485APOS 1 fp0036396_485apos.htm

AS FILED WITH THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION ON OCTOBER 15, 2018

 

REGISTRATION NOS. 333 -122901

811 -21719

 

 

 

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

 

 

FORM N-1A

 

 

REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933 [  ]
PRE-EFFECTIVE AMENDMENT NO. [  ]
POST-EFFECTIVE AMENDMENT NO. 972 [X]
AND/OR  
   
REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE INVESTMENT COMPANY ACT OF 1940 [  ]
AMENDMENT NO. 985 [X]

 

 

 

INVESTMENT MANAGERS SERIES TRUST

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Charter)

 

235 W. Galena Street

Milwaukee, WI 53212

 

(Address of Principal Executive Offices, including Zip Code)

Registrant's Telephone Number, Including Area Code: (414) 299-2295

 

Constance Dye Shannon

UMB Fund Services, Inc.

235 W. Galena Street

Milwaukee, WI 53212

 

(Name and Address of Agent for Service)

 

COPIES TO:

 

Laurie Anne Dee

Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP

600 Anton Boulevard, Suite 1800

Costa Mesa, CA 92626

 

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

 

[  ]immediately upon filing pursuant to paragraph (b) of Rule 485; or
[  ]on ______________ pursuant to paragraph (b) of Rule 485; or
[  ]60 days after filing pursuant to paragraph (a)(1) of Rule 485;
[  ]on ______________ pursuant to paragraph (a)(1) of Rule 485; or
[X]75 days after filing pursuant to paragraph (a)(2) of Rule 485; or
[  ]on ______________ pursuant to paragraph (a)(2) of Rule 485; or
[  ]on ______________ pursuant to paragraph (a)(3) 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.

 

 

 

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

 

 

361 GLOBAL EQUITY ABSOLUTE RETURN FUND

Class/Ticker
Investor Class (AGROX)

Class I (AGRZX)

Class Y (AGRWX)

 

PROSPECTUS

[December 31, 2018]

 

 

 

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

 

 

 

 

 

361 Global Equity Absolute Return Fund

 

A series of Investment Managers Series Trust (the “Trust”)

 

Table of Contents

 

SUMMARY SECTION 1
MORE ABOUT THE FUND’S INVESTMENT OBJECTIVES, PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES AND RISKS 6
MANAGEMENT OF THE FUND 11
DISTRIBUTION AND SHAREHOLDER SERVICE PLAN 13
YOUR ACCOUNT WITH THE FUND 14
DIVIDENDS AND DISTRIBUTIONS 24
FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSEQUENCES 25
FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS 28
FOR MORE INFORMATION 30

 

This Prospectus sets forth basic information about the Fund that you should know before investing.

It should be read and retained for future reference.

 

The date of this Prospectus is [December 31, 2018].

 

 

 

 

 

SUMMARY SECTION

 

 

Investment Objectives

The investment objective of the 361 Global Equity Absolute Return Fund (the “Fund”) is to seek absolute (positive) returns. The Fund also seeks long-term capital appreciation.

 

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund.

 

    Investor Class   Class I   Class Y  
Shareholder Fees
(fees paid directly from your investment)
             
Maximum sales charge (load) imposed on purchases   None   None   None  
Maximum deferred sales charge (load)   None   None   None  
Redemption fee   None   None   None  
Wire fee   $20   $20   $20  
Overnight check delivery fee   $25   $25   $25  
Retirement account fees (annual maintenance fee)   $15   $15   $15  
               
Annual Fund Operating Expenses
(expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
             
Management fees   1.00%   1.00%   1.00%  
Distribution and service (Rule 12b-1) fees   0.25%   None   None  
Other expenses1   [ ]%   [ ]%   [ ]%  
Dividend and interest expense on short sales [ ]%   [ ]%   [ ]%    
Shareholder service fees 0.15%   0.15%   None    
All other expenses [ ]%   [ ]%   [ ]%    
Acquired fund fees and expenses1   %   %   %  
Total annual fund operating expenses1   %   %   %  
Recoupment of fees waived and/or expenses reimbursed    %    %    %  
Total annual fund operating expenses after recoupment of waived fees and/or reimbursing expenses1,2   %   %   %  
               

 

1“Other expenses” and “acquired fund fees and expenses” have been estimated for the current fiscal year. Actual expenses may differ from estimates.
2The Fund’s advisor has contractually agreed to waive its fees and/or pay for operating expenses of the Fund to ensure that total annual fund operating expenses (excluding any taxes, leverage interest, brokerage commissions, dividend and interest expenses on short sales, acquired fund fees and expenses (as determined in accordance with SEC Form N-1A), expenses incurred in connection with any merger or reorganization, and extraordinary expenses such as litigation expenses) do not exceed [ ]%, [ ]%, and [ ]% of the average daily net assets of Investor Class, Class I and Class Y shares of the Fund, respectively. This agreement is in effect until [December 31, 2019], and it may be terminated before that date only by the Trust’s Board of Trustees. The Fund’s advisor is permitted to seek reimbursement from the Fund, subject to certain limitations, of fees waived or payments made to the Fund for a period ending three full years after the date of the waiver or payment. This reimbursement may be requested from the Fund if the reimbursement will not cause the Fund’s annual expense ratio to exceed the lesser of (a) the expense limitation in effect at the time such fees were waived or payments made, or (b) the expense limitation in effect at the time of the reimbursement.

 

 

1 

 

Example

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

 

The example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same.

 

Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

 

  One Year Three Years
Investor Class    
Class I    
Class Y    

 

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 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 is newly-created and, as a result, does not yet have a portfolio turnover rate.

 

Principal Investment Strategies

Under normal market conditions, the Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing at least 80% of the value of its net assets (which include borrowings for investment purposes) in equity securities such as common stocks, preferred stocks, depositary receipts, warrants and rights. The Fund employs a strategy of taking long and short positions in equity securities publicly traded in the United States and in foreign developed markets. The Fund will obtain “long” exposure to equity securities that Analytic Investors, LLC (the “Sub-Advisor” or “Analytic”), the Fund’s sub-advisor, believes will outperform the equity market on a risk-adjusted basis, and will obtain “short” exposure to equity securities that the Sub-Adviser believes will underperform the equity market on a risk-adjusted basis. The Fund seeks to provide positive returns from the potential gains from its long and short positions. The Fund is designed to be market- or beta-neutral, which means that the Fund seeks to achieve returns that are not closely correlated with the returns of the equity markets in which the Fund invests. The Fund’s long-short exposure will vary over time based on the Sub-Advisor’s assessments of market conditions and other factors. The Sub-Advisor anticipates that, in general, the net long exposure of the Fund (gross long exposures minus gross short exposures) will be between 0% and 30%. The Fund may invest in or obtain exposure to equity securities of U.S. and foreign issuers of all market capitalization ranges without limitation.

 

Under normal market conditions, the Fund will invest in at least three different countries, with at least 40% of its net assets invested in securities of issuers located outside the United States. The Fund’s investments in foreign securities may include investments through American, European and Global Depository Receipts (“ADRs”, “EDRs” and “GDRs”, respectively). The Fund considers foreign securities to include (i) securities of issuers that are organized under the laws of a foreign country; (ii) securities that are traded principally in a foreign country; or (iii) securities of issuers that, during the issuer's most recent fiscal year, derived at least 50% of their revenues or profits from goods produced or sold, investments made, or services performed outside of the United States or that have at least 50% of their assets in countries outside of the United States. The Fund considers foreign developed markets to be those included in the Morgan Stanley Capital International World Index (“MSCI World Index”).

 

The Fund may invest in derivatives, including swaps. The Fund may enter into total return swaps that provide exposure to long or short equity security positions rather than investing directly in long or short positions, respectively. The Fund will count its derivatives positions for purposes of determining whether it holds at least 80% of the value of its net assets (including investment-related borrowings) in equity securities.

 

In managing the Fund, the Sub-Advisor utilizes an investment process that involves a combination of research rankings, valuation rankings and stock selection. In particular, the investment process involves examining (i) a company’s price-to-earnings and price-to-book ratios, (ii) the company’s recent performance, (iii) the quality of the company and its management, and (iv) the company’s earnings and profitability. The Sub-Advisor may also examine a number of additional quantitative indicators based on the Sub-Advisor’s proprietary research. The Sub-Advisor uses its research findings to rank companies according to relative value and risk exposure. Valuation rankings are then produced using a variety of quantitative models to confirm or adjust the Sub-Advisor’s research rankings. The Sub-Advisor then buys and sells securities for the Fund’s portfolio using the research and valuation rankings as a basis.

 

2 

 

The Sub-Advisor may sell all or a portion of a position of the Fund’s portfolio holding when in its opinion one or more of the following occurs, among other reasons: (i) the issuer’s fundamentals deteriorate; (ii) the Sub-Advisor’s valuation analysis determines a security has realized its full valuation; (iii) the Sub-Advisor identifies more attractive investment opportunities for the Fund; or (iv) the Fund requires cash to meet redemption requests.

 

Principal Risks

Risk is inherent in all investing and you could lose money by investing in the Fund. A summary description of certain principal risks of investing in the Fund is set forth below. Before you decide whether to invest in the Fund, carefully consider these risk factors associated with investing in the Fund, which may cause investors to lose money. There can be no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objectives.

 

Equity risk. The value of the equity securities held by the Fund may fall due to general market and economic conditions, perceptions regarding the industries in which the issuers of securities held by the Fund participate, or factors relating to specific companies in which the Fund invests.

 

Foreign investment risk. The prices of foreign securities may be more volatile than the prices of securities of U.S. issuers because of economic and social conditions abroad, political developments, and changes in the regulatory environments of foreign countries. In addition, changes in exchange rates and interest rates may adversely affect the values of the Fund’s foreign investments. Foreign companies are generally subject to different legal and accounting standards than U.S. companies, and foreign financial intermediaries may be subject to less supervision and regulation than U.S. financial firms. Foreign securities include ADRs, EDRs and GDRs. Unsponsored ADRs, EDRs and GDRs are organized independently and without the cooperation of the foreign issuer of the underlying securities, and involve additional risks because U.S. reporting requirements do not apply. In addition, the issuing bank may deduct shareholder distribution, custody, foreign currency exchange, and other fees from the payment of dividends.

 

Large-cap company risk. Larger, more established companies may be unable to attain the high growth rates of successful, smaller companies during periods of economic expansion.

 

Small-cap and mid-cap company risk. The securities of small-capitalization and mid-capitalization companies may be subject to more abrupt or erratic market movements and may have lower trading volumes or more erratic trading than securities of larger, more established companies or market averages in general. In addition, such companies typically are more likely to be adversely affected than large capitalization companies by changes in earning results, business prospects, investor expectations or poor economic or market conditions.

 

Derivatives risk. Derivatives include instruments and contracts that are based on and valued in relation to one or more underlying securities, financial benchmarks, indices, or other reference obligations or measures of value. Major types of derivatives include futures, options, swaps and forward contracts. Using derivatives can have a leveraging effect and increase fund volatility. Derivatives transactions can be highly illiquid and difficult to unwind or value, and changes in the value of a derivative held by the Fund may not correlate with the value of the underlying instrument or the Fund’s other investments. Many of the risks applicable to trading the instruments underlying derivatives are also applicable to derivatives trading. However, additional risks are associated with derivatives trading that are possibly greater than the risks associated with investing directly in the underlying instruments. These additional risks include, but are not limited to, illiquidity risk and counterparty credit risk. For derivatives that are required to be cleared by a regulated clearinghouse, other risks may arise from the Fund’s relationship with a brokerage firm through which it submits derivatives trades for clearing, including in some cases from other clearing customers of the brokerage firm.

 

3 

 

Short sales risk. In connection with a short sale of a security or other instrument, the Fund is subject to the risk that instead of declining, the price of the security or other instrument sold short will rise. If the price of the security or other instrument sold short increases between the date of the short sale and the date on which the Fund replaces the security or other instrument borrowed to make the short sale, the Fund will experience a loss, which is theoretically unlimited since there is a theoretically unlimited potential for the market price of a security or other instrument sold short to increase.

 

Asset segregation risk. As a series of an investment company registered with the SEC, the Fund must segregate liquid assets, or engage in other measures to “cover” open positions with respect to certain kinds of derivatives and short sales. The Fund may incur losses on derivatives and other leveraged investments (including the entire amount of the Fund’s investment in such investments) even if they are covered.

 

Leveraging risk. Taking short positions may give rise to a form of leverage. Leverage can magnify the effects of changes in the value of the Fund’s investments and make the Fund more volatile. Leverage creates a risk of loss of value on a larger pool of assets than the Fund would otherwise have had, potentially resulting in the loss of all assets. The Fund may also have to sell assets at inopportune times to satisfy its obligations in connection with such transactions.

 

Currency risk. The values of investments in securities denominated in foreign currencies increase or decrease as the rates of exchange between those currencies and the U.S. Dollar change. Currency conversion costs and currency fluctuations could erase investment gains or add to investment losses. Currency exchange rates can be volatile and are affected by factors such as general economic conditions, the actions of the United States and foreign governments or central banks, the imposition of currency controls, and speculation.

 

Management and strategy risk. The value of your investment depends on the judgment of the Fund’s advisor about the quality, relative yield, value or market trends affecting a particular security, industry, sector or region, which may prove to be incorrect.

 

Market risk. The market price of a security or instrument may decline, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably, due to general market conditions that are not specifically related to a particular company, such as real or perceived adverse economic or political conditions throughout the world, changes in the general outlook for corporate earnings, changes in interest or currency rates or adverse investor sentiment generally. The market value of a security or instrument also may decline because of factors that affect a particular industry or industries, such as labor shortages or increased production costs and competitive conditions within an industry.

 

Preferred stock risk. Preferred stock represents an equity interest in a company that generally entitles the holder to receive, in preference to the holders of other stocks such as common stock, dividends and a fixed share of the proceeds resulting from a liquidation of the company. The market value of preferred stock is subject to company-specific and market risks applicable generally to equity securities and is also sensitive to changes in the company’s creditworthiness, the ability of the company to make payments on the preferred stock, and changes in interest rates, typically declining in value if interest rates rise.

 

Warrants and rights risk. Warrants and rights may lack a liquid secondary market for resale. The prices of warrants and rights may fluctuate as a result of speculation or other factors. Warrants and rights can provide a greater potential for profit or loss than an equivalent investment in the underlying security. Prices of warrants and rights do not necessarily move in tandem with the prices of their underlying securities and are highly volatile and speculative investments. If a warrant or right expires without being exercised, the Fund will lose any amount paid for the warrant or right.

 

4 

 

No operating history. The Fund is newly organized and has no operating history. As a result, prospective investors have no track record or history on which to base their investment decisions.

 

Portfolio turnover risk. Active and frequent trading of the Fund’s portfolio securities may lead to higher transaction costs and may result in a greater number of taxable transactions than would otherwise be the case, which could negatively affect the Fund’s performance. A high rate of portfolio turnover is 100% or more.

 

Performance

The Fund is new and does not have a full calendar year performance record to compare against other mutual funds or broad measures of securities market performance such as indices. Performance information will be available after the Fund has been in operation for one calendar year.

 

Investment Advisor

361 Capital, LLC is the Fund’s investment advisor (the “Advisor”).

 

Sub-Advisor

Analytic Investors, LLC is the Fund’s sub-advisor.

 

Portfolio Managers

The portfolio management team is comprised of Harindra de Silva, Ph.D., CFA, President and Portfolio Manager, Dennis Bein, CFA Chief Investment Officer and Portfolio Manager, and David Krider, CFA Portfolio Manager. They have been jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund’s portfolio since its inception on [ ], 2018.

 

Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares

To purchase shares of the Fund, you must invest at least the minimum amount.

 

Minimum Investments

To Open

Your Account

To Add to

Your Account

Investor Class Shares    
Direct Regular Accounts $2,500 None
Direct Retirement Accounts $2,500 None
Gift Account For Minors $2,500 None
Class I Shares    
All Accounts $2,500 None
Class Y Shares    
All Accounts $1 million None

 

Fund shares are redeemable on any business day the NYSE is open for business, by written request or by telephone.

 

Tax Information

The Fund’s distributions are generally taxable, and will ordinarily be taxed as ordinary income, qualified dividend income or capital gains, unless you are investing through a tax-advantaged arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or an individual retirement account. Shareholders investing through such tax-advantaged arrangements may be taxed later upon withdrawal of monies from those arrangements.

 

Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries

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

 

5 

 

MORE ABOUT THE FUND’S INVESTMENT OBJECTIVES, PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES AND RISKS

 

 

Investment Objectives

The Fund’s investment objective is to seek absolute (positive) returns. The Fund also seeks long-term capital appreciation. There is no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objectives.

 

The Fund’s investment objective is not fundamental and may be changed by the Board of Trustees without shareholder approval, upon at least 60 days’ prior written notice to shareholders. The Fund’s investment strategies and policies may be changed from time to time without shareholder approval or prior written notice, unless specifically stated otherwise in this Prospectus or the SAI.

 

Principal Investment Strategies

Under normal market conditions, the Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing at least 80% of the value of its net assets (which include borrowings for investment purposes) in equity securities such as common stocks, preferred stocks, depositary receipts, warrants and rights. The Fund employs a strategy of taking long and short positions in equity securities publicly traded in the United States and in foreign developed markets. The Fund will obtain “long” exposure to equity securities that Analytic Investors, LLC (the “Sub-Advisor” or “Analytic”), the Fund’s sub-advisor, believes will outperform the equity market on a risk-adjusted basis, and will obtain “short” exposure to equity securities that the Sub-Adviser believes will underperform the equity market on a risk-adjusted basis. The Fund seeks to provide positive returns from the potential gains from its long and short positions. The Fund is designed to be market- or beta-neutral, which means that the Fund seeks to achieve returns that are not closely correlated with the returns of the equity markets in which the Fund invests. The Fund’s long-short exposure will vary over time based on the Sub-Advisor’s assessments of market conditions and other factors. The Sub-Advisor anticipates that, in general, the net long exposure of the Fund (gross long exposures minus gross short exposures) will be between 0% and 30%. The Fund may invest in or obtain exposure to equity securities of U.S. and foreign issuers of all market capitalization ranges without limitation.

 

Under normal market conditions, the Fund will invest in at least three different countries, with at least 40% of its net assets invested in securities of issuers located outside the United States. The Fund’s investments in foreign securities may include investments through American, European and Global Depository Receipts (“ADRs”, “EDRs” and “GDRs”, respectively). The Fund considers foreign securities to include (i) securities of issuers that are organized under the laws of a foreign country; (ii) securities that are traded principally in a foreign country; or (iii) securities of issuers that, during the issuer's most recent fiscal year, derived at least 50% of their revenues or profits from goods produced or sold, investments made, or services performed outside of the United States or that have at least 50% of their assets in countries outside of the United States. The Fund considers foreign developed markets to be those included in the MSCI World Index.

 

The Fund may invest in derivatives, including swaps. The Fund may enter into total return swaps that provide exposure to long or short equity positions rather than investing directly in long or short positions, respectively. The Fund will count its derivatives positions, including swap positions, for purposes of determining whether it holds at least 80% of the value of its net assets (including investment-related borrowings) in equity securities.

 

In managing the Fund, the Sub-Advisor utilizes an investment process that involves a combination of research rankings, valuation rankings and stock selection. In particular, the investment process involves examining (i) a company’s price-to-earnings and price-to-book ratios, (ii) the company’s recent performance, (iii) the quality of the company and its management, and (iv) the company’s earnings and profitability. The Sub-Advisor may also examine a number of additional quantitative indicators based on the Sub-Advisor’s proprietary research. The Sub-Advisor uses its research findings to rank companies according to relative value and risk exposure. Valuation rankings are then produced using a variety of quantitative models to confirm or adjust the Sub-Advisor’s research rankings. The Sub-Advisor then buys and sells securities for the Fund’s portfolio using the research and valuation rankings as a basis.

 

The Sub-Advisor may sell all or a portion of a position of the Fund’s portfolio holding when in its opinion one or more of the following occurs, among other reasons: (i) the issuer’s fundamentals deteriorate; (ii) the Sub-Advisor’s valuation analysis determines a security has realized its full valuation; (iii) the Sub-Advisor identifies more attractive investment opportunities for the Fund; or (iv) the Fund requires cash to meet redemption requests.

 

6 

 

When the Sub-Advisor believes that current market, economic, political or other conditions are unsuitable and would impair the pursuit of the Fund’s investment objectives, the Fund may invest some or all of its assets in cash or cash equivalents, including but not limited to obligations of the U.S. Government, money market fund shares, commercial paper, certificates of deposit and/or bankers acceptances, as well as other interest bearing or discount obligations or debt instruments that carry an investment-grade rating by a national ratings agency. When the Fund takes a temporary defensive position, the Fund may not achieve its investment objectives.

 

Principal Risks

The Fund’s principal risks are set forth below. Before you decide whether to invest in the Fund, carefully consider these risk factors and special considerations associated with investing in the Fund, which may cause you to lose money.

 

Equity risk. The value of equity securities held by the Fund may fall due to general market and economic conditions, perceptions regarding the industries in which the issuers of securities held by the Fund participate, or factors relating to specific companies in which the Fund invests. The price of common stock of an issuer in the Fund’s portfolio may decline if the issuer fails to make anticipated dividend payments because, among other reasons, the financial condition of the issuer declines. Common stock is subordinated to preferred stocks, bonds and other debt instruments in a company’s capital structure in terms of priority with respect to corporate income, and therefore will be subject to greater dividend risk than preferred stocks or debt instruments of such issuers. In addition, while broad market measures of common stocks have historically generated higher average returns than fixed income securities, common stocks have also experienced significantly more volatility in those returns.

 

Foreign investment risk. Investments in foreign securities are affected by risk factors generally not thought to be present in the United States. The prices of foreign securities may be more volatile than the prices of securities of U.S. issuers because of economic and social conditions abroad, political developments, and changes in the regulatory environments of foreign countries. Special risks associated with investments in foreign markets include less liquidity, less developed or less efficient trading markets, lack of comprehensive company information, less government supervision of exchanges, brokers and issuers, greater risks associated with counterparties and settlement, and difficulty in enforcing contractual obligations. In addition, changes in exchange rates and interest rates, and imposition of foreign taxes, may adversely affect the value of the Fund’s foreign investments. Foreign companies are generally subject to different legal and accounting standards than U.S. companies, and foreign financial intermediaries may be subject to less supervision and regulation than U.S. financial firms. The Fund’s investments in depository receipts (including ADRs) are subject to these risks, even if denominated in U.S. Dollars, because changes in currency and exchange rates affect the values of the issuers of depository receipts. In addition, the underlying issuers of certain depository receipts, particularly unsponsored or unregistered depository receipts, are under no obligation to distribute shareholder communications to the holders of such receipts, or to pass through to them any voting rights with respect to the deposited securities.

 

Large-cap company risk. Larger, more established companies may be unable to attain the high growth rates of successful, smaller companies during periods of economic expansion. In addition, large-capitalization companies may be unable to respond quickly to new competitive challenges, such as changes in technology and consumer tastes, and may be more prone to global economic risks.

 

Small-cap and mid-cap company risk. Investing in small-capitalization and mid-capitalization companies generally involves greater risks than investing in large-capitalization companies. Small- or mid-cap companies may have limited product lines, markets or financial resources or may depend on the expertise of a few people and may be subject to more abrupt or erratic market movements than securities of larger, more established companies or market averages in general. Many small capitalization companies may be in the early stages of development. Since equity securities of smaller companies may lack sufficient market liquidity and may not be regularly traded, it may be difficult or impossible to sell securities at an advantageous time or a desirable price.

 

7 

 

Derivatives risk. Derivatives include instruments and contracts that are based on and valued in relation to one or more underlying securities, financial benchmarks, indices, or other reference obligations or measures of value. Major types of derivatives include futures, options, swaps and forward contracts. Depending on how the Fund uses derivatives and the relationship between the market value of the derivative and the underlying instrument, the use of derivatives could increase or decrease the Fund’s exposure to the risks of the underlying instrument. Using derivatives can have a leveraging effect and increase fund volatility. A small investment in derivatives could have a potentially large impact on the Fund’s performance. Derivatives transactions can be highly illiquid and difficult to unwind or value, and changes in the value of a derivative held by the Fund may not correlate with the value of the underlying instrument or the Fund’s other investments. Many of the risks applicable to trading the instruments underlying derivatives are also applicable to derivatives trading. However, additional risks are associated with derivatives trading that are possibly greater than the risks associated with investing directly in the underlying instruments. These additional risks include, but are not limited to, illiquidity risk, operational leverage risk and counterparty credit risk. For derivatives that are required to be cleared by a regulated clearinghouse, other risks may arise from the Fund’s relationship with a brokerage firm through which it submits derivatives trades for clearing, including in some cases from other clearing customers of the brokerage firm. The Fund would also be exposed to counterparty risk with respect to the clearinghouse. Financial reform laws have changed many aspects of financial regulation applicable to derivatives. Once implemented, new regulations, including margin, clearing, and trade execution requirements, may make derivatives more costly, may limit their availability, may present different risks or may otherwise adversely affect the value or performance of these instruments. The extent and impact of these regulations are not yet fully known and may not be known for some time. Certain risks relating to various types of derivatives in which the Fund may invest are described below.

 

Hedging Transactions. The Fund may employ hedging techniques that involve a variety of derivative transactions, including swaps (“Hedging Instruments”). Hedging techniques involve risks different than those of underlying investments. In particular, the variable degree of correlation between price movements of Hedging Instruments and price movements in the position being hedged means that losses on the hedge may be greater than gains in the value of the Fund’s positions, or that there may be losses on both parts of a transaction. In addition, certain Hedging Instruments and markets may not be liquid in all circumstances. As a result, in volatile markets, the Fund may not be able to close out a transaction in certain of these instruments without incurring losses. The Advisor may use Hedging Instruments to minimize the risk of total loss to the Fund by offsetting an investment in one security with a comparable investment in a contrasting security. However, such use may limit any potential gain that might result from an increase in the value of the hedged position. Whether the Fund hedges successfully will depend on the Advisor’s ability to predict pertinent market movements. In addition, it is not possible to hedge fully or perfectly against currency fluctuations affecting the value of securities denominated in foreign currencies, because the value of those securities is likely to fluctuate as a result of independent factors not related to currency fluctuations. The daily variation margin requirements in futures contracts might create greater financial risk than would options transactions, where the exposure is limited to the cost of the initial premium and transaction costs paid by the Fund.

 

Swap Transactions. The Fund may enter into swap transactions. A swap contract is a commitment between two parties to make or receive payments based on agreed upon terms, and whose value and payments are derived by changes in the value of an underlying financial instrument. Swap transactions can take many different forms and are known by a variety of names. Depending on their structure, swap transactions may increase or decrease the Fund’s exposure to long-term or short-term interest rates, foreign currency values, corporate borrowing rates, or other factors such as security prices, values of baskets of securities, or inflation rates. Interest rate swaps are contracts involving the exchange between two contracting parties of their respective commitments to pay or receive interest (e.g., an exchange of floating rate payments for fixed rate payments). Credit default swaps are contracts whereby one party makes periodic payments to a counterparty in exchange for the right to receive from the counterparty a payment equal to the par (or other agreed-upon) value of an underlying debt obligation in the event of default by the issuer of the debt security. Total return swaps are contracts in which one party agrees to make periodic payments based on the change in market value of the underlying assets, which may include a specified security, basket of securities or security indexes during the specified period, in return for periodic payments based on a fixed or variable interest rate of the total return from other underlying assets. Depending on how they are used, swap transactions may increase or decrease the overall volatility of the Fund’s portfolio. The most significant factor in the performance of a swap transaction is the change in the specific interest rate, currency, individual equity values or other factors that determine the amounts of payments due to and from the Fund.

 

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On-Facility Trading of Swaps. Swaps that are required to be cleared must be traded on a regulated swap execution facility or contract market that makes them available for trading. Other swaps may be traded through such a facility or contact market on a voluntarily basis. The transition from entering into swaps bilaterally to trading them on a facility or contract market may not result in swaps being easier to trade or value and may present certain execution risks if the facilities and contract markets do not operate properly. On-facility trading of swaps is also expected to lead to greater standardization of contract terms. It is possible that the Fund may not be able to enter into swaps that fully meet its investment or hedging needs, or that the costs of entering into customized swaps, including any applicable margin requirements, will be significant.

 

Illiquidity. Derivatives, especially when traded in large amounts, may not always be liquid. In such cases, in volatile markets the Fund may not be able to close out a position without incurring a loss. Daily limits on price fluctuations and speculative position limits on exchanges on which the Fund may conduct its transactions in derivatives may prevent profitable liquidation of positions, subjecting the Fund to potentially greater losses.

 

Counterparty Credit Risk. Many purchases, sales, financing arrangements, and derivative transactions in which the Fund may engage involve instruments that are not traded on an exchange. Rather, these instruments are traded between counterparties based on contractual relationships. As a result, the Fund is subject to the risk that a counterparty will not perform its obligations under the related contract. Although the Fund expects to enter into transactions only with counterparties believed by the Advisor to be creditworthy, there can be no assurance that a counterparty will not default and that the Fund will not sustain a loss on a transaction as a result.

 

In situations where the Fund is required to post margin or other collateral with a counterparty, the counterparty may fail to segregate the collateral or may commingle the collateral with the counterparty's own assets. As a result, in the event of the counterparty's bankruptcy or insolvency, the Fund's collateral may be subject to the conflicting claims of the counterparty's creditors and the Fund may be exposed to the risk of being treated as a general unsecured creditor of the counterparty, rather than as the owner of the collateral.

 

The Fund is subject to the risk that issuers of the instruments in which it invests and trades may default on their obligations, and that certain events may occur that have an immediate and significant adverse effect on the value of those instruments. There can be no assurance that an issuer will not default, or that an event that has an immediate and significant adverse effect on the value of an instrument will not occur, and that the Fund will not sustain a loss on a transaction as a result.

 

Short sales risk. In connection with a short sale of a security or other instrument, the Fund is subject to the risk that instead of declining, the price of the security or other instrument sold short will rise. If the price of the security or other instrument sold short increases between the date of the short sale and the date on which the Fund replaces the security or other instrument borrowed to make the short sale, the Fund will experience a loss, which is theoretically unlimited since there is a theoretically unlimited potential for the market price of a security or other instrument sold short to increase. By investing the proceeds received from selling securities short, the Fund is employing leverage, which creates special risks. Furthermore, until the Fund replaces a security borrowed, or sold short, it must pay to the lender amounts equal to any dividends that accrue during the period of the short sale. In addition, the Fund will incur certain transaction fees associated with short selling.

  

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Asset segregation risk. As a series of an investment company registered with the SEC, the Fund must segregate liquid assets or engage in other measures to “cover” open positions with respect to certain kinds of derivatives and short sales. In the case of futures contracts that do not cash settle, for example, the Fund must set aside liquid assets equal to the full notional value of the contracts (less any amounts the Fund has posted as margin) while the positions are open. With respect to futures contracts that do cash settle, however, the Fund is permitted to set aside liquid assets in an amount equal to the Fund’s daily marked-to-market net obligations under the contracts (less any amounts the Fund has posted as margin), if any, rather than their full notional value. The Fund reserves the right to modify its asset segregation policies in the future to comply with any changes in the positions from time to time articulated by the SEC or its staff regarding asset segregation. By setting aside assets equal to only its net obligations under cash-settled instruments, the Fund will have the ability to employ leverage to a greater extent than if the Fund were required to segregate assets equal to the full notional amount of the instruments. The Fund may incur losses on derivatives and other leveraged investments (including the entire amount of the Fund’s investment in such investments) even if they are covered.

 

Leveraging risk. Taking short positions may give rise to a form of leverage. Leverage can magnify the effects of changes in the value of the Fund’s investments and make the Fund more volatile. Leverage creates a risk of loss of value on a larger pool of assets than the Fund would otherwise have had, potentially resulting in the loss of all assets. The Fund may also have to sell assets at inopportune times to satisfy its obligations in connection with such transactions.

 

Currency risk. The values of investments in securities denominated in foreign currencies increase or decrease as the rates of exchange between those currencies and the U.S. Dollar change. Currency conversion costs and currency fluctuations could erase investment gains or add to investment losses. Currency exchange rates can be volatile and are affected by factors such as general economic conditions, the actions of the United States and foreign governments or central banks, the imposition of currency controls, and speculation.
  
Management and strategy risk. The value of your investment depends on the judgment of the Advisor about the quality, relative yield, value or market trends affecting a particular security, industry, sector or region, which may prove to be incorrect. Investment strategies employed by the Advisor in selecting investments for the Fund may not result in an increase in the value of your investment or in overall performance equal to other investments.
  
Market risk. The market price of a security or instrument may decline, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably, due to general market conditions that are not specifically related to a particular company, such as real or perceived adverse economic or political conditions throughout the world, changes in the general outlook for corporate earnings, changes in interest or currency rates or adverse investor sentiment generally. The market value of a security or instrument also may decline because of factors that affect a particular industry or industries, such as labor shortages or increased production costs and competitive conditions within an industry. For example, the financial crisis that began in 2008 caused a significant decline in the value and liquidity of many securities; in particular, the values of some sovereign debt and of securities of issuers that invest in sovereign debt and related investments fell, credit became more scarce worldwide and there was significant uncertainty in the markets. Such environments could make identifying investment risks and opportunities especially difficult for the Advisor. In response to the crisis, the United States and other governments have taken steps to support financial markets. The withdrawal of this support or failure of efforts in response to the crisis could negatively affect financial markets generally as well as the value and liquidity of certain securities. In addition, policy and legislative changes in the United States and in other countries are changing many aspects of financial regulation. The impact of these changes on the markets, and the practical implications for market participants, may not be fully known for some time.
  
