EX-99.P CODE ETH 11 exp11codealpha.htm Code of Ethics

 

Alpha Fiduciary

Alpha Fiduciary, Inc.

 

 

 

 

 


Table of Contents   
Access Persons 
Chief Compliance Officer's Designee 
Covered Associates 
Custodial Account Reporting 
Limit Orders 
Margin Transactions 
Personal Securities Trading Limitations 
Pre-Approval Process for Affiliated Private Fund Investments  10 
Statement of General Policy  11 
Definitions of Terms Used  12 
Compliance with Laws and Regulations  15 
Preferential Treatment, Gifts and Entertainment  16 
Conflicts of Interest  17 
Service as a Director  18 
Inside Information  19 
Restrictions on Personal Securities Transactions  20 
Preclearance  22 
Excluded Transactions  23 
Reporting Procedures  24 
Administration of Code  26 
Recordkeeping Requirements  27 
Condition of Employment or Service  28 
Acknowledgement and Certification  29 
Addenda  31 


Access Persons

Certain supervised persons of the Firm are regarded as access persons and as such are subject to all applicable personal securities trading procedures and reporting obligations as set forth in this Code.

As detailed in the Definitions section of the Code, an access person is a supervised person who (i) has access to nonpublic information regarding any clients' purchase or sale of securities, or nonpublic information regarding the portfolio holdings of any reportable fund; or (ii) is involved in making securities recommendations to clients, or who has access to such recommendations that are nonpublic.

Page 3


Chief Compliance Officer's Designee

Unless otherwise specifically noted, Alpha Fiduciary's employees are required to submit mandatory reports and attestations to the Chief Compliance Officer.

Page 4


Covered Associates

For purposes of complying with Alpha Fiduciary's Political Contributions policies and procedures, generally all supervised persons of the Firm are regarded as "covered associates" (as that term is defined in the preceding section) and are therefore subject to all applicable procedures and reporting obligations as set forth in this Code.

Page 5


Custodial Account Reporting

Although Alpha Fiduciary does not require access persons to notify the Compliance Department prior to or immediately upon the opening or closing of a custodial account, access persons are reminded of their ongoing personal securities transaction reporting obligations:

1.      annual holdings reports must identify the name of each bank or brokerage firm in which any securities are held for the direct or indirect benefit of the access person, and required data pertaining to all reportable securities in which he or she has a direct or indirect pecuniary interest; and
 
2.      periodic transaction reports detailing each transaction involving a reportable security in which the access person had, or as a result of the transaction acquired, any direct or indirect beneficial ownership.
 

Page 6


Limit Orders

Although Alpha Fiduciary's policies generally permit access persons to place limit orders, all preclearance requests seeking preapproval for placement of a limit order shall be subject to manual review. Alpha Fiduciary retains the authority to approve or deny such requests on a trade-by-trade basis.

Page 7


Margin Transactions

Securities held in a margin account may be sold by the broker if an employee fails to meet a margin call. Employees may not have control over these transactions as the securities may be sold at certain times without the employee's consent. A margin sale that occurs when an employee is aware of material, nonpublic information may, under some circumstances, result in unlawful insider trading.

Although Alpha Fiduciary's policies do not expressly prohibit access persons' ability to purchase securities on margin, all preclearance requests for margin transactions shall be processed manually, and the Firm retains the discretionary authority to approve or deny any such requests on a trade-by-trade basis.

Furthermore and as part of Alpha Fiduciary's oversight and monitoring of personal trading by access persons, the Firm may impose heightened supervision and or trading restrictions on an access person if it believes that such actions are warranted.

Page 8


Personal Securities Trading Limitations

As previously stated, Alpha Fiduciary's fiduciary duty to clients and the obligation of all Firm employees to uphold that fundamental duty, includes first and foremost the duty at all times to place the interests of clients first. As such, Alpha Fiduciary expects all employees to work diligently in meeting client expectations and fulfilling their job responsibilities.

