the years and the Nominating and Governance Committee believes the structure has provided efficient and effective governance, the committee recognizes that as demands on the Board evolve over time (such as through an increase in the number of funds overseen or an increase in the complexity of the issues raised), the committee must continue to evaluate the Board and committee structures and their processes and modify the foregoing as may be necessary or appropriate to continue to provide effective governance. Accordingly, the Nominating and Governance Committee has a separate meeting each year to, among other things, review the Board and committee structures, their performance and functions, and recommend any modifications thereto or alternative structures or processes that would enhance the Board’s governance of the Nuveen Funds.

In addition, the Nominating and Governance Committee, among other things, makes recommendations concerning the continuing education of trustees; monitors performance of legal counsel and other service providers; establishes and monitors a process by which security holders are able to communicate in writing with members of the Board; and periodically reviews and makes recommendations about any appropriate changes to trustee compensation. In the event of a vacancy on the Board, the Nominating and Governance Committee receives suggestions from various sources, including shareholders, as to suitable candidates. Suggestions should be sent in writing to William Siffermann, Manager of Fund Board Relations, Nuveen, LLC, 333 West Wacker Drive, Chicago, IL 60606. The Nominating and Governance Committee sets appropriate standards and requirements for nominations for new trustees and reserves the right to interview any and all candidates and to make the final selection of any new trustees. In considering a candidate’s qualifications, each candidate must meet certain basic requirements, including relevant skills and experience, time availability (including the time requirements for due diligence meetings to internal and external sub-advisers and service providers) and, if qualifying as an independent trustee candidate, independence from the Adviser, the Sub-Adviser, the Distributor and other service providers, including any affiliates of these entities. These skill and experience requirements may vary depending on the current composition of the Board, since the goal is to ensure an appropriate range of skills, diversity and experience, in the aggregate. Accordingly, the particular factors considered and weight given to these factors will depend on the composition of the Board and the skills and backgrounds of the incumbent trustees at the time of consideration of the nominees. All candidates, however, must meet high expectations of personal integrity, independence, governance experience and professional competence. All candidates must be willing to be critical within the Board and with management and yet maintain a collegial and collaborative manner toward other Board members. The committee operates under a written charter adopted and approved by the Board. This committee is composed of the independent trustees of the Nuveen Funds. The members of the Nominating and Governance Committee are Mr. Toth, Chair, Mr. Evans, Dr. Hunter, Ms. Lancellotta, Ms. Medero, Mr. Moschner, Mr. Nelson, Ms. Stockdale, Ms. Stone, Mr. Thornton, Ms. Wolff and Mr. Young. During the fiscal year ended October 31, 2020, the Nominating and Governance Committee met five times.

The Dividend Committee is authorized to declare distributions on the Nuveen Funds’ shares, including, but not limited to, regular and special dividends, capital gains and ordinary income distributions. The members of the Dividend Committee are Dr. Hunter, Mr. Moschner, Ms. Wolff and Mr. Young, Chair. During the fiscal year ended October 31, 2020, the Dividend Committee met five times.

The Compliance, Risk Management and Regulatory Oversight Committee (the “Compliance Committee”) is responsible for the oversight of compliance issues, risk management and other regulatory matters affecting the Nuveen Funds that are not otherwise the jurisdiction of the other committees. The Board has adopted and periodically reviews policies and procedures designed to address the Nuveen Funds’ compliance and risk matters. As part of its duties, the Compliance Committee reviews the policies and procedures relating to compliance matters and recommends modifications thereto as necessary or appropriate to the full Board; develops new policies and procedures as new regulatory matters affecting the Nuveen Funds arise from time to time; evaluates or considers any comments or reports from examinations from regulatory authorities and responses thereto; and performs any special reviews, investigations or other oversight responsibilities relating to risk management, compliance and/or regulatory matters as requested by the Board.

S-29


In addition, the Compliance Committee is responsible for risk oversight, including, but not limited to, the oversight of risks related to investments and operations. Such risks include, among other things, exposures to particular issuers, market sectors, or types of securities; risks related to product structure elements, such as leverage; and techniques that may be used to address those risks, such as hedging and swaps. In assessing issues brought to the committee’s attention or in reviewing a particular policy, procedure, investment technique or strategy, the Compliance Committee evaluates the risks to the Nuveen Funds in adopting a particular approach compared to the anticipated benefits to the Nuveen Funds and their shareholders. In fulfilling its obligations, the Compliance Committee meets on a quarterly basis, and at least once a year in person. The Compliance Committee receives written and oral reports from the Nuveen Funds’ Chief Compliance Officer (“CCO”) and meets privately with the CCO at each of its quarterly meetings. The CCO also provides an annual report to the full Board regarding the operations of the Nuveen Funds’ and other service providers’ compliance programs as well as any recommendations for modifications thereto. The Compliance Committee also receives reports from the Adviser’s investment services group regarding various investment risks. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the full Board also participates in discussions with management regarding certain matters relating to investment risk, such as the use of leverage and hedging. The investment services group therefore also reports to the full Board at its quarterly meetings regarding, among other things, fund performance and the various drivers of such performance. Accordingly, the Board directly and/or in conjunction with the Compliance Committee oversees matters relating to investment risks. Matters not addressed at the committee level are addressed directly by the full Board. The committee operates under a written charter adopted and approved by the Board. The members of the Compliance Committee are Ms. Lancellotta, Ms. Medero, Mr. Nelson, Mr. Thornton, Mr. Toth, Ms. Wolff, Chair, and Mr. Young. During the fiscal year ended October 31, 2020, the Compliance Committee met five times.

The Open-End Funds Committee is responsible for assisting the Board in the oversight and monitoring of the Nuveen Mutual Funds and the Nuveen ETFs (collectively, the “Nuveen Open-End Funds”). The committee may review and evaluate matters related to the formation and the initial presentation to the Board of any new Nuveen Open-End Fund and may review and evaluate any matters relating to any existing Nuveen Open-End Fund. The committee operates under a written charter adopted and approved by the Board. The members of the Open-End Funds Committee are Mr. Moschner, Chair, Ms. Medero, Mr. Nelson, Ms. Stockdale, Ms. Stone, Mr. Thornton and Mr. Toth. During fiscal year ended October 31, 2020, the Open-End Funds Committee met five times.

Board Diversification and Trustee Qualifications

In determining that a particular trustee was qualified to serve on the Board, the Board has considered each trustee’s background, skills, experience and other attributes in light of the composition of the Board with no particular factor controlling. The Board believes that trustees need to have the ability to critically review, evaluate, question and discuss information provided to them, and to interact effectively with Fund management, service providers and counsel, in order to exercise effective business judgment in the performance of their duties, and the Board believes each trustee satisfies this standard. An effective trustee may achieve this ability through his or her educational background; business, professional training or practice; public service or academic positions; experience from service as a board member or executive of investment funds, public companies or significant private or not-for-profit entities or other organizations; and/or other life experiences. Accordingly, set forth below is a summary of the experiences, qualifications, attributes, and skills that led to the conclusion, as of the date of this document, that each trustee should continue to serve in that capacity. References to the experiences, qualifications, attributes and skills of trustees are pursuant to requirements of the SEC, do not constitute holding out of the Board or any trustee as having any special expertise or experience and shall not impose any greater responsibility or liability on any such person or on the Board by reason thereof.

Jack B. Evans

Mr. Evans has served as Chairman (since 2019), formerly, President (1996-2019) of the Hall-Perrine Foundation, a private philanthropic corporation. Mr. Evans was formerly President and Chief Operating Officer (1972-1995) of the SCI Financial Group, Inc., a regional financial services firm headquartered in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. He was a member of the Board of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago from 1998 to 2003 as well as a Director of Alliant Energy from 2000-2004 and President Pro Tem of the Board of Regents for the State of Iowa University System from 2000 to 2004. Mr. Evans is Chairman of the Board (since 2009) of United Fire Group, is a Life Trustee of Coe College and the Iowa College Foundation and formerly served as a Director and Public Member of the American Board of

S-30


Orthopedic Surgery from 2015 to 2020 and served on the Board of the Gazette Company from 1996 to 2015. He has a Bachelor of Arts from Coe College and a M.B.A. from the University of Iowa.

William C. Hunter

Dr. Hunter became Dean Emeritus of the Henry B. Tippie College of Business at the University of Iowa in 2012, after having served as Dean of the College since July 2006. He had been Dean and Distinguished Professor of Finance at the University of Connecticut School of Business from 2003 to 2006. From 1995 to 2003, he was the Senior Vice President and Director of Research at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago. He has held faculty positions at Emory University, Atlanta University, the University of Georgia and Northwestern University. He has consulted with numerous foreign central banks and official agencies in Europe, Asia, Central America and South America. He has been a Director of Wellmark, Inc. since 2009. He is a past Director (2005-2015) and a past President (2010-2014) of Beta Gamma Sigma, Inc., The International Business Honor Society and a past Director (2004-2018) of the Xerox Corporation. Dr. Hunter received his PhD (1978) and MBA (1970) from Northwestern University and his BS from Hampton University (1970).

Amy B.R. Lancellotta

After 30 years of service, Ms. Lancellotta retired at the end of 2019 from the Investment Company Institute (ICI), which represents regulated investment companies on regulatory, legislative and securities industry initiatives that affect funds and their shareholders. From November 2006 until her retirement, Ms. Lancellotta served as Managing Director of ICI’s Independent Directors Council (IDC), which supports fund independent directors in fulfilling their responsibilities to promote and protect the interests of fund shareholders. At IDC, Ms. Lancellotta was responsible for all ICI and IDC activities relating to the fund independent director community. In conjunction with her responsibilities, Ms. Lancellotta advised and represented IDC, ICI, independent directors and the investment company industry on issues relating to communication, governance and policy initiatives. Prior to serving as Managing Director of IDC, Ms. Lancellotta held various other positions with ICI beginning in 1989. Before joining ICI, Ms. Lancellotta was an associate at two Washington D.C. law firms. In addition, since 2020, she has been a member of the Board of Directors of the Jewish Coalition Against Domestic Abuse (JCADA), an organization that seeks to end power-based violence, empower survivors and ensure safe communities. Ms. Lancellotta received a B.A. degree from Pennsylvania State University in 1981 and a J.D. degree from the National Law Center, George Washington University (currently known as George Washington University Law School) in 1984.

Joanne T. Medero

 Ms. Medero has over 30 years of financial services experience and, most recently, from December 2009 until her retirement in July, 2020, she was a Managing Director in the Government Relations and Public Policy Group at BlackRock, Inc. (BlackRock). From July 2018 to July 2020, she was also a Senior Advisor to BlackRock’s Vice Chairman, focusing on public policy and corporate governance issues. In 1996, Ms. Medero joined Barclays Global Investors (BGI), which merged with BlackRock in 2009. At BGI, she was a Managing Director and served as Global General Counsel and Corporate Secretary until 2006. Then, from 2006 to 2009, Ms. Medero was a Managing Director and Global Head of Government Relations and Public Policy at Barclays Global Investors (BGI), which merged with BlackRock in 2009. At BGI, she was a Managing Director and served as Global General Counsel and Corporate Secretary until 2006. Then, from 2006 to 2009, Ms. Medero was a Managing Director and Global Head Government Relations and Public Policy at Barclays Group (IBIM), where she provided policy guidance and directed legislative and regulatory advocacy programs for the investment banking, investment management and wealth management businesses. Before joining BGI, Ms. Medero was a Partner at Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP from 1993 to 1995, where she specialized in derivatives and financial markets regulation issues. Additionally, she served as General Counsel of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) from 1989 to 1993 and, from 1986 to 1989, she was Deputy Associate Director/Associate Director for Legal and Financial Affairs at The White House Office of Presidential Personnel. Further, from 2006 to 2010, Ms. Medero was a member of the CFTC Global Markets Advisory Committee and she has been actively involved in financial industry associations, serving as Chair of the Steering Committee of the SIFMA (Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association) Asset Management Group (2016-2018) and Chair of the CTA (Commodity Trading Advisor), CPO (Commodity Pool Operator) and Futures Committee of the Managed Funds Association (2010-2012). Currently, Ms. Medero chairs the Corporations, Antitrust and Securities Practice Group of The Federalist Society of Law and Public Policy (since 2010 and from 2000 to 2002). In addition, since 2019, she has been a member of the Board of Directors of the Baltic-American Freedom Foundation, which

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seeks to provide opportunities for citizens of the Baltic States to gain education and professional development through exchanges in the United States. Ms. Medero received a B.A. degree from St. Lawrence University in 1975 and a J.D. degree from the National Law Center, George Washington University (currently known as George Washington University Law School) in 1978.

Albin F. Moschner

Mr. Moschner is a consultant in the wireless industry and, in July 2012, founded Northcroft Partners, LLC, a management consulting firm that provides operational, management and governance solutions. Prior to founding Northcroft Partners, LLC, Mr. Moschner held various positions at Leap Wireless International, Inc., a provider of wireless services, where he was a consultant from February 2011 to July 2012, Chief Operating Officer from July 2008 to February 2011, and Chief Marketing Officer from August 2004 to June 2008. Before he joined Leap Wireless International, Inc., Mr. Moschner was President of the Verizon Card Services division of Verizon Communications, Inc. from 2000 to 2003, and President of One Point Services at One Point Communications from 1999 to 2000. Mr. Moschner also served at Zenith Electronics Corporation as Director, President and Chief Executive Officer from 1995 to 1996, and as Director, President and Chief Operating Officer from 1994 to 1995. Mr. Moschner was Chairman of the Board (2019) and a member of the Board of Directors (2012-2019) of USA Technologies, Inc. and, from 1996 until 2016, he was a member of the Board of Directors of Wintrust Financial Corporation. In addition, he is emeritus (since 2018) of the Advisory Boards of the Kellogg School of Management (1995-2018) and the Archdiocese of Chicago Financial Council (2012-2018). Mr. Moschner received a Bachelor of Engineering degree in Electrical Engineering from The City College of New York in 1974 and a Master of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from Syracuse University in 1979.

John K. Nelson

Mr. Nelson is on the Board of Directors of Core12, LLC. (since 2008), a private firm that develops branding, marketing, and communications strategies for clients. Mr. Nelson has extensive experience in global banking and markets, having served in several senior executive positions with ABN AMRO Holdings N.V. and its affiliated entities and predecessors, including LaSalle Bank Corporation from 1996 to 2008, ultimately serving as Chief Executive Officer of ABN AMRO N.V. North America. During his tenure at the bank, he also served as Global Head of its Financial Markets Division, which encompassed the bank's Currency, Commodity, Fixed Income, Emerging Markets, and Derivatives businesses. He was a member of the Foreign Exchange Committee of the Federal Reserve Bank of the United States and during his tenure with ABN AMRO served as the bank's representative on various committees of The Bank of Canada, European Central Bank, and The Bank of England. Mr. Nelson previously served as a senior, external advisor to the financial services practice of Deloitte Consulting LLP. (2012-2014). At Fordham University, he served as a director of The President's Council (2010- 2019) and previously served as a director of The Curran Center for Catholic American Studies (2009-2018). He served as a trustee and Chairman of The Board of Trustees of Marian University (2011-2013). Mr. Nelson is a graduate of Fordham University and holds a BA in Economics (1984) and an MBA in Finance (1991).

Judith M. Stockdale

Ms. Stockdale retired in 2012 as Executive Director of the Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation, a private foundation working in land conservation and artistic vitality in the Chicago region and the Low Country of South Carolina. She is currently a board member of the Land Trust Alliance (since 2013). Her previous positions include Executive Director of the Great Lakes Protection Fund, Executive Director of Openlands, and Senior Staff Associate at the Chicago Community Trust. She has served on the Advisory Council of the National Zoological Park, the Governor’s Science Advisory Council (Illinois), and the Nancy Ryerson Ranney Leadership Grants Program. She has served on the Boards of Brushwood Center, Forefront f/k/a Donors Forum and the U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities. Ms. Stockdale, a native of the United Kingdom, has a Bachelor of Science degree in geography from the University of Durham (UK) and a Master of Forest Science degree from Yale University.

Carole E. Stone

Ms. Stone recently retired from the Board of Directors of the Cboe Global Markets, Inc. (formerly, CBOE Holdings, Inc.), having served from 2010-2020. She previously served on the Boards of the Chicago Board Options Exchange and C2 Options Exchange, Incorporated. Ms. Stone retired from the New York State Division of the Budget in 2004, having served as its Director for nearly five years and as Deputy Director from 1995 through 1999. She has also served as the Chair of the New York Racing

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Association Oversight Board, as a Commissioner on the New York State Commission on Public Authority Reform and as a member of the Boards of Directors of several New York State public authorities. Ms. Stone has a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration from Skidmore College.