Preferred stock risk. Preferred stock represents an equity interest in a company that generally entitles the holder to receive, in preference to the holders of other stocks such as common stocks, dividends and a fixed share of the proceeds resulting from a liquidation of the company. Preferred stocks may pay fixed or adjustable rates of return. The market value of preferred stock is subject to issuer-specific and market risks applicable generally to equity securities and is sensitive to changes in the issuer’s creditworthiness, the ability of the issuer to make payments on the preferred stock and changes in interest rates, typically declining in value if interest rates rise. In addition, a company’s preferred stock generally pays dividends only after the company makes required payments to holders of its bonds and other debt. Therefore the value of preferred stock will usually react more strongly than bonds and other debt to actual or perceived changes in the company’s financial condition or prospects.

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Warrants and rights risk. A warrant gives the holder a right to purchase, at any time during a specified period, a predetermined number of shares of common stock at a fixed price. Rights are similar to warrants but typically have a shorter duration and are issued by a company to existing stockholders to provide those holders the right to purchase additional shares of stock at a later date. Unlike a convertible debt security or preferred stock a warrant or right does not pay fixed dividends. A warrant or right may lack a liquid secondary market for resale. The price of a warrant or right may fluctuate as a result of speculation or other factors. In addition, the price of the underlying security may not reach, or have reasonable prospects of reaching, a level at which the warrant or right can be exercised prudently (in which case the warrant or right may expire without being exercised, resulting in a loss of the Fund’s entire investment in the warrant or right). If the Fund owns common stock of a company, failing to exercise rights to purchase common stock would dilute the Fund’s interest in the issuing company. The market for rights is not well developed and the Fund may not always realize full value on the sale of rights.
  
No operating history. The Fund is a newly organized series of an open-end management investment company and has no operating history. As a result, prospective investors have no track record or history on which to base their investment decisions. Among other things, this means that investors will not be able to evaluate the Fund against one or more comparable mutual funds on the basis of relative performance until the Fund has established a track record.

 

Portfolio turnover risk. Active and frequent trading of the Fund’s securities may lead to higher transaction costs and may result in a greater number of taxable transactions, which could negatively affect the Fund’s performance. A high rate of portfolio turnover is 100% or more.

 

For further information about the risks of investing in the Fund, please see the SAI.

 

Portfolio Holdings Information

A description of the Fund’s policies and procedures with respect to the disclosure of the Fund’s portfolio securities is available in the Fund’s Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”). Currently, disclosure of the Fund’s holdings is required to be made quarterly within 60 days of the end of each fiscal quarter in the Fund’s Annual Report and Semi-Annual Report to Fund shareholders, and in its quarterly holdings report on Form N-Q.

 

MANAGEMENT OF THE FUND

 

 

The Advisor and Sub-Advisor

361 Capital, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company with its principal place of business at 4600 South Syracuse Street, Suite 500, Denver, Colorado 80237, is the Fund’s investment advisor and provides investment advisory services to the Fund pursuant to an investment advisory agreement between the Advisor and the Trust (the “Advisory Agreement”). Founded in 2001, 361 is an SEC registered investment advisor and provides investment advice to institutions and high-net-worth investors. As of September 30, 2018, the Advisor’s total assets under management were approximately $1.7 billion. The Advisor is registered with the CFTC as a “commodity pool operator”.

 

Subject to the general supervision of the Board of Trustees, the Advisor is responsible for managing the Fund in accordance with its investment objectives and policies using the approaches discussed in the “Principal Investment Strategies” section of this Prospectus.

 

Pursuant to the Advisory Agreement, the Fund pays the Advisor an annual advisory fee of 1.00% of the Fund’s average daily net assets for the services and facilities it provides, payable on a monthly basis.

 

Analytic Investors, LLC (“Analytic”), with its principal place of business at 555 West Fifth Street, 50th Floor, Los Angeles, California 90013, serves as the sub-advisor to the Fund pursuant to a sub-advisory agreement with the Advisor (the “Analytic Agreement”). Analytic was founded in 1970 and is registered as an investment advisor with the SEC. Analytic is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Wells Fargo Asset Management, the asset management business of Wells Fargo & Company. Analytic is responsible for the day-to-day management of the portfolio of the Fund, selection of the Fund’s portfolio investments and supervision of its portfolio transactions subject to the general oversight of the Board and the Advisor. As of September 30, 2018, Analytic had $19.9 billion in assets under management.

 

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A discussion regarding the basis for the Board’s approval of the Advisory Agreement, and the Analytic Agreement will be available in the Fund’s Semi-Annual Report dated [June 30, 2019].

 

Portfolio Managers

Harindra de Silva, Ph.D., CFA is a Portfolio Manager and the President at Analytic Investors, LLC. Mr. de Silva is primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund’s portfolio. Mr. de Silva is responsible for the firm’s strategic direction and the ongoing development of its investment processes. As a portfolio manager, Mr. de Silva focuses on the ongoing research effort for equity and global asset allocation strategies. Mr. de Silva has authored several articles and studies on finance-related topics including stock market anomalies, market volatility and asset valuation. Prior to joining Analytic Investors, he was a Principal at Analysis Group, Inc., where he was responsible for providing economic research services to institutional investors including investment managers, large pension funds, and endowments. This included the development of quantitative equity strategies and econometric models for use in asset allocation strategies. Mr. de Silva received a Ph.D. in Finance from the University of California, Irvine. He holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Manchester, Institute of Science and Technology, an MBA in Finance and a MS in Economic Forecasting from the University of Rochester. He is a member of the Association for Investment Management and Research, the American Finance Association, and the International Association of Financial Analysts.

 

Dennis Bein, CFA is a Portfolio Manager and a Chief Investment Officer at Analytic Investors, LLC. As Chief Investment Officer, Mr. Bein oversees the implementation of the firm’s investment strategies. Mr. Bein is a major contributor to the firm’s ongoing research efforts as well as new product development and strategy applications. As a portfolio manager, Mr. Bein focuses on day-to-day portfolio management and research related to equity-based investment strategies. Prior to joining Analytic Investors, Mr. Bein was a Senior Consultant for Analysis Group, Inc., where he provided investment consulting services for institutional investors and plan sponsors. Mr. Bein advised pension fund managers on topics such as investment objective definition, asset allocation analysis, manager selection and manager performance evaluation. Mr. Bein has received an MBA from the Anderson Graduate School of Management at the University of California, Riverside. He completed his undergraduate studies in Business Administration at the University of California, Riverside. Mr. Bein is also a Chartered Financial Analyst and is a member of the Institute of Chartered Financial Analysts (ICFA) and the Los Angeles Society of Financial Analysts (LASFA).

 

David Krider, CFA is a Portfolio Manager at Analytic Investors, LLC. Mr. Krider is responsible for the ongoing research and development of global equity-based investment strategies as well as the day-to-day trading of global portfolios. Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Krider was the founder and Chief Technology Officer of Visualize, Inc., a firm that specializes in financial visualization and analytic software. Mr. Krider was a Research Associate at First Quadrant before leaving to start his own firm. Mr. Krider has a B.S. in Economics and Computer Science from the California Institute of Technology.

 

The SAI provides additional information about the portfolio manager’s method of compensation, other accounts managed by the portfolio manager and the portfolio manager’s ownership of securities in the Fund.

 

Other Service Providers

IMST Distributors, LLC (the “Distributor”), is the Trust’s principal underwriter and acts as the Trust’s distributor in connection with the offering of Fund shares. The Distributor may enter into agreements with banks, broker-dealers, or other financial intermediaries through which investors may purchase or redeem shares. The Distributor is not affiliated with the Trust, the Advisor or any other service provider for the Fund.

 

Fund Expenses

The Fund is responsible for its own operating expenses (all of which will be borne directly or indirectly by the Fund’s shareholders), including among others, legal fees and expenses of counsel to the Fund and the Fund’s Independent Trustees; insurance (including Trustees’ and officers’ errors and omissions insurance); auditing and accounting expenses; taxes and governmental fees; listing fees; fees and expenses of the Fund’s custodians, administrators, transfer agents, registrars and other service providers; expenses for portfolio pricing services by a pricing agent, if any; expenses in connection with the issuance and offering of shares; brokerage commissions and other costs of acquiring or disposing of any portfolio holding of the Fund and any litigation expenses.

 

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The Advisor has contractually agreed to waive its fees and/or pay for operating expenses of the Fund to ensure that the total annual fund operating expenses (excluding any taxes, leverage interest, brokerage commissions, dividend and interest expenses on short sales, acquired fund fees and expenses (as determined in accordance with SEC Form N-1A), expenses incurred in connection with any merger or reorganization and extraordinary expenses such as litigation expenses) do not exceed the percentage stated below:

 

Fund Expense Limit as percent of average daily net assets
  Investor Class Class I Class Y
361 Global Equity Absolute Return Fund % % %

 

The Advisory Agreement is in effect until [December [ ], 2019], and may be terminated before that date with respect to the Fund only by the Trust’s Board of Trustees.

 

Any reduction in advisory fees or payment of the Fund’s expenses made by the Advisor in a fiscal year may be reimbursed by the Fund for a period ending three full years after the date of reduction or payment if the Advisor so requests. This reimbursement may be requested from the Fund if the reimbursement will not cause the Fund’s annual expense ratio to exceed the lesser of (a) the expense limitation in effect at the time such fees were waived or payments made, or (b) the expense limitation in effect at the time of the reimbursement. However, the reimbursement amount may not exceed the total amount of fees waived and/or Fund expenses paid by the Advisor and will not include any amounts previously reimbursed to the Advisor by the Fund. Any such reimbursement is contingent upon the Board’s subsequent review of the reimbursed amounts and no reimbursement may cause the total operating expenses paid by the Fund in a fiscal year to exceed the applicable limitation on Fund expenses. The Fund must pay current ordinary operating expenses before the Advisor is entitled to any reimbursement of fees and/or Fund expenses. The expense limitation amounts for Class I and Investor Class shares include a shareholder service fee of 0.15%. If the shareholder service fees actually paid by any such Class are less than 0.15% of the average daily net assets of such Class, then the total annual fund operating expenses for such Class after waiving fees and/or reimbursing expenses will be lower than the stated expense limitation amount for such Class.

 

Prior Performance for Similar Accounts Managed by the Advisors

 

Global equity absolute return strategy

The following tables set forth performance data relating to the historical performance of an account managed by Analytic Capital for the periods indicated that have investment objectives, policies, and strategies substantially similar to those of the 361 Global Equity Absolute Return Fund. The data is provided to illustrate the past performance of Analytic Capital in managing substantially similar accounts as measured against market indices and does not represent the performance of the Fund. You should not consider this performance data as an indication of future performance of the 361 Global Equity Absolute Return Fund.

 

The private accounts that are included in the performance data set forth below are not subject to the same types of expenses to which the Fund is subject, or to the diversification requirements, specific tax restrictions, investment limitations, and other restrictions imposed on the 361 Global Equity Absolute Return Fund by the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”), or Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986. Consequently, the performance results for these private accounts could have been adversely affected if the private accounts had been regulated as investment companies under the federal securities laws. The composite returns below were calculated in accordance with recognized industry standards which are calculated differently than the SEC method for calculating performance for registered investment companies. Monthly returns of the composite combine the individual accounts’ returns (calculated on a time-weighted rate of return basis) by asset weighting each account’s asset value as of the beginning of the month. Annual returns are calculated by geometrically linking (i.e., calculating the product of) the monthly returns.

 

Average Annual Total Returns

For the Period Ended September 30, 2018

 

 

Since Inception

(6/1/2018)

Analytic Investors Global Equity Absolute Return Composite  
Net Returns, after fees/expenses* %
Gross Returns %
3-Month LIBOR Index %
MSCI World (Net) Index %

 

*The net returns for the composite are shown net of all actual fees and expenses. The fees and expenses of accounts included in the composite are [higher/lower than] the anticipated operating expenses of the Fund and accordingly, the performance results of the composite are [higher/lower than] what the Fund’s performance would have been.

 

The Analytic Investors Global Equity Absolute Return Composite includes all discretionary accounts managed in the strategy. The strategy consists of long-short equity portfolios investing in global developed equity securities, maintain a target beta of 0.1. For every $100 invested, the strategy buys up to $100 in securities and sells short up to $70 in securities. Returns are presented net of transaction costs and non-reclaimable withholding taxes, if any, and reflect the reinvestment of dividends and other earnings. Net returns reflect the additional deduction of actual investment advisory fees including any performance-based fees. Performance is expressed in U.S. dollars.

 

The 3-Month LIBOR Index tracks the performance of a synthetic asset paying Libor to a stated maturity and includes the reinvestment of income.

 

The MSCI World (Net) Index is a market-capitalization weighted index that measures the equity market performance of developed markets.

 

DISTRIBUTION AND SHAREHOLDER SERVICE PLAN

 

 

Distribution and Service (Rule 12b-1) Fees for Investor Class Shares

The Trust has adopted a plan on behalf of the Fund pursuant to Rule 12b-1 of the 1940 Act (the “12b-1 Plan”) which allows the Fund to pay distribution fees for the sale and distribution of its Investor Class shares and/or shareholder liaison service fees in connection with the provision of personal services to shareholders of Investor Class shares and the maintenance of their shareholder accounts. The 12b-1 Plan provides for the payment of such fees at the annual rate of up to 0.25% of the average daily net assets attributable to such shares. Since these fees are paid out of the Fund’s assets attributable to the Fund’s Investor Class shares, these fees will increase the cost of your investment and, over time, may cost you more than paying other types of sales charges. The net income attributable to Investor Class shares will be reduced by the amount of distribution and shareholder liaison service fees and other expenses of the Fund associated with that class of shares.

 

To assist investors in comparing classes of shares, the table under the Prospectus heading “Fees and Expenses of the Fund” provides a summary of expenses and an example of the sales charges and expenses of the Fund applicable to the class of shares offered in this Prospectus.

 

Class I and Class Y shares are not subject to any distribution fees under the 12b-1 Plan.

 

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Shareholder Service Fee

The Fund may pay a fee at an annual rate of up to 0.15% of its average daily net assets attributable to Investor Class and Class I shares to shareholder servicing agents. Shareholder servicing agents provide non-distribution administrative and support services to their customers, which may include establishing and maintaining accounts and records relating to shareholders, processing dividend and distribution payments from the Fund on behalf of shareholders, forwarding communications from the Fund, providing sub-accounting with respect to Fund shares, and other similar services.

 

Additional Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries

The Advisor may pay service fees to intermediaries such as banks, broker-dealers, financial advisors or other financial institutions, some of which may be affiliates, for sub-administration, sub-transfer agency and other shareholder services associated with shareholders whose shares are held of record in omnibus accounts, other group accounts or accounts traded through registered securities clearing agents.

 

The Advisor, out of its own resources, and without additional cost to the Fund or their shareholders, may provide additional cash payments or non-cash compensation to broker-dealers or intermediaries that sell shares of the Fund. These additional cash payments are generally made to intermediaries that provide shareholder servicing, marketing support and/or access to sales meetings, sales representatives and management representatives of the intermediary. The Advisor may pay cash compensation for inclusion of the Fund on a sales list, including a preferred or select sales list, or in other sales programs, or may pay an expense reimbursement in cases where the intermediary provides shareholder services to the Fund’s shareholders. The Advisor may also pay cash compensation in the form of finder’s fees that vary depending on the dollar amount of the shares sold.

 

YOUR ACCOUNT WITH THE FUND

 

 

Share Price

The offering price of each class of the Fund’s shares is the net asset value per share (“NAV”) of that class (plus any sales charges, as applicable). The Fund’s NAVs are calculated as of 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time, the normal close of regular trading on the NYSE, on each day the NYSE is open for trading. If, for example, the NYSE closes at 1:00 p.m. New York time, the Fund’s NAVs would still be determined as of 4:00 p.m. New York time. In this example, portfolio securities traded on the NYSE would be valued at their closing prices unless the Trust’s Valuation Committee determines that a “fair value” adjustment is appropriate due to subsequent events. The Fund’s NAV for each class is determined by dividing the value of the Fund’s portfolio securities, cash and other assets (including accrued interest) allocable to such class, less all liabilities (including accrued expenses) allocable to such class, by the total number of outstanding shares of such class. The Fund’s NAVs may be calculated earlier if permitted by the SEC. The NYSE is closed on weekends and most U.S. national holidays. However, foreign securities listed primarily on non-U.S. markets may trade on weekends or other days on which the Fund does not value its shares, which may significantly affect the Fund’s NAVs on days when you are not able to buy or sell Fund shares. The Fund’s most recent NAVs are available on the Fund’s website at www.361funds.com.

 

The Fund’s securities generally are valued at market price. Securities are valued at fair value when market quotations are not readily available. The Board has adopted procedures to be followed when the Fund must utilize fair value pricing, including when reliable market quotations are not readily available, when the Fund’s pricing service does not provide a valuation (or provides a valuation that, in the judgment of the Advisor, does not represent the security’s fair value), or when, in the judgment of the Advisor, events have rendered the market value unreliable (see, for example, the discussion of fair value pricing of foreign securities in the paragraph below). Valuing securities at fair value involves reliance on the judgment of the Advisor and the Board (or a committee thereof), and may result in a different price being used in the calculation of the Fund’s NAVs from quoted or published prices for the same securities. Fair value determinations are made in good faith in accordance with procedures adopted by the Board. There can be no assurance that the Fund will obtain the fair value assigned to a security if it sells the security.

 

In certain circumstances, the Fund employs fair value pricing to ensure greater accuracy in determining daily NAVs and to prevent dilution by frequent traders or market timers who seek to exploit temporary market anomalies. Fair value pricing may be applied to foreign securities held by the Fund upon the occurrence of an event after the close of trading on non-U.S. markets but before the close of trading on the NYSE when the Fund’s NAVs are determined. If the event may result in a material adjustment to the price of the Fund’s foreign securities once non-U.S. markets open on the following business day (such as, for example, a significant surge or decline in the U.S. market), the Fund may value such foreign securities at fair value, taking into account the effect of such event, in order to calculate the Fund’s NAVs.

 

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Other types of portfolio securities that the Fund may fair value include, but are not limited to: (1) investments that are illiquid or traded infrequently, including “restricted” securities and private placements for which there is no public market; (2) investments for which, in the judgment of the Advisor, the market price is stale; (3) securities of an issuer that has entered into a restructuring; (4) securities for which trading has been halted or suspended; and (5) fixed income securities for which there is no current market value quotation.

 

Purchase of Shares

This Prospectus offers three classes of shares designated as Investor Class shares, Class I shares and Class Y shares.

 

Investor Class shares are not subject to any sales loads but generally incur annual distribution and shareholders service fees.
Class I shares are not subject to any sales loads or distribution fees but do incur shareholder service fees.
Class Y shares are not subject to any sales loads, distribution or shareholder service fees.

 

By offering multiple classes of shares, the Fund permit each investor to choose the class of shares that is most beneficial given the type of investor, the amount to be invested and the length of time the investor expects to hold the shares. As described more fully below, each class of shares offers a distinct structure of distribution/service fees and other features that are designed to address the needs of a variety of investors.

 

Before you invest, you should compare the features of each share class, so that you can choose the class that is right for you. When selecting a share class, you should consider the following:

 

which shares classes are available to you;
how long you expect to own your shares;
how much you intend to invest;
total costs and expenses associated with a particular share class; and
whether you qualify for any reduction or waiver of sales charges.

 

Class I and Class Y shares are subject to different eligibility requirements, fees and expenses, may have different minimum investment requirements. You should consult with your financial advisor for more information to determine which share class is most appropriate for your situation.

 

Each class of shares generally has the same rights, except for the distribution fees, any related expenses associated with each class of shares, and the exclusive voting rights by each class with respect to any distribution plan or service plan for such class of shares.

 

To the extent allowed by applicable law, the Fund reserves the right to discontinue offering shares at any time or to cease operating entirely.

 

The Fund does not accept investments by non-U.S. persons.

 

The Fund’s shares are offered on a continuous basis through IMST Distributors, LLC, Three Canal Plaza, Suite 100, Portland, Maine 04101. Shares also may be purchased through members of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”) who are acting as securities dealers (“dealers”) and FINRA members or eligible non-FINRA members who are acting as brokers or agents for investors (“brokers”). Dealers and brokers are sometimes referred to herein as authorized dealers.

 

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To purchase shares of the Fund, you must invest at least the minimum amount indicated in the following table.

 

Minimum Investments To Open
Your Account
To Add to
Your Account
Investor Class Shares    
Direct Regular Accounts $2,500 None
Direct Retirement Accounts $2,500 None
Gift Account For Minors $2,500 None
Class I Shares    
All Accounts $2,500 None
Class Y Shares    
All Accounts $1 million None

 

Shares of the Fund may be purchased by check, by wire transfer of funds via a bank or through an approved financial intermediary (i.e., a supermarket, investment advisor, financial planner or consultant, broker, dealer or other investment professional and their agents) authorized by the Fund to receive purchase orders. Financial intermediaries may provide varying arrangements for their clients to purchase and redeem shares, which may include different sales charges as described in this Prospectus, additional fees and different investment minimums. In addition, from time to time, a financial intermediary may modify or waive the initial and subsequent investment minimums. When purchasing shares of the Fund, investors must specify whether the purchase is for Investor Class, Class I or Class Y shares. You may make an initial investment in an amount greater than the minimum amounts shown in the preceding table and the Fund may, from time to time, reduce or waive the minimum initial investment amounts. The minimum initial investment amount is automatically waived for Fund shares purchased by Trustees of the Trust and current or retired directors and employees of the Advisor and its affiliates.

 

Investor Class Shares

To purchase Investor Class shares of the Fund, you generally must invest at least $2,500. Investor Class shares are not subject to any initial sales charge. No CDSC is imposed on redemptions of Investor Class shares, and you do pay ongoing distribution/service fees.

 

Class I Shares

To purchase Class I shares of the Fund, you generally must invest at least $2,500. Class I shares are not subject to any initial sales charge. No CDSC is imposed on redemptions of Class I shares, and you do not pay any ongoing distribution fees. You do pay shareholder service fees on Class I shares.

 

Class Y Shares

To purchase Class Y shares of the Fund, you generally must invest at least $1 million. Class Y shares are not subject to any initial sales charge. You do not pay any ongoing distribution or service fees on Class Y shares.

 

Minimum Investment Requirements, Generally

If you invest with us through a financial intermediary, the minimum investment requirement may be met if your financial intermediary aggregates your investments with those of other clients into a single group, or omnibus account that meets the minimum. The minimum investment requirement for Class I shares may be waived if you or your financial intermediary, invest through an omnibus account, have an aggregate investment in our family of funds of $100,000 or more, or in other situations as determined by the Advisor. In addition, financial intermediaries or plan record keepers may require retirement plans to meet certain other conditions, such as plan size or a minimum level of assets per participant, in order to be eligible to purchase Class I shares. The Advisor may permit a financial intermediary to waive applicable minimum initial investment for Class I shares in the following situations:

 

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Broker-dealers purchasing Fund shares for clients in broker-sponsored discretionary fee-based advisory programs where the portfolio manager of the program acts on behalf of the shareholder through omnibus accounts;
Trust companies and bank wealth management organizations purchasing shares in a fiduciary, discretionary trustee or advisory account on behalf of the shareholder, through omnibus accounts or nominee name accounts;
Qualified Tuition Programs under Section 529 that have entered into an agreement with the Distributor;
Certain employer-sponsored retirement plans, as approved by the Advisor; and
Certain other situations deemed appropriate by the Advisor.

 

In-Kind Purchases and Redemptions

The Fund reserves the right to accept payment for shares in the form of securities that are permissible investments for the Fund. The Fund also reserves the right to pay redemptions by an “in-kind” distribution of portfolio securities (instead of cash) from the Fund. In-kind purchases and redemptions are taxable events and may result in the recognition of gain or loss for federal income tax purposes. See the SAI for further information about the terms of these purchases and redemptions.

 

Additional Investments

Additional subscriptions in the Fund generally may be made by investing at least the minimum amount shown in the table above. Exceptions may be made at the Fund’s discretion. You may purchase additional shares of the Fund by sending a check together with the investment stub from your most recent account statement to the Fund at the applicable address listed in the table below. Please ensure that you include your account number on the check. If you do not have the investment stub from your account statement, list your name, address and account number on a separate sheet of paper and include it with your check. You may also make additional investments in the Fund by wire transfer of funds or through an approved financial intermediary. The minimum additional investment amount is automatically waived for shares purchased by Trustees of the Trust and current or retired directors and employees of the Advisor and its affiliates. Please follow the procedures described in this Prospectus.

 

Dividend Reinvestment

You may reinvest dividends and capital gains distributions in shares of the Fund. Such shares are acquired at NAV (without a sales charge) on the applicable payable date of the dividend or capital gain distribution. Unless you instruct otherwise, dividends and distributions on Fund shares are automatically reinvested in shares of the same class of the Fund paying the dividend or distribution. This instruction may be made by writing to the Transfer Agent or by telephone by calling 1-888-736-1227 (888-7361CAP). You may, on the account application form or prior to any declaration, instruct that dividends and/or capital gain distributions be paid in cash or be reinvested in the Fund at the next determined NAV. If you elect to receive dividends and/or capital gain distributions in cash and the U.S. Postal Service cannot deliver the check, or if a check remains outstanding for six months or more, the Fund reserves the right to reinvest the distribution check in your account at the Fund’s current NAV and to reinvest all subsequent distributions.

 

Customer Identification Information

To help the government fight the funding of terrorism and money laundering activities, federal law requires all financial institutions to obtain, verify and record information that identifies each person who opens an account. When you open an account, you will be asked for your name, date of birth (for a natural person), your residential address or principal place of business, and mailing address, if different, as well as your Social Security Number or Taxpayer Identification Number. Additional information is required for corporations, partnerships and other entities. Beginning May 11, 2018, this includes the name, residential address, date of birth and Social Security Number of the underlying beneficial owners and authorized control persons of entity owners. Applications without such information will not be considered in good order. The Fund reserves the right to deny any application if the application is not in good order.

 

This Prospectus should not be considered a solicitation to purchase or as an offer to sell shares of the Fund in any jurisdiction where it would be unlawful to do so under the laws of that jurisdiction. Please note that the value of your account may be transferred to the appropriate state if no activity occurs in the account within the time period specified by state law.

 

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Timing and Nature of Requests

The purchase price you will pay for the Fund’s shares will be the next NAV (plus any sales charge, as applicable) calculated after the Transfer Agent or your authorized financial intermediary receives your request in good order. “Good order” means that your purchase request includes: (1) the name of the Fund and share class to be purchased, (2) the dollar amount of shares to be purchased, (3) your purchase application or investment stub, and (4) a check payable to 361 Funds. All requests to purchase Fund shares received in good order before 4:00 p.m. (Eastern Time) on any business day will be processed on that same day. Requests received at or after 4:00 p.m. (Eastern Time) will be transacted at the next business day’s NAV. All purchases must be made in U.S. Dollars and drawn on U.S. financial institutions.

 

Methods of Buying

Through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary The Fund is offered through certain approved financial intermediaries (and their agents). The Fund is also offered directly. A purchase order placed with a financial intermediary or its authorized agent is treated as if such order were placed directly with the Fund, and will be deemed to have been received by the Fund when the financial intermediary or its authorized agent receives the order and executed at the next NAV (plus any sales charge, as applicable) calculated by the Fund. Your financial intermediary will hold your shares in a pooled account in its (or its agent’s) name. The Fund may pay your financial intermediary (or its agent) to maintain your individual ownership information, maintain required records, and provide other shareholder services. A financial intermediary which offers shares may charge its individual clients transaction fees which may be in addition to those described in this Prospectus. If you invest through your financial intermediary, its policies and fees may be different than those described in this Prospectus. For example, the financial intermediary may charge transaction fees or set different minimum investments. Your financial intermediary is responsible for processing your order correctly and promptly, keeping you advised of the status of your account, confirming your transactions and ensuring that you receive copies of the Fund’s Prospectus. Please contact your financial intermediary to determine whether it is an approved financial intermediary of the Funds or for additional information.
By mail The Fund will not accept payment in cash, including cashier’s checks. Also, to prevent check fraud, the Fund will not accept third-party checks, Treasury checks, credit card checks, traveler’s checks, money orders or starter checks for the purchase of shares. All checks must be made in U.S. Dollars and drawn on U.S. financial institutions.
  To buy shares directly from the Fund by mail, complete an account application and send it together with your check for the amount you wish to invest to the Fund at the address indicated below. To make additional investments once you have opened your account, write your account number on the check and send it to the applicable Fund together with the most recent confirmation statement received from the Transfer Agent. If your check is returned for insufficient funds, your purchase will be canceled and a $25 fee will be assessed against your account by the Transfer Agent.
  Regular Mail
361 Funds
P.O. Box 2175
Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53201
Overnight Delivery
361 Funds
235 West Galena Street
Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53212
  The Fund does not consider the U.S. Postal Service or other independent delivery services to be its agents.

 

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By telephone To make additional investments by telephone, you must authorize telephone purchases on your account application. If you have given authorization for telephone transactions, and your account has been open for at least 15 days, call the Transfer Agent toll-free at 1-888-736-1227 (888-7361CAP) and you will be allowed to move money in amounts of at least $100 from your bank account to the Fund account upon request. Only bank accounts held at U.S. institutions that are Automated Clearing House (“ACH”) members may be used for telephone transactions. If your order is placed before 4:00 p.m. (Eastern Time) on a business day shares will be purchased in your account at the NAV (plus any sales charge, as applicable) calculated on that day. Orders received at or after 4:00 p.m. (Eastern Time) will be transacted at the next business day’s NAV. For security reasons, requests by telephone will be recorded.
By wire To open an account by wire, a completed account application form must be received by the Fund before your wire can be accepted. You may mail or send by overnight delivery your account application form to the Transfer Agent. Upon receipt of your completed account application form, an account will be established for you. The account number assigned to you will be required as part of the wiring instruction that should be provided to your bank to send the wire. Your bank must include the name of the applicable Fund, the account number, and your name so that monies can be correctly applied. Your bank should transmit monies by wire to:
 

UMB Bank, n.a.

ABA Number 101000695

For credit to 361 Funds

A/C # 9871916960

 

For further credit to:

“361 [Fund Name and Share Class]

Your account number

Name(s) of investor(s)

Social Security Number or Taxpayer Identification Number

  Before sending your wire, please contact the Transfer Agent at 1-888-736-1227 (888-7361CAP) to notify it of your intention to wire funds. This will ensure prompt and accurate credit upon receipt of your wire. Your bank may charge a fee for its wiring service.
  Wired funds must be received prior to 4:00 p.m. (Eastern Time) on a business day to be eligible for same-day pricing. The Fund and UMB Bank, n.a. are not responsible for the consequences of delays resulting from the banking or Federal Reserve wire system, or from incomplete wiring instructions.

 

Selling (Redeeming) Fund Shares

Through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary If you purchased your shares through an approved financial intermediary, your redemption order must be placed through the same financial intermediary. The Fund will be deemed to have received a redemption order when a financial intermediary (or its authorized agent) receives the order. The financial intermediary must receive your redemption order prior to 4:00 p.m. (Eastern Time) on a business day for the redemption to be processed at the current day’s NAV. Orders received at or after 4:00 p.m. (Eastern Time) on a business day or on a day when the Fund does not value its shares will be transacted at the next business day’s NAV. Please keep in mind that your financial intermediary may charge additional fees for its services. In the event your approved financial intermediary is no longer available or in operation, you may place your redemption order directly with the Fund as described below.

 

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By mail You may redeem shares purchased directly from the Fund by mail. Send your written redemption request to 361 Funds at the address indicated below. Your request must be in good order and contain the applicable Fund name and share class, the name(s) on the account, your account number and the dollar amount or the number of shares to be redeemed. The redemption request must be signed by all shareholders listed on the account. Additional documents are required for certain types of shareholders, such as corporations, partnerships, executors, trustees, administrators, or guardians (i.e., corporate resolutions dated within 60 days, or trust documents indicating proper authorization).  
 

Regular Mail

361 Funds

P.O. Box 2175

Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53201

Overnight Delivery

361 Funds

235 West Galena Street

Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53212

 
  A Medallion signature guarantee must be included if any of the following situations apply:  
 

You wish to redeem more than $50,000 worth of shares;

When redemption proceeds are sent to any person, address or bank account not on record;

If a change of address was received by the Transfer Agent within the last 15 days;

If ownership is changed on your account; or

When establishing or modifying certain services on your account.