Although Alpha Fiduciary's policy does not impose strict limitations as to the number of transactions an access person is permitted to execute during a defined timeframe, the scope and volume of personal trading by access persons is subject to review. The Firm also recognizes that excessive trading may impede the ability of an individual to fulfill his or her primary obligation to our clients. In such circumstances Alpha Fiduciary retains the discretionary authority to impose limitations on the personal trading activities of the access person. Furthermore and as part of Alpha Fiduciary's oversight and monitoring of personal trading by access persons, the Firm may impose heightened supervision and or trading restrictions on an access person if it believes that such actions are warranted.

Any questions concerning this policy should be directed to Peter Eickelberg or the access person's designated reviewer.

Page 9


Pre-Approval Process for Affiliated Private Fund Investments

Alpha Fiduciary currently sponsors and/or manages one or more private funds. Because Alpha Fiduciary encourages employees to personally invest in the same portfolio(s) and securities that are held by our clients access persons of the Firm are permitted to invest in such limited offerings. However, our partnerships are not accepting new investment at this time.

An access person is required to complete the requisite subscription documents prior to any initial investment in a private fund managed by Alpha Fiduciary. Acceptance and approval of the access person's subscription documents shall constitute the Firm's requisite preclearance requirements provided that all proposed transactions are submitted utilizing the Preclearance Request Form.

Page 10


Statement of General Policy

Statement of General Policy

Alpha Fiduciary Inc., (the “Adviser,” “we,” or “us”) seeks to foster a reputation for integrity and professionalism. That reputation is a vital business asset. The confidence and trust placed in us by our clients is something that is highly valued and must be protected. As a result, any activity that creates even the suspicion of misuse of material non-public information by the Adviser or any of our employees, which gives rise to or appears to give rise to any breach of fiduciary duty owed to our clients, or which creates any actual or potential conflict of interest between our client and the Adviser or any of our employees or even the appearance of any conflict of interest must be avoided and is prohibited. At the same time, we believe that individual investment activities by our employees should not be unduly prohibited or discouraged.

Rule 204A-1 under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended (the “Rule”), requires that the

Adviser adopt a code of ethics setting forth standards of conduct for us and our Supervised Persons

(as defined below). Accordingly, this Code of Ethics (the “Code”) has been adopted to ensure that those who are responsible for developing or implementing our investment advice or who pass such advice on to our clients will not be able to act thereon to the disadvantage of our clients. The Code does not purport comprehensively to cover all types of conduct or transactions which may be prohibited or regulated by the laws and regulations applicable to Adviser and persons connected with it. It is the responsibility of each employee to conduct personal securities transactions in a manner that does not interfere with the transactions of the Adviser’s clients or otherwise take unfair advantage of such clients, and to understand the various laws applicable to such employee. Likewise, each Supervised Person is required to report any violations of this Code promptly to the Compliance Officer.

Page 11


Definitions of Terms Used

1.      Definition of Terms Used
 
  (a)      “Access Person” means (i) any Supervised Person (A) who has access to nonpublic information regarding any client’s purchase or sale of securities, or nonpublic information regarding the portfolio holdings of any client; or (B) who is involved in making securities recommendations to clients, or who has access to such recommendations that are nonpublic; and (ii) all members of the management committee and officers of the Adviser. Based on the structure of our business, all regular employees are currently considered "access persons" for the purposes of this policy.
 
  (b)      “Automatic Investment Plan” means a program, including a dividend reinvestment plan, in which regular periodic purchases (or withdrawals) are made automatically in (or from) investment accounts in accordance with a predetermined schedule and allocation.
 
  (c)      “Beneficial ownership” or “beneficial interest” shall be interpreted in the same manner as beneficial ownership would be under Rule 16a-1(a)(2) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 in determining whether a person has beneficial ownership of a security for purposes of Section 16 of that Act and the rules and regulations thereunder, which includes any interest in which a person, directly or indirectly, has or shares a direct or indirect pecuniary interest. A pecuniary interest is the opportunity, directly or indirectly, to profit or share in any profit derived from any transaction. Each Access Person will be assumed to have a pecuniary interest, and therefore, beneficial interest in or ownership of, all securities held by the
 
    Access Person, the Access Person’s spouse, all minor children, all dependent adult children and adults sharing the same household with the Access Person
 
    (other than mere roommates) and in all accounts subject to their direct or indirect influence or control and/or through which they obtain the substantial equivalent of ownership, such as trusts in which they are a trustee or beneficiary, partnerships in which they are the general partner (except where the amount invested by the general partner is limited to an amount reasonably necessary in order to maintain the status as a general partner), corporations in which they are a controlling shareholder (except any investment company, trust or similar entity registered under applicable U.S. or foreign law) or any other similar arrangement. Any questions an Access Person may have about whether an interest in a security or an account constitutes beneficial interest or ownership should be directed to the Compliance Officer.
 
