0000898432-09-001491.txt : 20120612 0000898432-09-001491.hdr.sgml : 20120612 20091223171049 ACCESSION NUMBER: 0000898432-09-001491 CONFORMED SUBMISSION TYPE: N-14 PUBLIC DOCUMENT COUNT: 15 FILED AS OF DATE: 20091223 DATE AS OF CHANGE: 20120228 FILER: COMPANY DATA: COMPANY CONFORMED NAME: AMERICAN BEACON FUNDS CENTRAL INDEX KEY: 0000809593 IRS NUMBER: 000000000 STATE OF INCORPORATION: MA FISCAL YEAR END: 1031 FILING VALUES: FORM TYPE: N-14 SEC ACT: 1933 Act SEC FILE NUMBER: 333-163994 FILM NUMBER: 091258819 BUSINESS ADDRESS: STREET 1: 4151 AMON CARTER BOULEVARD STREET 2: MD 2450 CITY: FORT WORTH STATE: TX ZIP: 76155 BUSINESS PHONE: 8173916100 MAIL ADDRESS: STREET 1: 4151 AMON CARTER BOULEVARD STREET 2: MD 2450 CITY: FORT WORTH STATE: TX ZIP: 76155 FORMER COMPANY: FORMER CONFORMED NAME: AMERICAN AADVANTAGE FUNDS DATE OF NAME CHANGE: 19920703 FORMER COMPANY: FORMER CONFORMED NAME: AMERICAN EAGLE FUNDS DATE OF NAME CHANGE: 19890813 CENTRAL INDEX KEY: 0000809593 S000028089 American Beacon Global Real Estate Fund C000085546 Y Class CENTRAL INDEX KEY: 0001388514 S000017316 CNL GLOBAL REAL ESTATE FUND C000051332 INSTITUTIONAL CLASS CENTRAL INDEX KEY: 0000809593 S000028089 American Beacon Global Real Estate Fund C000085547 Investor Class CENTRAL INDEX KEY: 0001388514 S000017316 CNL GLOBAL REAL ESTATE FUND C000047937 CLASS A N-14 1 n14.htm

As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on December 23, 2009

1933 Act Registration File No. 333-_____
 
 

UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM N-14

REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

[ ]     Pre-Effective Amendment No. ___
  [ ]     Post-Effective Amendment No. ___

(Check appropriate box or boxes.)

AMERICAN BEACON FUNDS

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Charter)

4151 Amon Carter Boulevard, MD 2450
Fort Worth, Texas 76155
(Address of Principal Executive Offices) (Zip Code)
Registrant’s Telephone Number, including Area Code: (817) 967-3509

William F. Quinn, President
4151 Amon Carter Boulevard
MD 2450
Fort Worth, Texas 76155

(Name and Address of Agent for Service)

Copy to:

Francine J. Rosenberger, Esq.
K&L Gates LLP

1601 K Street, N.W.

Washington, D.C. 20006

Approximate Date of Proposed Public Offering: As soon as practicable after the Registration Statement becomes effective under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.
 
It is proposed that this filing will become effective on January 22, 2009 pursuant to Rule 488.
 
Title of Securities Being Registered: Investor Class and Y Class shares of American Beacon Global Real Estate Fund, a series of the Registrant 

No filing fee is due because the Registrant is relying on Section 24(f) of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, pursuant to which it has previously registered an indefinite number of securities.

 

CONTENTS OF REGISTRATION STATEMENT

This Registration Statement contains the following papers and documents:

     Cover Sheet

     Contents of Registration Statement

     Letter to Shareholders

     Notice of Special Meeting

     Questions and Answers

     Part A - Proxy Statement and Prospectus

     Part B - Statement of Additional Information

     Part C - Other Information

     Signature Page

     Exhibits

 


THE CNL FUNDS

CNL Global Real Estate Fund

450 South Orange Avenue
Orlando, FL 32801

January __, 2010

To the Shareholders:
 
We are pleased to announce that the CNL Global Real Estate Fund (the “CNL Fund”), the sole series of The CNL Funds (the “CNL Trust”), is proposing to reorganize into the American Beacon Global Real Estate Fund (the “AB Fund”), a newly created series of American Beacon Funds (the “AB Trust”). The AB Fund is designed to be substantially similar from an investment perspective to the CNL Fund.
 
A Special Meeting of Shareholders of the CNL Fund is to be held at 10:00 a.m. Eastern time on Thursday, February 22, 2010, at 450 South Orange Avenue, Orlando, FL 32801, where you will be asked to vote on the proposal to reorganize the CNL Fund into the AB Fund. A Combined Proxy Statement and Prospectus (the “Proxy Statement”) regarding the meeting, a proxy card for your vote at the meeting and a postage-prepaid envelope in which to return your proxy card are enclosed.
 

The reorganization transaction (the “Reorganization”) will shift management oversight responsibility for the CNL Fund from CNL Fund Advisors Company (“CNL Advisors”) to American Beacon Advisors, Inc. (the “Manager”). The Manager is an experienced provider of investment advisory services to institutional and retail investors, with over $14 billion mutual fund and $41 billion overall assets under management. Since 1986, the Manager has offered a variety of services and products, including corporate cash management, separate account management, and mutual funds.

By engaging CB Richard Ellis Global Real Estate Securities, LLC (the “Sub-Adviser”), an indirect subsidiary of CB Richard Ellis Group, Inc., one of the world’s largest publicly held commercial real estate services firms (in terms of 2008 revenues), the Manager will provide continuity of the portfolio management team that has been responsible for the CNL Fund’s performance record since its inception in 2007.The portfolio managers of the Sub-Adviser who are primarily responsible for the day-to-day portfolio management of the CNL Fund will remain the same.

The Reorganization will not result in any increase in the overall gross or net expense ratio nor any increase in the advisory fees payable by the AB Fund as compared to the expenses and advisory fees that are currently paid by the CNL Fund. If the Reorganization is approved by the CNL Fund shareholders, the front-end and contingent deferred sales charges currently applicable to Class A Shares of the CNL Fund will be eliminated. The AB Fund will charge a 2.00% early redemption fee on the proceeds of its shares that are redeemed within 90 days of their purchase; a 1.00% redemption fee generally applies to shares of the CNL Fund redeemed within 75 calendar days of purchase. Your CNL Fund share purchase date(s) will carry over to the AB Fund for purposes of determining whether or not an early redemption fee applies. The AB Fund early redemption fee of 2% will apply, if applicable to your particular situation.

The primary purpose of the Reorganization is to move the CNL Fund to the American Beacon Family of Funds. Reconstituting the CNL Fund as a series of the AB Trust has the potential to expand the distribution capabilities and increase the asset base associated with this investment portfolio.

 

If CNL Fund shareholders approve the Reorganization, it will take effect on or about February 26, 2010. At that time, the CNL Fund Class A and/or Institutional Class Shares you currently own would, in effect, be exchanged on a tax-free basis for, respectively, Investor Class and Y Class shares of the AB Fund with the same aggregate value, as follows:

CNL Global Real Estate Fund

à

American Beacon Global Real Estate Fund

Class A Shares

à

Investor Class shares

Institutional Class Shares

à

Y Class shares



No sales loads, commissions or other transactional fees will be imposed on shareholders in connection with the tax-free exchange of their shares.

The Board of Trustees of the CNL Trust (the “CNL Board”) unanimously recommends that the shareholders vote in favor of the proposed Reorganization.

Detailed information about the proposal is contained in the enclosed materials. Whether or not you plan to attend the meeting in person, we need your vote. Once you have decided how you will vote, please promptly complete, sign, date and return the enclosed proxy card or vote by telephone or internet. If you have any questions regarding the proposal to be voted on, please do not hesitate to call (866) 745-3797.

Your vote is very important to us. Thank you for your response and for your continued investment in the CNL Global Real Estate Fund.
 
Respectfully,


 

    

    

    

 

Andrew A. Hyltin
President

    

    

    

Robert A. Bourne
Chairman of the Board of Trustees


 
 

THE CNL FUNDS

CNL Global Real Estate Fund
 
450 South Orange Avenue
Orlando, FL 32801

NOTICE OF SPECIAL MEETING OF SHAREHOLDERS

TO BE HELD FEBRUARY 22, 2010.

To the Shareholders of the CNL Global Real Estate Fund:

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that a Special Meeting of Shareholders (the “Special Meeting”) of the CNL Global Real Estate Fund (the “CNL Fund”), the sole series of The CNL Funds (the “CNL Trust”), is to be held at 10:00 a.m. Eastern time on Thursday, February 22, 2010, at 450 South Orange Avenue, Orlando, FL 32801.
 

The Special Meeting is being held to consider an Agreement and Plan of Reorganization and Termination (the “Plan”) providing for the transfer of all of the assets of the CNL Fund to the American Beacon Global Real Estate Fund (the “AB Fund”), a newly created series of American Beacon Funds (the “AB Trust”). The transfer effectively would be (a) an exchange of your Class A and Institutional Class Shares for, respectively, Investor Class and Y Class shares of the AB Fund, which would be distributed pro rata by the CNL Fund to the holders of its shares in complete liquidation of the CNL Fund, and (b) the AB Fund’s assumption of all of the liabilities of the CNL Fund, as follows:

CNL Global Real Estate Fund

à

American Beacon Global Real Estate Fund

Class A Shares

à

Investor Class shares

Institutional Class Shares

à

Y Class shares



Those present and the appointed proxies also will transact such other business, if any, as may properly come before the Special Meeting or any adjournments or postponements thereof.

Holders of record of the shares of beneficial interest in the CNL Fund as of the close of business on January 15, 2010 are entitled to vote at the Special Meeting or any adjournments or postponements thereof.
 
If the necessary quorum to transact business or the vote required to approve any proposal is not obtained at the Special Meeting or if quorum is obtained but sufficient votes to approve the Plan are not required, the persons named as proxies on the enclosed proxy card may propose one or more adjournments of the Special Meeting to permit, in accordance with applicable law, further solicitation of proxies with respect to the proposal. Any such adjournment as to a matter will require the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the shares present in person or by proxy at the session of the Special Meeting to be adjourned.
The persons designated as proxies may use their discretionary authority to vote as instructed by management of the CNL Fund on questions of adjournment and on any other proposals raised at the Special Meeting to the extent permitted by the proxy rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), including proposals for which timely notice was not received, as set forth in the SEC’s proxy rules.
 
By order of the Board of Trustees,
 
 

Susan L. Terenzio, Secretary
January __, 2010

 


 

IMPORTANT — We urge you to sign and date the enclosed proxy card and return it in the enclosed addressed envelope, which requires no postage and is intended for your convenience. You also may vote through the internet, by visiting the website address on your proxy card, or by telephone, by using the toll-free number on your proxy card. Your prompt vote may save the CNL Fund the necessity of further solicitations to ensure a quorum at the Special Meeting. If you can attend the Special Meeting and wish to vote your shares in person at that time, you will be able to do so.


 

THE CNL FUNDS

CNL Global Real Estate Fund
 
450 South Orange Avenue
Orlando, FL 32801

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

YOUR VOTE IS VERY IMPORTANT!

Dated: January __, 2009
 

Question: What is this document and why did you send it to me?

Answer: The attached document is a proxy statement for the CNL Global Real Estate Fund (the “CNL Fund”), the sole series of The CNL Funds (the “CNL Trust”), and a prospectus for the Investor Class and Y Class shares of a newly created series of the American Beacon Funds (the “AB Trust”) American Beacon Global Real Estate Fund (the “AB Fund”). The purposes of this Combined Proxy Statement and Prospectus (the “Proxy Statement”) are to (1) solicit votes from shareholders of the CNL Fund to approve the proposed reorganization of the CNL Fund into the AB Fund (the “Reorganization”) as described in the Agreement and Plan of Reorganization and Termination between the CNL Trust and the AB Trust (the “Plan”) and (2) provide information regarding the Investor Class and Y Class shares of the AB Fund.

The Proxy Statement contains information that shareholders of the CNL Fund should know before voting on the Reorganization. The Proxy Statement should be retained for future reference.

Question: What is the purpose of the Reorganization?

Answer: The primary purpose of the Reorganization is to move the CNL Fund to the American Beacon Family of Funds. Reconstituting the CNL Fund as a series of the AB Trust has the potential to (a) expand the CNL Fund’s presence in more distribution and channels, (b) increase its assets base, and (c) lower operating expenses as a percentage of assets. CNL Advisors recommends that the CNL Fund be reorganized as a series of the AB Trust.

Question: How will the Reorganization work?

Answer: In order to reconstitute the CNL Fund as a series of the AB Trust, a substantially similar fund, referred to as the “AB Fund,” has been created as a new series of the AB Trust. If shareholders of the CNL Fund approve the Plan, the CNL Fund will transfer all of its assets to the AB Fund in return for shares of the AB Fund and the AB Fund’s assumption of the CNL Fund’s liabilities. The CNL Fund will then distribute the shares it receives from the AB Fund to shareholders. Existing shareholders of the CNL Fund’s Class A and/or Institutional Class Shares will become shareholders of the AB Fund’s Investor Class and/or Y Class shares, respectively, and immediately after the Reorganization each shareholder will hold the same number of Investor Class and/or Y Class shares of the AB Fund, with the same net asset value per share and total value, as the Class A and/or Institutional Class Shares of the CNL Fund that he

 

or she held immediately prior to the Reorganization. Subsequently, the CNL Fund will be liquidated and the CNL Trust will be dissolved.

Please refer to the Proxy Statement for a detailed explanation of the proposal. If the Plan is approved by shareholders of the CNL Fund at the Special Meeting of Shareholders (the “Special Meeting”), the Reorganization presently is expected to be effective on or about February 26, 2010.

Question: How will this affect me as a shareholder?

Answer: You will become a shareholder of the AB Fund. The shares of the AB Fund that you receive will have a total net asset value equal to the total net asset value of the shares you hold in the CNL Fund as of the closing date of the Reorganization. The Reorganization will not affect the value of your investment at the time of the Reorganization. The Reorganization is expected to be tax-free to the CNL Fund and its shareholders.

The Reorganization will shift management oversight responsibility for the CNL Fund from CNL Fund Advisors Company (“CNL Advisors”) to American Beacon Advisors, Inc. (the “Manager”). By engaging CB Richard Ellis Global Real Estate Securities, LLC (the “Sub-Adviser”), the Manager will provide continuity of the portfolio management team that has been responsible for the CNL Fund’s performance record since its inception in 2007.The portfolio managers of the Sub-Adviser who are primarily responsible for the day-to-day portfolio management of the CNL Fund will remain the same. The investment objective and strategies of the AB Fund will be substantively similar to those of the CNL Fund. The AB Fund’s investment limitations are very similar to those of the CNL Fund; however, the investment limitations have been harmonized by the AB Fund to align with the limitations with those of funds in the AB Fund complex.

The Manager also will provide continuity of the other services currently provided to the CNL Fund. Foreside Fund Services, LLC (“Foreside”) is the distributor and principal underwriter of the CNL Fund’s shares and will continue to serve as such. The Manager will engage Foreside to provide sub-administrative services in connection with the marketing and distribution of shares of the AB Fund. State Street Bank and Trust Company (“State Street”), the custodian and accountant for the CNL Fund, will continue to provide custody and accounting services to the AB Fund. The Manager will provide administration services for the AB Fund; State Street currently provides administration services for the CNL Fund.

The Reorganization will move the assets of the CNL Fund from the CNL Trust, a Delaware statutory trust, to the AB Fund, a series of the AB Trust, a Massachusetts business trust. As a result of the Reorganization, the AB Fund will operate under the supervision of a different Board of Trustees and the CNL Trust will be terminated. Foreside will terminate its agreement with CNL Securities Corp., presently serving Foreside as a National Sales and Marketing Agent.

Question: Who will manage the AB Fund?

     Answer: The Manager will be responsible for overseeing the management of the AB Fund, and the portfolio managers of the Sub-Adviser who are primarily responsible for the day-to-day portfolio management of the CNL Fund will continue to manage the portfolio of the AB Fund.
 
     The Manager is an experienced provider of investment advisory services to institutional and retail investors, with over $14 billion mutual fund and $41 billion overall assets under management. Since 1986, the Manager has offered a variety of services and products, including corporate cash management, separate account management, and mutual funds. The Manager serves retail clients as well


 

2

as defined benefit plans, defined contribution plans, foundations, endowments, corporations, and other institutional investors. There currently are 17 series of the AB Trust, substantially all of which are low-cost, no-load mutual funds open to institutional investors, retirement accounts such as IRAs, and individual investors. The American Beacon Family of Funds advised by the Manager currently includes international and domestic equity portfolios spanning a variety of longer-range investment strategies through balanced portfolios, as well as short-term investment options such as bond funds and money market funds. 
  
          The Sub-Adviser is a subsidiary of CB Richard Ellis Group, Inc., one of the world’s largest publicly held commercial real estate services firms (in terms of 2008 revenues). The Sub-Adviser is focused on managing exchange-listed global real estate securities portfolios on behalf of investors, and has dedicated real estate securities investment management offices located in Baltimore, London, Sydney, and Tokyo. The Sub-Adviser’s principals have an average of fourteen years of investment experience related to the investment management of listed domestic and global real estate securities portfolios. The Sub-Adviser was formed in 2004 and had approximately $2.04 billion of assets under management as of November 30, 2009.

Question: How will the Reorganization affect the fees and expenses I pay as a shareholder of the CNL Fund?

Answer: The Reorganization will not result in any increase in the overall gross or net expense ratios, nor in any increase in the advisory fees payable by the AB Fund over those expense ratios and advisory fees currently incurred by the CNL Fund. The AB Fund will charge a 2.00% fee on the proceeds of its shares that are redeemed within 90 days of their purchase compared to a 1.00% redemption fee on the shares of the CNL Fund redeemed within 75 calendar days of purchase. The front-end and contingent deferred sales charges currently applicable to Class A Shares of the CNL Fund will be eliminated, as Investor Class shares of the AB Fund will be offered on a no-load basis. The operating expenses of the Institutional Class Shares of the CNL Fund based on its assets as of June 30, 2009 are 4.27% of its average daily net assets before the cap on expenses. The projected total annual operating expenses for the Investor Class and Y Class shares of the AB Fund, based on the same asset levels, are 1.77%, and 1.49%, respectively, of the AB Fund’s average daily net assets. The Manager has contractually agreed to cap Fund expenses through February 28, 2011, to the extent that total annual fund operating expenses of the Investor Class and Y Class shares exceed the annual rate of 1.80% and 1.55% excluding taxes, interest, portfolio transaction expenses and other extraordinary expenses.

Question: Will the Reorganization result in any taxes?

Answer: We expect that neither the CNL Fund nor its shareholders will recognize any gain or loss for federal income tax purposes as a direct result of the Reorganization, and we expect to receive a tax opinion confirming this position. Shareholders should consult their tax adviser about other state and local tax consequences of the Reorganization, if any, because the information about tax consequences in this document relates to the federal income tax consequences of the Reorganization only.

Question: Will I be charged a sales charge or contingent deferred sales charge (CDSC) as a result of the Reorganization?

     Answer: No sales loads, commissions or other transactional fees will be imposed on shareholders in connection with the Reorganization.
 

Question: Why do I need to vote?

Answer: Your vote is needed to ensure that a quorum and sufficient votes are present at the Special Meeting so that the proposal can be acted upon. Your immediate response on the enclosed Proxy

3

Card will help prevent the need for any further solicitations for a shareholder vote, which will result in additional expenses. Your vote is very important to us regardless of the number of shares you own.
 

Question: How does the CNL Trust’s Board of Trustees (the “CNL Board”) recommend that I vote?

Answer: After careful consideration and upon recommendation of CNL Advisors, the CNL Board unanimously recommends that shareholders vote “FOR” the Plan.

Question: Who is paying for expenses related to the Special Meeting and the Reorganization?

Answer: CNL Advisors and the Manager will pay all costs relating to the Reorganization, including the costs relating to the Special Meeting and the Proxy Statement. The CNL Fund will not incur any expenses in connection with the Reorganization.

Question: What will happen if the Plan is not approved by shareholders?

Answer: If shareholders of the CNL Fund do not approve the Plan, the CNL Fund will not be reorganized into the AB Fund. The CNL Board will meet to consider other alternatives, such as liquidation of the CNL Fund.

Question: How do I vote my shares?

Answer: You can vote your shares by mail, telephone or internet by following the instructions on the enclosed proxy card.

Question: Who do I call if I have questions?

Answer: If you have any questions about the proposal or the proxy card, please do not hesitate to call CNL Advisors at (866) 745-3797.

4

COMBINED PROXY STATEMENT AND PROSPECTUS

January __, 2009

FOR THE REORGANIZATION OF

CNL Global Real Estate Fund,

the sole series of The CNL Funds

450 South Orange Avenue
Orlando, FL 32801

(866) 745-3797

INTO

American Beacon Global Real Estate Fund,

a series of American Beacon Funds

4151 Amon Carter Boulevard, MD 2450
Fort Worth, Texas 76155
(817) 967-3509

_________________________________________

This Combined Proxy Statement and Prospectus (the “Proxy Statement”) is being sent to you in connection with the solicitation of proxies by the Board of Trustees (the “CNL Board”) of The CNL Funds (the “CNL Trust”) for use at a Special Meeting of Shareholders (the “Special Meeting”) of the CNL Global Real Estate Fund, the sole series of the CNL Trust (the “CNL Fund”), managed by CNL Fund Advisors Company (“CNL Advisors”), at the principal executive offices of the CNL Trust located at 450 South Orange Avenue Orlando, FL 32801, Thursday, February 22, 2010, at 10:00 a.m. Eastern time. At the Special Meeting, shareholders of the CNL Fund will be asked:

1.     To approve an Agreement and Plan of Reorganization and Termination (the “Plan”) providing for the transfer of all of the assets of the CNL Fund to the American Beacon Global Real Estate Fund (the “AB Fund”), a newly created series of American Beacon Funds (the “AB Trust”), in exchange for:

     (a) 
Investor Class and Y Class shares of the AB Fund equal in number and value to the CNL Fund’s Class A and Institutional Class Shares, respectively, which will be distributed pro rata by the CNL Fund to the holders of its shares in complete liquidation of the CNL Fund as follows:

CNL Global Real Estate Fund

à

American Beacon Global Real Estate Fund

Class A Shares

à

Investor Class shares

Institutional Class Shares

à

Y Class shares



     (b) the AB Fund’s assumption of all of the liabilities of the CNL Fund (collectively, the “Reorganization”); and

 
 

2.     To transact any other business as may properly come before the Special Meeting or any adjournments thereof.

This Proxy Statement sets forth the basic information you should know before voting on the proposal. You should read it and keep it for future reference. Additional information relating to the AB Fund and the Proxy Statement is set forth in the AB Fund’s Statement of Additional Information dated January __, 2009, which also is incorporated by this reference into the Proxy Statement. The Statement of Additional Information is included as Part B to the Proxy Statement. Additional information about the AB Fund has been filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) and is available upon request and without charge by writing to the AB Fund or by calling (___) ___-_____. The CNL Fund expects that the Proxy Statement will be mailed to shareholders on or about January __, 2009.

The CNL Fund is the sole series of the CNL Trust, an open-end management investment company registered with the SEC and organized as a Delaware statutory trust. The AB Fund is a newly created series of the AB Trust, an open-end management investment company registered with the SEC and organized as a Massachusetts business trust.

The following documents have been filed with the SEC and are incorporated by this reference into this Proxy Statement, which means that these documents are considered legally to be part of the Proxy Statement:

?     Prospectus and Statement of Additional Information of the CNL Fund, each dated April 30, 2009; and

?     Semi-Annual Report to Shareholders of the CNL Fund, dated June 30, 2009 and Annual Report to Shareholders of the CNL Fund, dated December 31, 2008.

The CNL Fund’s Prospectus dated April 30, 2009 and Annual Report to Shareholders for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2008, containing audited financial statements, have been previously mailed to shareholders. Copies of these documents are available upon request and without charge by writing to the CNL Trust, through the internet at www.thecnlfunds.com, or by calling (866) 745-3797.

Because the AB Fund has not yet commenced operations as of the date of this Proxy Statement, no annual or semi-annual report is available for the AB Fund at this time.

  THE SEC HAS NOT APPROVED OR DISAPPROVED THESE SECURITIES NOR HAS IT PASSED ON THE ACCURACY OR ADEQUACY OF THIS PROXY STATEMENT. ANY REPRESENTATION TO THE CONTRARY IS A CRIMINAL OFFENSE.
  

The shares offered by this Proxy Statement are not deposits or obligations of any bank, and are not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. An investment in the AB Fund involves investment risk, including the possible loss of principal.
  



 
 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

I.

PROPOSAL – TO APPROVE THE AGREEMENT AND PLAN OF REORGANIZATION AND TERMINATION

1

 

A.

OVERVIEW

1

 

B.

REASONS FOR THE REORGANIZATION

1

 

C.

CNL BOARD CONSIDERATIONS

2

 

D.

COMPARISON OF PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT OBJECTIVES, STRATEGIES AND POLICIES OF THE FUNDS

4

 

E.

COMPARISON OF PRINCIPAL RISKS

11

 

F.

COMPARISON OF THE FUNDS’ INVESTMENT RESTRICTIONS AND LIMITATIONS

11

 

G.

COMPARISON OF FEES AND EXPENSES

19

 

H.

PERFORMANCE INFORMATION

22

 

I.

COMPARISON OF DISTRIBUTION AND PURCHASE AND REDEMPTION PROCEDURES

24

 

J.

KEY INFORMATION ABOUT THE PROPOSAL

25

   

1.

SUMMARY OF THE PROPOSED REORGANIZATION

25

   

2.

DESCRIPTION OF THE AB FUND’S SHARES

26

   

3.

FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSEQUENCES

26

   

4.

COMPARISON OF FORMS OF ORGANIZATION AND SHAREHOLDER RIGHTS

25

   

5.

CAPITALIZATION

29

 

K.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE AB FUND

29

   

1.

INVESTMENT ADVISER

29

   

2.

OTHER SERVICE PROVIDERS

30

   

3.

TAX CONSIDERATIONS

30

   

4.

PAYMENTS TO BROKER-DEALERS AND OTHER FINANCIAL INTERMEDIARIES

31

II.

VOTING INFORMATION

31

 

A.

RECORD DATE, VOTING RIGHTS AND VOTE REQUIRED

31

 

B.

HOW TO VOTE

31

 

C.

PROXIES

32

 

D.

QUORUM AND ADJOURMENTS

32

 

E.

EFFECT OF ABSTENTIONS AND BROKER “NON-VOTES”

32

 

F.

SOLICITATION OF PROXIES

33

III.

OTHER INFORMATION

33

 

A.

OTHER BUSINESS

33

 

B.

NEXT MEETING OF SHAREHOLDERS

33

 

C.

LEGAL MATTERS

33

 

D.

INFORMATION FILED WITH THE SEC

34

APPENDIX A FORM OF AGREEMENT AND PLAN OF REORGANIZATION AND TERMINATION

A-1

APPENDIX B OWNERSHIP OF SHARES OF THE CNL FUND

B-1

APPENDIX C VALUATION, PURCHASE, REDEMPTION AND TAX INFORMATION FOR THE AB FUND

C-1

APPENDIX D FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS OF THE AB FUND

D-1



 

I.     PROPOSAL – TO APPROVE THE AGREEMENT AND
    PLAN OF REORGANIZATION AND TERMINATION

A.     OVERVIEW

     The CNL Board, including all the Trustees who are not “interested persons,” as that term is defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”), of the CNL Trust, proposes that the CNL Fund reorganize into the AB Fund and that each CNL Fund shareholder become a shareholder of the AB Fund, pursuant to the Plan attached to this Proxy Statement as Appendix A. The CNL Board considered the Reorganization at its regularly scheduled meeting held on November 19, 2009. The CNL Board believes that the Reorganization is in the best interests of the CNL Fund and its shareholders.

     In order to reorganize the CNL Fund into a series of the AB Trust, a substantially similar fund, referred to as the “AB Fund,” has been created as a new series of the AB Trust. If the shareholders of the CNL Fund approve the Plan, the Reorganization will have three primary steps:

     *     First, the CNL Fund will transfer all of its assets to the AB Fund in exchange solely for Investor Class and Y Class shares of the AB Fund and the AB Fund’s assumption of all of the CNL Fund’s liabilities;

     *     Second, each holder of the CNL Fund will receive a pro rata distribution of the AB Fund’s Investor and/or Y Class Shares, as the case may be; and

     *     Third, the CNL Fund will be liquidated and the CNL Trust will be dissolved.

     Approval of the Plan will constitute approval of the transfer of the CNL Fund’s assets, the assumption of its liabilities, the distribution of the AB Fund’s Investor and Y Class shares, and liquidation of the CNL Fund and dissolution of the CNL Trust. The Investor and Y Class shares issued in connection with the Reorganization will have an aggregate net asset value equal to the net value of the assets that the CNL Fund transferred to the AB Fund, less the CNL Fund’s liabilities that the AB Fund assumes. The value of a Fund shareholder’s account with the AB Fund immediately after the Reorganization will be the same as the value of such shareholder’s account with the CNL Fund immediately prior to the Reorganization. No sales charge or fee of any kind will be charged to the CNL Fund’s shareholders in connection with the Reorganization.

     The CNL Trust believes that the Reorganization will constitute a tax-free transaction for federal income tax purposes. The CNL Trust and the AB Trust will receive an opinion from tax counsel to the AB Trust substantially to such tax treatment and effect. Therefore,, shareholders should not recognize any gain or loss on their CNL Fund shares for federal income tax purposes as a direct result of the Reorganization.

B.     REASONS FOR THE REORGANIZATION

The primary purpose of the Reorganization is to move the investment portfolio and shareholders presently associated with CNL Fund to the American Beacon Family of Funds. Reconstituting the CNL Fund as a series of American Beacon has the potential to expand the distribution network and increase the investment portfolio’s assets, as the AB Trust has access to greater resources and distribution channels than does the CNL Trust.

 
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The Reorganization will shift management oversight responsibility for the CNL Fund from CNL Advisors to American Beacon Advisors, Inc. (the “Manager”). By engaging CB Richard Ellis Global Real Estate Securities, LLC (the “Sub-Adviser”), the current sub-adviser to the CNL Fund, the Manager will provide continuity of the portfolio management team that has been responsible for the CNL Fund’s performance record since its inception in 2007.The portfolio managers of the Sub-Adviser who are primarily responsible for the day-to-day portfolio management of the CNL Fund will remain the same. The investment objective and strategies of the AB Fund will be substantively identical to those of the CNL Fund. The AB Fund’s investment limitations are very similar to those of the CNL Fund; however, the AB Fund limitations are in line with current limitations of the other American Beacon Funds. CNL Advisors recommends that the CNL Fund be reorganized as a series of the AB Trust.

     The Manager will provide continuity of the other services currently provided to the CNL Fund. Foreside Fund Services, LLC (“Foreside”) is the distributor and principal underwriter of the CNL Fund’s shares and will continue to serve as the distributor and principal underwriter of the AB Fund’s shares. The Manager will engage Foreside to provide sub-administrative services in connection with the marketing and distribution of shares of the AB Fund. State Street Bank and Trust Company (“State Street”), the custodian and accountant for the CNL Fund, will continue to provide custody and accounting services to the AB Fund. The Manager will provide administration services for the AB Fund; State Street currently provides administration services for the CNL Fund. Foreside will terminate its agreement with CNL Securities Corp., presently serving Foreside as a National Sales and Marketing Agent.
 

The Reorganization will not result in any increase in the overall gross or net expense ratios, nor in any increase in the advisory fees payable by the AB Fund over those expense ratios and advisory fees currently incurred by the CNL Fund. The AB Fund will charge a 2.00% fee on the proceeds of its shares that are redeemed within 90 days of their purchase compared to a 1.00% redemption fee on the shares of the CNL Fund redeemed within 75 calendar days of purchase. The front-end and contingent deferred sales charges currently applicable to Class A Shares of the CNL Fund will be permanently eliminated, as Investor Class shares of the AB Fund will be offered on a no-load basis. Historically, the cost of investing in mutual funds associated with the AB Trust has been below the average of other mutual funds with comparable objectives. This is due to the AB Trust’s large asset base and cost-efficient fund management operations.

C.     CNL BOARD CONSIDERATIONS

     CNL Advisors proposed, and the CNL Board considered, the Reorganization at in-person meetings of the CNL Board held on September 24, 2009 and November 19, 2009. The CNL Board also met in-person on November 4, 2009 with executives and other legal and compliance personnel of the Manager to further discuss the Reorganization. Based upon its evaluation of the relevant information presented to it at these meetings, and in light of its fiduciary duties under federal and state law, the CNL Board, including all trustees who are not “interested persons” of the CNL Trust under the 1940 Act, determined that the Reorganization is in the best interests of the CNL Fund and its shareholders.

     In approving the proposed Reorganization, the CNL Board carefully considered alternative reorganization options with other fund complexes as well as various other alternatives for the CNL Fund that were identified by CNL Advisors, which are described below. The Board noted that the CNL Fund assets have not achieved economies of scale since its inception in late 2007 despite significant sales efforts. The Board noted further that, as a result, the CNL Fund may not be able to achieve economies of scale unless it can be combined with another fund. The CNL Board considered the terms of the Reorganization and determined that the Reorganization would provide shareholders with the options of (i) transferring their investment to a similar fund on a tax-free basis in the Reorganization or (ii) redeeming their investment in the CNL Fund, which may have tax consequences for them. The Board noted that

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liquidating and terminating the CNL Fund would provide shareholders with only one option that may have adverse tax consequences for them. 

     The CNL Board considered the following additional matters, among others, in approving the Reorganization:

     The Terms and Conditions of the Reorganization. The CNL Board considered the terms of the Plan, and, in particular, (1) the requirement that the transfer of the assets of the CNL Fund’s Class A and Institutional Class Shares be in exchange for Investor Class and Y Class shares, respectively, of the AB Fund and (2) the AB Fund’s assumption of all known liabilities of the CNL Fund. The CNL Board also took note of the fact that no sales charges would be imposed in connection with the Reorganization. The CNL Board also noted that the Reorganization would be submitted to the CNL Fund’s shareholders for approval.

     Strong Similarity of Investment Objectives, Policies and Restrictions and Continuity of Sub-Adviser. The CNL Board considered that the investment objective and strategies of the CNL Fund and the AB Fund (each sometimes referred to herein as a “Fund”) are substantively similar. The investment limitations of the CNL Fund have been harmonized and reworded by the AB Fund to be conformed with the current limitations in the AB Fund complex. A strong consideration was that the similarity of investment strategy, together with the continuation of the Sub-Adviser, provided a continuation of portfolio management expertise not otherwise available to mutual fund investors.

     Expenses Relating to Reorganization. The CNL Board noted that the CNL Advisors and the Manager will bear the costs associated with the Reorganization, Special Meeting, and solicitation of proxies, including the expenses associated with preparing and filing the registration statement that includes this Proxy Statement and the cost of copying, printing and mailing proxy materials.