 
By telephone To redeem shares by telephone, call the Fund at 1-888-736-1227 (888-7361CAP) and specify the amount of money you wish to redeem. You may have a check sent to the address of record, or, if previously established on your account, you may have proceeds sent by wire or electronic funds transfer through the ACH network directly to your bank account. Wire transfers are subject to a $20 fee paid by the shareholder(s) and your bank may charge a fee to receive wired funds. Checks sent via overnight delivery are also subject to a $25 charge. You do not incur any charge when proceeds are sent via the ACH network; however, credit may not be available for two to three business days.  
  If you are authorized to perform telephone transactions (either through your account application form or by subsequent arrangement in writing with the Fund), you may redeem shares worth up to $50,000 by instructing the Fund by phone at 1-888-736-1227 (888-7361CAP). Unless noted on the initial account application, a Medallion signature guarantee is required of all shareholders in order to qualify for or to change telephone redemption privileges.  
  Note: The Fund and all of its service providers will not be liable for any loss or expense in acting upon instructions that are reasonably believed to be genuine. To confirm that all telephone instructions are genuine, the caller must verify the following:  
 

The applicable Fund account number;

The name in which his or her account is registered;

The Social Security Number or Taxpayer Identification Number under which the account is registered; and

The address of the account holder, as stated in the account application form.

 

 

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Medallion Signature Guarantee

In addition to the situations described above, the Fund reserves the right to require a Medallion signature guarantee in other instances based on the circumstances relative to the particular situation.

 

Shareholders redeeming more than $50,000 worth of shares by mail should submit written instructions with a Medallion signature guarantee from an eligible institution acceptable to the Transfer Agent, such as a domestic bank or trust company, broker, dealer, clearing agency or savings association, or from any participant in a Medallion program recognized by the Securities Transfer Association. The three currently recognized Medallion programs are Securities Transfer Agents Medallion Program, Stock Exchanges Medallion Program and New York Stock Exchange, Inc. Medallion Signature Program. Signature guarantees that are not part of these programs will not be accepted. Participants in Medallion programs are subject to dollar limitations which must be considered when requesting their guarantee. The Transfer Agent may reject any signature guarantee if it believes the transaction would otherwise be improper. A notary public cannot provide a signature guarantee.

 

Systematic Withdrawal Plan

You may request that a predetermined dollar amount be sent to you on a monthly or quarterly basis. Your account must maintain a value of at least $10,000 for you to be eligible to participate in the Systematic Withdrawal Plan (“SWP”). The minimum withdrawal amount is $100. If you elect to receive redemptions through the SWP, the Fund will send a check to your address of record, or will send the payment via electronic funds transfer through the ACH network, directly to your bank account on record. You may request an application for the SWP by calling the Transfer Agent toll-free at 1-888-736-1227 (888-7361CAP). The Fund may modify or terminate the SWP at any time. You may terminate your participation in the SWP by calling the Transfer Agent at least five business days before the next withdrawal.

 

Payment of Redemption Proceeds

You may redeem shares of the Fund at a price equal to the NAV next determined after the Transfer Agent and/or authorized agent receives your redemption request in good order. Generally your redemption request cannot be processed on days the NYSE is closed. Redemption proceeds for requests received in good order by the Transfer Agent and/or authorized agent before the close of the regular trading session of the NYSE (generally, 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time) will usually be sent to the address of record or the bank you indicate or wired using the wire instructions on record on the following business day. Payment of redemption proceeds may take longer than typically expected, but will be sent within seven calendar days after the Fund receives your redemption request, except as specified below.

 

If you purchase shares using a check and request a redemption before the check has cleared, the Fund may postpone payment of your redemption proceeds for up to 15 calendar days while the Fund wait for the check to clear. Furthermore, the Fund may suspend the right to redeem shares or postpone the date of payment upon redemption for more than seven calendar days: (1) for any period during which the NYSE is closed (other than customary weekend or holiday closings) or trading on the NYSE is restricted; (2) for any period during which an emergency exists affecting the sale of the Fund’s securities or making such sale or the fair determination of the value of the Fund’s net assets not reasonably practicable; or (3) for such other periods as the SEC may permit for the protection of the Fund’s shareholders.

 

Other Redemption Information

Shareholders who hold shares of the Fund through an IRA or other retirement plan, must indicate on its redemption requests whether to withhold federal income tax. Redemption requests failing to indicate an election not to have taxes withheld will generally be subject to a 10% federal income tax withholding. In addition, if you are a resident of certain states, state income tax also applies to non-Roth IRA distributions when federal withholding applies. Please consult with your tax professional.

 

The Fund generally pay sale (redemption) proceeds in cash. The Fund typically expects to satisfy redemption requests by selling portfolio assets or by using holdings of cash or cash equivalents. The Fund uses these methods during both normal and stressed market conditions. During conditions that make the payment of cash unwise and/or in order to protect the interests of the Fund’s remaining shareholders, the Fund may pay all or part of a shareholder’s redemption proceeds in portfolio securities with a market value equal to the redemption price (redemption-in-kind) in lieu of cash. The Fund may redeem shares in kind during both normal and stressed market conditions. Generally, in-kind redemptions will be effected through a pro rata distribution of the Fund’s portfolio securities. If the Fund redeems your shares in kind, you will bear any market risks associated with investment in these securities, and you will be responsible for the costs (including brokerage charges) of converting the securities to cash.

 

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The Fund may redeem all of the shares held in your account if your balance falls below the Fund’s minimum initial investment amount due to your redemption activity. In these circumstances, the Fund will notify you in writing and request that you increase your balance above the minimum initial investment amount within 30 days of the date of the notice. If, within 30 days of the Fund’s written request, you have not increased your account balance, your shares will be automatically redeemed at the current NAV. The Fund will not require that your shares be redeemed if the value of your account drops below the investment minimum due to fluctuations of the Fund’s NAV.

 

Cost Basis Information

Federal law requires that regulated investment companies, such as the Fund, report their shareholders’ cost basis, gain/loss, and holding period to the IRS on the Fund’s shareholders’ Consolidated Form 1099s when “covered” shares of the regulated investment companies are sold. Covered shares are any shares acquired (including pursuant to a dividend reinvestment plan) on or after January 1, 2012.

 

The Fund has chosen “first-in, first-out” (“FIFO”) as its standing (default) tax lot identification method for all shareholders, which means this is the method the Fund will use to determine which specific shares are deemed to be sold when there are multiple purchases on different dates at differing net asset values, and the entire position is not sold at one time. The Fund’s standing tax lot identification method is the method it will use to report the sale of covered shares on your Consolidated Form 1099 if you do not select a specific tax lot identification method. Redemptions are taxable and you may realize a gain or a loss upon the sale of your shares. Certain shareholders may be subject to backup withholding.

 

Subject to certain limitations, you may choose a method other than the Fund’s standing method at the time of your purchase or upon the sale of covered shares. Please refer to the appropriate Treasury regulations or consult your tax advisor with regard to your personal circumstances.

 

Tools to Combat Frequent Transactions

The Trust’s Board of Trustees has adopted policies and procedures with respect to frequent purchases and redemptions of Fund shares by Fund shareholders. The Trust discourages excessive, short-term trading and other abusive trading practices that may disrupt portfolio management strategies and harm the Fund’s performance. The Trust takes steps to reduce the frequency and effect of these activities in the Fund. These steps may include monitoring trading activity and using fair value pricing. In addition, the Trust may take action, which may include using it best efforts to restrict a shareholder’s trading privileges in the Fund, if that shareholder has engaged in four or more “round trips” in the Fund during a 12-month period. Although these efforts (which are described in more detail below) are designed to discourage abusive trading practices, these tools cannot eliminate the possibility that such activity may occur. Further, while the Trust makes efforts to identify and restrict frequent trading, the Trust receives purchase and sale orders through financial intermediaries and cannot always know or detect frequent trading that may be facilitated by the use of intermediaries or the use of group or omnibus accounts by those intermediaries. The Trust seeks to exercise its judgment in implementing these tools to the best of its ability in a manner that the Trust believes is consistent with the interests of the Fund’s shareholders.

 

Monitoring Trading Practices The Trust may monitor trades in the Fund’s shares in an effort to detect short-term trading activities. If, as a result of this monitoring, the Trust believes that a shareholder of a Fund has engaged in excessive short-term trading, it may, in its discretion, ask the shareholder to stop such activities or refuse to process purchases in the shareholder’s accounts. In making such judgments, the Trust seeks to act in a manner that it believes is consistent with the best interest of the Fund’s shareholders. Due to the complexity and subjectivity involved in identifying abusive trading activity, there can be no assurance that the Trust’s efforts will identify all trades or trading practices that may be considered abusive.

 

General Transaction Policies

Some of the following policies are mentioned above. In general, the Fund reserves the right to:

 

22 

 

vary or waive any minimum investment requirement;
  
refuse, change, discontinue, or temporarily suspend account services, including purchase or telephone redemption privileges (if redemption by telephone is not available, you may send your redemption order to the Fund via regular or overnight delivery), for any reason;
  
reject any purchase request for any reason (generally, the Fund does this if the purchase is disruptive to the efficient management of the Fund due to the timing of the investment or an investor’s history of excessive trading);
  
delay paying redemption proceeds for up to seven calendar days after receiving a request, if an earlier payment could adversely affect the Fund;
  
reject any purchase or redemption request that does not contain all required documentation; and
  
subject to applicable law and with prior notice, adopt other policies from time to time requiring mandatory redemption of shares in certain circumstances.

 

If you elect telephone privileges on the account application or in a letter to the Fund, you may be responsible for any fraudulent telephone orders as long as the Fund and/or its service providers have taken reasonable precautions to verify your identity. In addition, once you place a telephone transaction request, it cannot be canceled or modified.

 

During periods of significant economic or market change, telephone transactions may be difficult to complete. If you are unable to contact the Fund by telephone, you may also mail your request to the applicable Fund at the address listed under “Methods of Buying.”

 

Your broker or other financial intermediary may establish policies that differ from those of the Fund. For example, the organization may charge transaction fees, set higher minimum investments, or impose certain limitations on buying or selling shares in addition to those identified in this Prospectus. Contact your broker or other financial intermediary for details.

 

Please note that the value of your account may be transferred to the appropriate state if no activity occurs in the account within the time period specified by state law.

 

Exchange Privilege

You may exchange Investor Class and Class I shares of the Fund for the same class of shares of another Fund managed by the Advisor, including funds which are offered in a separate prospectus (please contact the Fund at 888-736-1227 (888-7361CAP) to receive the prospectus for the other funds). The amount of the exchange must be equal to or greater than the required minimum initial investment of the other Fund, as stated in that Fund’s Prospectus. You may realize either a gain or loss on those shares and will be responsible for paying the appropriate taxes. If you exchange shares through a broker, the broker may charge you a transaction fee. You may exchange shares by sending a written request to the Fund or by telephone. Be sure that your written request includes the dollar amount or number of shares to be exchanged, the name(s) on the account and the account number(s), and is signed by all shareholders on the account. In order to limit expenses, the Fund reserves the right to limit the total number of exchanges you can make in any year.

 

Conversion of Shares

A share conversion is a transaction in which shares of one class of the Fund are exchanged for shares of another class of the Fund. Share conversions can occur between Investor Class, Class I and Class Y shares of the Fund. Generally, share conversions occur when a shareholder becomes eligible for another share class of the Fund or no longer meets the eligibility criteria of the share class owned by the shareholder (and another class exists for which the shareholder would be eligible). Please note that a share conversion is generally a non-taxable event, but you should consult with your personal tax advisor on your particular circumstances. Please also note, all share conversion requests must be approved by the Advisor.

 

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A request for a share conversion will not be processed until it is received in “good order” (as defined above) by the Fund or your financial intermediary. To receive the NAV of the new class calculated that day, conversion requests must be received in good order by the Fund or your financial intermediary before 4:00 p.m., Eastern Time or the financial intermediary’s earlier applicable deadline. Please note that, because the NAV of each class of the Fund will generally vary from the NAVs of the other classes due to differences in expenses, you will receive a number of shares of the new class that is different from the number of shares that you held of the old class, but the total value of your holdings will remain the same.

 

The Fund’s frequent trading policies will not be applicable to share conversions. If you hold your shares through a financial intermediary, please contact the financial intermediary for more information on share conversions. Please note that certain financial intermediaries may not permit all types of share conversions. The Fund reserve the right to terminate, suspend or modify the share conversion privilege for any shareholder or group of shareholders.

 

The Fund reserves the right to automatically convert shareholders from one class to another if they either no longer qualify as eligible for their existing class or if they become eligible for another class. Such mandatory conversions may be as a result of a change in value of an account due to market movements, exchanges or redemptions. The Fund will notify affected shareholders in writing prior to any mandatory conversion.

 

Prospectus and Shareholder Report Mailings In order to reduce the amount of mail you receive and to help reduce expenses, we generally send a single copy of any shareholder report and Prospectus to each household. If you do not want the mailing of these documents to be combined with those of other members of your household, please contact your authorized dealer or the Transfer Agent.

 

Additional Information

The Fund enters into contractual arrangements with various parties, including among others the Advisor, who provide services to the Fund. Shareholders are not parties to, or intended (or “third party”) beneficiaries of, those contractual arrangements.

 

This Prospectus and the SAI provide information concerning the Fund that you should consider in determining whether to purchase shares of the Fund. The Fund may make changes to this information from time to time. Neither this Prospectus nor the SAI is intended to give rise to any contract rights or other rights in any shareholder, other than any rights conferred by federal or state securities laws that may not be waived.

 

DIVIDENDS AND DISTRIBUTIONS

 

 

The Fund will make distributions of net investment income and net capital gains, if any, at least annually, typically in December. The Fund may make additional payments of dividends or distributions if it deems it desirable at any other time during the year.

 

The per share distributions on Investor Class shares may be lower than the per share distributions on Class I shares as a result of the higher distribution/service fees applicable to Investor Class shares. The per share distribution on Class I shares may be lower than the per share distributions on Class Y shares as a result of the higher shareholder service fees applicable to Class I shares.

 

All dividends and distributions will be reinvested in Fund shares unless you choose one of the following options: (1) to receive net investment income dividends in cash, while reinvesting capital gain distributions in additional Fund shares; or (2) to receive all dividends and distributions in cash. If you wish to change your distribution option, please write to the Transfer Agent before the payment date of the distribution.

 

If you elect to receive distributions in cash and the U.S. Postal Service cannot deliver your check, or if your distribution check has not been cashed for six months, the Fund reserves the right to reinvest the distribution check in your account at the Fund’s then current NAV and to reinvest all subsequent distributions.

 

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FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSEQUENCES

 

 

The following is a description of certain material U.S. federal income tax consequences of owning and disposing of shares of the Fund and of some of the important U.S. federal income tax considerations affecting the Fund. The discussion below provides general tax information related to an investment in shares of the Fund, but this discussion does not purport to be a complete description of the U.S. federal income tax consequences of an investment in the shares of the Fund. It is based on the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), and Treasury regulations and published administrative rulings, procedures and guidance, all as of the date hereof, any of which is subject to change, possibly with retroactive effect. In addition, it does not describe all of the tax consequences that may be relevant in light of a shareholder’s particular circumstances, including alternative minimum tax consequences and tax consequences applicable to shareholders subject to special tax rules, such as certain financial institutions; dealers or traders in securities who use a mark-to-market method of tax accounting; persons holding shares of the Fund as part of a hedging transaction, wash sale, conversion transaction or integrated transaction or persons entering into a constructive sale with respect to the shares of the Fund; entities classified as partnerships or other pass-through entities for U.S. federal income tax purposes (and persons investing in the Fund through such entities); real estate investment trusts; regulated investment companies; insurance companies; U.S. holders (as defined below) whose functional currency is not the U.S. Dollar; shareholders who receive their shares as compensation; non-U.S. shareholders who hold their shares of the Fund in connection with a U.S. trade or business; and tax-exempt entities, including “individual retirement accounts” or “Roth IRAs.”

 

Except where specifically addressing non-U.S. shareholders, this discussion assumes that the shareholder is a U.S. holder who holds shares of the Fund as a capital asset. A “U.S. holder” is a holder who, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, is a beneficial owner of shares of the Fund and is (i) an individual who is a citizen or resident of the United States; (ii) a corporation, or other entity taxable as a corporation, created or organized in or under the laws of the United States, any state therein or the District of Columbia; (iii) an estate the income of which is subject to U.S. federal income taxation regardless of its source; or (iv) a trust if it (x) is subject to the primary supervision of a court within the United States and one or more U.S. persons have the authority to control all substantial decisions of the trust or (y) has a valid election in effect under applicable United States Treasury regulations to be treated as a U.S. person. If an entity that is classified as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes holds shares of the Fund, the U.S. federal income tax treatment of a partner will generally depend on the status of the partner and the activities of the partnership. Partnerships holding Fund shares and partners in such partnerships should consult their tax advisors as to the particular U.S. federal income tax consequences to them of holding and disposing of such shares.

 

Tax laws are complex and often change, and shareholders should consult their tax advisors about the U.S. federal, state, local and non-U.S. tax consequences of an investment in the Fund. For more information, please see the section of the SAI entitled “Federal Income Tax Consequences.”

 

The Fund has elected (or intends to elect) to be, and intends to qualify for treatment each taxable year as, a regulated investment company (a “RIC”) under Subchapter M of the Code. Assuming the Fund so qualifies and satisfies certain distribution requirements, the Fund generally will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax on income distributed (including amounts that are reinvested pursuant to the dividend reinvestment plan) in a timely manner to its shareholders in the form of dividends or capital gain distributions. Any taxable income, including any net capital gain, that the Fund does not distribute to its shareholders in a timely manner will be subject to U.S. federal income tax at regular corporate rates. In addition, the Fund may be subject to a nondeductible 4% U.S. federal excise tax on certain amounts that it fails to distribute during each calendar year. The Fund generally intends to make distributions sufficient to permit it to avoid the imposition of both the corporate income tax and the excise tax, but there can be no assurance in this regard.

 

If the Fund retains any net capital gain for reinvestment, it may elect to treat such capital gain as having been distributed to its shareholders. If the Fund makes such an election, each shareholder of that Fund will be required to report its share of such undistributed net capital gain as long-term capital gain and will be entitled to claim its share of the U.S. federal income taxes paid by the Fund on such undistributed net capital gain as a credit against its own U.S. federal income tax liability, if any, and to claim a refund on a properly-filed U.S. federal income tax return to the extent that the credit exceeds such liability. In addition, each shareholder of that Fund will be entitled to increase the adjusted tax basis of its shares of the Fund by the difference between its share of such undistributed net capital gain and the related credit.

 

25 

 

To qualify as a RIC for any taxable year, the Fund must, among other things, satisfy both an income test and an asset test for such taxable year. Specifically, (i) at least 90% of the Fund’s gross income for such taxable year must consist of dividends; interest; payments with respect to certain securities loans; gains from the sale or other disposition of stock, securities or foreign currencies; 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 net income derived from interests in “qualified publicly traded partnerships” (such income, “Qualifying RIC Income”) and (ii) the Fund’s holdings must be diversified so that, at the end of each quarter of such taxable year, (a) at least 50% of the value of the Fund’s total assets is represented by cash and cash items, securities of other RICs, U.S. government securities and other securities, with such other securities limited, in respect of 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 (b) not more than 25% of the value of the Fund’s total assets is invested (x) in securities (other than U.S. government securities or securities of other RICs) of any one issuer or of two or more issuers that the Fund controls and that are engaged in the same, similar or related trades or businesses or (y) in the securities of one or more “qualified publicly traded partnerships.” If, for any taxable year, the Fund does not qualify as a RIC or does not satisfy the minimum distribution requirement, it will be treated as a U.S. corporation subject to U.S. federal income tax, thereby subjecting any income earned by the Fund to tax at the corporate level and to a further tax at the shareholder level when such income is distributed. 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.

 

Some of the Fund’s investment income may be subject to foreign income taxes that are withheld at the country of origin. Tax treaties between certain countries and the United States may reduce or eliminate such taxes, but there can be no assurance that the Fund will qualify for treaty benefits.

 

Except as discussed below, distributions out of the Fund’s income and gains other than net capital gain will generally be taxable to the shareholders of that Fund as ordinary income. Distributions or deemed distributions of net capital gain (that is, the excess of net long-term capital gains over net short-term capital losses) will generally be taxable as long-term capital gains, regardless of the length of time the shareholder has owned shares of the Fund. Long-term capital gains recognized by individuals and other non-corporate shareholders are subject to U.S. federal income tax at lower rates than the rates applicable to ordinary income. Distributions made out of “qualified dividend income,” if any, received by the Fund will be subject to tax in the hands of individuals and other non-corporate shareholders at the rates applicable to long-term capital gains, provided that the shareholder satisfies certain holding period and other requirements. “Qualified dividend income” generally includes dividends from U.S. corporations and dividends from non-U.S. corporations that meet certain specified criteria. Dividends paid by the Fund to a corporate shareholder will qualify for the dividends-received deduction only to the extent that the dividends consist of distributions of qualifying dividends received by the Fund and only if the corporate shareholder satisfies certain requirements, including a holding period requirement, with respect to its shares of the Fund. Distributions by the Fund in excess of the Fund’s current and accumulated earnings and profits will be treated as a return of capital to the extent of (and in reduction of) a shareholder’s tax basis in its shares, and any such distributions in excess of that basis will be treated as gain from the sale of shares. The investment strategies of certain Fund will limit their ability to distribute dividends that will be eligible for the dividends-received deduction for corporate shareholders or the reduced tax rates applicable to individuals and other non-corporate shareholders on “qualified dividend income.”

 

At the time of a shareholder’s purchase of shares of the Fund, a portion of the purchase price may be attributable to realized or unrealized appreciation in the Fund’s portfolio or to undistributed taxable income of the Fund. Consequently, subsequent distributions by the Fund with respect to these shares from such appreciation or income may be taxable to such shareholder even if the net asset value of the shareholder’s shares is, as a result of the distributions, reduced below the shareholder’s cost for such shares and the distributions economically represent a return of a portion of the investment.

 

Distributions will be treated in the manner described above regardless of whether such distributions are paid in cash or in kind or are reinvested in additional shares of the Fund pursuant to the dividend reinvestment plan.

 

Although distributions are generally taxable when received, dividends declared in October, November or December to shareholders of record as of a date in such month and paid during the following January are treated as if received on December 31 of the calendar year when the dividends were declared. Information on the federal income tax status of dividends and distributions is provided annually.

 

26 

 

Dividends and distributions from the Fund and net gain from redemptions of Fund shares will generally be 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.

 

A shareholder may recognize capital gain or loss on a redemption or sale of shares of the Fund. The amount of the gain or loss will be equal to the difference between the value of the cash or other property (including securities distributed in kind by the Fund) that the shareholder receives upon such redemption or sale and the shareholder’s adjusted tax basis in the shares that are redeemed or sold. Such gain or loss generally will be a long-term capital gain or loss if the shareholder’s holding period for such shares is more than one year and will be short-term capital gain or loss if the shareholder’s holding period for such shares is one year or less. Losses realized by a shareholder on a redemption or sale of shares of the Fund held for six months or less will be treated as long-term capital losses to the extent of any distribution of long-term capital gain received, or deemed received, with respect to such shares of that Fund. In addition, any loss may be disallowed on a redemption or sale of shares of the Fund if the shareholder acquires shares of the Fund or substantially identical stock or securities (including pursuant to the dividend reinvestment plan) within a period beginning 30 days before and ending 30 days after the redemption or sale. In such a case, the basis of the shares acquired will be adjusted to reflect the disallowed loss.

 

For U.S. federal income tax purposes, an exchange of Fund shares for shares of another fund will be treated as a taxable disposition of the exchanged shares. You may realize either a gain or loss on those shares and will be responsible for paying the appropriate taxes.

 

A shareholder will be subject to backup withholding on all distributions and redemption payments from the Fund if it fails to provide its correct taxpayer identification number and to make required certifications or otherwise establish an exemption from backup withholding. The backup withholding rate is currently 24%. Corporate shareholders and certain other shareholders generally are exempt from backup withholding. Backup withholding is not an additional tax. Any amounts withheld pursuant to these rules may be credited against the applicable shareholder’s U.S. federal income tax liability, provided the required information is timely furnished to the IRS.

 

If a shareholder is a nonresident alien, a foreign corporation or a foreign trust or estate, each as defined for U.S. federal income tax purposes (a “Non-U.S. Shareholder”), ordinary dividends and certain other payments distributed to such Non-U.S. Shareholder by the Fund will generally be subject to U.S. federal withholding tax at a rate of 30% (or a lower rate under an applicable treaty). Dividends that are reported by the Fund as “interest-related dividends” or “short-term capital gain dividends” are generally exempt from such withholding. In general, “interest-related dividends” and “short-term capital gain dividends” are distributions of U.S.-source interest income or short-term capital gain that would not have been subject to U.S. withholding tax if derived directly by a Non-U.S. Shareholder. A Non-U.S. Shareholder will generally be exempt from U.S. federal income tax on distributions of net capital gain and on any gains realized upon the redemption or sale of Fund shares. Backup withholding will not apply to payments that have been subject to the 30% withholding tax described in this paragraph.

 

Under legislation commonly referred to as “FATCA,” unless certain non-U.S. entities that hold Fund shares comply with applicable requirements that will 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 and, after December 31, 2018, to redemption proceeds and certain capital gain dividends payable to such entities. A non-U.S. shareholder may be exempt from the withholding described in this paragraph under an applicable intergovernmental agreement between the United States and a foreign government, provided that the shareholder and the applicable foreign government comply with the terms of the agreement.

 

Prospective shareholders of the Fund should consult with their own tax advisors concerning the effect of owning shares of the Fund in light of their particular tax situation.

 

 

27 

 

FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS

 

 

Because the Fund has not commenced operations as of the date of this Prospectus, no financial information is available.

 

 

28 

 

Investment Advisor
361 Capital, LLC
4600 South Syracuse Street, Suite 500
Denver, Colorado 80237

 

Sub-Advisor
Analytic Investors, LLC
555 West Fifth Street, 50th Floor
Los Angeles, California 90013

 

Custodian
UMB Bank, n.a.
928 Grand Boulevard, 5th Floor
Kansas City, Missouri 64106

 

Fund Co-Administrator
Mutual Fund Administration, LLC
2220 E. Route 66, Suite 226
Glendora, California 91740

 

Fund Co-Administrator, Transfer Agent and Fund Accountant
UMB Fund Services, Inc.
235 West Galena Street
Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53212

 

Distributor

IMST Distributors, LLC
Three Canal Plaza, Suite 100
Portland, Maine 04101
www.foreside.com

 

Counsel to the Trust
Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP
600 Anton Boulevard, Suite 1800

Costa Mesa, California 92626

 

Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
[   ]

 

 

29 

 

361 Global Equity Absolute Return Fund

 

A series of Investment Managers Series Trust

 

FOR MORE INFORMATION

 

 

Statement of Additional Information (SAI)

The SAI provides additional details about the investments and techniques of the Funds and certain other additional information. A current SAI is on file with the SEC and is incorporated into this Prospectus by reference. This means that the SAI is legally considered a part of this Prospectus even though it is not physically within this Prospectus.

 

Shareholder Reports

Additional information about the Fund’s investments will be available in the Fund’s annual and semi-annual reports to shareholders. In the Fund’s annual report, you will find a discussion of the market conditions and investment strategies that significantly affected the Fund’s performance during its most recent fiscal year.

 

The Fund’s SAI and the Fund’s annual and semi-annual reports are available, free of charge, on the Fund’s website at www.361funds.com. You can also obtain a free copy of the Fund’s SAI or the Fund’s annual and semi-annual reports, request other information, or inquire about the Fund by contacting a broker that sells shares of the Fund or by calling the Fund (toll-free) at 1-888-736-1227 (888-7361CAP) or by writing to:

 

361 Funds

P.O. Box 2175

Milwaukee, WI 53201

 

Information about the Fund (including the SAI) can be reviewed and copied at the Public Reference Room of the SEC in Washington, DC. You can obtain information on the operation of the Public Reference Room by calling the SEC at 1-202-551-8090. Reports and other information about the Fund are also available:

 

Free of charge on the SEC’s EDGAR Database on the SEC’s Internet site at http://www.sec.gov;
For a duplication fee, by electronic request at the following e-mail address: publicinfo@sec.gov; or
For a duplication fee, by writing to the SEC’s Public Reference Section, Washington, DC 20549-1520.

 

(Investment Company Act file no. 811-21719.)

 

30 

 

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 is not soliciting an offer to buy these securities in any state where the offer or sale is not permitted.

 

Statement of Additional Information
[   ], 2018

 

361 Global Equity Absolute Return Fund

Investor Class (AGROX), Class I (AGRZX) & Class Y (AGRWX)

 

A series of Investment Managers Series Trust

 

This Statement of Additional Information (the “SAI”) is not a prospectus, and it should be read in conjunction with the Prospectus dated [ ], 2018, as may be amended from time to time, of the 361 Global Equity Absolute Return Fund (the “Fund”), a series of Investment Managers Series Trust (the “Trust”). 361 Capital, LLC (the “Advisor”) is the investment advisor to the Fund. Analytic Investors, LLC (“Analytic” or “Sub-Advisor”) is the sub-advisor to the Fund. A copy of the Fund’s Prospectus may be obtained by contacting the Fund at the address or telephone number specified below.

 

361 Funds
P.O. Box 2175
Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53201
1-888-736-1227 (1-888-7361CAP)

 

 

B-1 

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

THE TRUST AND THE FUND B-3
INVESTMENT STRATEGIES, POLICIES AND RISKS B-3
MANAGEMENT OF THE FUND B-17
PORTFOLIO TRANSACTIONS AND BROKERAGE B-29
PORTFOLIO TURNOVER B-30
PROXY VOTING POLICY B-30
ANTI-MONEY LAUNDERING PROGRAM B-31
PORTFOLIO HOLDINGS INFORMATION B-31
DETERMINATION OF NET ASSET VALUE B-33
PURCHASE AND REDEMPTION OF FUND SHARES B-34
FEDERAL INCOME TAX MATTERS B-34
DIVIDENDS AND DISTRIBUTIONS B-40
GENERAL INFORMATION B-41
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS B-42
APPENDIX “A” DESCRIPTION OF SHORT-TERM RATINGS B-43
APPENDIX “B” PROXY VOTING POLICIES AND PROCEDURES B-44

B-2 

 

THE TRUST AND THE FUND

 

The Trust is an open-end management investment company organized as a Delaware statutory trust under the laws of the State of Delaware on February 15, 2005. The Trust currently consists of several other series of shares of beneficial interest. This SAI relates only to the Fund and not to the other series of the Trust.

 

The Trust is registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) as an open-end management investment company. Such a registration does not involve supervision of the management or policies of the Fund. The Prospectus of the Fund and this SAI omit certain of the information contained in the Registration Statement filed with the SEC. Copies of such information may be obtained from the SEC upon payment of the prescribed fee.

 

The Fund is classified as a diversified fund, which means it is subject to the diversification requirements under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”). Under the 1940 Act, a diversified fund may not, with respect to 75% of its total assets, invest more than 5% of its total assets in the securities of one issuer (and in not more than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of an issuer), excluding cash, Government securities, and securities of other investment companies.

 

The Fund currently offers Investor Class, Class I shares and Class Y shares. Other classes may be established from time to time in accordance with the provisions of the Trust’s Agreement and Declaration of Trust (the “Declaration of Trust”). Each class of shares of the Fund generally is identical in all respects except that each class of shares is subject to its own distribution expenses and minimum investments. Each class of shares also has exclusive voting rights with respect to its distribution fees.

 

INVESTMENT STRATEGIES, POLICIES AND RISKS

 

The discussion below supplements information contained in the Fund’s Prospectus pertaining to the investment policies of the Fund.

 

Principal Investment Strategies , Policies and Risks

 

EQUITY SECURITIES

 

Common Stock

The Fund may invest in common stock. Common stock represents an equity (ownership) interest in a company, and usually possesses voting rights and earns dividends. Dividends on common stock are not fixed but are declared at the discretion of the issuer. Common stock generally represents the riskiest investment in a company. In addition, common stock generally has the greatest appreciation and depreciation potential because increases and decreases in earnings are usually reflected in a company’s stock price.

 

The fundamental risk of investing in common stock is that the value of the stock might decrease. Stock values fluctuate in response to the activities of an individual company or in response to general market and/or economic conditions. While common stocks have historically provided greater long-term returns than preferred stocks, fixed-income and money market investments, common stocks have also experienced significantly more volatility than the returns from those other investments.

 

B-3 

 

Preferred Stock

The Fund may invest in preferred stock. Preferred stock is a class of stock having a preference over common stock as to the payment of dividends and a share of the proceeds resulting from the issuer’s liquidation although preferred stock is usually subordinate to the debt securities of the issuer. Some preferred stocks also entitle their holders to receive additional liquidation proceeds on the same basis as the holders of the issuer’s common stock. Preferred stock typically does not possess voting rights and its market value may change based on changes in interest rates. If interest rates rise, the fixed dividend on preferred stocks may be less attractive, causing the price of preferred stocks to decline. Preferred stock may have mandatory sinking fund provisions, as well as call/redemption provisions prior to maturity, a negative feature when interest rates decline. In addition, a fund may receive stocks or warrants as a result of an exchange or tender of fixed income securities. Preference stock, which is more common in emerging markets than in developed markets, is a special type of common stock that shares in the earnings of an issuer, has limited voting rights, may have a dividend preference, and may also have a liquidation preference. Depending on the features of the particular security, holders of preferred and preference stock may bear the risks regarding common stock or fixed income securities.

 

The Fund’s investment in preferred stocks is subject to the credit risk related to the financial condition of the issuers of those securities. Credit ratings attempt to evaluate the safety of principal and dividend or interest payments and do not evaluate the risks of fluctuations in market value.