  (d)      “Contemplated Security” shall mean any security that the Adviser may recommend to its clients for purchase or sale, and any security related to or connected with such security. The term security shall have the meaning set forth in Section 2(a)(36) of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, including any right to acquire such security, such as puts, calls, other options or rights in such securities, and securities- based futures contracts.
 

Page 12


(e)      “Covered Security” shall mean any security, and any security related to or connected with such security. The term security shall have the meaning set forth in Section 202(a)(18) of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended, including any right to acquire such security, such as puts, calls, other options or rights in such securities, and securities-based futures contracts, except that it shall not include (1) securities which are direct obligations of the government of the United States, (2) bankers’ acceptances, bank certificates of deposit, commercial paper or high quality short- term debt instruments, including repurchase agreements, (3) shares issued by money market Funds, (4) shares issued by U.S. registered open-end investment companies except Reportable Funds, and (5) shares issued by unit investment trusts that are invested exclusively in one or more open-end Funds, none of which are Reportable Funds.
 
(f)      “Compliance Officer” shall mean the Chief Compliance Officer, as may be designated by the Adviser from time to time, or his designee.
 
(g)      “Federal Securities Laws” means the Securities Act of 1933, the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, the Investment Company Act of 1940, the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, Title V of the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, the Bank Secrecy Act as it applies to investment advisers, each as may be amended or supplemented, and any rules adopted thereunder by the Securities and Exchange Commission or the Department of the Treasury, as applicable.
 
(h)      “Fund” means any investment company registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended.
 
(i)      “Initial Public Offering” means an offering of securities registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, the issuer of which, immediately before the registration, was not required to file reports under Sections 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or an initial public offering under comparable foreign law.
 
(j)      “Investment Personnel” means any employee of the Adviser (or of any company in a control relationship to the Adviser) who, in connection with his or her regular functions or duties, makes or participates in making recommendations regarding the purchase or sale of securities for the Adviser’s clients. Investment Personnel also includes any natural person who controls the Adviser and who obtains information concerning recommendations made to the Adviser’s clients regarding the purchase or sale of securities for such clients.
 
(k)      “Knowingly/Knows/Knew” means (i) actual knowledge or (ii) reason to believe but shall exclude institutional knowledge, where there is no affirmative conduct by the employee to obtain such knowledge, for example, querying the Adviser’s trading system or Investment Personnel.
 
(l)      “Limited Offering” means an offering that is exempt from registration under Section 4(2) or Section 4(6) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or pursuant to Rule
 
 
 

Page 13


  504, Rule 505, or Rule 506 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and similar restricted offerings under comparable foreign law.
 
(m)      “Personal Benefit” includes any intended benefit for oneself or any other individual, company, group or organization of any kind whatsoever except a benefit for a client.
 
(n)      “Supervised Person” means any officer, member of the management committee or employee of the Adviser, or other person who provides investment advice on behalf of the Adviser and is subject to the supervision and control of the Adviser.
 

Page 14


Compliance with Laws and Regulations

2. Compliance with Laws and Regulations

Each Supervised Person must comply with all applicable Federal Securities Laws. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, Supervised Persons shall not, directly or indirectly, in connection with the purchase or sale of a security held or to be acquired by a client:

(a)      Defraud the client in any manner;
 
(b)      Mislead the client, including by making a statement that omits material facts;
 
(c)      Engage in any act, practice or course of conduct which operates or would operate as a fraud or deceit upon the client;
 
(d)      Engage in any manipulative practice with respect to the client; or
 
(e)      Engage in any manipulative practice with respect to securities, including price manipulation.
 