Matthew Thornton III

Mr. Thornton has over 40 years of broad leadership and operating experience from his career with FedEx Corporation (“FedEx”), which, through its portfolio of companies, provides transportation, e-commerce and business services. In November 2019, Mr. Thornton retired as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of FedEx Freight Corporation (FedEx Freight), a subsidiary of FedEx, where, from May 2018 until his retirement, he had been responsible for day-to-day operations, strategic guidance, modernization of freight operations and delivering innovative customer solutions. From September 2006 to May 2018, Mr. Thornton served as Senior Vice President, U.S. Operations at Federal Express Corporation (FedEx Express), a subsidiary of FedEx. Prior to September 2006, Mr. Thornton held a range of positions of increasing responsibility with FedEx, including various management positions. In addition, Mr. Thornton currently (since 2014) serves on the Board of Directors of The Sherwin-Williams Company, where he is a member of the Audit Committee and the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee, and the Board of Directors of Crown Castle International (since 2020), where he is a member of the Strategy Committee and the Compensation Committee. Formerly (2012-2018), he was a member of the Board of Directors of Safe Kids Worldwide®, a non-profit organization dedicated to the prevention of childhood injuries. Mr. Thornton is a member (since 2014) of the Executive Leadership Council (ELC), the nation’s premier organization of global black senior executives. He is also a member of the National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD). Mr. Thornton has been recognized by Black Enterprise on its 2017 list of the Most Powerful Executives in Corporate America and by Ebony on its 2016 Power 100 list of the world’s most influential and inspiring African Americans. Mr. Thornton received a B.B.A. degree from the University of Memphis in 1980 and an M.B.A. from the University of Tennessee in 2001.

Terence J. Toth

Mr. Toth, the Nuveen Funds’ Independent Chairman, was a Co-Founding Partner of Promus Capital (2008-2017). From 2010 to 2019, he was a Director of Fulcrum IT Service LLC and from 2012 to 2016, he was a Director of LogicMark LLC. From 2008 to 2013, he was a Director of Legal & General Investment Management America, Inc. From 2004 to 2007, he was Chief Executive Officer and President of Northern Trust Global Investments, and Executive Vice President of Quantitative Management & Securities Lending from 2000 to 2004. He also formerly served on the Board of the Northern Trust Mutual Funds. He joined Northern Trust in 1994 after serving as Managing Director and Head of Global Securities Lending at Bankers Trust (1986 to 1994) and Head of Government Trading and Cash Collateral Investment at Northern Trust from 1982 to 1986. He currently serves on the Boards of Quality Control Corporation (since 2012) and Catalyst Schools of Chicago (since 2008). He is on the Mather Foundation Board (since 2012) and is the Chair of its Investment Committee. Mr. Toth graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Illinois, and received his M.B.A. from New York University. In 2005, he graduated from the CEO Perspectives Program at Northwestern University.

Margaret L. Wolff

Ms. Wolff retired from Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP in 2014 after more than 30 years of providing client service in the Mergers & Acquisitions Group. During her legal career, Ms. Wolff devoted significant time to advising boards and senior management on U.S. and international corporate, securities, regulatory and strategic matters, including governance, shareholder, fiduciary, operational and management issues. From 2013 to 2017, she was a Board member of Travelers Insurance Company of Canada and The Dominion of Canada General Insurance Company (each of which is a part of Travelers Canada, the Canadian operation of The Travelers Companies, Inc.). Ms. Wolff has been a trustee of New York-Presbyterian Hospital since 2005 and, since 2004, she has served as a trustee of The John A. Hartford Foundation (a philanthropy dedicated to improving the care of older adults) where she currently is the Chair. From 2005 to 2015, she was a trustee of Mt. Holyoke College and served as Vice Chair of the Board from 2011 to 2015. Ms. Wolff received her Bachelor of Arts from Mt. Holyoke College and her Juris Doctor from Case Western Reserve University School of Law.

Robert L. Young

Mr. Young has more than 30 years of experience in the investment management industry. From 1997 to 2017, he held various positions with J.P. Morgan Investment Management Inc. (“J.P. Morgan Investment”) and its affiliates (collectively, “J.P. Morgan”). Most recently, he served as Chief Operating Officer and Director of J.P. Morgan Investment (from 2010 to 2016) and as President and Principal

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Executive Officer of the J.P. Morgan Funds (from 2013 to 2016). As Chief Operating Officer of J.P. Morgan Investment, Mr. Young led service, administration and business platform support activities for J.P. Morgan’s domestic retail mutual fund and institutional commingled and separate account businesses, and co-led these activities for J.P. Morgan’s global retail and institutional investment management businesses. As President of the J.P. Morgan Funds, Mr. Young interacted with various service providers to these funds, facilitated the relationship between such funds and their boards, and was directly involved in establishing board agendas, addressing regulatory matters, and establishing policies and procedures. Before joining J.P. Morgan, Mr. Young, a former Certified Public Accountant (CPA), was a Senior Manager (Audit) with Deloitte & Touche LLP (formerly, Touche Ross LLP), where he was employed from 1985 to 1996. During his tenure there, he actively participated in creating, and ultimately led, the firm’s midwestern mutual fund practice. Mr. Young holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Accounting from the University of Dayton and, from 2008 to 2011, he served on the Investment Committee of its Board of Trustees.

Board Compensation

The following table shows, for each independent trustee, (1) the estimated aggregate compensation to be paid by the Fund for the fiscal period ending October 31, 2021, and (2) the total compensation paid to each trustee by the Nuveen Funds during the fiscal year ended October 31, 2020. Pursuant to the Board’s deferred compensation plan, a portion of the independent trustees’ compensation may be deferred and treated as though an equivalent dollar amount has been invested in shares of one or more eligible Nuveen Funds. The amount of total compensation that has been deferred provided below represents the total deferred fees (including the return from the assumed investment in the eligible Nuveen Funds) payable from the Fund.

                   
 

Name of Trustee

 

Estimated
Aggregate
Compensation
From Fund

 

Amount of Total
Compensation
That Has Been Deferred

 

Total
Compensation
From Nuveen
Funds Paid to
Trustee

 

Jack B. Evans 

$

   

$

0

 

$

 

William C. Hunter 

       

0

   
 

Amy B.R. Lancellotta** 

       

0

   
 

Joanne T. Medero** 

       

0

   
 

Albin F. Moschner 

       

0

   
 

John K. Nelson 

       

0

   
 

Judith M. Stockdale 

       

0

   
 

Carole E. Stone 

       

0

   
 

Matthew Thornton III* 

       

0

   
 

Terence J. Toth 

       

0

   
 

Margaret L. Wolff 

       

0

   
 

Robert L. Young 

       

0

   

* Mr. Thornton was appointed to the Board of Trustees effective November 16, 2020.

** Ms. Lancellotta and Ms. Medero were appointed to the Board of Trustees, effective June 1, 2021.

Effective January 1, 2020, independent trustees received a $195,000 annual retainer, increased to $200,000 as of January 1, 2021, plus they receive (a) a fee of $6,750 per day, increased to $7,000 per day as of January 1, 2021, for attendance in person or by telephone at regularly scheduled meetings of the Board; (b) a fee of $3,000 per meeting for attendance in person or by telephone at special, non-regularly scheduled Board meetings where in-person attendance is required and $2,000 per meeting for attendance by telephone or in person at such meetings where in-person attendance is not required; (c) a fee of $2,500 per meeting for attendance in person or by telephone at Audit Committee meetings where in-person attendance is required and $2,000 per meeting for attendance by telephone or in person at such meetings where in-person attendance is not required; (d) a fee of $5,000 per meeting for attendance in person or by telephone at Compliance, Risk Management and Regulatory Oversight Committee meetings where in-person attendance is required and $2,000 per meeting for attendance by telephone or in person at such meetings where in-person attendance is not required; (e) a fee of $1,000 per meeting for attendance in person or by telephone at Dividend Committee meetings; (f) a fee of $500 per meeting for attendance in person or by telephone at all other committee meetings ($1,000 for shareholder meetings) where in-person attendance is required and $250 per meeting for attendance by telephone or in person at such committee meetings (excluding shareholder meetings) where in-person attendance is

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not required, and $100 per meeting when the Executive Committee acts as pricing committee for IPOs, plus, in each case, expenses incurred in attending such meetings, provided that no fees are received for meetings held on days on which regularly scheduled Board meetings are held; and (g) a fee of $2,500 per meeting for attendance in person or by telephone at Open-End Funds Committee meetings where in-person attendance is required and $2,000 per meeting for attendance by telephone or in person at such meetings where in-person attendance is not required; provided that no fees are received for meetings held on days on which regularly scheduled Board meetings are held. In addition to the payments described above, the Chair of the Board receives $90,000, increased to $100,000 as of January 1, 2021, and the chairpersons of the Audit Committee, the Dividend Committee, the Compliance, Risk Management and Regulatory Oversight Committee, the Nominating and Governance Committee and the Open-End Funds Committee receive $15,000 each as additional retainers. Independent trustees also receive a fee of $3,000, increased to $3,500 per day as of January 1, 2021 for site visits to entities that provide services to the Nuveen Funds on days on which no Board meeting is held. When ad hoc committees are organized, the Nominating and Governance Committee will at the time of formation determine compensation to be paid to the members of such committee; however, in general, such fees will be $1,000 per meeting for attendance in person or by telephone at ad hoc committee meetings where in-person attendance is required and $500 per meeting for attendance by telephone or in person at such meetings where in-person attendance is not required. The annual retainer, fees and expenses are allocated among the Nuveen Funds on the basis of relative net assets, although management may, in its discretion, establish a minimum amount to be allocated to each fund. In certain instances, fees and expenses will be allocated only to those Nuveen Funds that are discussed at a given meeting. In certain circumstances, such as during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Board may hold in-person meetings by telephonic or videographic means and be compensated at the in-person rate.

The Trust does not have a retirement or pension plan. The Trust is a participant in a deferred compensation plan (the “Deferred Compensation Plan”) that permits any independent trustee to elect to defer receipt of all or a portion of his or her compensation as an independent trustee. The deferred compensation of a participating trustee is credited to a book reserve account of the participating Nuveen Funds when the compensation would otherwise have been paid to the trustee. The value of the trustee’s deferral account at any time is equal to the value that the account would have had if contributions to the account had been invested and reinvested in shares of one or more of the eligible Nuveen Funds. An independent trustee may elect to receive distributions in a lump sum or over a period of five years. No participating Nuveen Fund will be liable for any other fund’s obligations to make distributions under the Deferred Compensation Plan.

The Fund has no employees. Each officer of the Trust serves without any compensation from the Fund. The CCO’s compensation, which is composed of base salary and incentive compensation, is paid by the Adviser, with review and input by the Board. The Fund reimburses the Adviser for an allocable portion of the Adviser’s cost of the CCO’s incentive compensation.

Share Ownership

The information in the table below discloses the dollar ranges of (i) each trustee’s beneficial ownership in the Fund, and (ii) each trustee’s aggregate beneficial ownership in all Nuveen Funds, including in each case the value of fund shares elected by the trustee in the trustees’ deferred compensation plan, as of December 31, 2021, based on the value of fund shares as of that same date.

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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

Jack B. Evans 

$

0

 

Over $100,000

William C. Hunter 

$

0

 

Over $100,000

Amy B.R. Lancellotta** 

$

0

 

$0

Joanne T. Medero** 

$

0

 

$0

Albin F. Moschner 

$

0

 

Over $100,000

John K. Nelson 

$

0

 

Over $100,000

Judith M. Stockdale 

$

0

 

Over $100,000

Carole E. Stone 

$

0

 

Over $100,000

Matthew Thornton III* 

$

0

 

$0

Terence J. Toth 

$

0

 

Over $100,000

Margaret L. Wolff 

$

0

 

Over $100,000

Robert L. Young 

$

0

 

Over $100,000

*Mr. Thornton was appointed to the Board of Trustees effective November 16, 2020.

**Ms. Lancellotta and Ms. Medero were appointed to the Board of Trustees effective June 1, 2021.

As of [             ], 2021, the officers and trustees of the Trust, in the aggregate, owned less than 1% of the shares of the Fund.

As of [             ], 2021, none of the independent trustees or their immediate family members owned, beneficially, or of record, any securities in (i) an investment adviser or principal underwriter of the Fund or (ii) a person (other than a registered investment company) directly or indirectly controlling, controlled by, or under common control with an investment adviser or principal underwriter of the Fund.

SERVICE PROVIDERS

Investment Adviser

Nuveen Fund Advisors, LLC, the Fund’s investment adviser, has overall responsibility for management of the Fund, oversees the management of the Fund’s portfolio, manages the Fund’s business affairs and provides certain clerical, bookkeeping and other administrative services. In addition, the Adviser arranges for sub-advisory, transfer agency, custody, fund administration and all other non-distribution related services necessary for the Fund to operate. The Adviser is a wholly owned subsidiary of Nuveen, LLC (“Nuveen”), the investment management arm of Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association of America (“TIAA”). TIAA is a life insurance company founded in 1918 by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and is the companion organization of College Retirement Equities Fund (“CREF”). The Adviser is located at 333 West Wacker Drive, Chicago, Illinois 60606.

For the management services and facilities furnished by the Adviser under the Management Agreement, the Fund has agreed to pay an annual management fee based on a percentage of the Fund’s average daily net assets, payable monthly, at a rate set forth in the Prospectus under “Fund Management—Management Fees.” From time to time, the Adviser may waive all or a portion of its fee. The Adviser is responsible for substantially all other expenses of the Fund, except any future distribution and/or service fees, interest expenses, taxes, acquired fund fees and expenses, fees incurred in acquiring and disposing of portfolio securities, fees and expenses of the independent trustees (including any trustees’ counsel fees), certain compensation expenses of the Fund’s chief compliance officer, litigation expenses, and extraordinary expenses. Because the Fund had not commenced operations as of the date of this SAI, there were no management fees incurred during the past three fiscal year ends.

Sub-Adviser

The Adviser has selected its affiliate, Nuveen Asset Management, located at 333 West Wacker Drive, Chicago, Illinois 60606, to serve as sub-adviser of the Fund. The Adviser pays the Sub-Adviser a portfolio management fee out of the advisory fee paid to the Adviser for its services to the Fund.

As a result of their common ownership by Nuveen and, ultimately, TIAA, Nuveen Fund Advisors and Nuveen Asset Management are considered affiliated persons under common control, and the

S-36


registered investment companies managed by each are considered to be part of the same group of investment companies.

Portfolio Managers

The following individuals have primary responsibility for the day-to-day implementation of the investment strategies of the Fund.

     

Name

Title

Karen Hiatt, CFA

Managing Director

Terrence Kontos, CFA

Managing Director

Compensation

Portfolio managers are compensated through a combination of base salary and variable components consisting of (i) a cash bonus; (ii) a long-term performance award; and (iii) participation in a profits interest plan.

Base salary. A portfolio manager’s base salary is determined based upon an analysis of the portfolio manager’s general performance, experience and market levels of base pay for such position.

Cash bonus. A portfolio manager is eligible to receive an annual cash bonus that is based on three variables: risk-adjusted investment performance relative to benchmark generally measured over the most recent one, three and five year periods (unless the portfolio manager’s tenure is shorter), ranking versus Morningstar peer funds generally measured over the most recent one, three and five year periods (unless the portfolio manager’s tenure is shorter), and management and peer reviews.

Long-term performance award. A portfolio manager is eligible to receive a long-term performance award that vests after three years. The amount of the award when granted is based on the same factors used in determining the cash bonus. The value of the award at the completion of the three-year vesting period is adjusted based on the risk-adjusted investment performance of Fund(s) managed by the portfolio manager during the vesting period and the performance of the TIAA organization as a whole.

Profits interest plan. Portfolio managers are eligible to receive profits interests in Nuveen Asset Management and its affiliate, TAL, which vest over time and entitle their holders to a percentage of the firms’ annual profits. Profits interests are allocated to each portfolio manager based on such person’s overall contribution to the firms.

There are generally no differences between the methods used to determine compensation with respect to the Fund and the Other Accounts shown in the table below.

Conflicts of Interest

Actual or apparent conflicts of interest may arise when a portfolio manager has day-to-day management responsibilities with respect to more than one account. More specifically, portfolio managers who manage multiple accounts are presented a number of potential conflicts, including, among others, those discussed below.

The management of multiple accounts may result in a portfolio manager devoting unequal time and attention to the management of each account. Nuveen Asset Management seeks to manage such competing interests for the time and attention of portfolio managers by having portfolio managers focus on a particular investment discipline. Most accounts managed by a portfolio manager in a particular investment strategy are managed using the same investment models.