 

Warrants and Rights

The Fund may invest in warrants or rights (including those acquired in units or attached to other securities) that entitle (but do not obligate) the holder to buy equity securities at a specific price for a specific period of time but will do so only if such equity securities are deemed appropriate by the Advisor or a Sub-Advisor. Rights are similar to warrants but typically have a shorter duration and are issued by a company to existing stockholders to provide those holders the right to purchase additional shares of stock at a later date. Warrants and rights do not have voting rights, do not earn dividends, and do not entitle the holder to any rights with respect to the assets of the company that has issued them. They do not represent ownership of the underlying companies but only the right to purchase shares of those companies at a specified price on or before a specified exercise date. Warrants and rights tend to be more volatile than the underlying stock, and if at a warrant’s expiration date the stock is trading at a price below the price set in the warrant, the warrant will expire worthless. Conversely, if at the expiration date the stock is trading at a price higher than the price set in the warrant or right, the Fund can acquire the stock at a price below its market value. The prices of warrants and rights do not necessarily parallel the prices of the underlying securities. An investment in warrants or rights may be considered speculative.

 

Small- and Mid-Cap Stocks

The Fund may invest in stock of companies with market capitalizations that are small compared to other publicly traded companies. Investments in larger companies present certain advantages in that such companies generally have greater financial resources, more extensive research and development, manufacturing, marketing and service capabilities, and more stability and greater depth of management and personnel. Investments in smaller, less seasoned companies may present greater opportunities for growth but also may involve greater risks than customarily are associated with more established companies. The securities of smaller companies may be subject to more abrupt or erratic market movements than larger, more established companies. These companies may have limited product lines, markets or financial resources, or they may be dependent upon a limited management group. Their securities may be traded in the over-the-counter market or on a regional exchange, or may otherwise have limited liquidity. As a result of owning large positions in this type of security, the Fund is subject to the additional risk of possibly having to sell portfolio securities at disadvantageous times and prices if redemptions require to liquidate its securities positions. In addition, it may be prudent for the Fund, as its asset size grows, to limit the number of relatively small positions it holds in securities having limited liquidity in order to minimize its exposure to such risks, to minimize transaction costs, and to maximize the benefits of research. As a consequence, as the Fund’s asset size increases, the Fund may reduce its exposure to illiquid small capitalization securities, which could adversely affect performance.

 

The Fund may also invest in stocks of companies with medium market capitalizations (i.e., mid-cap companies). Such investments share some of the risk characteristics of investments in stocks of companies with small market capitalizations described above, although mid cap companies tend to have longer operating histories, broader product lines and greater financial resources and their stocks tend to be more liquid and less volatile than those of smaller capitalization issuers.

 

B-4 

 

FOREIGN INVESTMENTS

 

The Fund may make foreign investments. Investments in the securities of foreign issuers and other non-U.S. investments may involve risks in addition to those normally associated with investments in the securities of U.S. issuers or other U.S. investments. All foreign investments are subject to risks of foreign political and economic instability, adverse movements in foreign exchange rates, and the imposition or tightening of exchange controls and limitations on the repatriation of foreign capital. Other risks stem from potential changes in governmental attitude or policy toward private investment, which in turn raises the risk of nationalization, increased taxation or confiscation of foreign investors’ assets.

 

The financial problems in global economies over the past several years, including the European sovereign debt crisis, may continue to cause high volatility in global financial markets. In addition, global economies are increasingly interconnected, which increases the possibilities that conditions in one country or region might adversely impact a different country or region. The severity or duration of these conditions may also be affected if one or more countries leave the Euro currency or by other policy changes made by governments or quasi-governmental organizations.

 

Additional non-U.S. taxes and expenses may also adversely affect the Fund’s performance, including foreign withholding taxes on foreign securities’ dividends. Brokerage commissions and other transaction costs on foreign securities exchanges are generally higher than in the United States. Foreign companies may be subject to different accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards. To the extent foreign securities held by the Fund are not registered with the SEC or with any other U.S. regulator, the issuers thereof will not be subject to the reporting requirements of the SEC or any other U.S. regulator. Accordingly, less information may be available about foreign companies and other investments than is generally available on issuers of comparable securities and other investments in the United States. Foreign securities and other investments may also trade less frequently and with lower volume and may exhibit greater price volatility than U.S. securities and other investments.

 

Changes in foreign exchange rates will affect the value in U.S. Dollars of any foreign currency-denominated securities and other investments held by the Fund. Exchange rates are influenced generally by the forces of supply and demand in the foreign currency markets and by numerous other political and economic events occurring outside the United States, many of which may be difficult, if not impossible, to predict.

 

Income from any foreign securities and other investments will be received and realized in foreign currencies, and the Fund is required to compute and distribute income in U.S. Dollars. Accordingly, a decline in the value of a particular foreign currency against the U.S. Dollar occurring after The Fund’s income has been earned and computed in U.S. Dollars may require the Fund to liquidate portfolio securities or other investments to acquire sufficient U.S. Dollars to make a distribution. Similarly, if the exchange rate declines between the time the Fund incurs expenses in U.S. Dollars and the time such expenses are paid, the Fund may be required to liquidate additional portfolio securities or other investments to purchase the U.S. Dollars required to meet such expenses.

 

The Fund may purchase foreign bank obligations. In addition to the risks described above that are generally applicable to foreign investments, the investments that the Fund makes in obligations of foreign banks, branches or subsidiaries may involve further risks, including differences between foreign banks and U.S. banks in applicable accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards, and the possible establishment of exchange controls or other foreign government laws or restrictions applicable to the payment of certificates of deposit or time deposits that may affect adversely the payment of principal and interest on the securities and other investments held by the Fund.

 

Depository Receipts

The Fund may invest in depository receipts. American Depository Receipts (“ADRs”) are negotiable receipts issued by a U.S. bank or trust company that evidence ownership of securities in a foreign company which have been deposited with such bank or trust company’s office or agent in a foreign country. European Depository Receipts (“EDRs”) are negotiable certificates held in the bank of one country representing a specific number of shares of a stock traded on an exchange of another country. Global Depository Receipts (“GDRs”) are negotiable certificates held in the bank of one country representing a specific number of shares of a stock traded on an exchange of another country. Canadian Depository Receipts (“CDRs”) are negotiable receipts issued by a Canadian bank or trust company that evidence ownership of securities in a foreign company which have been deposited with such bank or trust company’s office or agent in a foreign country.

 

B-5 

 

Investing in ADRs, EDRs, GDRs, and CDRs presents risks that may not be equal to the risk inherent in holding the equivalent shares of the same companies that are traded in the local markets even though the Fund will purchase, sell and be paid dividends on ADRs in U.S. Dollars. These risks include fluctuations in currency exchange rates, which are affected by international balances of payments and other economic and financial conditions; government intervention; speculation; and other factors. With respect to certain foreign countries, there is the possibility of expropriation or nationalization of assets, confiscatory taxation, political and social upheaval, and economic instability. The Fund may be required to pay foreign withholding or other taxes on certain ADRs, EDRs, GDRs, or CDRs that it owns, but investors may or may not be able to deduct their pro-rata share of such taxes in computing their taxable income, or take such shares as a credit against their U.S. federal income tax. See “Federal Income Tax Matters.” ADRs, EDRs, GDRs, and CDRs may be sponsored by the foreign issuer or may be unsponsored. Unsponsored ADRs, EDRs, GDRs, and CDRs are organized independently and without the cooperation of the foreign issuer of the underlying securities. Unsponsored ADRs, EDRs, GDRs, and CDRs are offered by companies which are not prepared to meet either the reporting or accounting standards of the United States. While readily exchangeable with stock in local markets, unsponsored ADRs, EDRs, GDRs, and CDRs may be less liquid than sponsored ADRs, EDRs, GDRs, and CDRs. Additionally, there generally is less publicly available information with respect to unsponsored ADRs, EDRs, GDRs, and CDRs.

 

Derivatives

 

The Fund may utilize a variety of derivatives contracts, such as swaps, both for investment purposes and for hedging purposes. Hedging involves special risks including the possible default by the other party to the transaction, illiquidity and, to the extent the Advisor’s assessment of certain market movements is incorrect, the risk that the use of hedging could result in losses greater than if hedging had not been used. Nonetheless, with respect to certain investment positions, the Fund may not be sufficiently hedged against market fluctuations, in which case an investment position could result in a loss greater than if the Advisor had been sufficiently hedged with respect to such position.

 

The Advisor will not, in general, attempt to hedge all market or other risks inherent in the Fund’s positions, and may hedge certain risks, if at all, only partially. Specifically, the Advisor may choose not, or may determine that it is economically unattractive, to hedge certain risks, either in respect of particular positions or in respect of the Fund’s overall portfolio. Moreover, it should be noted that the Fund’s portfolio always will be exposed to unidentified systematic risk factors and to certain risks that cannot be completely hedged, such as credit risk (relating both to particular securities and to counterparties). The Fund’s portfolio composition may result in various directional market risks remaining unhedged, although the Advisor may rely on diversification to control such risks to the extent that the Advisor believes it is desirable to do so.

 

Recent legislation calls for new regulation of the derivatives markets. The extent and impact of the regulation is not yet fully known and may not be for some time. New regulations could adversely affect the value, availability and performance of certain derivative instruments, may make them more costly, and may limit or restrict their use by the Funds.

 

Certain additional risk factors related to derivatives are discussed below:

 

Derivatives Risk. Under recently adopted rules by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”), transactions in some types of interest rate swaps and index credit default swaps on North American and European indices will be required to be cleared. In a cleared derivatives transaction, the Fund’s counterparty is a clearing house (such as CME Clearing, ICE Clearing or LCH.Clearnet), rather than a bank or broker. Since the Fund is not a member of clearing houses and only members of a clearing house can participate directly in the clearing house, the Fund will hold cleared derivatives through accounts at clearing members, who are futures commission merchants that are members of the clearing houses and who have the appropriate regulatory approvals to engage in swap transactions. The Fund will make and receive payments owed under cleared derivatives transactions (including margin payments) through its accounts at clearing members. Clearing members guarantee performance of their clients’ obligations to the clearing house. In contrast to bilateral derivatives transactions, following a period of advance notice to the Fund, clearing members generally can require termination of existing cleared derivatives transactions at any time and increases in margin above the margin that it required at the beginning of a transaction. Clearing houses also have broad rights to increase margin requirements for existing transactions and to terminate transactions. Any such increase or termination could interfere with the ability of the Fund to pursue its investment strategy. Also, the Fund is subject to execution risk if it enters into a derivatives transaction that is required to be cleared (or that the Advisor expects to be cleared), and no clearing member is willing or able to clear the transaction on the Fund’s behalf. While the documentation in place between the Fund and its clearing members generally provides that the clearing members will accept for clearing all transactions submitted for clearing that are within credit limits specified by the clearing members in advance, the Fund could be subject to this execution risk if the Fund submits for clearing transactions that exceed such credit limits, if the clearing house does not accept the transactions for clearing, or if the clearing members do not comply with their agreement to clear such transactions. In that case, the transaction might have to be terminated, and the Fund could lose some or all of the benefit of any increase in the value of the transaction after the time of the transaction. In addition, new regulations could, among other things, restrict the Fund’s ability to engage in, or increase the cost to the Fund of, derivatives transactions, for example, by making some types of derivatives no longer available to the Fund or increasing margin or capital requirements. If the Fund is not able to enter into a particular derivatives transaction, the Fund’s investment performance and risk profile could be adversely affected as a result.

 

B-6 

 

Counterparty Risk. Counterparty risk with respect to OTC derivatives may be affected by new regulations promulgated by the CFTC and SEC affecting the derivatives market. As described under “Derivatives Risk” above, some derivatives transactions will be required to be cleared, and a party to a cleared derivatives transaction is subject to the credit risk of the clearing house and the clearing member through which it holds its cleared position, rather than the credit risk of its original counterparty to the derivative transaction. Clearing members are required to segregate all funds received from customers with respect to cleared derivatives transactions from the clearing member’s proprietary assets. However, all funds and other property received by a clearing broker from its customers are generally held by the clearing broker on a commingled basis in an omnibus account, which may also invest those funds in certain instruments permitted under the applicable regulations. The assets of the Fund might not be fully protected in the event of the bankruptcy of the Fund’s clearing member because the Fund would be limited to recovering only a pro rata share of all available funds segregated on behalf of the clearing broker’s customers for a relevant account class. Also, the clearing member transfers to the clearing house the amount of margin required by the clearing house for cleared derivatives transactions, which amounts are generally held in an omnibus account at the clearing house for all customers of the clearing member. For commodities futures positions, the clearing house may use all of the collateral held in the clearing member’s omnibus account to meet a loss in that account, without regard to which customer in fact supplied that collateral. Accordingly, in addition to bearing the credit risk of its clearing member, each customer to a futures transaction also bears “fellow customer” risk from other customers of the clearing member. However, with respect to cleared swaps positions, recent regulations promulgated by the CFTC require that the clearing member notify the clearing house of the amount of initial margin provided by the clearing member to the clearing house that is attributable to each customer. Because margin in respect of cleared swaps must be earmarked for specific clearing member customers, the clearing house may not use the collateral of one customer to cover the obligations of another customer. However, if the clearing member does not provide accurate reporting, the Fund is subject to the risk that a clearing house will use the Fund’s assets held in an omnibus account at the clearing house to satisfy payment obligations of a defaulting customer of the clearing member to the clearing house. In addition, a clearing member may generally choose to provide to the clearing house the net amount of variation margin required for cleared swaps for all of the clearing member’s customers in the aggregate, rather than the gross amount of each customer. The Fund is therefore subject to the risk that a clearing house will not make variation margin payments owed to the Fund if another customer of the clearing member has suffered a loss and is in default.

 

Swap Transactions

 

The Fund may enter into interest rate, currency and index swaps and the purchase or sale of related caps, floors and collars. The Fund may enter into these transactions to preserve a return or spread on a particular investment or portion of its portfolio, to protect against currency fluctuations or to protect against any increase in the price of securities it anticipates purchasing at a later date. Swaps may be used in conjunction with other instruments to offset interest rate, currency or other underlying risks. For example, interest rate swaps may be offset with “caps,” “floors” or “collars”. A “cap” is essentially a call option which places a limit on the amount of floating rate interest that must be paid on a certain principal amount. A “floor” is essentially a put option which places a limit on the minimum amount that would be paid on a certain principal amount. A “collar” is essentially a combination of a long cap and a short floor where the limits are set at different levels.

 

B-7 

 

The Fund will usually enter into swaps on a net basis; that is, the two payment streams will be netted out in a cash settlement on the payment date or dates specified in the instrument, with the Fund receiving or paying, as the case may be, only the net amount of the two payments. To the extent obligations created thereby may be deemed to constitute senior securities, the Fund will maintain required collateral in a segregated account consisting of U.S. government securities or cash or cash equivalents.

 

Total Return Swaps. The Fund may enter into total return swap contracts for investment purposes. Total return swaps are contracts in which one party agrees to make periodic payments based on the change in market value of the underlying assets, which may include a specified security, basket of securities or security indexes during the specified period, in return for periodic payments based on a fixed or variable interest rate of the total return from other underlying assets. Total return swaps may be used to obtain exposure to a security or market without owning or taking physical custody of such security or market, including in cases in which there may be disadvantages associated with direct ownership of a particular security. In a typical total return equity swap, payments made by the Fund or the counterparty are based on the total return of a particular reference asset or assets (such as an equity security, a combination of such securities, or an index). That is, one party agrees to pay another party the return on a stock, basket of stocks, or stock index in return for a specified interest rate. By entering into an equity index swap, for example, the index receiver can gain exposure to stocks making up the index of securities without actually purchasing those stocks. Total return swaps involve not only the risk associated with the investment in the underlying securities, but also the risk of the counterparty not fulfilling its obligations under the agreement.

 

SHORT SALES

 

The Fund may seek to hedge investments or realize additional gains through the use of short sales. A short sale is a transaction in which the Fund sells a security it does not own in anticipation that the market price of that security will decline. If the price of the security sold short increases between the time of the short sale and the time the Fund replaces the borrowed security, the Fund will incur a loss; conversely, if the price declines, the Fund will realize a capital gain. Any gain will be decreased, and any loss will be increased, by the transaction costs incurred by the Fund, including the costs associated with providing collateral to the broker-dealer (usually cash and liquid securities) and the maintenance of collateral with its custodian. The Fund also may be required to pay a premium to borrow a security, which would increase the cost of the security sold short. Although the Fund’s gain is limited to the price at which it sold the security short, its potential loss is theoretically unlimited.

 

The broker-dealer will retain the net proceeds of the short sale to the extent necessary to meet margin requirements until the short position is closed out.

 

When the Advisor believes that the price of a particular security held by the Fund may decline, it may make “short sales against the box” to hedge the unrealized gain on such security. Selling short against the box involves selling a security which the Fund owns for delivery at a specified date in the future. The Fund will incur transaction costs to open, maintain and close short sales against the box.

 

To the extent the Fund sells securities short (except in the case of short sales “against the box”), it is required to segregate an amount of cash or liquid securities on its records equal to the market price of the securities sold short. The segregated assets are marked to market daily in an attempt to ensure that the amount deposited in the segregated account is at least equal to the market value of the securities sold short. Segregated securities cannot be sold while the position they are covering is outstanding, unless they are replaced with similar securities. As a result, there is the possibility that segregation of a large percentage of the Fund’s assets could affect its portfolio management.

 

B-8 

 

Other Investment Strategies, Policies and Risks

 

FOREIGN INVESTMENTS

 

Emerging Markets

The Fund may invest in companies organized or doing substantial business in emerging market countries or developing countries as defined by the World Bank, International Financial Corporation or the Morgan Stanley Capital International (MSCI) emerging market indices or other comparable indices. Developing countries may impose restrictions on the Fund’s ability to repatriate investment income or capital. Even where there is no outright restriction on repatriation of investment income or capital, the mechanics of repatriation may affect certain aspects of the operations of the Fund.

 

Some of the currencies in emerging markets have experienced devaluations relative to the U.S. Dollar, and major adjustments have been made periodically in certain of such currencies. Certain developing countries face serious exchange constraints.

 

Governments of some developing countries exercise substantial influence over many aspects of the private sector. In some countries, the government owns or controls many companies. Therefore, government actions in the future could have a significant effect on economic conditions in developing countries, which could affect the private sector companies in which the Fund invests.

 

Foreign Currency Transactions

The Fund may conduct foreign currency exchange transactions either on a spot, i.e., cash basis at the prevailing rate in the foreign exchange market or by entering into a forward foreign currency contract. A forward foreign currency contract (“forward contract”) involves an obligation to purchase or sell a specific amount of a specific currency at a future date, which may be any fixed number of days (usually less than one year) from the date of the contract agreed upon by the parties, at a price set at the time of the contract. Forward contracts are considered to be derivatives. The Fund enters into forward contracts in order to “lock in” the exchange rate between the currency it will deliver and the currency it will receive for the duration of the contract. In addition, the Fund may enter into forward contracts to hedge against risks arising from securities the Fund owns or anticipates purchasing or the U.S. Dollar value of interest and dividends paid on those securities.

 

If the Fund delivers the foreign currency at or before the settlement of a forward contract, it may be required to obtain the currency by selling some of the Fund’s assets that are denominated in that specific currency. The Fund may close out a forward contract obligating it to purchase a foreign currency by selling an offsetting contract, in which case it will realize a gain or a loss.

 

Foreign currency transactions involve certain costs and risks. The Fund incurs foreign exchange expenses in converting assets from one currency to another. Forward contracts involve a risk of loss if the Advisor or a Sub-Advisor is inaccurate in predicting currency movements. The projection of short-term currency market movements is extremely difficult, and the successful execution of a short-term hedging strategy is highly uncertain. The precise matching of forward contract amounts and the value of the securities involved is generally not possible. Accordingly, it may be necessary for the Fund to purchase additional foreign currency if the market value of the security is less than the amount of the foreign currency the Fund is obligated to deliver under the forward contract and the decision is made to sell the security and deliver the foreign currency. The use of forward contracts as a hedging technique does not eliminate the fluctuation in the prices of the underlying securities the Fund owns or intends to acquire, but it fixes a rate of exchange in advance. Although forward contracts can reduce the risk of loss if the values of the hedged currencies decline, these instruments also limit the potential gain that might result from an increase in the value of the hedged currencies.

 

There is no systematic reporting of last sale information for foreign currencies, and there is no regulatory requirement that quotations available through dealers or other market sources be firm or revised on a timely basis. Quotation information available is generally representative of very large transactions in the interbank market. The interbank market in foreign currencies is a global around-the-clock market. Since foreign currency transactions occurring in the interbank market involve substantially larger amounts than those that may be involved in the use of foreign currency options, the Fund may be disadvantaged by having to deal in an odd lot market (generally consisting of transactions of less than $1 million) for the underlying foreign currencies at prices that are less favorable than for round lots. The Fund may take positions in options on foreign currencies in order to hedge against the risk of foreign exchange fluctuation on foreign securities the Fund holds in its portfolio or which it intends to purchase.

 

B-9 

 

EXCHANGE-TRADED FUNDS (“ETFs”)

 

The Fund may invest in ETFs. ETFs are pooled investment vehicles that generally seek to track the performance of specific indices. ETFs may be organized as open-end funds or as unit investment trusts (“UITs”). Their shares are listed on stock exchanges and can be traded throughout the day at market-determined prices.

 

An ETF generally issues index-based investments in aggregations of 50,000 shares known as “Creation Units” in exchange for a “Portfolio Deposit” consisting of (a) a portfolio of securities substantially similar to the component securities (“Index Securities”) of the applicable index (the “Index”), (b) a cash payment equal to a pro rata portion of the dividends accrued on the ETF’s portfolio securities since the last dividend payment by the ETF, net of expenses and liabilities, and (c) a cash payment or credit (“Balancing Amount”) designed to equalize the net asset value of the Index and the net asset value of a Portfolio Deposit.

 

Shares of ETFs are not individually redeemable, except upon termination of the ETF. To redeem shares of an ETF, an investor must accumulate enough shares of the ETF to reconstitute a Creation Unit. The liquidity of small holdings of ETF shares, therefore, will depend upon the existence of a secondary market for such shares. Upon redemption of a Creation Unit, the portfolio will receive Index Securities and cash identical to the Portfolio Deposit required of an investor wishing to purchase a Creation Unit that day.

 

The price of ETF shares is based upon (but not necessarily identical to) the value of the securities held by the ETF. Accordingly, the level of risk involved in the purchase or sale of ETF shares is similar to the risk involved in the purchase or sale of traditional common stock, with the exception that the pricing mechanism for ETF shares is based on a basket of stocks. Disruptions in the markets for the securities underlying ETF shares purchased or sold by the Fund could result in losses on such shares. There is no assurance that the requirements of the national securities exchanges necessary to maintain the listing of shares of any ETF will continue to be met.

 

INVESTMENT COMPANY SECURITIES

 

The Fund may invest in shares of other investment companies (each, an “Underlying Fund”), including open-end funds, closed-end funds, UITs and ETFs, to the extent permitted by applicable law and subject to certain restrictions set forth in this SAI.

 

Under Sections 12(d)(1)(A) and 12(d)(1)(B) of the 1940 Act, the Fund and any companies controlled by the Fund may hold securities of an Underlying Fund in amounts which (i) do not exceed 3% of the total outstanding voting stock of such Underlying Fund, (ii) do not exceed 5% of the value of the Fund’s total assets and (iii) when added to all other Underlying Fund securities held by the Fund, do not exceed 10% of the value of the Fund’s total assets. The Fund may exceed these limits when permitted by SEC order or other applicable law or regulatory guidance, such as is the case with many ETFs.

 

Generally, under Sections 12(d)(1)(F) and 12(d)(1)(G) of the 1940 Act and SEC rules adopted pursuant to the 1940 Act, the Fund may acquire the securities of affiliated and unaffiliated Underlying Funds subject to the following guidelines and restrictions:

 

The Fund may own an unlimited amount of the securities of any registered open-end fund or registered unit investment trust that is affiliated with the Fund, so long as any such Underlying Fund has a policy that prohibits it from acquiring any securities of registered open-end funds or registered unit investment trusts in reliance on certain sections of the 1940 Act.

 

B-10 

 

The Fund and its “affiliated persons” may own up to 3% of the outstanding stock of any fund, subject to the following restrictions:

 

i.the Fund and each Underlying Fund, in the aggregate, may not charge a sales load greater than the limits set forth in Rule 2830(d)(3) of the Conduct Rules of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”) applicable to funds of funds;

 

ii.each Underlying Fund is not obligated to redeem more than 1% of its total outstanding securities during any period less than 30 days; and

 

iii.the Fund is obligated either to (i) seek instructions from its shareholders with regard to the voting of all proxies with respect to the Underlying Fund and to vote in accordance with such instructions, or (ii) to vote the shares of the Underlying Fund held by the Fund in the same proportion as the vote of all other shareholders of the Underlying Fund.

 

Acquired funds typically incur fees that are separate from those fees incurred directly by the Fund. The Fund’s purchase of such investment company securities results in the layering of expenses as Fund shareholders would indirectly bear a proportionate share of the operating expenses of such investment companies, including advisory fees, in addition to paying Fund expenses. In addition, the securities of other investment companies may also be leveraged and will therefore be subject to certain leverage risks. The net asset value and market value of leveraged securities will be more volatile and the yield to shareholders will tend to fluctuate more than the yield generated by unleveraged securities. Investment companies may have investment policies that differ from those of the Fund.

 

Under certain circumstances an open-end investment company in which the Fund invests may determine to make payment of a redemption by the Fund wholly or in part by a distribution in kind of securities from its portfolio, instead of in cash. As a result, the Fund may hold such securities until the Advisor determines it is appropriate to dispose of them. Such disposition will impose additional costs on the Fund.

 

Investment decisions by the investment advisors to the registered investment companies in which the Fund invests are made independently of the Fund. At any particular time, one Underlying Fund may be purchasing shares of an issuer whose shares are being sold by another Underlying Fund. As a result, under these circumstances the Fund indirectly would incur certain transactional costs without accomplishing any investment purpose.

 

SHORT-TERM INVESTMENTS

 

The Fund may invest in any of the following securities and instruments:

 

Bank Certificates of Deposit, Bankers’ Acceptances and Time Deposits. The Fund may acquire certificates of deposit, bankers’ acceptances and time deposits in U.S. Dollar or foreign currencies. Certificates of deposit are negotiable certificates issued against monies deposited in a commercial bank for a definite period of time and earning a specified return. Bankers’ acceptances are negotiable drafts or bills of exchange, normally drawn by an importer or exporter to pay for specific merchandise, which are “accepted” by a bank, meaning in effect that the bank unconditionally agrees to pay the face value of the instrument on maturity. The commercial banks issuing these short-term instruments which the Fund may acquire must, at the time of purchase, have capital, surplus and undivided profits in excess of $100 million (including assets of both domestic and foreign branches), based on latest published reports, or less than $100 million if the principal amount of such bank obligations are fully insured by the U.S. Government. If the Fund holds instruments of foreign banks or financial institutions, it may be subject to additional investment risks that are different in some respects from those incurred if the Fund invests only in debt obligations of U.S. domestic issuers. See “Foreign Investments” above. Such risks include future political and economic developments, the possible imposition of withholding taxes by the particular country in which the issuer is located, the possible confiscation or nationalization of foreign deposits, the possible establishment of exchange controls, or the adoption of other foreign governmental restrictions which may adversely affect the payment of principal and interest on these securities.

 

Domestic banks and foreign banks are subject to different governmental regulations with respect to the amount and types of loans that may be made and interest rates that may be charged. In addition, the profitability of the banking industry depends largely upon the availability and cost of funds and the interest income generated from lending operations. General economic conditions and the quality of loan portfolios affect the banking industry.

 

B-11 

 

As a result of federal and state laws and regulations, domestic banks are required to maintain specified levels of reserves, limited in the amount that they can loan to a single borrower, and are subject to regulations designed to promote financial soundness. However, such laws and regulations may not necessarily apply to foreign banks, thereby affecting the risk involved in bank obligations that The Fund may acquire.

 

In addition to purchasing certificates of deposit and bankers’ acceptances, to the extent permitted under its investment strategies and policies stated above and in the Prospectus, the Fund may invest in interest-bearing time deposits or other interest-bearing deposits in commercial or savings banks. Time deposits are non-negotiable deposits maintained at a banking institution for a specified period of time at a specified interest rate.

 

Savings Association Obligations. The Fund may invest in certificates of deposit (interest-bearing time deposits) issued by savings banks or savings and loan associations that have capital, surplus and undivided profits in excess of $100 million, based on latest published reports, or less than $100 million if the principal amount of such obligations is fully insured by the U.S. Government.

 

Commercial Paper, Short-Term Notes and Other Corporate Obligations. The Fund may invest a portion of its assets in commercial paper and short-term notes. Commercial paper consists of unsecured promissory notes issued by corporations. Issues of commercial paper and short-term notes will normally have maturities of less than nine months and fixed rates of return, although such instruments may have maturities of up to one year.

 

The Fund’s investment in commercial paper and short-term notes will consist of issues rated at the time of purchase “A-2” or higher by S&P, “Prime-1” or “Prime-2” by Moody’s, or similarly rated by another nationally recognized statistical rating organization or, if unrated, will be determined by the Advisor to be of comparable quality. These rating symbols are described in Appendix A. With respect to the Managed Futures Strategy Fund, the Fund’s investment in commercial paper and short-term notes will consist of issues rated at the time of purchase “A-3” or higher by Standard & Poor’s Ratings Group (“S&P”), “Prime-3” by Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. (“Moody’s”), or “F-3” by Fitch Ratings Inc. or similarly rated by another nationally recognized statistical rating organization or, if unrated, will be determined by the Advisor to be of comparable quality. These rating symbols are described in Appendix A.

 

Corporate debt obligations are subject to the risk of an issuer’s inability to meet principal and interest payments on the obligations, i.e., credit risk. The Advisor or a Sub-Advisor may actively expose the relevant Fund to credit risk. However, there can be no guarantee that the Advisor or the Sub-Advisor will be successful in making the right selections and thus fully mitigate the impact of credit risk changes on the Fund.

 

GOVERNMENT OBLIGATIONS

 

The Fund may invest in short-term U.S. government obligations. Such obligations include Treasury bills, certificates of indebtedness, notes and bonds. U.S. government obligations include securities issued or guaranteed as to principal and interest by the U.S. government, its agencies or instrumentalities. Treasury bills, the most frequently issued marketable government securities, have a maturity of up to one year and are issued on a discount basis. U.S. government obligations include securities issued or guaranteed by government-sponsored enterprises.

 

Payment of principal and interest on U.S. government obligations may be backed by the full faith and credit of the United States or may be backed solely by the issuing or guaranteeing agency or instrumentality itself. In the latter case, the investor must look principally to the agency or instrumentality issuing or guaranteeing the obligation for ultimate repayment, which agency or instrumentality may be privately owned. There can be no assurance that the U.S. government would provide financial support to its agencies or instrumentalities, including government-sponsored enterprises, where it is not obligated to do so. In addition, U.S. government obligations are subject to fluctuations in market value due to fluctuations in market interest rates. As a general matter, the value of debt instruments, including U.S. government obligations, declines when market interest rates increase and rises when market interest rates decrease. Certain types of U.S. government obligations are subject to fluctuations in yield or value due to their structure or contract terms.

 

B-12 

 

BORROWING

 

The Fund may engage in limited borrowing activities. Borrowing creates an opportunity for increased return, but, at the same time, creates special risks. Furthermore, if the Fund were to engage in borrowing, an increase in interest rates could reduce the value of the Fund’s shares by increasing the Fund’s interest expense. Subject to the limitations described under “Investment Limitations” below, the Fund may be permitted to borrow for temporary purposes and/or for investment purposes. Such a practice will result in leveraging of the Fund’s assets and may cause the Fund to liquidate portfolio positions when it would not be advantageous to do so. This borrowing may be secured or unsecured. Provisions of the 1940 Act require the Fund to maintain continuous asset coverage (that is, total assets including borrowings, less liabilities exclusive of borrowings) of 300% of the amount borrowed, with an exception for borrowings not in excess of 5% of the Fund’s total assets made for temporary administrative purposes. Any borrowings for temporary administrative purposes in excess of 5% of the Fund’s total assets will count against this asset coverage requirement. If the 300% asset coverage should decline as a result of market fluctuations or other reasons, the Fund may be required to sell some of its portfolio holdings within three days to reduce the debt and restore the 300% asset coverage, even though it may be disadvantageous from an investment standpoint if the Fund sells securities at that time. Borrowing will tend to exaggerate the effect on net asset value of any increase or decrease in the market value of the Fund’s portfolio. Money borrowed will be subject to interest charges which may or may not be recovered by appreciation of the securities purchased, if any. The Fund also may be required to maintain minimum average balances in connection with such borrowings or to pay a commitment or other fee to maintain a line of credit; either of these requirements would increase the cost of borrowing over the stated interest rate.

 

LARGE SHAREHOLDER REDEMPTION RISK

 

Certain account holders may from time to time own (beneficially or of record) or control a significant percentage of the Fund’s shares. Redemptions by these account holders of their shares in the Fund may impact the Fund’s liquidity and net asset value. Such redemptions may also force the Fund to sell securities at a time when it would not otherwise do so, which may increase the Fund’s broker costs and impact shareholder taxes.