     Relative Expense Ratios and Continuation of Cap on Expenses. The CNL Board reviewed information regarding comparative expense ratios (current and pro forma expense ratios are set forth in the “Comparison of Fees” section below) which indicated that the gross and net total annual operating expense ratios for the AB Fund would be equal to or less than the gross and net total operating expense ratios of the CNL Fund. The Board considered the fact that the Manager would contractually agree to waive through at least April 30, 2011 the advisory fee payable by the AB Fund and/or reimburse expenses of the AB Fund in order that the total annual operating expense ratios of Investor Class and Y Class of the AB Fund would not exceed 1.80% and 1.55%, respectively, which equal the expense caps currently in place for the corresponding share classes of the CNL Fund.

     Economies of Scale. The CNL Board considered the potential of the AB Fund to experience economies of scale as a result of its being a series of the AB Trust because certain fixed costs, such as legal, accounting, shareholder services and trustee expenses, would be spread over a larger fund complex. The CNL Board concluded that the structure would benefit shareholders as the AB Fund grows.

     Distribution and Service Fees. The CNL Board considered the fund distribution capabilities of the Manager and its affiliates and the commitment to distribute the AB Fund. The CNL Board further considered that the distribution and services under Rule 12b-1 of the 1940 Act (“Rule 12b-1”) fees currently applicable to Class A shares of the CNL Fund will not apply to the Investor Class shares of the AB Fund but that the Investor Class will have a 0.375% service fee – if those shares are exchanged for Investor Class shares of the AB Fund in connection with the Reorganization. The CNL Board also considered that a 0.10% service fee will apply to Institutional Class Shares of the CNL Fund if those shares are exchanged for Y Class shares of the AB Fund in connection with the Reorganization.

     The Experience and Expertise of the Investment Adviser and Sub-Adviser. The CNL Board considered the following information regarding the Manager: (i) the Manager is an experienced provider

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of investment advisory services to institutional and retail markets, with over $14 billion mutual fund and $41 billion overall assets under management; (ii) since 1986, the Manager has offered a variety of services and products, including corporate cash management, separate account management, and mutual funds; and (iii) the Manager serves retail clients as well as defined benefit plans, defined contribution plans, foundations, endowments, corporations, and other institutional investors. The CNL Board also considered that there currently are 17 series of the AB Trust, substantially all of which are low-cost, no-load mutual funds open to institutional investors, retirement accounts such as IRAs, and individual investors.

     The CNL Board considered that the Sub-Adviser to the CNL Fund, a subsidiary of CB Richard Ellis Group, Inc., one of the world’s largest publicly held commercial real estate services firms (in terms of 2008 revenues), would continue to provide sub-advisory services to the AB Fund. The CNL Board noted that the Sub-Adviser’s principals have an average of fourteen years of investment experience related to the investment management of listed domestic and global real estate securities portfolios.

     Tax Consequences. The CNL Board considered that the Reorganization is expected to be free from federal income tax consequences.
 
     Other Alternatives. The CNL Board considered several alternatives to the Reorganization that were identified by CNL Advisors. These alternatives included, among others, removing the expense caps or raising the advisory fee of the CNL Fund to enable CNL Advisors to reduce its losses and, ideally, achieve a profit in managing the CNL Fund; migrating the CNL Fund to an umbrella type mutual fund service platform that may lower the Fund’s operating expenses; liquidating the CNL Fund and substituting the Sub-Adviser as the principal adviser of the CNL Fund. After considering the merits and viability of these other alternatives, the CNL Board concluded that these and other possible alternatives were less desirable than the Reorganization because they either resulted in either increased fund expenses, a taxable transaction to shareholders or were otherwise not viable alternatives or did not address the Fund’s lack of economies of scale.
 

     Based on the foregoing and additional information presented at the CNL Board meetings discussed above, the CNL Board determined that the Reorganization is the best alternative for the CNL Fund at this time and is in the best interests of the CNL Fund and its shareholders. The CNL Board approved the Reorganization, subject to approval by shareholders of the CNL Fund and the solicitation of the shareholders of the CNL Fund to vote “FOR” the approval of the Plan, which is attached to this Proxy Statement in Appendix A.

D.     COMPARISON OF PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT OBJECTIVES, STRATEGIES AND POLICIES OF THE FUNDS

The CNL Fund and the AB Fund have identical investment objectives and strategies, which are presented in the table below.

     The AB Fund has been created as a shell series of the AB Trust solely for the purpose of the acquiring the CNL Fund’s assets and continuing its business investment strategy, and will not conduct any investment operations until after the closing of the Reorganization. The Manager has reviewed the CNL Fund’s current portfolio holdings and determined that those holdings are compatible with the AB Fund’s investment objectives and policies. As a result, the Manager believes that, if the Reorganization is approved, all or substantially all of the CNL Fund’s assets will be transferred to and held by the AB Fund.

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CNL Fund

AB Fund

Investment Objective

The Fund seeks to achieve a high total return through a combination of current income and capital appreciation. There are no guarantees this objective will be met.

 

The Fund’s investment objective and principal investment strategies are “non-fundamental,” which means they may be changed with the approval of the Board of Trustees of the Trust and without shareholder approval.

   

Same.

Investment Strategies

Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets (plus borrowings for investment purposes, if any) in equity and equity related securities issued by real estate and real estate-related companies. The Fund considers a company to be a real estate or real estate-related company if at least 50% of its assets, gross income or net profits are attributable to ownership, construction, management or sale of residential, commercial or industrial real estate or whose products or services are related to the real estate industry, such as manufacturers and distributors of building supplies and financial institutions that issue mortgages. Such companies include real estate investment trusts (“REITs”) and real estate operating companies (“REOCs”). A REIT qualified under the U.S. tax code is a real estate company that pools funds for investment primarily in income-producing real estate or in real estate-related loans (such as mortgages) or other interests. A U.S.-qualified REIT is not taxed on income and gains distributed to its shareholders if, among other things, it distributes to its shareholders substantially all of its taxable income (other than net capital gains) for each taxable year. Real estate companies in other countries may have similar features to U.S.-qualified REITs; however the specific characteristics and regulations for REIT-like companies may not be identical to those of U.S.-qualified REITs.

The securities in which the Fund invests will principally include common stock, preferred stock, and convertible debt issued by real estate and real estate-related companies located primarily in North America, Europe, and the Asia Pacific region. It is anticipated that the Fund will

Same except added development to the list of companies that may be considered a “real estate” company.



5

CNL Fund

AB Fund

 

give particular investment consideration to equity securities traded on major exchanges in the following sub-regions: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Continental Europe, Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Australia/New Zealand. The number of sub-regions may be expanded in the future. Under normal market conditions, the Fund will invest significantly (at least 40%, unless market conditions are not deemed favorable by the investment adviser, in which case the Fund would invest at least 30%) in equity securities issued by real estate and real estate-related companies organized or located outside the Unites States or doing a substantial amount of business outside the United States. The Fund will allocate its assets among no less than three different countries. The Fund may invest up to 15% of its total assets in equity securities that are traded on the major stock exchanges located in emerging markets.

The Fund may invest in securities of small-, mid- and large-sized real estate or real estate-related companies. The Fund seeks to limit risk through various controls, such as diversifying the portfolio property types and geographic areas as well as by limiting the size of any one holding. The Fund will limit the maximum holding of the issued capital of any individual company to no more than 10% of the Fund’s assets.

The Fund ’s investment adviser seeks to construct a portfolio with return and risk characteristics similar to the FTSE EPRA/NAREIT Global Real Estate Index Series (the “benchmark”). The benchmark is designed to track the performance of listed real estate companies and REITs worldwide. The investment adviser uses the benchmark as a guide in structuring and designing the Fund’s portfolio, but the Fund is not an index fund.

The Fund typically maintains a portion of its assets in cash or cash equivalents to meet redemption requests, pay Fund expenses or satisfy other liquidity needs. These assets may be invested in overnight or short-term investment vehicles.

 


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CNL Fund

AB Fund

 

According to the stated investment objective and principal investment strategies of the Fund, the Sub-Adviser uses fundamental real estate analysis and quantitative securities analysis to select investments in REITs, REOCs and other real estate and real estate-related companies that the Sub-Adviser believes are attractively valued relative to comparable real estate and real estate-related companies. The Sub-Adviser will seek to identify real estate and real estate-related securities that are deemed to be under-valued relative to other permissible investment opportunities. The Sub-Adviser utilizes its proprietary global allocation model, the Sub-Regional Ranking Matrix, along with its proprietary global valuation model, VISTA, to seek to determine those global sub-regions, countries and companies that the Sub-Adviser believes offer stronger relative risk-adjusted returns over the medium term.

The Sub-Adviser may consider selling or reducing the Fund’s position in a security if, among other things, it believes:

•     the reward/risk ratio of the security is unattractive;

•     the reward/risk ratio of the security is unattractive compared to a candidate company or a more attractively valued existing holding;

•     the long-term investment outlook for the company is unattractive relative to other investment alternatives;

•     or the company’s fundamentals have deteriorated in a material or long-term manner.

In general, a security is sold when the Sub-Adviser believes that its relative risk-return characteristics are not attractive relative to other permissible investments over an 18- to 36-month investment horizon. The Sub-Adviser may sell a security when the investment rationale for owning the stock no longer holds, whether it is due to valuation, strategy, management changes or

 



7

 

CNL Fund

AB Fund

 

conflict issues, capital structure changes, or any other reason which alters the investment case. The Sub-Adviser applies the sell discipline in the context of optional availability of alternative investments and the relativity of risk-return characteristics.

 

Temporary Defensive Strategy

In order to respond to adverse market, economic, political or other conditions, the Fund may assume a temporary defensive position that is inconsistent with its principal investment strategies and invest, without limitation, in cash or prime quality cash equivalents (including commercial paper, certificates of deposit, banker’s acceptances and time deposits). A defensive position, taken at the wrong time, may have an adverse impact on the Fund’s performance. The Fund may be unable to achieve its investment objective during the employment of a temporary defensive measure.

Same.

More About the Investment Strategies of the Funds

Equity Securities.  The Fund may invest in equity securities other than common stocks. Other types of equity securities the Fund may acquire include preferred stocks, securities that are convertible into common stocks and readily marketable securities, such as rights and warrants, which derive their value from common stock.

Same.

 

Foreign Securities and Depositary Receipts. The Fund will invest in foreign securities. The Fund may invest up to 15% of its total assets in securities of real estate or real estate-related companies that are traded on the major stock exchanges in emerging markets. The Fund may invest in sponsored and unsponsored American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”), European Depositary Receipts (“EDRs”) or other similar instruments. ADRs typically are issued by a U.S. bank or trust company, evidence ownership of underlying securities issued by a foreign company, and are designed for use in U.S. securities markets. EDRs are receipts issued by a European financial institution evidencing an arrangement similar to that of ADRs. EDRs, in bearer form, are designed for use in the European securities markets. The Fund invests in depositary receipts in order to obtain exposure to foreign securities markets. For purposes of the Fund’s

 


8

 

CNL Fund

AB Fund

 

investment policies, the Fund’s investment in an ADR will be considered an investment in the underlying securities of the applicable foreign company.

 
 

Foreign Currencies.  In connection with its investments in securities of foreign companies, the Fund may from time to time hold various foreign currencies pending investment in foreign securities or conversion into U.S. dollars. The value of the assets of the Fund as measured in U.S. dollars may therefore be affected favorably or unfavorably by changes in currency exchange rates.

Same.

 

Options and Futures Contracts.  Options and futures contracts are types of derivative instruments. They “derive” their value from an underlying security, index or other financial instrument. The use of options and futures permits the Fund to increase or decrease the level of risk associated with its investments or to change the character of that risk. Options and futures contracts trading is a highly specialized activity that entails greater than ordinary investment risks.

The Fund may write covered call options, buy put options, buy call options and write put options on particular securities or various indices. The Fund also may invest in futures contracts and options on futures contracts. The Fund may make these investments for the purpose of protecting its assets (this is known as “hedging”) or to generate income.

Same.

Investment Adviser

CNL Fund Advisors Company

American Beacon Advisers, Inc.

Investment Sub-Adviser

CB Richard Ellis Global Real Estate Securities, LLC

Same.

Portfolio Managers

Jeremy Anagnos, Steve Carroll, and William Morrill of the Sub-Adviser serve as the Fund’s portfolio managers and share responsibilities for the day-to-day management of the Fund’s investment portfolio. Mr. Anagnos, Mr. Carroll, and Mr. Morrill have 62 years of combined experience with investment management firms specializing in domestic and global real estate securities, and 40 years of combined experience

Same. In addition:

William F. Quinn and Wyatt L. Crumpler will lead the Manager’s portfolio management team that has joint responsibility for the day-to-day management of the Fund. Mr. Quinn and Mr. Crumpler



9

 

CNL Fund

AB Fund

 

serving in the capacity as portfolio managers of listed U.S. domestic and global real estate securities accounts and they are responsible for managing the Sub-Adviser’s Global REIT Team.

Jeremy Anagnos has served as portfolio manager of the Fund since its inception. Together with Mr. Carroll, Mr. Anagnos has served as Co-Chief Investment Officer (“CCIO”) and Managing Director of the Sub-Adviser since 2004. Prior to that, Mr. Anagnos was the head of Real Estate Equities Research at Deutsche Bank in London from 2000-2004. He was an Assistant Portfolio Manager working with Mr. Carroll in Europe and a REIT Analyst in the United States at LaSalle Investment Management (Securities) (“La Salle”) from 1997 through 2000. Mr. Anagnos has a degree in Finance from Boston College and holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation. Mr. Anagnos is primarily responsible for selecting and managing the securities of European companies in the Fund’s portfolio. Mr. Anagnos has 11 years of experience in the field of real estate securities investment management and 6 years as a portfolio manager of listed real estate securities accounts.

Steve Carroll has served as portfolio manager of the Fund since its inception. Together with Mr. Anagnos, he has served as CCIO and Managing Director of the Sub-Adviser since 2004. Prior to that, Mr. Carroll was employed by LaSalle from 1994 through 2004, and served as LaSalle’s Global Portfolio Manager, Regional Portfolio Manager-Europe, and Senior Analyst-U.S. Mr. Carroll is a Certified Public Accountant licensed in the State of California. He graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles with a B.A. degree in Economics and he currently serves as Chairman of the North American Index Committee for the FTSE EPRA/NAREIT Global Developed Real Estate Index. He also is a member of NAREIT (National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts). Mr. Carroll is primarily responsible for selecting and managing the securities of Asia Pacific companies in the Fund’s portfolio. Mr. Carroll has 15 years of experience in the field of real estate securities investment management and 10 years as a

are responsible for developing the Fund’s investment program and recommending sub-advisors to the Fund’s Board. In addition, Mr. Quinn and Mr. Crumpler oversee the sub-advisors, review each sub-advisor’s performance and allocate the Fund’s assets among the sub-advisors and the Manager, as applicable.

Mr. Quinn is Executive Chairman of the Manager and has served on the portfolio management team almost continuously since 1987. Mr. Crumpler joined the Manager in January 2007 as Vice President of Asset Management and a member of the portfolio management team. From January 2004 to January 2007, Mr. Crumpler was Managing Director of Corporate Accounting at American Airlines, Inc. Prior to that time, he was Director of IT Strategy and Finance for American Airlines, Inc.



10

 

CNL Fund

AB Fund

 

portfolio manager of listed real estate securities accounts.

William Morrill has served as portfolio manager of the Fund since its inception. Mr. Morrill has served as Managing Director of the Sub-Adviser and Chairman of the Sub-Adviser’s Global Securities Advisory Committee since late 2006. Between 2004 and 2006, Mr. Morrill served as portfolio manager to Brown Investment Advisory & Trust Company. Prior to joining Brown in 2003, Mr. Morrill was a Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of LaSalle (1995-2003), and was the head of the real estate securities operations of its predecessor company (1985-1995). Mr. Morrill has a B.A. from Johns Hopkins University and a Masters of Business Administration from Harvard Business School. Mr. Morrill is primarily responsible for selecting and managing the securities of North American companies in the Fund’s portfolio. Mr. Morrill has 27 years of experience in the field of real estate investment management and 24 years as a portfolio manager of listed real estate securities accounts.

 


E.     COMPARISON OF PRINCIPAL RISKS

Risk is the chance that you will lose money on your investment or that it will not earn as much as you expect. In general, the greater the risk, the more money your investment can earn for you and the more you can lose. Like other investment companies, the value of each Fund’s shares may be affected by its investment objectives, principal investment strategies and particular risk factors. The principal risks of investing in the Funds are discussed below. However, other factors may also affect each Fund’s net asset value. There is no guarantee that a Fund will achieve its investment objectives or that it will not lose principal value.

The main risks of investing in the Funds are substantially similar, as the investment objectives and strategies of the Funds are identical. In its registration statement, the AB Fund has included additional risk disclosures and revised certain risk disclosures to clarify for shareholders the principal risks of investing in the Funds.

Market Risk

Since the Fund invests most of its assets in stocks, it is subject to stock market risk. Market risk involves the possibility that the value of the Fund’s investments in stocks of a particular country will decline due to drops in that country’s stock market. In general, the value of the Fund will move in the same direction as the international stock markets in which it invests, which will vary from day to day in

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response to the activities of individual companies, as well as general market, regulatory, political and economic conditions of that country.

Risks of Concentrating in the Real Estate Industry

The Fund invests primarily in real estate and real estate-related companies and, therefore, adverse economic, business or political developments affecting real estate could have a major effect on the value of the Fund’s investments. Investing in securities issued by real estate and real estate-related companies may subject the Fund to risks associated with the direct ownership of real estate, such as decreases in real estate values, overbuilding and space over-supply conditions, increased competition among competing real estate property owners and other risks related to local or general economic and business conditions, increases in operating costs and property taxes, changes in zoning laws, acts of terrorism and war, casualty or condemnation losses, possible environmental liabilities, regulatory limitations on rental rates and fluctuations in rental income due to lease terminations or expirations. Changes in interest rates, debt leverage ratios, debt maturity schedules, and the availability of credit to real estate companies may also affect the value of the Fund’s investment in real estate securities. Rising interest rates may drive up mortgage and financing costs and hinder real estate construction activity, which may negatively impact the securities that the Fund owns. Real estate securities are dependent upon specialized management skills at the operating company level, have limited diversification and are, therefore, subject to risks inherent in operating and financing a limited number of properties. Real estate securities are also subject to heavy cash flow dependency and defaults by borrowers, including the issuer of the real estate security. The real estate industry tends to be cyclical. Such cycles may adversely affect the value of the Fund’s portfolio. The Fund will indirectly bear a proportionate share of a REIT’s on-going operating fees and expenses, which may include management, operating and administrative expenses in addition to the expenses of the Fund. In addition, U.S.-qualified REITs are subject to the possibility of failing to (a) qualify for tax-free pass-through of income under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”) and (b) maintain exemption eligibility from the investment company registration requirements.

Small and Medium Capitalization Companies Risk

Investing in the securities of small and medium capitalization companies involves greater risk and the possibility of greater price volatility than investing in larger capitalization and more established companies, since small and medium-sized companies may have limited operating history, product lines, and financial resources, the securities of these companies may lack sufficient market liquidity, and they can be particularly sensitive to expected changes in interest rates, borrowing costs, and earnings.

Foreign Investing Risk

Overseas investing carries potential risks not associated with domestic investments. Such risks include, but are not limited to: (1) currency exchange rate fluctuations, (2) political and financial instability, (3) less liquidity and greater volatility of foreign investments, (4) lack of uniform accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards, (5) less government regulation and supervision of foreign stock exchanges, brokers and listed companies, (6) increased price volatility, (7) the possibility of expropriation or confiscatory taxation, limitations on the removal of cash assets, and difficulty in obtaining or enforcing court judgments, and (8) delays in transaction settlement in some foreign markets.

Emerging Markets Risk  

The Fund may invest in securities of issuers located in countries with emerging economies and/or securities markets. Numerous emerging market countries have experienced serious, and frequently continuing, economic and political problems. Emerging market countries have experienced substantial

12

rates of inflation and, in some cases, related currency devaluations. Stock markets in many emerging market countries generally are relatively small and present risks associated with political or social instability and diplomatic developments, low liquidity, high trading costs, restrictions imposed under emergency conditions, and the limited ability to invest in listed companies and, importantly, withdraw assets from them.

Market Timing Risk

Because the Fund invests in foreign securities, it is particularly subject to the risk of market timing activities. The Fund generally prices foreign securities using their closing prices from the foreign markets in which they trade, typically prior to the Fund’s determination of its net asset value. These prices may be affected by events that occur after the close of a foreign market but before the Fund prices its shares. In such instances, the Fund may fair value foreign securities. However, some investors may engage in frequent short-term trading in the Fund to take advantage of any price differentials that may be reflected in the net asset value of the Fund’s shares. There is no assurance that fair valuation of securities can reduce or eliminate market timing. While the investment adviser monitors trading in Fund shares, there is no guarantee that it can detect all market timing activities.

Recent Market Events

     Recent turbulence in financial markets and reduced liquidity in credit and fixed income markets may negatively affect issuers worldwide which may have an adverse effect on the Fund.

F.     COMPARISON OF THE FUNDS’ INVESTMENT RESTRICTIONS AND
         LIMITATIONS

The investment restrictions and limitations of the Funds are substantively similar, except that the investment limitations of the AB Fund differ from those of the CNL Fund to the extent necessary to harmonize them with the investment limitations of other American Beacon Funds. Unlike the CNL Fund, the AB Fund is expressly permitted to operate as a feeder fund in a master-feeder investment structure.

Except as required by the 1940 Act or the Code, if any percentage restriction on investment or utilization of assets is adhered to at the time an investment is made, a later change in percentage resulting from a change in the market values of the Fund’s assets or purchases and redemptions of Fund shares will not be considered a violation of the limitation.

A fundamental limitation cannot be changed without the affirmative vote of the lesser of: (1) 50% of the outstanding shares of the Fund; or (2) 67% of the shares present or represented at a shareholders meeting at which the holders of more than 50% of the outstanding shares are present or represented. A non-fundamental limitation may be changed by the Board of Trustees without shareholder approval.

All of the investment policies noted in the table below are fundamental limitations, which cannot be changed by the Board of Trustees without affirmative shareholder approval as described above. The AB Fund, however, has sought to harmonize the fundamental investment limitations of the CNL Fund with those of the other funds in the AB Fund complex. Although the wording appears different, the fundamental investment limitations of the CNL Fund and the AB Fund are substantially similar. Notwithstanding any other limitation on investments in other investment companies, however, the AB Fund, unlike the CNL Fund, is expressly permitted to operate as a feeder fund in a master-feeder investment structure. Each investment limitation may be found in the respective Statements of Additional Information (“SAIs”) of the CNL Fund and the AB Fund.

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Fundamental Investment Policies

 

Policy

CNL Fund

AB Fund

Differences

Diversification

The Fund may not, with respect to 75% of its assets, purchase securities of any issuer (other than a U.S. Government Security or security of an investment company) if, as a result: (1) more than 5% of the Fund’s total assets would be invested in the securities of that issuer; or (2) the Fund would own more than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of a that issuer.

The Fund may not invest more than 10% of its total assets (taken at market value) in securities of any one issuer, other than obligations issued by the U.S. Government, its agencies and instrumentalities, or purchase more than 10% of the voting securities of any one issuer, with respect to 75% of the Fund’s total assets.

The Fund may not, with respect to 75 invest more than 5% of its total assets, purchase securities of any issuer (other than a U.S. Government Security or security of an investment company) if, as a result: (1) more than 5% of the Fund’s total assets would be invested in the securities of that issuer; or (2) the Fund would own more than 10% of the outstanding (taken at market value) in securities of any one issuer, other than obligations issued by the U.S. Government, its agencies and instrumentalities, or purchase more than 10% of the voting securities of a thatany one issuer, with respect to 75% of the Fund’s total assets.

Industry Concentration

The Fund may not purchase a security if, as a result, more than 25% of the Fund’s total assets would be invested in securities of issuers conducting their principal business activities in the same industry, except that the Fund will invest at least 25% of the value of its total assets in securities issued by real estate and real estate-related companies (in which the Fund intends to concentrate). For purposes of this limitation, there is no limit on investments in U.S. Government Securities and repurchase agreements collateralized by U.S. Government Securities.

The Fund may not invest more than 25% of its total assets in the securities of companies primarily engaged in any one industry provided that: (i) this limitation does not apply to obligations issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government, its agencies and instrumentalities; (ii) municipalities and their agencies and authorities are not deemed to be industries; and (iii) this limitations does not apply to securities issued by real estate and real estate-related companies (in which the Fund intends to concentrate).

The Fund may not invest more than 25% of its total assets in the securities of companies primarily engaged in any one industry provided that: (i) this limitation does not apply to obligations issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government, its agencies and instrumentalities; and (ii) municipalities and their agencies and authorities are not deemed to be industries; and (iii) this limitations does not apply to securities issued by real estate and real estate-related companies (in which the Fund intends to concentrate).



14

 

Fundamental Investment Policies

 

Policy

CNL Fund

AB Fund

Differences

Senior Securities

The Fund may not issue senior securities except as permitted by the 1940 Act.

The Fund may not issue any senior security except as otherwise permitted (i) under the 1940 Act or (ii) pursuant to a rule, order or interpretation issued by the SEC or its staff.

The Fund may not issue any senior securities security except as otherwise permitted by(i) under the 1940 Act or (ii) pursuant to a rule, order or interpretation issued by the SEC or its staff.

Borrowing

The Fund may not borrow money if, as a result, outstanding borrowings would exceed an amount equal to 331/3% of the Fund’s total assets.

The Fund may not borrow money, except as otherwise permitted under the 1940 Act or pursuant to a rule, order or interpretation issued by the SEC or its staff, including (i) as a temporary measure, (ii) by entering into reverse repurchase agreements, and (iii) by lending portfolio securities as collateral. For purposes of this investment limitation, the purchase or sale of options, futures contracts, options on futures contracts, forward contracts, swaps, caps, floors, collars and other similar financial instruments shall not constitute borrowing.

The Fund may not borrow money except as otherwise permitted under the 1940 Act or pursuant to a rule, order or interpretation issued by the SEC or its staff, including (i) as a temporary measure, (ii) by entering into reverse repurchase agreements, and (iii) by lending portfolio securities as collateral. For purposes of this investment limitation, the purchase or sale of options, futures contracts, options on futures contracts, forward contracts, swaps, caps, floors, collars and other similar financial instruments shall not constitute borrowing.

Underwriting

The Fund may not underwrite securities issued by other persons except, to the extent that in connection with the disposition of portfolio securities, the Fund may be deemed to be an underwriter.

The Fund may not engage in the business of underwriting securities issued by others, except to the extent that, in connection with the disposition of securities, the Fund may be deemed an underwriter under federal securities law.

The Fund may not underwriteengage in the business of underwriting securities issued by other personsothers, except, to the extent that, in connection with the disposition of portfolio securities, the Fund may be deemed to be an underwriter under federal securities law.

Real Estate

The Fund may not purchase or sell real estate, except that the Fund may invest in (i) securities directly or

The Fund may not purchase or sell real estate or real estate limited partnership interests, provided, however,

The Fund may not purchase or sell real estate, except or real estate limited partnership interests,



15

 

Fundamental Investment Policies

 

Policy

CNL Fund

AB Fund

Differences

 

indirectly secured by real estate or interests therein or issued by companies that invest in real estate or interests therein or (ii) securities of issues that deal in real estate or are engaged in the real estate business, including real estate investment trusts. The Fund may hold real estate and sell real estate acquired through default, liquidation, or other distributions of an interest in real estate as a result of the Fund’s ownership of such securities.

that the Fund may invest in REITS, REOCS and securities secured by real estate or interests therein or issued by companies which invest in real estate or interests therein when consistent with the other policies and limitations described in the Fund’s prospectus. The Fund may hold real estate and sell real estate acquired through default, liquidation, or other distributions of an interest in real estate as a result of the Fund’s ownership of such securities.

provided, however, that the Fund may invest in (i)REITS, REOCS and securities directly or indirectly secured by real estate or interests therein or issued by companies that which invest in real estate or interests therein or (ii) securities of issues that deal in real estate or are engaged in the real estate business, including real estate investment trusts. when consistent with the other policies and limitations described in the Fund’s prospectus. The Fund may hold real estate and sell real estate acquired through default, liquidation, or other distributions of an interest in real estate as a result of the Fund’s ownership of such securities.

Commodities

The Fund may not purchase or sell physical commodities unless acquired as a result of ownership of securities or other instruments (but this shall not prevent the Fund from purchasing or selling options and futures contracts or from investing in securities or other instruments backed by physical commodities).

The Fund may not invest in physical commodities unless acquired as a result of ownership of securities or other instruments (but this shall not prevent the Fund from purchasing or selling foreign currency, options, futures contracts, options on futures contracts, forward contracts, swaps, caps, floors, collars, securities on a forward-commitment or delayed-delivery basis, and other similar financial instruments).

The Fund may not purchase or sellinvest in physical commodities unless acquired as a result of ownership of securities or other instruments (but this shall not prevent the Fund from purchasing or selling options and futures contracts or from investing in securities or other instruments backed by physical commoditiesforeign currency, options, futures contracts, options on futures contracts, forward contracts, swaps, caps, floors, collars, securities on a forward-commitment or delayed-



16

 

Fundamental Investment Policies

 

Policy

CNL Fund

AB Fund

Differences

     

delivery basis, and other similar financial instruments).

Loans

The Fund may not make loans to other parties, except as permitted by the 1940 Act. For purposes of this limitation, entering into repurchase agreements, lending securities and acquiring any debt security are not deemed to be the making of loans.

The Fund may not lend any security or make any other loan except (i) as otherwise permitted under the 1940 Act, (ii) pursuant to a rule, order or interpretation issued by the SEC or its staff, (iii) through the purchase of a portion of an issue of debt securities in accordance with the Fund’s investment objective, policies and limitations, or (iv) by engaging in repurchase agreements with respect to portfolio securities.

The Fund may not lend any security or make loans to any other parties,loan except (i) as otherwise permitted by the 1940 Act. For purposes of this limitation, entering into repurchase agreements, lending securities and acquiring any debt security are not deemed to be the making of loans.under the 1940 Act, (ii) pursuant to a rule, order or interpretation issued by the SEC or its staff, (iii) through the purchase of a portion of an issue of debt securities in accordance with the Fund’s investment objective, policies and limitations, or (iv) by engaging in repurchase agreements with respect to portfolio securities.

Other Investment Companies

None.

Notwithstanding any other limitation, the Fund may invest all of its investable assets in an open-end management investment company with substantially the same investment objectives, policies and limitations as the Fund. For this purpose, “all of the Fund’s investable assets” means that the only investment securities that will be held by the Fund will be the Fund’s interest in the investment company.

The CNL Fund has the following non-fundamental policy:

The Fund may not invest in the securities of any investment company except to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act.



17

The CNL Fund has adopted the following investment limitations that may be changed by the Board of Trustees without shareholder approval.

 

Non-Fundamental Investment Policies

 

Policy

CNL Fund

AB Fund

Differences

Margin and Short Sales

The Fund may not sell securities short, unless it owns or has the right to obtain securities equivalent in kind and amount to the securities sold short (short sales “against the box”), and provided that transactions in futures contracts and options are not deemed to constitute selling securities short.

The Fund may not purchase securities on margin, except that the Fund may use short-term credit for the clearance of the Fund’s transactions, and provided that initial and variation margin payments in connection with futures contracts and options on futures contracts shall not constitute purchasing securities on margin.

The Fund may not purchase securities on margin or effect short sales, except that (i) the Fund may obtain such short term credits as may be necessary for the clearance of purchases or sales of securities.

The Fund may not sell securities short, unless it owns or has the right to obtain securities equivalent in kind and amount to the securities sold short (short sales “against the box”), and provided that transactions in futures contracts and options are not deemed to constitute selling securities short.

The Fund may not purchase securities on margin or effect short sales, except that (i) the Fund may useobtain such short -term credit for the clearance of the Fund’s transactions, and provided that initial and variation margin payments in connection with futures contracts and options on futures contracts shall not constitute purchasing securities on margin. term credits as may be necessary for the clearance of purchases or sales of securities.

Restricted Securities, Illiquid Securities and Securities Not Readily Marketable

The Fund may not invest more than 15% of its net assets in illiquid assets such as: (1) securities that cannot be disposed of within seven days at their then-current value; (2) repurchase agreements not entitling the holder to payment of principal within seven days; and (3) securities subject to restrictions on the sale of the

The Fund may not invest more than 15% of its net assets in illiquid securities, including time deposits and repurchase agreements that mature in more than seven days.

The Fund may not invest more than 15% of its net assets in illiquid assets such as: (1) securities that cannot be disposed of within seven days at their then-current value; (2) repurchase agreements not entitling the holder to payment of principal within seven days; and (3) securities subject to restrictions on the sale of



18

 

Non-Fundamental Investment Policies

 

Policy

CNL Fund

AB Fund

Differences

 

securities to the public without registration under the 1933 Act that are not readily marketable. The Fund may treat certain restricted securities as liquid pursuant to guidelines adopted by the Board of Trustees.

 

the securities to the public without registration under the 1933 Act that are not readily marketable. The Fund may treat certain restricted securities as liquid pursuant to guidelines adopted by the Board of Trustees. securities, including time deposits and repurchase agreements that mature in more than seven days.

Control of Portfolio Companies

The Fund may not make investments for the purpose of exercising control of an issuer. Investments by the Fund in entities created under the laws of foreign countries solely to facilitate investment in securities in that country will not be deemed the making of investments for the purpose of exercising control.

None.

The AB Fund does not have a corresponding limitation.



G.     COMPARISON OF FEES AND EXPENSES

The tables below describe the fees and expenses that you pay if you buy and hold Class A or Institutional Class Shares of the CNL Fund and the pro forma fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold Investor Class or Y Class shares of the AB Fund after giving effect to the Reorganization. Expenses for each Fund are based on the operating expenses incurred by the CNL Fund and estimated to have been incurred by the Investor Class shares and Y Class shares of the AB Fund as of the semi-annual period ended June 30, 2009. The pro forma fees and expenses for the Investor Class and Y Class shares of the AB Fund assume that the Reorganization had been in effect for the same period. The Manager has contractually agreed to cap Fund expenses through February 28, 2011, to the extent that total annual fund operating expenses of the Investor Class and Y Class shares exceed the annual rate of 1.80% and 1.55% excluding taxes, interest, portfolio transaction expenses and other extraordinary expenses.

19


Fees and Expenses

CNL
Fund
Class A

AB Fund
Investor Class
(
Pro forma)

     

Shareholder Fees

(fees paid directly from your investment)

 

Maximum Sales Charge (Load)
Imposed On Purchases

5.75%(1)

None

Maximum Sales Charge (Load)
Imposed On Re-invested Dividends

None

None

Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Redemptions

1.00%(2)

None

Redemption Fee

1.00%(3)

2.00%(4)

Annual Fund Operating Expenses

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

Management Fee

1.00%

0.55%

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

0.25%

None(5)

Other Expenses

3.18%

1.22% (5)

Total Annual Fund
Operating Expenses

4.43%

1.77%

Fee Waiver and
Expense Reimbursement

(2.63)%

None

Net Expenses

1.80%

1.77%



(1)  There is no initial sales charge on purchases of Class A shares of the CNL Fund in amounts of $1 million or more.