If a portfolio manager identifies a limited investment opportunity which may be suitable for more than one account, an account may not be able to take full advantage of that opportunity due to an allocation of filled purchase or sale orders across all eligible accounts. To deal with these situations, Nuveen Asset Management has adopted procedures for allocating limited opportunities across multiple accounts.

With respect to many of its clients’ accounts, Nuveen Asset Management determines which broker to use to execute transaction orders, consistent with its duty to seek best execution of the transaction. However, with respect to certain other accounts, Nuveen Asset Management may be limited by the client with respect to the selection of brokers or may be instructed to direct trades through a particular broker. In these cases, Nuveen Asset Management may place separate, non-simultaneous, transactions for the Fund and other accounts which may temporarily affect the market price of the security or the execution of the transaction, or both, to the detriment of the Fund or the other accounts.

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Some clients are subject to different regulations. As a consequence of this difference in regulatory requirements, some clients may not be permitted to engage in all the investment techniques or transactions or to engage in these transactions to the same extent as the other accounts managed by a portfolio manager. Finally, the appearance of a conflict of interest may arise where Nuveen Asset Management has an incentive, such as a performance-based management fee, which relates to the management of some accounts, with respect to which a portfolio manager has day-to-day management responsibilities.

Conflicts of interest may also arise when the Sub-Adviser invests one or more of its client accounts in different or multiple parts of the same issuer’s capital structure, including investments in public versus private securities, debt versus equity, or senior versus junior/subordinated debt, or otherwise where there are different or inconsistent rights or benefits. Decisions or actions such as investing, trading, proxy voting, exercising, waiving or amending rights or covenants, workout activity, or serving on a board, committee or other involvement in governance may result in conflicts of interest between clients holding different securities or investments. Generally, individual portfolio managers will seek to act in a manner that they believe serves the best interest of the accounts they manage. In cases where a portfolio manager or team faces a conflict among its client accounts, it will seek to act in a manner that it believes best reflects its overall fiduciary duty, which may result in relative advantages or disadvantages for particular accounts.

Nuveen Asset Management has adopted certain compliance procedures which are designed to address these types of conflicts common among investment managers. However, there is no guarantee that such procedures will detect each and every situation in which a conflict arises.

Other Accounts Managed by the Portfolio Managers

In addition to the Fund, as of [                    ], 2021, the portfolio managers were also primarily responsible for the day-to-day portfolio management of the following accounts:

 

           
           

Portfolio Manager

 

Type of Account Managed

 

Number
of 
Accounts

 

Assets
(millions)

 

Number of
Accounts 
with
Performance-
Based Fees

 

Assets of
Accounts 
with
Performance-
Based Fees
(millions)

 

Karen Hiatt 

Registered Investment Companies

[    ]

$[    ]

0

$0

 

Other Pooled Investment Vehicles

[    ]

[    ]

0

0

 

Other Accounts

[    ]

[    ]

0

0

Terrence Kontos 

Registered Investment Companies

[    ]

$[    ]

0

$0

 

Other Pooled Investment Vehicles

[    ]

[    ]

0

0

 

Other Accounts

[    ]

[    ]

0

0

Beneficial Ownership of Securities by the Portfolio Managers

As of the fiscal year ended October 31, 2020, the portfolio managers did not beneficially own any shares of the Fund.

Administrator, Custodian, and Transfer Agent

Brown Brothers Harriman (“BBH”), located at 50 Post Office Square, Boston, Massachusetts 02110, is the administrator, custodian and transfer agent for the Fund. As custodian, BBH performs custodial, fund accounting and portfolio accounting services.

Distributor

Nuveen Securities, LLC, 333 West Wacker Drive, Chicago, Illinois 60606, serves as the principal underwriter of the Nuveen ETFs, including the Fund, pursuant to a Distribution Agreement dated August 2, 2016 (the “Distribution Agreement”). The Distributor is an affiliate of the Adviser and a subsidiary of Nuveen. The Distributor also serves as the principal underwriter for the Nuveen Mutual Funds, and has served as co-managing underwriter for the shares of the Nuveen Closed-End Funds.

Pursuant to the Distribution Agreement, the Fund has appointed the Distributor to be its agent for the distribution of the Fund’s shares on a continuous offering basis. Shares are continuously offered for sale by the Trust through the Distributor only in Creation Units, as described in the Prospectus and below under “Purchase and Redemption of Creation Units.” Shares in less than Creation Units are not distributed by the Distributor. The Distributor will deliver the Prospectus to persons purchasing Creation Units and will maintain records of both orders placed with it and confirmations of acceptance furnished by

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it. The Distributor is a broker-dealer registered under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “1934 Act”), and a member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”). The Distributor has no role in determining the investment policies of the Trust or which securities are to be purchased or sold by the Trust.

The Adviser and/or its affiliates may make payments to broker-dealers, registered investment advisers, banks or other intermediaries (together, “intermediaries”) related to marketing activities and presentations, educational training programs, conferences, the development of technology platforms and reporting systems, data provision services, or their making shares of the Fund and certain other Nuveen ETFs available to their customers generally and in certain investment programs. Such payments, which may be significant to the intermediary, are not made by the Fund. Rather, such payments are made by the Adviser and/or its affiliates from their own resources, which come directly or indirectly in part from fees paid by the Nuveen ETF complex. Payments of this type are sometimes referred to as “revenue-sharing payments.” A financial intermediary may make decisions about which investment options it recommends or makes available, or the level of services provided, to its customers based on the payments it is eligible to receive. Therefore, such payments to an intermediary create conflicts of interest between the intermediary and its customers and may cause the intermediary to recommend the Fund or other Nuveen ETFs over another investment.

Distribution and Service Plan

The Fund has adopted a plan (the “Plan”) pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act. Rule 12b-1 provides in substance that an open-end management investment company may not engage directly or indirectly in financing any activity which is primarily intended to result in the sale of shares, except pursuant to a plan adopted under the Rule. The Plan authorizes the Fund to pay up to 0.25% in distribution fees to the Distributor. No payments pursuant to the Plan will be made during the next twelve (12) months of operation.

The Plan may be terminated at any time with respect to any class of shares, without the payment of any penalty, by a vote of a majority of the independent trustees who have no direct or indirect financial interest in the Plan or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of such class. The Plan may be renewed from year to year if approved by a vote of the Board and a vote of the independent trustees who have no direct or indirect financial interest in the Plan cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on the Plan. The Plan may be continued only if the trustees who vote to approve such continuance conclude, in the exercise of reasonable business judgment and in light of their fiduciary duties under applicable law, that there is a reasonable likelihood that the Plan will benefit the Fund and its shareholders. The Plan may not be amended to increase materially the cost which a class of shares may bear under the Plan without the approval of shareholders, and any other material amendments of the Plan must be approved by the independent trustees by a vote cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of considering such amendments. During the continuance of the Plan, the selection and nomination of the independent trustees of the Trust will be committed to the discretion of the independent trustees then in office. With the exception of the Distributor and its affiliates, no “interested person” of the Fund, as that term is defined in the 1940 Act, and no trustee of the Fund has a direct or indirect financial interest in the operation of the Plan or any related agreement.

Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

[ ] (“[ ]”), [ ], independent registered public accounting firm, has been selected as auditors for the Fund. 

Securities Lending Agent

State Street Bank and Trust Company (“State Street”) serves as the securities lending agent to the Fund. Pursuant to a Securities Lending Agreement and in accordance with procedures established by the Board of Trustees, State Street effects loans of Fund securities to any firm on a list of approved borrowers, negotiates loan terms, monitors the value of the loaned securities and collateral, requests additional collateral as necessary, manages reinvestment of collateral in a pooled cash collateral reinvestment vehicle, arranges for the return of loaned securities to the Fund, and maintains records and prepares reports regarding loans that are made and the income derived therefrom.

The Fund did not engage in securities lending transactions during the period from the inception of the securities lending program on August 14, 2020 through the end of the fiscal year on October 31, 2020. Consequently, the Fund did not earn any income or pay any fees related to securities lending activities for this period.

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CODES OF ETHICS

The Fund, the Adviser, the Sub-Adviser, the Distributor and the Board’s independent trustees have adopted codes of ethics pursuant to Rule 17j-1 under the 1940 Act and, with respect to the Adviser and the Sub-Adviser, Rule 204A-1 under the Investment Advisers Acts of 1940, as amended, addressing personal securities transactions and other conduct by investment personnel and other persons who may have access to information about the Fund's securities transactions. The codes are intended to address potential conflicts of interest that can arise in connection with personal trading activities of such persons. Persons subject to the codes are generally permitted to engage in personal securities transactions, including investing in securities eligible for investment by the Fund, subject to certain prohibitions, which may include prohibitions on investing in certain types of securities, pre-clearance requirements, blackout periods, annual and quarterly reporting of personal securities holdings and limitations on personal trading of initial public offerings. Violations of the codes are subject to review by the Board and could result in severe penalties.

PROXY VOTING POLICIES

The Fund has delegated authority to the Adviser to vote proxies for securities held by the Fund, and the Adviser has in turn delegated that responsibility to the Sub-Adviser. The Adviser’s proxy voting policy establishes minimum standards for the exercise of proxy voting authority by the Sub-Adviser.

A member of the Fund’s management team is responsible for oversight of the Fund’s proxy voting process. With regard to equity securities, Nuveen Asset Management has engaged the services of Institutional Shareholder Services Inc. (“ISS”) to make recommendations on the voting of proxies relating to securities held by the Fund and managed by the Sub-Adviser. ISS provides voting recommendations based upon established guidelines and practices. Nuveen Asset Management reviews and frequently follows ISS recommendations. However, on selected issues, the Sub-Adviser may not vote in accordance with the ISS recommendations when it believes that specific ISS recommendations are not in the best economic interest of the Fund. If the Sub-Adviser manages the assets of a company or its pension plan and any of the Sub-Adviser’s clients hold any securities of that company, the Sub-Adviser will vote proxies relating to such company’s securities in accordance with the ISS recommendations to avoid any conflict of interest. Where a material conflict of interest has been identified by the Sub-Adviser and ISS does not offer a recommendation on the matter, the Sub-Adviser shall disclose the conflict and the Sub-Adviser’s Proxy Voting Committee shall determine the manner in which to vote and notify the Fund’s Board of Trustees or its designated committee.

Although Nuveen Asset Management has affiliates that provide investment advisory, broker-dealer, insurance or other financial services, the Sub-Adviser does not receive non-public information about the business arrangements of such affiliates (except with regard to major distribution partners of its investment products) or the directors, officers and employees of such affiliates. Therefore, the Sub-Adviser is unable to consider such information when determining whether there are material conflicts of interests.

The Sub-Adviser has adopted the ISS Proxy Voting Guidelines. While these guidelines are not intended to be all-inclusive, they do provide guidance on the Sub-Adviser’s general voting policies. Please see Appendix A for the ISS United States Proxy Voting Guidelines and ISS’s website at http://www.issgovernance.com/policy-gateway/voting-policies for access to all of the current ISS Proxy Voting Guidelines.

Voted Proxies. Information regarding how the Fund voted proxies relating to portfolio securities during the most recent period ended June 30 will be available without charge by calling (800) 257-8787 or by accessing the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov.

BROKERAGE TRANSACTIONS

Decisions with respect to which securities are to be bought or sold, the total amount of securities to be bought or sold, the broker-dealer with or through which the securities transactions are to be effected and the commission rates applicable to the trades are made by Nuveen Asset Management.

In selecting a broker-dealer to execute securities transactions, Nuveen Asset Management considers the full range and quality of a broker-dealer’s services including, among other things: the value, nature and quality of any brokerage and research products and services; execution capability; commission rate; financial responsibility (including willingness to commit capital); the likelihood of price

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improvement; the speed of execution and likelihood of execution for limit orders; the ability to minimize market impact; the maintenance of the confidentiality of orders; and responsiveness of the broker-dealer. The determinative factor is not the lowest possible commission cost but whether the transaction represents the best qualitative execution for the Fund. Subject to the satisfaction of its obligation to seek best execution, another factor considered by Nuveen Asset Management in selecting a broker-dealer may include the broker-dealer’s access to initial public offerings.

For certain transactions, Nuveen Asset Management may cause the Fund to pay a broker-dealer a commission higher than that which another broker-dealer might have charged for effecting the same transaction (a practice commonly referred to as “paying up”). Nuveen Asset Management causes the Fund to pay up in recognition of the value of the brokerage and research products and services (“Research Services”) the broker-dealer provides. The broker-dealer may directly provide Research Services to the Fund or may purchase them from a third party for the Fund. In such cases, Nuveen Asset Management is in effect paying for the Research Services with client commissions – so-called “soft dollars.” Nuveen Asset Management will only cause the Fund to pay up if Nuveen Asset Management, subject to its overall duty to seek best execution, determines in good faith that the Research Services are eligible brokerage and research under Section 28(e) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the amount of the commission is reasonable in relation to the value of the Research Services provided, viewed in terms of either that particular transaction or the overall responsibilities of Nuveen Asset Management or its affiliates with respect to the managing of its accounts.

Nuveen Asset Management employs the use of commission sharing arrangements administered by its centralized equity trading desk. Under these arrangements, when Nuveen Asset Management pays a commission to an executing broker, a portion of the commission is for execution of the trade (brokerage) and a portion is for Research Services. The broker will allocate the Research Services portion of the commission to a pool of commission credits it maintains. The commission manager, at Nuveen Asset Management’s direction, pays Research Services providers for eligible research products and services. An executing broker may or may not be a Research Services provider. Nuveen Asset Management uses commission sharing arrangements to pay for both proprietary and third party Research Services. The centralized equity trading desk does not select Research Services.

Under Nuveen Asset Management’s commission sharing arrangements, Nuveen Equities (the integrated equity investment team of Nuveen Asset Management (excluding Public Real Assets) and certain affiliates) aggregates commission credits into a single pool, and allocates the Research Services among the respective Nuveen Equities investment teams based on factors such as asset size of the team’s equity strategy and the strategy’s geographic considerations. Commission credits generated by Nuveen Asset Management’s Public Real Assets accounts are aggregated into a separate pool to purchase Research Services, which generally supports the Nuveen Asset Management Public Real Assets investment team.

Research Services will not necessarily directly and specifically benefit the particular account(s) that generated the brokerage commissions used to acquire the Research Services. Research Services consist of products and services including some or all of the following: economic analysis and forecasts, financial market analysis and forecasts, industry and company specific analysis, interest rate forecasts, arbitrage relative valuation analysis of various debt securities, analytical tools for investment research and related consulting services, market data services and other services that assist in the investment decision making process, and meetings arranged by broker-dealers with corporate management teams and spokespersons, as well as industry spokespersons. Research products include written reports, computer-generated services, telephone contacts and personal meetings with securities analysts.

Nuveen Asset Management will use Research Services to benefit any client of Nuveen Asset Management or its affiliates, including the Fund, and at times the Research Services will not directly benefit the particular account(s) that generated the brokerage commissions used to acquire the Research Services. For example, Nuveen Asset Management uses clients’ equity commissions to pay for Research Services that at times will benefit other accounts of Nuveen Asset Management and its affiliates.

The Research Services that Nuveen Asset Management receives from broker-dealers supplement Nuveen Asset Management’s own research activities. As a practical matter, in some cases Nuveen Asset Management could not, on its own, generate all of the Research Services that broker-dealers provide without materially increasing its expenses. Because of the nature of soft dollar arrangements, and because of the fact that any particular Research Service may be used to service all of Nuveen Asset Management’s advisory accounts (possibly to varying degrees) or fewer than all of its

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advisory accounts, Nuveen Asset Management is unable to quantify or estimate the value of any such services attributable to a particular advisory account with any meaningful degree of accuracy.

Many of the Fund’s portfolio transactions involve payment of a brokerage commission by the applicable Fund. In some cases, transactions are with dealers or issuers who act as principal for their own accounts and not as brokers. Transactions effected on a principal basis, other than certain transactions effected on a so-called riskless principal basis, are made without the payment of brokerage commissions but at net prices which usually include a spread or markup. In effecting transactions in over-the-counter securities, the Fund typically deals with market makers unless it appears that better price and execution are available elsewhere.

It is expected that the Fund will purchase most foreign equity securities in the over-the-counter markets or stock exchanges located in the countries in which the respective principal offices of the issuers of the various securities are located if that is the best available market. The commission paid in connection with foreign stock transactions may be higher than negotiated commissions on U.S. transactions. There generally is less governmental supervision and regulation of foreign stock exchanges than in the United States. Foreign securities settlements may in some instances be subject to delays and related administrative uncertainties.

Foreign equity securities may be held in the form of depositary receipts or securities convertible into foreign equity securities. Depositary receipts may be listed on stock exchanges or traded in the over-the counter markets in the United States or overseas. The foreign and domestic debt securities and money market instruments in which the Fund may invest are generally traded in the over-the-counter markets.