Page 15


Preferential Treatment, Gifts and Entertainment

3. Preferential Treatment, Gifts and Entertainment

No Supervised Person shall seek or accept favors, preferential treatment or any other personal benefit because of his or her association with the Adviser, except those usual and normal benefits directly provided by the Adviser.

No Supervised Person shall accept or offer any entertainment, gift or other personal benefit that may create or appears to create a conflict between the interests of such person and the Adviser. Supervised Persons are prohibited from receiving any gift or other personal benefit of more than de minimis value from any person or entity that does business with or on behalf of the Adviser. In addition, Supervised Persons are prohibited from giving or offering any gift or other personal benefit of more than a de minimis value to any person or entity who is an existing or prospective client or any person that does business with or on behalf of the Adviser and shall be absolutely prohibited from giving or offering any gift or other personal benefit to any client or prospective client that is a governmental entity or official thereof or official of any governmental entity investment, retirement or pension fund. For purposes of this Code, de minimis is defined as reasonable and customary business entertainment, such as an occasional dinner, a ticket to a sporting event or the theater, or comparable entertainment which is neither so frequent nor so extensive as to raise any question of propriety. Any questions regarding the receipt of any gift or other personal benefit should be directed to the Compliance Officer.

Page 16


Conflicts of Interest

4. Conflicts of Interest

If any Supervised Person is aware of a personal interest that is, or might be, in conflict with the interest of any client, that Supervised Person should disclose the situation or transaction and the nature of the conflict to the Compliance Officer for appropriate consideration. In addition, no Supervised Person may use knowledge about pending or currently considered securities transactions for clients to directly or indirectly profit personally. Without limiting the foregoing, Supervised Persons who are planning to invest in or make a recommendation to invest in a security, and who have a material interest in the security or a related security, must first disclose such interest to his or her manager or the Compliance Officer. Such manager or the Compliance Officer shall conduct an independent review of the recommendation to purchase the security for clients and written evidence of such review shall be maintained by the Compliance Officer. Supervised Persons may not fail to timely recommend a suitable security to, or purchase or sell a suitable security for, a client in order to avoid an actual or apparent conflict with a personal transaction in a security.

Page 17


Service as a Director

5. Service as a Director

Supervised Persons are prohibited from accepting any new appointment to the boards of directors of any company, whether or not its securities are publicly traded, absent prior authorization of the Compliance Officer. In determining whether to authorize such appointment, the Compliance

Officer shall consider whether the board service would be adverse to the interests of the Adviser’s clients, would interfere with or hinder the Adviser’s ability to provide recommendations to its clients, and whether adequate procedures exist to ensure isolation from those making investment decisions. No Supervised Person may participate in a decision to purchase or sell a security of any company for which he/she serves as a director. All Supervised Persons shall report existing board positions with for-profit corporations, business trusts or similar entities within ten (10) days of becoming a Supervised Person. All Supervised Persons must notify the Compliance Officer within ten (10) days of accepting a new appointment to serve on the board of directors of any for-profit corporation, business trust or similar entity (other than energy infrastructure companies, for which prior authorization of the Compliance Officer is required).

Page 18


Inside Information

6. Inside Information

U.S. securities laws and regulations, and certain foreign laws, prohibit the misuse of “inside” or “material non-public” information when trading or recommending securities. In addition,

Regulation FD prohibits certain selective disclosure of information to analysts.

Inside information obtained by any Supervised Person from any source must be kept strictly confidential. All inside information should be kept secure, and access to files and computer files containing such information should be restricted. Persons shall not trade securities while in possession of or disclose material non-public or insider information except as may be necessary for legitimate business purposes on behalf of the Adviser as appropriate. Questions and requests for assistance regarding insider information should be promptly directed to the Compliance Officer.

Inside information may include, but is not limited to, knowledge of pending orders or research recommendations, corporate finance activity, mergers or acquisitions, advance earnings information, clients’ securities holdings and transactions, and other material non-public information that could affect the price of a security.

A client’s identity, financial circumstances, and account information is also confidential and must not be discussed with any individual whose responsibilities do not require knowledge of such information. The Adviser has separate policies on privacy that also govern the use and disclosure of client account information.