(2) A contingent deferred sales charge (“CDSC”) is a one-time fee that may be charged at the time of redemption of shares of the CNL Fund. Under certain circumstances, if you redeem Class A shares within one year that were purchased with no initial sales charge as part of an investment of $1 million or more, then a 1.00% CDSC may apply.

(3)  Applies to shares of the CNL Fund redeemed within 75 calendar days of purchase. This fee does not apply to shares purchased through reinvested dividends or capital gain distributions, or to (i) shares held in certain omnibus accounts or retirement plans that cannot implement the fee or (ii) redemptions of shares through systematic withdrawal plans and certain life events.

(4) Applies to the proceeds of shares of the AB Fund that are redeemed within 90 days of their purchase. The fee does not apply to shares acquired through the reinvestment of dividends and distributions, systematic purchases and redemptions, shares redeemed to return excess IRA contributions, or certain transactions made within a retirement or employee benefit plan.

(5)  The Investor Class of the AB Fund has adopted a service plan pursuant to which the AB Fund will pay up to 0.375% per annum of its average daily net assets to the Manager for its activities or expenses primarily intended to result in or relate to the servicing of Investor Class shares of the AB Fund. This service fee is reflected in “Other Expenses.”

(6) CNL Advisors has contractually agreed to waive its fee and/or reimburse Class A shares Fund expenses to the extent that the total annual fund operating expenses exceed 1.80% through April 30, 2010. The Expense Limit excludes certain non-routine and other expenses or costs.

20

Example
 

The Example below is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in Class A Shares of the CNL Fund with the cost of investing in Investor Class shares of the AB Fund on a pro forma basis. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in each Fund and then redeem all of your shares at the end of each period. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% annual return, that the CNL Fund’s Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses and Net 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

Five Years

Ten Years

CNL Fund – Class A (Pro forma)

$747

$1,614

$2,491

$4,726

         

AB Fund – Investor Class (Pro forma)

$180

$557

$959

$2,084




Fees and Expenses

CNL Fund
Institutional
Class

AB Fund
Class Y
(
Pro forma)

     

Shareholder Fees

(fees paid directly from your investment)

 

Maximum Sales Charge (Load)
Imposed On Purchases

None

None

Maximum Sales Charge (Load)
Imposed On Re-invested Dividends

None

None

Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Redemptions

None

None

Redemption Fee

1.00%(1)

2.00%(2)

Annual Fund Operating Expenses

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

Management Fee

1.00%

0.55%

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

None

None

Other Expenses

3.18%

0.94% (3)

Total Annual Fund
Operating Expenses

4.18%

1.49%

Fee Waiver and
Expense Reimbursement

(2.63)%

None

Net Expenses

1.55%

1.49%



(1)  Applies to shares of the CNL Fund redeemed within 75 calendar days of purchase. This fee does not apply to shares purchased through reinvested dividends or capital gain distributions, or to (i) shares held in certain omnibus accounts or retirement plans that cannot implement the fee or (ii) redemptions of shares through systematic withdrawal plans and certain life events.

(2)  Applies to the proceeds of shares of the AB Fund that are redeemed within 90 days of their purchase. The fee does not apply to shares acquired through the reinvestment of dividends and distributions, shares acquired through payroll contributions to a retirement or employee benefit plan, shares redeemed to return

21

excess IRA contributions, certain redemption transactions made within a retirement or employee benefit plan, or redemption transactions made within a “Qualified Wrap Program”.

(3)    The Y Class of the AB Fund has adopted a service plan pursuant to which the AB Fund will pay 0.10% per annum of its average daily net assets to the Manager for its activities or expenses primarily intended to result in or relate to the servicing of Y Class shares of the AB Fund. This service fee is reflected in “Other Expenses.”

(4)     CNL Advisors has contractually agreed to waive its fee and/or reimburse Institutional Class shares Fund expenses to the extent that the total annual fund operating expenses exceed 1.55% through April 30, 2010. The expense limits exclude certain non-routine and other expenses or costs.

Example

The Example below is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in Institutional Class Shares of the CNL Fund with the cost of investing in Y Class shares of the AB Fund on a pro forma basis. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in each Fund and then redeem all of your shares at the end of each period. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% annual return and that the CNL Fund’s Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses and Net 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

Five Years

Ten Years

CNL Fund – Institutional Class (Pro forma)

$158

$1,030

$1,916

$4,196

         

AB Fund – Y Class (Pro forma)

$152

$471

$813

$1,779



H.     PERFORMANCE INFORMATION

 

     The AB Fund’s Investor Class and Y Class shares will adopt, respectively, the performance history of the CNL Fund’s Class A and Institutional Class Shares. The bar chart and the performance table below provide some indication of the risks of an investment in the AB Fund by showing the CNL Fund’s performance last year and by showing how the CNL Fund’s average annual returns compare with a broad measure of market performance. Of course, the CNL Fund’s past performance, before and after taxes, does not necessarily represent how the AB Fund will perform in the future. Updated performance information currently is available at www.thecnlfunds.com or by calling (866) 745-3797.

CNL Fund Class A Shares Year-By-Year Total Return

22

During the period shown in the bar chart, the highest quarterly return was -2.31% (for the quarter ended March 31, 2008) and the lowest quarterly return was -29.56% (for the quarter ended December 31, 2008). The CNL Fund commenced investment operations on October 30, 2007.

AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURN

For the periods
Ended December 31, 2008

One Year

Since Inception
(10/30/07)
(1)

CNL Fund Class A Shares

   

Return Before Taxes

-45.91%

-47.32%

Return After Taxes on Distributions

-46.10%

-47.62%

Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares

-29.77%

-39.95%

CNL Fund Institutional Shares

   

Return Before Taxes

-45.66%

-47.09%

FTSE EPRA/NAREIT Global Real Estate Index (2)
(Index reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

-47.72%

-48.01%


(1) Represents commencement date of investment operations (i.e., when the CNL Fund began to invest in accordance with its investment objective).
   
(2) The FTSE EPRA/NAREIT Global Real Estate Index is an index that tracks the performance of listed real estate companies and REITs worldwide. Index returns do not reflect deductions for fees, expenses and taxes.

 

After-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rate in effect at the time of each distribution and assumed sale, but do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes.

Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown. After-tax returns reflect past tax effects and are not predictive of future tax effects. After-tax returns may not be relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares in a tax-deferred account (including a 401(k) or individual retirement account), or to investors that are tax-exempt.

Portfolio Turnover

     Each Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in larger Fund distributions of net realized capital gains and, therefore, higher taxes for shareholders whose Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example, affect each Fund’s performance. The CNL Fund’s portfolio turnover rate from January 1, 2009 through November 30, 2009 was 56% of the average value of its portfolio.

23

I.     COMPARISON OF DISTRIBUTION AND PURCHASE AND REDEMPTION
        PROCEDURES

Foreside Fund Services, LLC (“Foreside”) is the CNL Fund’s distributor and principal underwriter. Foreside is located at Three Canal Plaza, Suite 100, Portland, Maine 04101. The CNL Fund has adopted distribution and service plans for its Class A shares under Rule 12b-1 of the 1940 Act. Rule 12b-1 fees are used to compensate the Distributor and third parties for services and expenses related to the sale and distribution of the CNL Fund’s shares and/or for providing shareholder services. Because Rule 12b-1 fees are paid out of the CNL Fund’s assets on an ongoing basis, over time these fees will increase the cost of your investment and may cost you more than paying other types of sales charges. Class A shares pay a 12b-1 fee at the annual rate of 0.25% of the average daily net assets of the CNL Fund. Institutional Class Shares of the CNL Fund do not pay any Rule 12b-1 fees.

Under a Distribution Agreement with the CNL Trust, Foreside acts as the CNL Fund’s agent in connection with the continuous offering of shares of the CNL Fund. Foreside is a registered broker-dealer and is a member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”). Foreside continually distributes shares of the CNL Fund on a best efforts basis. Foreside has no obligation to sell any specific quantity of Fund shares. Foreside may enter into agreements with selected broker-dealers, banks or other financial institutions for distribution and/or servicing of shares of the CNL Fund. Pursuant to the Distribution Agreement, Foreside receives, and may reallow to broker-dealers, all or a portion of the sales charge paid by the purchasers of Class A shares of the CNL Fund. Foreside also may retain any portion of the distribution and/or shareholder servicing (Rule 12b-1) fees received from the CNL Fund that are not paid to financial intermediaries. Foreside has appointed CNL Securities Corp. as National Sales and Marketing Agent to assist Foreside in the promotion of the CNL Fund. This appointment will be terminated upon the completion of the Reorganization.

Foreside also will be the distributor and principal underwriter of the AB Fund’s shares. Pursuant to a Sub-Administration Agreement between Foreside and the Manager, Foreside receives a fee from the Manager for providing administrative services in connection with the marketing and distribution of shares of the series of the AB Trust.

The AB Fund’s Investor Class has adopted a Service Plan (the “Investor Class Plan”), which provides that the AB Fund’s Investor Class will pay up to 0.375% per annum of its average daily net assets to the Manager (or another entity approved by the Board of Trustees of the AB Trust (the “AB Board”). The Manager or these approved entities may spend such amounts on any activities or expenses primarily intended to result in or relate to the servicing of Investor Class shares including, but not limited to, payment of shareholder service fees and transfer agency or sub-transfer agency expenses. The fees, which are included as part of the AB Fund’s “Other Expenses” in the Table of Fees and Expenses in this Proxy Statement, will be payable monthly in arrears without regard to whether the amount of the fee is more or less than the actual expenses incurred in a particular month by the entity for the services provided pursuant to the Investor Class Plan. Thus, the Manager may realize a profit or a loss based upon its actual servicing-related expenditures for the Investor Class. The primary expenses expected to be incurred under the Investor Class Plan are transfer agency fees and servicing fees paid to financial intermediaries such as plan sponsors and broker-dealers.

The AB Fund’s Y Class also has adopted a Service Plan (the “Y Class Plan”). The Y Class Plan provides that the AB Fund’s Y Class will pay 0.10% per annum of its average daily net assets to the Manager (or another entity approved by the AB Board). The Manager or these approved entities may spend such amounts on any activities or expenses primarily intended to result in or relate to the servicing of Y Class shares including, but not limited to, payment of shareholder service fees and transfer agency or

24

sub-transfer agency expenses. The fees, which are included as part of the AB Fund’s “Other Expenses” in the Table of Fees and Expenses in this Proxy Statement, will be payable monthly in arrears without regard to whether the amount of the fee is more or less than the actual expenses incurred in a particular month by the entity for the services provided pursuant to the Y Class Plan. Thus, the Manager may realize a profit or a loss based upon its actual servicing-related expenditures for the Y Class. The primary expenses expected to be incurred under the Y Class Plan are transfer agency fees and servicing fees paid to financial intermediaries such as plan sponsors and broker-dealers.

Purchase and Redemption Procedures.

     Purchase Procedures. The purchase procedures for the CNL Fund and the AB Fund are similar. Investors may invest by contacting the Funds through the internet, through a broker or other financial institution who sells the Funds, or by mail, telephone or wire.

The minimum initial and subsequent investment amounts for the CNL Fund are different than the minimum amounts for the AB Fund. The minimum investment for Class A Shares of the CNL Fund is $2,000; The minimum investment for Investor Class shares of the AB Fund is $2,500. The minimum investment for Institutional Class Shares of the CNL Fund is $100,000; the minimum investment for Y Class shares of the AB Fund is $100,000. The front-end sales charge applicable to purchases of Class A Shares of the CNL Fund will not be applicable to purchases of Investor Class shares of the AB Fund.

     Redemption Procedures. The CNL Fund permits, and the AB Fund will permit, redemptions through the internet, by mail, wire, and telephone. The AB Fund will charge a 2.00% early redemption fee on the proceeds of its shares that are redeemed within 90 days of their purchase; a 1.00% redemption fee generally applies to shares of the CNL Fund redeemed within 75 calendar days of purchase. Your CNL Fund shares purchase date(s) will carry over to the AB Fund for purposes of determining whether or not an early redemption fee applies. The AB Fund early redemption fee of 2% will apply, if applicable to your particular situation.

Additionally, each Fund has also reserved the right to redeem shares “in kind.” Additional shareholder account information for the AB Fund is available in Appendix C to this Proxy Statement.

 

J.     KEY INFORMATION ABOUT THE PROPOSAL

 

The following is a summary of key information concerning the Reorganization. Keep in mind that more detailed information appears in the Plan, a copy of the form of which is attached to this Proxy Statement as Appendix A.

1.     SUMMARY OF THE PROPOSED REORGANIZATION

At the Special Meeting, the shareholders of the CNL Fund will be asked to approve the Plan to reorganize the CNL Fund into the AB Fund. The AB Fund is a newly organized fund that will commence operations upon consummation of the Reorganization. If the Plan is approved by the shareholders of the CNL Fund and the Reorganization is consummated, the CNL Fund will transfer all of its assets to the AB Fund in exchange solely for (1) the number of full and fractional Investor Class and Y Class shares of the AB Fund equal to the number of full and fractional Class A and Institutional Class shares, respectively, of the CNL Fund as of the close of business on the closing date referred to below (the Closing) and (2) the AB Fund’s assumption of all of the CNL Fund’s liabilities. Immediately thereafter, the CNL Fund will distribute the AB Fund shares to its shareholders, by the AB Trust’s transfer agent establishing accounts on the AB Fund’s share records in the names of those shareholders and transferring those AB Fund shares to those accounts, by class, in complete liquidation of the CNL Fund. As a result, each shareholder of the CNL Fund will receive Investor Class and/or Y Class shares of the AB Fund, as the case may be. The

25

expenses associated with the Reorganization will not be borne by the CNL Fund’s shareholders; record of ownership will be held in book entry form only.

Until the Closing, shareholders of the CNL Fund will continue to be able to redeem their shares at the Net Asset Value (“NAV”) per share next determined after receipt by the CNL Fund’s transfer agent of a redemption request in proper form. Redemption and purchase requests received by the transfer agent after the Closing will be treated as requests received for the redemption or purchase of shares of the AB Fund received by the shareholder in connection with the Reorganization. After the Reorganization, all of the issued and outstanding shares of the CNL Fund will be canceled on the books of the CNL Fund, and the share transfer books of the CNL Fund will be permanently closed. If the Reorganization is consummated, shareholders will be free to redeem the shares of the AB Fund that they receive in the transaction at their then-current NAV. Shareholders of the CNL Fund may wish to consult their tax advisors as to any different consequences of redeeming their shares prior to the Reorganization or exchanging such shares for shares of the AB Fund in the Reorganization.

The Reorganization is subject to a number of conditions, including the approval of the Plan by the shareholders of the CNL Fund and the receipt of a legal opinion from counsel to the AB Trust with respect to certain tax issues (see Federal Income Tax Consequences, below). Assuming satisfaction of the conditions in the Plan, the closing date of the Reorganization is expected to be February 26, 2010, or another date agreed to by the CNL Trust and the AB Trust.

CNL Advisors and the Manager have agreed to pay all costs relating to the Reorganization, including the costs relating to the Special Meeting and to preparing and filing the registration statement that includes this Proxy Statement. They also will incur the costs associated with the solicitation of proxies, including the cost of copying, printing and mailing proxy materials.

The Plan may be amended by the mutual agreement of the CNL Trust, notwithstanding approval thereof by the CNL Fund’s shareholders, provided that no such amendment after that approval may have a material adverse effect on those shareholders’ interests. In addition, the Plan may be terminated at any time before the Closing by the mutual agreement of the CNL Trust and the AB Trust or by either of them (1) in the event of the other’s material breach of any representation, warranty or covenant contained in the Plan to be performed at or before the Closing, (2) if a condition to its obligations has not been met and it reasonably appears that that condition will not or cannot be met, (3) if a governmental body issues an order, decree or ruling having the effect of permanently enjoining, restraining or otherwise prohibiting consummation of the Reorganization or (4) if the Closing has not occurred by March 31, 2010, or another date as to which they agree.

2.     DESCRIPTION OF THE AB FUND’S SHARES

Investor Class and Y Class shares of the AB Fund issued to the shareholders of the CNL Fund pursuant to the Reorganization will be duly authorized, validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable when issued and will be transferable without restriction and will have no preemptive or conversion rights. Investor Class shares and Y Class shares will be sold and redeemed based upon their NAV next determined after receipt of the purchase or redemption request, as described in Appendix C to this Proxy Statement.

3.     FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSEQUENCES

The CNL Trust believes the CNL Fund has qualified for treatment as a regulated investment company under Part I of Subchapter M of Chapter 1 of Subtitle A of the Code since its inception. Accordingly, the CNL Trust believes the CNL Fund has been, and expects the CNL Fund to continue

26

through the Closing to be, relieved of any federal income tax liability on its taxable income and net gains it distributes to shareholders to the extent provided for in Subchapter M.

The Reorganization is intended to qualify for federal income tax purposes as a tax-free reorganization under section 368(a) of the Code. As a condition to the Closing, the CNL Trust and the AB Trust will receive an opinion of counsel to the AB Trust substantially to the effect that -- based on certain assumptions and conditioned on the representations set forth in the Plan (and, if such counsel requests, in separate letters from the CNL Trust and the AB Trust) being true and complete at the time of the Closing and the Reorganization’s being consummated in accordance with the Plan (without the waiver or modification of any terms or conditions thereof and without taking into account any amendment thereof that counsel has not approved) -- the Reorganization will qualify as such a reorganization and that, accordingly, for federal income tax purposes:

Each Fund will be “a party to a reorganization” (within the meaning of section 368(b) of the Code);
The CNL Fund will recognize no gain or loss upon the transfer of its assets to the AB Fund in exchange solely for AB Fund’s shares and the AB Fund’s assumption of the CNL Fund’s liabilities or on the distribution of those shares to the CNL Fund’s shareholders;
A shareholder will recognize no gain or loss on the exchange of all of its CNL Fund shares solely for AB Fund shares pursuant to the Reorganization;
A shareholder’s aggregate tax basis in the AB Fund shares it receives pursuant to the Reorganization will be the same as the aggregate tax basis in its CNL Fund shares it actually or constructively surrenders in exchange for those AB Fund shares, and its holding period for those AB Fund shares will include, in each instance, its holding period for those CNL Fund shares, provided the shareholder holds them as capital assets as of the time of the Closing;
The AB Fund will recognize no gain or loss on its receipt of the CNL Fund’s assets in exchange solely for the AB Fund’s shares and its assumption of the CNL Fund’s liabilities;
The AB Fund’s basis in each transferred asset will be the same as the CNL Fund’s basis therein immediately before the Reorganization, and the AB Fund’s holding period for each such asset will include the CNL Fund’s holding period therefor (except where the AB Fund’s investment activities have the effect of reducing or eliminating an asset’s holding period); and
For purposes of section 381 of the Code, the AB Fund will be treated just as the CNL Fund would have been treated if there had been no Reorganization. Accordingly, the Reorganization will not result in the termination of the CNL Fund’s taxable year, the CNL Fund’s tax attributes enumerated in section 381(c) of the Code will be taken into account by the AB Fund as if there had been no Reorganization, and the part of the CNL Fund’s taxable year before the Reorganization will be included in the AB Fund’s taxable year after the Reorganization.


Opinions of counsel are not binding upon the IRS or the courts. If the Reorganization is consummated but does not qualify as a tax free reorganization under the Code, and thus is taxable, the CNL Fund would recognize gain or loss on the transfer of its assets to the AB Fund and each shareholder of the CNL Fund would recognize a taxable gain or loss equal to the difference between its tax basis in the CNL Fund shares and the fair market value of the shares of the AB Fund it receives.

General Limitation on Capital Losses. Capital losses of a fund can generally be carried forward to each of the eight (8) taxable years succeeding the loss year to offset future capital gains. However, any such capital losses are subject to an annual limitation if there is a more than 50% “change in ownership”

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of a fund. If, as is anticipated, at the time of the closing of the Reorganization the AB Fund has either no assets or nominal assets incident to its organization, there will be no change of ownership of the CNL Fund as a result of the Reorganization. However, the capital losses of the AB Fund, as the successor in interest to the CNL Fund, may subsequently become subject to an annual limitation as a result of sales of AB Fund shares or other reorganization transactions in which the AB Fund might engage post-Reorganization.

Tracking Your Basis and Holding Period; State and Local Taxes. After the Reorganization, you will continue to be responsible for tracking the adjusted tax basis and holding period of your shares for federal income tax purposes. You should consult your tax adviser regarding the effect, if any, of the Reorganization in light of your particular circumstances, as well as the state and local tax consequences, if any, of the Reorganization because this discussion only relates to the federal income tax consequences.

4.     COMPARISON OF FORMS OF ORGANIZATION AND SHAREHOLDER RIGHTS

Set forth below is a discussion of the material differences between the Funds and the rights of their shareholders.

Governing Law. The CNL Fund is the sole series of the CNL Trust, which is organized as a Delaware statutory trust. The AB Fund is a separate series of the AB Trust, which is organized as a Massachusetts business trust. Each Fund is authorized to issue an unlimited number of shares of beneficial interest. The CNL Trust’s operations are governed by its Agreement and Declaration of Trust, including any amendments thereto (collectively, “Old Trust Declaration”) and By-Laws and applicable state law. The AB Trust’s operations are governed by its Amended and Restated Declaration of Trust (the “AB Declaration of Trust”) and By-Laws and applicable state law.

Shareholder Liability. Under the Old Trust Declaration, no shareholder of the CNL Fund shall be subject to any personal liability in connection with the assets or the affairs of the CNL Trust or of any of its series. The CNL Fund is required to indemnify shareholders and former shareholders in accordance with Delaware law against losses and expenses arising from any personal liability for any obligation of the CNL Fund solely by reason of being or having been a shareholder of the CNL Fund and not because of his or her acts or omissions or for some other reason.

Under the AB Declaration of Trust, any shareholder or former shareholder of the AB Fund shall not be held to be personally liable for any obligation or liability of the AB Trust solely by reason of being or having been a shareholder and not because of such shareholder’s acts or omissions or for some other reason. The AB Fund is required to indemnify shareholders and former shareholders against losses and expenses incurred in connection with proceedings relating to his or her being or having been a shareholder of the AB Fund and not because of his or her acts or omissions.

Board of Trustees. The Reorganization will result in a change in the Board of Trustees because the trustees of the CNL Trust are different from the trustees of the AB Trust. The CNL Board has four trustees, one of whom is an “interested person,” as that term is defined under the 1940 Act, of the Trust. For more information, refer to the Statement of Additional Information dated April 30, 2009 for the CNL Fund, which is incorporated by reference into this Proxy Statement.

The AB Board has eight trustees, one of whom is deemed an “interested person” of the AB Trust. For more information, refer to the Statement of Additional Information dated January _, 2009 to this Proxy Statement, which is incorporated by reference into this Proxy Statement.

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The Reorganization also will result in a change in the officers because the officers of the CNL Trust are different from the officers of the AB Trust.

Classes. The CNL Fund offers two classes of shares: Class A and Institutional Class. The AB Fund is a separate series of the AB Trust that is expected to offer Investor Class and Y Class shares. It also is anticipated that shareholders of the CNL Fund will receive Investor Class and Y Class shares of the AB Fund in the Reorganization. Nothing contained herein shall be construed as an offer to purchase or otherwise acquire any other class of shares of the AB Fund. The AB Board has reserved the right to create and issue additional classes of the AB Fund following the Reorganization. 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. Shares of each series or class generally vote together on fund- or trust-wide matters, except when required under federal securities laws to vote separately on matters that only affect a particular class, such as the approval of a distribution plan for a particular class. Structurally, there is no difference between Investor Class and Y Class shares of the AB Fund and, respectively, the CNL Fund’s Class A and Institutional Class Shares.

5.     CAPITALIZATION

The capitalization of the CNL Fund as of June 30, 2009 and the AB Fund’s pro forma combined capitalization as of that date after giving effect to the Reorganization are as follows:


(unaudited)

CNL Fund
Class A

Pro forma

AB Fund Investor Class

CNL Fund
Institutional Class

Pro forma

AB Fund
Y Class

Net Assets

$2.2 million

$2.2 million

$20.6 million

$20.6 million

         

Shares Outstanding

445,647

445,647

4,161,576

4,161,576

         

Net Asset Value per Share

$4.95

$4.95

$4.96

$4.96



K.     ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE AB FUND

1.     INVESTMENT ADVISER AND SUB-ADVISER

The Manager, located at 4151 Amon Carter Boulevard, Forth Worth, Texas 76155, is the AB Fund’s investment adviser. The Manager is a wholly owned subsidiary of Lighthouse Holdings, Inc. (“Lighthouse”). Lighthouse is indirectly controlled by investment funds affiliated with Pharos Capital Group, LLC (“Pharos”) and TPG Capital, L.P. (“TPG”). The Manager is paid a management fee as compensation for paying investment advisory fees and for providing the AB Trust with advisory and asset allocation services. Pursuant to management and administrative services agreements, the Manager provides the AB Trust with office space, office equipment and personnel necessary to manage and administer the AB Trust’s operations. This includes:

•    complying with reporting requirements;

•    corresponding with shareholders;

•    maintaining internal bookkeeping, accounting and auditing services and records; and

•   supervising the provision of services to the AB Trust by third parties.

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The management agreement provides for the Manager to receive an annualized management fee that is calculated and accrued daily, equal to 0.05% of the net assets of the AB Fund, plus amounts paid by the Manager to the Sub-Adviser.

In addition to the management fee, the Manager is paid an administrative services fee for providing administrative and management services (other than investment advisory services) to the AB Fund.

The AB Fund is responsible for expenses not otherwise assumed by the Manager, including the following: audits by independent auditors; transfer agency, custodian, fund accounting, dividend disbursing agent and shareholder recordkeeping services; taxes, if any, and the preparation of the AB Fund’s tax returns; interest; costs of Trustee and shareholder meetings; printing and mailing prospectuses and reports to existing shareholders; fees for filing reports with regulatory bodies and the maintenance of the AB Fund’s existence; legal fees; fees to federal and state authorities for the registration of shares; fees and expenses of Trustees; insurance and fidelity bond premiums; fees paid to consultants providing reports regarding adherence by the Sub-Adviser to the investment style of the AB Fund; fees paid for brokerage commission analysis for the purpose of monitoring best execution practices of the Sub-Adviser; and any extraordinary expenses of a nonrecurring nature.

The AB Fund’s assets may be allocated among one or more sub-advisers in the future by the Manager. The sub-adviser has discretion to purchase and sell securities for its segment of the AB Fund’s assets in accordance with the AB Fund’s objectives, policies, restrictions and more specific strategies provided by the Manager. Pursuant to an exemptive order issued by the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), the Manager is permitted to enter into new or modified investment advisory agreements with existing or new sub-advisers without approval of the AB Fund’s shareholders, but subject to approval of the AB Fund’s Board.

The Sub-Adviser, is a subsidiary of CB Richard Ellis Group, Inc., one of the world’s largest publicly held commercial real estate services firms (in terms of 2008 revenues). The Sub-Adviser is focused on managing exchange-listed global real estate securities portfolios on behalf of investors, and has dedicated real estate securities investment management offices located in Baltimore, London, Sydney, and Tokyo. The Sub-Adviser’s principals have an average of fourteen years of investment experience related to the investment management of listed domestic and global real estate securities portfolios. The Sub-Adviser was formed in 2004 and had approximately $2.04 billion of assets under management as of November 30, 2009. The Sub-Adviser’s principal business location is 250 West Pratt Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21201.

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

2.     OTHER SERVICE PROVIDERS

Foreside Fund Services, LLC (“Foreside”), located at Three Canal Plaza, Suite 100, Portland, Maine 04101, is the distributor and principal underwriter of the AB Fund’s shares. Pursuant to a Sub-Administration Agreement between Foreside and the Manager, Foreside receives a fee from the Manager for providing administrative services in connection with the marketing and distribution of shares of the series of the American Beacon Funds (including the AB Fund), the American Beacon Mileage Funds, and the American Beacon Select Funds.

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3.     TAX CONSIDERATIONS

     The AB Fund intends to make distributions that may be taxed to its shareholders as ordinary income or net capital gain. A discussion of relevant tax matters is included in Appendix C to this Proxy Statement.
 
         4.     PAYMENTS TO BROKER-DEALERS AND OTHER FINANCIAL
                 INTERMEDIARIES

     If you purchase the AB Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the AB Fund and its related companies may pay the intermediary for the sale of AB 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 AB Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s internet site for more information.

II.     VOTING INFORMATION

A.     RECORD DATE, VOTING RIGHTS AND VOTE REQUIRED

     Proxies are being solicited from the shareholders of the CNL Fund by the CNL Board for the Special Meeting to be held on Thursday, February 22, 2010, at 10:00 a.m. Eastern time at principal executive offices of the CNL Trust located at 450 South Orange Avenue Orlando, FL 32801, or at such later time made necessary by adjournment. Unless revoked, all valid proxies will be voted in accordance with the specification thereon or, in the absence of specifications, “FOR” approval of the Plan.

The CNL Board has fixed the close of business on January __, 2010 (the “Record Date”) as the record date for the determination of shareholders entitled to notice of and to vote at the Meeting and any adjournments thereof. Shareholders of record as of the Record Date will be entitled to one vote for each share held and to a proportionate fractional vote for each fractional share held. As of the Record Date, the total number of issued and outstanding shares of beneficial interest of Class A and Institutional Class shares of the CNL Fund was ________ and ________, respectively. Shareholders of record who own five percent or more of the CNL Fund as of the Record Date are set forth on Appendix B to this Proxy Statement. Approval of the Reorganization will require the affirmative vote of a majority of the outstanding voting shares of the CNL Fund as defined under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended.

B.     HOW TO VOTE

You may vote in one of three ways:

•   complete and sign the enclosed proxy ballot and mail it to us in the  prepaid return envelope (if mailed in the United States);

•   vote on the Internet at the website address listed on your proxy ballot; or

•   call the toll-free number printed on your proxy ballot.

PLEASE NOTE, TO VOTE VIA THE INTERNET OR TELEPHONE, YOU WILL NEED THE “CONTROL NUMBER” THAT APPEARS ON YOUR PROXY BALLOT.

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C.     PROXIES

     All proxies solicited by the CNL Board that are properly executed and received by the Secretary prior to the Meeting, and are not revoked, will be voted at the Meeting. A proxy with respect to shares held in the name of two or more persons is valid if executed by any one of them unless at or prior to its use the CNL Fund receives written notification to the contrary from any one of such persons. Shares represented by such proxies will be voted in accordance with the instructions thereon. If no specification is made on a proxy, it will be voted FOR the matters specified on the proxy. All shares that are voted and
votes to ABSTAIN will be counted towards establishing a quorum, as will broker non-votes. Broker non-votes are shares for which the beneficial owner has not voted and the broker holding the shares does not have discretionary authority to vote on the particular matter.
 

You may revoke a proxy once it is given. If you desire to revoke a proxy, you must submit a subsequent later dated proxy or a written notice of revocation to the CNL Fund. You may also give written notice of revocation in person at the Special Meeting. Attendance by a shareholder at the Special Meeting does not, by itself, revoke a proxy.

D.     QUORUM AND ADJOURNMENTS

One-third, or thirty-three and one-third percent (331/3%), of the shares of the CNL Fund that are entitled to vote will be considered a quorum for the transaction of business. If a quorum of shareholders of the CNL Fund is not present at the Special Meeting, or if a quorum is present but sufficient votes to approve the Reorganization described in this Proxy Statement are not received, the persons named as proxies may, but are under no obligation to, propose one or more adjournments of the Special Meeting of the CNL Fund to permit further solicitation of proxies. Any business that might have been transacted at the Special Meeting with respect to the CNL Fund may be transacted at any such adjourned session(s) at which a quorum is present. The Special Meeting with respect to the CNL Fund may be adjourned from time to time by the vote of shareholders representing one-third of the shares of the CNL Fund that are entitled to vote upon the question of adjourning the Special Meeting of the CNL Fund to another date and time, whether or not a quorum is present, and the Special Meeting of the CNL Fund may be held as adjourned without further notice. The persons designated as proxies may use their discretionary authority to vote as instructed by management of the CNL Fund on questions of adjournment and on any other proposals raised at the Special Meeting to the extent permitted by the SEC’s proxy rules, including proposals for which timely notice was not received, as set forth in the SEC’s proxy rules.

E.     EFFECT OF ABSTENTIONS AND BROKER “NON-VOTES”

All proxies voted, including abstentions and broker non-votes (shares held by brokers or nominees where the underlying holder has not voted and the broker does not have discretionary authority to vote the shares), will be counted toward establishing a quorum. In addition, under the rules of the New York Stock Exchange, if a broker has not received instructions from beneficial owners or persons entitled to vote and the proposal to be voted upon may “affect substantially” a shareholder’s rights or privileges, the broker may not vote the shares as to that proposal even if it has discretionary voting power. As a result, these shares also will be treated as broker non-votes for purposes of proposals that may “affect substantially” a shareholder’s rights or privileges (but will not be treated as broker non-votes for other proposals, including adjournment of the Special Meeting).

Abstentions and broker non-votes will be treated as shares voted against a proposal. Treating broker non-votes as votes against a proposal can have the effect of causing shareholders who choose not to participate in the proxy vote to prevail over shareholders who cast votes or provide voting instructions

32

to their brokers or nominees. In order to prevent this result, the CNL Fund may request that selected brokers or nominees refrain from returning proxies on behalf of shares for which voting instructions have not been received from beneficial owners or persons entitled to vote. The CNL Fund also may request that selected brokers or nominees return proxies on behalf of shares for which voting instructions have not been received if doing so is necessary to obtain a quorum. Abstentions and broker non-votes will not be voted “FOR” or “AGAINST” any adjournment.

F.     SOLICITATION OF PROXIES

The CNL Fund expects that the solicitation of proxies will be primarily by mail and telephone. The solicitation also may include facsimile, Internet or oral communications by certain employees of CNL Advisors, who will not be paid for these services. CNL Advisors has retained Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. to aid in the solicitation of proxies, at an anticipated cost of approximately $_________. CNL Advisors and the Manager will bear the costs of the Special Meeting, including legal costs, the costs of retaining Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc., and other expenses incurred in connection with the solicitation of proxies.

III.     OTHER INFORMATION

A.     OTHER BUSINESS

The CNL Board knows of no other business to be brought before the Special Meeting. If any other matters come before the Meeting, the CNL Board intends that proxies that do not contain specific restrictions to the contrary will be voted on those matters in accordance with the judgment of the persons named in the enclosed proxy card.