 

LENDING PORTFOLIO SECURITIES

 

Consistent with applicable regulatory requirements and the Fund’s investment restrictions, the Fund may lend portfolio securities to securities broker-dealers or financial institutions, provided that such loans are callable at any time by the Fund (subject to notice provisions described below), and are at all times secured by cash or cash equivalents, which are maintained in a segregated account pursuant to applicable regulations and that are at least equal to the market value, determined daily, of the loaned securities. The advantage of such loans is that the Fund continues to receive the income on the loaned securities while at the same time earns interest on the cash amounts deposited as collateral, which will be invested in short-term obligations. The Fund will not lend portfolio securities if such loans are not permitted by the laws or regulations of any state in which its shares are qualified for sale. The Fund’s loans of portfolio securities will be collateralized in accordance with applicable regulatory requirements and no loan will cause the value of all loaned securities to exceed 33 1/3% of the value of the Fund’s total assets.

 

A loan may generally be terminated by the borrower on one business day’s notice, or by the Fund on five business days’ notice. If the borrower fails to deliver the loaned securities within five days after receipt of notice or fails to maintain the requisite amount of collateral, the Fund could use the collateral to replace the securities while holding the borrower liable for any excess of replacement cost over collateral. As with any extensions of credit, there are risks of delay in recovery and in some cases even loss of rights in the collateral should the borrower of the securities fail financially. However, these loans of portfolio securities will only be made to firms deemed by the Fund’s management to be creditworthy and when the income that can be earned from such loans justifies the attendant risks. Upon termination of the loan, the borrower is required to return the securities to the Fund. Any gain or loss in the market price during the loan period would inure to the Fund. The risks associated with loans of portfolio securities are substantially similar to those associated with repurchase agreements. Thus, if the counterparty to the loan petitions for bankruptcy or becomes subject to the U.S. Bankruptcy Code, the law regarding the rights of the Fund is unsettled. As a result, under extreme circumstances, there may be a restriction on the Fund’s ability to sell the collateral, and the Fund would suffer a loss. When voting or consent rights that accompany loaned securities pass to the borrower, the Fund will follow the policy of calling the loaned securities, to be delivered within one day after notice, to permit the exercise of such rights if the matters involved would have a material effect on the Fund’s investment in such loaned securities. The Fund will pay reasonable finder’s, administrative and custodial fees in connection with a loan of its securities.

 

B-13 

 

MARKET CONDITIONS

 

Events in certain sectors historically have resulted, and may in the future result, in an unusually high degree of volatility in the financial markets, both domestic and foreign. These events have included, but are not limited to: bankruptcies, corporate restructurings, and other events related to the sub-prime mortgage crisis in 2008; governmental efforts to limit short selling and high frequency trading; measures to address U.S. federal and state budget deficits; social, political, and economic instability in Europe; economic stimulus by the Japanese central bank; steep declines in oil prices; dramatic changes in currency exchange rates; and China's economic slowdown. Interconnected global economies and financial markets increase the possibility that conditions in one country or region might adversely impact issuers in a different country or region. Such events may cause significant declines in the values and liquidity of many securities and other instruments. It is impossible to predict whether such conditions will recur. Because such situations may be widespread, it may be difficult to identify both risks and opportunities using past models of the interplay of market forces, or to predict the duration of such events.

 

TEMPORARY INVESTMENTS

 

The Fund may take temporary defensive measures that are inconsistent with the Fund’s normal fundamental or non-fundamental investment policies and strategies in response to adverse market, economic, political, or other conditions as determined by the Advisor. Such measures could include, but are not limited to, investments in (1) highly liquid short-term fixed income securities issued by or on behalf of municipal or corporate issuers, obligations of the U.S. government and its agencies, commercial paper, and bank certificates of deposit; (2) repurchase agreements involving any such securities; and (3) other money market instruments. The Fund also may invest in shares of money market mutual funds to the extent permitted under applicable law. Money market mutual funds are investment companies, and the investments in those companies by the Fund are in some cases subject to certain fundamental investment restrictions. As a shareholder in a mutual fund, the Fund will bear its ratable share of its expenses, including management fees, and will remain subject to payment of the fees to the Advisor, with respect to assets so invested. The Fund may not achieve its investment objectives during temporary defensive periods.

 

TECHNOLOGY RISK

 

The Advisor uses various technologies in managing the Fund, consistent with its investment objective and strategy described in this prospectus. For example, proprietary and third-party data and systems are utilized to support decision making for the Fund. Data imprecision, software or other technology malfunctions, programming inaccuracies and similar circumstances may impair the performance of these systems, which may negatively affect Fund performance.

 

DEVELOPMENTS IN THE CHINA REGION

 

After nearly 30 years of unprecedented growth, the People's Republic of China now faces a slowing economy. The real estate market, which many observers believed to be inflated, has begun to decline. Local governments, which had borrowed heavily to bolster growth, face high debt burdens and limited revenue sources. As a result, demand for Chinese exports by the United States and countries in Europe, and demands for Chinese imports from such countries, may weaken due to the effects of more limited economic growth. Additionally, Chinese actions to lay claim to disputed islands have caused relations with China's regional trading partners to suffer, and could cause further disruption to regional and international trade. In the long run, China's ability to develop and sustain a credible legal, regulatory, monetary, and socioeconomic system could influence the course of outside investment.

 

B-14 

 

EUROPE—RECENT EVENTS

 

A number of countries in Europe have experienced severe economic and financial difficulties. Many non-governmental issuers, and even certain governments, have defaulted on, or been forced to restructure, their debts; many other issuers have faced difficulties obtaining credit or refinancing existing obligations; financial institutions have in many cases required government or central bank support, have needed to raise capital, and/or have been impaired in their ability to extend credit; and financial markets in Europe and elsewhere have experienced extreme volatility and declines in asset values and liquidity. These difficulties may continue, worsen or spread within and without Europe. Responses to the financial problems by European governments, central banks and others, including austerity measures and reforms, may not work, may result in social unrest and may limit future growth and economic recovery or have other unintended consequences. Further defaults or restructurings by governments and others of their debt could have additional adverse effects on economies, financial markets and asset valuations around the world.

 

The European Union (the “EU”) currently faces major issues involving its membership, structure, procedures and policies, including the successful political, economic and social integration of new member states, the EU’s resettlement and distribution of refugees, and resolution of the EU’s problematic fiscal and democratic accountability. In addition, one or more countries may abandon the Euro, the common currency of the EU, and/or withdraw from the EU. The impact of these actions, especially if they occur in a disorderly fashion, is not clear but could be significant and far-reaching.

 

In June 2016, the United Kingdom (the “UK”) voted in a referendum to leave the EU. On March 29, 2017, UK Prime Minister Theresa May delivered a letter invoking Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty and notifying the European Council of the UK’s decision to withdraw from the EU. The letter triggered the two year withdrawal negotiation process, and thus it is anticipated that the UK will leave the EU on or before March 29, 2019. . It is unclear how withdrawal negotiations will be conducted and what the potential consequences may be. In addition, it is possible that measures could be taken to revote on the issue of Brexit, or that portions of the UK could seek to separate and remain a part of the EU. As a result of the political divisions within the UK and between the UK and the EU that the referendum vote has highlighted and the uncertain consequences of a Brexit, the UK and European economies and the broader global economy could be significantly impacted, which may result in increased volatility and illiquidity, and potentially lower economic growth on markets in the UK, Europe and globally that could potentially have an adverse effect on the value of the Fund’s investments.

 

Whether or not the Fund invests in securities of issuers located in Europe or with significant exposure to European issuers or countries, these events could negatively affect the value and liquidity of the Fund’s investments due to the interconnected nature of the global economy and capital markets. The Fund may also be susceptible to these events to the extent that the Fund invests in municipal obligations with credit support by non-U.S. financial institutions.

 

CYBER SECURITY RISK

 

Investment companies, such as the Fund, and their service providers may be subject to operational and information security risks resulting from cyber attacks. Cyber attacks include, among other behaviors, stealing or corrupting data maintained online or digitally, denial of service attacks on websites, the unauthorized release of confidential information or various other forms of cyber security breaches. Cyber attacks affecting the Fund or the Advisor, custodian, transfer agent or intermediaries or other third-party service providers may adversely impact the Fund. For instance, cyber attacks may interfere with the processing of shareholder transactions, impact the Fund’s ability to calculate its net asset value, cause the release of private shareholder information or confidential company information, impede trading, subject the Fund to regulatory fines or financial losses, and cause reputational damage. The Fund may also incur additional costs for cyber security risk management purposes. While the Fund and its service providers have established business continuity plans and risk management systems designed to prevent or reduce the impact of cyber security attacks, such plans and systems have inherent limitations due in part to the ever-changing nature of technology and cyber security attack tactics, and there is a possibility that certain risks have not been adequately identified or prepared for. Furthermore, the Fund cannot control any cyber security plans or systems implemented by its service providers.

 

B-15 

 

Similar types of cyber security risks are also present for issuers of securities in which the Fund invests, which could result in material adverse consequences for such issuers, and may cause the Fund’s investment in such portfolio companies to lose value.

 

INVESTMENT RESTRICTIONS

 

The Fund has adopted the following restrictions as fundamental policies, which may not be changed without the favorable vote of the holders of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund, as defined in the 1940 Act. Under the 1940 Act, the “vote of the holders of a majority of the outstanding voting securities” of the Fund means the vote of the holders of the lesser of (i) 67% of the shares of the Fund represented at a meeting at which the holders of more than 50% of its outstanding shares are represented or (ii) more than 50% of the outstanding shares of the Fund. The Fund’s investment objective is a non-fundamental policy and may be changed without shareholder approval.

 

The Fund may not:

 

1.Issue senior securities, borrow money or pledge its assets, except that (i) the Fund may borrow from banks in amounts not exceeding one-third of its net assets (including the amount borrowed); and (ii) this restriction shall not prohibit the Fund from engaging in options transactions or short sales or investing in financial futures, swaps, when-issued or delayed delivery securities, or reverse repurchase agreements;

 

2.Act as underwriter, except to the extent the Fund may be deemed to be an underwriter in connection with the sale of securities in its investment portfolio;

 

3.With respect to 75% of the Fund’s total assets, purchase the securities of any issuer (other than securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government or any of its agencies or instrumentalities) if, as a result, (a) more than 5% of the Fund’s total assets would be invested in the securities of that issuer, or (b) the Fund would hold more than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of that issuer;

 

4.Invest 25% or more of its total assets, calculated at the time of purchase and taken at market value, in any one industry (other than securities issued by the U.S. government, its agencies or instrumentalities);

 

5.Purchase or sell real estate or interests in real estate or real estate limited partnerships (although the Fund may purchase and sell securities which are secured by real estate and securities of companies which invest or deal in real estate, such as real estate investment trusts (REITs));

 

6.Make loans of money, except (a) for purchases of debt securities consistent with the investment policies of the Fund, (b) by engaging in repurchase agreements or, (c) through the loan of portfolio securities in an amount up to 33 1/3% of the Fund’s net assets; or

 

7.Purchase or sell physical commodities, unless acquired as a result of ownership of securities or other instruments. This limitation shall not prevent the Fund from purchasing, selling or entering into future contracts, or acquiring securities or other instruments and options thereon backed by, or related to, physical commodities.

 

The Fund observes the following restriction as a matter of operating but not fundamental policy, pursuant to positions taken by federal regulatory authorities:

 

The Fund may not invest, in the aggregate, more than 15% of its net assets in securities with legal or contractual restrictions on resale, securities that are not readily marketable and repurchase agreements with more than seven days to maturity.

 

Except with respect to borrowing, if a percentage or rating restriction on investment or use of assets set forth herein or in the Prospectus is adhered to at the time a transaction is effected, later changes in percentage resulting from any cause other than actions by the Fund will not be considered a violation.

 

B-16 

 

MANAGEMENT OF THE FUND

 

Trustees and Officers

 

The overall management of the business and affairs of the Trust is vested with its Board of Trustees. The Board approves all significant agreements between the Trust and persons or companies furnishing services to it, including the agreements with the Advisor, Sub-Advisor, co-administrators, distributor, custodian and transfer agent. The day-to-day operations of the Trust are delegated to its officers, except that the Advisor and Sub-Advisor are responsible for making day-to-day investment decisions in accordance with the Fund’s investment objective, strategies, and policies, all of which are subject to general supervision by the Board.

 

The Trustees and officers of the Trust, their years of birth and positions with the Trust, term of office with the Trust and length of time served, their business addresses and principal occupations during the past five years and other directorships held during the past five years are listed in the table below. Unless noted otherwise, each person has held the position listed for a minimum of five years. Charles H. Miller, Ashley Toomey Rabun, William H. Young and John P. Zader are all of the Trustees who are not “interested persons” of the Trust, as that term is defined in the 1940 Act (collectively, the “Independent Trustees”).

 

Name, Address, Year of

Birth and Position(s)
held with Trust

Term of
Officec and
Length of Time Served
Principal Occupation During
the Past Five Years and
Other Affiliations

Number of

Portfolios in the
Fund Complex
Overseen by Trusteed

Other
Directorships

Held by Trustee
During the Past
Five Years

“Independent” Trustees:

Charles H. Miller a

(born 1947)

Trustee

Since November 2007 Retired (2013 – present). Executive Vice President, Client Management and Development, Access Data, a Broadridge company, a provider of technology and services to asset management firms (1997 – 2012). 7 None.

Ashley Toomey Rabun a

(born 1952)

Trustee and Chairperson of the Board

Since November 2007 Retired (2016 – present). President and Founder, InvestorReach, Inc. a financial services consulting firm (1996-2015). 7 Select Sector SPDR Trust, a registered investment company (includes 11 portfolios)

William H. Young a

(born 1950)

Trustee

Since November 2007 Retired (2014 – present). Independent financial services consultant (1996-2014). Interim CEO, Unified Fund Services Inc. (now Huntington Fund Services), a mutual fund service provider (2003-2006). Senior Vice President, Oppenheimer Management Company (1983-1996). Chairman NICSA, an investment management trade association (1993-1996). 7 None.

 

B-17 

 

Name, Address, Year of

Birth and Position(s)
held with Trust

Term of
Officec and
Length of Time Served
Principal Occupation During
the Past Five Years and
Other Affiliations

Number of

Portfolios in the
Fund Complex
Overseen by Trusteed

Other
Directorships

Held by Trustee
During the Past
Five Years

John P. Zader a

(born 1961)

Trustee

Since November 2007 Retired (June 2014 – present). CEO, UMB Fund Services, Inc., a mutual fund and hedge fund service provider, and the transfer agent, fund accountant, and co-administrator for the Fund. (December 2006-June 2014). President, Investment Managers Series Trust (December 2007 – June 2014). 7 Investment Managers Series Trust II, a registered investment company (includes 12 portfolios).
Interested Trustees:

Eric M. Banhazl b†

(born 1957)

Trustee

Since January 2008 Chairman (2016 – present), and President (2006 – 2015), Mutual Fund Administration, LLC, the co-administrator for the Fund. Trustee and Vice President, Investment Managers Series Trust (December 2007 – March 2016). 7 Investment Managers Series Trust II, a registered investment company (includes 12 portfolios).
Officers of the Trust:

Maureen Quill a

(born 1963)

President

Since June 2014 President (January 2018 – present), Chief Operating Officer (June 2014- January 2018), and Executive Vice President, (January 2007 – June 2014), UMB Fund Services, Inc. Vice President, Investment Managers Series Trust (December 2013 – June 2014). N/A N/A

Rita Dam b

(born 1966)

Treasurer and Assistant Secretary

Since December 2007 Co-Chief Executive Officer (2016 – present), and Vice President (2006 – 2015), Mutual Fund Administration, LLC. N/A N/A

Joy Ausili b

(born 1966)

Vice President, Assistant Secretary and Assistant Treasurer

Since March 2016 Co-Chief Executive Officer (2016 – present), and Vice President (2006 – 2015), Mutual Fund Administration, LLC. Secretary and Assistant Treasurer, Investment Managers Series Trust (December 2007 – March 2016). N/A N/A

Diane Drake b

(born 1967)

Secretary

Since March 2016 Senior Counsel, Mutual Fund Administration, LLC (October 2015 - present). Managing Director and Senior Counsel, BNY Mellon Investment Servicing (US) Inc. (2010 – 2015). N/A N/A

 

B-18 

 

Name, Address, Year of

Birth and Position(s)
held with Trust

Term of
Officec and
Length of Time Served
Principal Occupation During
the Past Five Years and
Other Affiliations

Number of

Portfolios in the
Fund Complex
Overseen by Trusteed

Other
Directorships

Held by Trustee
During the Past
Five Years

Martin Dziura b

(born 1959)

Chief Compliance Officer

Since June 2014 Principal, Dziura Compliance Consulting, LLC (October 2014 – present). Managing Director, Cipperman Compliance Services (2010 – September 2014). Chief Compliance Officer, Hanlon Investment Management (2009-2010). Vice President – Compliance, Morgan Stanley Investment Management (2000 – 2009). N/A N/A

 

aAddress for certain Trustees and certain officers: 235 West Galena Street, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53212.
bAddress for Mr. Banhazl, Ms. Ausili, Ms. Dam and Ms. Drake: 2220 E. Route 66, Suite 226, Glendora, California 91740.

Address for Mr. Dziura: 309 Woodridge Lane, Media, Pennsylvania 19063.

cTrustees and officers serve until their successors have been duly elected.
dThe Trust is comprised of numerous series managed by unaffiliated investment advisors. The term “Fund Complex” applies only to the Funds managed by the same investment advisor. The Funds do not hold themselves out as related to any other series within the Trust, for purposes of investment and investor services, nor do they share the same investment advisor with any other series.
Mr. Banhazl is an “interested person” of the Trust by virtue of his position with Mutual Fund Administration, LLC.

 

Compensation

Each Independent Trustee receives from the Trust a quarterly retainer of $30,000. Each Independent Trustee also receives $4,000 for each special in-person meeting attended and $1,000 for each telephonic meeting attended. In addition, Ms. Rabun receives an additional annual retainer of $25,000 for serving as Chairperson of the Board; and each of Mr. Young, Mr. Miller and Mr. Zader receives an additional annual retainer of $10,000 for serving as Audit Committee Chair, Valuation Committee Chair and Nominating, Governance and Regulatory Review Committee Chair, respectively. The Trust has no pension or retirement plan. No other entity affiliated with the Trust pays any compensation to the Trustees.

 

Effective September 1, 2017, the Trustees may elect to defer payment of their compensation from the Fund(s) pursuant to the Trust’s non-qualified Deferred Compensation Plan for Trustees which permits the Trustees to defer receipt of all or part of their compensation from the Trust. Amounts deferred are deemed invested in shares of one or more of the series of the Trust, as selected by the Trustee from time to time. A Trustee’s deferred compensation account will be paid at such times as elected by the Trustee, subject to certain mandatory payment provisions in the Deferred Compensation Plan.

 

B-19 

 

 

Charles H. Miller, Independent

Trustee, and

Valuation Committee Chair

Ashley Toomey Rabun, Independent Trustee

and Chairperson

William H. Young,

Independent Trustee and

Audit Committee Chair

John P. Zader, Independent Trustee and Nominating Governance and Regulatory Review Committee Chair
Global Equity Absolute Return Fund1 $[1,500] $[1,500] $[1,500] $[1,500]
Pension or Retirement Benefits Accrued as Part of Fund’s Expenses None None None None

Estimated Annual Benefits

Upon Retirement

None None None None
Total Compensation from Fund and Fund Complex Paid to Trustees 1,2 $[ ] $[ ] $[ ] $[ ]

 

1Estimated annual compensation for the first year.
2There are currently numerous portfolios comprising the Trust. The term “Fund Complex” applies only to the series managed by the same investment advisor. The Fund’s investment advisor also serves as investment advisor to the 361 Managed Futures Strategy Fund, 361 Global Managed Futures Strategy Fund, 361 Domestic Long/Short Equity Fund, 361 Global Long/Short Equity Fund, 361 Macro Opportunity Fund and 361 U.S. Small Cap Equity Fund which are offered in a separate prospectus. The Funds do not hold themselves out as related to any other series within the Trust, for purposes of investment and investor services.

 

Mr. Banhazl is not compensated for his service as Trustee because of his affiliation with the Trust. Officers of the Trust are not compensated by the Funds for their services.

 

Additional Information Concerning the Board and the Trustees

 

The current Trustees were selected in November 2007 (January 2008 for Mr. Banhazl) with a view towards establishing a Board that would have the broad experience needed to oversee a registered investment company comprised of multiple series employing a variety of different investment strategies. As a group, the Board has extensive experience in many different aspects of the financial services and asset management industries.

 

The Trustees were selected to join the Board based upon the following factors, among others: character and integrity; willingness to serve and willingness and ability to commit the time necessary to perform the duties of a Trustee; as to each Trustee other than Mr. Banhazl and Mr. Zader (at that time), satisfying the criteria for not being classified as an “interested person” of the Trust as defined in the 1940 Act; and, as to Mr. Banhazl his position with Mutual Fund Administration, LLC, one of the Trust’s co-administrators. In addition, the Trustees have the following specific experience, qualifications, attributes and/or skills relevant to the operations of the Trust:

 

Ms. Rabun has substantial senior executive experience in mutual fund marketing and distribution and serving in senior executive and board positions with mutual funds, including multiple series trusts similar to the Trust.

 

Mr. Miller has significant senior executive experience with respect to marketing and distribution of mutual funds, including multiple series trusts similar to the Trust.

 

Mr. Young has broad senior executive experience with respect to the operations and management of mutual funds and administrative service providers, including multiple series trusts similar to the Trust.

 

B-20 

 

Mr. Banhazl has significant experience serving in senior executive and board positions for mutual funds and with respect to the organization and operation of mutual funds and multiple series trusts similar to the Trust.

 

Mr. Zader has substantial experience serving in senior executive positions at mutual fund administrative service providers.

 

In its periodic self-assessment of the effectiveness of the Board, the Board considers the complementary individual skills and experience of the individual Trustees primarily in the broader context of the Board’s overall composition so that the Board, as a body, possesses the appropriate (and appropriately diverse) skills and experience to oversee the business of the Fund. The summaries set forth above as to the qualifications, attributes and skills of the Trustees are required by the registration form adopted by the SEC, do not constitute holding out the Board or any Trustee as having any special expertise or experience, and do not impose any greater responsibility or liability on any such person or on the Board as a whole than would otherwise be the case.

 

The Board of Trustees has three standing committees: the Audit Committee, the Nominating, Governance and Regulatory Review Committee (the “Nominating Committee”), and the Valuation Committee.

 

The function of the Audit Committee, with respect to each series of the Trust, is to review the scope and results of the series’ annual audit and any matters bearing on the audit or the series’ financial statements and to assist the Board’s oversight of the integrity of the series’ pricing and financial reporting. The Audit Committee is comprised of all of the Independent Trustees and is chaired by Mr. Young. It does not include any Interested Trustees. The Audit Committee is expected to meet at least twice a year with respect to each series of the Trust. The Audit Committee is expected to meet at least twice a year with respect to the Fund.

 

The Audit Committee also serves as the Qualified Legal Compliance Committee (“QLCC”) for the Trust for the purpose of compliance with Rules 205.2(k) and 205.3(c) of the Code of Federal Regulations regarding alternative reporting procedures for attorneys retained or employed by an issuer who appear and practice before the SEC on behalf of the issuer.

 

The Nominating Committee is responsible for reviewing matters pertaining to composition, committees, and operations of the Board, as well as assisting the Board in overseeing matters related to certain regulatory issues. The Nominating Committee meets from time to time as needed. The Nominating Committee will consider trustee nominees properly recommended by the Trust’s shareholders. Shareholders who wish to recommend a nominee should send nominations that include, among other things, biographical data and the qualifications of the proposed nominee to the Trust’s Secretary. The Independent Trustees comprise the Nominating Committee, and the Committee is chaired by Mr. Zader. The Nominating Committee meets as needed.

 

The function of the Valuation Committee is to recommend to the Board for its approval methodologies for valuing securities held by any series of the Trust for which current and reliable market quotations are not readily available; monitor prices determined by officers of the Trust pursuant to such methodologies; and approve fair valued security prices that are not determined pursuant to an approved methodology. The actions of the Valuation Committee are subsequently reviewed by the Board. The Valuation Committee is comprised of all the Trustees and is chaired by Mr. Miller, but action may be taken by any one of the Trustees. The Valuation Committee meets as needed.

 

Independent Trustees comprise 80% of the Board and Ashley Toomey Rabun, an Independent Trustee, serves as Chairperson of the Board. The Chairperson serves as a key point person for dealings between the Trust’s management and the other Independent Trustees. As noted above, through the committees of the Board the Independent Trustees consider and address important matters involving each series of the Trust, including those presenting conflicts or potential conflicts of interest. The Independent Trustees also regularly meet outside the presence of management and are advised by independent legal counsel. The Board has determined that its organization and leadership structure are appropriate in light of its fiduciary and oversight obligations, the special obligations of the Independent Trustees, and the relationship between the Interested Trustees and the Trust’s co-administrators. The Board also believes that its structure facilitates the orderly and efficient flow of information to the Independent Trustees from management.

 

B-21 

 

Consistent with its responsibility for oversight of the Fund in the interests of shareholders, the Board among other things oversees risk management of the Fund’s investment programs and business affairs directly and through the Audit Committee. The Board has emphasized to the Advisor the importance of maintaining vigorous risk management programs and procedures.

 

The Fund faces a number of risks, such as investment risk, valuation risk, reputational risk, risk of operational failure or lack of business continuity, and legal, compliance and regulatory risk. Risk management seeks to identify and address risks, i.e., events or circumstances that could have material adverse effects on the business, operations, shareholder services, investment performance or reputation of the Fund. Under the overall supervision of the Board, the Advisor, Sub-Advisor and other service providers to the Fund employ a variety of processes, procedures and controls to identify various of those possible events or circumstances, to lessen the probability of their occurrence and/or to mitigate the effects of such events or circumstances if they do occur. Different processes, procedures and controls are employed with respect to different types of risks. Various personnel, including the Trust’s Chief Compliance Officer (the “CCO”), the Advisor’s management, and other service providers (such as the Fund’s independent registered public accounting firm) make periodic reports to the Board or to the Audit Committee with respect to various aspects of risk management. The Board recognizes that not all risks that may affect the Fund can be identified, that it may not be practical or cost-effective to eliminate or mitigate certain risks, that it may be necessary to bear certain risks (such as investment-related risks) to achieve the Fund’s investment objective, and that the processes, procedures and controls employed to address certain risks may be limited in their effectiveness. Moreover, reports received by the Trustees as to risk management matters are typically summaries of the relevant information. As a result of the foregoing and other factors, the Board’s risk management oversight is subject to substantial limitations.

 

Fund Shares Beneficially Owned by Trustees

 

As of December 31, 2017 the Trustees beneficially owned shares of the Fund and other series of the Trust as follows.

 

Name of Trustee

Dollar Range of Equity

Securities in the Fund

(None, $1-$10,000,

$10,001-$50,000, $50,001-

$100,000, Over $100,000)

Aggregate Dollar Range of

Equity Securities in all Registered Investment Companies Overseen

by Trustee in Family

of Investment Companies

Charles H. Miller, Independent Trustee None None
Ashley Toomey Rabun, Independent Trustee None None
William H. Young, Independent Trustee None Over $100,000
John P. Zader, Independent Trustee None None
Eric M. Banhazl, Interested Trustee None Over $100,000

 

Control Persons, Principal Shareholders, and Management Ownership

 

[As of the date of this SAI, the Fund is under the control of [__________________], which had voting authority with respect to 100% of the outstanding shares in the Fund on such date. However, once the Fund commences investment operations and its shares are sold to the public, this control will be diluted. The Trustees and officers of the Trust as a group did not own more than 1% of the outstanding shares of the Fund. Furthermore, neither the Independent Trustees, nor members of their immediate families, own securities beneficially or of record in the Advisor, the Sub-Advisor, the Fund’s distributor, IMST Distributors, LLC (the “Distributor”), or any of their respective affiliates.]

 

The Advisor

 

361 Capital, LLC acts as investment advisor to the Fund pursuant to an Investment Advisory Agreement (the “Advisory Agreement”). The Advisor is controlled by its Principal, Thomas I. Florence. Subject to such policies as the Board of Trustees may determine, the Advisor is ultimately responsible for investment decisions for the Fund. Pursuant to the terms of the Advisory Agreement, the Advisor provides the Fund with such investment advice and supervision, as it deems necessary for the proper supervision of the Fund’s investments. The Advisor also continuously monitors and maintains the Fund’s investment criteria and determines from time to time what securities may be purchased by the Fund.

 

B-22 

 

Pursuant to the terms of the Advisory Agreement, the Advisor provides the Fund with investment advice, makes recommendations with respect to the selection and continued employment of the Sub-Advisor to manage the Fund’s assets, performs diligence on and monitors the Sub-Advisor, investment performance and adherence to compliance procedures, and oversees the investments made by the Sub-Advisor. The Advisor also continuously monitors the Sub-Advisor’s compliance with the Fund’s investment objective, policies and restrictions. Subject to such policies as the Board of Trustees may determine, the Advisor is ultimately responsible for investment decisions for the Fund.

 

The Advisory Agreement will remain in effect with respect to the Fund for an initial two-year period. After the initial two-year period, the Advisory Agreement will continue in effect with respect to the Fund from year to year only if such continuance is specifically approved at least annually by the Board or by vote of a majority of the Fund’s outstanding voting securities and by a majority of the Trustees who are not parties to the Advisory Agreement or interested persons of any such party, at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on the Advisory Agreement. The Advisory Agreement is terminable without penalty by the Trust on behalf of the Fund, upon giving the Advisor 60 days’ notice when authorized either by a majority vote of the Fund’s shareholders or by a vote of a majority of the Board, or by the Advisor on 60 days’ written notice, and will automatically terminate in the event of its “assignment” (as defined in the 1940 Act). The Advisory Agreement provides that the Advisor shall not be liable for any error of judgment or for any loss suffered by the Trust in connection with the Advisory Agreement, except for a loss resulting from a breach of fiduciary duty, or for a loss resulting from willful misfeasance, bad faith or gross negligence in the performance of its duties, or from reckless disregard by the Advisor of its duties under the Advisory Agreement.

 

In consideration of the services to be provided by the Advisor pursuant to the Advisory Agreement, the Advisor is entitled to receive from the Fund an investment advisory fee computed daily and paid monthly based on an annual rate equal to a percentage of the Fund’s average daily net assets specified in the Prospectus.

 

Sub-Advisor

 

The Advisor has entered into a sub-advisory agreement with Analytic Investors, LLC with respect to the Fund (the “Sub-Advisory Agreement”). Analytic is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Wells Fargo Asset Management, the asset management business of Wells Fargo & Company. The Advisor compensates Analytic out of the investment advisory fees the Advisor receives from the Fund. Analytic makes investment decisions for the assets it has been allocated to manage, subject to the overall supervision of the Advisor.

 

The Sub-Advisory Agreement will remain in effect for an initial two-year period. After the initial two-year period, the Sub-Advisory Agreement will continue in effect from year to year only as long as such continuance is specifically approved at least annually by (i) the Board of Trustees of the Trust or by the vote of a majority of the outstanding voting shares of the respective Fund, and (ii) by the vote of a majority of the Trustees of the Trust who are not parties to the Sub-Advisory Agreement or interested persons of the Advisor, the Sub-Advisor or the Trust. The Sub-Advisory Agreement may be terminated at any time without the payment of any penalty by the Board of Trustees of the Trust or by the vote of a majority of the outstanding voting shares of the respective Fund, or by the Sub-Advisor or the Advisor, upon 60 days’ written notice to the other party. Additionally, the Sub-Advisory Agreement automatically terminates in the event of its assignment. The Sub-Advisory Agreement provide that the Sub-Advisor shall not be liable for any error of judgment or for any loss suffered by the Trust in connection with the Sub-Advisory Agreement, except for a loss resulting from a breach of fiduciary duty, or for a loss resulting from willful misfeasance, bad faith or gross negligence in the performance of its duties, or from reckless disregard by the Sub-Advisor of its duties under the respective Sub-Advisory Agreement.

 

 

B-23 

 

Fund Expenses

 

The Fund is responsible for its own operating expenses (all of which will be borne directly or indirectly by the Fund’s shareholders), including among others, legal fees and expenses of counsel to the Fund and the Fund’s independent trustees; insurance (including trustees’ and officers’ errors and omissions insurance); auditing and accounting expenses; taxes and governmental fees; listing fees; dues and expenses incurred in connection with membership in investment company organizations; fees and expenses of the Fund’s custodians, administrators, transfer agents, registrars and other service providers; expenses for portfolio pricing services by a pricing agent, if any; expenses in connection with the issuance and offering of shares; expenses relating to investor and public relations; expenses of registering or qualifying securities of the Fund for public sale; brokerage commissions and other costs of acquiring or disposing of any portfolio holding of the Fund; expenses of preparation and distribution of reports, notices and dividends to shareholders; expenses of the dividend reinvestment plan; compensation and expenses of trustees; any litigation expenses; and costs of shareholders’ and other meetings.