Page 19


Restrictions on Personal Securities Transactions

7. Restrictions on Personal Security Transactions

(a)      Access Persons may not sell to, or purchase from, any client any security or other property (except merchandise in the ordinary course of business), in which such Person has or would acquire a beneficial interest.
 
(b)      Access Persons shall not discuss with or otherwise inform others of any actual or contemplated security transaction by any client except in the performance of employment duties or in an official capacity and then only for the benefit of the client, and in no event for personal benefit or for the benefit of others.
 
(c)      Access Persons shall not release information to dealers or brokers or others (except to those concerned with the execution and settlement of the transaction) as to any changes in any client’s investments, proposed or in process, except (i) upon the completion of such changes, (ii) when the disclosure results from the publication of a prospectus by a Reportable Fund, (iii) in conjunction with a regular report to shareholders of a Reportable Fund, or to any governmental authority resulting in such information becoming public knowledge, or (iv) in connection with any report to which shareholders of a Reportable Fund are entitled by reason of provisions of the articles of incorporation, bylaws, rules and regulations, contracts or similar documents governing the operations of such company.
 
(d)      Access Persons may not use knowledge of portfolio transactions made or contemplated for any client to profit by the market effect of such transactions or otherwise engage in fraudulent conduct in connection with the purchase or sale of a security sold or acquired by any client.
 
(e)      No Access Person shall knowingly take advantage of an opportunity of any client for personal benefit, or take action inconsistent with such Access Person’s fiduciary obligations to the Adviser’s clients. All personal securities transactions must be consistent with this Code and Access Persons must avoid any actual or potential conflict of interest or any abuse of any Access Person’s position of trust and responsibility.
 
(f)      Any transaction in a Covered Security in anticipation of any client’s transaction (“front-running”) is prohibited.
 
(g)      No Access Person shall purchase or sell, directly or indirectly, any Covered Security which such Access Person knows that the Adviser either is purchasing or selling, or is considering for purchase or sale, for any client until either the client’s transactions have been completed or consideration of such transaction is abandoned.
 
(h)      When anything in this Section 7 prohibits the purchase or sale of a security, it also prohibits the purchase or sale of any related securities, such as puts, calls, other
 

Page 20


  options or rights in such securities and securities-based futures contracts and any securities convertible into or exchangeable for such security.
 
(i)      Any Access Person who trades in violation of this Section 7 must unwind the trade or disgorge the profits.
 

Page 21


Preclearance

8. Preclearance

No Access Person shall directly or indirectly acquire a beneficial interest in securities through a Limited Offering or in an Initial Public Offering without obtaining the prior consent of the Compliance Officer. Consideration will be given to whether or not the opportunity should be reserved for the Adviser’s clients. Such Officer will review these proposed investments on a case-by-case basis and approval may be appropriate when it is clear that conflicts are very unlikely to arise due to the nature of the opportunity for investing in the Initial Public Offering or Limited Offering.

Page 22


Excluded Transactions

9. Excluded Transactions

The trading restrictions in Section 7 and the preclearance requirements of Section 8 do not apply to the following types of transactions:

(a)      Transactions effected for any account over which the Access Person has no direct or indirect influence or control and which has been approved by the Compliance Officer pursuant to Section 10(f).
 
(b)      Non-volitional purchases and sales, such as dividend reinvestment programs or
 
  “calls” or redemption of securities.
 
(c)      The acquisition of securities by gift or inheritance or disposition of securities by gift to charitable organizations.
 
(d)      Standing orders for retirement plans provided that prior clearance is obtained before an Access Person starts, increases, decreases or stops direct debits/standing orders for retirement plans. Lump sum investments in or withdrawals from such plans must be pre-cleared on a case-by-case basis and are subject to trading restrictions.
 

Page 23


Reporting Procedures

10. Reporting Procedures

Access Persons shall submit to the Compliance Officer the reports set forth below. Any report required to be filed shall not be construed as an admission by the Access Person making such report that he/she has any direct or indirect beneficial interest in the security to which the report relates.