B.     NEXT MEETING OF SHAREHOLDERS

The CNL Fund does not hold regular meetings of shareholders. Shareholders wishing to submit proposals for inclusion in a proxy statement for a subsequent meeting of shareholders should send their written proposals to Susan L. Terenzio, Secretary of the CNL Trust, 450 South Orange Avenue Orlando, FL 32801. Proposals must be delivered to the Secretary of the CNL Trust not later than the tenth day following the day on which public announcement of the date of the Special Meeting was first made by the CNL Trust. Such shareholder’s proposal shall set forth (a) a brief description of the business desired to be brought before the Special Meeting, the reasons for conducting such business at the Special Meeting and any material interest in such business of such shareholder and of the beneficial owner, if any, on whose behalf the proposal is made, and (b) as to the shareholder submitting the proposal and the beneficial owner, if any, on whose behalf the proposal is made, (i) the name and address of such shareholder, as they appear on the books of the CNL Trust, and of such beneficial owner and (ii) the number of shares of each class of shares of the CNL Fund which are owned beneficially and of record by such shareholder and such beneficial owner. Timely submission of a proposal does not necessarily mean that the proposal will be included.

C.     LEGAL MATTERS

     Certain legal matters concerning the issuance of shares of the AB Fund in connection with the Reorganization and the tax consequences of the Reorganization will be passed upon by K&L Gates LLP. Certain legal matters in connection with the Reorganization will be passed upon by Stradley Ronon Stevens & Young, LLP for the CNL Trust and the CNL Fund.

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D.     INFORMATION FILED WITH THE SEC

The CNL Trust and the AB Trust are subject to the information requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the 1940 Act and in accordance therewith, file reports and other information, including proxy materials and charter documents, with the SEC. Reports, proxy statements, registration statements and other information filed by the CNL Trust may be inspected without charge and copied at the public reference facilities maintained by the SEC at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, DC 20549, and at the following regional offices of the SEC: Northeast Regional Office, 3 World Financial Center, Suite 400, New York, New York 10281; Southeast Regional Office, 801 Brickell Avenue, Suite 1800, Miami, Florida 33131; Midwest Regional Office, 175 West Jackson Boulevard, Suite 900, Chicago, Illinois 60604; Central Regional Office, 1801 California Street, Suite 1500, Denver, Colorado 80202; and Pacific Regional Office, 5670 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 1100, Los Angeles, California 90036. Copies of such materials may also be obtained from the Public Reference Branch, Office of Consumer Affairs and Information Services, Securities and Exchange Commission, Washington, DC 20549 at prescribed rates.

By Order of the Board of Trustees of The CNL Funds
 
 

Susan L. Terenzio
Secretary

January__, 2010

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APPENDIX A

AGREEMENT AND PLAN OF REORGANIZATION AND TERMINATION

THIS AGREEMENT AND PLAN OF REORGANIZATION AND TERMINATION (“Agreement”) is made as of December 3, 2009, among AMERICAN BEACON FUNDS, a Massachusetts business trust (“New Trust”), on behalf of American Beacon Global Real Estate Fund, a segregated portfolio of assets (“series”) thereof (“New Fund”), THE CNL FUNDS, a Delaware statutory trust, consisting of a sole series, CNL Global Real Estate Fund (“Old Trust” or “Old Fund”), and, solely for purposes of paragraph 6, AMERICAN BEACON ADVISORS, INC., New Trust’s investment manager (“AmBeacon Manager”), and CNL FUND ADVISORS COMPANY, Old Trust’s investment manager (“CNL Manager”). (Each of New Trust and Old Trust is sometimes referred to herein as an “Investment Company,” and each of New Fund and Old Fund is sometimes referred to herein as a “Fund.”) All agreements, covenants, representations, warranties, actions, and obligations of New Fund contained herein are made and shall be deemed to be agreements, covenants, representations, warranties, actions, and obligations of, and all rights and benefits created hereunder in favor of New Fund shall inure to and be enforceable by, New Trust on New Fund’s behalf.

Each Investment Company wishes to effect a reorganization described in section 368(a)(1)(F) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (“Code”) (all “section” references are to the Code, unless otherwise noted), and intends this Agreement to be, and adopts it as, a “plan of reorganization” within the meaning of the regulations under the Code (“Regulations”). The reorganization will involve Old Fund’s changing its identity, form, and place of organization -- by converting from Old Trust (i.e., the sole series thereof) to a series of New Trust -- by (1) transferring all its assets to New Fund (which is being established solely for the purpose of acquiring those assets and continuing Old Fund’s business) in exchange solely for voting shares of beneficial interest (“shares”) in New Fund and New Fund’s assumption of all of Old Fund’s liabilities, (2) distributing those shares pro rata to Old Fund’s shareholders in exchange for their shares therein and in complete liquidation thereof, and (3) terminating Old Fund (collectively, the “Reorganization”), all on the terms and conditions set forth herein.

Each Investment Company’s board of trustees (each, a “Board”), in each case including a majority of its members who are not “interested persons” (as that term is defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (“1940 Act”)) (“Non-Interested Persons”) of either Investment Company, has duly adopted and approved this Agreement and the transactions contemplated hereby and has duly authorized performance thereof on its Fund’s behalf by all necessary Board action.

Old Fund currently offers two classes of shares, designated Class A and Institutional Class shares (“Class A Old Fund Shares” and “Institutional Class Old Fund Shares,” respectively, and collectively, “Old Fund Shares”). Old Fund previously offered and issued a third class of shares, Class C shares (“Class C Old Fund Shares”), which were converted to Class A Old Fund Shares in December 2008 and thus are not included in the term “Old Fund Shares.” New Fund will have multiple classes of shares, including two classes designated Investor Class and Class Y shares (“Investor Class New Fund Shares” and “Class Y New Fund Shares,” respectively, and collectively, “New Fund Shares”); New Fund’s other classes of shares will not be involved in the Reorganization and thus are not included in the term “New Fund Shares.” The Class A Old Fund Shares and the Investor Class New Fund Shares have substantially similar characteristics (except that the former are offered with a front-end sales load whereas the latter are not), as do the Institutional Class Old Fund Shares and the Class Y New Fund Shares.

 

A-1

In consideration of the mutual promises contained herein, the Investment Companies agree as follows:

1.     PLAN OF REORGANIZATION AND TERMINATION

     1.1.     Subject to the requisite approval of Old Fund’s shareholders and the terms and conditions set forth herein, Old Fund shall assign, sell, convey, transfer, and deliver all of its assets described in paragraph 1.2 (“Assets”) to New Fund. In exchange therefor, New Fund shall:

(a)     issue and deliver to Old Fund the number of full and fractional (all references herein to “fractional” shares meaning fractions rounded to the third decimal place) (1) Investor Class New Fund Shares equal to the number of full and fractional Class A Old Fund Shares then outstanding and (2) Class Y New Fund Shares equal to the number of full and fractional Institutional Class Old Fund Shares then outstanding, and

(b)     assume all of Old Fund’s liabilities described in paragraph 1.3 (“Liabilities”).

Those transactions shall take place at the Closing (as defined in paragraph 2.1).

     1.2     The Assets shall consist of all assets and property -- including all cash, cash equivalents, securities, commodities, futures interests, receivables (including interest and dividends receivable), claims and rights of action, rights to register shares under applicable securities laws, books and records, and deferred and prepaid expenses shown as assets on Old Fund’s books -- Old Fund owns at the Effective Time (as defined in paragraph 2.1); and Old Fund has no unamortized or unpaid organizational fees or expenses that have not previously been disclosed in writing to New Trust;

     1.3     The Liabilities shall consist of all of Old Fund’s known liabilities, debts, obligations, and duties arising in the ordinary course of business and existing at the Effective Time, excluding Reorganization Expenses (as defined in paragraph 3.3(f)) borne by CNL Manager and AmBeacon Manager pursuant to paragraph 6. Notwithstanding the foregoing, Old Fund will endeavor to discharge all its Liabilities before the Effective Time.

     1.4     At or before the Closing, New Fund shall redeem the Initial Shares (as defined in paragraph 5.5) for the amount at which they are issued pursuant to that paragraph. At the Effective Time (or as soon thereafter as is reasonably practicable), Old Fund shall distribute the New Fund Shares it receives pursuant to paragraph 1.1(a) to its shareholders of record determined at the Effective Time (each, a “Shareholder”), in proportion to their Old Fund Shares then held of record and in constructive exchange therefor, and shall completely liquidate. That distribution shall be accomplished by the Transfer Agent (as defined below) opening accounts on New Fund’s shareholder records in the Shareholders’ names and transferring those New Fund Shares thereto. Pursuant to that transfer, each Shareholder’s account shall be credited with the number of full and fractional New Fund Shares equal to the number of full and fractional Old Fund Shares that Shareholder holds at the Effective Time, by class (i.e., the account for each Shareholder that holds Class A Old Fund Shares shall be credited with the number of full and fractional Investor Class New Fund Shares due that Shareholder, and the account for each Shareholder that holds Institutional Class Old Fund Shares shall be credited with the number of full and fractional Class Y New Fund Shares due that Shareholder). The aggregate net asset value (“NAV”) of New Fund Shares to be so credited to each Shareholder’s account shall equal the aggregate NAV of the Old Fund Shares that Shareholder holds at the Effective Time. All issued and outstanding Old Fund Shares, including any represented by certificates, shall simultaneously be canceled on Old Fund’s shareholder records. New Trust shall not issue certificates representing the New Fund Shares issued in connection with the Reorganization.

     1.5     As soon as reasonably practicable after distribution of the New Fund Shares pursuant to paragraph 1.4, but in all events within six months after the Effective Time, Old Trust shall be terminated and any further actions shall be taken in connection therewith as required by applicable law.

A-2

     1.6     Any reporting responsibility of Old Fund to a public authority, including the responsibility for filing regulatory reports, tax returns, and other documents with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“Commission”), any state securities commission, any federal, state, and local tax authorities, and any other relevant regulatory authority, is and shall remain its responsibility up to and including the date on which it is terminated.

2.     CLOSING AND EFFECTIVE TIME

     2.1     Unless the Investment Companies agree otherwise, all acts necessary to consummate the Reorganization (“Closing”) shall be deemed to take place simultaneously as of immediately after the close of business (4:00 p.m., Eastern Time) on February 26, 2010 (“Effective Time”). The Closing shall be held at New Trust’s offices or at such other place as to which the Investment Companies agree.

     2.2     Old Trust shall cause the custodian of Old Fund’s assets (“Custodian”) (a) to make Old Fund’s portfolio securities available to New Trust (or to its custodian, if New Trust so directs), for examination, no later than five business days preceding the Effective Time and (b) to transfer and deliver the Assets at the Effective Time to New Trust’s custodian for New Fund’s account, as follows:  (1) duly endorsed in proper form for transfer in such condition as to constitute good delivery thereof in accordance with the custom of brokers, (2) by book entry, in accordance with the Custodian’s customary practices and any securities depository (as defined in Rule 17f-4 under the 1940 Act) in which Old Fund’s assets are deposited, in the case of Old Fund’s portfolio securities and instruments deposited with those depositories, and (3) by wire transfer of federal funds in the case of cash.  Old Trust shall also direct the Custodian to deliver at the Closing a certificate of an authorized officer stating that pursuant to proper instructions, of date certain and provided to the Custodian by Old Trust, the Custodian has delivered all of the portfolio securities, cash and other Assets of Old Fund to the account of New Fund. The custodian of New Trust shall certify to New Trust that the information (including adjusted basis and holding period, by lot) concerning the Assets, including all portfolio securities, as reflected on New Fund’s books immediately after the Effective Time, does or will conform to that information on Old Fund’s books immediately before the Effective Time.

     2.3     Old Trust shall direct its transfer agent, which also will serve as New Fund’s transfer agent (“Transfer Agent”), to deliver at the Closing a certificate of an authorized officer stating that Old Fund’s shareholder records contain the names and addresses of all the Shareholders and the number of full and fractional outstanding Old Fund Shares each Shareholder owns at the Effective Time.

     2.4     New Trust shall direct the Transfer Agent to deliver at the Closing a certificate of an authorized officer as to the opening of accounts on New Fund’s shareholder records in the names of the Shareholders and a confirmation, or other evidence satisfactory to Old Trust, that the New Fund Shares to be credited to Old Fund at the Effective Time have been credited to Old Fund’s account on those records.

     2.5     At the Closing, each Investment Company shall deliver to the other (a) bills of sale, checks, assignments, stock certificates, receipts, and/or other documents the other Investment Company or its counsel reasonably requests and (b) a certificate executed in its name by its President or a Vice President in form and substance satisfactory to the recipient, and dated the Effective Time, to the effect that the representations and warranties it made in this Agreement are true and correct at the Effective Time except as they may be affected by the transactions contemplated hereby.

3.     REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES

     3.1     Old Trust represents and warrants to New Trust, on New Fund’s behalf, as follows:

     (a)     Old Trust (1) is a statutory trust that is duly organized, validly existing, and in good standing under the laws of the State of Delaware (a “Delaware Statutory Trust”), and its Certificate of Trust has been duly filed in the office of the Secretary of State thereof, and (2) has

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the power to own all its properties and assets and to carry on its business as described in its current registration statement on Form N-1A;

     (b)     Old Trust is duly registered under the 1940 Act as an open-end management investment company;

     (c)     The execution, delivery, and performance of this Agreement have been duly authorized at the date hereof by all necessary action on the part of Old Trust’s Board; and this Agreement constitutes a valid and legally binding obligation of Old Trust, enforceable in accordance with its terms, subject to the effect of bankruptcy, insolvency, fraudulent transfer, reorganization, receivership, moratorium, and other laws affecting the rights and remedies of creditors generally and general principles of equity;

     (d)     At the Effective Time, Old Trust will have good and marketable title to the Assets and full right, power, and authority to sell, assign, transfer, and deliver the Assets hereunder free of any liens or other encumbrances (except securities that are subject to “securities loans,” as referred to in section 851(b)(2), or that are restricted to resale by their terms); and on delivery and payment for the Assets, New Trust, on New Fund’s behalf, will acquire good and marketable title thereto, subject to no restrictions on the full transfer thereof, including restrictions that might arise under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (“1933 Act”);

     (e)     Old Trust is not currently engaged in, and its execution, delivery, and performance of this Agreement and consummation of the Reorganization will not result in, (1) a conflict with or material violation of any provision of Delaware law, Old Trust’s Agreement and Declaration of Trust, and any amendments thereto (collectively, “Old Trust Declaration”) or By-Laws, or any agreement, indenture, instrument, contract, lease, or other undertaking (each, an “Undertaking”) to which Old Trust is a party or by which it is bound or (2) the acceleration of any obligation, or the imposition of any penalty, under any Undertaking, judgment, or decree to which Old Trust is a party or by which it is bound;

     (f)     At or before the Effective Time, either (1) all material contracts and other commitments of Old Fund (other than this Agreement and certain investment contracts, including options, futures, and forward contracts) will terminate, or (2) provision for discharge and/or New Fund’s assumption of any liabilities of Old Fund thereunder will be made, without either Fund’s incurring any penalty with respect thereto and without diminishing or releasing any rights Old Trust may have had with respect to actions taken or omitted or to be taken by any other party thereto before the Closing;

     (g)     No litigation, administrative proceeding, action, or investigation of or before any court, governmental body, or arbitrator is presently pending or, to Old Trust’s knowledge, threatened against Old Trust or any of its properties or assets that, if adversely determined, would materially and adversely affect its financial condition or the conduct of its business; and Old Trust knows of no facts that might form the basis for the institution of any such litigation, proceeding, action, or investigation and is not a party to or subject to the provisions of any order, decree, judgment, or award of any court, governmental body, or arbitrator that materially and adversely affects Old Trust’s business or its ability to consummate the transactions contemplated hereby;

     (h)     Old Fund’s Statement of Assets and Liabilities (including Schedule of Investments), Statement of Operations, and Statement of Changes in Net Assets (collectively, “Statements”) at and for the fiscal year (in the case of the last Statement, for the two fiscal years) ended December 31, 2008, have been audited by PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, and are in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles consistently applied in the United States (“GAAP”); and those Statements and Old

 

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Fund’s unaudited financial statements at and for the six months ended June 30, 2009 (copies of which Old Trust has furnished to New Trust), present fairly, in all material respects, Old Fund’s financial condition at their respective dates in accordance with GAAP, and there are no known contingent liabilities of Old Fund required to be reflected on a balance sheet (including the notes thereto) in accordance with GAAP at either such date that are not disclosed therein;

     (i)     Since December 31, 2008, there has not been any material adverse change in Old Fund’s financial condition, assets, liabilities, or business, other than changes occurring in the ordinary course of business, or any incurrence by Old Fund of indebtedness maturing more than one year from the date that indebtedness was incurred; for purposes of this subparagraph, a decline in NAV per Old Fund Share due to declines in market values of securities Old Fund holds, the discharge of Old Fund liabilities, or the redemption of Old Fund Shares by its shareholders shall not constitute a material adverse change;

     (j)     All federal and other tax returns, dividend reporting forms, and other tax-related reports (collectively, “Returns”) of Old Fund required by law to have been filed by the Effective Time (including any properly and timely filed extensions of time to file) shall have been filed and are or will be correct in all material respects, and all federal and other taxes shown as due or required to be shown as due on those Returns shall have been paid or provision shall have been made for the payment thereof; to the best of Old Trust’s knowledge, no such Return is currently under audit and no assessment has been asserted with respect to those Returns; and Old Fund is in compliance in all material respects with applicable Regulations pertaining to the reporting of dividends and other distributions on and redemptions of its shares and to withholding in respect thereof and is not liable for any material penalties that could be imposed thereunder;

     (k)     For each taxable year of its operation (including its current taxable year), Old Fund has met (or for that year will meet) the requirements of Part I of Subchapter M of Chapter 1 of Subtitle A of the Code (“Subchapter M”) for qualification as a regulated investment company (“RIC”) and has been (or for that year will be) eligible to and has computed (or for that year will compute) its federal income tax under section 852; Old Fund has not at any time since its inception been liable for, and is not now liable for, any material income or excise tax pursuant to sections 852 or 4982; and Old Fund has no earnings and profits accumulated in any taxable year in which the provisions of Subchapter M did not apply to it;

     (l)     There are no outstanding Class C Old Fund Shares; all issued and outstanding Old Fund Shares are, and at the Effective Time will be, duly and validly issued and outstanding, fully paid, and non-assessable by Old Trust and have been offered and sold in every state and the District of Columbia in compliance in all material respects with applicable registration requirements of the 1933 Act and state securities laws; all issued and outstanding Old Fund Shares will, at the Effective Time, be held by the persons and in the amounts set forth on Old Fund’s shareholder records, as provided in paragraph 2.3; and Old Fund does not have outstanding any options, warrants, or other rights to subscribe for or purchase any Old Fund Shares, nor are there outstanding any securities convertible into any Old Fund Shares;

     (m)     Old Fund incurred the Liabilities, which are associated with the Assets, in the ordinary course of its business;

     (n)     At the Effective Time, Old Fund will not be under the jurisdiction of a court in a “title 11 or similar case” (as defined in section 368(a)(3)(A));

     (o)     Not more than 25% of the value of Old Fund’s total assets (excluding cash, cash items, and Government securities) is invested in the stock and securities of any one issuer, and not more than 50% of the value of those assets is invested in the stock and securities of five or fewer issuers;

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     (p)     Old Fund’s current prospectus and statement of additional information (1) conform in all material respects to the applicable requirements of the 1933 Act and the 1940 Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder and (2) at the date on which they were issued did not contain, and as supplemented by any supplement thereto dated prior to or at the Effective Time do not contain, any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading;

     (q)     The information to be furnished by Old Trust for use in no-action letters, applications for orders, registration statements, proxy materials, and other documents filed or to be filed with any federal, state, or local regulatory authority (including the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (“FINRA”)) that may be necessary in connection with the transactions contemplated herein shall be accurate and complete in all material respects and shall comply in all material respects with federal securities laws and other laws and regulations; and the Registration Statement (as defined in paragraph 3.3(a)) (other than written information provided by New Trust for inclusion therein) will, on its effective date, at the Effective Time, and at the time of the Shareholders Meeting (as defined in paragraph 4.1), not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading;

     (r)     The Old Trust Declaration permits Old Trust to vary its shareholders’ investment; and Old Trust does not have a fixed pool of assets -- it is a managed portfolio of securities, and CNL Manager and Old Fund’s investment sub-adviser have the authority to buy and sell securities for it;

     (s)     Old Fund’s investment operations from inception to the date hereof have been in compliance in all material respects with the investment policies and investment restrictions set forth in its prospectus, except as previously disclosed in writing to New Trust; and

     (t)     The New Fund Shares to be delivered hereunder are not being acquired for the purpose of making any distribution thereof, other than in accordance with the terms hereof.

     3.2     New Trust, on New Fund’s behalf, represents and warrants to Old Trust as follows:

     (a)     New Trust (1) is a trust operating under a written instrument or declaration of trust, the beneficial interest under which is divided into transferable shares, organized under the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts (commonly referred to as a “Massachusetts business trust”), (2) is duly registered under the 1940 Act as an open-end management investment company, (3) has the power to own all its properties and assets and to carry on its business as described in its current registration statement on Form N-1A, and (4) before January 1, 1997, New Trust “claimed” classification as an association taxable as a corporation and has never elected otherwise;

     (b)     At the Effective Time, New Fund will be a duly established and designated series of New Trust; New Fund has not commenced operations and will not do so until after the Closing; and, immediately before the Closing, New Fund will be a shell series of New Trust, without assets (except the amount paid for the Initial Shares if they have not already been redeemed by that time) or liabilities, created for the purpose of acquiring the Assets and assuming the Liabilities;

     (c)     The execution, delivery, and performance of this Agreement have been duly authorized at the date hereof by all necessary action on the part of New Trust’s Board; and this Agreement constitutes a valid and legally binding obligation of New Trust, with respect to New Fund, enforceable in accordance with its terms, subject to the effect of bankruptcy, insolvency,

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fraudulent transfer, reorganization, receivership, moratorium, and other laws affecting the rights and remedies of creditors generally and general principles of equity;

     (d)     Before the Closing, there will be no (1) issued and outstanding New Fund Shares, (2) options, warrants, or other rights to subscribe for or purchase any New Fund Shares, (3) securities convertible into any New Fund Shares, or (4) any other securities issued by New Fund, except the Initial Shares;

     (e)     No consideration other than New Fund Shares (and New Fund’s assumption of the Liabilities) will be issued in exchange for the Assets in the Reorganization;

     (f)     New Fund is not currently engaged in, and New Trust’s execution, delivery, and performance of this Agreement and consummation of the Reorganization will not result in, (1) a conflict with or material violation of any provision of Massachusetts law, New Trust’s Amended and Restated Declaration of Trust (“New Trust Declaration”), or By-Laws, or any Undertaking to which New Trust, on New Fund’s behalf, is a party or by which it is bound or (2) the acceleration of any obligation, or the imposition of any penalty, under any Undertaking, judgment, or decree to which New Trust, on New Fund’s behalf, is a party or by which it is bound;

     (g)     No litigation, administrative proceeding, action, or investigation of or before any court, governmental body, or arbitrator is presently pending or, to New Trust’s knowledge, threatened against New Trust, with respect to New Fund or any of its properties or assets attributable or allocable to New Fund, that, if adversely determined, would materially and adversely affect New Fund’s financial condition or the conduct of its business; and New Trust, on New Fund’s behalf, knows of no facts that might form the basis for the institution of any such litigation, proceeding, action, or investigation and is not a party to or subject to the provisions of any order, decree, judgment, or award of any court, governmental body, or arbitrator that materially and adversely affects New Fund’s business or New Trust’s ability to consummate the transactions contemplated hereby;

     (h)     New Fund will be a “fund” (as defined in section 851(g)(2)); it will meet the requirements of Subchapter M for qualification as a RIC, and will be eligible to and will compute its federal income tax under section 852, for its taxable year in which the Reorganization occurs; and it intends to continue to meet all those requirements, and to be eligible to and to so compute its federal income tax, for the next taxable year;

     (i)     The New Fund Shares to be issued and delivered to Old Fund, for the Shareholders’ accounts, pursuant to the terms hereof, (1) will at the Effective Time have been duly authorized and duly registered under the federal securities laws (and appropriate notices respecting them will have been duly filed under applicable state securities laws) and (2) when so issued and delivered, will be duly and validly issued and outstanding New Fund Shares and will be fully paid and non-assessable by New Trust;

     (j)     There is no plan or intention for New Fund to be dissolved or merged into another business or statutory trust or a corporation or any “fund” thereof (as defined in section 851(g)(2)) following the Reorganization;

     (k)     Assuming the truthfulness and correctness of Old Trust’s representation and warranty in paragraph 3.1(o), immediately after the Reorganization (1) not more than 25% of the value of New Fund’s total assets (excluding cash, cash items, and Government securities) will be invested in the stock and securities of any one issuer and (2) not more than 50% of the value of those assets will be invested in the stock and securities of five or fewer issuers;

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     (l)     The information to be furnished by New Trust for use in no-action letters, applications for orders, registration statements, proxy materials, and other documents filed or to be filed with any federal, state, or local regulatory authority (including FINRA) that may be necessary in connection with the transactions contemplated herein shall be accurate and complete in all material respects and shall comply in all material respects with federal securities laws and other laws and regulations; and the Registration Statement (other than written information provided by Old Trust for inclusion therein) will, on its effective date, at the Effective Time, and at the time of the Shareholders Meeting, not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; and

     (m)     The New Trust Declaration permits New Trust to vary its shareholders’ investment; and New Trust does not have a fixed pool of assets -- each series thereof (including New Fund after it commences operations) is (or will be) a managed portfolio of securities, and AmBeacon Manager and each investment sub-adviser thereof have (or will have) the authority to buy and sell securities for it.

     3.3     Each Investment Company (in New Trust’s case, on New Fund’s behalf), represents and warrants to the other Investment Company (in New Trust’s case, on New Fund’s behalf), as follows:

(a)     No governmental consents, approvals, authorizations, or filings are required under the 1933 Act, the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, the 1940 Act, or state securities laws, and no consents, approvals, authorizations, or orders of any court are required, for its execution or performance of this Agreement on its Fund’s behalf, except for (1) New Trust’s filing with the Commission of a registration statement on Form N-14 relating to the New Fund Shares issuable hereunder, and any supplement or amendment thereto, including therein a prospectus and proxy statement (“Registration Statement”), and (2) consents, approvals, authorizations, and filings that have been made or received or may be required after the Effective Time;

(b)     The fair market value of the New Fund Shares each Shareholder receives will be approximately equal to the fair market value of its Old Fund Shares it actually or constructively surrenders in exchange therefor;

(c)     The Shareholders will pay their own expenses (such as fees of personal investment or tax advisers for advice regarding the Reorganization), if any, incurred in connection with the Reorganization;

(d)     The fair market value of the Assets will equal or exceed the Liabilities to be assumed by New Fund and those to which the Assets are subject;

(e)     None of the compensation received by any Shareholder who or that is an employee of or service provider to Old Fund will be separate consideration for, or allocable to, any of the Old Fund Shares that Shareholder holds; none of the New Fund Shares any such Shareholder receives will be separate consideration for, or allocable to, any employment agreement, investment advisory agreement, or other service agreement; and the compensation paid to any such Shareholder will be for services actually rendered and will be commensurate with amounts paid to third parties bargaining at arm’s-length for similar services;

(f)     No expenses incurred by Old Fund or on its behalf in connection with the Reorganization will be paid or assumed by New Fund, CNL Manager, AmBeacon Manager, or any other third party unless those expenses are solely and directly related to the Reorganization (determined in accordance with the guidelines set forth in Rev. Rul. 73-54, 1973-1 C.B. 187) (“Reorganization Expenses”), and no cash or property other than New Fund Shares will be transferred to Old Fund or any of its shareholders with the intention that it be used to pay any expenses (even Reorganization Expenses) thereof; and

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(g)     Immediately following consummation of the Reorganization, (1) the Shareholders will own all the New Fund Shares and will own those shares solely by reason of their ownership of the Old Fund Shares immediately before the Reorganization and (2) New Fund will hold the same assets -- except for assets used to pay the Funds’ expenses incurred in connection with the Reorganization -- and be subject to the same liabilities that Old Fund held or was subject to immediately before the Reorganization, plus any liabilities for those expenses; and those excepted assets, together with the amount of all redemptions and distributions (other than regular, normal dividends) Old Fund makes immediately preceding the Reorganization, will, in the aggregate, constitute less than 1% of its net assets.

4.     COVENANTS

4.1     Old Trust covenants to call a meeting of Old Fund’s shareholders to consider and act on this Agreement and to take all other action necessary to obtain approval of the transactions contemplated hereby (“Shareholders Meeting”).

4.2     Old Trust covenants that it will assist New Trust in obtaining information New Trust reasonably requests concerning the beneficial ownership of Old Fund Shares.

4.3     Old Trust covenants that it will turn over its books and records pertaining to Old Fund (including all books and records required to be maintained under the 1940 Act and the rules and regulations thereunder) to New Trust at the Closing.

4.4     Each Investment Company covenants to cooperate with the other in preparing the Registration Statement in compliance with applicable federal and state securities laws.

4.5     Each Investment Company covenants that it will, from time to time, as and when requested by the other, execute and deliver or cause to be executed and delivered all assignments and other instruments, and will take or cause to be taken further action, the other Investment Company deems necessary or desirable in order to vest in, and confirm to, (a) New Trust, on New Fund’s behalf, title to and possession of all the Assets, and (b) Old Trust title to and possession of the New Fund Shares to be delivered hereunder, and otherwise to carry out the intent and purpose hereof.

4.6     New Trust covenants to use all reasonable efforts to obtain the approvals and authorizations required by the 1933 Act, the 1940 Act, and applicable state securities laws it deems appropriate to commence and continue New Fund’s operations after the Effective Time.

4.7     Subject to this Agreement, each Investment Company covenants to take or cause to be taken all actions, and to do or cause to be done all things, reasonably necessary, proper, or advisable to consummate and effectuate the transactions contemplated hereby.

5.     CONDITIONS PRECEDENT

Each Investment Company’s obligations hereunder shall be subject to (a) performance by the other Investment Company of all its obligations to be performed hereunder at or before the Closing, (b) all representations and warranties of the other Investment Company contained herein being true and correct in all material respects at the date hereof and, except as they may be affected by the transactions contemplated hereby, at the Effective Time, with the same force and effect as if made at that time, and (c) the following further conditions that, at or before that time:

5.1     This Agreement and the transactions contemplated hereby shall have been duly adopted and approved by both Boards and by Old Fund’s shareholders at the Shareholders Meeting;

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5.2     All necessary filings shall have been made with the Commission and state securities authorities, and no order or directive shall have been received that any other or further action is required to permit the Investment Companies to carry out the transactions contemplated hereby. The Registration Statement shall have become effective under the 1933 Act, no stop orders suspending the effectiveness thereof shall have been issued, and, to each Investment Company’s best knowledge, no investigation or proceeding for that purpose shall have been instituted or be pending, threatened, or contemplated under the 1933 Act or the 1940 Act. The Commission shall not have issued an unfavorable report with respect to the Reorganization under section 25(b) of the 1940 Act nor instituted any proceedings seeking to enjoin consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby under section 25(c) of the 1940 Act. All consents, orders, and permits of federal, state, and local regulatory authorities (including the Commission and state securities authorities) either Investment Company deems necessary to permit consummation, in all material respects, of the transactions contemplated hereby shall have been obtained, except where failure to obtain same would not involve a risk of a material adverse effect on either Fund’s assets or properties;

5.3     At the Effective Time, no action, suit, or other proceeding shall be pending (or, to either Investment Company’s best knowledge, threatened to be commenced) before any court, governmental agency, or arbitrator in which it is sought to enjoin the performance of, restrain, prohibit, affect the enforceability of, or obtain damages or other relief in connection with, the transactions contemplated hereby; provided that at any time before the Closing, either Investment Company may waive this condition if, in the judgment of its Board, that waiver will not have a material adverse effect on its Fund’s shareholders’ interests;

     5.4     The Investment Companies shall have received an opinion of K&L Gates LLP (“Counsel”) as to the federal income tax consequences mentioned below (“Tax Opinion”). In rendering the Tax Opinion, Counsel may rely as to factual matters, exclusively and without independent verification, on the representations and warranties made in this Agreement, which Counsel may treat as representations and warranties made to it, and in separate letters, if Counsel requests, addressed to it. The Tax Opinion shall be substantially to the effect that -- based on the facts and assumptions stated therein and conditioned on those representations and warranties’ being true and complete at the Effective Time and consummation of the Reorganization in accordance with this Agreement (without the waiver or modification of any terms or conditions hereof and without taking into account any amendment hereof that Counsel has not approved) -- for federal income tax purposes:

     (a)     New Fund’s acquisition of the Assets in exchange solely for New Fund Shares and its assumption of the Liabilities, followed by Old Fund’s distribution of those shares pro rata to the Shareholders actually or constructively in exchange for their Old Fund Shares, will qualify as a “reorganization” (as defined in section 368(a)(1)(F)), and each Fund will be “a party to a reorganization” (within the meaning of section 368(b));

     (b)     Old Fund will recognize no gain or loss on the transfer of the Assets to New Fund in exchange solely for New Fund Shares and New Fund’s assumption of the Liabilities or on the subsequent distribution of those shares to the Shareholders in exchange for their Old Fund Shares;

     (c)     New Fund will recognize no gain or loss on its receipt of the Assets in exchange solely for New Fund Shares and its assumption of the Liabilities;

     (d)     New Fund’s basis in each Asset will be the same as Old Fund’s basis therein immediately before the Reorganization, and New Fund’s holding period for each Asset will include Old Fund’s holding period therefor (except where New Fund’s investment activities have the effect of reducing or eliminating an Asset’s holding period);

     (e)     A Shareholder will recognize no gain or loss on the exchange of all its Old Fund Shares solely for New Fund Shares pursuant to the Reorganization;

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     (f)     A Shareholder’s aggregate basis in the New Fund Shares it receives in the Reorganization will be the same as the aggregate basis in its Old Fund Shares it actually or constructively surrenders in exchange for those New Fund Shares, and its holding period for those New Fund Shares will include, in each instance, its holding period for those Old Fund Shares, provided the Shareholder holds them as capital assets at the Effective Time; and

     (g)     For purposes of section 381, New Fund will be treated just as Old Fund would have been treated if there had been no Reorganization. Accordingly, the Reorganization will not result in the termination of Old Fund’s taxable year, Old Fund’s tax attributes enumerated in section 381(c) will be taken into account by New Fund as if there had been no Reorganization, and the part of Old Fund’s taxable year before the Reorganization will be included in New Fund’s taxable year after the Reorganization.

     Notwithstanding subparagraphs (b) and (d), the Tax Opinion may state that no opinion is expressed as to the effect of the Reorganization on the Funds or any Shareholder with respect to any Asset as to which any unrealized gain or loss is required to be recognized for federal income tax purposes at the end of a taxable year (or on the termination or transfer thereof) under a mark-to-market system of accounting;

     5.5     Before the Closing, New Trust’s Board shall have authorized the issuance of, and New Trust shall have issued, one Investor Class New Fund Share and one Class Y New Fund Share (“Initial Shares”) to AmBeacon Manager or an affiliate thereof, in consideration of the payment of $10.00 each (or other amount that Board determines), to vote on the investment management and sub-advisory contracts, distribution and service plan, and other agreements and plans referred to in paragraph 5.6 and to take whatever action it may be required to take as New Fund’s sole shareholder;

     5.6     New Trust, on New Fund’s behalf, shall have entered into, or adopted, as appropriate, an investment management contract, a sub-advisory contract, a distribution and service plan pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act, and other agreements and plans necessary for New Fund’s operation as a series of an open-end management investment company. Each such contract, plan, and agreement shall have been approved by New Trust’s Board and, to the extent required by law (as interpreted by Commission staff positions), by its trustees who are Non-Interested Persons thereof and by AmBeacon Manager or its affiliate as New Fund’s sole shareholder; and

     5.7     At any time before the Closing, either Investment Company may waive any of the foregoing conditions (except those set forth in paragraphs 5.1 and 5.4) if, in the judgment of its Board, such waiver will not have a material adverse effect on its Fund’s shareholders’ interests.