The Fund does not effect any brokerage transactions in their portfolio securities with any broker or dealer affiliated directly or indirectly with the Adviser, Nuveen Asset Management or Distributor unless such transactions, including the frequency thereof, the receipt of commission payable in connection therewith, and the selection of the affiliated broker or dealer effecting such transactions are not unfair or unreasonable to the shareholders of the Fund, as determined by the Board of Directors. Any transactions with an affiliated broker or dealer must be on terms that are both at least as favorable to the Fund as the Fund can obtain elsewhere and at least as favorable as such affiliated broker or dealer normally gives to others.

When two or more clients of Nuveen Asset Management are simultaneously engaged in the purchase or sale of the same security, the prices and amounts are allocated in a manner considered by Nuveen Asset Management to be equitable to each client. In some cases, this system could have a detrimental effect on the price or volume of the security as far as each client is concerned. In other cases, however, the ability of the clients to participate in volume transactions may produce better executions for each client.

On behalf of the Fund, Nuveen Asset Management may seek to buy from or sell securities to another fund or account advised by Nuveen Asset Management or an affiliate. Nuveen Asset Management may effect purchases and sales between its clients or clients of its affiliates, including the Fund (referred to herein as “cross trades”), if it believes that such transactions are appropriate based on each party’s investment objectives and guidelines, subject to applicable law and regulation. Cross trades may give rise to potential conflicts of interest for Nuveen Asset Management. On any occasion when the Fund participates in a cross trade, the Fund will comply with procedures adopted pursuant to Rule 17a-7 under the 1940 Act and applicable SEC guidance.

The Fund has not commenced operations as of the date of this SAI and therefore did not engage in any portfolio transactions, pay commissions to brokers in return for their research services or pay brokerage commissions during the past fiscal year ended October 31, 2020.

Brokerage commissions paid by the Fund may vary substantially from year to year as a result of changing asset levels throughout the year, portfolio turnover rates, differences in shareholder purchase and redemption activity, varying market conditions and other factors.

Under the 1940 Act, the Fund may not purchase portfolio securities from any underwriting syndicate of which the Distributor is a member except under certain limited conditions set forth in Rule 10f-3. The Rule sets forth requirements relating to, among other things, the terms of a security purchased by the Fund, the amount of securities that may be purchased in any one issue and the assets of the Fund that may be invested in a particular issue. In addition, purchases of securities made pursuant to the terms

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of the Rule must be approved at least quarterly by the Board of Trustees, including a majority of the independent trustees.

DISCLOSURE OF PORTFOLIO HOLDINGS

The Proxy Portfolio

The Fund’s Proxy Portfolio holdings are publicly disseminated each day the Fund is open for business through financial reporting and news services, including publicly accessible Internet web sites. In addition, a basket composition file, which includes the security names and share quantities to deliver in exchange for Creation Units, together with estimates and actual cash components, is publicly disseminated daily prior to the opening of the NYSE Arca via the NSCC, a clearing agency that is registered with the SEC. The names and quantities of the instruments included in the basket composition file will be the same as the Fund’s Proxy Portfolio, subject to cash substitutions.

Each Business Day (as defined below), the Fund’s Proxy Portfolio holdings information is provided to the Distributor or other agent for dissemination through the facilities of the NSCC and/or other fee-based subscription services to NSCC members and/or subscribers to those other fee-based subscription services, including market makers and Authorized Participants, and to entities that publish and/or analyze such information in connection with the process of purchasing or redeeming Creation Units or trading shares of the Fund in the secondary market or evaluating such potential transactions.

The Fund’s Proxy Portfolio is published on the Fund's website at www.nuveen.com/ETF each Business Day and includes the following information for each portfolio holding in the Proxy Portfolio: (1) ticker symbol; (2) CUSIP or other identifier; (3) description of holding; (4) quantity of each security or other asset held; and (5) percentage weight of the holding in the Proxy Portfolio.

Proxy Portfolio holdings information made available in connection with the creation/redemption process may be provided to other entities that provide services to the Fund in the ordinary course of business after it has been disseminated to the NSCC. From time to time, information concerning Proxy Portfolio holdings other than Proxy Portfolio holdings information made available in connection with the creation/redemption process, as discussed above, may be provided to other entities that provide services to the Fund, including rating or ranking organizations, in the ordinary course of business, no earlier than one Business Day (as defined below) following the date of the information. The Fund, Adviser, Subadviser, Custodian and Distributor will not disseminate non-public information concerning the Fund, except: (i) to a party for a legitimate business purpose related to the day-to-day operations of the Fund or (ii) to any other party for a legitimate business or regulatory purpose, upon waiver or exception.

Actual Portfolio Distribution to the Public

The Trust has adopted policies that govern the dissemination of the Fund's portfolio holdings. Because the holdings of the Actual Portfolio are considered material, non-public information, these policies are meant to limit the disclosure of Actual Portfolio holdings and ensure equal access to such information. Neither the Fund nor their service providers may receive compensation or any other consideration (which includes any agreement to maintain assets in the Fund or in other investment companies or accounts managed by the Adviser or any affiliated person of the Adviser) in connection with the disclosure of the Fund's portfolio holdings information. The Trust’s policies are implemented and overseen by the Fund's Chief Compliance Officer, subject to Board oversight. Compliance officers of the Fund, Adviser and Sub-Adviser periodically monitor overall compliance with these policies to determine whether portfolio holdings information is disclosed in a manner consistent with these policies. Periodic reports regarding these policies will be provided to the Board.

The Trust, the Adviser and/or Sub-Adviser, and the Distributor will generally not disseminate non-public portfolio holdings information concerning the Fund. However, non-public portfolio holdings information may be provided to certain parties if approved by the Fund's Board of Trustees and/or Chief Administrative Officer or Secretary upon a determination that there is a legitimate business purpose for doing so, the disclosure is consistent with the interests of the Fund and its shareholders, and the recipient is obligated to maintain the confidentiality of the information and not misuse it.

There is no assurance that the Trust’s policies on portfolio holdings disclosure will protect the Fund from the potential misuse of portfolio holdings information by individuals or firms in possession of such information.

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BOOK ENTRY ONLY SYSTEM

The following information supplements and should be read in conjunction with the section in the Prospectus entitled “Purchase and Sale of Shares.”

The Depository Trust Company (“DTC”) acts as securities depositary for the shares. Shares of the Fund are represented by securities registered in the name of DTC or its nominee, Cede & Co., and deposited with, or on behalf of, DTC. Except in the limited circumstance provided below, certificates will not be issued for shares.

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

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

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

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

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

DTC may determine to discontinue providing its service with respect to shares at any time by giving reasonable notice to the Trust and discharging its responsibilities with respect thereto under applicable law. Under such circumstances, the Trust shall take action either to find a replacement for DTC to perform its functions or, if such a replacement is unavailable, to issue and deliver printed certificates

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representing ownership of shares, unless the Trust makes other arrangements with respect thereto satisfactory to the Listing Exchange.

CONTROL PERSONS AND PRINCIPAL HOLDERS OF SECURITIES

The Fund had not commenced operations prior to the date of this SAI and therefore did not have any beneficial owners that owned 5% or more of the outstanding voting securities as of the date of this SAI.

An Authorized Participant may hold of record more than 25% of the outstanding shares of the Fund. From time to time, Authorized Participants may be a beneficial and/or legal owner of the Fund, may be affiliated with an index provider, may be deemed to have control of the Fund and/or may be able to affect the outcome of matters presented for a vote of the shareholders of the Fund. Authorized Participants may execute an irrevocable proxy granting the Distributor or an affiliate of the Distributor (the “Agent”) power to vote or abstain from voting such Authorized Participant’s beneficially or legally owned shares of the Fund. When granted the power to vote, the Agent shall mirror vote such shares in the same proportion as all other beneficial owners of the Fund.

It is also possible that, from time to time, Nuveen or its affiliates may, subject to compliance with applicable law, purchase and hold shares of the Fund. Nuveen and its affiliates reserve the right, subject to compliance with applicable law, to sell at any time some or all of the shares of the Fund acquired for their own accounts. A large sale of shares of the Fund by Nuveen or its affiliates could significantly reduce the asset size of the Fund, which might have an adverse effect on the Fund’s market price.

PURCHASE AND REDEMPTION OF CREATION UNITS

The Fund issues and redeems shares on a continuous basis, at NAV, only in a large specified number of shares called a “Creation Unit.” Creation Units are typically purchased and redeemed in-kind, but they may also be purchased and redeemed, in whole or in part, for cash in the Adviser’s discretion. Compared to an ETF that does not use a Proxy Portfolio, the purchases and sales of securities associated with the alignment of the Proxy Portfolio with the Fund’s actual portfolio holdings during creation and redemption transactions may result in higher portfolio turnover, transaction costs and higher taxes. The Fund’s NAV is determined once each day the NYSE is open for business (a “Business Day”), as described under “Determination of Net Asset Value.”

Only Authorized Participants may purchase and redeem Creation Units directly from the Fund at NAV. To become an Authorized Participant, a firm must execute an Authorized Participant Agreement (the “Participant Agreement”) that has been agreed to by the Distributor and BBH, in a form approved by the Trust. Among other things, the Participant Agreement requires that an Authorized Participant be (i) a broker-dealer or other participant in the clearing process through the Continuous Net Settlement System of the NSCC or (ii) a DTC Participant.

The Fund issues and redeems Creation Units through the Distributor at its NAV next determined after receipt of an order in proper form on any Business Day. All orders to purchase or redeem Creation Units directly from the Fund, including non-standard orders (as defined below), must be placed in the manner and by the time specified by the Fund on each Business Day (generally, 4 p.m., Eastern time) (the “Cut-Off Time”). The date on which an order to purchase or redeem Creation Units is received in proper form and is accepted by the Distributor is referred to as the “Order Placement Date.” An order is generally considered to be in “proper form” if all procedures set forth in the Participant Agreement, the AP Handbook and this SAI are properly followed.

An Authorized Participant submitting a creation or redemption order is deemed to make certain representations to the Trust as set forth in the Participant Agreement. The Distributor reserves the right to verify these representations in its discretion. If the Authorized Participant, upon receipt of a verification request, does not provide sufficient verification of its representations as determined by the Distributor in its sole discretion, the order will not be considered to have been received in proper form and may be rejected by the Distributor.

Purchase (Creation)

Fund Deposit. The consideration for purchase of a Creation Unit of the Fund generally consists of (a) either (i) the in-kind deposit of a designated portfolio of securities (the “Deposit Securities”) per each

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Creation Unit or (ii) the cash value of the Deposit Securities (“Deposit Cash”) and (b) the Cash Component, defined and computed as described below. The names and quantities of the instruments that constitute the Deposit Securities will be the same as the Proxy Portfolio, except to the extent purchases are made entirely or partially on a cash basis. Together, the Deposit Securities or Deposit Cash, as applicable, and the Cash Component constitute the “Fund Deposit,” the value of which equals the NAV of a Creation Unit of the Fund on any given Order Placement Date. In addition to the Fund Deposit, Authorized Participants will be charged a standard fixed transaction fee and, for purchases effected in whole or in part with Deposit Cash, a variable transaction fee intended to cover the costs the Fund incurs in acquiring portfolio securities with such Deposit Cash. See “Transaction Fees” below for additional information.

The “Cash Component” is an amount equal to the difference between the NAV of the shares (per Creation Unit) and the market value of the Deposit Securities or Deposit Cash, as applicable. The Cash Component serves the function of compensating for any differences between the NAV per Creation Unit and the market value of the Deposit Securities or Deposit Cash, as applicable. The Cash Component may include a “Dividend Equivalent Payments,” which enables the Fund to make a complete distribution of dividends on the day preceding the next dividend payment date, and is an amount equal, on a per Creation Unit basis, to the dividends on all the portfolio securities of the Fund (“Dividend Securities”) with ex-dividend dates within the accumulation period for such distribution (the “Accumulation Period”), net of expenses and liabilities for such period, as if all of the Dividend Securities had been held by the Fund for the entire Accumulation Period. The Accumulation Period begins on the ex-dividend date for the Fund and ends on the day preceding the next ex-dividend date. If the Cash Component is a positive number (i.e., the NAV per Creation Unit exceeds the market value of the Deposit Securities or Deposit Cash, as applicable), the Cash Component shall be such positive amount. If the Cash Component is a negative number (i.e., the NAV per Creation Unit is less than the market value of the Deposit Securities or Deposit Cash, as applicable), the Cash Component shall be such negative amount and the Authorized Participant will be entitled to receive cash in an amount equal to the Cash Component. Computation of the Cash Component excludes any stamp duty or other similar fees and expenses payable upon transfer of beneficial ownership of the Deposit Securities, if applicable, which shall be the sole responsibility of the Authorized Participant.

BBH, through NSCC, makes available on each Business Day, prior to the opening of business on the NYSE (currently 9:30 a.m., Eastern time) (the “NYSE Open”), the list of the names and the required number of shares of each Deposit Security or the required amount of Deposit Cash, as applicable, to be included in the Fund Deposit (based on information at the end of the previous Business Day) for the Fund on such day. Such Fund Deposit is subject to any applicable adjustments, as described below, in order to effect purchases of Creation Units of the Fund until such time as the next-announced composition of the Deposit Securities or the required amount of Deposit Cash, as applicable, is made available.

The identity and number of shares of the Deposit Securities or the amount of Deposit Cash, as applicable, required for the Fund Deposit for the Fund may be changed from time to time pursuant to the changes in the composition of the Fund’s Proxy Portfolio. Information regarding the Fund Deposit necessary for the purchase of a Creation Unit is made available to Authorized Participants and other market participants seeking to transact in Creation Unit aggregations. The composition of the Deposit Securities may also change in response to rebalancing adjustments, interest payments, and corporate action events.

The Trust reserves the right to permit or require the substitution of Deposit Cash to replace any or all Deposit Securities, including, without limitation, in situations where a Deposit Security: (i) may not be available in sufficient quantity for delivery; (ii) may not be eligible for transfer through the systems of DTC for corporate securities and municipal securities or the Federal Reserve System for U.S. Treasury securities; (iii) may not be eligible for trading by an Authorized Participant or the investor for which it is acting; (iv) would be restricted under the securities laws; or (v) in certain other situations (collectively, “non-standard orders”). The Trust also reserves the right to: (i) permit or require the substitution of Deposit Securities in lieu of Deposit Cash and (ii) include or remove Deposit Securities from the Fund Deposit in anticipation of Index rebalancing changes.

Procedures for Purchase of Creation Units. Fund Deposits must be delivered by an Authorized Participant through the Federal Reserve System (for cash and U.S. government securities), through DTC (for corporate securities and municipal securities), through a subcustody agent (for foreign securities) and/or through such other arrangements allowed by the Trust or its agents. Foreign Deposit Securities must be delivered to an account maintained on behalf of the Fund at its applicable local subcustodian.

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Transfer of the Fund Deposit and all applicable transaction fees must be ordered by the Authorized Participant in a timely fashion so as to ensure delivery to the account of the Fund or its agents by no later than 3:00 p.m. Eastern time on the date on which the Creation Units are to be delivered (the “Settlement Date”), which for purchases is generally the second Business Day after the Order Placement Date. All questions as to the number of Deposit Securities or Deposit Cash to be delivered, as applicable, and the validity, form and eligibility (including time of receipt) for the deposit of any securities or cash, as applicable, will be determined by the Distributor, whose determination shall be final and binding. If the Deposit Securities or Deposit Cash, as applicable, are not received in a timely manner by the Settlement Date, the purchase order may be cancelled and the Authorized Participant shall be liable to the Fund for losses, if any, resulting therefrom. Any such cancelled order may be resubmitted the following Business Day using the Fund Deposit required for such Business Day.

Investors placing orders through an Authorized Participant should allow sufficient time to permit proper submission of the purchase order by the Cut-Off Time on such Business Day. An Authorized Participant may require an investor to make certain representations or enter into agreements with respect to the order (e.g., to provide for payments of cash, when required). Investors should be aware that their particular broker may not be an Authorized Participant, in which case orders to purchase shares directly from the Fund in Creation Units would have to be placed by the investor’s broker through an Authorized Participant. In such cases, the Authorized Participant may impose additional charges on such investor. At any given time, there may be only a limited number of Authorized Participants, and only a small number of such Authorized Participants may have international capabilities.