 

The Advisor has contractually agreed to waive its fees and/or pay for operating expenses of the Fund to ensure that the total annual fund operating expenses (excluding, as applicable, any taxes, leverage interest, brokerage commissions, dividend and interest expenses on short sales, acquired fund fees and expenses as determined in accordance with Form N-1A, expenses incurred in connection with any merger or reorganization and extraordinary expenses such as litigation expenses) do not exceed the limit set forth in the Expense Table of each Prospectus (the “expense cap”). Each agreement is effective until [December 31, 2019], and it may be terminated, before that date only by the Board of Trustees.

 

Fund

Expense Limit

as percent of the average daily net assets

 

Investor

Class

Class

I

Class

Y

Global Equity Absolute Return Fund % % %

 

Any reduction in advisory fees or payment of the Fund’s expenses made by the Advisor in a fiscal year may be reimbursed by the Fund for a period ending three full fiscal years after the date of reduction or payment if the Advisor so requests. This reimbursement may be requested from the Fund if the reimbursement will not cause the Fund’s annual expense ratio to exceed the lesser of (a) the expense limitation in effect at the time of the such fees were waived or payments made, or (b) the expense limitation in effect at the time of the reimbursement. However, the reimbursement amount may not exceed the total amount of fees waived and/or Fund expenses paid by the Advisor and will not include any amounts previously reimbursed to the Advisor by the Fund. Any such reimbursement is contingent upon the Board’s subsequent review of the reimbursed amounts. The Fund must pay current ordinary operating expenses before the Advisor is entitled to any reimbursement of fees and/or Fund expenses.

 

In consideration of the services to be provided by the Sub-Advisor to the Fund pursuant to the Sub-Advisory Agreement, the Sub-Advisor is entitled to receive from the Fund an investment advisory fee computed daily and paid monthly based on an annual rate equal to a percentage of the Fund’s average daily net assets specified in the Prospectus.

 

Portfolio Managers

 

Other Accounts Managed by the Portfolio Managers. As of October 1, 2018, information on other accounts managed by the Fund’s portfolio managers is as follows:

 

B-24 

 

 

 

Registered Investment

Companies

Other Pooled Investment

Vehicles

Other Accounts
Portfolio Manager

Number of

Accounts

Total Assets

(in Million)

Number of

Accounts

Total Assets

(in Million)

Number of

Accounts

Total Assets

(in Million)

Harindra de Silva 16 $4,000 11 $866 38 $18,900
Dennis Bein 13 $3,000 11 $866 37 $18,200
David Krider 5 $1,700 7 $526 16 $6,800

 

  Number of Accounts with Advisory Fee Based on Performance
 

Registered Investment

Companies

Other Pooled Investment

Vehicles

Other Accounts
Portfolio Manager Number of Accounts

Total Assets

(in Million)

Number of Accounts

Total Assets

(in Million)

Number of Accounts

Total Assets

(in Million)

Harindra de Silva 0 $0 1 $164 0 $0
Dennis Bein 0 $0 1 $164 0 $0
David Krider 0 $0 1 $164 0 $0

 

Material Conflicts of Interest

 

Advisor

 

Actual or apparent conflicts of interest may arise when a portfolio manager has day-to-day management responsibilities with respect to more than one fund or other account. It is possible that conflicts of interest may arise in connection with the portfolio managers’ management of the Fund’s investments on the one hand and the investments of other accounts or vehicles for which the portfolio managers are responsible on the other. For example, a portfolio manager may have conflicts of interest in allocating management time, resources and investment opportunities among the Fund and the other accounts or vehicles he advises. In addition, due to differences in the investment strategies or restrictions among the Fund and the other accounts, a portfolio manager may take action with respect to another account that differs from the action taken with respect to the Fund. In some cases, another account managed by a portfolio manager may provide more revenue to the Advisor. While this may appear to create additional conflicts of interest for the portfolio manager in the allocation of management time, resources and investment opportunities, the Advisor strives to ensure that portfolio managers endeavor to exercise their discretion in a manner that is equitable to all interested persons. In this regard, in the absence of specific account-related impediments, it is the policy of the Advisor to allocate investment ideas pro rata to all accounts with the same primary investment objective.

 

The goal of the Advisor is to provide high quality investment services to all of its clients, while meeting its fiduciary obligation to treat all clients fairly. The Advisor has adopted and implemented policies and procedures, including brokerage and trade allocation policies and procedures that it believes address the conflicts associated with managing multiple accounts for multiple clients.

 

Sub-Advisor

 

Analytic. Analytic and its officers, employees and beneficial owners shall be free from time to time to acquire, possess, manage, and dispose of securities or other investment assets for their own accounts, for the accounts of their families, for the account of any entity in which they have a beneficial interest or for the accounts of others for whom they may provide investment advisory, brokerage or other services (collectively, "Managed Accounts"), in transactions which may or may not correspond with transactions effected or positions held in the Fund. It is understood that when Analytic determines that it would be appropriate for the Fund and one or more Managed Accounts to participate in an investment opportunity, Analytic will seek to execute orders for the Fund and for such Managed Accounts on a basis which it considers equitable, but that equality of treatment of the Fund and other Managed Accounts is not assured. In such situations, Analytic may (but is not be required to) place orders for the Fund and each other Managed Account simultaneously and if all such orders are not filled at the same price, Analytic may cause the Fund and each Managed Account to pay or receive the average of the prices at which the orders were filled. If all such orders cannot be fully executed under prevailing market conditions, Analytic may allocate the securities traded among the Fund and other Managed Accounts in a manner which it considers equitable, taking into account the size of the order placed for the Fund and each other Managed Account as well as any other factors which it deems relevant.

 

B-25 

 

Certain of the Managed Accounts that Analytic advises may sell securities short, including securities with respect to which other Managed Accounts hold long positions. The portfolio managers and traders for these Managed Accounts are not separated from the rest of Analytics' investment personnel and therefore have access to full information about Analytics' investment research and the investment decisions and strategies being employed for the Managed Accounts. These Managed Accounts pay Analytic management fees at rates comparable to and in some cases lower than those paid by the fund and other Managed Accounts. Analytic also receives a significant share of any profits earned by certain of the Managed Accounts as incentive compensation. As a result, Analytic may have a conflict between its own interests and the interests of other Sub-Advisor investment advisory clients in managing the portfolios of certain of these Managed Accounts.

 

Compensation of Portfolio Manager

 

Analytic. Analytic’s compensation structure for professional employees consists of an industry median base salary, based on independent industry information, and an annual discretionary bonus. Bonus amounts are determined using the following factors: the overall success of the Analytic in terms of profitability; the overall success of the department or team; and an individual’s contribution to the team, based on goals established during the performance period. Compensation based on investment strategy performance is not tied to individual account performance, but rather to each strategy as a whole. Strategy performance information is based on pre-tax calculations for the prior calendar year. No portfolio manager is directly compensated a portion of an advisory fee based on the performance of a specific account. Portfolio managers’ base salaries are typically reviewed on an annual basis determined by each portfolio managers’ anniversary date of employment. Discretionary bonuses are determined annually, upon analysis of information from the prior calendar year. Analytic has granted profits interests to each employee of the firm. These profits interests entitle the employee to a certain share of Analytic’s net operating income (which is net of compensation expenses, including variable compensation, at year-end. No single individual can hold more than 20% of the equity interests issued by Analytic and, in the aggregate, 60% of the equity interests issued will be held investment team personnel.

 

Ownership of the Fund by the Portfolio Managers. As of the date of this SAI, the portfolio managers did not own any shares of the Fund.

 

Service Providers

 

Pursuant to a Co-Administration Agreement (the “Co-Administration Agreement”), UMB Fund Services, Inc. (“UMBFS”), 235 West Galena Street, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53212, and Mutual Fund Administration, LLC (“MFAC”), 2220 E. Route 66, Suite 226, Glendora, California 91740 (collectively the “Co-Administrators”), act as co-administrators for the Fund. The Co-Administrators provide certain administrative services to the Fund, including, among other responsibilities, coordinating the negotiation of contracts and fees with, and the monitoring of performance and billing of, the Fund’s independent contractors and agents; preparing for signature by an officer of the Trust of all documents required to be filed for compliance with applicable laws and regulations including those of the securities laws of various states; arranging for the computation of performance data, including net asset value and yield; arranging for the maintenance of books and records of the Fund; and providing, at their own expense, office facilities, equipment and personnel necessary to carry out their duties. In this capacity, the Co-Administrators do not have any responsibility or authority for the management of the Fund, the determination of investment policy, or for any matter pertaining to the distribution of Fund shares. The Co-Administration Agreement provides that neither Co-Administrator shall be liable for any error of judgment or mistake of law or for any loss suffered by the Trust or its series, except for losses resulting from a Co-Administrator’s willful misfeasance, bad faith or negligence in the performance of its duties or from reckless disregard by it of its obligations and duties under the Agreement.

 

B-26 

 

Pursuant to the Co-Administration Agreement, the Fund pays the Co-Administrators a fee for administration services. The fee is payable monthly based on the Fund’s average daily net assets.

 

UMBFS also acts as the Trust’s fund accountant, transfer agent and dividend disbursing agent pursuant to separate agreements.

 

UMB Bank, n.a. (the “Custodian”), an affiliate of UMBFS, is the custodian of the assets of the Fund pursuant to a custody agreement between the Custodian and the Trust, whereby the Custodian provides services for fees on a transactional basis plus out-of-pocket expenses. The Custodian’s address is 928 Grand Boulevard, Kansas City, Missouri 64106. The Custodian does not participate in decisions pertaining to the purchase and sale of securities by the Fund.

 

[ ], is the independent registered public accounting firm for the Fund whose services include auditing the Fund’s financial statements and the performance of related tax services.

 

Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP (“Morgan Lewis”), 600 Anton Boulevard, Suite 1800, Costa Mesa, California 92626, serves as legal counsel to the Trust.

 

Paul Hastings LLP (“Paul Hastings”), 101 California Street, 48th Floor, San Francisco, California 94111, serves as legal counsel to the Independent Trustees.

 

Distributor and the Distribution Agreement

 

IMST Distributors, LLC (the “Distributor”) is the distributor (also known as the principal underwriter) of the shares of the Fund and is located at Three Canal Plaza, Suite 100, Portland, Maine 04101. The Distributor is a registered broker-dealer and is a member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (“FINRA”). The Distributor is not affiliated with the Trust, the Advisor, the Sub-Advisor or any other service provider for the Fund.

 

Under a Distribution Agreement with the Trust dated January 1, 2013 (the “Distribution Agreement”), the Distributor acts as the agent of the Trust in connection with the continuous offering of shares of the Fund. The Distributor continually distributes shares of the Fund on a best efforts basis. The Distributor has no obligation to sell any specific quantity of Fund shares. The Distributor and its officers have no role in determining the investment policies or which securities are to be purchased or sold by the Trust.

 

The Distributor may enter into agreements with selected broker-dealers, banks or other financial intermediaries for distribution of shares of the Fund. With respect to certain financial intermediaries and related fund “supermarket” platform arrangements, the Fund and/or the Advisor, rather than the Distributor, typically enter into such agreements. These financial intermediaries may charge a fee for their services and may receive shareholder service or other fees from parties other than the Distributor. These financial intermediaries may otherwise act as processing agents and are responsible for promptly transmitting purchase, redemption and other requests to the Fund.

 

Investors who purchase shares through financial intermediaries will be subject to the procedures of those intermediaries through which they purchase shares, which may include charges, investment minimums, cutoff times and other restrictions in addition to, or different from, those listed herein. Information concerning any charges or services will be provided to customers by the financial intermediary through which they purchase shares. Investors purchasing shares of the Fund through financial intermediaries should acquaint themselves with their financial intermediary’s procedures and should read the Prospectus in conjunction with any materials and information provided by their financial intermediary. The financial intermediary, and not its customers, will be the shareholder of record, although customers may have the right to vote shares depending upon their arrangement with the financial intermediary. The Distributor does not receive compensation from the Fund for its distribution services except the distribution/service fees with respect to the shares of those classes for which a Rule 12b-1 distribution plan is effective. The Advisor pays the Distributor a fee for certain distribution-related services.

 

B-27 

 

The Distribution Agreement will continue in effect only if such continuance is specifically approved at least annually by the Board or by vote of a majority of the Fund’s outstanding voting securities in accordance with the 1940 Act. The Distribution Agreement is terminable without penalty by the Trust on behalf of the Fund on no less than 60 days’ written notice when authorized either by a vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund or by vote of a majority of the members of the Board who are not “interested persons” (as defined in the 1940 Act) of the Trust and have no direct or indirect financial interest in the operation of the Distribution Agreement, or by the Distributor, and will automatically terminate in the event of its “assignment” (as defined in the 1940 Act). The Distribution Agreement provides that the Distributor shall not be liable for any error of judgment or mistake of law or for any loss suffered by the Trust in connection with the performance of the Distributor’s obligations and duties under the Distribution Agreement, except a loss resulting from the Distributor’s willful misfeasance, bad faith or gross negligence in the performance of such duties and obligations, or by reason of its reckless disregard thereof.

 

Pursuant to the Distribution Agreement, amounts received by the Distributor are not held for profit by the Distributor, but instead are used to pay for and/or reimburse the Advisor for distribution related expenditures.

 

Rule 12b-1 Plan

 

The Trust has adopted a plan pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act (the “12b-1 Plan”) that provides for Fund assets to be used for the payment for distribution services for Investor Class shares. The 12b-1 Plan provides alternative methods for paying sales charges and may help the Fund grow or maintain asset levels to provide operational efficiencies and economies of scale. The 12b-1 Plan also provides for the payment of service fees in connection with the provision of post-sales shareholder liaison services to holders of Investor Class shares, as defined in FINRA regulations, including personal services such as responding to customer inquiries, and services related to the maintenance of shareholder accounts. Because 12b-1 fees are paid out of Fund assets attributable to Investor Class shares on an ongoing basis, they will, over time, increase the cost of an investment and may cost more than other types of sales charges.

 

The 12b-1 Plan provides that the distribution fees paid by Investor Class shares of the Fund may be used to pay for any expenses primarily intended to result in the sale of shares of such Class, including, but not limited to: (a) costs of payments, including incentive compensation, made to agents for and consultants to the Distributor or the Trust, including pension administration firms that provide distribution services and broker-dealers that engage in the distribution of the shares of such Class of the Fund; (b) payments made to, and expenses of, persons who provide support services in connection with the distribution of shares of such Class of the Fund; (c) payments made pursuant to any dealer agreements between the Distributor and certain broker-dealers, financial institutions and other service providers with respect to such Class of the Fund; (d) costs relating to the formulation and implementation of marketing and promotional activities; (e) costs of printing and distributing prospectuses, statements of additional information and reports of the Fund to prospective shareholders of such Class of the Fund; (f) costs involved in preparing, printing and distributing sales literature pertaining to such Class of the Fund; (g) costs involved in obtaining such information, analyses and reports with respect to marketing and promotional activities that the Trust may deem advisable with respect to such Class of the Fund; and (h) reimbursement to the Advisor for expenses advanced on behalf of the Fund or Class with respect to such activities. The 12b-1 Plan is a compensation plan, which means that the Distributor is compensated regardless of its expenses, as opposed to a reimbursement plan which reimburses only for expenses incurred. The Distributor does not retain any 12b-1 fees for profit. All 12b-1 fees are held in a retention account by the Distributor to pay for and/or reimburse the Advisor for distribution related expenditures.

 

The 12b-1 Plan may not be amended to materially increase the amount to be paid by the Fund's Investor Class shares for distribution services without the vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of such shares. The 12b-1 Plan shall continue in effect indefinitely with respect to a Class, provided that such continuance is approved at least annually by a vote of a majority of the Trustees, including the Independent Trustees, cast in person at a meeting called for such purpose or by vote of at least a majority of the outstanding voting securities of such Class. The 12b-1 Plan may be terminated with respect to a Class at any time without penalty by vote of a majority of the Independent Trustees or by vote of the majority of the outstanding voting securities of such Class.

 

B-28 

 

If the 12b-1 Plan is terminated for the Fund’s Investor Class shares in accordance with its terms, the obligation of the Fund to make payments pursuant to the 12b-1 Plan will cease and the Fund will not be required to make any payments past the termination date. Thus, there is no legal obligation for the Fund to pay any expenses incurred by the Distributor other than for fees already payable under the 12b-1 Plan, if the 12b-1 Plan is terminated in accordance with its terms for any reason.

 

Shareholder Service Plan

 

The Board has adopted, on behalf of the Fund, a Shareholder Service Plan (the “Service Plan”) under which the Advisor will provide, or arrange for others (such as banks, trust companies, broker-dealers and other financial intermediaries (each, a “Service Organization”)) to provide, certain specified non-distribution shareholder servicing functions for Fund shares owned by its respective customers, including but not limited to (a) establishing and maintaining accounts and records relating to customers who invest in the Fund; (b) aggregating and processing orders involving Fund shares; (c) processing dividend and other distribution payments from the Fund on behalf of customers; (d) preparing tax reports or forms on behalf of customers; (e) forwarding communications from the Fund; (f) providing sub-accounting with respect to Fund shares; (g) providing customers with a service that invests the assets of their accounts in Fund shares pursuant to specific or pre-authorized instructions; and (h) providing such other similar services as the Advisor may reasonably request to the extent it or a Service Organization is permitted to do so under applicable statutes, rules or regulations. The Fund will pay the Advisor or Service Organizations, as applicable, at an annual rate of up to 0.15% of the Fund’s Investor Class and Class I shares average daily net assets, payable monthly.

 

Marketing and Support Payments

 

The Advisor, out of its own resources and without additional cost to the Fund or its shareholders, may provide cash payments or other compensation to certain financial intermediaries who sell shares of the Fund. These payments are in addition to other fees described in the Prospectus and this SAI, and are generally provided for shareholder services or marketing support. Payments for marketing support are typically for inclusion of the Fund on sales lists, including electronic sales platforms. Investors may wish to take these payments into account when considering and evaluating recommendations to purchase shares of the Fund.

 

PORTFOLIO TRANSACTIONS AND BROKERAGE

 

Pursuant to the Advisory Agreement and Sub-Advisory Agreement, the Advisor and Sub-Advisor determine which securities are to be purchased and sold by the Fund and which broker-dealers are eligible to execute the Fund’s portfolio transactions. The purchases and sales of securities in the over-the-counter market will generally be executed by using a broker for the transaction.

 

Purchases of portfolio securities for the Fund also may be made directly from issuers or from underwriters. Where possible, purchase and sale transactions will be effected through dealers (including banks) that specialize in the types of securities which the Fund will be holding unless better executions are available elsewhere. Dealers and underwriters usually act as principals for their own accounts. Purchases from underwriters will include a concession paid by the issuer to the underwriter and purchases from dealers will include the spread between the bid and the asked price. If the execution and price offered by more than one dealer or underwriter are comparable, the order may be allocated to a dealer or underwriter that has provided research or other services as discussed below.

 

In placing portfolio transactions, the Advisor and Sub-Advisor will use their reasonable efforts to choose broker-dealers capable of providing the services necessary to obtain the most favorable price and execution available. The full range and quality of services available will be considered in making these determinations, such as the size of the order, the difficulty of execution, the operational facilities of the broker-dealer involved, the risk in positioning the block of securities, and other factors. In those instances where it is reasonably determined that more than one broker-dealer can offer the services needed to obtain the most favorable price and execution available, consideration may be given to those broker-dealers which furnish or supply research and statistical information to the Advisor and Sub-Advisor that they may lawfully and appropriately use in their investment advisory capacities, as well as provide other services in addition to execution services. The Advisor and the Sub-Advisor consider such information, which is in addition to and not in lieu of the services required to be performed by them under the Advisory Agreement and Sub-Advisory Agreements with the Fund, to be useful in varying degrees, but of indeterminable value.

 

B-29 

 

While it is the Fund’s general policy to seek to obtain the most favorable price and execution available in selecting a broker-dealer to execute portfolio transactions for the Fund, weight is also given to the ability of a broker-dealer to furnish brokerage and research services as defined in Section 28(e) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, to the Fund or to the Advisor or Sub-Advisor, even if the specific services are not directly useful to the Funds and may be useful to the Advisor or Sub-Advisor in advising other clients. In negotiating commissions with a broker or evaluating the spread to be paid to a dealer, the Funds may therefore pay a higher commission or spread than would be the case if no weight were given to the furnishing of these supplemental services, provided that the amount of such commission or spread has been determined in good faith by the Advisor and Sub-Advisor to be reasonable in relation to the value of the brokerage and/or research services provided by such broker-dealer. The standard of reasonableness is to be measured in light of the Advisor’s or Sub-Advisor’s overall responsibilities to the Fund.

 

Investment decisions for the Fund are made independently from those of other client accounts that may be managed or advised by the Advisor or Sub-Advisor. Nevertheless, it is possible that at times, identical securities will be acceptable for both the Fund and one or more of such client accounts. In such event, the position of the Fund and such client accounts in the same issuer may vary and the holding period may likewise vary. However, to the extent any of these client accounts seek to acquire the same security as the Fund at the same time, the Fund may not be able to acquire as large a position in such security as it desires, or it may have to pay a higher price or obtain a lower yield for such security. Similarly, the Fund may not be able to obtain as high a price for, or as large an execution of, an order to sell any particular security at the same time as the Advisor’s or a Sub-Advisor’s other client accounts.

 

The Fund does not effect securities transactions through brokers in accordance with any formula, nor do they effect securities transactions through brokers for selling shares of the Fund. However, broker-dealers who execute brokerage transactions may effect purchase of shares of the Fund for their customers. The brokers may also supply the Fund with research, statistical and other services.

 

Holdings of Securities of the Fund’s Regular Brokers or Dealers

 

From time to time, the Fund may acquire and hold securities issued by its “regular brokers or dealers” or the parents of those brokers or dealers. “Regular brokers or dealers” (as such term is defined in the 1940 Act) of the Fund are the ten brokers or dealers that, during the most recent fiscal year, (i) received the greatest dollar amounts of brokerage commissions from the Fund’s portfolio transactions, (ii) engaged as principal in the largest dollar amounts of the portfolio transactions of the Fund, or (iii) sold the largest dollar amounts of the Fund’s shares.

 

PORTFOLIO TURNOVER

 

Although the Fund generally will not invest for short-term trading purposes, portfolio securities may be sold without regard to the length of time they have been held when, in the opinion of the Advisor, investment considerations warrant such action. Portfolio turnover rate is calculated by dividing (1) the lesser of purchases or sales of portfolio securities for the fiscal year by (2) the monthly average of the value of portfolio securities owned during the fiscal year. A 100% turnover rate would occur if all the securities in the Fund’s portfolio, with the exception of securities whose maturities at the time of acquisition were one year or less, were sold and either repurchased or replaced within one year. A high rate of portfolio turnover (100% or more) generally leads to higher transaction costs and may result in a greater number of taxable transactions. To the extent net short-term capital gains are realized, any distributions resulting from such gains will generally be taxed at ordinary income tax rates for federal income tax purposes. The Fund is newly-created and, as a result, does not yet have a portfolio turnover rate.

 

PROXY VOTING POLICY

 

The Board has adopted Proxy Voting Policies and Procedures (“Trust Policies”) on behalf of the Trust, which delegates the responsibility for voting the Fund’s proxies to the Advisor and Sub-Advisor, subject to the Board’s continuing oversight. The Trust Policies require that the Advisor and Sub-Advisor vote proxies received in a manner consistent with the best interests of the Fund. The Trust Policies also require the Advisor and Sub-Advisor to present to the Board, at least annually, the Advisor’s and Sub-Advisor’s Proxy Voting Policies and Procedures (“Proxy Policies”) and a record of each proxy voted by the Advisor or Sub-Advisor on behalf of the Fund, including a report on the resolution of all proxies identified by the Advisor as involving a conflict of interest. See Appendix B for the Advisor’s, Sub-Advisor, and the Trust’s Policies. The Trust Policies and the Advisor Policies are intended to serve as a guideline and to further the economic value of each security held by the Fund. The Trust’s Chief Compliance Officer (“CCO”) will review the Trust Policies and the Advisor Policies annually. Each proxy will be considered individually, taking into account the relevant circumstances at the time of each vote.

 

B-30 

 

If a proxy proposal raises a material conflict between the Advisor’s or a Sub-Advisor’s interests and the Fund’s interests, the Advisor or Sub-Advisor will resolve the conflict by following the Advisor’s or Sub-Advisor’s policy guidelines or the recommendation of an independent third party.

 

The Fund is required to annually file Form N-PX, which lists the Fund’s complete proxy voting record for the 12-month period ending June 30 of each year. Once filed, the Fund’s proxy voting record will be available without charge, upon request, by calling toll-free 1-888-736-1227 (1-888-7361CAP) and on the SEC’s web site at www.sec.gov.

 

ANTI-MONEY LAUNDERING PROGRAM

 

The Trust has established an Anti-Money Laundering Compliance Program (the “Program”) as required by the Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001 (“USA PATRIOT Act”). In order to ensure compliance with this law, the Program provides for the development and implementation of internal practices, procedures and controls, designation of anti-money laundering compliance officers, an ongoing training program and an independent audit function to determine the effectiveness of the Program.

 

Procedures to implement the Program include, but are not limited to, determining that the Distributor and The Fund’s Transfer Agent have established proper anti-money laundering procedures, reporting suspicious and/or fraudulent activity, checking shareholder names against designated government lists, including Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”), and a complete and thorough review of all new opening account applications. The Trust will not transact business with any person or entity whose identity cannot be adequately verified under the provisions of the USA PATRIOT Act.

 

PORTFOLIO HOLDINGS INFORMATION

 

The Trust has adopted policies and procedures regarding disclosure of portfolio holdings information (the “Disclosure Policy”). The Board of Trustees determined that the adoption of the Disclosure Policy, including the disclosure permitted therein, was in the best interests of the Trust. The Disclosure Policy applies to the Fund, Advisor, Sub-Advisor and other internal parties involved in the administration, operation or custody of the Fund, including, but not limited to UMBFS, MFAC, the Board of Trustees, counsel to the Trust Morgan Lewis, counsel to the Independent Trustees, Paul Hastings, and the Fund’s independent registered public accounting firm, [ ] (collectively, the “Service Providers”). Pursuant to the Disclosure Policy, non-public information concerning the Fund’s portfolio holdings may be disclosed to its Service Providers only if such disclosure is consistent with the antifraud provisions of the federal securities laws and the fiduciary duties owed by the Fund and the Advisor to the Fund’s shareholders. The Fund and their Service Providers may not receive compensation or any other consideration (which includes any agreement to maintain assets in the Fund or in other investment companies or accounts managed by the Advisor, Sub-Advisor or any affiliated person of the Advisor or the Sub-Advisor) in connection with the disclosure of portfolio holdings information of the Fund. The Fund’s Disclosure Policy is implemented and overseen by the CCO, subject to the oversight of the Board of Trustees. Periodic reports regarding these procedures will be provided to the Trust’s Board.

 

Portfolio holdings information will be deemed public when it has been (1) posted to the Fund’s public website at www.361funds.com or (2) disclosed in periodic regulatory filings on the SEC’s website (www.sec.gov). Management of the Fund may make publicly available its portfolio holdings as of the most recent calendar quarter on the Fund’s public website no earlier than five days after the date of such information (e.g., information as of January 31 may be made available no earlier than February 5).

 

B-31 

 

Non-Public Portfolio Holdings Information Policy. All portfolio holdings information that has not been disseminated in a manner making it available to investors generally as described above is considered non-public portfolio holdings information for the purposes of the Disclosure Policy. Pursuant to the Disclosure Policy, the Fund or its Service Providers may disclose non-public portfolio holdings information to certain third parties who fall within pre-authorized categories on a daily basis, with no lag time unless otherwise specified below. These third parties include: (i) the Fund’s Service Providers and others who need access to such information in the performance of their contractual or other duties and responsibilities to the Fund (e.g., custodians, accountants, the Advisor, the Sub-Advisor, administrators, attorneys, officers and Trustees) and who are subject to duties of confidentiality imposed by law or contract, (ii) brokers who execute trades for the Fund, (iii) evaluation service providers (as described below) and (iv) shareholders receiving in-kind redemptions (as described below).

 

Evaluation Service Providers. These third parties include mutual fund evaluation services, such as Morningstar, Inc. and Lipper, Inc., if the Fund have a legitimate business purpose for disclosing the information, provided that the third party expressly agrees to maintain the non-public portfolio holdings information in confidence and not to trade portfolio securities based on the non-public portfolio holdings information. Subject to the terms and conditions of any agreement between the Fund or its authorized service providers and the third party, if these conditions for disclosure are satisfied, there shall be no restriction on the frequency with which the Fund’s non-public portfolio holdings information is released, and no lag period shall apply. In addition, persons who owe a duty of trust or confidence to the Fund or their Service Providers (such as legal counsel) may receive non-public portfolio holdings information without entering into a non-disclosure agreement.

 

Shareholder In-Kind Distributions. The Fund may, in certain circumstances, pay redemption proceeds to a shareholder by an in-kind distribution of portfolio securities (instead of cash). In such circumstances, pursuant to the Disclosure Policy, Fund shareholders may receive a complete listing of the portfolio holdings of the Fund up to seven (7) calendar days prior to making the redemption request provided that they represent orally or in writing that they agree to maintain the confidentiality of the portfolio holdings information and not to trade portfolio securities based on the non-public holdings information.

 

Other Entities. Pursuant to the Disclosure Policy, the Fund or the Advisor may disclose non-public portfolio holdings information to a third party who does not fall within the pre-approved categories, and who are not executing broker-dealers; however, prior to the receipt of any non-public portfolio holdings information by such third party, the recipient must have entered into a non-disclosure agreement and the disclosure arrangement must have been approved by the CCO of the Trust. The CCO will report to the Board of Trustees on a quarterly basis regarding any recipients of non-public portfolio holdings information approved pursuant to this paragraph. There are no other ongoing arrangements as of the date of this SAI.

 

The Advisor and Sub-Advisor and their affiliates may provide investment advice to clients other than the Fund that have investment objectives that may be substantially similar to those of the Fund. These clients also may have portfolios consisting of holdings substantially similar to those of the Fund and generally have access to current portfolio holdings information for their accounts. These clients do not owe the Advisor and Sub-Advisor or the relevant Fund a duty of confidentiality with respect to disclosure of their portfolio holdings.

 

Current Arrangements Regarding Disclosure of Portfolio Holdings. As of the date of this SAI, the Trust or the Fund has ongoing business arrangements with the following entities which involve making portfolio holdings information available to such entities as an incidental part of the services they provide to the Trust or to the Fund: (i) the Advisor, the Sub-Advisor, MFAC and UMB (the Co-Administrators) and UMB Bank, N.A. (the Custodian) pursuant to investment management, administration and custody agreements, respectively, under which the Trust’s portfolio holdings information is provided daily on a real-time basis (i.e., with no time lag); (ii) [ ] (independent registered public accounting firm), Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP and Paul Hastings (attorneys) and other professionals engaged by the Trust to whom the Trust provides portfolio holdings information on a regular basis with varying lag times after the date of the information, and (iii) Morningstar, Inc., Lipper Inc., Thomson Financial, Vickers Stock Research Corporation, Electra Information Systems and Bloomberg L.P., to which the Fund’s portfolio holdings information is provided quarterly after the end of the previous fiscal quarter, with a 60-day time lag and no earlier than the date such information is filed on the SEC’s EDGAR system on Form N-Q (for the first and third fiscal quarters) or the Annual or Semi-Annual Report is mailed to shareholders (for the second and fourth fiscal quarters), as applicable.

 

B-32 

 

DETERMINATION OF NET ASSET VALUE

 

The net asset values per share (the “NAVs”) of the Fund’s shares will fluctuate and are determined as of 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time, the normal close of regular trading on the New York Stock Exchange (the “NYSE”) on each day the NYSE is open for trading. The NAVs may be calculated earlier if permitted by the SEC. The NYSE annually announces the days on which it will not be open for trading. The most recent announcement indicates that the NYSE will not be open for 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. However, the NYSE may close on days not included in that announcement.

 

The NAV of a class is computed by dividing (a) the difference between the value of the Fund’s securities, cash and other assets and the amount of the Fund’s expenses and liabilities attributable to the class by (b) the number of shares outstanding in that class (assets – liabilities / # of shares = NAV). Each NAV takes into account all of the expenses and fees of that class of the Fund, including management fees and administration fees, which are accrued daily.

 

Net Assets = NAV
Shares Outstanding

 

Generally, the Fund’s investments are valued at market value or, in the absence of a market value, at fair value as determined in good faith by the Advisor and the Trust’s Valuation Committee pursuant to procedures approved by or under the direction of the Board. Pursuant to those procedures, the Board considers, among other things: 1) the last sale price on the securities exchange, if any, on which a security is primarily traded; 2) the mean between the bid and ask prices; 3) price quotations from an approved pricing service (which use information provided by market makers or estimates of market value based on similar securities), and 4) other factors as necessary to determine a fair value under certain circumstances.

 

The Fund’s securities which are traded on securities exchanges are valued at the last sale price on the exchange on which such securities are traded, as of the close of business on the day the securities are being valued or, lacking any reported sales, at the mean between the last available bid and ask prices.