6.     EXPENSES

     Subject to complying with the representation contained in paragraph 3.3(f), each of CNL Manager and AmBeacon Manager shall bear 50% of the total Reorganization Expenses. The Reorganization Expenses include (1) costs associated with obtaining any necessary order of exemption from the 1940 Act, preparing and filing Old Fund’s prospectus supplements and the Registration Statement, and printing and distributing New Fund’s prospectus and Old Fund’s proxy materials, (2) legal and accounting fees, (3) Transfer Agent conversion costs, (4) transfer taxes for foreign securities, (5) proxy solicitation costs, and (6) expenses of holding the Shareholders Meeting (including any adjournments thereof) but exclude brokerage, CNL Manager and AmBeacon Manager travel expenses, and similar expenses in connection with the Reorganization. Notwithstanding the foregoing, expenses shall be paid by the Fund directly incurring them if and to the extent that the payment thereof by another person would result in that Fund’s disqualification as a RIC or would prevent the Reorganization from qualifying as a tax-free reorganization.


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7.     ENTIRE AGREEMENT; NO SURVIVAL

     Neither Investment Company has made any representation, warranty, or covenant not set forth herein, and this Agreement constitutes the entire agreement between the Investment Companies. The representations, warranties, and covenants contained herein or in any document delivered pursuant hereto or in connection herewith shall not survive the Closing.

8.     TERMINATION

     This Agreement may be terminated at any time at or before the Closing:

     8.1     By either Investment Company (a) in the event of the other Investment Company’s material breach of any representation, warranty, or covenant contained herein to be performed at or before the Closing, (b) if a condition to its obligations has not been met and it reasonably appears that that condition will not or cannot be met, (c) if a governmental body issues an order, decree, or ruling having the effect of permanently enjoining, restraining, or otherwise prohibiting consummation of the Reorganization, or (d) if the Closing has not occurred on or before March 31, 2010, or such other date as to which the Investment Companies agree; or

     8.2     By the Investment Companies’ mutual agreement. In the event of termination under paragraphs 8.1(c) or (d) or 8.2, neither Investment Company (nor its trustees, officers, or shareholders) shall have any liability to the other Investment Company.

9.     AMENDMENTS

     The Investment Companies may amend, modify, or supplement this Agreement at any time in any manner they mutually agree on in writing, notwithstanding Old Fund’s shareholders’ approval thereof; provided that, following that approval no such amendment, modification, or supplement shall have a material adverse effect on the Shareholders’ interests.

10.     SEVERABILITY

     Any term or provision hereof that is invalid or unenforceable in any jurisdiction shall, as to that jurisdiction, be ineffective to the extent of that invalidity or unenforceability without rendering invalid or unenforceable the remaining terms and provisions hereof or affecting the validity or enforceability of any of the terms and provisions hereof in any other jurisdiction.

11.     MISCELLANEOUS

     11.1     This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the internal laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, without giving effect to principles of conflicts of laws; provided that, in the case of any conflict between those laws and the federal securities laws, the latter shall govern.

     11.2     Nothing expressed or implied herein is intended or shall be construed to confer on or give any person, firm, trust, or corporation other than New Trust, on New Fund’s behalf, or Old Trust and their respective successors and assigns any rights or remedies under or by reason of this Agreement.

     11.3     Notice is hereby given that this instrument is executed and delivered on behalf of each Investment Company’s trustees solely in their capacities as trustees, and not individually, and that each Investment Company’s obligations under this instrument are not binding on or enforceable against any of its trustees, officers, shareholders, or series other than its Fund but are only binding on and enforceable against its property attributable to and held for the benefit of its Fund (“Fund’s Property”) and not its property attributable to and held for the benefit of any other series thereof. Each Investment Company, in asserting any rights or claims under this Agreement on its or its Fund’s behalf, shall look only to the other Fund’s Property in settlement of those rights or claims and not to the property of any other series of the other Investment Company or to those trustees, officers, or shareholders.

     11.4     This Agreement may be executed in one or more counterparts, all of which shall be

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considered one and the same agreement, and shall become effective when one or more counterparts have been executed by each Investment Company and delivered to the other Investment Company. The headings contained herein are for reference purposes only and shall not affect in any way the meaning or interpretation hereof.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, each party has caused this Agreement to be executed and delivered by its duly authorized officer as of the day and year first written above.

 

AMERICAN BEACON FUNDS, on behalf of its series, American Beacon Global Real Estate Fund

 

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Gene L. Needles, Jr.

 

 

Gene L. Needles, Jr.

 

 

President



 

THE CNL FUNDS

 

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Andrew A. Hyltin

 

 

Andrew A. Hyltin

 

 

President



Solely for purposes of paragraph 6,
CNL FUND ADVISORS COMPANY

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Andrew A. Hyltin

 

Andrew A. Hyltin

 

President



AMERICAN BEACON ADVISORS, INC.

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ William F. Quinn

 

William F. Quinn

 

Executive Chairman



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APPENDIX B

OWNERSHIP OF SHARES OF THE CNL FUND

As of the Record Date, the CNL Fund’s shareholders of record and/or beneficial owners (to the CNL Trust’s knowledge) who owned 5% or more of each class of the CNL Fund’s shares are set forth below:

       

Name and Address

Class

No. of Shares Owned

% of Shares

       
       
       


As of the Record Date, no shareholders may be deemed to “control” the CNL Fund. “Control” for this purpose is the ownership of more than 25% of the CNL Fund’s voting securities.

As of the Record Date, the Officers and Trustees of the CNL Trust, as a group, owned of record and beneficially less than 1.00% of the outstanding voting securities of the CNL Fund.

 

 

 

 

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APPENDIX C

VALUATION, PURCHASE, REDEMPTION AND TAX INFORMATION
FOR THE AB FUND

Valuation of AB Fund Shares

The price of the AB Fund’s shares is based on its net asset value (“NAV”) per share. The AB Fund’s NAV is computed by adding total assets, subtracting all of the AB Fund’s liabilities, and dividing the result by the total number of shares outstanding. Equity securities are valued based on market value. Debt securities (other than short-term securities) usually are valued on the basis of prices provided by a pricing service. In some cases, the price of debt securities is determined using quotes obtained from brokers.

Securities may be valued at fair value, as determined in good faith and pursuant to procedures approved by the AB Board, under certain limited circumstances. For example, fair value pricing will be used when market quotations are not readily available or reliable, as determined by the Manager, such as when (i) trading for a security is restricted or stopped; (ii) a security’s trading market is closed (other than customary closings); or (iii) a security has been de-listed from a national exchange. A security with limited market liquidity may require fair value pricing if the Manager determines that the available price does not reflect the security’s true market value. In addition, if a significant event that the Manager determines to affect the value of one or more securities held by the AB Fund occurs after the close of a related exchange but before the determination of the AB Fund’s NAV, fair value pricing may be used on the affected security or securities. Fair value pricing may be used by the AB Fund, and the AB Fund may hold securities requiring fair value pricing. The AB Fund may often fair value securities as a result of significant events occurring after the close of the foreign markets in which the AB Fund invests. In addition, the AB Fund may invest in illiquid securities requiring fair value pricing.

Attempts to determine the fair value of securities introduce an element of subjectivity to the pricing of securities. As a result, the price of a security determined through fair valuation techniques may differ from the price quoted or published by other sources and may not accurately reflect the market value of the security when trading resumes. If a reliable market quotation becomes available for a security formerly valued through fair valuation techniques, the Manager compares the new market quotation to the fair value price to evaluate the effectiveness of the AB Fund’s fair valuation procedures. If any significant discrepancies are found, the Manager may adjust the fair valuation procedures.

The NAV of the AB Fund’s shares will be determined based on a pro rata allocation of its investment income, expenses and total capital gains and losses. The AB Fund’s NAV per share is determined as of the close of the New York Stock Exchange (“Exchange”), generally 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time, on each day on which it is open for business. Because the AB Fund invests in securities primarily listed on foreign exchanges that trade on days when the AB Fund does not price its shares, the NAV per share of the AB Fund may change on days when shareholders will not be able to purchase or redeem the AB Fund’s shares.

Policy on Prohibition of Foreign Shareholders

     The AB Fund requires that all shareholders be U.S. persons with a valid U.S. taxpayer identification number to open an account with the AB Fund.

 
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Portfolio Holdings

     A description of the AB Fund’s policies and procedures with respect to the disclosure of portfolio securities is available in the AB Fund’s SAI, which can be found on the AB Fund’s website.

Redemptions In Kind

Although the AB Fund intends to redeem shares in cash, it reserves the right to pay the redemption price in whole or in part by a distribution of securities or other assets. However, shareholders always will be entitled to redeem shares for cash up to the lesser of $250,000 or 1% of the AB Fund’s net asset value during any 90-day period. Redemption in kind is not as liquid as cash redemption. In addition, to the extent that the AB Fund redeems its shares in this manner, the shareholder assumes the risk of a subsequent change in the market value of those securities, the cost of liquidating the securities and possibility of a lack of a liquid market for these securities.

Frequent Trading and Market Timing

     Frequent trading by a mutual fund’s shareholders poses risks to other shareholders in that fund, including (i) the dilution of the fund’s NAV, (ii) an increase in the fund’s expenses, and (iii) interference with the portfolio manager’s ability to execute efficient investment strategies. Frequent, short-term trading of fund shares in an attempt to profit from day-to-day fluctuations in the fund’s NAV is known as market timing. The AB Fund is particularly at risk for market timing activity. Please see “Market Timing Risk.”

The AB Board has adopted policies and procedures intended to discourage frequent trading and market timing. These policies include a 2% redemption fee imposed on shares of the AB Fund that are sold within 90 days of purchase. The redemption fee is described further in the “Redemption Policies” section. Shareholders may transact one “round trip” in the AB Fund in any rolling 90-day period. A “round trip” is defined as two transactions, each in an opposite direction. A round trip may involve (i) a purchase or exchange into the AB Fund followed by a redemption or exchange out of the AB Fund or (ii) a redemption or exchange out of the AB Fund followed by a purchase or exchange into the AB Fund. If the Manager detects that a shareholder has exceeded one round trip in the AB Fund in any rolling 90-day period, the Manager, without prior notice to the shareholder, will prohibit the shareholder from making further purchases of the AB Fund. In general, the AB Fund reserves the right to reject any purchase order, terminate the exchange privilege, or liquidate the account of any shareholder that the Manager determines has engaged in frequent trading or market timing, regardless of whether the shareholder’s activity violates any policy stated in the AB Fund’s prospectus.

The round-trip limit does not apply to the following transaction types:

  

shares acquired through the reinvestment of dividends and distributions;

 

 

 

 

systematic purchases and redemptions;

 

 

 

 

shares redeemed to return excess IRA contributions; or

 

 

 

 

certain transactions made within a retirement or employee benefit plan,  such as payroll contributions, minimum required distributions, loans, and hardship withdrawals, or other transactions that are initiated by a party other than the plan participant.

     

Financial intermediaries that offer AB Fund shares, such as broker-dealers, third party administrators of retirement plans, and trust companies, will be asked to enforce the AB Fund’s policies to discourage frequent trading and market timing by investors. However, certain intermediaries that offer

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the AB Fund’s shares have informed American Beacon that they are currently unable to enforce its policies on an automated basis. In those instances, the Manager will monitor trading activity of the intermediary in an attempt to detect patterns of activity that indicate frequent trading or market timing by underlying investors. In some cases, intermediaries that offer the AB Fund’s shares have their own policies to deter frequent trading and market timing that differ from the AB Fund’s policies. The AB Fund may defer to an intermediary’s policies. For more information, please contact the financial intermediary through which you invest in the AB Fund.

The Manager monitors trading activity in the AB Fund to attempt to identify shareholders engaged in frequent trading or market timing. The Manager may exclude transactions below a certain dollar amount from monitoring and may change that dollar amount from time to time. The ability of the Manager to detect frequent trading and market timing activity by investors who own shares through an intermediary is dependent upon the intermediary’s provision of information necessary to identify transactions by the underlying investors. The AB Fund has entered agreements with the intermediaries that service the AB Fund’s investors, pursuant to which the intermediaries agree to provide information on investor transactions to the AB Fund and to act on the AB Fund’s instructions to restrict transactions by investors who the Manager has identified as having violated the AB Fund’s policies and procedures to deter frequent trading and market timing. Wrap programs offered by certain intermediaries may be designated “Qualified Wrap Programs” by the AB Fund based on specific criteria established by the AB Fund and a certification by the intermediary that the criteria has been met. A Qualified Wrap Program is: (i) a wrap program whose sponsoring intermediary certifies that it has investment discretion over $50 million or more in client assets invested in mutual funds at the time of the certification, (ii) a wrap program whose sponsoring intermediary certifies that it directs transactions in accounts participating in the wrap program(s) in concert with changes in a model portfolio; (iii) managed by an intermediary that agrees to provide the Manager a description of the wrap program(s) that the intermediary seeks to qualify; and (iv) managed by an intermediary that agrees to provide the Manager sufficient information to identify individual accounts in the intermediary’s wrap program(s). For purposes of applying the round-trip limit, transactions initiated by clients invested in a Qualified Wrap Program will not be matched to transactions initiated by the intermediary sponsoring the Qualified Wrap Program. For example, a client’s purchase of the AB Fund followed within 90 days by the intermediary’s redemption of the AB Fund would not be considered a round trip. However, transactions initiated by a Qualified Wrap Program client are subject to the round-trip limit and will be matched to determine if the client has exceeded the round-trip limit. In addition, the Manager will monitor transactions initiated by Qualified Wrap Program intermediaries to determine whether any intermediary has engaged in frequent trading or market timing. If the Manager determines that an intermediary has engaged in activity that is harmful to the AB Fund, the Manager will revoke the intermediary’s Qualified Wrap Program status. Upon termination of status as a Qualified Wrap Program, all account transactions will be matched for purposes of testing compliance with the AB Fund’s frequent trading and market timing policies, including any applicable redemption fees.

Your CNL Fund shares purchase date(s) will carry over to the AB Fund for purposes of determining whether or not an early redemption fee applies. The AB Fund early redemption fee of 2% will apply, if applicable to your particular situation.

The AB Fund reserves the right to modify the frequent trading and market timing policies and procedures and grant or eliminate waivers to such policies and procedures at any time without advance notice to shareholders. There can be no assurance that the AB Fund’s policies and procedures to deter frequent trading and market timing will have the intended effect nor that the Manager will be able to detect frequent trading and market timing.

Purchase and Redemption of AB Fund Shares

YOUR ACCOUNT

How to Contact the AB Fund

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Write to us at:
American Beacon Global Real Estate Fund
P.O. Box 219643
Kansas City, MO 64121-9643
  

Telephone us at:
(800) 658-5811 (toll free)
  

Email us at:
american_beacon.funds@ambeacon.com

Visit us online at:
www.americanbeaconfunds.com

Wire investments (or ACH payments) to:

If your account has been established, you may call (800) 658-5811 to purchase shares by wire or through Automated Clearing House Automated Clearing House (“ACH”).
Wires should be sent with these instructions:

•     ABA # 0110-0002-8; AC-9905-342-3

•     Attn: American Beacon Funds - _____ Class

•     the Fund name and Fund number, and

•     shareholder’s account number and registration.

Eligibility

Investor Class shares are offered to all investors, including investors using intermediary organizations such as discount brokers or plan sponsors and retirement accounts who make an initial investment of $2,500.
Y Class shares are offered without a sales charge to investors who make an initial investment of at least $100,000, including:


     agents or fiduciaries acting on behalf of their clients (such as employee benefit plans, personal trusts and other accounts for which a trust company or financial advisor acts as agent or fiduciary);

     endowment funds and charitable foundations;

     employee welfare plans that are tax-exempt under Section 501(c)(9) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (“Code”);

     qualified pension and profit sharing plans;

     cash and deferred arrangements under Section 401(k) of the Code;

     corporations; and

     other investors who make an initial investment of at least $100,000.

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The Manager may allow a reasonable period of time after opening an account for an investor to meet the initial investment requirement. In addition, for investors such as trust companies and financial advisors who make investments for a group of clients, the minimum initial investment can be met through an aggregated purchase order for more than one client.

Opening an Account

A completed, signed application is required to open an account. You may obtain an application form by:

•     calling (800) 658-5811, or

•     downloading an account application from the AB Fund’s web site at www.americanbeaconfunds.com.

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, we will ask for information that will allow us to identify you. Non-public corporations and other entities may be required to provide articles of incorporation, trust or partnership agreements, tax ID numbers, and Social Security numbers for persons authorized to provide instructions on the account. The AB Fund is required by law to reject your new account application if the required identifying information is not provided.

Complete the application, sign it and:

Mail to:

or Fax to:

American Beacon Funds
P.O. Box 219643
Kansas City, MO 64121-9643

(816) 374-7408



General Policies

If a shareholder’s account balance in the AB Fund falls below $2,500 or $25,000 for Investor Class and Y Class, respectively, the shareholder may be asked to increase the balance. If the account balance remains below these amounts after 45 days, the AB Fund reserves the right to close the account and send the proceeds to the shareholder. The Manager reserves the right to charge shareholders of the Investor Class an annual account fee of $12.00 (to offset the costs of servicing account with low balances) if an account balance falls below certain asset levels. Additionally, IRA accounts will be charged an annual maintenance fee of $12.00 by the custodian for maintaining either a traditional IRA or a Roth IRA.

A Signature Validation Program (“SVP”) stamp guarantee may be required in order to change an account’s registration or banking instructions. You may obtain a SVP stamp at banks, broker-dealers and credit unions, but not from a notary public. The SVP stamp is analogous to the STAMP 2000 Medallion guarantee in that it is provided at similar institutions. However, it is used only for non-financial transactions.

The following policies apply to instructions you may provide to the AB Fund by telephone:

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The AB Fund, its officers, trustees, employees, or agents are not responsible for the authenticity of instructions provided by telephone, nor for any loss, liability, cost or expense incurred for acting on them.

The AB Fund employs procedures reasonably designed to confirm that instructions communicated by telephone are genuine.
Due to the volume of calls or other unusual circumstances, telephone redemptions may be difficult to implement during certain time periods.
      
The AB Fund reserves the right to:
     
liquidate a shareholder’s account at the current day’s NAV and remit proceeds via check if the AB Fund is unable to verify the shareholder’s identity within three business days of account opening,
seek reimbursement from the shareholder for any related loss incurred by the AB Fund if payment for the purchase of AB Fund shares by check does not clear the shareholder’s bank, and
reject a purchase order and seek reimbursement from the shareholder for any related loss incurred by the AB Fund if funds are not received by the applicable wire deadline.


The AB Fund has authorized certain third party financial intermediaries, such as broker-dealers, third party administrators and trust companies, to receive purchase and redemption orders on behalf of AB Fund and to designate other intermediaries to receive purchase and redemption orders on behalf of the AB Fund. The AB Fund is deemed to have received such orders when they are received by the financial intermediaries or their designees. Thus, an order to purchase or sell AB Fund shares will be priced at the AB Fund’s next determined NAV after receipt by the financial intermediary or its designee.

The AB Fund pays administrative and/or shareholder servicing fees to the Manager that the Manager may use to compensate financial intermediaries for providing recordkeeping, administrative, and other services. The Manager may also make revenue sharing payments out of its own resources and not as an expense of the AB Fund to compensate financial intermediaries in connection with the sale, distribution, retention, and/or servicing of AB Fund shares. These payments are in addition to any fees paid to intermediaries out of the AB Fund’s assets that are included in the AB Fund’s Fees and Expenses table, such as distribution (Rule 12b-1) fees and shareholder servicing fees. Payments by the Manager to financial intermediaries may create an incentive for such intermediaries or their employees to recommend or sell shares to you. These payments are described in more detail in the AB Fund’s Statement of Additional Information.

Third parties who offer AB Fund shares may charge transaction fees and may set different minimum investments or limitations on purchasing or redeeming shares.

Purchase Policies

Shares of the AB Fund are offered and purchase orders are typically accepted until 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time or the close of the New York Stock Exchange (whichever comes first) on each day on which the Exchange is open for business. the deadlines listed below on each day on which the Exchange is open for business.

If a purchase order is received in good order prior to the AB Fund’s deadline, the purchase price will be the NAV per share next determined on that day. If a purchase order is received in good order after

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the applicable deadline, the purchase price will be the NAV per share of the following day that the AB Fund is open for business. The AB Fund has the right to reject any purchase order or cease offering shares at any time. Checks to purchase shares are accepted subject to collection at full face value in U.S. funds and must be drawn in U.S. dollars on a U.S. bank. The AB Fund will not accept “starter” checks, credit card checks, money orders, cashier’s checks, official checks, or third party checks. No sales charges are assessed on the purchase or sale of AB Fund shares.

Please refer to the section titled “Limitation on Frequent Purchases and Redemptions” for information on the AB Fund’s policies regarding frequent purchases, redemptions, and exchanges.

Redemption Policies

Shares of the AB Fund may be redeemed by telephone, via the AB Fund’s website, or by mail on any day that the AB Fund is open for business. The redemption price will be the NAV next determined after a redemption request is received in good order. In order to receive the redemption price calculated on a particular business day, redemption requests must be received in good order by 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time or by the close of the Exchange (whichever comes first). For assistance with completing a redemption request, please call (800) 658-5811.

Wire proceeds from redemption requests received in good order by 4:00 p.m. Eastern time or by the close of the Exchange (whichever comes first) are generally transmitted to shareholders on the next day the AB Fund is open for business. In any event, proceeds from a redemption request will typically be transmitted to a shareholder by no later than seven days after the receipt of a redemption request in good order. Delivery of proceeds from shares purchased by check may be delayed until the check has cleared, which may take up to ten days.

A redemption fee of 2% will be deducted from your redemption amount when you sell shares of the AB Fund that you have owned for less than 90 days. The redemption fee is paid to the AB Fund and is intended to discourage frequent trading and market timing. If you purchased shares on multiple dates, the shares you have held the longest will be redeemed first for purpose of assessing the redemption fee. The redemption fee does not apply to:

shares acquired through the reinvestment of dividends and distributions;
shares acquired through payroll contributions to a retirement or employee benefit plan;
shares redeemed through systematic redemption plans;
shares redeemed to return excess IRA contributions;
certain redemption transactions made within a retirement or employee benefit plan, such as minimum required distributions, loans and hardship withdrawals, or other transactions that are initiated by a party other than the plan participant; or
redemption transactions made within a “Qualified Wrap Program” as defined in the section titled “Frequent Trading and Market Timing.”


For more information on the redemption fee, including how the fee applies to investors who own shares through financial intermediaries, such as broker-dealers, third party administrators of retirement plans, and trust companies, please see the section titled “Limitations on Frequent Purchases and Redemptions.”

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The AB Fund reserves the right to suspend redemptions or postpone the date of payment for more than seven days (i) when the Exchange is closed (other than for customary weekend and holiday closings); (ii) when trading on the Exchange is restricted; (iii) when the SEC determines that an emergency exists so that disposal of the AB Fund’s investments or determination of its NAV is not reasonably practicable; or (iv) by order of the SEC for protection of the AB Fund’s shareholders.

Although the AB Fund intends to redeem shares in cash, it reserves the right to pay the redemption price in whole or in part by a distribution of securities or other assets held by the AB Fund or its portfolio. To the extent that the AB Fund redeems its shares in this manner, the shareholder assumes the risk of a subsequent change in the market value of those securities, the cost of liquidating the securities and the possibility of a lack of a liquid market for those securities.

Please refer to the section titled “Limitations on Frequent Purchases and Redemptions” for information on the AB Fund’s policies regarding frequent purchases, redemptions, and exchanges.

Exchange Policies

Shares of the Investor Class of the AB Fund may be exchanged for shares of the Investor Class of another American Beacon Fund under certain limited circumstances. Shares of the Y Class of any Fund may be exchanged for shares of the Y Class of another American Beacon Fund under certain limited circumstances. Since an exchange involves a concurrent purchase and redemption, please review the sections titled “Purchase Policies” and “Redemption Policies” for additional limitations that apply to purchases and redemptions. To exchange out of the AB Fund and into another, a shareholder must have owned shares of the redeeming AB Fund for at least 15 days if shares of the redeeming AB Fund were purchased by check. The minimum investment requirement must be met for the American Beacon Fund into which the shareholder is exchanging. AB Fund shares may be acquired through exchange only in states in which they can be legally sold. The AB Fund reserves the right to charge a fee and to modify or terminate the exchange privilege at any time.

Please refer to the section titled “Frequent Trading and Market Timing” for information on the AB Fund’s policies regarding frequent purchases, redemptions, and exchanges.

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How to Purchase Investor Class Shares

How to Purchase Y Class Shares

By Check

•       The minimum amount to open an account is $2,500. The minimum amount for subsequent investments by check is $50.

•       Make check payable to the American Beacon Funds.

•       Include the shareholder’s account number, Fund name, and Fund number on the check.

•       Mail check to:
American Beacon Funds
P.O. Box 219643
Kansas City, MO 64121-9643

By Check

•      The minimum amount to open an account is $100,000.

•       Make check payable to the American Beacon Funds.

•       Include the shareholder’s account number, Fund name, and Fund number on the check.

•       Mail check to:
American Beacon Funds
P.O. Box 219643
Kansas City, MO 64121-9643

By Wire

If your account has been established, you may call (800) 658-5811 to purchase shares by wire. The minimum amount to open an account is $2,500. The minimum amount for subsequent investments by wire is $500. Send a bank wire to State Street Bank and Trust Co. with these instructions:

•       ABA# 0110-0002-8; AC-9905-342-3,

•       Attn: American Beacon Funds-Investor Class,

•       the Fund name and Fund number, and

•       shareholder’s account number and registration.

By Wire

If your account has been established, you may call (800) 658-5811 to purchase shares by wire. The minimum amount to open an account is $ 100,000. The minimum amount for subsequent investments by wire is $500. Send a bank wire to State Street Bank and Trust Co. with these instructions:

•       ABA# 0110-0002-8; AC-9905-342-3,

•       Attn: American Beacon Funds-Y Class,

•       the Fund name and Fund number, and

•        shareholder’s account number and registration.

Via “My Account” on www.americanbeaconfunds.com

•       Funds will be transferred automatically from your bank account via Automated Clearing House ( “ACH”) if valid bank instructions were included on your application. If not, please call 1 (800) 658-5811 to establish bank instructions prior to the purchase.

•        The minimum amount for each subsequent investment is $50.

Via “My Account” on www.americanbeaconfunds.com

You may purchase Y Class shares via wire transfer or ACH by selecting “My Account” on www.americanbeaconfunds.com.



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How to Purchase Investor Class Shares

How to Purchase Y Class Shares

By Pre-Authorized Automatic Investment

•       The minimum account size of $2,500 must be met before establishing an automatic investment plan.

•       Fill in required information on the account application, including amount of automatic investment ($50 minimum). Attach a voided check to the account application.

•       You may also establish an automatic investment plan through www.americanbeaconfunds.com.

•       Funds will be transferred automatically from your bank account via ACH on or about the 5th day of each month or quarter, depending upon which periods you specify. If you establish your automatic investment plan through www.americanbeaconfunds.com, you can choose the date and frequency of transfer.

N/A

By Exchange

•      Send a written request to the address above, call (800) 658-5811 and use the Automated Voice Response System or speak to a representative, or visit www.americanbeaconfunds.com.

•       A $2,500 minimum is required to establish a new account in the Investor Class of another American Beacon Fund by making an exchange.

•       The minimum amount for each exchange is $50.

By Exchange

Send a written request to the address above, visit www.americanbeaconfunds.com or call (800) 658-5811 to exchange Y Class shares.



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How to Redeem Investor Class Shares

How to Redeem Y Class Shares

By Telephone

•       Call (800) 658-5811 to request a redemption.

•       Telephone redemption orders are limited to $50,000 within any 30 day period.

•       Proceeds will generally be mailed only to the account address of record or transmitted by wire ($500 minimum) to a commercial bank account designated on the account application form.

By Telephone

•       Call (800) 658-5811 to request a redemption.

•       Proceeds from redemptions placed by telephone will generally be transmitted by wire only, as instructed on the application form.

By Mail

Write a letter of instruction including:

•      the Fund name and Fund number,

•      shareholder account number,

•       shares or dollar amount to be redeemed, and

•       authorized signature(s) of all persons required to sign for the account.

•        Mail to:
American Beacon Funds
P.O. Box 219643
Kansas City, MO 64121-9643

•       Proceeds will only be mailed to the account address of record or transmitted by wire ($500 minimum) to a commercial bank account designated on the account application form.

To protect the AB Fund and your account from fraud, a STAMP 2000 Medallion signature guarantee is required for redemption orders:

•       with a request to send the proceeds to an address or commercial bank account other than the address or commercial bank account designated on the account application, or

•       for an account whose address has changed within the last 30 days if proceeds are sent by check.

By Mail

Write a letter of instruction including:

•       the Fund name and Fund number,

•       shareholder account number,

•       shares or dollar amount to be redeemed, and

•       authorized signature(s) of all persons required to sign for the account.

•        Mail to:
American Beacon Funds
P.O. Box 219643
Kansas City, MO 64121-9643

•       Other supporting documents may be required for estates, trusts, guardianships, custodians, corporations, and welfare, pension and profit sharing plans. Call (800) 658-5811 for instructions.

•       Proceeds will only be mailed to the account address of record or transmitted by wire to a commercial bank account designated on the account application form.

To protect the AB Fund and your account from fraud, a STAMP 2000 Medallion signature guarantee is required for redemption orders:

•       with a request to send the proceeds to an address or commercial bank account other than the address or commercial bank account designated on the account application, or



C-11

How to Redeem Investor Class Shares

How to Redeem Y Class Shares

The AB Fund only accepts STAMP 2000 Medallion signature guarantees, which may be obtained at most banks, broker-dealers and credit unions. A notary public can not provide a signature guarantee. Call (800) 658-5811 for instructions and further assistance.

•       for an account requesting payment by check whose address has changed within the last 30 days.

The AB Fund only accepts STAMP 2000 Medallion signature guarantees, which may be obtained at most banks, broker-dealers and credit unions. A notary public can not provide a signature guarantee. Call (800) 658-5811 for instructions and further assistance.

Via “My Account” on www.americanbeaconfunds.com

•       Proceeds will only be mailed to the account address of record, transmitted by wire to a commercial bank account designated on the account application form or transferred via ACH to your bank account as designated on the account application form.

•       If bank instructions were not included on the account application form, please call (800) 658-5811 to establish bank instructions.

•       The minimum amount is $500 for a wire and $50 for a check or ACH.

Via “My Account” on www.americanbeaconfunds.com

If you have established bank instructions for your account, you may request a redemption by selecting “My Account” on www.americanbeaconfunds.com. To establish bank instructions, please call (800) 658-5811.

By Pre-Authorized Automatic Redemption

•       Fill in required information on the account application or establish via www.americanbeaconfunds.com ($50 minimum).

•       Proceeds will be transferred automatically from your Fund account to your bank account via ACH on or about the 15th day of each month. If you establish automatic redemption through www.americanbeaconfunds.com, you can choose the date and frequency of transfer.

N/A

By Exchange

•        Send a written request to the address

By Exchange

Send a written request to the address above, visit



C-12

How to Redeem Investor Class Shares

How to Redeem Y Class Shares

         above, call (800) 658-5811 and use the Automated Voice Response System or speak to a representative, or visit www.americanbeaconfunds.com.

•       A $2,500 minimum is required to establish a new account in the Investor Class of another American Beacon Fund by making an exchange.

•       The minimum amount for each exchange is $50.

www.americanbeaconfunds.com or call (800) 658-5811 to exchange shares.



Tax Information

The AB Fund generally intends to operate in a manner such that it will not be liable for federal income or excise taxes.

You will generally be taxed on the AB Fund’s distributions, regardless of whether you reinvest them in additional Fund shares or receive them in cash. The AB Fund’s distributions of net investment income (including net short-term capital gain) are taxable to you as ordinary income. The AB Fund’s distributions of net capital gain (i.e., the excess of net long-term capital gain over net short-term capital loss), if any, are taxable to you as long-term capital gain, regardless of how long you have held your shares. Distributions may also be subject to state and local income taxes. Some Fund distributions may also include nontaxable returns of capital. Return of capital distributions reduce your tax basis in your Fund shares and are treated as gain from the sale of the shares to the extent your basis would be reduced below zero.

A portion of the AB Fund’s distributions may be treated as “qualified dividend income,” taxable to individuals at a maximum federal income tax rate of 15% (0% for individuals in lower tax brackets) through 2010. A distribution is treated as qualified dividend income to the extent that the AB Fund receives dividend income from taxable domestic corporations and certain qualified foreign corporations, provided that certain holding period and other requirements are met by the AB Fund (with respect to the portfolio securities on which it receives the dividends) and the shareholder (with respect to its Fund shares). The AB Fund’s distribution of dividends that it receives from REIT’s generally do not constitute qualified dividend income.

A distribution reduces the NAV of the AB Fund’s shares by the amount of the distribution. If you purchase shares prior to a distribution of net capital gain or net investment income, you are taxed on the distribution even though it represents a return of your investment.

The sale (redemption) of AB Fund shares is a taxable transaction for federal income tax purposes. You will recognize a gain or loss on such a transaction equal to the difference, if any, between the amount of your net redemption proceeds and your tax basis in the AB Fund shares. Such gain or loss will be capital gain or loss if you held your Fund shares as capital assets. Any capital gain or loss will generally be treated as long-term capital gain or loss if you held the AB Fund shares for more than one year at the time of the sale. Any capital loss arising from the sale of shares held for six months or less, however, will

C-13

be treated as long-term capital loss to the extent of the amount of net capital gain distributions with respect to those shares.

The AB Fund will be required to withhold federal income tax at a 28% rate on all distributions of net capital gain or net investment income and redemption proceeds (regardless of whether you realize a gain or loss) otherwise payable to you if you fail to provide the AB Fund with your correct taxpayer identification number or, with respect to those distributions, if you fail to make required certifications or if you have been notified by the Internal Revenue Service that you are subject to backup withholding. Backup withholding is not an additional tax. Rather, any amounts withheld may be credited against your federal income tax liability.

Investment income the AB Fund receives from sources within foreign countries may be subject to foreign income taxes withheld at the source.

The AB Fund will mail you a statement containing information about the income tax status of distributions paid during a calendar year soon after December 31 of that year. For further information about the tax effects of investing in the AB Fund, including state and local tax matters, please see the SAI and consult your tax adviser.