Except as provided below, Creation Units will not be issued until the transfer of good title to the Fund of the Deposit Securities or payment of Deposit Cash, as applicable, and the payment of the Cash Component and all applicable transaction fees have been completed. In instances where the Fund accepts Deposit Securities for the purchase of a Creation Unit, the Creation Unit may be delivered in advance of receipt by the Fund of all or a portion of the applicable Deposit Securities as described below. In these circumstances, in addition to available Deposit Securities, cash must be deposited in an amount equal to the sum of (i) the Cash Component, (ii) all applicable transaction fees and (iii) an additional amount of cash equal to a percentage of the market value, as set forth in the Participant Agreement, of the undelivered Deposit Securities (the “Cash Collateral”), which shall be maintained by BBH in a general non-interest bearing collateral account. An additional amount of cash shall be required to be deposited with the Fund, pending delivery of the missing Deposit Securities, to the extent necessary to maintain the Cash Collateral with the Fund in an amount at least equal to the applicable percentage, as set forth in the Participant Agreement, of the daily marked to market value of the missing Deposit Securities. The Fund may use such Cash Collateral to buy the missing Deposit Securities at any time. Authorized Participants will be liable to the Fund for all costs, expenses, dividends, income and taxes associated with missing Deposit Securities, including the costs incurred by the Fund in connection with any such purchases. These costs will be deemed to include the amount by which the actual purchase price of the Deposit Securities exceeds the market value of such Deposit Securities on the Order Placement Date plus the brokerage and related transaction costs associated with such purchases. The Fund will return any unused portion of the Cash Collateral once all of the missing Deposit Securities have been properly received by BBH. The delivery of Creation Units so created generally will occur no later than the Settlement Date.

The Distributor reserves the absolute right to reject a purchase order in its discretion, including, without limitation, if (a) the order is not in proper form; (b) the Deposit Securities or Deposit Cash, as applicable, delivered by the Authorized Participant do not match those disseminated through the facilities of NSCC for that date; (c) the investor(s), upon obtaining the shares ordered, would own 80% or more of the currently outstanding shares of the Fund; (d) acceptance of the Deposit Securities would have certain adverse tax consequences to the Fund; (e) the acceptance of the Fund Deposit would, in the opinion of counsel, be unlawful; (f) the acceptance of the Fund Deposit would otherwise, in the discretion of the Fund or the Adviser, have an adverse effect on the Fund or the rights of Beneficial Owners; (g) the acceptance or receipt of the order for a Creation Unit would, in the opinion of counsel to the Fund, be unlawful; or (h) in the event that circumstances outside the control of the Fund, the Distributor, BBH and/or the Adviser make it for all practical purposes not feasible to process orders for Creation Units (examples of such circumstances include acts of God or public service or utility problems such as fires, floods, extreme weather conditions and power outages resulting in telephone, telecopy and computer failures; market conditions or activities causing trading halts; systems failures involving computer or other information systems affecting the Fund, the Distributor, BBH, DTC, NSCC, Federal Reserve System, or any other participant in the creation process; and other extraordinary events). The Fund or its agents shall

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communicate to the Authorized Participant the rejection of an order. The Fund, the Distributor and BBH are under no duty, however, to give notification of any defects or irregularities in any order or in the delivery of Fund Deposits, nor shall any of them incur any liability for the failure to give any such notification. The Fund, the Distributor and BBH shall not be liable for the rejection of any purchase order for Creation Units.

Redemption

Shares may be redeemed only in Creation Units at their NAV next determined after receipt of a redemption request in proper form on a Business Day. EXCEPT UPON LIQUIDATION OF THE FUND, THE FUND WILL NOT REDEEM SHARES IN AMOUNTS LESS THAN CREATION UNITS. Investors must accumulate enough Fund shares in the secondary market to constitute a Creation Unit in order to have such shares redeemed by the Fund. There can be no assurance, however, that there will be sufficient liquidity in the public trading market at any time to permit assembly of a Creation Unit. Investors should expect to incur brokerage and other costs in connection with assembling a sufficient number of Fund shares to constitute a redeemable Creation Unit.

Redemption proceeds for a Creation Unit will be paid either in-kind or in cash, or a combination thereof, as disclosed by BBH prior to the NYSE Open. With respect to in-kind redemptions, BBH, through NSCC, makes available prior to the NYSE Open on each Business Day the list of the names and share quantities of the Fund’s portfolio securities (subject to possible amendment or correction) that will be distributed upon the receipt of redemption requests in proper form prior to the Cut-Off Time on that day (“Fund Securities”). The names and quantities of the instruments that constitute the Fund Securities received on redemption will be the same as the Proxy Portfolio, except to the extent redemptions are made entirely or partially on a cash basis. 

In connection with any in-kind redemptions, Authorized Participants will also pay or receive cash in an amount equal to the difference between the NAV of the Creation Units being redeemed and the value of the Fund Securities received (the “Cash Redemption Component”). In the event that the Fund Securities have a value greater than the NAV of the Creation Units, a Cash Redemption Component equal to the differential is required to be paid to the Fund by the Authorized Participant. In the event that the Fund Securities have a value less than the NAV of the Creation Units, a Cash Redemption Component equal to the differential will be paid by the Fund to the Authorized Participant. Notwithstanding the foregoing, at the Fund’s discretion, an Authorized Participant may receive the corresponding cash value of all or a portion of the Fund Securities.

Procedures for Redemption of Creation Units. After an order for redemption in proper form has been received, the Fund will initiate procedures to transfer the requisite Fund Securities and the Cash Redemption Component to the Authorized Participant by the Settlement Date. With respect to in-kind redemptions of the Fund, the calculation of the value of the Fund Securities and the Cash Redemption Component to be delivered upon redemption will be made by BBH according to the procedures set forth under “Determination of Net Asset Value,” computed on the Order Placement Date. Therefore, if a redemption order in proper form is submitted by an Authorized Participant by the Cut-Off Time on the Order Placement Date, and the requisite number of shares of the Fund are delivered to BBH prior to 3:00 p.m. Eastern time on the Settlement Date, then the value of the Fund Securities and the Cash Redemption Component to be delivered will be determined on such Order Placement Date. If the requisite number of shares of the Fund are not delivered by 3:00 p.m. Eastern time on the Settlement Date, the Fund will not release the Fund Securities for delivery unless collateral is posted in such percentage amount of missing shares as set forth in the Participant Agreement (marked to market daily).

In order to take delivery of Fund Securities upon redemption of Creation Units, an Authorized Participant must maintain appropriate custody arrangements with a qualified broker-dealer, bank or other custody providers in each jurisdiction in which any of the Fund Securities are customarily traded (or such other arrangements as allowed by the Fund or its agents), to which account such Fund Securities will be delivered. Deliveries of redemption proceeds generally will be made within two Business Days of the Order Placement Date. However, due to the schedule of holidays in certain countries, the different treatment among foreign and U.S. markets of dividend record dates and dividend ex-dates (that is the last date the holder of a security can sell the security and still receive dividends payable on the security sold), and in certain other circumstances, the delivery of in-kind redemption proceeds with respect to the Fund that invests in non-U.S. securities may take longer than two Business Days after the day on which the redemption request is received in proper form. In certain circumstances, intervening holidays in an applicable foreign market that are not holidays observed in the U.S. equity market may cause the Fund to take more than seven calendar days to deliver redemption proceeds. If neither the redeeming

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shareholder nor the Authorized Participant acting on behalf of such redeeming shareholder has appropriate arrangements to take delivery of the Fund securities in the applicable foreign jurisdiction and it is not possible to make other such arrangements, or if it is not possible to effect deliveries of the Fund securities in such jurisdiction, the Trust may, in its discretion, exercise its option to redeem such shares in cash, and the redeeming shareholders will be required to receive its redemption proceeds in cash.

If it is not possible to effect deliveries of the Fund Securities, the Fund may, in its sole discretion, exercise its option to redeem shares in cash, and the redeeming Authorized Participant will be required to receive its redemption proceeds in cash. In addition, an Authorized Participant may request a redemption in cash that the Fund may, in its sole discretion, permit. In either case, the Authorized Participant will receive a cash payment equal to the NAV of its shares on the Order Placement Date, minus a fixed transaction fee and an additional variable transaction fee, each as described in further detail below under “Transaction Fees,” to offset the Trust’s brokerage and other transaction costs associated with the disposition of portfolio securities necessary to fund the redemption in cash.

Redemptions of shares for Fund Securities will be subject to compliance with applicable federal and state securities laws, and the Fund (whether or not it otherwise permits cash redemptions) reserves the right to redeem Creation Units for cash to the extent that it could not lawfully deliver specific Fund Securities or could not do so without first registering the Fund Securities under such laws. An Authorized Participant (or a client for which it is acting) subject to a legal restriction with respect to a particular security included in the Fund Securities may be paid an equivalent amount of cash. The Authorized Participant may request a redeeming client to complete certain documentation with respect to such matters. Further, an Authorized Participant that is not a “qualified institutional buyer” (“QIB”), as such term is defined under Rule 144A of the 1933 Act, will not be able to receive Fund Securities that are restricted securities eligible for resale under Rule 144A. An Authorized Participant may be required by the Fund to provide a written confirmation with respect to QIB status in order to receive Fund Securities. Redemptions effected in cash will be subject to applicable transaction fees.

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

Required Early Submission of Orders

Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Fund may require orders to be placed earlier than the normal Cut-Off Time, and in certain circumstances up to 23 hours prior to the normal Cut-Off Time. Authorized Participants will be notified in the event that the Cut-Off Time for an order will be earlier than normal on any particular Business Day. Orders to purchase shares that are submitted on the Business Day immediately preceding a holiday or a day (other than a weekend) that the markets in the relevant foreign market are closed may not be accepted.

Transaction Fees

Transaction fees, as set forth in the table below, are imposed to cover transaction costs associated with the purchase or redemption of Creation Units, as applicable, including estimated trading costs of converting the Fund’s actual portfolio holdings into the Fund Securities and the costs of clearance and settlement charged to the Fund. Authorized Participants will be required to pay a fixed creation transaction fee and/or a fixed redemption transaction fee, as applicable, on a given day that does not vary with the number of Creation Units created or redeemed on that day. Additional variable transaction fees will be applied to certain creation and redemption transactions, including non-standard orders and whole or partial cash purchases or redemptions. The following table shows, as of the date of this SAI, the approximate value of one Creation Unit and the standard fixed and maximum additional variable transaction fees for creations and redemptions (as described above):

         

Approximate Value
of a Creation Unit

Creation
Unit Size

Standard
Creation/Redemption
Transaction Fee

Maximum
Additional Charge
for Creations*

Maximum
Additional Charge
for Redemptions*

$[ ]

[ ]

$[ ]

[ ]%

[ ]%

* As a percentage of the NAV per Creation Unit, inclusive, in the case of redemptions, of the standard redemption transaction fee.

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The Fund may adjust the transaction fees from time to time upon notice to Authorized Participants. The Adviser may also from time to time cover the cost of any transaction fees if it determines it is in the Fund’s best interest.

In addition, with respect to creation orders, Authorized Participants are responsible for the costs of transferring the securities constituting the Deposit Securities to the Fund and with respect to redemption orders, Authorized Participants are responsible for the costs of transferring the Fund Securities from the Fund to its account or as otherwise specified on its order. Investors who use the services of a broker or other such intermediary may also be charged a fee by such intermediary for such services.

DETERMINATION OF NET ASSET VALUE

The Fund’s NAV is determined as set forth in the Prospectus under “General Information—Net Asset Value.”

CAPITAL STOCK

The Fund issues shares of beneficial interest, par value $.01 per share. The Board has the right to establish additional series in the future, to determine the preferences, voting powers, rights and privileges thereof and to modify such preferences, voting powers, rights and privileges without shareholder approval.

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

The Trustees establish the number of Trustees and may fill vacancies on the Board, except when election of Trustees by the shareholders is required under the 1940 Act. Trustees are then elected by a plurality of votes cast by shareholders at a meeting at which a quorum is present. The Declaration also provides that Trustees may be removed, with cause, by a vote of shareholders holding at least two-thirds of the voting power of the Trust, or by a vote of two-thirds of the remaining Trustees. “Cause” requires willful misconduct, dishonesty, fraud or a felony conviction. The provisions of the Declaration relating to the election and removal of Trustees may not be amended without the approval of two-thirds of the Trustees.

Under the Declaration, by becoming a shareholder of the Fund, each shareholder is expressly held to have agreed to be bound by the provisions of the Declaration and the Trust’s By-laws. The Declaration may, except in limited circumstances, be amended by the Trustees in any respect without a shareholder vote. Shareholders may be required to disclose information on direct or indirect ownership of the Fund’s shares in order to comply with various laws applicable to the Fund or as the Trustees may determine, and ownership of the Fund’s shares may be disclosed by the Fund if so required by law or regulation. In addition, pursuant to the Declaration, the Trustees may, in their discretion, require the Trust to redeem shares held by any shareholder for any reason under terms set by the Trustees.

In order to permit legitimate inquiries and claims while avoiding the time, expense, distraction and other harm that can be caused to the Fund or its shareholders as a result of spurious shareholder claims, demands and derivative actions, the Declaration provides a detailed process for the bringing of derivative actions by shareholders, and provides that actions that are derivative in nature may not be brought directly. Consistent with applicable Massachusetts law, prior to bringing a derivative action, a demand must first be made on the Trustees. The Declaration details various information, certifications, undertakings and acknowledgements that must be included in the demand. If a majority of the Trustees who are considered independent for the purposes of considering the demand determine that maintaining the suit would not be in the best interests of the Fund, the Trustees are required to reject the demand and

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the complaining shareholder may not proceed with the derivative action unless the shareholder is able to sustain the burden of proof to a court that the decision of the Trustees not to pursue the requested action was not a good faith exercise of their business judgment on behalf of the Fund. In making such a determination, a Trustee is not considered to have a personal financial interest by virtue of being compensated for his or her services as a Trustee. If a demand is rejected, the complaining shareholder may be responsible for the Fund’s costs and expenses if a court determines that a derivative action was made without reasonable cause or for an improper purpose, if a derivative or direct action is dismissed on the basis of a failure to comply with the procedural provisions relating to shareholder actions as set forth in the Declaration or if a direct action is dismissed by a court for failure to state a claim. Any shareholder bringing an action against the Fund waives the right to trial by jury to the fullest extent permitted by law and any action commenced by a shareholder may be brought only in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts (Boston Division) or if any such action may not be brought in that court, then in the Business Litigation Session of Suffolk Superior Court in Massachusetts (the “Chosen Courts”), under the terms of the Declaration. Except as prohibited by law, if a shareholder commences an applicable action in a court other than a Chosen Court, the shareholder may be obligated to reimburse the Fund and any applicable Trustee or officer of the Fund made party to such proceeding for the costs and expenses (including attorneys’ fees) incurred in connection with any successful motion to dismiss, stay or transfer of the action.

The Declaration specifically provides, however, that no provision of the Declaration is effective to require a waiver of compliance with any provision of, or restrict any shareholder rights expressly granted by, the 1933 Act, the Securities Exchange act of 1934, as amended, or the 1940 Act, or any rule, regulation or order of the Securities and Exchange Commission thereunder. The provisions of the Declaration are severable, and if the Trustees determine, with the advice of counsel, that any such provision, in whole or in part, conflict with applicable laws and regulations, the conflicting provisions, or part or parts thereof, will be deemed to be not part of the Declaration (provided, that any such determination will not render any of the remaining provisions invalid or improper).

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

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

Shareholder inquiries may be made by writing to the Trust, c/o the Distributor, Nuveen Securities, LLC, at 333 West Wacker Drive, Chicago, Illinois 60606.

TAX MATTERS

Federal Income Tax Matters

The following discussion of certain U.S. federal income tax consequences of investing in the Fund is based on the Code, U.S. Treasury regulations, and other applicable authority, all as in effect as of the date of the filing of this SAI. These authorities are subject to change by legislative or administrative

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action, possibly with retroactive effect. The following discussion is only a summary of some of the important U.S. federal income tax considerations generally applicable to investments in the Fund. Unless you are a tax-exempt entity or your investment in the Fund is made through a tax-deferred retirement account, such as an individual retirement account, you need to be aware of the possible tax consequences when the Fund makes distributions or you sell Fund shares. There may be other tax considerations applicable to particular shareholders. Shareholders should consult their own tax advisors regarding their particular situation and the possible application of foreign, state, and local tax laws.