 

Securities that are traded on more than one exchange are valued on the exchange determined by the Advisor to be the primary market. Securities primarily traded in the National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotation (“NASDAQ”), National Market System for which market quotations are readily available shall be valued using the NASDAQ Official Closing Price (“NOCP”). If the NOCP is not available, such securities shall be valued at the last sale price on the day of valuation, or if there has not been any sale on such day, at the mean between the bid and ask prices. Over-the-counter (“OTC”) securities which are not traded in the NASDAQ National Market System are valued at the most recent trade price.

 

Stocks that are “thinly traded” or events occurring when a foreign market is closed but the NYSE is open (for example, the value of a security held by the Fund has been materially affected by events occurring after the close of the exchange or market on which the security is principally traded) may create a situation where a market quote would not be readily available. When a market quote is not readily available, the security’s value is based on “fair value” as determined by procedures adopted by the Board. The Board will periodically review the reliability of the Fund’s fair value methodology. The Fund may hold portfolio securities, such as those traded on foreign securities exchanges that trade on weekends or other days when the Fund’s shares are not priced. Therefore, the value of the Fund’s shares may change on days when shareholders will not be able to purchase or redeem shares.

 

Short-term debt obligations with remaining maturities in excess of 60 days are valued at current market prices, as discussed above. Short-term securities with 60 days or less remaining to maturity are, unless conditions indicate otherwise, amortized to maturity based on their cost to the Fund if acquired within 60 days of maturity or, if already held by the Fund on the 60th day, based on the value determined on the 61st day.

 

B-33 

 

All other assets of the Fund are valued in such manner as the Board in good faith deems appropriate to reflect as their fair value.

 

PURCHASE AND REDEMPTION OF FUND SHARES

 

Detailed information on the purchase and redemption of shares is included in the Fund’s Prospectus. Shares of the Fund are sold at the next offering price calculated after receipt of an order for purchase. In order to purchase shares of the Fund, you must invest the initial minimum investment for the relevant class of shares. However, the Fund reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to waive the minimum initial investment amount for certain investors, or to waive or reduce the minimum initial investment for 401(k) plans or other tax-deferred retirement plans. You may purchase shares on any day that the NYSE is open for business by placing orders with the Fund.

 

The Fund reserves the right to refuse any purchase requests, particularly those that would not be in the best interests of the Fund or its shareholders and could adversely affect the Fund or its operations. This includes those from any individual or group who, in the Fund’s view, is likely to engage in or has a history of excessive trading (usually defined as more than four round-trip transactions out of the Fund within a calendar year). Furthermore, the Trust may suspend the right to redeem its shares or postpone the date of payment upon redemption for more than seven calendar days (i) for any period during which the NYSE is closed (other than customary weekend or holiday closings) or trading on the NYSE is restricted; (ii) for any period during which an emergency exists affecting the sale of the Fund’s securities or making such sale or the fair determination of the value of the Fund’s net assets not reasonably practicable; or (iii) for such other periods as the SEC may permit for the protection of the Fund’s shareholders. In addition, if shares are purchased using a check and a redemption is requested before the check has cleared, the Fund may postpone payment of the redemption proceeds up to 15 days while the Fund waits for the check to clear.

 

Redemptions In Kind. The Trust has filed an election under SEC Rule 18f-1 committing to pay in cash all redemptions by a shareholder of record up to amounts specified by the rule (the lesser of (i) $250,000 or (ii) 1% of the Fund’s assets). The Fund has reserved the right to pay the redemption price of its shares in excess of the amounts specified by the rule, either totally or partially, by an in-kind distribution of portfolio securities (instead of cash). The securities so distributed would be valued at the same amounts as those assigned to them in calculating the NAV for the Fund shares being redeemed. If a shareholder receives an in-kind distribution, the shareholder could incur brokerage or other charges in converting the securities to cash.

 

The Fund does not intend to hold any significant percentage of their portfolio in illiquid securities, although the Fund, like virtually all mutual funds, may from time to time hold a small percentage of securities that are illiquid. In the unlikely event the Fund were to elect to make an in-kind redemption, the Fund expects that it would follow the normal protocol of making such distribution by way of a pro rata distribution based on its entire portfolio. If the Fund held illiquid securities, such distribution may contain a pro rata portion of such illiquid securities or the Fund may determine, based on a materiality assessment, not to include illiquid securities in the in-kind redemption. The Fund do not anticipate that it would ever selectively distribute a greater than pro rata portion of any illiquid securities to satisfy a redemption request. If such securities are included in the distribution, shareholders may not be able to liquidate such securities and may be required to hold such securities indefinitely. Shareholders’ ability to liquidate such securities distributed in-kind may be restricted by resale limitations or substantial restrictions on transfer imposed by the issuers of the securities or by law. Shareholders may only be able to liquidate such securities distributed in-kind at a substantial discount from their value, and there may be higher brokerage costs associated with any subsequent disposition of these securities by the recipient.

 

FEDERAL INCOME TAX MATTERS

 

The following is a summary of certain material U.S. federal (and, where noted, state and local) income tax considerations affecting the Fund and its shareholders. The discussion is very general. Current and prospective shareholders are therefore urged to consult their own tax advisors with respect to the specific federal, state, local and foreign tax consequences of investing in the Fund. The summary is based on the laws in effect on the date of this SAI and existing judicial and administrative interpretations thereof, all of which are subject to change, possibly with retroactive effect.

 

B-34 

 

The Fund is treated as a separate entity from other series of the Trust for federal income tax purposes. The Fund has elected (or intends to elect) to be, and intends to qualify each year for treatment as, a “regulated investment company” under Subchapter M of the Code by complying with all applicable requirements of the Code, including, among other things, requirements as to the sources of the Fund’s income, diversification of the Fund’s assets and timing of Fund distributions. To so qualify, the Fund must, among other things: (a) derive at least 90% of its gross income in each taxable year from dividends, interest, payments with respect to certain securities loans, and 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 net income derived from interests in “qualified publicly traded partnerships” (i.e., partnerships that are traded on an established securities market or tradable on a secondary market, other than partnerships that derive 90% of their income from interest, dividends, capital gains, and other traditionally permitted mutual fund income); (b) diversify its holdings so that, at the end of each quarter of the Fund’s taxable year, (i) at least 50% of the market value of the Fund’s assets is represented by cash, securities of other regulated investment companies, U.S. government securities and other securities, with such other securities limited, in respect of any one issuer, to an amount not greater than 5% of the Fund’s assets and not greater than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of such issuer and (ii) not more than 25% of the value of its assets is invested in the securities (other than U.S. government securities or securities of other regulated investment companies) of any one issuer, in the securities (other than the securities of other regulated investment companies) of any two or more issuers that the Fund controls and that are determined to be engaged in the same or similar trades or businesses or related trades or businesses, or in the securities of one or more “qualified publicly traded partnerships”; and (c) distribute an amount equal to the sum of at least 90% of its investment company taxable income (computed without regard to the dividends-paid deduction) and 90% of its net tax-exempt income, if any, for the tax year (including, for purposes of satisfying this distribution requirement, certain distributions made by the Fund after the close of its taxable year that are treated as made during such taxable year).

 

As a regulated investment company, the Fund will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax on the portion of its taxable investment income and capital gains that it distributes to its shareholders provided that it satisfies a minimum distribution requirement. In order to also avoid liability for a non-deductible federal excise tax, the Fund must distribute (or be deemed to have distributed) by December 31 of each calendar year at least the sum of (i) 98% of its ordinary income for such year, (ii) 98.2% of the excess of its realized capital gains over its realized capital losses for the 12-month period generally ending on October 31 during such year and (iii) any amounts from the prior calendar year that were not distributed and on which the Fund paid no federal income tax. The Fund will be subject to income tax at regular corporate tax rates on any taxable income or gains that it does not distribute to its shareholders. The Fund's policy is to distribute to its shareholders all investment company taxable income (determined without regard to the deduction for dividends paid) and any net capital gain (the excess of net long-term capital gain over net short-term capital loss) for each fiscal year in a manner that complies with the distribution requirements of the Code, so that the Fund will not be subject to any federal income or excise taxes.

 

If, for any taxable year, the Fund were to fail to qualify as a regulated investment company or were to fail to meet certain minimum distribution requirements under the Code, 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, in the event of a failure to qualify, the Fund’s distributions, to the extent derived from the Fund’s current or accumulated earnings and profits, including any distributions of net capital gain (the excess of net long-term capital gain over net short-term capital loss), 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, if the Fund were to fail to qualify as a regulated investment company in any year, it would be required to pay out its earnings and profits accumulated in that year in order to qualify again as a regulated investment company. Under certain circumstances, the Fund may be able to cure a failure to qualify as a regulated investment company, but in order to do so the Fund might incur significant Fund-level taxes and might be forced to dispose of certain assets. If the Fund failed to qualify as a regulated investment company 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 ten years of qualifying as a regulated investment company in a subsequent year.

 

B-35 

 

Shareholders generally will be subject to federal income taxes on distributions made by the Fund whether paid in cash or additional shares. Distributions of net investment income (including interest, dividend income and net short-term capital gain in excess of any net long-term capital loss, less certain expenses), other than qualified dividend income, will be taxable to shareholders as ordinary income. Distributions of qualified dividend income generally will be taxed to non-corporate shareholders at the federal income tax rates applicable to net capital gain, provided the Fund reports the amount distributed as qualified dividend income.

 

In general, dividends may be reported by the Fund as qualified dividend income if they are attributable to qualified dividend income received by the Fund. Qualified dividend income generally means dividend income received from the Fund’s investments in common and preferred stock of U.S. companies and stock of certain qualified foreign corporations, provided that certain holding period and other requirements are met by both the Fund and its shareholders. If 95% or more of the Fund’s gross income (calculated without taking into account net capital gain derived from sales or other dispositions of stock or securities) consists of qualified dividend income, the Fund may report all distributions of such income as qualified dividend income.

 

A foreign corporation is treated as a qualified foreign corporation for this purpose if it is incorporated in a possession of the United States or it is eligible for the benefits of certain income tax treaties with the United States and meets certain additional requirements. Certain foreign corporations that are not otherwise qualified foreign corporations will be treated as qualified foreign corporations with respect to dividends paid by them if the stock with respect to which the dividends are paid is readily tradable on an established securities market in the United States. Passive foreign investment companies are not qualified foreign corporations for this purpose. Dividends received by the Fund from REITs generally do not qualify for treatment as qualified dividend income.

 

Dividends paid by the Fund may qualify in part for the dividends-received deduction available to corporate shareholders, provided the Fund reports the amount distributed as a qualifying dividend and certain holding period and other requirements under the Code are satisfied. The reported amount, however, cannot exceed the aggregate amount of qualifying dividends received by the Fund for its taxable year. Eligibility for qualified dividend income treatment and the dividends-received deduction may be reduced or eliminated if, among other things, (i) the shareholder 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 or (ii) certain holding period requirements are not satisfied at both the Fund and shareholder levels. In addition, qualified dividend income treatment is not available if a shareholder elects to have the dividend income treated as investment income for purposes of the limitation on deductibility of investment interest.

 

Distributions of net capital gain, if any, that the Fund reports as capital gain dividends will be taxable to non-corporate shareholders as long-term capital gain without regard to how long a shareholder has held shares of the Fund. The Fund may retain certain amounts of capital gains and designate them as undistributed net capital gain in a notice to its shareholders, who (i) will be required to include in income for U.S. federal income tax purposes, as long-term capital gain, their proportionate shares of the undistributed amounts so designated, (ii) will be entitled to credit their proportionate shares of the income tax paid by the Fund on those undistributed amounts against their federal income tax liabilities and to claim refunds to the extent such credits exceed their liabilities and (iii) will be entitled to increase their federal income tax basis in their shares by an amount equal to the excess of the amounts of undistributed net capital gain included in their respective income over their respective income tax credits.

 

Distributions in excess of earnings and profits will, as to each shareholder, be treated as a tax-free return of capital to the extent of the shareholder’s basis in his or her Fund shares. A distribution treated as a return of capital will reduce the shareholder’s basis in his or her shares, which will result in an increase in the amount of gain (or a decrease in the amount of loss) that will be recognized by the shareholder for tax purposes on a later sale of such shares. After the shareholder’s basis is reduced to zero, any distributions in excess of earnings and profits will be treated as a capital gain, assuming the shareholder holds his or her shares as capital assets.

 

B-36 

 

A 3.8% Medicare contribution tax generally applies to all or a portion of the net investment income of a shareholder who is an individual and not a nonresident alien for federal income tax purposes and who has adjusted gross income (subject to certain adjustments) that exceeds a threshold amount ($250,000 if married filing jointly or if considered a “surviving spouse” for federal income tax purposes, $125,000 if married filing separately, and $200,000 in other cases). This 3.8% tax also applies to all or a portion of the undistributed net investment income of certain shareholders that are estates and trusts. For these purposes, interest, dividends and certain capital gains (among other categories of income) are generally taken into account in computing a shareholder’s net investment income.

 

Certain tax-exempt educational institutions will be subject to a 1.4% tax on net investment income. For these purposes, certain dividends and capital gain distributions, and certain gains from the disposition of Fund shares (among other categories of income), are generally taken into account in computing a shareholder’s net investment income.

 

Distributions are generally taxable when received. However, distributions declared in October, November or December to shareholders of record on a date in such a month and paid the following January are taxable for federal income tax purposes as if received on December 31 of the calendar year in which declared. Distributions are includable in alternative minimum taxable income in computing a shareholder's liability for the federal alternative minimum tax. In addition, certain distributions made after the close of a taxable year of the Fund may be “spilled back” and treated for certain purposes as paid by the Fund during such taxable year. In such case, shareholders generally will be treated as having received such dividends in the taxable year in which the distributions were actually made. For purposes of calculating the amount of a regulated investment company’s undistributed income and gain subject to the 4% excise tax described above, such “spilled back” dividends are treated as paid by the regulated investment company when they are actually paid.

 

A redemption of Fund shares may result in recognition of a taxable gain or loss. The gain or loss will generally be treated as a long-term capital gain or loss if the shares are held for more than one year, and as a short-term capital gain or loss if the shares are held for one year or less. Any loss realized upon a redemption or exchange of shares held for six months or less will be treated as a long-term capital loss to the extent of any amounts treated as distributions of long-term capital gains during such six-month period. Any loss realized upon a redemption may be disallowed under certain wash sale rules to the extent shares of the Fund or substantially identical stock or securities are purchased (through reinvestment of distributions or otherwise) within 30 days before or after the redemption.

 

If a shareholder recognizes a loss with respect to the Fund’s shares 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 Internal Revenue Service (the “IRS”) a disclosure statement on IRS Form 8886. Direct shareholders of portfolio securities are in many cases exempted from this reporting requirement, but under current guidance, shareholders of a regulated investment company are not exempted. The fact that a loss is so reportable does not affect the legal determination of whether the taxpayer’s treatment of the loss is proper.

 

The Fund's transactions in options and other similar transactions, such as futures, may be subject to special provisions of the Code that, among other things, affect the character of any income realized by the Fund from such investments, accelerate recognition of income to the Fund, defer Fund losses, affect the holding period of the Fund's securities, affect whether distributions will be eligible for the dividends-received deduction or be treated as qualified dividend income and affect the determination of whether capital gain and loss is characterized as long-term or short-term capital gain or loss. These rules could therefore affect the character, amount and timing of distributions to shareholders. These provisions may also 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), which may cause the Fund to recognize income without receiving cash with which to make distributions in amounts necessary to satisfy the distribution requirements for avoiding U.S. federal income and excise taxes. The Fund will monitor these transactions and will make the appropriate entries in their books and records, and if the Fund deems it advisable, will make appropriate elections if available in order to mitigate the effect of these rules, prevent disqualification of the Fund as regulated investment companies and minimize the imposition of U.S. federal income and excise taxes.

 

B-37 

 

The Fund's transactions in broad based equity index futures contracts, exchange-traded options on such indices and certain other futures contracts are generally considered "Section 1256 contracts" for federal income tax purposes. Any unrealized gains or losses on such Section 1256 contracts are treated as though they were realized at the end of each taxable year. The resulting gain or loss is treated as 60% long-term capital gain or loss and 40% short-term capital gain or loss. Gain or loss recognized on actual sales of Section 1256 contracts is treated in the same manner. As noted above, distributions of net short-term capital gain are taxable to shareholders as ordinary income while distributions of net long-term capital gain are taxable to shareholders as long-term capital gain, regardless of how long the shareholder has held shares of the Fund.

 

The Fund's entry into a short sale transaction, an option or certain other contracts, such as futures, could be treated as the constructive sale of an appreciated financial position, causing the Fund to realize gain, but not loss, on the position.

 

If the Fund invests in certain pay-in-kind securities, zero coupon securities, deferred interest securities or, in general, any other securities with original issue discount (or with market discount if the Fund elects to include market discount in income currently), the Fund must accrue income on such investments for each taxable year, which generally will be prior to the receipt of the corresponding cash payments. However, the Fund must distribute, at least annually, all or substantially all of its investment company taxable income (determined without regard to the deduction for dividends paid), including such accrued income to shareholders to avoid federal income and excise taxes. Therefore, the Fund may have to sell portfolio securities (potentially under disadvantageous circumstances) to generate cash, or may have to undertake leverage by borrowing cash, to satisfy these distribution requirements. Dispositions of portfolio securities may result in additional gains and additional distribution requirements.

 

If the Fund invests in a market discount bond, it will be required to treat any gain recognized on the disposition of such market discount bond as ordinary income (instead of capital gain) to the extent of the accrued market discount, unless the Fund elects to include the market discount in income as it accrues as discussed above. A market discount bond is a security acquired in the secondary market at a price below its redemption value (or its adjusted issue price if it is also an original issue discount bond).

 

The Fund may be subject to withholding and other taxes imposed by foreign countries, including taxes on interest, dividends and capital gains with respect to its investments in those countries, which would, if imposed, reduce the yield on or return from those investments. Tax treaties between certain countries and the United States may reduce or eliminate such taxes in some cases. So long as the Fund qualifies for treatment as a regulated investment company and incurs “qualified foreign taxes,” if more than 50% of its net assets at the close of its taxable year consist of stock or securities of foreign corporations, the Fund may elect to "pass through" to its shareholders the amount of such foreign taxes paid. If this election is made, information with respect to the amount of the foreign income taxes that are allocated to the Fund's shareholders will be provided to them and any shareholder subject to tax on dividends will be required (i) to include in ordinary gross income (in addition to the amount of the taxable dividends actually received) its proportionate share of the foreign taxes paid that are attributable to such dividends; and (ii) either to deduct his/her proportionate share of such foreign taxes in computing his/her taxable income or to claim that amount as a foreign tax credit (subject to applicable limitations) against U.S. income taxes.

 

Shareholders who do not itemize deductions for U.S. federal income tax purposes will not be able to deduct their pro rata portion of qualified foreign taxes paid by the Fund, although such shareholders will be required to include their shares of such taxes in gross income if the Fund makes the election described above. Qualified foreign taxes generally include taxes that would be treated as income taxes under U.S. tax regulations but do not include most other taxes, such as stamp taxes, securities transaction taxes, and similar taxes. No deduction for such taxes will be permitted to individuals in computing their alternative minimum tax liability.

 

If the Fund makes the election to pass through qualified foreign taxes and a shareholder chooses to take a credit for the foreign taxes deemed paid by such shareholder, the amount of the credit that may be claimed in any year may not exceed the same proportion of the U.S. tax against which such credit is taken that the shareholder’s taxable income from foreign sources (but not in excess of the shareholder’s entire taxable income) bears to his entire taxable income. For this purpose, long-term and short-term capital gains the Fund realizes and distributes to shareholders will generally not be treated as income from foreign sources in their hands, nor will distributions of certain foreign currency gains subject to Section 988 of the Code or of any other income realized by the Fund that is deemed, under the Code, to be U.S.-source income in the hands of the Fund. This foreign tax credit limitation may also be applied separately to certain specific categories of foreign-source income and the related foreign taxes. As a result of these rules, which may have different effects depending upon each shareholder’s particular tax situation, certain shareholders may not be able to claim a credit for the full amount of their proportionate share of the foreign taxes paid by the Fund. Shareholders who are not liable for U.S. federal income taxes, including tax-exempt shareholders, will ordinarily not benefit from this election. If the Fund does make the election, it will provide required tax information to shareholders. The Fund generally may deduct any foreign taxes that are not passed through to its shareholders in computing its income available for distribution to shareholders to satisfy applicable tax distribution requirements. Under certain circumstances, if the Fund receives a refund of foreign taxes paid in respect of a prior year, the value of the Fund’s shares could be reduced, or any foreign tax credits or deductions passed through to shareholders in respect of the Fund’s foreign taxes for the current year could be reduced.

 

B-38 

 

Foreign exchange gains or losses realized by the Fund in connection with certain transactions involving foreign currency-denominated debt securities, certain options and futures contracts relating to foreign currency, foreign currency forward contracts, foreign currencies, or payables or receivables denominated in a foreign currency are subject to Section 988 of the Code, which generally causes such gains or losses to be treated as ordinary gain or loss and may affect the amount, timing and character of distributions to shareholders.

 

If a sufficient percentage of the interests in a foreign issuer are held by the Fund, independently or together with certain other U.S. persons, that issuer may be treated as a “controlled foreign corporation” (a “CFC”) with respect to the Fund, in which case the Fund will be required to take into account each year, as ordinary income, its share of certain portions of that issuer’s income, whether or not such amounts are distributed. The Fund may have to dispose of its portfolio securities (potentially resulting in the recognition of taxable gain or loss, and potentially under disadvantageous circumstances) to generate cash, or may have to borrow the cash, to meet its distribution requirements and avoid Fund-level taxes. Under proposed Treasury Regulations, certain income derived by the Fund from a CFC for a taxable year would generally constitute qualifying income only to the extent the CFC makes distributions in respect of that income to the Fund for that taxable year. In addition, some Fund gains on the disposition of interests in such an issuer may be treated as ordinary income. The Fund may limit and/or manage its holdings in issuers that could be treated as CFCs in order to limit its tax liability or maximize its after-tax return from these investments.

 

The Fund is required to withhold (as “backup withholding”) a portion of reportable payments, including dividends, capital gain distributions and the proceeds of redemptions and exchanges or repurchases of Fund shares, paid to shareholders who have not complied with certain IRS regulations. The backup withholding rate is currently 24%. In order to avoid this withholding requirement, shareholders, other than certain exempt entities, must certify on IRS Forms W-9 or on certain other documents, that the Social Security Numbers or other Taxpayer Identification Numbers they provide are their correct numbers and that they are not currently subject to backup withholding, or that they are exempt from backup withholding. The Fund may nevertheless be required to backup withhold if it receives notice from the IRS or a broker that a number provided is incorrect or that backup withholding is applicable as a result of previous underreporting of interest or dividend income.

 

Ordinary dividends and certain other payments made by the Fund to non-U.S. shareholders are generally subject to withholding tax at a 30% rate (or a lower rate as may be determined in accordance with any applicable treaty). In order to obtain a reduced rate of withholding, a non-U.S. shareholder will be required to provide an IRS Form W-8BEN or similar form certifying its entitlement to benefits under a treaty. The withholding tax does not apply to regular dividends paid to a non-U.S. shareholder who provides an IRS Form W-8ECI, certifying that the dividends are effectively connected with the non-U.S. shareholder’s conduct of a trade or business within the United States. Instead, the effectively connected dividends will be subject to regular U.S. income tax as if the non-U.S. shareholder were a U.S. shareholder. A non-U.S. corporation receiving effectively connected dividends may also be subject to additional “branch profits tax” imposed at a rate of 30% (or a lower treaty rate).

 

The 30% withholding tax described in the preceding paragraph generally will not apply to distributions of net capital gain, to redemption proceeds, or to dividends that the Fund reports as (a) interest-related dividends, to the extent such dividends are derived from the Fund’s “qualified net interest income,” or (b) short-term capital gain dividends, to the extent such dividends are derived from the Fund’s “qualified short-term gain.” “Qualified net interest income” is the Fund’s net income derived from U.S.-source interest and original issue discount, subject to certain exceptions and limitations. “Qualified short-term gain” generally means the excess of the net short-term capital gain of the Fund for the taxable year over its net long-term capital loss, if any. In order to qualify for an exemption from withholding, a non-U.S. shareholder will need to comply with applicable certification requirements relating to its non-U.S. status (including, in general, furnishing an IRS Form W-8BEN or other applicable form). Backup withholding will not be applied to payments that are subject to this 30% withholding tax.

 

B-39 

 

Unless certain non-U.S. entities that hold Fund shares comply with IRS requirements that will 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 the Fund’s distributions and, after December 31, 2018, to redemptions and certain capital gain dividends payable to such entities. A non-U.S. shareholder may be exempt from the withholding described in this paragraph under an applicable intergovernmental agreement between the United States and a foreign government, provided that the shareholder and the applicable foreign government comply with the terms of such agreement.

 

This discussion and the related discussion in the Prospectus have been prepared by management of the Fund, and counsel to the Trust has expressed no opinion in respect thereof.

 

Shareholders and prospective shareholders of Fund should consult their own tax advisors concerning the effect of owning shares of the Fund in light of their particular tax situations.

 

DIVIDENDS AND DISTRIBUTIONS

 

The Fund will receive income in the form of dividends and interest earned on its investments in securities. This income, less the expenses incurred in its operations, is the Fund’s net investment income, substantially all of which will be declared as dividends to the Fund’s shareholders.

 

The amount of income dividend payments by the Fund is dependent upon the amount of net investment income received by the Fund from its portfolio holdings, is not guaranteed and is subject to the discretion of the Board. The Fund does not pay “interest” or guarantee any fixed rate of return on an investment in its shares.

 

The Fund also may derive capital gains or losses in connection with sales or other dispositions of its portfolio securities. Any net gain the Fund may realize from transactions involving investments held for less than the period required for long-term capital gain or loss recognition or otherwise producing short-term capital gains and losses (taking into account any available carryover of capital losses), although a distribution from capital gains, will be distributed to shareholders with and as a part of the income dividends paid by the Fund and will be taxable to shareholders as ordinary income for federal income tax purposes. If during any year the Fund realizes a net gain on transactions involving investments held for more than the period required for long-term capital gain or loss recognition or otherwise producing long-term capital gains and losses, the Fund will have a net long-term capital gain. After deduction of the amount of any net short-term capital loss, the balance (to the extent not offset by any capital losses available to be carried over) generally will be distributed and treated as long-term capital gains in the hands of the shareholders regardless of the length of time the Fund’s shares may have been held by the shareholders. For more information concerning applicable capital gains tax rates, see your tax advisor.

 

Any dividend or distribution paid by the Fund reduces the Fund’s NAV on the date paid by the amount of the dividend or distribution per share. Accordingly, a dividend or distribution paid shortly after a purchase of shares by a shareholder will generally be taxable, even if it effectively represents a partial return of the shareholder’s capital.

 

Dividends and other distributions will be made in the form of additional shares of the Fund unless the shareholder has otherwise indicated. Investors have the right to change their elections with respect to the reinvestment of dividends and distributions by notifying the Transfer Agent in writing, but any such change will be effective only as to dividends and other distributions for which the record date is seven or more business days after the Transfer Agent has received the written request.

 

The Fund’s investments in partnerships, if any, including in qualified publicly traded partnerships, may result in that Fund being subject to state, local or foreign income, franchise or withholding tax liabilities.

 

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GENERAL INFORMATION

 

Investment Managers Series Trust is an open-end management investment company organized as a Delaware statutory trust under the laws of the State of Delaware on February 15, 2005. The Trust has a number of outstanding series of shares of beneficial interest, each of which represents interests in a separate portfolio of securities. The Trust’s Declaration of Trust permits the Trustees to create additional series of shares to issue an unlimited number of full and fractional shares of beneficial interest of each series, including the Fund, and to divide or combine the shares of any series into a greater or lesser number of shares without thereby changing the proportionate beneficial interest in the series. The assets belonging to a series are charged with the liabilities in respect of that series and all expenses, costs, charges and reserves attributable to that series only. Therefore, any creditor of any series may look only to the assets belonging to that series to satisfy the creditor’s debt. Any general liabilities, expenses, costs, charges or reserves of the Trust which are not readily identifiable as pertaining to any particular series are allocated and charged by the Trustees to and among the existing series in the sole discretion of the Trustees. Each share of the Fund represents an interest in the Fund proportionately equal to the interest of each other share. Upon the Fund’s liquidation, all shareholders would share pro rata in the net assets of the Fund available for distribution to shareholders.

 

The Trust may offer more than one class of shares of any series. Each share of a series or class represents an equal proportionate interest in that series or class with each other share of that series or class. The Fund currently offers Investor Class, Class I and Class Y shares. The Trust has reserved the right to create and issue additional series or classes. Each share of a series or class represents an equal proportionate interest in that series or class with each other share of that series or class.

 

The shares of each series or class participate equally in the earnings, dividends and assets of the particular series or class. Expenses of the Trust, which are not attributable to a specific series or class, are allocated among all the series in a manner believed by management of the Trust to be fair and equitable. Shares issued do not have pre-emptive or conversion rights. Shares when issued are fully paid and non-assessable, except as set forth below. Shareholders are entitled to one vote for each share held. Shares of each series or class generally vote together, except when required under federal securities laws to vote separately on matters that only affect a particular series or class, such as the approval of distribution plans for a particular class.

 

The Trust is not required to hold annual meetings of shareholders but will hold special meetings of shareholders of a series or class when, in the judgment of the Board, it is necessary or desirable to submit matters for a shareholder vote. Shareholders have, under certain circumstances, the right to communicate with other shareholders in connection with requesting a meeting of shareholders for the purpose of removing one or more Trustees. Shareholders also have, in certain circumstances, the right to remove one or more trustees without a meeting. No material amendment may be made to the Trust’s Declaration of Trust without the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of each portfolio affected by the amendment.

 

The Trust’s Declaration of Trust provides that, at any meeting of shareholders of the Trust or of any series or class, a shareholder servicing agent may vote any shares as to which such shareholder servicing agent is the agent of record for shareholders who are not represented in person or by proxy at the meeting, proportionately in accordance with the votes cast by holders of all shares of that portfolio otherwise represented at the meeting in person or by proxy as to which such shareholder servicing agent is the agent of record. Any shares so voted by a shareholder servicing agent will be deemed represented at the meeting for purposes of quorum requirements. Any series or class may be terminated (i) upon the merger or consolidation with, or the sale or disposition of all or substantially all of its assets to, another entity, if approved by the vote of the holders of two-thirds of its outstanding shares, except that if the Board recommends such merger, consolidation or sale or disposition of assets, the approval by vote of the holders of a majority of the series’ or class’ outstanding shares will be sufficient, or (ii) by the vote of the holders of a majority of its outstanding shares, or (iii) by the Board by written notice to the series’ or class’ shareholders. Unless each series and class is so terminated, the Trust will continue indefinitely.

 

Shareholders may send communications to the Board. Shareholders should send communications intended for the Board by addressing the communications to the Board, in care of the Secretary of the Trust and sending the communication to 2220 E. Route 66, Suite 226, Glendora, California 91740. A shareholder communication must (i) be in writing and be signed by the shareholder, (ii) provide contact information for the shareholder, (iii) identify the Fund to which it relates, and (iv) identify the class and number of shares held by the shareholder. The Secretary of the Trust may, in good faith, determine that a shareholder communication should not be provided to the Board because it does not reasonably relate to the Trust or its operations, management, activities, policies, service providers, Board, officers, shareholders or other matters relating to an investment in the Fund or is otherwise immaterial in nature. Other shareholder communications received by the Fund not directly addressed and sent to the Board will be reviewed and generally responded to by management, and will be forwarded to the Board only at management's discretion based on the matters contained therein.

 

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The Declaration of Trust provides that no Trustee or officer of the Trust shall be subject to any personal liability in connection with the assets or affairs of the Trust or any of its series except for losses in connection with his or her willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of his or her duties. The Trust has also entered into an indemnification agreement with each Trustee which provides that the Trust shall advance expenses and indemnify and hold harmless the Trustee in certain circumstances against any expenses incurred by the Trustee in any proceeding arising out of or in connection with the Trustee's service to the Trust, to the maximum extent permitted by the Delaware Statutory Trust Act, the 1933 Act and the 1940 Act, and which provides for certain procedures in connection with such advancement of expenses and indemnification.

 

The Trust’s Declaration of Trust also provides that the Trust shall maintain appropriate insurance (for example, fidelity bonding and errors and omissions insurance) for the protection of the Trust, its shareholders, trustees, officers, employees and agents covering possible tort and other liabilities.

 

The Declaration of Trust does not require the issuance of stock certificates. If stock certificates are issued, they must be returned by the registered owners prior to the transfer or redemption of shares represented by such certificates.

 

Rule 18f-2 under the 1940 Act provides that as to any investment company which has two or more series outstanding and as to any matter required to be submitted to shareholder vote, such matter is not deemed to have been effectively acted upon unless approved by the holders of a “majority” (as defined in the rule) of the voting securities of each series affected by the matter. Such separate voting requirements do not apply to the election of Trustees or the ratification of the selection of accountants. The Rule contains special provisions for cases in which an advisory contract is approved by one or more, but not all, series. A change in investment policy may go into effect as to one or more series whose holders so approve the change even though the required vote is not obtained as to the holders of other affected series.

 

The Trust, the Advisor and the Sub-Advisor have adopted Codes of Ethics under Rule 17j-1 of the 1940 Act. These codes of ethics permit, subject to certain conditions, personnel of each of those entities to invest in securities that may be purchased or held by the Fund.