Dividends and other Distributions of AB Fund Shares

     The AB Fund declares dividends from net investment income and pays them annually. Any net capital gain and net gains from foreign currency transactions the AB Fund realizes are distributed at least annually.

     Most investors have their dividends and capital gain distributions from a fund reinvested in additional shares of the same class of the fund. If you choose this option, or if you do not indicate any choice, your dividends and capital gain distributions will be reinvested in additional AB Fund shares. Alternatively, you may choose to have your dividends and capital gain distributions mailed to you or sent directly to your bank account. If you do not elect to have the proceeds reinvested, and the dividend or distribution amount is less than $10, your proceeds will be automatically reinvested. If five or more of your dividend and capital gain distribution checks remain uncashed after 180 days, all subsequent dividends and capital gain distributions may be reinvested. For federal income tax purposes, dividends and capital gain distributions are treated the same whether they are received in cash or reinvested.

Master-Feeder Structure

     Under a master-feeder structure, a “feeder” fund invests all of its investable assets in a “master” fund with the same investment objective. The “master” fund purchases securities for investment. The master-feeder structure works as follows:

(MASTER-FEEDER STRUCTURE CHART)

     Each Master-Feeder Fund can withdraw its investment in its corresponding portfolio at any time if the Board of Trustees determines that it is in the best interest of the Fund and its shareholders to do so. A change in a portfolio’s fundamental objective, policies and restrictions, which is not approved by the shareholders of its corresponding Fund, could require that Fund to redeem its interest in the portfolio. Any such redemption could result in a distribution in kind of portfolio securities (as opposed to a cash distribution) by the portfolio. Should such a distribution occur, that Fund could incur brokerage fees or other transaction costs in converting such securities to cash. In addition, a distribution in kind could result in a less diversified portfolio of investments for that Fund and could affect adversely the liquidity of the

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Fund. If a Master-Feeder Fund withdraws its investment in its corresponding portfolio, the Fund’s assets will be invested directly in investment securities or in another master fund, according to the investment policies and restrictions described in this Prospectus.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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APPENDIX D

FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS OF THE AB FUND

     The AB Fund will adopt the financial statements of the CNL Fund. The financial highlights table is intended to help you understand the CNL Fund’s financial performance for the past five (5) years, or, if shorter, the period of the Fund’s operation. Certain information reflects financial results for a single Fund share. The total returns in the table represent the rate that an investor would have earned (or lost) on an investment in the CNL Fund (assuming reinvestment of all dividends and other distributions).

This information below has been audited by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, whose report, along with the CNL Fund’s financial statements, is included in the CNL Fund’s annual report, which is available upon request.

Class A Shares of the CNL Fund

       

Year ended December 31,

2008

2007a

Selected Per Share Data

       

Net asset value, beginning of year

$

8.64

    $

10.00

Income (loss) from investment operations:

       

Net investment income (loss)b

 

0.10

 

0.07

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investment transactions

 

(4.06)

 

(1.35)

Total from investment operations

 

(3.96)

 

(1.28)

Less distributions from:

       

Net investment income

 

(0.07)

 

(0.08)

Total distributions to shareholders

 

(0.07)

 

(0.08)

Redemption Fees

 

0.00

c

Net asset value, end of year

$

4.61

 $

8.64

Total Return (%)d

 

(45.91)

 

(12.77)e

Ratios to Average Net Assets and Supplemental Data

       

Net Assets, End of Year (000s)

$

1,241

$

61

Ratio of expenses before expense waiver/reimbursement (%)

 

4.99

 

29.19f

Ratio of expenses after expense waiver/reimbursement (%)

 

1.80

 

1.80f

Ratio of net investment income (loss) (%)g

 

1.69

 

4.30f

Portfolio turnover rate (%)

 

25

 

6e


(a)

For the period from October 26, 2007 (commencement of operations) to December 31, 2007.

(b) Per share amounts have been calculated using the average shares method.
(c) Amount is less than $0.005 per share.
(d) Does not reflect sales charges, which would reduce return.
(e) Not annualized.

(f)

Annualized.

(g)

Differences between classes are impacted by the timing of subscriptions and the timing of dividend income earned by the Fund.



D-1

Institutional Class Shares of the CNL Fund

       

Year ended December 31,

2008

2007a

Selected Per Share Data

       

Net asset value, beginning of year

$

8.64

$

10.00

Income (loss) from investment operations:

       

Net investment income (loss)b

 

0.13

 

0.04

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investment transactions

 

(4.06)

 

(1.31)

Total from investment operations

 

(3.93)

 

(1.27)

Less distributions from:

       

Net investment income

 

(0.09)

 

(0.09)

Total distributions to shareholders

 

(0.09)

 

(0.09)

Redemption Fees

 

0.00

c

Net asset value, end of year

$

4.62

$

8.64

Total Return (%)

 

(45.66)

 

(12.73)d

Ratios to Average Net Assets and Supplemental Data

       

Net Assets, End of Year (000s)

$

26,880

$

4,517

Ratio of expenses before expense waiver/reimbursement (%)

 

5.49

 

28.94e

Ratio of expenses after expense waiver/reimbursement (%)

 

1.55

 

1.55e

Ratio of net investment income (loss) (%)f

 

2.09

 

2.45e

Portfolio turnover rate (%)

 

25

 

6d



(a)

For the period from October 26, 2007 (commencement of operations) to December 31, 2007.

(b) Per share amounts have been calculated using the average shares method.
(c) Amount is less than $0.005 per share.
(d) Not annualized.
(e)

Annualized.

(f)

Differences between classes are impacted by the timing of subscriptions and the timing of dividend income earned by the Fund.

 


D-2


 American Beacon Funds
American Beacon Global Real Estate Fund

Investor Class Shares (TICKER)
Y Class Shares (TICKER)


American Beacon Funds
P.O. Box 219643
Kansas City, MO 64121-9643
1 (800) 658-5811

January __, 2010

This Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”) is not a prospectus and it should be read in conjunction with the Combined Proxy Statement and Prospectus dated January__, 2010 (the “Proxy/Prospectus”), for the Special Meeting of Shareholders of the CNL Global Real Estate Fund, (the “CNL Fund”) the sole series of The CNL Funds, a Delaware statutory trust, to be held on January 22, 2010. A copy of the Proxy/Prospectus is available by calling the above number.

 
TABLE OF CONTENTS

 
Organization and History of the Fund
 
Non-Principal Investment Strategies and Risks
 
Investment Restrictions
 
Temporary Defensive Position
 
Portfolio Turnover
 
Disclosure of Portfolio Holdings
 
Trustees and Officers of the Trust
 
Code of Ethics
 
Proxy Voting Policies
 
Control Persons and 5% Shareholders
 
Investment Advisory Agreements
 
Management, Administrative and Distribution Services
 
Other Service Providers
 
Portfolio Managers
 
Portfolio Securities Transactions
 
Redemptions in Kind
 
Tax Information
 
Description of the Trust
 
Financial Statements
 
Other Information
 
Appendix A: Proxy Voting Policy and Procedures for the Trust
A-1
Appendix B: Proxy Voting Policy and Procedures for the Sub-Adviser
B-1


 
1

 

ORGANIZATION AND HISTORY OF THE FUND
 
The Fund is a separate investment portfolio of the American Beacon Funds (the “Trust”), a no-load, open-end management investment company organized as a Massachusetts business trust on January 16, 1987, and is managed by American Beacon Advisors, Inc. (the “Manager”). The Fund constitutes a separate investment portfolio with a distinct investment objective, purpose and strategy and is diversified.  The Fund is comprised of two classes of shares designed to meet the needs of different groups of investors – Investor Class and Y Class.

NON-PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES AND RISKS
 
In addition to the investment strategies described in the Prospectuses, the Fund may:

Invest up to 20% of its total assets in debt securities that are investment grade at the time of purchase, including obligations of the U.S. Government, its agencies and instrumentalities, corporate debt securities, mortgage-backed securities, asset-backed securities, master-demand notes, Yankeedollar and Eurodollar bank certificates of deposit, time deposits, bankers’ acceptances, commercial paper and other notes, inflation-indexed securities, and other debt securities. Investment grade securities include securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government, its agencies and instrumentalities, as well as securities rated in one of the four highest rating categories by at least two nationally recognized statistical rating organizations (“Rating Organizations”) rating that security, such as Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services (“Standard & Poor’s”) or Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. (“Moody’s”), or rated in one of the four highest rating categories by one Rating Organization if it is the only Rating Organization rating that security. Obligations rated in the fourth highest rating category are limited to 25% of of the Fund’s debt allocations. The Fund, at the discretion of the Manager or the Sub-Adviser, may retain a debt security that has been downgraded below the initial investment criteria.

The Fund may:
 
1.           Engage in dollar rolls or purchase or sell securities on a when-issued or forward commitment basis. The purchase or sale of when-issued securities enables an investor to hedge against anticipated changes in interest rates and prices by locking in an attractive price or yield. The price of when-issued securities is fixed at the time the commitment to purchase or sell is made, but delivery and payment for the when-issued securities takes place at a later date, normally one to two months after the date of purchase. During the period between purchase and settlement, no payment is made by the purchaser to the issuer and no interest accrues to the purchaser. Such transactions therefore involve a risk of loss if the value of the security to be purchased declines prior to the settlement date or if the value of the security to be sold increases prior to the settlement date. A sale of a when-issued security also involves the risk that the other party will be unable to settle the transaction. Dollar rolls are a type of forward commitment transaction. Purchases and sales of securities on a forward commitment basis involve a commitment to purchase or sell securities with payment and delivery to take place at some future date, normally one to two months after the date of the transaction. As with when-issued securities, these transactions involve certain risks, but they also enable an investor to hedge against anticipated changes in interest rates and prices. Forward commitment transactions are executed for existing obligations, whereas in a when-issued transaction, the obligations have not yet been issued. When purchasing securities on a when-issued or forward commitment basis, a segregated account of liquid assets at least equal to the value of purchase commitments for such securities will be maintained until the settlement date.
 
2.           Invest in other investment companies (including affiliated investment companies) to the extent permitted by the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (“1940 Act”), or exemptive relief granted by the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”).
 
3.           Loan securities to broker-dealers or other institutional investors. Securities loans will not be made if, as a result, the aggregate amount of all outstanding securities loans by the Fund exceeds 33 1/3% of its total assets (including the market value of collateral received). For purposes of complying with the Fund’s investment policies and restrictions, collateral received in connection with securities loans is deemed an asset of the Fund to the extent required by law.
 
4.           Enter into repurchase agreements. A repurchase agreement is an agreement under which securities are acquired by the Fund from a securities dealer or bank subject to resale at an agreed upon price on a later date. The acquiring Fund bears a risk of loss in the event that the other party to a repurchase agreement defaults on its obligations and the Fund is delayed or prevented from exercising its rights to dispose of the collateral securities. However, the Manager or the Sub-Adviser, as applicable, attempt to minimize this risk by entering into repurchase agreements only with financial institutions that are deemed to be of good financial standing.
 
5.           Purchase securities in private placement offerings made in reliance on the “private placement” exemption from registration afforded by Section 4(2) of the Securities Act of 1933 (“1933 Act”), and resold to qualified institutional buyers under Rule 144A under the 1933 Act (“Section 4(2) securities”).

 
2

 


INVESTMENT RESTRICTIONS
 
The Fund has the following fundamental investment policy that enables it to invest in another investment company or series thereof that has substantially similar investment objectives and policies:
 
Notwithstanding any other limitation, the Fund may invest all of its investable assets in an open-end management investment company with substantially the same investment objectives, policies and limitations as the Fund. For this purpose, “all of the Fund’s investable assets” means that the only investment securities that will be held by the Fund will be the Fund’s interest in the investment company.

The following discusses the investment policies of the Fund and the Board.

In addition to the investment objectives noted in the Prospectuses, the following nine restrictions have been adopted by the Fund and may be changed only by the majority vote of the Fund’s outstanding interests. “Majority of the outstanding voting securities” under the 1940 Act and as used herein means, with respect to the Fund, the lesser of (a) 67% of the shares of the Fund present at the meeting if the holders of more than 50% of the shares are present and represented at the shareholders’ meeting or (b) more than 50% of the shares of the Fund.

The Fund may not:
 
1.           purchase or sell real estate or real estate limited partnership interests, provided, however, that the Fund may invest in REITS, REOCS and securities secured by real estate or interests therein or issued by companies which invest in real estate or interests therein when consistent with the other policies and limitations described in the Fund’s prospectus.  The Fund may hold real estate and sell real estate acquired through default, liquidation, or other distributions of an interest in real estate as a result of the Fund’s ownership of such securities.
 
2.           Invest in physical commodities unless acquired as a result of ownership of securities or other instruments (but this shall not prevent the Fund from purchasing or selling foreign currency, options, futures contracts, options on futures contracts, forward contracts, swaps, caps, floors, collars, securities on a forward-commitment or delayed-delivery basis, and other similar financial instruments).
 
3.           Engage in the business of underwriting securities issued by others, except to the extent that, in connection with the disposition of securities, the Fund may be deemed an underwriter under federal securities law.
 
4.           Lend any security or make any other loan except (i) as otherwise permitted under the 1940 Act, (ii) pursuant to a rule, order or interpretation issued by the SEC or its staff, (iii) through the purchase of a portion of an issue of debt securities in accordance with the Fund’s investment objective, policies and limitations, or (iv) by engaging in repurchase agreements with respect to portfolio securities.
 
5.           Issue any senior security except as otherwise permitted (i) under the 1940 Act or (ii) pursuant to a rule, order or interpretation issued by the SEC or its staff.
 
6.           Borrow money, except as otherwise permitted under the 1940 Act or pursuant to a rule, order or interpretation issued by the SEC or its staff, including (i) as a temporary measure, (ii) by entering into reverse repurchase agreements, and (iii) by lending portfolio securities as collateral.  For purposes of this investment limitation, the purchase or sale of options, futures contracts, options on futures contracts, forward contracts, swaps, caps, floors, collars and other similar financial instruments shall not constitute borrowing.
 
7.           Invest more than 5% of its total assets (taken at market value) in securities of any one issuer, other than obligations issued by the U.S. Government, its agencies and instrumentalities, or purchase more than 10% of the voting securities of any one issuer, with respect to 75% of the Fund’s total assets.
 
8.           Invest more than 25% of its total assets in the securities of companies primarily engaged in any one industry provided that: (i) this limitation does not apply to obligations issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government, its agencies and instrumentalities; (ii) municipalities and their agencies and authorities are not deemed to be industries and (iii) this limitations does not apply to securities issued by real estate and real estate-related companies (in which the Fund intends to concentrate).

The above percentage limits are based upon asset values at the time of the applicable transaction; accordingly, a subsequent change in asset values will not affect a transaction that was in compliance with the investment restrictions at the time such transaction was effected.

 
3

 

The following non-fundamental investment restrictions apply to the Fund and may be changed with respect to the Fund by a vote of a majority of the Board.  The Fund may not:
 
1.           Invest more than 15% of its net assets in illiquid securities, including time deposits and repurchase agreements that mature in more than seven days; or
 
2.           Purchase securities on margin or effect short sales, except that the Fund may obtain such short term credits as may be necessary for the clearance of purchases or sales of securities.

All percentage limitations on investments will apply at the time of the making of an investment and shall not be considered violated unless an excess or deficiency occurs or exists immediately after and as a result of such investment. Except for the investment restrictions listed above as fundamental or to the extent designated as such in the Prospectuses, the other investment policies described in this SAI or in the Prospectuses are not fundamental and may be changed by approval of the Board.

TEMPORARY DEFENSIVE POSITION
 
While assuming a temporary defensive position, the Fund may invest in cash or cash equivalent short-term investment grade obligations, including: obligations of the U.S. Government, its agencies and instrumentalities; corporate debt securities, such as commercial paper, master demand notes, loan participation interests, medium-term notes and funding agreements; Yankeedollar and Eurodollar bank certificates of deposit, time deposits, and bankers’ acceptances; asset-backed securities; and repurchase agreements involving the foregoing obligations.

PORTFOLIO TURNOVER
 
Portfolio turnover is a measure of trading activity in a portfolio of securities, usually calculated over a period of one year. The rate is calculated by dividing the lesser amount of purchases or sales of securities by the average amount of securities held over the period. A portfolio turnover rate of 100% would indicate that the Fund sold and replaced the entire value of its securities holdings during the period. High portfolio turnover can increase the Fund’s transaction costs and generate additional capital gains or losses.

DISCLOSURE OF PORTFOLIO HOLDINGS
 
The Fund publicly discloses portfolio holdings information as follows:
 
 
1.
a complete list of holdings for the Fund on an annual and semi-annual basis in the reports to shareholders and publicly available filings of Form N-CSR with the SEC within seventy days of the end of each fiscal semi-annual period;
 
2.
a complete list of holdings for the Fund as of the end of its first and third fiscal quarters in publicly available filings of Form N-Q with the SEC within sixty days of the end of the fiscal quarter;
 
3.
a complete list of holdings for the Fund as of the end of each month on the Fund’s website (www.americanbeaconfunds.com) approximately thirty days after the end of the month;
 
4.
ten largest holdings for the Fund as of the end of each calendar quarter on the Fund’s website (www.americanbeaconfunds.com) and in sales materials approximately fifteen days after the end of the calendar quarter.

Occasionally, certain interested parties – including individual investors, institutional investors, intermediaries that distribute shares of the Fund, third-party service providers, rating and ranking organizations, and others – may request portfolio holdings information that has not yet been publicly disclosed by the Fund. As a policy, the Fund controls the disclosure of nonpublic portfolio holdings information in an attempt to prevent parties from utilizing such information to engage in trading activity harmful to Fund shareholders. To this end, the Board has adopted a Policy and Procedures for Disclosure of Portfolio Holdings Information (the “Holdings Policy”). The purpose of the Holdings Policy is to define those interested parties who are authorized to receive nonpublic portfolio holdings information on a selective basis and to set forth conditions upon which such information may be provided. In general, nonpublic portfolio holdings may be disclosed on a selective basis only where it is determined that (i) there is a legitimate business purpose for the information, (ii) recipients are subject to a duty of confidentiality, including a duty not to trade on the nonpublic information; and (iii) disclosure is in the best interests of Fund shareholders.

Third Party Service Providers.  The Fund has ongoing arrangements with third party service providers that require access to holdings to provide services necessary to the Fund’s operations (“service providers”). These service providers routinely receive complete portfolio holdings information prior to the public disclosure of such information.  The service providers have a duty to keep the Fund’s nonpublic information confidential either through written contractual arrangements with the Manager and the Fund or by the nature of their role with respect to the Fund.  The Fund has determined that selective and complete disclosure of holdings information to Fund counsel, auditors and the following service providers fulfills a legitimate business purpose and is in

 
4

 

the best interest of shareholders: State Street.  State Street serves as the Trust’s custodian, accountant, and pricing agent.  State Street has access to complete Fund holdings on a daily basis with no lag.

Certain third parties are provided with non-public information on particular holdings (not a complete list).  These third parties include: broker-dealers, borrowers of the Fund’s portfolio securities, and issuers (or their agents).  Broker-dealers utilized by the Fund in the process of purchasing and selling portfolio securities receive limited holdings information on a current basis with no lag.  Potential borrowers of the Fund’s securities receive information pertaining to the Fund’s securities available for loan.  Such information is provided on a current basis with no lag.  From time to time, an issuer (or its agent) may contact the Fund requesting confirmation of ownership of the issuer’s securities.  Such holdings information is provided to the issuer (or its agent) as of the date requested.  The Fund does not have written contractual arrangements with these third parties regarding the confidentiality of the holdings information.  However, the Fund would not continue to utilize a third party that the Manager determined to have misused non-public holdings information.

Rating and Ranking Organizations.  The Fund has ongoing arrangements to provide periodic holdings information to certain organizations that publish ratings and/or rankings for the Fund.  The Fund has determined that selective and complete disclosure of holdings information to rating and ranking organizations fulfills a legitimate business purpose and is in the best interest of shareholders, as it provides existing and potential shareholders with an independent basis for evaluating the Fund in comparison to other mutual funds.  The Fund has the following arrangements with rating and ranking organizations for periodic disclosure of holdings and other related portfolio information:
 
 
Organization
Frequency of Disclosure
Lag
 
Bloomberg
Quarterly
Day following disclosure on Fund’s website
 
Lipper/Reuters
Monthly
5 business days
 
Morningstar
Monthly
Day following disclosure on Fund’s website
 
Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services
Monthly
2 business days
 
Thomson Financial Research
Quarterly
Day following disclosure on Fund’s website

The rating and ranking organizations receiving fund holdings information prior to disclosure on the Fund’s website have provided written assurances that they will keep the information confidential and will not trade based on the information.  For those rating and ranking organizations that have not provided such assurances, the Fund withholds disclosure of fund holdings information until the day following disclosure on the Fund’s website.

Selective disclosure of nonpublic portfolio holdings information to parties other than rating and ranking organizations or service providers must meet all of the following conditions:
 
 
1.
Recipients of portfolio holdings information must agree in writing to keep the information confidential and not to trade based on the information;
 
2.
Holdings may only be disclosed as of a month-end date;
 
3.
No compensation may be paid to the Fund, the Manager or any other party in connection with the disclosure of information about portfolio securities; and
 
4.
A member of the Manager’s Compliance Department must approve requests for holdings information.

In determining whether to approve a request for portfolio holdings disclosure, the Compliance Department shall consider the type of requestor and its relationship to the Fund, the stated reason for the request, any historical pattern of requests from that same individual or entity, the style of the Fund (e.g. passive versus active management), and any other factors it deems relevant.  In its analysis, the Compliance Department shall attempt to uncover any apparent conflict between the interests of Fund shareholders on the one hand and those of the Manager or any affiliated person of the Fund on the other. For example, the Compliance Department will inquire whether the Manager has entered into any special arrangements with the requestor to share confidential portfolio holdings information in exchange for a substantial investment in the Fund or other products managed by the Manager. Any potential conflicts between shareholders and affiliated persons of the Fund that arise as a result of a request for portfolio holdings information shall be decided by the Manager in the best interests of shareholders. However, if a conflict exists between the interests of shareholders and the Manager, the Manager will present the details of the request to the Board who will either approve or deny the request. On a quarterly basis, the Manager will prepare a report for the Board outlining the requests for selective disclosure and any violations of the Holdings Policy during the period.

The Compliance Department will determine whether a historical pattern of requests by the same individual or entity constitutes an “ongoing arrangement” and thus requires disclosure in the SAI.
 

 
5

 

TRUSTEES AND OFFICERS OF THE TRUST
 
The Board provides broad supervision over the Trust’s affairs. The Manager is responsible for the management of Trust assets, and the Trust’s officers are responsible for the Trust’s operations. The Trustees and officers of the Trust are listed below, together with their principal occupations during the past five years. Unless otherwise indicated, the address of each person listed below is 4151 Amon Carter Boulevard, MD 2450, Fort Worth, Texas 76155. Each Trustee oversees twenty funds in the fund complex that includes the Trust, the American Beacon Master Trust, the American Beacon Mileage Funds, and the American Beacon Select Funds.
 
 
 
Name, Age and Address
Position, Term of Office
and Length of Time
Served with each Trust
 
 
Principal Occupation(s) During Past 5 Years and Current Directorships
INTERESTED TRUSTEES
 
Term
Lifetime of Trust until removal, resignation or retirement*
 
     
Alan D. Feld** (72)
 
Trustee since 1996
Sole Shareholder of a professional corporation which is a Partner in the law firm of Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld, LLP (law firm) (1960-Present); Director, Clear Channel Communications (1984-2008); Trustee, CenterPoint Properties (1994-2006); Member, Board of Trustees, Southern Methodist University; Member, Board of Visitors, M.D. Anderson Hospital; Board of Visitors, Zale/Lipshy Hospital; Trustee, American Beacon Mileage Funds (1996-Present); Trustee, American Beacon Select Funds (1999-Present).
 
 
 
Name, Age and Address
Position, Term of Office
and Length of Time
Served with each Trust
 
 
Principal Occupation(s) During Past 5 Years and Current Directorships
NON-INTERESTED TRUSTEES
 
Term
Lifetime of Trust until removal, resignation or retirement*
 
     
W. Humphrey Bogart (65)
 
Trustee since 2004
Board Member, Baylor University Medical Center Foundation (1992-2004); Consultant, New River Canada Ltd. (mutual fund servicing company) (1998-2003); President and CEO, Allmerica Trust Company, NA (1996-1997); President and CEO, Fidelity Investments Southwest Company (1983-1995); Senior Vice President of Regional Centers, Fidelity Investments (1988-1995); Trustee, American Beacon Mileage Funds (2004-Present); Trustee, American Beacon Select Funds (2004-Present).
 
Brenda A. Cline (49)
 
Trustee since 2004
Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, Treasurer and Secretary, Kimbell Art Foundation (1993-Present); Trustee, Texas Christian University (1998-Present); Trustee, W.I. Cook Foundation, Inc. (d/b/a Cook Children’s Health Foundation) (2001-2006); Director, Christian Church Foundation (1999-2007); Trustee, American Beacon Mileage Funds (2004-Present); Trustee, American Beacon Select Funds (2004-Present).
 
Richard A. Massman (66)
Trustee since 2004
 
Chairman since 2008
Consultant and General Counsel Emeritus (2009-Present) and Senior Vice President and General Counsel (1994-2009), Hunt Consolidated, Inc. (holding company engaged in oil and gas exploration and production, refining, real estate, farming, ranching and venture capital activities); Chairman (2007-Present) and Director (2005-Present), The Dallas Opera Foundation; Chairman (2006-Present) and Director (2005-Present), Temple Emanu-El Foundation; Trustee, Presbyterian Healthcare Foundation (2006-Present); Trustee, American Beacon Mileage Funds (2004-Present); Trustee, American Beacon Select Funds (2004-Present).
 
R. Gerald Turner (64)
 
Trustee since 2001
 
President, Southern Methodist University (1995-Present); Director, ChemFirst (1986-2002); Director, J.C. Penney Company, Inc. (1996-Present); Director, California Federal Preferred Capital Corp. (2001-2003); Director, Kronus Worldwide Inc. (chemical manufacturing) (2003-Present); Director, First Broadcasting Investment Partners, LLC (2003-2007); Member, Salvation Army of Dallas Board of Directors; Member, Methodist Hospital Advisory Board; Co-Chair, Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics; Trustee, American Beacon Mileage Funds (2001-Present); Trustee, American Beacon Select Funds (2001-Present).
 
Thomas M. Dunning (66)
 
Trustee since 2008
 
Consultant, (2008-Present); Chairman (2003-2008) and Chief Executive Officer (2003-2007), Lockton Dunning Benefits (consulting firm in employee benefits); Director, Oncor Electric Delivery Company LLC (2007-Present); Immediate Past Chairman and Board Member (2003-Present), Dallas Citizens Council; Director, Baylor Health Care System Foundation (2007-Present); State Vice Chair, State Fair of Texas (1987-Present); Board Member, Southwestern Medical Foundation (1994-Present); Trustee, American Beacon Mileage Funds (2008-Present); Trustee, American Beacon Select Funds (2008-Present).
     
 
 
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Name, Age and Address
 
Position, Term of Office
and Length of Time
Served with each Trust
 
 
 
Principal Occupation(s) During Past 5 Years and Current Directorships
Eugene J. Duffy (55)
 
 
Trustee since 2008
 
Principal and Executive Vice President, Paradigm Asset Management (1994-Present); Director, Sunrise Bank of Atlanta (2008-Present); Chairman, Special Contributions Fund Board of Trustees, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (2007-Present); Trustee, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (2000-Present); Board of Visitors, Emory University (2006-Present); Trustee, Atlanta Botanical Garden (2006-Present); Board Member, Willie L. Brown Jr. Institute on Politics and Public Service (2001-Present); Chair, National Association of Securities Professionals (2000-2002); Deputy Chief Administrative Officer, City of Atlanta (1985-1990); Trustee, American Beacon Mileage Funds (2008-Present); Trustee, American Beacon Select Funds (2008-Present).
 
Paul J. Zucconi, CPA (68)
 
Trustee since 2008
 
 
 
 
 
 
Director, Affirmative Insurance Holdings, Inc. (producer of nonstandard automobile insurance) (2004-Present); Director, Titanium Metals Corporation (producer of titanium melted and mill products and sponge) (2002-Present); Director, Torchmark Corporation (life and health insurance products) (2002-Present); Director, National Kidney Foundation serving North Texas (2003-Present); Director, Dallas Chapter of National Association of Corporate Directors (2004-Present); Partner, KPMG (1976-2001); Trustee, American Beacon Mileage Funds (2008-Present); Trustee, American Beacon Select Funds (2008-Present).

 
 
 
Name, Age and Address
Position, Term of Office
and Length of Time
Served with each Trust
 
 
Principal Occupation(s) During Past 5 Years and Current Directorships
OFFICERS
   
 
Term
One Year
 
     
William F. Quinn (61)
Executive Vice President from 2007 to 2008 and
2009 to Present
 
President from 1987 to 2007
Trustee from 1987 to 2008
 
Executive Chairman (2009-Present), Chairman (2006-2009), CEO (2006-2007), President (1986-2006), and Director (2003-Present), American Beacon Advisors, Inc.; Chairman (1989-2003) and Director (1979-1989, 2003-Present), American Airlines Federal Credit Union; Director, Hicks Acquisition I, Inc. (2007-2009); Director, Crescent Real Estate Equities, Inc. (1994-2007); Director, Pritchard, Hubble & Herr, LLC (investment adviser) (2001-2006); Director of Investment Committee, Southern Methodist University Endowment Fund (1996-Present); Member, Southern Methodist University Cox School of Business Advisory Board (1999-2002); Member , New York Stock Exchange Pension Managers Advisory Committee (1997-1998, 2000-2002, 2006-Present); Vice Chairman (2004-2007) and Chairman (2007-Present), Committee for the Investment of Employee Benefits; Director, United Way of Metropolitan Tarrant County (1988-2000, 2004-Present); Trustee (1995-2008) and President (1995-2007, 2008-Present), American Beacon Mileage Funds; Trustee (1999-2008) and President (1999-2007, 2008-Present), American Beacon Select Funds; Director, American Beacon Global Funds SPC (2002-Present); Director, American Beacon Global Funds, plc (2007-Present).
 
Gene L. Needles, Jr. (54)
 President Since 2009 Executive Vice President
2009
President, CEO and Director (2009-Present), American Beacon Advisors, Inc.; President (2008-2009), Touchstone Investments; President (2003-2007), CEO (2004-2007), Managing Director of Sales (2002-2003), National Sales Manager (1999-2002), and Regional Sales Manager (1993-1999), AIM Distributors.
 
Rosemary K. Behan (50)
VP, Secretary and Chief Legal Officer since 2006
Vice President, Legal and Compliance, American Beacon Advisors, Inc. (2006-Present); Assistant General Counsel, First Command Financial Planning, Inc. (2004-2006); Attorney, Enforcement Division, Securities and Exchange Commission (1995–2004).
 
Brian E. Brett (49)
VP since 2004
Vice President, Director of Sales and Marketing, American Beacon Advisors, Inc. (2004-Present); Regional Vice President, Neuberger Berman, LLC (investment adviser) (1996-2004).
 
Wyatt L. Crumpler (43)
 
VP since 2007
 
Vice President, Asset Management, American Beacon Advisors, Inc. (2007-Present); Managing Director of Corporate Accounting (2004-2007) and Director of IT Strategy and Finance (2001-2004), American Airlines, Inc.
 
Michael W. Fields (55)
VP since 1989
Vice President, Fixed Income Investments, American Beacon Advisors, Inc. (1988-Present); Director, American Beacon Global Funds SPC (2002-Present); Director, American Beacon Global Funds plc (2007-Present).
 
Rebecca L. Harris (42)
Treasurer since 1995
Vice President, Finance, American Beacon Advisors, Inc. (1995-Present).
 
 
 
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Christina E. Sears (38)
Chief Compliance Officer since 2004 and Asst. Secretary since 1999
Chief Compliance Officer (2004-Present) and Senior Compliance Analyst (1998-2004), American Beacon Advisors, Inc.
 
*
The Board has adopted a retirement plan that requires Trustees to retire no later than the last day of the calendar year in which they reach the age of 72, provided, however, that the board may determine to grant one or more annual exemptions to this requirement.
 
**
Mr. Feld is deemed to be an “interested person” of the Trust and Master Trust, as defined by the 1940 Act.  Mr. Feld’s law firm of Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld LLP has provided legal services within the past two years to the Manager and one or more of the Trust’s sub-advisers.

The Trust has an Audit and Compliance Committee (“Audit Committee”), consisting of Ms. Cline (Chair) and Messrs. Zucconi and Dunning.  Mr. Massman, as Chairman of the Trust, serves on the Audit Committee in an ex-officio capacity.  None of the members of the committee are “interested persons” of the Trust, as defined by the 1940 Act.  As set forth in its charter, the primary duties of the Trust’s Audit Committee are: (a) to oversee the accounting and financial reporting processes of the Trust and the Fund and their internal controls and, as the Committee deems appropriate, to inquire into the internal controls of certain third-party service providers; (b) to oversee the quality and integrity of the Trust’s financial statements and the independent audit thereof; (c) to approve, prior to appointment, the engagement of the Trust’s independent auditors and, in connection therewith, to review and evaluate the qualifications, independence and performance of the Trust’s independent auditors; (d) to oversee the Trust’s compliance with all regulatory obligations arising under applicable federal securities laws,  rules and regulations and oversee management’s implementation and enforcement of the Trust’s compliance policies and procedures (“Compliance Program”); and (e) to coordinate the Board’s oversight of the Trust’s Chief Compliance Officer in connection with his or her implementation of the Trust’s Compliance Program. The Audit and Compliance Committee met ____ times during the fiscal year ended December 31, 20__.

The Trust has a Nominating and Governance Committee (“Nominating Committee”) that is comprised of Messrs. Feld (Chair) and Turner.  Mr. Massman, as Chairman of the Trust, serves on the Nominating Committee in an ex-officio capacity.  As set forth in its charter, the Nominating Committee’s primary duties are: (a) to make recommendations regarding the nomination of non-interested Trustees to the Board; (b) to make recommendations regarding the appointment of an Independent Trustee as Chairman of the Board; (c) to evaluate qualifications of potential “interested” members of the Board and Trust officers; (d) to review shareholder recommendations for nominations to fill vacancies on the Board; (e) to make recommendations to the Board for nomination for membership on all committees of the Board; (f) to consider and evaluate the structure, composition and operation of the Board; (g) to review shareholder recommendations for proposals to be submitted for consideration during a meeting of Fund shareholders; and (h) to consider and make recommendations relating to the compensation of Independent Trustees and of those officers as to whom the Board is charged with approving compensation. Shareholder recommendations for Trustee candidates may be mailed in writing, including a comprehensive resume and any supporting documentation, to the Nominating Committee in care of the Fund. The Nominating and Governance Committee met  _____ times during the fiscal year ended December 31, 20__.