Qualification as a Regulated Investment Company (RIC)

The Fund has elected or intends to elect to be treated, and intends to qualify each year, as a RIC under Subchapter M of the Code. In order to qualify for the special tax treatment accorded RICs and their shareholders, the Fund must, among other things:

(a) derive at least 90% of its gross income each year from (i) dividends, interest, payments with respect to certain securities loans, gains from the sale or other disposition of stock or securities or foreign currencies, or other income (including but not limited to gains from options, futures or forward contracts) derived with respect to its business of investing in such stock, securities or currencies, and (ii) net income derived from interests in “qualified publicly traded partnerships” (as defined below);

(b) diversify its holdings so that, at the end of each quarter of its taxable year, (i) at least 50% of the market value of the Fund’s total assets consists of cash and cash items, U.S. government securities, securities of other RICs and other securities, with investments in such other securities limited with respect to any one issuer to an amount not greater than 5% of the value of the Fund’s total assets and not greater than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of such issuer, and (ii) not more than 25% of the value of the Fund’s total assets is invested, including through corporations in which the Fund owns a 20% or more voting stock interest, in (1) the securities (other than those of the U.S. government or other RICs) of any one issuer or two or more issuers that are controlled by the Fund and that are engaged in the same, similar or related trades or businesses or (2) the securities of one or more qualified publicly traded partnerships; and

(c) distribute with respect to each taxable year an amount equal to or greater than the sum of 90% of its investment company taxable income (as that term is defined in the Code without regard to the deduction for dividends paid—generally taxable ordinary income and the excess, if any, of net short-term capital gains over net long-term capital losses) and 90% of its net tax-exempt interest income.

In general, for purposes of the 90% qualifying income test described in (a) above, income derived from a partnership will be treated as qualifying income only to the extent such income is attributable to items of income of the partnership that would be qualifying income if realized directly by the Fund. However, 100% of the net income derived from an interest in a “qualified publicly traded partnership” (generally, a partnership (i) interests in which are traded on an established securities market or are readily tradable on a secondary market or the substantial equivalent thereof, and (ii) that derives less than 90% of its income from the qualifying income described in clause (a)(i) of the description of the 90% qualifying income test applicable to RICs, above) will be treated as qualifying income.

Taxation of the Fund

If the Fund qualifies for treatment as a RIC, the Fund will generally not be subject to federal income tax on income and gains that are distributed in a timely manner to its shareholders in the form of dividends. The Board reserves the right not to maintain the qualification of the Fund as a RIC if it determines such course of action to be beneficial to shareholders.

If, for any taxable year, the Fund was to fail to qualify as a RIC or was to fail to meet the distribution requirement described above, it would be taxed in the same manner as an ordinary corporation and distributions to its shareholders would not be deductible by the Fund in computing its taxable income. In addition, the Fund’s distributions, to the extent derived from the Fund’s current and accumulated earnings and profits, including any distributions of net long-term capital gains, would be taxable to shareholders as ordinary dividend income for federal income tax purposes. However, such dividends would be eligible, subject to any generally applicable limitations, (i) to be treated as qualified dividend income in the case of shareholders taxed as individuals and (ii) for the dividends-received deduction in the case of corporate shareholders. Moreover, the Fund would be required to pay out its

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earnings and profits accumulated in that year in order to qualify for treatment as a RIC in a subsequent year. Under certain circumstances, the Fund may be able to cure a failure to qualify as a RIC, but in order to do so the Fund may incur significant Fund-level taxes and may be forced to dispose of certain assets. If the Fund failed to qualify as a RIC for a period greater than two taxable years, the Fund would generally be required to recognize any net built-in gains with respect to certain of its assets upon a disposition of such assets within five years of qualifying as a RIC in a subsequent year.

The Fund intends to distribute at least annually to its shareholders substantially all of its investment company taxable income (computed without regard to the dividends-paid deduction) and net capital gain (the excess of the Fund’s net long-term capital gain over its net short-term capital loss). Investment income that is retained by the Fund will generally be subject to tax at regular corporate rates. If the Fund retains any net capital gain, that gain will be subject to tax at corporate rates, but the Fund may designate the retained amount as undistributed capital gains in a notice to its shareholders who (i) will be required to include in income for federal income tax purposes, as long-term capital gain, their shares of such undistributed amount, (ii) will be deemed to have paid their proportionate shares of the tax paid by the Fund on such undistributed amount against their federal income tax liabilities, if any, and (iii) will be entitled to claim refunds on a properly filed U.S. tax return to the extent the credit exceeds such liabilities. For federal income tax purposes, the tax basis of shares owned by a shareholder of the Fund will be increased by an amount equal to the difference between the amount of undistributed capital gains included in the shareholder’s gross income and the tax deemed paid by the shareholder.

If the Fund fails to distribute in a calendar year an amount at least equal to the sum of 98% of its ordinary income for such year and 98.2% of its capital gain net income for the one-year period ending October 31 of such year, plus any retained amount from the prior year, the Fund will be subject to a non-deductible 4% excise tax on the undistributed amount. For these purposes, the Fund will be treated as having distributed any amount on which it has been subject to corporate income tax for the taxable year ending within the calendar year. The Fund intends to declare and pay dividends and distributions in the amounts and at the times necessary to avoid the application of the 4% excise tax, although there can be no assurance that it will be able to do so. The Fund may in certain circumstances be required to liquidate Fund investments in order to make sufficient distributions to avoid federal excise tax liability at a time when the investment adviser might not otherwise have chosen to do so, and liquidation of investments in such circumstances may affect the ability of such Fund to satisfy the requirement for qualification as a RIC.

The Fund may elect to treat part or all of any “qualified late year loss” as if it had been incurred in the succeeding taxable year in determining the Fund’s taxable income, net capital gain, net short-term capital gain, and earnings and profits. The effect of this election is to treat any such “qualified late year loss” as if it had been incurred in the succeeding taxable year in characterizing Fund distributions for any calendar year. A “qualified late year loss” generally includes net capital loss, net long-term capital loss, or net short-term capital loss incurred after October 31 of the current taxable year, and certain other late-year losses.

If the Fund has a “net capital loss” (that is, capital losses in excess of capital gains), the excess of the Fund’s net short-term capital losses over its net long-term capital gains is treated as a short-term capital loss arising on the first day of the Fund’s next taxable year, and the excess (if any) of the Fund’s net long-term capital losses over its net short-term capital gains is treated as a long-term capital loss arising on the first day of the Fund’s next taxable year.

“Net capital losses” are not permitted to be deducted against a RIC’s net investment income. Instead, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, potentially subject to certain limitations, a RIC may carry net capital losses from any taxable year forward to offset capital gains in future years. The Fund is permitted to carry net capital losses forward indefinitely. To the extent subsequent capital gains are offset by such losses, they will not result in U.S. federal income tax liability to the Fund and may not be distributed as capital gains to shareholders. Generally, the Fund may not carry forward any losses other than net capital losses. The carryover of capital losses may be limited under the general loss limitation rules if the Fund experiences an ownership change as defined in the Code.

Distributions

Distributions are generally taxable whether shareholders receive them in cash or reinvest them in additional shares. Moreover, distributions on the Fund’s shares are generally subject to federal income tax as described herein to the extent they do not exceed the Fund’s realized income and gains, even though such distributions may economically represent a return of a particular shareholder’s investment.

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Investors may therefore wish to avoid purchasing shares at a time when the Fund’s NAV reflects gains that are either unrealized, or realized but not distributed. Realized income and gains must generally be distributed even when the Fund’s NAV also reflects unrealized losses.

Dividends and other distributions by the Fund are generally treated under the Code as received by the shareholders at the time the dividend or distribution is made. However, if any dividend or distribution is declared by the Fund in October, November or December of any calendar year and payable to its shareholders of record on a specified date in such a month but is actually paid during the following January, such dividend or distribution will be deemed to have been received by each shareholder on December 31 of the year in which the dividend was declared.

Distributions by the Fund of investment income are generally taxable as ordinary income. Taxes on distributions of capital gains are determined by how long the Fund owned the assets that generated those gains, rather than how long a shareholder has owned his or her Fund shares. Sales of assets held by the Fund for more than one year generally result in long-term capital gains and losses, and sales of assets held by the Fund for one year or less generally result in short-term capital gains and losses. Distributions from the Fund’s net capital gain that are properly reported by the Fund as capital gain dividends (“Capital Gain Dividends”) will be taxable as long-term capital gains. For individuals, long-term capital gains are subject to tax at a maximum tax rate currently set at 20% (lower rates apply to individuals in lower tax brackets). Distributions of gains from the sale of investments that the Fund owned for one year or less will be subject to tax at ordinary income rates.

For non-corporate shareholders, distributions of investment income reported by the Fund as derived from “qualified dividend income” will be taxed at rates of up to 20%, provided holding period and other requirements are met at both the shareholder and Fund level. In order for some portion of the dividends received by the Fund shareholder to be “qualified dividend income,” the Fund making the distribution must meet holding period and other requirements with respect to some portion of the dividend-paying stocks in its portfolio and the shareholder must meet holding period and other requirements with respect to the Fund’s shares. A dividend will not be treated as qualified dividend income (at either the Fund or shareholder level) (1) if the dividend is received with respect to any share of stock held for fewer than 61 days during the 121-day period beginning on the date that is 60 days before the date on which such share becomes ex-dividend with respect to such dividend (or, in the case of certain preferred stock, 91 days during the 181-day period beginning 90 days before the ex-dividend date), (2) to the extent that the recipient is under an obligation (whether pursuant to a short sale or otherwise) to make related payments with respect to positions in substantially similar or related property, (3) if the recipient elects to have the dividend income treated as investment income for purposes of the limitation on deductibility of investment interest, or (4) if the dividend is received from a foreign corporation that is (a) not eligible for the benefits of a comprehensive income tax treaty with the United States (with the exception of dividends paid on stock of such a foreign corporation that is readily tradable on an established securities market in the United States) or (b) treated as a passive foreign investment company. Distributions that the Fund receives from an ETF, REIT or an underlying fund taxable as a RIC will be treated as "qualified dividend income" only to the extent so reported by such ETF, REIT or underlying fund.

To the extent that the Fund makes a distribution of income received by the Fund in lieu of dividends (a “substitute payment”) with respect to securities on loan pursuant to a securities lending transaction, such income will not constitute qualified dividend income to individual shareholders and will not be eligible for the dividends received deduction for corporate shareholders.

Dividends and distributions from the Fund and capital gain on the sale of Fund shares are generally taken into account in determining a shareholder’s “net investment income” for purposes of the Medicare contribution tax applicable to certain individuals, estates and trusts.

If the Fund makes distributions in excess of the Fund’s current and accumulated earnings and profits in any taxable year, the excess distribution to each shareholder will be treated as a return of capital to the extent of the shareholder’s tax basis in its shares, and will reduce the shareholder’s tax basis in its shares. After the shareholder’s basis has been reduced to zero, any such distributions will result in a capital gain, assuming the shareholder holds his or her shares as capital assets. A reduction in a shareholder’s tax basis in its shares will reduce any loss or increase any gain on a subsequent taxable disposition by the shareholder of its shares.

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Sale or Exchange of Shares

A sale or exchange of shares in the Fund may give rise to a gain or loss. In general, any gain or loss realized upon a taxable disposition of shares and will be treated as long-term capital gain or loss if the shares have been held for more than 12 months and short-term capital gain or loss if held for 12 months or less. However, any loss realized upon a taxable disposition of shares held for six months or less will be treated as long-term, rather than short-term, to the extent of any long-term capital gain distributions received (or deemed received) by the shareholder with respect to the shares. All or a portion of any loss realized upon a taxable disposition of shares will be disallowed if substantially identical shares of the Fund are purchased within 30 days before or after the disposition. In such a case, the basis of the newly purchased shares will be adjusted to reflect the disallowed loss.

Backup Withholding

The Fund (or financial intermediaries, such as brokers, through which a shareholder holds Fund shares) generally is required to withhold and to remit to the U.S. Treasury a percentage of the taxable distributions and sale or redemption proceeds paid to any shareholder who fails to properly furnish a correct taxpayer identification number, who has under-reported dividend or interest income, or who fails to certify that he, she or it is not subject to such withholding. The backup withholding tax rate is 24%. Backup withholding is not an additional tax. Any amounts withheld may be credited against the shareholder’s U.S. federal income tax liability, provided the appropriate information is furnished to the Internal Revenue Service (the “IRS”).

Federal Tax Treatment of Certain Fund Investments

Transactions of the Fund in options, futures contracts, hedging transactions, forward contracts, swap agreements, straddles and foreign currencies may be subject to various special and complex tax rules, including mark-to-market, constructive sale, straddle, wash sale and short sale rules. These rules could affect the Fund’s ability to qualify as a RIC, affect whether gains and losses recognized by the Fund are treated as ordinary income or capital gain, accelerate the recognition of income to the Fund, and/or defer the Fund’s ability to recognize losses. These rules may in turn affect the amount, timing or character of the income distributed to shareholders by the Fund. These provisions also may require the Fund to mark to market certain types of positions in its portfolio (i.e., treat them as if they were closed out) which may cause the Fund to recognize income without receiving cash with which to make distributions in amounts necessary to satisfy the RIC distribution requirement and for avoiding excise taxes. Accordingly, in order to avoid certain income and excise taxes, the Fund may be required to liquidate its investments at a time when the investment adviser might not otherwise have chosen to do so. The Fund intends to monitor its transactions, intends to make appropriate tax elections, and intends to make appropriate entries in its books and records in order to mitigate the effect of these rules and preserve its qualification for treatment as a RIC.

The Fund is required, for federal income tax purposes, to mark to market and recognize as income for each taxable year its net unrealized gains and losses as of the end of such year on certain regulated futures contracts, foreign currency contracts and options that qualify as Section 1256 contracts in addition to the gains and losses actually realized with respect to such contracts during the year. Gain or loss from Section 1256 contracts that are required to be marked to market annually will generally be 60% long-term and 40% short-term capital gain or loss. Application of this rule may alter the timing and character of distributions to shareholders. The Fund may be required to defer the recognition of losses on futures contracts, options contracts and swaps to the extent of any unrecognized gains on offsetting positions held by the Fund. These provisions may also require the Fund to mark-to-market certain types of positions in its portfolio (i.e., treat them as if they were closed out), which may cause the Fund to recognize income without receiving cash with which to make distributions in amounts necessary to satisfy the Distribution Requirement and for avoiding the excise tax discussed above.

Foreign Investments

If the Fund acquires any equity interest in certain foreign investment entities (i) that receive at least 75% of their annual gross income from passive sources (such as interest, dividends, certain rents and royalties, or capital gains) or (ii) where at least 50% of the corporation’s assets (computed based on average fair market value) either produce or are held for the production of passive income (“passive foreign investment companies” or “PFICs”), the Fund will generally be subject to one of the following special tax regimes: (i) the Fund may be liable for U.S. federal income tax, and an additional interest charge, on a portion of any “excess distribution” from such foreign entity or any gain from the disposition of such shares, even if the entire distribution or gain is paid out by the Fund as a dividend to its

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shareholders; (ii) if the Fund were able and elected to treat a PFIC as a “qualified electing fund” or “QEF,” the Fund would be required each year to include in income, and distribute to shareholders in accordance with the distribution requirements set forth above, the Fund’s pro rata share of the ordinary earnings and net capital gains of the PFIC, whether or not such earnings or gains are distributed to the Fund; or (iii) the Fund may be entitled to mark-to-market annually shares of the PFIC, and in such event would be required to distribute to shareholders any such mark-to-market gains in accordance with the distribution requirements set forth above. The Fund intends to make the appropriate tax elections, if possible, and take any additional steps that are necessary to mitigate the effect of these rules. The Fund may limit and/or manage its holdings in passive foreign investment companies to limit its tax liability or maximize its return from these investments.

Income received by the Fund from sources within foreign countries (including, for example, dividends or interest on stock or securities of non-U.S. issuers) may be subject to withholding and other taxes imposed by such countries. Tax treaties between such countries and the U.S. may reduce or eliminate such taxes.

Tax-Exempt Shareholders

Under current law, income of a RIC that would be treated as unrelated business taxable income (“UBTI”) if earned directly by a tax-exempt entity generally will not be attributed as UBTI to a tax-exempt entity that is a shareholder in the RIC. Notwithstanding this “blocking” effect, a tax-exempt shareholder could realize UBTI by virtue of its investment in the Fund if: (i) shares in the Fund constitute debt-financed property in the hands of the tax-exempt shareholder within the meaning of Code Section 514(b), (ii) if the Fund invests in REITs that hold residual interests in REMICs, (iii) the Fund invests in a REIT that is a taxable mortgage pool (“TMP”) or in a REIT that has a subsidiary that is a TMP, or (iv) if the Fund holds residual interests in REMICs. The IRS has issued guidance with respect to these issues and prospective shareholders, especially charitable remainder trusts, are strongly encouraged to consult their tax advisors regarding these issues. The Fund is not expected to hold any REMIC interests.