 

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 

As the Fund has recently commenced operations, there are no financial statements available at this time. Shareholders of the Fund will be informed of the Fund’s progress through periodic reports when those reports become available. Financial statements certified by the independent registered public accounting firm will be submitted to shareholders at least annually.

 

 

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APPENDIX “A”

DESCRIPTION OF SHORT-TERM RATINGS

 

Description of certain short-term ratings assigned by Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services (“S&P”) and Moody’s Investors Service (“Moody’s”):

 

S&P

 

A-1 - A short-term obligation rated ‘A-1’ is rated in the highest category by S&P. The obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is strong. Within this category, certain obligations are given a plus sign (+) designation. This indicates that the obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitment on these obligations is extremely strong.

 

A-2 - A short-term obligation rated ‘A-2’ is somewhat more susceptible to the adverse effects of changes in circumstances and economic conditions than obligations in higher rating categories. However, the obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is satisfactory.

 

A-3 - Moody’s Prime rating system (short-term)

 

Issuers rated Prime-1 (or supporting institutions) have a superior ability for repayment of senior short-term debt obligations. Prime-1 repayment ability will often be evidenced by (a) leading market positions in well-established industries, (b).high rates of return on funds employed, (c) conservative capitalization structure with moderate reliance on debt and ample asset protection, (d) broad margins in earnings coverage of fixed financial charges and high internal cash generation, and (e) well-established access to a range of financial markets and assured sources of alternate liquidity.

 

Issuers rated Prime-2 (or supporting institutions) have a strong ability for repayment of senior short-term debt obligations. This will normally be evidenced by many of the characteristics cited above but to a lesser degree. Earnings trends and coverage ratios, while sound, may be more subject to variation. Capitalization characteristics, while still appropriate, may be more affected by external conditions. Ample alternate liquidity is maintained.

 

Issuers rated Prime-3 (or supporting institutions) have an acceptable ability for repayment of senior short-term obligations. The effect of industry characteristics and market compositions may be more pronounced. Variability in earnings and profitability may result in changes in the level of debt protection measurements and may require relatively high financial leverage. Adequate alternate liquidity is maintained.

 

 

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APPENDIX “B”

PROXY VOTING POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

 

361 Capital, LLC – Advisor to the Fund

 

PROXY VOTING POLICY AND PROCEDURES

361 Capital LLC ("361"), as a matter of policy and as a fiduciary to our clients, has responsibility for voting proxies for portfolio securities consistent with the best economic interests of the clients. Our firm maintains written policies and procedures as to the handling, research, voting and reporting of proxy voting and makes appropriate disclosures about our firm’s proxy policies and practices. Our policy and practice includes the responsibility to vote client proxies and disclose any potential conflicts of interest as well as making information available to clients about the voting of proxies for their portfolio securities and maintaining relevant and required records. Clients are permitted to place reasonable restrictions on 361’s voting authority in the same manner that they may place such restrictions on the actual selection of account securities, or to instruct 361 to vote a particular proxy in a certain manner. Direction from a client on a particular proxy vote will take precedence over the pre-determined benchmark proxy voting guidelines.

 

With respect to those client accounts for which 361 is not authorized to vote proxies or to give consents in connection with corporate actions, 361 directs such clients to arrange to receive proxy solicitation materials directly from their account custodians.

 

In certain Wrap Programs, 361 may not be delegated the responsibility to vote proxies held by the Wrap Program accounts and, instead, the Sponsor or another service provider will generally vote such proxies. Clients in such Wrap Programs should contact the Sponsor for a copy of the Sponsor’s proxy voting policies.

 

With respect to client accounts subject to ERISA, unless proxy voting responsibility has been expressly reserved and is being exercised by another fiduciary for an ERISA plan, 361 will vote all proxies relating to securities held for the client account and shall make appropriate arrangements with each account custodian to have proxies forwarded, on a timely basis to the appropriate person.

 

Responsibility

The CCO, or other designee, has the responsibility for the implementation and monitoring of our proxy voting policy, practices, disclosures and recordkeeping, including outlining our voting guidelines in our procedures. To assist 361 in its responsibility for voting proxies and the overall proxy voting process, 361 has retained Institutional Shareholder Services (“ISS”), an expert in the proxy voting and corporate governance area. ISS is an unaffiliated, independent company that specializes in providing a variety of proxy-related services to institutional investment managers, plan sponsors, custodians, consultants, and other institutional investors.

 

The services provided by ISS include in-depth research, global issuer analysis, and voting recommendations as well as vote execution, reporting and recordkeeping. In addition to conducting initial due diligence on ISS, 361 will monitor and review such services at least annually; evaluating any conflicts of interest, consistency of voting with the guidelines, fees, disclosures, among other things. All proxies and the status of each vote are available to clients and subject to review by 361 and are subject to quarterly testing for the proper voting of the proxy.

 

To the extent applicable, ISS will process all proxy votes in accordance with the pre-determined benchmark proxy voting guidelines.

 

Voting Guidelines

ISS’ policy formulation process collects feedback from a diverse range of market participants. The ISS Policy Board uses the input to develop its draft policy updates on emerging governance issues each year. The pre-determined benchmark proxy voting guidelines are maintained and implemented by ISS and are extensive lists of common proxy voting issues with recommended voting actions based on the overall goal of achieving maximum shareholder value and protection of shareholder interests. The pre-determined benchmark proxy voting guidelines contain explicit direction about how the proxies are to be voted. For other issues, the decision about how to vote may be decided on a case-by-case basis using criteria contained in the pre-determined benchmark proxy voting guidelines. Because 361’s quantitative investment process does not provide output or analysis that would be functional in analyzing proxy issues, ISS will be performing the analysis of each vote and will vote the issues based on the pre-determined benchmark proxy voting guidelines. Generally, the proxies are voted in accordance with the voting recommendations contained in the pre-determined benchmark proxy voting guidelines. If necessary, 361 Capital will be consulted by ISS on non-routine issues. Proxy issues identified in the pre-determined benchmark proxy voting guidelines include, but are not limited to:

 

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Auditor Ratification - considering factors such as an auditor’s financial interest in or association with company, poor accounting practices that rise to a serious level of concern such as fraud, misapplication of GAAP and other material weaknesses identified in Section 404 disclosures, and excessive fees for non-audit services.
Board of Directors - considering factors such as accountability, director performance evaluation, poison pills, problematic audit related practices, problematic compensation/pay-for-performance misalignment, governance failures, and independence, among other factors.
Shareholder Rights and Defenses - considering factors such as the company’s stated rationale for adopting such a provision, and disclosure of past harm from shareholder lawsuits in which plaintiffs were unsuccessful or shareholder lawsuits outside the jurisdiction of incorporation.
Common Stock/Preferred Stock Authorization - considering factors such as past Board performance (the company’s use of authorized shares during the last three years), disclosures in the proxy statement for the specific purposes of the proposed increase, and the dilutive impact of the request.
Mergers and Acquisitions - considering factors such as valuations, market reaction, strategic rationale, negotiations and process, conflicts of interest, and governance.
Compensation - considering factors such as advisory votes on executive compensation (Management Say on Pay), problematic pay practices, incentives that may motivate excessive risk taking, options backdating, equity based and other incentive plans, among other factors.
Social/Environment Issues - including consumer and product safety, environment and energy, labor standards and human rights, workplace and board diversity, and corporate political issues. Additional factors will be considered such as, whether the issues presented in the proposal are more appropriately or effectively dealt with through legislation or government regulation, if the company has already responded in appropriate and sufficient manner, if proposal’s request is unduly burdensome (scope or timeline) or overly prescriptive, the company’s approach compared with any industry standard practices for addressing the issue raised by the proposal, among other factors.
Political Activities - including lobbying, political contributions and political ties. Factors considered will include the disclosure of a company’s political contributions and trade association spending policies and activities, the company’s policies, management and board oversight to direct political contributions and trade association spending policies, recent significant controversies, fines, and litigation related to the company's political contributions or political activities.

 

A full description of each pre-determined benchmark proxy voting guideline and voting policy is available upon request. Email info@361capital.com to request a copy of the proxy voting guidelines. Proxy statements received from issuers are available on the SEC’s EDGAR website.

 

Disclosure

361 Capital will provide information in its Form ADV Part 2A disclosure document summarizing its proxy voting policy and procedures, including statements that clients may request information regarding how 361 Capital voted a client’s proxies and a copy of these policies and procedures.

 

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On an annual basis the CCO, or designee(s), will send an Annual Offer to all current advisory clients, offering a current copy of the firm’s Form ADV Part 2A disclosure document that shall include the information regarding proxy voting.

 

Client Requests for Information

All client requests for information regarding proxy votes, or policies and procedures, received by any employee should be forwarded to the CCO or designee.

 

In response to any request, the CCO or designee will prepare a written response to the client with the information requested, and as applicable will include the name of the issuer, the proposal voted upon, and how 361 voted the client’s proxy with respect to each proposal about which client inquired.

 

Conflicts of Interest

361 Capital will identify any conflicts that exist between the interests of the adviser and the client by reviewing the relationship of 361 Capital with the issuer of each security to determine if 361 Capital or any of its employees has any financial, business or personal relationship with the issuer.

 

In circumstances when there may be a material conflict of interest between 361 Capital’s interests and clients’ interests in how proxies are voted (such as, when 361 Capital knows that the proxy issuer is also a 361 Capital client), 361 Capital will vote the proxies in accordance with the recommendations of ISS’ pre-determined benchmark proxy voting guidelines. Because the guidelines are pre-determined by ISS and designed to be in the best interest of shareholders, application of the pre-determined guidelines to vote client proxies should, in most cases adequately address any possible conflicts of interest.

 

361 Capital will maintain a record of the voting resolution of any conflict of interest.

 

SEC Form N-PX

SEC Form N-PX is filed by Mutual Fund Administration Corporation (“MFAC”), 361 Capital Funds Co-administrator (acting as Filing Agent), by no later than August 31st of each year, and it details all proxies voted on behalf of the fund(s) for the prior twelve months ended June 30th. In connection with the filing on behalf of 361 Funds, the CCO must sign and return no later than July 30th the Form N-PX Certification to MFAC stating 361 has adopted proxy voting policies and procedures in compliance with the SEC’s Proxy Voting Rule.

 

Recordkeeping

361 Capital, in accordance with SEC recordkeeping rules, shall maintain for a period of at least five years from the end of the fiscal year voted: a record of each proxy statement received regarding client securities, records of votes cast on behalf of clients, records of client requests for proxy voting information, a copy of any written response and all documents prepared by 361 Capital regarding votes cast in contradiction to the pre-determined benchmark proxy voting guidelines, and all proxy voting policies and procedures and any amendments.

 

 

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PROXY POLICIES AND GUIDELINES

 

ANALYTIC INVESTORS, LLC

 

Analytic Investors, LLC. Analytic Investors, LLC ("Analytic Investors") assumes a fiduciary responsibility to vote proxies in the best interest of its clients. In addition, with respect to benefit plans under the Employee Retirement Income Securities Act (ERISA), Analytic Investors acknowledges its responsibility as a fiduciary to vote proxies prudently and solely in the best interest of plan participants and beneficiaries. So that it may fulfill these fiduciary responsibilities to clients, Analytic Investors has adopted and implemented these written policies and procedures reasonably designed to ensure that it votes proxies in the best interest of clients.

 

Proxy oversight. Analytic acknowledges that it has a duty of care to its clients that requires it to monitor corporate events and vote client proxies. The firm's Chief Operating Officer and Chief Compliance Officer monitor policies and procedures governing proxy voting. Analytic has a policy not to be unduly influenced by representatives of management or any public interest or other outside groups when voting proxies. To this end, Analytic has contracted with an independent proxy voting service (the "Proxy Service").

 

Proxy voting service. The role of the Proxy Service includes researching proxy matters, executing the voting process, maintaining a record of all proxies voted on behalf of Analytic Investors, advising Analytic Investors of any material conflicts of interest (see below), and providing Analytic Investors with documentation of the voting record. Analytic Investors has opted to delegate all proxy voting to the Proxy Service except for those instances when a conflict of interest (see below) prevents the Proxy Service from voting according to its guidelines.

 

Conflicts of Interest. Occasions may arise during the voting process in which the best interest of clients might conflict with the Proxy Service's interests. A conflict of interest would generally apply when circumstances where the proxy services internal controls do not provide sufficient separation of duties, including: (i) business relationships where the Proxy Service has a substantial business relationship with, or is actively soliciting business from, a company soliciting proxies, or (ii) personal or family relationships whereby an employee of the Proxy Service has a family member or other personal relationship that is affiliated with a company soliciting proxies, such as a spouse who serves as a director of a public company, or (iii) if a substantial business relationship exists with a proponent or opponent of a particular initiative.

 

At times of such conflict of interest, the Proxy Service will recuse itself from voting a proxy and notify Analytic. Upon notification of the Proxy Service's recusal from voting, Analytic's Chief Compliance Officer or Chief Operating Officer will then vote the proxy, adhering to the original voting policy guidelines provided by the Proxy Service. Analytic will not override the voting guidelines of the Proxy Service. A record of the voting by Analytic will be retained by the Chief Compliance Officer.

 

Voting Guidelines. Analytic has reviewed the Proxy Service's voting recommendations and have determined that the policy provides guidance in the best interest of our clients. The firm's clients may elect to institute client specific voting guidelines. Upon notification of these instructions, Analytic will supply the Proxy Service with the client directed voting guidelines.

 

Proxy voting record. The Proxy Coordinator will ensure the Proxy Service can provide, on demand, a record containing the following information regarding the voting of proxies: (i) the name of the issuer, (ii) the CUSIP number, (iii) the shareholder meeting date, (iv) number of shares voted, (v) a brief description of the matter brought to vote, (vi) whether the proposal was submitted by management or a shareholder, (vii) how the Service voted the proxy (for, against, abstained) and (viii) whether the proxy was voted for or against management.

 

Obtaining a voting proxy report. Clients may request a copy of the guidelines governing proxy voting and/or a report on how their individual securities were voted by calling Analytic Investors' Chief Compliance Officer at 1-800-618-1872 or e-mailing compliance@aninvestor.com. The report will be provided free of charge.

 

Recordkeeping. Pursuant to Rule 204-2 of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, Analytic Investors will maintain the following records for five years in an easily accessible place, the first two years in its office:

 

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Analytic Investors' proxy voting policies and procedures, as well as the voting guidelines of the Proxy Service;

 

Proxy statements received regarding client securities (proxy statements filed via EDGAR will not be separately maintained by Analytic Investors);

 

Records of votes casted on behalf of clients;

 

Records of written client requests for voting information;

 

Records of written responses from Analytic Investors to both written and verbal client requests; and

 

Any other documents prepared that were material to Analytic Investors' decision to vote a proxy or that memorialized the basis for the decision.

 

 

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INVESTMENT MANAGERS SERIES TRUST

PROXY VOTING POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

 

Investment Managers Series Trust (the “Trust”) is registered as an open-end investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (“1940 Act”). The Trust offers multiple series (each a “Fund” and, collectively, the “Funds”). Consistent with its fiduciary duties and pursuant to Rule 30b1-4 under the 1940 Act (the “Proxy Rule”), the Board of Trustees of the Trust (the “Board”) has adopted this proxy voting policy on behalf of the Trust (the “Policy”) to reflect its commitment to ensure that proxies are voted in a manner consistent with the best interests of the Funds’ shareholders.

 

Delegation of Proxy Voting Authority to Fund Advisors

 

The Board believes that the investment advisor of each Fund (each an “Advisor” and, collectively, the “Advisors”), as the entity that selects the individual securities that comprise its Fund’s portfolio, is the most knowledgeable and best-suited to make decisions on how to vote proxies of portfolio companies held by that Fund. The Trust shall therefore defer to, and rely on, the Advisor of each Fund to make decisions on how to cast proxy votes on behalf of such Fund.

 

The Trust hereby designates the Advisor of each Fund as the entity responsible for exercising proxy voting authority with regard to securities held in the Fund’s investment portfolio. Consistent with its duties under this Policy, each Advisor shall monitor and review corporate transactions of corporations in which the Fund has invested, obtain all information sufficient to allow an informed vote on all proxy solicitations, ensure that all proxy votes are cast in a timely fashion, and maintain all records required to be maintained by the Fund under the Proxy Rule and the 1940 Act. Each Advisor shall perform these duties in accordance with the Advisor’s proxy voting policy, a copy of which shall be presented to this Board for its review. Each Advisor shall promptly provide to the Board updates to its proxy voting policy as they are adopted and implemented.

 

Availability of Proxy Voting Policy and Records Available to Fund Shareholders

 

If the Fund or an Advisor has a web site, a copy of the Advisor’s proxy voting policy and this Policy may be posted on such website. A copy of such policies and of each Fund’s proxy voting record shall also be made available, without charge, upon request of any shareholder of the Fund, by calling the applicable Fund’s toll-free telephone number as printed in the Fund’s prospectus. The Trust’s administrator shall reply to any Fund shareholder request within three business days of receipt of the request, by first-class mail or other means designed to ensure equally prompt delivery.

 

Each Advisor shall provide a complete voting record, as required by the Proxy Rule, for each series of the Trust for which it acts as advisor, to the Trust’s co-administrator within 30 days after June 30 of each year. The Trust’s co-administrator, MFAC will file a report based on such record on Form N-PX on an annual basis with the Securities and Exchange Commission no later than August 31st of each year.

 

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PART C: OTHER INFORMATION

 

361 Funds

 

ITEM 28.EXHIBITS

 

(a)        (1) Agreement and Declaration of Trust of Registrant (1)

(2) Certificate of Trust (1)

(3) Amendment to Certificate of Trust (1)

(4) Amendment to Certificate of Trust (2)

(5) Amendment to Certificate of Trust (7)

(6) Amendment to Agreement and Declaration of Trust (2)

(7) Amendment to Agreement and Declaration of Trust (4)

(8) Amendment to Agreement and Declaration of Trust (6)

(9) Amendment to Agreement and Declaration of Trust (17)

(10) Certificate of Designation of the 361 Managed Futures Fund (11)

(11) Certificate of Designation of the 361 Macro Opportunity Fund

(formerly, 361 Multi Strategy Fund) (13)

(12) Certificate of Designation of the 361 Managed Futures Strategy Fund

(formerly, 361 Global Managed Futures Strategy Fund (15)

(13) Certificate of Designation of the 361 Global Long/Short Equity Fund (18)

(14) Certificate of Designation of the 361 Long/Short Credit Fund (24)

(15) Certificate of Designation of the 361 Domestic Long/Short Equity Fund (25)

(16) Certificate of Designation of the 361 U.S. Small Cap Equity Fund (formerly, 361 Small Cap Diversified Equity Fund) (28)

(17) Certificate of Designation of the 361 Global Equity Absolute Return Fund – filed herewith

(b) Amended By-Laws of Registrant (5), (14),(27)

(c) Instruments Defining Rights of Security Holders is incorporated by reference to Registrant’s Agreement and Declaration of Trust and Bylaws.

(d) Investment Advisory Agreement (10)

(1) Form of Amended and Restated Appendix A to Investment Advisory Agreement – to be filed by amendment

(2) Form of Sub-Advisory Agreement – Analytic Investors LLC (22)

(3) Form of Sub-Advisory Agreement – Federated Investment Management Company (22)

(4) Form of Amended and Restated Appendix A to Sub-Advisory Agreement–Analytic Investors LLC (26)

(5) Form of Amended and Restated Appendix B to Sub-Advisory Agreement–Analytic Investors LLC (26)

(e) Distribution Agreement (12)

(1) Amended and Restated Distribution Agreement (23)

(f) Bonus or Profit Sharing Contracts is not applicable.

(g) Custody Agreement (3)

(h) Other Material Contracts

(1) Transfer Agency Agreement (6)

(i) Amended and Restated Transfer Agency Agreement (20)

(2) Fund Accounting Agreement (6)

(i) Amended and Restated Fund Accounting Agreement (16)

(3) Co-Administration Agreement (6)

(i) Amended and Restated Co-Administration Agreement (16)

(ii) Amend Co-Administration Agreement (20)

(4) Operating Expenses Limitation Agreement (10)

(i) Amended and Restated Appendix A to Operating Expense Limitation Agreement – to be filed by amendment

(5) Amended and Restated Shareholder Servicing Plan – to be filed by amendment

(i) Opinion and Consent of Legal Counsel – to be filed by amendment

(j) Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm – to be filed by amendment

(k) Financial Statements of Analytic Global Long/Short Equity Fund, L.P. (21)

(l) Form of Initial Subscription Agreement (29)

(m) Amended and Restated Rule 12b-1 Plan – to be filed by amendment

(n) Form of Multiple Class Plan Pursuant to Rule 18f-3 (“Rule 18f-3 Plan”) (21)

 

 

(1) Amended Rule 18f-3 Plan – to be filed by amendment

(o) Powers of Attorney (19)

(p) Code of Ethics

(1) Code of Ethics of the Trust (3), (8)

(2) Code of Ethics of the Advisor, 361 Capital, LLC (10)

(3) Code of Ethics of Distributor - not applicable

(4) Code of Ethics of Sub-Advisor, Analytic Investors, LLC (21)

(5) Code of Ethics of Sub-Advisor, Federated Investment Management Company (22)

 

 

(1)Previously filed in Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 14 filed with the Commission on March 31, 2006.
(2)Previously filed in Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 29 filed with the Commission on December 5, 2007.
(3)Previously filed in Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 31 filed with the Commission on February 1, 2008.
(4)Previously filed in Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 33 filed with the Commission on March 14, 2008.
(5)Previously filed in Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 34 filed with the Commission on March 31, 2008.
(6)Previously filed in Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 56 filed with the Commission on April 1, 2009.
(7)Previously filed in Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 73 filed with the Commission on December 30, 2009.
(8)Previously filed in Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 96 filed with the Commission on June 29, 2010.
(9)Previously filed in Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 113 filed with the Commission on October 22, 2010.
(10)Previously filed in Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 121 filed with the Commission on December 29, 2010.
(11)Previously filed in Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 180 filed with the Commission on October 5, 2011.
(12)Previously filed in Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 297 filed with the Commission on December 26, 2012.
(13)Previously filed in Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 400 filed with the Commission on September 4, 2013.
(14)Previously filed in Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 411 filed with the Commission on September 25, 2013.
(15)Previously filed in Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 429 filed with the Commission on November 12, 2013.
(16)Previously filed in Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 490 filed with the Commission on March 28, 2014.
(17)Previously filed in Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 494 filed with the Commission on March 28, 2014.
(18)Previously filed in Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 549 filed with the Commission on September 12, 2014.
(19)Previously filed in Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 558 filed with the Commission on September 30, 2014.
(20)Previously filed in Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 571 filed with the Commission on October 24, 2014.
(21)Previously filed in Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 579 filed with the Commission on November 21, 2014.
(22)Previously filed in Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 613 filed with the Commission on February 27, 2015.
(23)Previously filed in Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 647 filed with the Commission on May 28, 2015.
(24)Previously filed in Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 652 filed with the Commission on July 6, 2015.
(25)Previously filed in Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 723 filed with the Commission on January 5, 2016.
(26)Previously filed in Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 747 filed with the Commission on March 24, 2016.
(27)Previously filed in Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 784 filed with the Commission on August 23, 2016.
(28)Previously filed in Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 794 filed with the Commission on September 26, 2016.
(29)Previously filed in Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 818 filed with the Commission on December 15, 2016.

 

ITEM 29.PERSONS CONTROLLED BY OR UNDER COMMON CONTROL WITH THE FUND

 

See the Statement of Additional Information.

 

ITEM 30.INDEMNIFICATION

 

Pursuant to Del. Code Ann. Title 12 Section 3817, a Delaware statutory trust may provide in its governing instrument for the indemnification of its officers and Trustees from and against any and all claims and demands whatsoever.

 

Reference is made to Article 8, Section 8.4 of the Registrant's Agreement and Declaration of Trust, which provides:

 

Subject to the limitations, if applicable, hereinafter set forth in this Section 8.4, the Trust shall indemnify (from the assets of the Series or Series to which the conduct in question relates) each of its Trustees, officers, employees and agents (including Persons who serve at the Trust's request as directors, officers or trustees of another organization in which the Trust has any interest as a shareholder, creditor or otherwise (hereinafter, together with such Person's heirs, executors, administrators or personal representative, referred to as a "Covered Person")) against all liabilities, including but not limited to amounts paid in satisfaction of judgments, in compromise or as fines and penalties, and expenses, including reasonable accountants' and counsel fees, incurred by any Covered Person in connection with the defense or disposition of any action, suit or other proceeding, whether civil or criminal, before any court or administrative or legislative body, in which such Covered Person may be or may have been involved as a party or otherwise or with which such Covered Person may be or may have been threatened, while in office or thereafter, by reason of being or having been such a Trustee or officer, director or trustee, except with respect to any matter as to which it has been determined that such Covered Person (i) did not act in good faith in the reasonable belief that such Covered Person's action was in or not opposed to the best interests of the Trust; (ii) had acted with willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of the duties involved in the conduct of such Covered Person's office (iii) for a criminal proceeding, had reasonable cause to believe that his conduct was unlawful (the conduct described in (i), (ii) and (iii) being referred to hereafter as "Disabling Conduct"). A determination that the Covered Person is entitled to indemnification may be made by (i) a final decision on the merits by a court or other body before whom the proceeding was brought that the Covered Person to be indemnified was not liable by reason of Disabling Conduct, (ii) dismissal of a court action or an administrative proceeding against a Covered Person for insufficiency of evidence of Disabling Conduct, or (iii) a reasonable determination, based upon a review of the facts, that the indemnity was not liable by reason of Disabling Conduct by (a) a vote of a majority of a quorum of Trustees who are neither "interested persons" of the Trust as defined in Section 2(a)(19) of the 1940 Act nor parties to the proceeding (the "Disinterested Trustees"), or (b) an independent legal counsel in a written opinion. Expenses, including accountants' and counsel fees so incurred by any such Covered Person (but excluding amounts paid in satisfaction of judgments, in compromise or as fines or penalties), may be paid from time to time by one or more Series to which the conduct in question related in advance of the final disposition of any such action, suit or proceeding; provided that the Covered Person shall have undertaken to repay the amounts so paid to such Series if it is ultimately determined that indemnification of such expenses is not authorized under this Article 8 and (i) the Covered Person shall have provided security for such undertaking, (ii) the Trust shall be insured against losses arising by reason of any lawful advances, or (iii) a majority of a quorum of the disinterested Trustees, or an independent legal counsel in a written opinion, shall have determined, based on a review of readily available facts (as opposed to a full trial type inquiry), that there is reason to believe that the Covered Person ultimately will be found entitled to indemnification.

 

 

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

 

The Registrant has also entered into Indemnification Agreements with each of its trustees which provide that the Registrant shall advance expenses and indemnify and hold harmless each trustee in certain circumstances against any expenses incurred by a trustee in any proceeding arising out of or in connection with the trustee's service to the Registrant, to the maximum extent permitted by the Delaware Statutory Trust Act, the Securities Act of 1933 and the Investment Company Act of 1940, and which provide for certain procedures in connection with such advancement of expenses and indemnification.

 

Pursuant to the Distribution Agreement between the Trust and IMST Distributors, LLC (the “Distributor”), the Trust has agreed to indemnify, defend and hold the Distributor, and each of its present or former directors, members, officers, employees, representatives and any person who controls or previously controlled the Distributor within the meaning of Section 15 of the 1933 Act (“Distributor Indemnitees”), free and harmless (a) from and against any and all losses, claims, demands, liabilities, damages, charges, payments, costs and expenses (including the costs of investigating or defending any alleged losses, claims, demands, liabilities, damages, charges, payments, costs or expenses and any counsel fees incurred in connection therewith) of any and every nature (“Losses”) which Distributor and/or each of the Distributor Indemnitees may incur under the 1933 Act, the 1934 Act, any other statute (including Blue Sky laws) or any rule or regulation thereunder, or under common law or otherwise, arising out of or based upon any untrue statement, or alleged untrue statement, of a material fact contained in the registration statement or any prospectus, an annual or interim report to shareholders or sales literature, or any amendments or supplements thereto, or arising out of or based upon any omission, or alleged omission, to state therein a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading; provided, however, that the Trust’s obligation to indemnify Distributor and any of the Distributor Indemnitees shall not be deemed to cover any Losses arising out of any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission made therein in reliance upon and in conformity with information relating to the Distributor and furnished to the Trust or its counsel by Distributor in writing for the purpose of, and used in, the preparation thereof; (b) from and against any and all Losses which Distributor and/or each of the Distributor Indemnitees may incur in connection with this Agreement or the Distributor’s performance hereunder, except to the extent the Losses result from the Distributor’s willful misfeasance, bad faith or negligence in the performance of its duties, or by reason of its reckless disregard of its obligations and duties under this Agreement, (c) from and against any and all Losses which Distributor and/or each of the Distributor Indemnitees may incur resulting from the actions or inactions of any prior service provider to the Trust or any Funds in existence prior to, and added to Schedule A after, the date of this Agreement, or (d) from and against any and all Losses which Distributor and/or each of the Distributor Indemnitees may incur when acting in accordance with instructions from the Trust or its representatives; and provided further that to the extent this agreement of indemnity may require indemnity of any Distributor Indemnitee who is also a trustee or officer of the Trust, no such indemnity shall inure to the benefit of such trustee or officer if to do so would be against public policy as expressed in the 1933 Act or the 1940 Act.

 

 

ITEM 31.BUSINESS AND OTHER CONNECTIONS OF THE INVESTMENT ADVISER

 

With respect to the Advisor, the response to this Item will be incorporated by reference to the Advisor’s Uniform Application for Investment Adviser Registration (Form ADV) on file with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). The Advisor’s Form ADV may be obtained, free of charge, at the SEC’s website at www.adviserinfo.sec.gov.

 

ITEM 32.PRINCIPAL UNDERWRITER

 

(a)IMST Distributors, LLC (the “Distributor”) serves as principal underwriter for the following investment companies registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended:

 

1.Investment Managers Series Trust
2.Investment Managers Series Trust II

 

  (b) The following are the Officers and Manager of the Distributor. The Distributor’s main business address is Three Canal Plaza, Suite 100, Portland, Maine 04101.

 

Name Address Position with Underwriter

Position with Registrant

Richard J. Berthy Three Canal Plaza, Suite 100, Portland, Maine 04101 President, Treasurer and Manager None
Mark A. Fairbanks Three Canal Plaza, Suite 100, Portland, Maine 04101 Vice President None
Jennifer K. DiValerio 899 Cassatt Road, 400 Berwyn Park, Suite 110, Berwyn, PA 19312 Vice President None
Susan K. Moscaritolo 899 Cassatt Road, 400 Berwyn Park, Suite 110, Berwyn, PA 19312 Vice President and Chief Compliance Officer None
Jennifer E. Hoopes Three Canal Plaza, Suite 100, Portland, Maine 04101 Secretary None

 

(c)Not applicable.

 

 

ITEM 33.LOCATION OF ACCOUNTS AND RECORDS.

 

The books and records required to be maintained by Section 31(a) of the Investment Company Act of 1940 are maintained at the following locations:

 

Records Relating to: Are located at:
Registrant’s Transfer Agent, Fund Accountant and Co-Administrator

UMB Fund Services, Inc.

235 W. Galena Street
Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53212

Registrant’s Co-Administrator

Mutual Fund Administration, LLC

2220 E. Route 66, Suite 226

Glendora, California 91740

Registrant’s Custodian

UMB Bank, n.a.

928 Grand Boulevard, 5th Floor

Kansas City, Missouri, 64106

Registrant’s Investment Advisor

361 Capital LLC

4600 South Syracuse Street, Suite 500

Denver, Colorado 80237

Registrant’s Investment Sub-Advisers

 

Federated Investment Management Company

Federated Investors Tower

1001 Liberty Avenue

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15222-3779

 

Analytic Investors, LLC

555 West Fifth Street, 50th Floor

Los Angeles, California 90013

Registrant’s Distributor

IMST Distributors, LLC

Three Canal Plaza, Suite 100

Portland, Maine 04101

 

ITEM 34.MANAGEMENT SERVICES

 

Not applicable

 

ITEM 35.UNDERTAKINGS

 

Not applicable

 

 

SIGNATURES

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, and has duly caused this Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, duly authorized, in the City of Milwaukee and State of Wisconsin on the 15th day of October, 2018.

 

  INVESTMENT MANAGERS SERIES TRUST  
       
  By: /s/ Maureen Quill  
    Maureen Quill, President  

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, this Registration Statement has been signed on The 15th day of October, 2018, by the following persons in the capacities set forth below.

 

Signature   Title

 

   

Ashley Toomey Rabun

 

  Trustee
   

William H. Young

 

  Trustee
   

Charles H. Miller

 

  Trustee
     

John P. Zader

 

  Trustee
 

 

Eric M. Banhazl

 

/s/ Maureen Quill

 

Trustee

Maureen Quill

 

/s/ Rita Dam

 

President

 

Rita Dam

  Treasurer

 

By /s/ Rita Dam  

Attorney-in-fact, pursuant to power of attorney previously filed

with Post-Effective Amendment No. 558 on September 30, 2014.

 

 

 

EXHIBIT INDEX

 

Exhibit Exhibit No.
Certificate of Designation of the 361 Global Equity Absolute Return Fund EX99.28(a)(17)