The Trust has an Investment Committee that is comprised of Messrs. Bogart (Chair) and Duffy.  Mr. Massman, as Chairman of the Trust, serves on the Investment Committee in an ex-officio capacity..  As set forth in its charter, the Investment Committee’s primary duties are: (a) to review and evaluate the short- and long-term investment performance of the Manager and each of the designated sub-advisers to the Fund; (b) to evaluate recommendations by the Manager regarding the hiring or removal of designated sub-advisers to the Fund; (c) to review material changes recommended by the Manager to the allocation of Fund assets to a sub-adviser; (d) to review proposed changes recommended by the Manager to the investment objective or principal investment strategies of the Fund; and (e) to review proposed changes recommended by the Manager to the material provisions of the advisory agreement with a sub-adviser, including, but not limited to, changes to the provision regarding compensation. The Investment Committee met _____ times during the fiscal year ended December 31, 20__.

           The Trustees who owned shares of the Fund are listed in the following tables with the dollar range of their ownership in the Fund and the Trust as a whole as of the calendar year ended December 31, 20__.

 
INTERESTED
NON-INTERESTED
 
Feld
Bogart
Cline
Massman
Turner
Dunning
Duffy
Zucconi
Global Real Estate
None
None
None
None
None
None
None
None
Aggregate Dollar Range of Equity Securities in all Trusts (20 Funds)
Over $100,000
$10,001-$50,000
$10,001-$50,000
Over $100,000
Over $100,000
None
None
$10,001-$50,000

 
As compensation for their service to the Trust, the American Beacon Mileage Funds, the American Beacon Select Funds and the Master Trust (collectively, the “Trusts”), each Trustee is compensated as follows: (1) an annual retainer of $110,000; (2) meeting attendance fee (for attendance in person or via teleconference) of (a) $2,500 for attendance by Board members at quarterly Board meetings, (b) $2,500 for attendance by Committee members at meetings of the Audit Committee and the Investment Committee, and (c) $1,500 for attendance by Committee members at meetings of the Nominating Committee; and (3)
 

 
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reimbursement of reasonable expenses incurred in attending such Board and Committee meetings.
 
           Mr. Massman was elected as Chairman April 15, 2008.  For his service as Chairman, Mr. Massman will receive an additional annual payment of $15,000. Total compensation (excluding reimbursements) is reflected in the following table for the fiscal year ended December 31, 20__.  The compensation amounts below include the flight service charges paid by the Trusts to American Airlines, Inc.

 
 
Name of Trustee
Aggregate Compensation From the Trust
Pension or Retirement Benefits Accrued as Part of the Trust’s Expenses
Total Compensation From the Trusts
(20 funds)
INTERESTED TRUSTEES
Alan D. Feld
$______
$0
$______
 
 
NON-INTERESTED TRUSTEES
W. Humphrey Bogart
$______
$0
$______
Brenda A. Cline
Eugene J. Duffy
Thomas M. Dunning
Richard A. Massman
R. Gerald Turner
Paul J. Zucconi
$______
$______
$______
$______
$______
$______
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$______
$______
$______
$______
$______
$______
 

         The Boards have adopted an Emeritus Trustee and Retirement Plan (“Plan”). The Plan provides that a Trustee who has served on the Boards as of June 4, 2008, and who has reached a mandatory retirement age established by the Board (currently 72) is eligible to elect Trustee Emeritus status. The Boards, through a majority vote, may determine to grant one or more annual exemptions to this mandatory retirement requirement.  Additionally, a Trustee who has served on the Board of one or more Trusts for at least 5 years as of June 4, 2008, may elect to retire from the Boards at an earlier age and immediately assume Trustee Emeritus status.

         A person may serve as a Trustee Emeritus and receive related retirement benefits for a period up to a maximum of 10 years. Only those Trustees who retire from the Boards and elect Trustee Emeritus status may receive retirement benefits under the Plan. A Trustee Emeritus must commit to provide certain ongoing services and advice to the Board members and the Trusts; however, a Trustee Emeritus does not have any voting rights at Board meetings and is not subject to election by shareholders of the Fund.

CODE OF ETHICS
 
The Manager, the Trust and the Sub-Adviser have each adopted a Code of Ethics (“Code”) under Rule 17j-1 of the 1940 Act. Each Code significantly restricts the personal trading of all employees with access to non-public portfolio information. For example, each Code generally requires pre-clearance of all personal securities trades (with limited exceptions) and prohibits employees from purchasing or selling a security that is being purchased or sold or being considered for purchase (with limited exceptions) or sale by the Fund. In addition, the Manager’s and Trust’s Codes require employees to report trades in shares of the Trust. Each Code is on public file with, and may be obtained from, the SEC.
 
PROXY VOTING POLICIES
 
From time to time, the Fund may own a security whose issuer solicits a proxy vote on certain matters. The Trust has adopted a Proxy Voting Policy and Procedures (the “Policy”) that sets forth guidelines and procedures designed to ensure that the Manager and Sub-Adviser vote such proxies in the best interests of Fund shareholders. The Policy includes procedures to address potential conflicts of interest between the Fund’s shareholders and the Manager, the Sub-Adviser or their affiliates. Please see Appendix A for a copy of the Policy, as amended. The Sub-Adviser’s proxy voting policy and procedures are included in their entirety in Appendix B. The Fund’s proxy voting record for the most recent year ended June 30 is available as of August 31 of each year upon request and without charge by calling 1-800-967-9009 or by visiting the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov. The proxy voting record can be found in Form N-PX on the SEC’s website.

CONTROL PERSONS AND 5% SHAREHOLDERS
 
Set forth below are the entities or persons that own 5% or more of the outstanding shares of the Fund or a Class as of __________, 20__. Entities or persons owning more than 25% of the outstanding shares of the Fund may be deemed to control that Fund. The actions of an entity or person that controls the Fund could have an effect on other shareholders. For instance, a control person may have effective voting control over the Fund or large redemptions by a control person could cause the Fund’s

 
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other shareholders to pay a higher pro rata portion of the Fund’s expenses. The Trustees and officers of the Trust, as a group, own less than 1% of the classes of the shares outstanding for the Fund.


LIST OF 5% SHAREHOLDERS
(as of __________, 20__)


 
  Global Real Estate Fund
 
Total Fund
Y
 Class
Investor
 Class
       
       
       



INVESTMENT ADVISORY AGREEMENTS
 
Below is information regarding the controlling persons or entities of the Fund’s Sub-Adviser. According to the 1940 Act, a person or entity with control with respect to an investment adviser has “the power to exercise a controlling influence over the management or policies of a company, unless such power is solely the result of an official position with such company.” Persons and entities affiliated with the Sub-Adviser are considered affiliates for the portion of Fund assets managed by the Sub-Adviser.
 
The Sub-Adviser is CB Richard Ellis Global Real Estate Securities, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company. The Sub-Adviser is an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of CNL Financial Group, Inc., one of the largest, privately held real estate investment and development companies in the United States that has been in business since 1973. The Sub-Adviser is located at 450 South Orange Avenue, Orlando, FL 32801. The Sub-Adviser is a subsidiary of CB Richard Ellis Investors, LLC, which is the real estate investment management affiliate and wholly-owned subsidiary of CB Richard Ellis Group, Inc.
 
           Pursuant to an investment advisory agreement, the Manager has agreed to pay an annualized advisory fee to the Sub-Adviser according to the following schedule.

[Insert Fee Schedule]

The Investment Advisory Agreement will automatically terminate if assigned, and may be terminated without penalty at any time by the Manager, by a vote of a majority of the Trustees or by a vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund on no less than thirty (30) days’ nor more than sixty (60) days’ written notice to the Sub-Adviser, or by the Sub-Adviser upon sixty (60) days’ written notice to the Trust. The Investment Advisory Agreement will continue in effect provided that annually such continuance is specifically approved by a vote of the Trustees, including the affirmative votes of a majority of the Trustees who are not parties to the Agreement or “interested persons” (as defined in the 1940 Act) of any such party, cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of considering such approval, or by the vote of shareholders.


MANAGEMENT, ADMINISTRATIVE AND DISTRIBUTION SERVICES
 
The Manager
 
         The Manager is a wholly owned subsidiary of Lighthouse Holdings, Inc. (“Lighthouse”), which is indirectly controlled by investment funds affiliated with Pharos Capital Group, LLC (“Pharos”) and TPG Capital, L.P. (“TPG”).  The Manager is paid a management fee as compensation for paying investment advisory fees and for providing the Trust with advisory and asset allocation services. Pursuant to management and administrative services agreements, the Manager provides the Trust with office space, office equipment and personnel necessary to manage and administer the Trust’s operations. This includes:
 
 
·
complying with reporting requirements;
 
·
corresponding with shareholders;
 
·
maintaining internal bookkeeping, accounting and auditing services and records; and
 
·
supervising the provision of services to the Trust by third parties.

Foreside Fund Services, LLC (“Foreside”), located at Three Canal Plaza, Suite 100, Portland, Maine 04101, is the distributor and principal underwriter of the Fund’s shares.  Pursuant to a Sub-Administration Agreement between Foreside and the Manager, Foreside receives a fee from the Manager for providing administrative services in connection with the marketing

 
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and distribution of shares of the Trust.

In addition to its oversight of the Sub-Adviser, the Manager invests the portion of all Fund assets that the Sub-Adviser determines to be allocated to high quality short-term debt obligations.

The Fund is responsible for expenses not otherwise assumed by the Manager, including the following: audits by independent auditors; transfer agency, custodian, fund accounting, dividend disbursing agent and shareholder recordkeeping services; taxes, if any, and the preparation of the Fund’s tax returns; interest; costs of Trustee and shareholder meetings; printing and mailing prospectuses and reports to existing shareholders; fees for filing reports with regulatory bodies and the maintenance of the Fund’s existence; legal fees; fees to federal and state authorities for the registration of shares; fees and expenses of non-interested Trustees; insurance and fidelity bond premiums; fees paid to consultants providing reports regarding adherence by the Sub-Adviser to the investment style of the Fund; fees paid for brokerage commission analysis for the purpose of monitoring best execution practices of the Sub-Adviser; and any extraordinary expenses of a nonrecurring nature.

The management agreement provides for the Manager to receive an annualized management fee that is calculated and accrued daily, equal to ___% of the net assets of the Fund.  In addition, the Fund pays the Manager the amount due to the Sub-Adviser.  The Manager then remits this amounts to the Sub-Adviser.

The Investor Class and Y Class adopted a Service Plan (collectively, the “Plans”). The Service Plan for the Investor Class provides that the Fund will pay up to 0.375% per annum of its average daily net assets to the Manager (or another entity approved by the Board). The Service Plan for the Y Class provides that the Fund will pay 0.10% per annum of its average daily net assets to the Manager (or another entity approved by the Board). The Manager or these approved entities may spend such amounts on any activities or expenses primarily intended to result in or relate to the servicing of Investor and Y Class shares including, but not limited to, payment of shareholder service fees and transfer agency or sub-transfer agency expenses. The fees, which are included as part of the Fund’s “Other Expenses” in the Table of Fees and Expenses in the Investor and Y Class Prospectuses, will be payable monthly in arrears.  The fees for the Investor Class Funds will be paid on the actual expenses incurred in a particular month by the entity for the services provided pursuant to the Plan for the Investor Class.  The fees for the Y Class Funds will be paid without regard to whether the amount of the fee is more or less than the actual expenses incurred in a particular month by the entity for the services provided pursuant to the Plan for the Y. Class. Thus, the Manager may realize a profit or a loss based upon its actual servicing-related expenditures for the Y Class. The primary expenses expected to be incurred under the Plans are transfer agency fees and servicing fees paid to financial intermediaries such as plan sponsors and broker-dealers.

The Fund commenced operations on _______, 20__.  Accordingly, no management, administrative fees or other service fees were paid during the previous three fiscal years for services provided to the Fund.

           The Manager may pay additional compensation and/or provide incentives (out of its own resources and not as an expense of the Fund) to certain brokers, dealers, or other financial intermediaries (“Financial Intermediaries”) in connection with the sale, distribution, retention and/or servicing of Fund shares (“revenue sharing payments”).  The amount of these revenue sharing payments is determined at the discretion of the Manager from time to time, may be substantial, and may be different for different Financial Intermediaries based on, for example, the nature of the services provided by the Financial Intermediary.

           Such revenue sharing payments are intended to provide additional compensation to Financial Intermediaries for various services which may include, but is not limited to, some or all of the following: advertising and marketing campaigns for the Fund; granting personnel of the Manager reasonable access to a Financial Intermediary’s personnel responsible for recommending the Fund; allowing the Manager’s personnel to attend conferences; periodic and ongoing education and training of Financial Intermediary personnel regarding the Fund; and explaining to clients the features and characteristics of the Fund.  In addition, the Manager may provide financial assistance to Financial Intermediaries by sponsoring conferences.  The Manager may make other payments or allow other promotional incentives to Financial Intermediaries to the extent permitted by SEC and FINRA rules and by other applicable laws and regulations.

           Receipt of, or the prospect of receiving, this additional compensation may influence a Financial Intermediary’s recommendation of the Fund or of any particular share class of the Fund.  These payment arrangements, however, will not change the price that an investor pays for Fund shares or the amount that the Fund receives to invest on behalf of an investor and will not increase Fund expenses.  You should review your Financial Intermediary’s compensation disclosure and/or talk to your Financial Intermediary to obtain more information on how this compensation may have influenced your Financial Intermediary’s recommendation of the Fund.

 
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              In addition to the compensation described above, the Manager may pay fees to Financial Intermediaries and their affiliated persons for maintaining Fund share balances and/or for subaccounting, administrative or transaction processing services related to the maintenance of accounts for retirement and benefit plans and other omnibus accounts (“subaccounting fees”).  Because some subaccounting fees are directly related to the number of accounts and assets for which a Financial Intermediary provides services, these fees will increase with the success of the Financial Intermediary’s sales activities.

           The Manager is motivated to make the payments described above since they promote the sale of Fund shares and the retention of those investments by clients of Financial Intermediaries.  To the extent Financial Intermediaries sell more shares of the Fund or retain shares of the Fund in their clients’ accounts, the Manager benefits from the incremental management and other fees paid to the Manager by the Fund with respect to those assets.

OTHER SERVICE PROVIDERS
 
State Street, located at One Lincoln Street. Boston, Massachusetts, is the transfer agent for the Trust and provides transfer agency services to Fund shareholders through its affiliate Boston Financial Data Services, located at 330 W. 9th Street, Kansas City, Missouri. State Street also serves as custodian for the Fund. In addition to its other duties as custodian, pursuant to instructions given by the Manager, State Street invests certain excess cash balances of certain funds in various futures contracts. The independent registered public accounting firm for the Fund is Ernst & Young LLP, Suite 2000, 2323 Victory Avenue, Dallas, Texas.

PORTFOLIO MANAGERS
 
           The portfolio managers to the Fund (the “Portfolio Managers”) have responsibility for the day-to-day management of accounts other than the Fund. Information regarding these other accounts has been provided by each Portfolio Manager’s firm and is set forth below. The number of accounts and assets is shown as of _________, 20__.
 

Name of
Investment Adviser and Portfolio Manager
Number of Other Accounts Managed
and Assets by Account Type
Number of Accounts and Assets for Which Advisory Fee is Performance-Based
Registered Investment Companies
Other Pooled Investment Vehicles
 
Other accounts
Registered Investment Companies
Other Pooled Investment Vehicles
 
Other accounts
American Beacon Advisors, Inc.
  Wyatt Crumpler
           
  William F. Quinn
           
CB Richard Ellis Global Real Estate Securities, LLC
Jeremy Anagnos
           
Steve Carroll
           
William Morrill
           


Conflicts of Interest
 
As noted in the table above, the Portfolio Managers manage accounts other than the Fund. This side-by-side management may present potential conflicts between a Portfolio Manager’s management of the Fund’s investments, on the one hand, and the investments of the other accounts, on the other hand. Set forth below is a description by the Manager and the Sub-Adviser of any foreseeable material conflicts of interest that may arise from the concurrent management of Fund and other accounts as of the end of the Fund’s most recent fiscal year. The information regarding potential conflicts of interest of the sub-advisers was provided by each firm.

           The Manager  The Manager’s Portfolio Managers are responsible for managing the Fund and other accounts, including separate accounts and unregistered funds. The Manager typically assigns funds and accounts with similar investment strategies to the same Portfolio Manager to mitigate the potentially conflicting investment strategies of accounts. Other than potential conflicts between investment strategies, the side-by-side management of both the Fund and other accounts may raise potential conflicts of interest due to the interest held by the Manager or one of its affiliates in an account and certain trading practices used by the Portfolio Managers (e.g., cross trades between the Fund and another account and allocation of aggregated trades). The Manager has developed policies and procedures reasonably designed to mitigate those conflicts. In particular, the Manager has adopted policies limiting the ability of Portfolio Managers to cross securities between the Fund and a separate account and policies designed to ensure the fair allocation of securities purchased on an aggregated basis.

Portfolio Managers of the Manager with responsibility for the Fund are also responsible for managing, among other accounts, the pension assets for AMR Corporation and its subsidiaries (“AMR Pension Accounts”). These Portfolio Managers

 
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oversee fixed income assets managed internally by the Manager as well as equity and fixed income assets managed externally by sub-advisers who invest the assets of the Fund and AMR Pension Accounts. The same investment process and overall investment strategies are used for both the Fund and the AMR Pension Accounts. Potential conflicts of interest may occur when the Manager’s Portfolio Managers allocate Fund assets to internal fixed income Portfolio Managers rather than external Portfolio Managers, since the Manager has the potential to earn more fees under this scenario. This potential conflict of interest was disclosed to the Board in connection with the process of approving the Manager as an investment adviser to the Fund.

           CB Richard Ellis Global Real Estate Securities, LLC  If the Sub-Adviser believes that there is a conflict in relation to trading securities between the interests of the Sub-Adviser and a client or between one client and another or multiple clients, then the Sub-Adviser must contact the clients involved to obtain their consent prior to trading. The Sub-Adviser has adopted trade allocation and other policies and procedures that it believes are reasonably designed to address these and other conflicts of interest. As a result, the Sub-Adviser does not believe that any of these potential sources of conflicts of interest will affect the Sub-Adviser’s professional judgment in managing the Fund. When necessary, the Sub-Adviser shall address known conflicts of interests in its trading practices by disclosure to clients and/or in its Form ADV or other appropriate action. However, there is no guarantee that such procedures will detect each and every situation where a conflict arises.

 
Compensation
 
           The Portfolio Managers are compensated in various forms by their respective investment adviser. Following is a description provided by each investment adviser regarding the structure of and criteria for determining the compensation of each Portfolio Manager.

           The Manager  Compensation of the Manager’s Portfolio Managers is comprised of base salary, annual cash bonus, and in stock options to purchase shares of stock in the parent corporation of the Manager’s parent company.  Each Portfolio Manager’s base annual salary is fixed. The Manager determines base salary based upon comparison to industry salary data. In addition, all Portfolio Managers participate in the Manager’s annual cash bonus plan. The amount of the total bonus pool is based upon several factors including (i) profitability of the Manager, (ii) organic growth of assets under management and (iii) the relative investment performance of the assets managed by the Manager. Each Portfolio Manager has a target bonus award expressed as a percentage of base salary, which is determined by the Portfolio Manager’s level of responsibility. Portfolio Managers are encouraged to pursue a low-volatility management approach that will provide above average returns with below average volatility. Bonus awards reflect their success in achieving this goal and other individual performance goals. Additionally, the Portfolio Managers participate in the Manager’s stock option plan.  Participation in this plan is offered to all personnel of the Manager.

CB Richard Ellis Global Real Estate Securities, LLC The Sub-Adviser’s Co-Chief Investment Officers are remunerated with base salary and a significant interest in the Sub-Adviser. Such persons, senior management and senior investment staff of the Sub-Adviser hold a significant interest in the company and, as such, a significant portion of their compensation is tied to the profits and performance of the company.

Aside from the Co-Chief Investment Officers, the investment staff is remunerated with a base salary, a performance bonus and, in some cases, a material profits interest in the Sub-Adviser. The performance bonus is set as a target at the beginning of the year, usually at approximately 20% of the base salary. The profits interest in the Sub-Adviser is granted by senior management and entitles the employee to a share in the profits of the Sub-Adviser. The profits interest typically vests over a three year period. As a result, the Sub-Adviser believes that its investment team has a very strong bond to the Sub-Adviser for the long term.

Ownership of Fund
 
           A Portfolio Manager’s beneficial ownership of the Fund is defined as the Portfolio Manager having the opportunity to share in any profit from transactions in the Fund, either directly or indirectly, as the result of any contract, understanding, arrangement, relationship or otherwise. Therefore, ownership of Fund shares by members of the Portfolio Manager’s immediate family or by a trust of which the Portfolio Manager is a trustee could be considered ownership by the Portfolio Manager. The reporting of Fund share ownership in this SAI shall not be construed as an admission that the Portfolio Manager has any direct or indirect beneficial ownership in the Fund listed. As of ________, 20__, the Portfolio Managers did not beneficially own shares of the Fund.


PORTFOLIO SECURITIES TRANSACTIONS
 
In selecting brokers or dealers to execute particular transactions, the Manager and the Sub-Adviser are authorized to

 
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consider “brokerage and research services” (as those terms are defined in Section 28(e) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934), provision of statistical quotations (including the quotations necessary to determine the Fund’s net asset value), and other information provided to the Fund, to the Manager and/or to the Sub-Adviser (or their affiliates), provided, however, that the Manager or the Sub-Adviser determines that it has received the best net price and execution available. The Trust does not allow the Manager or the Sub-Adviser to enter arrangements to direct transactions to broker-dealers as compensation for the promotion or sale of Trust shares by those broker-dealers. The Manager and the Sub-Adviser are also authorized to cause the Fund to pay a commission (as defined in SEC interpretations) to a broker or dealer who provides such brokerage and research services for executing a portfolio transaction which is in excess of the amount of the commission another broker or dealer would have charged for effecting that transaction. The Trustees, the Manager or the Sub-Adviser, as appropriate, must determine in good faith, however, that such commission was reasonable in relation to the value of the brokerage and research services provided, viewed in terms of that particular transaction or in terms of all the accounts over which the Manager or the Sub-Adviser exercises investment discretion. The fees of the Sub-Adviser are not reduced by reason of receipt of such brokerage and research services. However, with disclosure to and pursuant to written guidelines approved by the Board, the Manager, or the Sub-Adviser (or a broker-dealer affiliated with them) may execute portfolio transactions and receive usual and customary brokerage commissions (within the meaning of Rule 17e-1 under the 1940 Act) for doing so. Brokerage and research services obtained with Fund commissions might be used by the Manager and/or the Sub-Adviser, as applicable, to benefit their other accounts under management.

The Manager and the Sub-Adviser will place its own orders to execute securities transactions that are designed to implement the Fund’s investment objective and policies. In placing such orders, the Sub-Adviser will seek the best available price and most favorable execution. The full range and quality of services offered by the executing broker or dealer will be considered when making these determinations. Pursuant to written guidelines approved by the Board, as appropriate, a sub-adviser of a Fund, or its affiliated broker-dealer, may execute portfolio transactions and receive usual and customary brokerage commissions (within the meaning of Rule 17e-1 of the 1940 Act) for doing so. A Fund’s turnover rate, or the frequency of portfolio transactions, will vary from year to year depending on market conditions and the Fund’s cash flows. High portfolio activity increases the Fund’s transaction costs, including brokerage commissions, and may result in a greater number of taxable transactions.

The Investment Advisory Agreement provides, in substance, that in executing portfolio transactions and selecting brokers or dealers, the principal objective of the Sub-Adviser is to seek the best net price and execution available. It is expected that securities ordinarily will be purchased in the primary markets, and that in assessing the best net price and execution available, the Sub-Adviser shall consider all factors it deems relevant, including the breadth of the market in the security, the price of the security, the financial condition and execution capability of the broker or dealer and the reasonableness of the commission, if any, for the specific transaction and on a continuing basis. Transactions with respect to the securities of small and emerging growth companies in which the Fund may invest may involve specialized services on the part of the broker or dealer and thereby may entail higher commissions or spreads than would be the case with transactions involving more widely traded securities.

The Fund has established brokerage commission recapture arrangements with certain brokers or dealers. If the Sub-Adviser chooses to execute a transaction through a participating broker, the broker rebates a portion of the commission back to the Fund. Any collateral benefit received through participation in the commission recapture program is directed exclusively to the Fund. Neither the Manager nor the Sub-Adviser receives any benefits from the commission recapture program. The Sub-Adviser’s participation in the brokerage commission recapture program is optional. The Sub-Adviser retains full discretion in selecting brokerage firms for securities transactions and is instructed to use the commission recapture program for a transaction only if it is consistent with the Sub-Adviser’s obligation to seek the best execution available. For the fiscal year ended _______, 20__, the Fund did not participate in the commission recapture program.
 
The Fund commenced operations on _______, 20__.  Accordingly, no brokerage commissions were paid by the Fund during the previous three fiscal years.

REDEMPTIONS IN KIND
 
Although the Fund intends to redeem shares in cash, it reserves the right to pay the redemption price in whole or in part by a distribution of securities or other assets. However, shareholders always will be entitled to redeem shares for cash up to the lesser of $250,000 or 1% of the Fund’s net asset value during any 90-day period. Redemption in kind is not as liquid as a cash redemption. In addition, to the extent that the Fund redeems its shares in this manner, the shareholder assumes the risk of a subsequent change in the market value of those securities, the cost of liquidating the securities and the possibility of a lack of a liquid market for these securities.



 
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TAX INFORMATION
 
Taxation of the Fund
 
       To continue to qualify for treatment as a regulated investment company (“RIC”) under the Tax Code, the Fund (which is treated as a separate corporation for these purposes) must, among other requirements:

 
 
·
Derive at least 90% of its gross income each taxable year from (1) dividends, interest, payments with respect to securities loans and gains from the sale or other disposition of securities or foreign currencies, or certain other income, including gains from options, futures or forward contracts, derived with respect to its business of investing in securities or those currencies and (2) net income from an interest in a “qualified publicly traded partnership” (“QPTP”) (“Income Requirement”);

 
·
Diversify its investments so that, at the close of each quarter of its taxable year, (1) at least 50% of the value of its total assets is represented by cash and cash items, U.S. Government securities, securities of other RICs, and other securities, with those other securities limited, in respect of any one issuer, to an amount that does not exceed 5% of the value of the Fund’s total assets and that does not represent more than 10% of the issuer’s outstanding voting securities (equity securities of QPTPs being considered voting securities for these purposes) and (2) not more than 25% of the value of its total assets is invested in (a) securities (other than U.S. Government securities or securities of other RICs) of any one issuer, (b) securities (other than securities of other RICs) of two or more issuers the Fund controls that are determined to be engaged in the same, similar or related trades or businesses, or (c) securities of one or more QPTPs (“Diversification Requirement”); and

 
·
Distribute annually to its shareholders at least 90% of the sum of its investment company taxable income (generally, taxable net investment income plus the excess (if any) of net short-term capital gain over net long-term capital loss) (“Distribution Requirement”).

If the Fund failed to qualify for treatment as a RIC for any taxable year, it would be taxed on the full amount of its taxable income for that year without being able to deduct the distributions it makes to its shareholders and the shareholders would treat all those distributions — including distributions of net capital gain (i.e., the excess of net long-term capital gain over net short-term capital loss) (as described below under “Taxation of the Fund’s Shareholders”) — as taxable dividends to the extent of the Fund’s earnings and profits. Those dividends would be taxable as ordinary income, except that, for individual shareholders, the part thereof that is “qualified dividend income” would be taxable at the rate for net capital gain (a maximum of 15% through 2010). In addition, the Fund could be required to recognize unrealized gains, pay substantial taxes and interest and make substantial distributions before requalifying for RIC treatment.

The Fund will be subject to a nondeductible 4% excise tax (“Excise Tax”) to the extent it fails to distribute by the end of any calendar year substantially all of its ordinary (taxable) income for that year and substantially all of its capital gain net income for the one-year period ending on October 31 of that year, plus certain other amounts.

Taxation of the Fund’s Shareholders
 

Dividends or other distributions the Fund declares in the last quarter of any calendar year that are payable to shareholders of record on a date in that quarter will be deemed to have been paid by the Fund and received by those shareholders on December 31 of that year if the Fund pays the distributions during the following January. Accordingly, those distributions will be reported by, and taxed to, those shareholders for the taxable year in which that December 31 falls.

If Fund shares are sold at a loss after being held for six months or less, the loss will be treated as long-term, instead of short-term, capital loss to the extent of any capital gain distributions received thereon. Investors also should be aware that the price of Fund shares at any time may reflect the amount of a forthcoming dividend or capital gain distribution, so if they purchase Fund shares shortly before the record date for a distribution, they will pay full price for the shares and (except for an exempt-interest dividend) receive some portion of the price back as a taxable distribution even thought it represents in part a return of invested capital.

The foregoing is only a summary of some of the important federal tax considerations affecting the Fund and its shareholders and is not intended as a substitute for careful tax planning. Accordingly, prospective investors are advised to consult their own tax advisors for more detailed information regarding the above and for information regarding federal, state, local and foreign taxes.

DESCRIPTION OF THE TRUST
 
The Trust is an entity of the type commonly known as a “Massachusetts business trust.” Under Massachusetts law, shareholders of such a trust may, under certain circumstances, be held personally liable for its obligations. However, the Trust’s

 
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Declaration of Trust contains an express disclaimer of shareholder liability for acts or obligations of the Trust and provides for indemnification and reimbursement of expenses out of Trust property for any shareholder held personally liable for the obligations of the Trust. The Declaration of Trust also provides that the Trust may maintain appropriate insurance (for example, fidelity bonding) for the protection of the Trust, its shareholders, Trustees, officers, employees and agents to cover possible tort and other liabilities. Thus, the risk of a shareholder incurring financial loss due to shareholder liability is limited to circumstances in which both inadequate insurance existed and the Trust itself was unable to meet its obligations. The Trust has not engaged in any other business.

The Trust was originally created to manage money for large institutional investors, including pension and 401(k) plans for American Airlines, Inc. The Investor Class was created to give individuals and other smaller investors an opportunity to invest in the American Beacon Funds. As a result, shareholders of the Investor Class benefit from the economies of scale generated by being part of a larger pool of assets. The Y Class was created to manage money for large institutional investors, including pension and 401(k) plans.

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
 
The Fund adopted the financial statements of its predecessor fund.

OTHER INFORMATION
 
This section provides descriptions of certain strategies used by the Fund, including strategies to invest in particular securities and corresponding risks of those strategies.

Asset-Backed Securities - Asset-backed securities are securities issued by trusts and special purpose entities that are backed by pools of assets, such as automobile and credit-card receivables and home equity loans, which pass through the payments on the underlying obligations to the security holders (less servicing fees paid to the originator or fees for any credit enhancement). Typically, loans or accounts receivable paper are transferred from the originator to a specially created trust, which repackages the trust’s interests as securities with a minimum denomination and a specific term. The securities are then privately placed or publicly offered. Examples include certificates for automobile receivables and so-called plastic bonds, backed by credit card receivables. The Fund is permitted to invest in asset-backed securities, subject to the Fund’s rating and quality requirements.

The value of an asset-backed security is affected by, among other things, changes in the market’s perception of the asset backing the security, the creditworthiness of the servicing agent for the loan pool, the originator of the loans and the financial institution providing any credit enhancement. Payments of principal and interest passed through to holders of asset-backed securities are frequently supported by some form of credit enhancement, such as a letter of credit, surety bond, limited guarantee by another entity or by having a priority to certain of the borrower’s other assets. The degree of credit enhancement varies, and generally applies to only a portion of the asset-backed security’s par value. Value is also affected if any credit enhancement has been exhausted.

Bank Deposit Notes - Bank deposit notes are obligations of a bank, rather than bank holding company corporate debt. The only structural difference between bank deposit notes and certificates of deposit is that interest on bank deposit notes is calculated on a 30/360 basis, as are corporate notes/bonds. Similar to certificates of deposit, deposit notes represent bank level investments and, therefore, are senior to all holding company corporate debt.

Bankers’ Acceptances - Bankers’ acceptances are short-term credit instruments designed to enable businesses to obtain funds to finance commercial transactions. Generally, an acceptance is a time draft drawn on a bank by an exporter or an importer to obtain a stated amount of funds to pay for specific merchandise. The draft is then “accepted” by a bank that, in effect, unconditionally guarantees to pay the face value of the instrument on its maturity date. The acceptance may then be held by the accepting bank as an earning asset or it may be sold in the secondary market at the going rate of discount for a specific maturity. Although maturities for acceptances can be as long as 270 days, most acceptances have maturities of six months or less.

Borrowing Risks - The Fund may borrow for temporary purposes. Borrowing may exaggerate changes in the Fund’s NAV and in its total return. Interest expense and other fees associated with borrowing may reduce the Fund’s return.

Callable Securities – The Fund may invest in fixed-income securities with call features.  A call feature allows the issuer of the security to redeem or call the security prior to its stated maturity date.  In periods of falling interest rates, issuers may be more likely to call in securities that are paying higher coupon rates than prevailing interest rates. In the event of a call, the Fund would lose the income that would have been earned to maturity on that security, and the proceeds received by the Fund may be invested in securities paying lower coupon rates.  Thus, the Fund’s income could be reduced as a result of a call.  In addition, the

 
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market value of a callable security may decrease if it is perceived by the market as likely to be called, which could have a negative impact on the Fund’s total return.

Cash Equivalents - Cash equivalents include certificates of deposit, bearer deposit notes, bankers’ acceptances, government obligations, commercial paper, short-term corporate debt securities and repurchase agreements.

Certificates of Deposit - Certificates of deposit are issued against funds deposited in an eligible bank (including its domestic and foreign branches, subsidiaries and agencies), are for a definite period of time, earn a specified rate of return and are normally negotiable.

Commercial Paper - Commercial paper refers to promissory notes representing an unsecured debt of a corporation or finance company with a fixed maturity of no more than 270 days. A variable amount master demand note (which is a type of commercial paper) represents a direct borrowing arrangement involving periodically fluctuating rates of interest under a letter agreement between a commercial paper issuer and an institutional lender pursuant to which the lender may determine to invest varying amounts.

Convertible Securities - Convertible securities include corporate bonds, notes, preferred stock or other securities that may be converted into or exchanged for a prescribed amount of common stock of the same or a different issuer within a particular period of time at a specified price or formula. A convertible security entitles the holder to receive interest paid or accrued on debt or dividends paid on preferred stock until the convertible security matures or is redeemed, converted or exchanged. While no securities investment is without some risk, investments in convertible securities generally entail less risk than the issuer’s common stock, although the extent to which such risk is reduced depends in large measure upon the degree to which the convertible security sells above its value as a fixed income security. The market value of convertible securities tends to decline as interest rates increase and, conversely, to increase as interest rates decline. While convertible securities generally offer lower interest or dividend yields than non-convertible debt securities of similar quality, they do enable the investor to benefit from increases in the market price of the underlying common stock. Holders of convertible securities have a claim on the assets of the issuer prior to the common stockholders, but may be subordinated to holders of similar non-convertible securities of the same issuer. Because of the conversion feature, the Manager considers some convertible securities to be equity equivalents.