Non-U.S. Investors

In general, dividends, other than Capital Gain Dividends paid by the Fund to a shareholder that is not a “U.S. person” within the meaning of the Code are subject to withholding of U.S. federal income tax at a rate of 30% (or lower applicable treaty rate) on distributions derived from taxable ordinary income. The Fund may, under certain circumstances, report all or a portion of a dividend as an “interest-related dividend” or a “short-term capital gain dividend,” which would generally be exempt from this 30% U.S. withholding tax, provided certain other requirements are met. Short-term capital gain dividends received by a nonresident alien individual who is present in the U.S. for a period or periods aggregating 183 days or more during the taxable year are not exempt from this 30% withholding tax.

A beneficial holder of shares who is a non-U.S. person is not, in general, subject to U.S. federal income tax on gains (and is not allowed a U.S. income tax deduction for losses) realized on a sale of shares of the Fund or on Capital Gain Dividends unless (i) such gain or dividend is effectively connected with the conduct of a trade or business carried on by such holder within the United States or (ii) in the case of an individual holder, the holder is present in the United States for a period or periods aggregating 183 days or more during the year of the sale or the receipt of the Capital Gain Dividend and certain other conditions are met.

Unless certain non-U.S. entities that hold Fund shares comply with IRS requirements that generally require them to report information regarding U.S. persons investing in, or holding accounts with, such entities, a 30% withholding tax may apply to Fund distributions payable to such entities and may apply to redemptions and certain capital gain dividends payable to such entities after December 31, 2018. A non-U.S. shareholder may be exempt from the withholding described in this paragraph under an applicable intergovernmental agreement between the U.S. and a foreign government, provided that the shareholder and the applicable foreign government comply with the terms of the agreement.

A beneficial holder of shares who is a non-U.S. person may be subject to state and local tax and to the U.S. federal estate tax in addition to the federal income tax consequences referred to above. If a shareholder is eligible for the benefits of a tax treaty, any income or gain effectively connected with a U.S. trade or business will generally be subject to U.S. federal income tax on a net basis only if it is also attributable to a permanent establishment maintained by the shareholder in the United States.

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Creation and Redemption of Creation Units

An Authorized Participant having the U.S. dollar as its functional currency for U.S. federal income tax purposes that exchanges securities for Creation Units generally will recognize a gain or loss equal to the difference between (i) the sum of the market value of the Creation Units at the time of the exchange and any cash received by the Authorized Participant in the exchange, and (ii) the sum of the exchanger’s aggregate basis in the securities surrendered and any cash paid for such Creation Units. Any gain or loss realized upon the creation of Creation Units will generally be treated as long-term capital gain or loss if the securities exchanged for such Creation Units have been held for more than one year and were held as capital assets in the hands of the exchanging Authorized Participant. All or a portion of any gain or loss recognized by an Authorized Participant exchanging a currency other than its functional currency for Creation Units may be treated as ordinary income or loss. A person who redeems Creation Units will generally recognize a gain or loss equal to the difference between the exchanger’s basis in the Creation Units and the sum of the aggregate U.S. dollar market value of any securities received plus the amount of any cash received for such Creation Units. The ability of Authorized Participants to receive a full or partial cash redemption of Creation Units of the Fund may limit the tax efficiency of the Fund. The IRS, however, may assert that a loss that is realized upon an exchange of securities for Creation Units may not be currently deducted under the rules governing “wash sales” (for a person who does not mark-to-market its holdings), or on the basis that there has been no significant change in economic position. All or some portion of any capital gain or loss realized upon the creation of Creation Units in exchange for securities will generally be treated as long-term capital gain or loss if securities exchanged for such Creation Units have been held for more than one year.

Any capital gain or loss realized upon the redemption of Creation Units will generally be treated as long-term capital gain or loss if the shares comprising the Creation Units have been held for more than one year. Otherwise, such capital gains or losses will be treated as short-term capital gains or losses.

Persons exchanging securities for Creation Units should consult their own tax advisors with respect to the tax treatment of any creation or redemption transaction and whether the wash sales rule applies and when a loss might be deductible.

Section 351

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

Certain Reporting Regulations

Under U.S. Treasury regulations, generally, if a shareholder recognizes a loss of $2 million or more for an individual shareholder or $10 million or more for a corporate shareholder (or certain greater amounts over a combination of years), the shareholder must file with the IRS a disclosure statement on IRS Form 8886. Direct shareholders of portfolio securities are in many cases excepted from this reporting requirement, but under current guidance, shareholders of a RIC are not excepted. Significant penalties may be imposed for the failure to comply with the reporting regulations. The fact that a loss is reportable under these regulations does not affect the legal determination of whether the taxpayer’s treatment of the loss is proper. Shareholders should consult their tax advisors to determine the applicability of these regulations in light of their individual circumstances.

Cost Basis Reporting

The cost basis of shares acquired by purchase will generally be based on the amount paid for the shares and then may be subsequently adjusted for other applicable transactions as required by the Code. The difference between the selling price and the cost basis of shares generally determines the amount of the capital gain or loss realized on the sale or exchange of shares. Contact the broker through whom you purchased your shares to obtain information with respect to the available cost basis reporting methods and elections for your account.

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Capital Loss Carry-Forward

When the Fund has a capital loss carry-forward, it does not make capital gain distributions until the loss has been offset or expired. The Fund has not commenced operations as of the date of this SAI and therefore did not have capital loss carry-forwards available for federal income tax purposes as of October 31, 2020.

General Considerations

The federal income tax discussion set forth above is for general information only. Prospective investors should consult their tax advisors regarding the specific federal income tax consequences of purchasing, holding and disposing of shares of the Fund, as well as the effect of state, local and foreign tax law and any proposed tax law changes.

DIVIDENDS AND DISTRIBUTIONS

The Fund intends to pay out dividends, if any, on an annual basis. Nonetheless, the Fund might not make a dividend payment every month. The Fund intends to distribute its net realized capital gains, if any, to investors annually. The Fund may occasionally be required to make supplemental distributions at some other time during the year. Distributions in cash may be reinvested automatically in additional whole shares only if the broker through whom you purchased shares makes such option available. Your broker is responsible for distributing the income and capital gain distributions to you.

The Trust reserves the right to declare special distributions if, in its reasonable discretion, such action is necessary or advisable to preserve the status of the Fund as a RIC or to avoid imposition of income or excise taxes on undistributed income.

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

The Fund has not commenced operations as of the date of this SAI and therefore did not have financial information to report.

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NAI-XXXXXXX-XX21P



Nushares ETF Trust

PART C—Other Information

Item 28. Exhibits.

 

(a)    (i)    Amended and Restated Declaration of Trust dated June  14, 2016 of Nushares ETF Trust (the “Registrant”). (1)
   (ii)    Registrant’s Second Amended and Restated Declaration of Trust dated July  27, 2016. (2)
   (iii)    Amended and Restated Establishment and Designation of Series dated January  10, 2019. (7)
   (iv)    Amended and Restated Establishment and Designation of Series, reflecting the addition of Nuveen Santa Barbara Dividend Growth ETF, Nuveen Small Cap Select ETF, Nuveen Winslow Large-Cap Growth ESG ETF and Nuveen ESG Dividend ETF. (13)
   (v)    Amended and Restated Establishment and Designation of Series, reflecting the addition of Nuveen Growth Opportunities ETF (14)
(b)       Registrant’s Bylaws dated June 15, 2016. (1)
(c)       Not applicable.
(d)    (i)    Management Agreement dated August  2, 2016 between the Registrant and Nuveen Fund Advisors, LLC. (2)
   (ii)    Continuance of Management Agreements dated July  30, 2019 between the Registrant and Nuveen Fund Advisors, LLC. (8)
   (iii)    Continuance of Management Agreements dated July 30, 2020 between the Registrant and Nuveen Fund Advisors, LLC. (13)
   (iv)    Revised Schedule A, amended as of September  3, 2019, to the Management Agreement dated August 2, 2016 between the Registrant and Nuveen Fund Advisors, LLC. (8)
   (v)    Revised Schedule A to the Management Agreement dated August 2, 2016 between the Registrant and Nuveen Fund Advisors, LLC, reflecting the addition of Nuveen Santa Barbara Dividend Growth ETF, Nuveen Small Cap Select ETF, Nuveen Winslow Large-Cap Growth ESG ETF, Nuveen ESG Dividend ETF and Nuveen Growth Opportunities ETF. (14)
   (vi)    Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement dated August 2, 2016 between Nuveen Fund Advisors, LLC and Teachers Advisors, LLC. (2)
   (vii)    Notice of Continuance of Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement dated July 24, 2019 between Nuveen Fund Advisors, LLC and Teachers Advisors, LLC. (8)
   (viii)    Notice of Continuance of Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement dated July  31, 2020 between Nuveen Fund Advisors, LLC and Teachers Advisors, LLC. (13)
   (ix)    Revised Schedule A, amended as of September 3, 2019, to the Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement dated August 2, 2016 between Nuveen Fund Advisors, LLC and Teachers Advisors, LLC. (8)
   (x)    Revised Schedule A to the Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement dated August 2, 2016 between Nuveen Fund Advisors, LLC and Teachers Advisors, LLC reflecting the addition of the Nuveen ESG Dividend ETF. (14)
   (xi)    Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement between Nuveen Fund Advisors, LLC and Nuveen Asset Management, LLC. (14)
   (xii)    Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement between Nuveen Fund Advisors, LLC and Santa Barbara Asset Management, LLC. (14)
   (xiii)    Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement between Nuveen Fund Advisors, LLC and Winslow Capital Management, LLC. (14)

 

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(e)    (i)    Distribution Agreement dated August  2, 2016 between the Registrant and Nuveen Securities, LLC. (3)
   (ii)    Revised Schedule A, amended as of September  3, 2019, to the Distribution Agreement dated August 2, 2016 between the Registrant and Nuveen Securities, LLC. (8)
   (iii)    Revised Schedule A to the Distribution Agreement dated August 2, 2016 between the Registrant and Nuveen Securities, LLC, reflecting the addition of Nuveen Santa Barbara Dividend Growth ETF, Nuveen Small Cap Select ETF, Nuveen Winslow Large-Cap Growth ESG ETF, Nuveen ESG Dividend ETF and Nuveen Growth Opportunities ETF. (14)
   (iv)    Renewal of Distribution Agreement dated August  9, 2019 between the Registrant and Nuveen Securities, LLC. (9)
   (v)    Renewal of Distribution Agreement dated August 7, 2020 between the Registrant and Nuveen Securities, LLC. (13)
   (vi)    Form of Authorized Participant Agreement with Nuveen Securities, LLC. (2)
(f)       Nuveen Open-End and Closed-End Funds Deferred Compensation Plan for Independent Directors and Trustees Amended and Restated effective April 27, 2017. (5)
(g)    (i)    Custodian Agreement dated August  25, 2016 between the Registrant and Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. (3)
   (ii)    Amendment and revised Appendix A, dated August  27, 2019, to the Custodian Agreement dated August 25, 2016 between the Registrant and Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. (8)
   (iii)    Revised Exhibit A: List of Accounts and Currencies, dated August  26, 2019, to the Custodian Agreement dated August 25, 2016 between the Registrant and Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. (8)
   (iv)    Amendment and Revised Appendix A to the Custodian Agreement dated August 25, 2016 between the Registrant and Brown Brothers Harriman & Co., reflecting the addition of Nuveen Santa Barbara Dividend Growth ETF, Nuveen Small Cap Select ETF, Nuveen Winslow Large-Cap Growth ESG ETF, Nuveen ESG Dividend ETF and Nuveen Growth Opportunities ETF. (14)
   (v)    Registration Document Completion Service dated March  14, 2017 between the Registrant and Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. (4)
(h)    (i)    Administrative Agency Agreement dated August  25, 2016 between the Registrant and Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. (3)
   (ii)    Amendment and revised Appendix A, dated August  26, 2019, to the Administrative Agency Agreement dated August 25, 2016 between the Registrant and Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. (8)
   (iii)    Amendment and revised Appendix A to the Administrative Agency Agreement dated August 25, 2016 between the Registrant and Brown Brothers Harriman & Co., reflecting the addition of Nuveen Santa Barbara Dividend Growth ETF, Nuveen Small Cap Select ETF, Nuveen Winslow Large-Cap Growth ESG ETF, Nuveen ESG Dividend ETF and Nuveen Growth Opportunities ETF. (14)
   (iv)    Index Sublicense Agreement dated August  26, 2016 between the Registrant and Nuveen Fund Advisors, LLC. (6)
   (v)    Revised Exhibit A, as last updated May  23, 2019, to the Index Sublicense Agreement dated August 26, 2016 between the Registrant and Nuveen Fund Advisors, LLC. (8)
(i)    (i)    Opinion and Consent of Counsel, Morgan, Lewis and Bockius LLP, relating to the Nuveen Enhanced Yield U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF, Nuveen Enhanced Yield 1-5 Year U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF, Nuveen ESG High Yield Corporate Bond ETF and Nuveen ESG U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF. (10)

 

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   (ii)    Opinion and Consent of Counsel, Morgan, Lewis and Bockius LLP, relating to the Nuveen Short-Term REIT ETF. (12)
   (iii)    Opinion and Consent of Counsel, Morgan, Lewis and Bockius LLP, relating to the Nuveen ESG Large-Cap ETF, Nuveen ESG Large-Cap Growth ETF, Nuveen ESG Large-Cap Value ETF, Nuveen ESG Mid-Cap Growth ETF, Nuveen ESG Mid-Cap Value ETF, Nuveen ESG Small-Cap ETF, Nuveen ESG International Developed Markets Equity ETF and Nuveen ESG Emerging Markets Equity ETF. (11)
   (iv)    Opinion and Consent of Counsel, Morgan, Lewis and Bockius LLP, relating to the Nuveen Santa Barbara Dividend Growth ETF, Nuveen Small Cap Select ETF and Nuveen Winslow Large-Cap Growth ESG ETF. (14)
   (v)    Opinion and Consent of Counsel, Morgan, Lewis and Bockius LLP, relating to the Nuveen ESG Dividend ETF. (14)
   (vi)    Opinion and Consent of Counsel, Morgan, Lewis and Bockius LLP, relating to the Nuveen Growth Opportunities ETF. (14)
(j)       Not applicable.
(k)       Not applicable.
(l)       Subscription Agreement dated August  26, 2016 between the Registrant and Nuveen Fund Advisors, LLC. (3)
(m)    (i)    Distribution and Service Plan. (2)
   (ii)    Revised Exhibit A, as of September  3, 2019, to the Distribution and Service Plan. (8)
   (iii)    Revised Exhibit A to the Distribution and Service Plan, reflecting the addition of Nuveen Santa Barbara Dividend Growth ETF, Nuveen Small Cap Select ETF, Nuveen Winslow Large-Cap Growth ESG ETF, Nuveen ESG Dividend ETF and Nuveen Growth Opportunities ETF. (14)
(n)       Not applicable.
(o)       Reserved.
(p)    (i)    Code of Ethics and Reporting Requirements of Nuveen (including affiliated entities) and the Nuveen Funds, as amended August 26, 2019. (9)
   (ii)    Code of Ethics for the Independent Trustees of the Nuveen Funds, as amended May  23, 2019. (9)
(q)    (i)    Powers of Attorney dated November 19, 2020. (10)
   (ii)    Powers of Attorney dated June 1, 2021. (13)

 

  (1)      Filed on June 15, 2016 with Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A and incorporated herein by reference.
  (2)      Filed on August  12, 2016 with Pre-Effective Amendment No. 1 to Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A and incorporated herein by reference.
  (3)      Filed on August  29, 2016 with Pre-Effective Amendment No. 3 to Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A and incorporated herein by reference.

 

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  (4)        Filed on March 28, 2017 with Post-Effective Amendment No.  12 to Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A and incorporated herein by reference.
  (5)        Filed on April 28, 2017 with Post-Effective Amendment No.  15 to Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A and incorporated herein by reference.
  (6)        Filed on June 2, 2017 with Post-Effective Amendment No.  18 to Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A and incorporated herein by reference.
  (7)        Filed on April 30, 2019 with Post-Effective Amendment No.  43 to Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A and incorporated herein by reference.
  (8)        Filed on September  20, 2019 with Post-Effective Amendment No. 53 to Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A and incorporated herein by reference.
  (9)        Filed on February 27, 2020 with Post-Effective Amendment No.  57 to Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A and incorporated herein by reference.
  (10)      Filed on November  27, 2020 with Post-Effective Amendment No. 61 to Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A and incorporated herein by reference.
  (11)      Filed on February  25, 2021 with Post-Effective Amendment No. 62 to Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A and incorporated herein by reference.
  (12)      Filed on April  29, 2021 with Post-Effective Amendment No. 64 to Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A and incorporated herein by reference.
  (13)      Filed herewith.
  (14)      To be filed by amendment.

Item 29. Persons Controlled by or Under Common Control with the Fund.

None.

Item 30. Indemnification.