(a)      Brokerage Accounts. Before effecting personal transactions through a previously unreported account with an external broker, each Access Person must notify the Compliance Officer of the account's existence and agree to provide regular and ongoing attestations or confirmations of any trades made during the quarter.
 
(b)      Initial Holdings Report. Each Access Person must provide an initial holdings report which includes the following information within ten (10) days of becoming an Access Person. The firm provides a specifically formatted report for this purposes, but statements from the broker are also generally acceptable.
 
  The information contained in the initial holdings report must be current as of a date no more than 45 days prior to the date the person becomes an Access Person.
 
(c)      Quarterly Transaction Reports. Not later than thirty (30) days following the end of a calendar quarter, each Access Person must submit a preformatted attestation report provided by the firm which includes required information about any transaction in the quarter in a Covered Security in which the Access Person had, or as a result of the transaction acquired, any direct or indirect beneficial ownership.
 
  An Access Person need not include trade details in the quarterly attestation report if the report would duplicate information contained in broker trade confirmations or account statements or directly downloaded data, so long as the report and any required confirmations or account statements or downloaded data are received by the Compliance Officer no later than thirty (30) days after the end of the applicable quarter. Automatic download of data via the firm's performance management system will be deemed to satisfy the delivery requirement.
 
(d)      Annual Holdings Report. Each Access Person shall submit the information required in Section 10(b) above annually within thirty (30) days of the end of each calendar year. The information shall be current as of a date no more than forty-five (45) days before the report is submitted.
 
(e)      Review of Reports. The Compliance Officer shall be responsible for identifying Access Persons, notifying them of their obligations under this Code and reviewing reports submitted by Access Persons. The Compliance Officer will maintain the names of the persons responsible for reviewing these reports.
 

Page 24


(f)      Exceptions from Reporting Requirements. An Access Person need not make reports pursuant to this Section 10 with respect to transactions effected for, and Covered Securities held in, any account over which the Access Person has no direct or indirect influence or control. Access Persons wishing to rely on this exception must receive prior approval from the Compliance Officer. In addition, an Access Person need not make reports pursuant to Section 10(c) with respect to transactions effected pursuant to an Automatic Investment Plan.
 

Page 25


Administration of Code

11. Administration of Code

The Compliance Officer shall be responsible for all aspects of administering this Code and for all interpretative issues arising under the Code. The Compliance Officer is responsible for considering any requests for exceptions to, or exemptions from, the Code (e.g., due to personal financial hardship). Any exceptions to, or exemptions from, the Code shall be subject to such additional procedures, reviews and reporting as may be deemed appropriate by the Compliance Officer.

Page 26


Recordkeeping Requirements

12. Recordkeeping Requirements

The Adviser shall maintain records, at its principal place of business, of the following: a copy of each Code in effect during the past five years; a record of any violation of the Code and any action taken as a result of the violation for at least five years after the end of the fiscal year in which the violation occurs; a record of all written acknowledgments of receipt of the Code, and all amendments thereto, for each person who currently is, or within the past five years was, a Supervised Person; a copy of each report made by Access Persons as required in this Code, including any information provided in place of the reports for at least five years after the end of the fiscal year in which the report is made or the information is provided; a record of all persons required to make reports currently and during the past five years; a record of all who are or were responsible for reviewing these reports during the past five years; for at least five years after the end of the fiscal year in which approval is granted, a record of any decision and the reasons supporting that decision, to approve an Access Person’s purchase of securities in an Initial Public Offering or a Limited Offering.

Page 27


Condition of Employment or Service

13. Condition of Employment or Service

All Supervised Persons shall conduct themselves at all times in the best interests of the Company. Compliance with the Code shall be a condition of employment or continued affiliation with the Adviser and conduct not in accordance shall constitute grounds for actions which may include, but are not limited to, a reprimand, a restriction on activities, disgorgement, termination of employment or removal from office. All Supervised Persons shall certify upon becoming a Supervised Person and thereafter annually that they have received a copy of and read the Code, and all amendments thereto, and agree to comply in all respects with this Code and that they have disclosed or reported all personal securities transactions, holdings and accounts required to be disclosed or reported by this Code.

Page 28