Section 5 of Article IX of Registrant’s Declaration of Trust, as amended, provides as follows:

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

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

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

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

 

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

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

 

 

The trustees and officers of the Registrant are covered by joint errors and omissions insurance policies against liability and expenses of claims of wrongful acts arising out of their position with the Registrant and other Nuveen funds, subject to such policies’ coverage limits, exclusions and deductibles.

Insofar as the indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, (the “1933 Act”) may be permitted to the officers, directors or controlling persons of the Registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the Registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the 1933 Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the Registrant of expenses incurred or paid by an officer or director or controlling person of the Registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such officer, director or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the Registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question of whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the 1933 Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.

Item 31. Business and Other Connections of the Investment Advisor.

(a) Nuveen Fund Advisors, LLC (“Nuveen Fund Advisors”) serves as investment advisor to each series of the Registrant and serves as investment adviser or manager to other open-end and closed-end management investment companies. The principal business address for Nuveen Fund Advisors and the persons named below is 333 West Wacker Drive, Chicago, Illinois 60606.

A description of any other business, profession, vocation or employment of a substantial nature in which Nuveen Fund Advisors and each director, officer or partner of Nuveen Fund Advisors is or has been engaged within the last two fiscal years for his or her own account or in the capacity of director, officer, employee, partner or trustee is as follows.

 

C-5


Name and Position with Nuveen Fund Advisors

  

Other Business, Profession, Vocation or
Employment During Past Two Years

Oluseun Salami, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer   

Director (since 2020) NIS/R&T, Inc.; Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Nuveen Alternative Advisors LLC (since 2020), Nuveen, LLC (since 2020), Teachers Advisors, LLC (since 2020), TIAA-CREF Asset Management LLC (since 2020) and TIAA-CREF Investment Management, LLC (since 2020); Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, Business Finance and Planning (since 2020) Chief Accounting Officer (2019), Senior Vice President, Corporate Controller (2018-2020), Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association of America, Senior Vice President, Corporate Controller, College Retirement Equities Fund, TIAA Board of Overseers, TIAA Separate Account VA-1, TIAA-CREF Funds, TIAA-CREF Life Funds (2018-2020).
Megan Sendlak, Managing Director and Controller    Managing Director and Controller (since 2020) of Nuveen Alternatives Advisors LLC, Nuveen Asset Management, LLC, Nuveen Investments, Inc., Teachers Advisors, LLC and TIAA-CREF Investment Management, LLC; Managing Director and Controller (since 2020), formerly, Vice President and Corporate Accounting Director (2018-2020) of Nuveen, LLC; Managing Director and Controller (since 2021) of NIS/R&T, INC.; Vice President and Controller of NWQ Investment Management Company, LLC, Santa Barbara Asset Management, LLC and Winslow Capital Management, LLC.
Michael A. Perry, Executive Vice President    Co-Chief Executive Officer (since April 2019), formerly, Executive Vice President (2017-2019); formerly, Managing Director (2015-2017) of Nuveen Securities; and Executive Vice President (since 2017) of Nuveen Alternative Investments, LLC.
Erik Mogavero, Managing Director and Chief Compliance Officer   

Formerly employed by Deutsche Bank (2013-2017) as Managing Director, Head of Asset Management and Wealth Management Compliance for the Americas region and Chief Compliance Officer of Deutsche Investment Management Americas.

(b) Nuveen Asset Management, LLC (“Nuveen Asset Management”) serves as sub-adviser to the Registrant’s Nuveen Small Cap Select ETF. Nuveen Asset Management is an SEC-registered investment adviser located at 333 West Wacker Drive, Chicago, Illinois 60606.

 

C-6


A description of any other business, profession, vocation or employment of a substantial nature in which Nuveen Asset Management and each director, officer or partner of Nuveen Asset Management is or has been engaged within the last two fiscal years for his or her own account or in the capacity of director, officer, employee, partner or trustee is as follows.

 

Name and Position with Nuveen Asset Management

  

Other Business, Profession, Vocation or
Employment During Past Two Years

William T. Huffman, President    Executive Vice President (since 2020) of Nuveen Securities, LLC and Nuveen, LLC; President, Nuveen Investments, Inc. (since 2020), Teachers Advisors, LLC and TIAA-CREF Investment Management, LLC (since 2019); Senior Managing Director (since 2019) of Nuveen Alternative Advisors LLC; Chairman (since 2019) of Churchill Asset Management LLC.
Stuart J. Cohen, Managing Director and Head of Legal and Assistant Secretary   

Managing Director and Assistant Secretary (since 2002) of Nuveen Securities, LLC; Managing Director (since 2007) and Assistant Secretary (since 2003) of Nuveen Fund Advisors, LLC; Vice President (since 2007) and Assistant Secretary (since 2006) of Santa Barbara Asset Management, LLC; Vice President and Assistant Secretary (since 2008) of Winslow Capital Management, LLC.
Travis M. Pauley, Managing Director and Chief Compliance Officer   

Regional Head of Compliance and Regulatory Legal (2013-2020) of AXA Investment Managers.
Megan Sendlak, Managing Director and Controller    Managing Director and Controller (since 2020) of Nuveen Alternatives Advisors LLC, Nuveen Investments, Inc., Nuveen Fund Advisors, LLC, Teachers Advisors, LLC and TIAA-CREF Investment Management, LLC; Managing Director and Controller (since 2020), formerly, Vice President and Corporate Accounting Director (2018-2020) of Nuveen, LLC; Managing Director and Controller (since 2021) of NIS/R&T, INC., Vice President and Controller of NWQ Investment Management Company, LLC, Santa Barbara Asset Management, LLC and Winslow Capital Management, LLC.

(c) Santa Barbara Asset Management, LLC (“SBAM”) serves as sub-adviser to the Registrant’s Nuveen Santa Barbara Dividend Growth ETF. SBAC is an SEC-registered investment adviser located at 2029 Century Park East, Suite 1600, Los Angeles, California 90067. [To be updated by amendment]

A description of any other business, profession, vocation or employment of a substantial nature in which SBAM and each director, officer or partner of SBAM is or has been engaged within the last two fiscal years for his or her own account or in the capacity of director, officer, employee, partner or trustee is as follows.

 

C-7


Name and Position with SBAM

  

Other Business, Profession, Vocation or

Employment During Past Two Years

David S. Park, CFA, CPA, Co-Head of Santa Barbara Asset Management, Portfolio Manager, Director of Research   



None
David A. Chalupnik, CFA, Co-Head of Santa Barbara Asset Management, Portfolio Manager   

Senior Managing Director and Head of U.S. Active Equities Portfolio Management, Nuveen Asset Management, Teachers Advisors, LLC and TIAA-CREF Investment Management, LLC
Avi M. Mizrachi, Senior Managing Director, General Counsel and Assistant Secretary   

Senior Managing Director, General Counsel and Assistant Secretary of NWQ Investment Management Company, LLC; Senior Managing Director, Associate General Counsel and Assistant Secretary of Nuveen Asset Management, LLC; Senior Managing Director and Assistant Secretary of Nuveen Investments, Inc..
Mary Ann Iudice, Chief Compliance Officer    Chief Compliance Officer of NWQ Investment Management Company, LLC.

(d) Teachers Advisors, LLC (“Teachers Advisors”) serves as sub-adviser to the Registrant’s Nuveen ESG Large-Cap ETF, Nuveen ESG Large-Cap Growth ETF, Nuveen ESG Large-Cap Value ETF, Nuveen ESG Mid-Cap Growth ETF, Nuveen ESG Mid-Cap Value ETF, Nuveen ESG Small-Cap ETF, Nuveen ESG International Developed Markets Equity ETF, Nuveen ESG Emerging Markets Equity ETF, Nuveen Enhanced Yield 1-5 Year U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF, Nuveen Enhanced Yield U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF, Nuveen ESG U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF, Nuveen ESG High Yield Corporate Bond ETF, Nuveen Short-Term REIT ETF, [and Nuveen ESG Dividend ETF]. Teachers Advisors also provides investment management services to the TIAA-CREF Funds, TIAA-CREF Life Funds, TIAA Separate Account VA-1, and certain other registered and unregistered products. The Managing Member of Teachers Advisors is Nuveen Finance, LLC. Teachers Advisors is located at 730 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017-3206.

A description of any other business, profession, vocation or employment of a substantial nature in which Teachers Advisors and each director, officer or partner of Teachers Advisors is or has been engaged within the last two fiscal years for his or her own account or in the capacity of director, officer, employee, partner or trustee is as follows.

 

C-8


Name and Position with Teachers Advisors

  

Other Business, Profession, Vocation or

Employment During Past Two Years

Oluseun Salami, Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer    Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer (since 2020) Nuveen Fund Advisors, LLC; Director (since 2020) NIS/R&T, Inc.; Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Nuveen Alternative Advisors LLC (since 2020), Nuveen, LLC (since 2020), TIAA-CREF Asset Management LLC (since 2020) and TIAA-CREF Investment Management, LLC (since 2020); Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, Business Finance and Planning (since 2020) Chief Accounting Officer (2019), Senior Vice President, Corporate Controller (2018-2020), Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association of America, Senior Vice President, Corporate Controller, College Retirement Equities Fund, TIAA Board of Overseers, TIAA Separate Account VA-1, TIAA-CREF Funds, TIAA-CREF Life Funds (2018-2020).
Stuart R. Brunet, Chief Compliance Officer    Chief Compliance Officer (since 2015), formerly, Director, Compliance Officer of TIAA-CREF Investment Management, LLC.
William T. Huffman, President & Chief Executive Officer   

Executive Vice President (since 2020) of Nuveen Securities, LLC and Nuveen, LLC; President, Nuveen Investments, Inc. (since 2020), TIAA-CREF Investment Management, LLC (since 2019), Nuveen Asset Management, LLC (since 2010); Senior Managing Director (since 2019) of Nuveen Alternative Advisors LLC; Chairman (since 2019) of Churchill Asset Management LLC.
John M. McCann, Managing Director, Associate General Counsel and Assistant Secretary   

Managing Director, Associate General Counsel and Assistant Secretary (since 2021) of Nuveen Asset Management, LLC; Managing Director and Assistant Secretary (since 2021) of Nuveen Fund Advisors, LLC; Managing Director (since 2021) of TIAA SMA Strategies LLC; Managing Director, Associate General Counsel and Assistant Secretary (since 2019) of Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association of America, TIAA Separate Account VA-1, TIAA-CREF Funds, TIAA-CREF Life Funds and College Retirement Equities Fund; Managing Director (since 2018), Associate General Counsel and Assistant Secretary (since 2017, formerly, Vice President and Director) of TIAA-CREF Investment Management, LLC General Counsel and Assistant Secretary of Covariance Capital Management, Inc. (2014-2017).

 

C-9


(e) Winslow Capital Management, LLC (“Winslow Capital”) serves as sub-adviser to the Registrant’s Nuveen Winslow Large-Cap Growth ESG ETF. Winslow Capital is an SEC-registered investment adviser located at 4400 IDS Center, 80 South Eighth Street, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55402.

A description of any other business, profession, vocation or employment of a substantial nature in which Winslow Capital and each director, officer or partner of Winslow Capital is or has been engaged within the last two fiscal years for his or her own account or in the capacity of director, officer, employee, partner or trustee is as follows.

 

Name and Position with Winslow Capital

  

Other Business, Profession, Vocation or
Employment During Past Two Years

Justin H. Kelly, Chief Executive Officer, Chief Investment Officer and Portfolio Manager   

None
Michael S. Palmer, President    None
Jeff D. Wieneke, Managing Director, Chief Financial Officer   

None
Derek M. Ciernia, Managing Director, Chief Compliance Officer and General Counsel   

None

Item 32. Principal Underwriters.

(a) Nuveen Securities, LLC acts as principal underwriter to the following open-end management type investment companies: Nuveen Multistate Trust I, Nuveen Multistate Trust II, Nuveen Multistate Trust III, Nuveen Multistate Trust IV, Nuveen Municipal Trust, Nuveen Managed Accounts Portfolios Trust, Nuveen Investment Trust, Nuveen Investment Trust II, Nuveen Investment Trust III, Nuveen Investment Trust V, Nuveen Investment Funds, Inc., TIAA-CREF Life Funds, TIAA-CREF Funds and the Registrant.

(b)

 

Name and Principal
Business Address

  

Positions and Offices
with Nuveen Securities

  

Positions and Offices
with Registrant

William T. Huffman

333 West Wacker Drive Chicago, IL 60606

   Executive Vice President    None

Kevin J. McCarthy

333 West Wacker Drive Chicago, IL 60606

   Senior Managing Director and Assistant Secretary    Vice President and Assistant Secretary

Deann D. Morgan

730 Third Avenue

New York, NY 10017

   Co-Chief Executive Officer    Vice President

Michael A. Perry

333 West Wacker Drive Chicago, IL 60606

   Co-Chief Executive Officer    None

Christopher M. Rohrbacher

333 West Wacker Drive Chicago, IL 60606

   Managing Director and Assistant Secretary    Vice President and Assistant Secretary

Lucas A. Satre

333 West Wacker Drive Chicago, IL 60606

   Managing Director, Secretary and General Counsel    None

(c) Not applicable.

 

C-10


Item 33. Location of Accounts and Records.

All accounts, books, and other documents required to be maintained by Section 31(a) of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, and the rules promulgated thereunder are maintained at the addresses below.

Adviser:

Nuveen Fund Advisors, LLC

333 West Wacker Drive

Chicago, IL 60606

Sub-Advisers:

Nuveen Asset Management, LLC

333 West Wacker Drive

Chicago, IL 60606

Santa Barbara Asset Management, LLC

2029 Century Park East

Suite 1600

Los Angeles, California 90067

Teachers Advisors, LLC

730 Third Avenue

New York, NY 10017-3206

Winslow Capital Management, LLC

4400 IDS Center

80 South Eighth Street

Minneapolis, Minnesota 55402.

Distributor:

Nuveen Securities, LLC

333 West Wacker Drive

Chicago, IL 60606

Custodian:

Brown Brothers Harriman

50 Post Office Square

Boston, MA 02110-1548

Item 34. Management Services.

Not applicable.

Item 35. Undertakings.

Not applicable.

 

C-11


SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933 (the “Securities Act”) and the Investment Company Act of 1940, the Registrant has duly caused this Post-Effective Amendment No. 68 to Registration Statement No. 333-212032 to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, duly authorized, in the City of Chicago and State of Illinois, on the 7th day of July 2021.

 

NUSHARES ETF TRUST
BY:    /S/    DIANA R. GONZALEZ        
 

Diana R. Gonzalez

Vice President and Secretary

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

 

Signature

  

Title

           

Date

/S/    E. SCOTT WICKERHAM        

E. SCOTT WICKERHAM

   Vice President and Controller (principal financial and accounting officer)       July 7, 2021

/S/    JORDAN M. FARRIS

JORDAN M. FARRIS

   Chief Administrative Officer (principal executive officer)      
TERENCE J. TOTH*    Chairman of the Board and Trustee    

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/S/    DIANA R. GONZALEZ    

 

DIANA R. GONZALEZ

ATTORNEY-IN-FACT

JULY 7, 2021

JACK B. EVANS*    Trustee
WILLIAM C. HUNTER*    Trustee
AMY B.R. LANCELLOTTA*    Trustee
JOANNE T. MEDERO*    Trustee
ALBIN F. MOSCHNER*    Trustee
JOHN K. NELSON*    Trustee
JUDITH M. STOCKDALE*    Trustee
CAROLE E. STONE *    Trustee
MATTHEW THORNTON III*    Trustee  
MARGARET L. WOLFF*    Trustee  
ROBERT L. YOUNG*    Trustee  

 

*

The powers of attorney authorizing Diana R. Gonzalez, among others, to execute this Registration Statement, and Amendments thereto, for the Trustees of the Registrant on whose behalf this Registration Statement is filed, have been executed and filed as exhibit (q) to this Registration Statement.


     Exhibit Index

Exhibit Number

   Exhibit
EX-99.A.4    Amended and Restated Establishment and Designation of Series, reflecting the addition of Nuveen Santa Barbara Dividend Growth ETF, Nuveen Small Cap Select ETF, Nuveen Winslow Large-Cap Growth ESG ETF and Nuveen ESG Dividend ETF.
EX-99.D.3    Continuance of Management Agreements dated July 30, 2020 between the Registrant and Nuveen Fund Advisors, LLC.
EX-99.D.8    Notice of Continuance of Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement dated July 31, 2020 between Nuveen Fund Advisors, LLC and Teachers Advisors, LLC.
EX-99.E.5    Renewal of Distribution Agreement dated August 7, 2020 between the Registrant and Nuveen Securities, LLC
EX-99.Q.2    Powers of Attorney dated June 1, 2021