Cover - Transactions using forward contracts, futures contracts, options on futures contracts and written options (“Financial Instruments”) expose the Fund to an obligation to another party. The Fund will not enter into any such transactions unless it owns either (1) an offsetting (“covered”) position in securities, currencies, or other forward contracts, options or futures contracts, or (2) cash, receivables and liquid assets, with a value, marked-to-market daily, sufficient to cover its potential obligations to the extent not covered as provided in (1) above. The Fund will comply with SEC guidelines regarding cover for these instruments and will, if the guidelines so require, set aside cash, receivables, or liquid assets in a segregated account with its custodian in the prescribed amount.

Assets used as cover or held in a segregated account cannot be sold while the position in the corresponding Financial Instrument is open, unless they are replaced with other appropriate assets. As a result, the commitment of a large portion of the Fund’s assets to cover or to segregated accounts could impede portfolio management or the Fund’s ability to meet redemption requests or other current obligations.

Debentures - Debentures are unsecured debt securities. The holder of a debenture is protected only by the general creditworthiness of the issuer.

Depositary Receipts -- American Depositary Receipts (ADRs), European Depositary Receipts (EDRs), Global Depositary Receipts (GDRs) - ADRs are depositary receipts for foreign issuers in registered form traded in U.S. securities markets. EDRs are in bearer form and traded in European securities markets. GDRs are in bearer form and traded in both the U.S. and European securities markets. Depositary receipts may not be denominated in the same currency as the securities into which they may be converted. Investing in depositary receipts entails substantially the same risks as direct investment in foreign securities. There is generally less publicly available information about foreign companies and there may be less governmental regulation and supervision of foreign stock exchanges, brokers and listed companies. In addition, such companies may use different accounting and financial standards (and certain currencies may become unavailable for transfer from a foreign currency), resulting in the Fund’s possible inability to convert immediately into U.S. currency proceeds realized upon the sale of portfolio securities of the affected foreign companies.  In addition, the Fund may invest in unsponsored depositary receipts, the issuers of which are not obligated to disclose material information about the underlying securities to investors in the United States. Ownership of unsponsored depositary receipts may not entitle the Fund to the same benefits and rights as ownership of a sponsored depositary receipt or the underlying security. Please see “Foreign Securities” below for a description of the risks associated with investments in foreign securities.

 
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Derivatives - Generally, a derivative is a financial arrangement, the value of which is based on, or “derived” from, a traditional security, asset or market index. Some “derivatives” such as mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities are in many respects like any other investment, although they may be more volatile or less liquid than more traditional debt securities. There are, in fact, many different types of derivatives and many different ways to use them. There are a range of risks associated with those uses. Certain derivative securities are described more accurately as index/structured securities. Index/structured securities are derivative securities whose value or performance is linked to other equity securities (such as depositary receipts), currencies, interest rates, indices or other financial indicators (reference indices).

Dollar Rolls - A dollar roll is a contract to sell mortgage-backed securities as collateral against a commitment to repurchase similar, but not identical, mortgage-backed securities on a specified future date. The other party to the contract is entitled to all principal, interest, and prepayment cash flows while it holds the collateral. The Fund maintains with its custodian a segregated account containing high-grade liquid securities in an amount at least equal to the forward purchase obligation.

Emerging Market Risks - The Fund may invest in the securities of issuers domiciled in various countries with emerging capital markets. Investments in the securities of issuers domiciled in countries with emerging capital markets involve significantly higher risks not involved in investments in securities of issuers in more developed capital markets, such as (i) low or non-existent trading volume, resulting in a lack of liquidity and increased volatility in prices for such securities, as compared to securities of comparable issuers in more developed capital markets, (ii) uncertain national policies and social, political and economic instability, increasing the potential for expropriation of assets, confiscatory taxation, high rates of inflation or unfavorable diplomatic developments, (iii) possible fluctuations in exchange rates, differing legal systems and the existence or possible imposition of exchange controls, custodial restrictions or other non-U.S. or U.S. governmental laws or restrictions applicable to such investments, (iv) national policies that may limit the Fund’s investment opportunities such as restrictions on investment in issuers or industries deemed sensitive to national interests, (v) the lack or relatively early development of legal structures governing private and foreign investments and private property, and (vi) less diverse or immature economic structures. In addition to withholding taxes on investment income, some countries with emerging markets may impose differential capital gain taxes on foreign investors.

Such capital markets are emerging in a dynamic political and economic environment brought about by events over recent years that have reshaped political boundaries and traditional ideologies. In such a dynamic environment, there can be no assurance that these capital markets will continue to present viable investment opportunities for the Fund. In the past, governments of such nations have expropriated substantial amounts of private property, and most claims of the property owners have never been fully settled. There is no assurance that such expropriations will not reoccur. In such event, it is possible that the Fund could lose the entire value of its investments in the affected markets.

The economies of emerging market countries may be based predominately on only a few industries or may be dependent on revenues from participating commodities or on international aid or developmental assistance, may be highly vulnerable to changes in local or global trade conditions, and may suffer from extreme and volatile debt burdens or inflation rates.

Also, there may be less publicly available information about issuers in emerging markets than would be available about issuers in more developed capital markets, and such issuers may not be subject to accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards and requirements comparable to those to which U.S. companies are subject. In certain countries with emerging capital markets, reporting standards vary widely. As a result, traditional investment measurements used in the U.S., such as price/earnings ratios, may not be applicable. Emerging market securities may be substantially less liquid and more volatile than those of mature markets, and companies may be held by a limited number of persons. This may adversely affect the timing and pricing of the Fund’s acquisition or disposal of securities.

Practices in relation to settlement of securities transactions in emerging markets involve higher risks than those in developed markets, in part because the Fund will need to use brokers and counterparties that are less well capitalized, and custody and registration of assets in some countries may be unreliable.

Eurodollar and Yankeedollar obligations - Eurodollar obligations are U.S. dollar obligations issued outside the United States by domestic or foreign entities, while Yankeedollar obligations are U.S. dollar obligations issued inside the United States by foreign entities. There is generally less publicly available information about foreign issuers and there may be less governmental regulation and supervision of foreign stock exchanges, brokers and listed companies. Foreign issuers may use different accounting and financial standards, and the addition of foreign governmental restrictions may affect adversely the payment of principal and interest on foreign investments. In addition, not all foreign branches of United States banks are supervised or examined by regulatory authorities as are United States banks, and such branches may not be subject to reserve requirements.

 
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Exchange-Traded Funds - The Fund may purchase shares of exchange-traded funds (ETFs). ETFs trade like a common stock and usually represent a fixed portfolio of securities designed to track the performance and dividend yield of a particular domestic or foreign market index.  Typically, the Fund would purchase ETF shares for the same reason it would purchase (and as an alternative to purchasing) futures contracts: to obtain exposure to all or a portion of the stock or bond market. ETF shares enjoy several advantages over futures. Depending on the market, the holding period, and other factors, ETF shares can be less costly and more tax-efficient than futures. In addition, ETF shares can be purchased for smaller sums, offer exposure to market sectors and styles for which there is no suitable or liquid futures contract, and do not involve leverage.

 An investment in an ETF generally presents the same primary risks as an investment in a conventional fund (i.e., one that is not exchange traded) that has the same investment objective, strategies, and policies. The price of an ETF can fluctuate within a wide range, and the Fund could lose money investing in an ETF if the prices of the securities owned by the ETF go down. In addition, ETFs are subject to the following risks that do not apply to conventional funds: (1) the market price of the ETF’s shares may trade at a discount to their net asset value; (2) an active trading market for an ETF’s shares may not develop or be maintained; or (3) trading of an ETF’s shares may be halted if the listing exchange’s officials deem such action appropriate, the shares are de-listed from the exchange, or the activation of market-wide “circuit breakers” (which are tied to large decreases in stock prices) halts stock trading generally.  Most ETFs are investment companies. Therefore, the Fund’s purchases of ETF shares generally are subject to the limitations on, and the risks of, a fund’s investments in other investment companies, which are described below.

Foreign Securities - The Fund may invest in U.S. dollar-denominated securities of foreign issuers and foreign branches of U.S. banks, including negotiable certificates of deposit (“CDs”), bankers’ acceptances, and commercial paper.  Foreign issuers are issuers organized and doing business principally outside the United States and include banks, non-U.S. governments, and quasi-governmental organizations.  While investments in foreign securities are intended to reduce risk by providing further diversification, such investments involve sovereign and other risks, in addition to the credit and market risks normally associated with domestic securities.  These additional risks include the possibility of adverse political and economic developments (including political or social instability, nationalization, expropriation, or confiscatory taxation); the potentially adverse effects of unavailability of public information regarding issuers, less governmental supervision and regulation of financial markets, reduced liquidity of certain financial markets, and the lack of uniform accounting, auditing, and financial reporting standards or the  application of standards that are different or less stringent than those applied in the United States; different laws and customs governing securities tracking; and possibly limited access to the courts to enforce the Fund’s rights as an investor.

              The Fund also may invest in equity, debt, or other income-producing securities that are denominated in or indexed to foreign currencies, including (1) common and preferred stocks, (2) CDs, commercial paper, fixed time deposits, and bankers' acceptances issued by foreign banks, (3) obligations of other corporations, and (4) obligations of foreign governments and their subdivisions, agencies, and instrumentalities, international agencies, and supranational entities.  Investing in foreign currency denominated securities involves the special risks associated with investing in non-U.S. issuers, as described in the preceding paragraph, and the additional risks of (1) adverse changes in foreign exchange rates and (2) adverse changes in investment or exchange control regulations (which could prevent cash from being brought back to the United States).  Additionally, dividends and interest payable on foreign securities (and gains realized on disposition thereof) may be subject to foreign taxes, including taxes withheld from those payments.  Commissions on foreign securities exchanges are often at fixed rates and are generally higher than negotiated commissions on U.S. exchanges, although the Fund endeavors to achieve the most favorable net results on portfolio transactions.

              Foreign securities often trade with less frequency and in less volume than domestic securities and therefore may exhibit greater price volatility.  Additional costs associated with an investment in foreign securities may include higher custodial fees than apply to domestic custody arrangements and transaction costs of foreign currency conversions.

              Foreign markets also have different clearance and settlement procedures.  In certain markets, there have been times when settlements have been unable to keep pace with the volume of securities transactions, making it difficult to conduct such transactions.  Delays in settlement could result in temporary periods when a portion of the assets of the Fund are uninvested and no return is earned thereon.  The inability of the Fund to make intended security purchases due to settlement problems could cause the Fund to miss attractive investment opportunities.  Inability to dispose of portfolio securities due to settlement problems could result in losses to the Fund due to subsequent declines in value of the securities or, if the Fund has entered into a contract to sell the securities, could result in possible liability to the purchaser.

Interest rates prevailing in other countries may affect the prices of foreign securities and exchange rates for foreign currencies.  Local factors, including the strength of the local economy, the demand for borrowing, the government’s fiscal and monetary policies, and the international balance of payments, often affect interest rates in other countries.  Individual foreign

 
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economies may differ favorably or unfavorably from the U.S. economy in such respects as growth of gross national product, rate of inflation, capital reinvestment, resource self-sufficiency, and balance of payments position.

Forward Foreign Currency Exchange Contracts - The Fund may enter into forward foreign currency exchange contracts (“forward currency contracts”).  A forward currency contract involves an obligation to purchase or sell a specified currency at a future date, which may be any fixed number of days from the date of the contract agreed upon by the parties at a price set at the time of the contract.  These contracts are traded in the interbank market conducted directly between currency traders (usually large commercial banks) and their customers.

Forward currency contracts may serve as long hedges – for example, the Fund may purchase a forward currency contract to lock in the U.S. dollar price of a security denominated in a foreign currency that it intends to acquire.  Forward currency contract transactions also may serve as short hedges – for example, the Fund may sell a forward currency contract to lock in the U.S. dollar equivalent of the proceeds from the anticipated sale of a security or from a dividend or interest payment on a security denominated in a foreign currency.

The Fund may enter into forward currency contracts to sell a foreign currency for a fixed U.S. dollar amount approximating the value of some or all of their respective portfolio securities denominated in such foreign currency.  In addition, the Fund may use forward currency contracts when a Sub-Adviser wishes to “lock in” the U.S. dollar price of a security when the Fund is purchasing or selling a security denominated in a foreign currency or anticipates receiving a dividend or interest payment denominated in a foreign currency.

The Fund may enter into forward currency contracts for the purchase or sale of a specified currency at a specified future date either with respect to specific transactions or with respect to portfolio positions in order to minimize the risk to the Fund from adverse changes in the relationship between the U.S. dollar and foreign currencies.

The Fund may seek to hedge against changes in the value of a particular currency by using forward currency contracts on another foreign currency or a basket of currencies, the value of which the Sub-Adviser believes will have a positive correlation to the values of the currency being hedged.  Use of a different foreign currency magnifies the risk that movements in the price of the forward contract will not correlate or will correlate unfavorably with the foreign currency being hedged.

In addition, the Fund may use forward currency contracts to shift exposure to foreign currency fluctuations from one country to another.  For example, if the Fund owned securities denominated in a foreign currency that a Sub-Adviser believed would decline relative to another currency, it might enter into a forward currency contract to sell an appropriate amount of the first foreign currency, with payment to be made in the second currency.  Transactions that use two foreign currencies are sometimes referred to as “cross hedging.”  Use of a different foreign currency magnifies the Fund’s exposure to foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations.

The cost to the Fund of engaging in forward currency contracts varies with factors such as the currency involved, the length of the contract period and the market conditions then prevailing. Because forward currency contracts usually are entered into on a principal basis, no fees or commissions are involved.  When the Fund enters into a forward currency contract, it relies on the counterparty to make or take delivery of the underlying currency at the maturity of the contract.  Failure by the counterparty to do so would result in the loss of any expected benefit of the transaction.

Sellers or purchasers of forward currency contracts can enter into offsetting closing transactions, similar to closing transactions on futures, by purchasing or selling, respectively, an instrument identical to the instrument sold or bought, respectively.  Secondary markets generally do not exist for forward currency contracts, however, with the result that closing transactions generally can be made for forward currency contracts only by negotiating directly with the counterparty.  Thus, there can be no assurance that the Fund will in fact be able to close out a forward currency contract at a favorable price prior to maturity.  In addition, in the event of insolvency of the counterparty, the Fund might be unable to close out a forward currency contract at any time prior to maturity.  In either event, the Fund would continue to be subject to market risk with respect to the position, and would continue to be required to maintain a position in the securities or currencies that are the subject of the hedge or to maintain cash or securities.

The precise matching of forward currency contract amounts and the value of the securities involved generally will not be possible because the value of such securities, measured in the foreign currency, will change after the forward currency contract has been established.  Thus, the Fund might need to purchase or sell foreign currencies in the spot (cash) market to the extent such foreign currencies are not covered by forward contracts.  The projection of short-term currency market movements is extremely difficult, and the successful execution of a short-term hedging strategy is highly uncertain.

 
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Full Faith and Credit Obligations of the U.S. Government - Securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Treasury, backed by the full taxing power of the U.S. Government or the right of the issuer to borrow from the U.S. Treasury.

Futures Contracts - Futures contracts obligate a purchaser to take delivery of a specific amount of an obligation underlying the futures contract at a specified time in the future for a specified price. Likewise, the seller incurs an obligation to deliver the specified amount of the underlying obligation against receipt of the specified price. Futures are traded on both U.S. and foreign commodities exchanges. Futures contracts will be traded for the same purposes as entering into forward contracts.

The purchase of futures can serve as a long hedge, and the sale of futures can serve as a short hedge.

No price is paid upon entering into a futures contract. Instead, at the inception of a futures contract the Fund is required to deposit “initial deposit” consisting of cash or U.S. Government Securities in an amount generally equal to 10% or less of the contract value. Margin must also be deposited when writing a call or put option on a futures contract, in accordance with applicable exchange rules. Unlike margin in securities transactions, initial margin on futures contracts does not represent a borrowing, but rather is in the nature of a performance bond or good-faith deposit that is returned to the Fund at the termination of the transaction if all contractual obligations have been satisfied. Under certain circumstances, such as periods of high volatility, the Fund may be required by a futures exchange to increase the level of its initial margin payment, and initial margin requirements might be increased generally in the future by regulatory action.

Subsequent “variation margin” payments are made to and from the futures broker daily as the value of the futures position varies, a process known as “marking-to-market.” Variation margin does not involve borrowing, but rather represents a daily settlement of the Fund’s obligations to or from a futures broker. When the Fund purchases or sells a futures contract, it is subject to daily variation margin calls that could be substantial in the event of adverse price movements. If the Fund has insufficient cash to meet daily variation margin requirements, it might need to sell securities at a time when such sales are disadvantageous.

Purchasers and sellers of futures contracts can enter into offsetting closing transactions, by selling or purchasing, respectively, an instrument identical to the instrument purchased or sold. Positions in futures contracts may be closed only on a futures exchange or board of trade that provides a secondary market. The Fund intends to enter into futures contracts only on exchanges or boards of trade where there appears to be a liquid secondary market. However, there can be no assurance that such a market will exist for a particular contract at a particular time. In such event, it may not be possible to close a futures contract.

Although futures contracts by their terms call for the actual delivery or acquisition of securities or currency, in most cases the contractual obligation is fulfilled before the date of the contract without having to make or take delivery of the securities or currency. The offsetting of a contractual obligation is accomplished by buying (or selling, as appropriate) on a commodities exchange an identical futures contract calling for delivery in the same month. Such a transaction, which is effected through a member of an exchange, cancels the obligation to make or take delivery of the securities or currency. Since all transactions in the futures market are made, offset or fulfilled through a clearinghouse associated with the exchange on which the contracts are traded, the Fund will incur brokerage fees when it purchases or sells futures contracts.

Under certain circumstances, futures exchanges may establish daily limits on the amount that the price of a futures contract can vary from the previous day’s settlement price; once that limit is reached, no trades may be made that day at a price beyond the limit. Daily price limits do not limit potential losses because prices could move to the daily limit for several consecutive days with little or no trading, thereby preventing liquidation of unfavorable positions.

If the Fund were unable to liquidate a futures contract due to the absence of a liquid secondary market or the imposition of price limits, it could incur substantial losses. The Fund would continue to be subject to market risk with respect to the position. In addition, the Fund would continue to be required to make daily variation margin payments and might be required to maintain the position being hedged by the futures contract or option thereon or to maintain cash or securities in a segregated account.

To the extent that the Fund enters into futures contracts, in each case other than for bona fide hedging purposes (as defined by the Commodities Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”)), the aggregate initial margin will not exceed 5% of the liquidation value of the Fund’s portfolio, after taking into account unrealized profits and unrealized losses on any contracts that the Fund has entered into. This policy does not limit to 5% the percentage of the Fund’s assets that are at risk in futures contracts.

The ordinary spreads between prices in the cash and futures market, due to differences in the nature of those markets, are subject to distortions. First, all participants in the futures market are subject to initial deposit and variation margin requirements. Rather than meeting additional variation margin deposit requirements, investors may close futures contracts through offsetting transactions that could distort the normal relationship between the cash and futures markets. Second, the liquidity of the futures

 
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market depends on participants entering into offsetting transactions rather than making or taking delivery. To the extent participants decide to make or take delivery, liquidity in the futures market could be reduced, thus producing distortion. Third, from the point of view of speculators, the margin deposit requirements in the futures market are less onerous than margin requirements in the securities market. Therefore, increased participation by speculators in the futures market may cause temporary price distortions. Due to the possibility of distortion, a correct forecast of securities price or currency exchange rate trends by a Sub-Adviser may still not result in a successful transaction.

In addition, futures contracts entail risks. Although a Sub-Adviser may believe that use of such contracts will benefit the Fund, if that Sub-Adviser’s investment judgment about the general direction of, for example, an index is incorrect, the Fund’s overall performance would be worse than if it had not entered into any such contract. In addition, there are differences between the securities and futures markets that could result in an imperfect correlation between the markets, causing a given transaction not to achieve its objectives.

General Obligation Bonds - General obligation bonds are secured by the pledge of the issuer’s full faith, credit, and usually, taxing power. The taxing power may be an unlimited ad valorem tax or a limited tax, usually on real estate and personal property. Most states do not tax real estate, but leave that power to local units of government.

Illiquid Securities - Historically, illiquid securities have included securities subject to contractual or legal restrictions on resale because they have not been registered under the 1933 Act, securities that are otherwise not readily marketable, and repurchase agreements having a remaining maturity of longer than seven calendar days. Securities that have not been registered under the 1933 Act are referred to as private placements or restricted securities and are purchased directly from the issuer or in the secondary market. These securities may be sold only in a privately negotiated transaction or pursuant to an exemption from registration.  A large institutional market exists for certain securities that are not registered under the 1933 Act, including repurchase agreements, commercial paper, foreign securities, municipal securities and corporate bonds and notes. Institutional investors depend on an efficient institutional market in which the unregistered security can be readily resold or on an issuer’s ability to honor a demand for repayment. However, the fact that there are contractual or legal restrictions on resale of such investments to the general public or to certain institutions may not be indicative of their liquidity.

In recognition of the increased size and liquidity of the institutional market for unregistered securities and the importance of institutional investors in the formation of capital, the SEC has adopted Rule 144A under the 1933 Act. Rule 144A is designed to facilitate efficient trading among institutional investors by permitting the sale of certain unregistered securities to qualified institutional buyers. To the extent privately placed securities held by the Fund qualify under Rule 144A and an institutional market develops for those securities, the Fund likely will be able to dispose of the securities without registering them under the 1933 Act.  To the extent that institutional buyers become, for a time, uninterested in purchasing these securities, investing in Rule 144A securities could increase the level of the Fund’s illiquidity.  The Manager or the Sub-Adviser, as applicable, acting under guidelines established by the Board, may determine that certain securities qualified for trading under Rule 144A are liquid.  Regulation S under the 1933 Act permits the sale abroad of securities that are not registered for sale in the United States.

Mutual funds do not typically hold a significant amount of these restricted or other illiquid securities because of the potential for delays on resale and uncertainty in valuation. Limitations on resale may have an adverse effect on the marketability of portfolio securities, and the Fund might be unable to dispose of restricted or other illiquid securities promptly or at reasonable prices and might thereby experience difficulty satisfying redemptions within seven calendar days. In addition, the Fund may get only limited information about an issuer, so it may be less able to predict a loss. The Fund also might have to register such restricted securities in order to dispose of them resulting in additional expense and delay. Adverse market conditions could impede such a public offering of securities.

Index Futures Contracts and Options on Index Futures Contracts - The Fund may invest in index futures contracts, options on index futures contracts and options on securities indices.

Index Futures Contracts - U.S. futures contracts trade on exchanges that have been designated “contracts markets” by the CFTC and must be executed through a futures commission merchant, or brokerage firm, which is a member of the relevant contract market. Futures contracts trade on a number of exchange markets.

At the same time a futures contract on an index is purchased or sold, the Fund must allocate cash or securities as a deposit payment (“initial deposit”). It is expected that the initial deposit would be approximately 1-1/2% to 5% of a contract’s face value. Daily thereafter, the futures contract is valued and the payment of “variation margin” may be required.

 
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   Options on Index Futures Contracts - The purchase of a call option on an index futures contract is similar in some respects to the purchase of a call option on such an index.

The writing of a call option on a futures contract with respect to an index constitutes a partial hedge against declining prices of the underlying securities that are deliverable upon exercise of the futures contract. If the futures price at expiration of the option is below the exercise price, the Fund will retain the full amount of the option premium, which provides a partial hedge against any decline that may have occurred in the Fund’s holdings. The writing of a put option on an index futures contract constitutes a partial hedge against increasing prices of the underlying securities that are deliverable upon exercise of the futures contract. If the futures price at expiration of the option is higher than the exercise price, the Fund will retain the full amount of the option premium, which provides a partial hedge against any increase in the price of securities that the Fund intends to purchase. If a put or call option the Fund has written is exercised, the Fund will incur a loss that will be reduced by the amount of the premium it receives. Depending on the degree of correlation between changes in the value of its portfolio securities and changes in the value of its futures positions, the Fund’s losses or gains from existing options on futures may to some extent be reduced or increased by changes in the value of portfolio securities.

The purchase of a put option on a futures contract with respect to an index is similar in some respects to the purchase of protective put options on the Index. For example, the Fund may purchase a put option on an index futures contract to hedge against the risk of lowering securities values.

The amount of risk the Fund assumes when it purchases an option on a futures contract with respect to an index is the premium paid for the option plus related transaction costs. In addition to the correlation risks discussed above, the purchase of such an option also entails the risk that changes in the value of the underlying futures contract will not be fully reflected in the value of the option purchased.

Stock index futures may be used on a continual basis to equitize cash so that the Fund may maintain maximum equity exposure. The Fund will not enter into any futures contracts or options on futures contracts if immediately thereafter the amount of margin deposits on all the futures contracts of the Fund and premiums paid on outstanding options on futures contracts owned by the Fund would exceed 5% of the market value of the total assets of the Fund.

Futures Contracts on Stock Indices - The Fund may enter into contracts providing for the making and acceptance of a cash settlement based upon changes in the value of an index of securities (“Index Futures Contracts”). This investment technique is used only to hedge against anticipated future change in general market prices which otherwise might either adversely affect the value of securities held by the Fund or adversely affect the prices of securities which are intended to be purchased at a later date for the Fund.

In general, each transaction in Index Futures Contracts involves the establishment of a position that will move in a direction opposite to that of the investment being hedged. If these hedging transactions are successful, the futures positions taken for the Fund will rise in value by an amount that approximately offsets the decline in value of the portion of the Fund’s investments that are being hedged. Should general market prices move in an unexpected manner, the full anticipated benefits of Index Futures Contracts may not be achieved or a loss may be realized.

Transactions in Index Futures Contracts involve certain risks. These risks could include a lack of correlation between the Futures Contract and the equity market, a potential lack of liquidity in the secondary market and incorrect assessments of market trends, which may result in worse overall performance than if a Futures Contract had not been entered into.

Brokerage costs will be incurred and “margin” will be required to be posted and maintained as a good-faith deposit against performance of obligations under Futures Contracts written into by the Fund. The Fund may not purchase or sell a Futures Contract (or options thereon) if immediately thereafter its margin deposits on its outstanding Futures Contracts (and its premium paid on outstanding options thereon) would exceed 5% of the market value of the Fund’s total assets.

Options on Securities Indices - The Fund may write (sell) covered call and put options to a limited extent on an index (“covered options”) in an attempt to increase income. Such options give the holder the right to receive a cash settlement during the term of the option based upon the difference between the exercise price and the value of the index. The Fund may forgo the benefits of appreciation on the index or may pay more than the market price for the index pursuant to call and put options written by the Fund.

 
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By writing a covered call option, the Fund forgoes, in exchange for the premium less the commission (“net premium”), the opportunity to profit during the option period from an increase in the market value of an index above the exercise price. By writing a put option, the Fund, in exchange for the net premium received, accepts the risk of a decline in the market value of the index below the exercise price.

The Fund may terminate its obligation as the writer of a call or put option by purchasing an option with the same exercise price and expiration date as the option previously written.

When the Fund writes an option, an amount equal to the net premium received by the Fund is included in the liability section of the Fund’s Statement of Assets and Liabilities as a deferred credit. The amount of the deferred credit will be subsequently marked to market to reflect the current market value of the option written. The current market value of a traded option is the last sale price or, in the absence of a sale, the mean between the closing bid and asked price. If an option expires unexercised on its stipulated expiration date or if the Fund enters into a closing purchase transaction, the Fund will realize a gain (or loss if the cost of a closing purchase transaction exceeds the premium received when the option was sold), and the deferred credit related to such option will be eliminated.

The Fund has adopted certain other non-fundamental policies concerning index option transactions that are discussed above.

The hours of trading for options on an index may not conform to the hours during which the underlying securities are traded. To the extent that the option markets close before the markets for the underlying securities, significant price and rate movements can take place in the underlying securities markets that cannot be reflected in the option markets. It is impossible to predict the volume of trading that may exist in such options, and there can be no assurance that viable exchange markets will develop or continue.

Because options on securities indices require settlement in cash, the Sub-Adviser may be forced to liquidate portfolio securities to meet settlement obligations.

Options on Stock Indices - The Fund may purchase and write put and call options on stock indices listed on stock exchanges. A stock index fluctuates with changes in the market values of the stocks included in the index. Options on stock indices generally are similar to options on stock except that the delivery requirements are different. Instead of giving the right to take or make delivery of stock at a specified price, an option on a stock index gives the holder the right to receive a cash “exercise settlement amount” equal to (a) the amount, if any, by which the fixed exercise price of the option exceeds (in the case of a call) or is less than (in the case of a put) the closing value of the underlying index on the date of exercise, multiplied by (b) a fixed “index multiplier.” The writer of the option is obligated, in return for the premium received, to make delivery of this amount. The writer may offset its position in stock index options prior to expiration by entering into a closing transaction on an exchange or the option may expire unexercised.

Because the value of an index option depends upon movements in the level of the index rather than the price of a particular stock, whether the Fund will realize a gain or loss from the purchase or writing of options on an index depends upon movements in the level of stock prices in the stock market generally or, in the case of certain indices, in an industry or market segment, rather than movements in the price of a particular stock.
 
    Interfund Lending - Pursuant to an order issued by the SEC, the Fund may participate in a credit facility whereby the Fund, under certain conditions, is permitted to lend money directly to and borrow directly from other American Beacon Funds for temporary purposes. The credit facility can provide the borrowing Fund with significant savings at times when the cash position of the Fund is insufficient to meet temporary cash requirements. This situation could arise when shareholder redemptions exceed anticipated volumes and the Fund has insufficient cash on hand to satisfy such redemptions. When the Fund liquidates portfolio securities to meet redemption requests, it often does not receive payment in settlement for up to three days (or longer for certain foreign transactions). However, redemption requests normally are satisfied immediately. The credit facility provides a source of immediate, short-term liquidity pending settlement of the sale of portfolio securities.
 
    The credit facility will reduce the Fund’s potential borrowing costs and enhance the ability of the lending Funds to earn higher rates of interest on their short-term lending. Although the credit facility will reduce the Fund’s need to borrow from banks, the Fund remains free to establish lines of credit or other borrowing arrangements with banks.
 
    Junk Bonds - Junk bonds are low-quality, high-risk corporate bonds that generally offer a high level of current income. These bonds are considered speculative by the Rating Organizations. For example, Moody’s and Standard & Poor’s rates them below Baa and BBB, respectively. Please see “Ratings of Long-Term Obligations” below for an explanation of the ratings

 
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applied to junk bonds. Junk bonds are often issued as a result of corporate restructurings, such as leveraged buyouts, mergers, acquisitions, or other similar events. They may also be issued by smaller, less creditworthy companies or by highly leveraged firms, which are generally less able to make scheduled payments of interest and principal than more financially stable firms. Because of their low credit quality, junk bonds must pay higher interest to compensate investors for the substantial credit risk they assume. In order to minimize credit risk, the Fund intends to diversify its holdings among many bond issuers.

Lower-rated securities are subject to certain risks that may not be present with investments in higher-grade securities. Investors should consider carefully their ability to assume the risks associated with lower-rated securities before investing in the Fund. The lower rating of certain high yielding corporate income securities reflects a greater possibility that the financial condition of the issuer or adverse changes in general economic conditions may impair the ability of the issuer to pay income and principal. Changes by rating agencies in their ratings of a fixed income security also may affect the value of these investments. However, allocating investments in the fund among securities of different issuers should reduce the risks of owning any such securities separately. The prices of these high yielding securities tend to be less sensitive to interest rate changes than higher-rated investments, but more sensitive to adverse economic changes or individual corporate developments. During economic downturns or periods of rising interest rates, highly leveraged issuers may experience financial stress that adversely affects their ability to service principal and interest payment obligations, to meet projected business goals or to obtain additional financing, and the markets for their securities may be more volatile. If an issuer defaults, the Fund may incur additional expenses to seek recovery.  Additionally, accruals of interest income for a Fund that invests in junk bonds may have to be adjusted in the event of default.  In the event of an issuers default, a Fund may write off prior income accruals for that issuer, resulting in a reduction in the Fund’s current dividend payment. Frequently, the higher yields of high-yielding securities may not reflect the value of the income stream that holders of such securities may expect, but rather the risk that such securities may lose a substantial portion of their value as a result of their issuer’s financial restructuring or default. Additionally, an economic downturn or an increase in interest rates could have a negative effect on the high yield securities market and on the market value of the high yield securities held by the Fund, as well as on the ability of the issuers of such securities to repay principal and interest on their borrowings.

Loan Participation Interests - Loan participation interests represent interests in bank loans made to corporations. The contractual arrangement with the bank transfers the cash stream of the underlying bank loan to the participating investor. Because the issuing bank does not guarantee the participations, they are subject to the credit risks generally associated with the underlying corporate borrower. In addition, because it may be necessary under the terms of the loan participation for the investor to assert through the issuing bank such rights as may exist against the underlying corporate borrower, in the event the underlying corporate borrower fails to pay principal and interest when due, the investor may be subject to delays, expenses and risks that are greater than those that would have been involved if the investor had purchased a direct obligation (such as commercial paper) of such borrower. Moreover, under the terms of the loan participation, the investor may be regarded as a creditor of the issuing bank (rather than of the underlying corporate borrower), so that the issuer may also be subject to the risk that the issuing bank may become insolvent. Further, in the event of the bankruptcy or insolvency of the corporate borrower, the loan participation may be subject to certain defenses that can be asserted by such borrower as a result of improper conduct by the issuing bank. The secondary market, if any, for these loan participations is extremely limited and any such participations purchased by the investor are regarded as illiquid.

Loan Transactions - Loan transactions involve the lending of securities to a broker-dealer or institutional investor for its use in connection with short sales, arbitrages or other security transactions. The purpose of a qualified loan transaction is to afford a lender the opportunity to continue to earn income on the securities loaned and at the same time earn fee income or income on the collateral held by it.

Securities loans will be made in accordance with the following conditions: (1) the Fund must receive at least 100% collateral in the form of cash or cash equivalents, securities of the U.S. Government and its agencies and instrumentalities, and approved bank letters of credit; (2) the borrower must increase the collateral whenever the market value of the loaned securities (determined on a daily basis) rises above the level of collateral; (3) the Fund must be able to terminate the loan after notice, at any time; (4) the Fund must receive reasonable interest on the loan or a flat fee from the borrower, as well as amounts equivalent to any dividends, interest or other distributions on the securities loaned, and any increase in market value of the loaned securities; (5) the Fund may pay only reasonable custodian fees in connection with the loan; and (6) voting rights on the securities loaned may pass to the borrower, provided, however, that if a material event affecting the investment occurs, the Board must be able to terminate the loan and vote proxies or enter into an alternative arrangement with the borrower to enable the Board to vote proxies.

While there may be delays in recovery of loaned securities or even a loss of rights in collateral supplied should the borrower fail financially, loans will be made only to firms deemed by the Board to be of good financial standing and will not be made unless the consideration to be earned from such loans would justify the risk. If the borrower of the securities fails financially, there is a risk of delay in recovery of the securities loaned or loss of rights in the collateral. Such loan transactions are

 
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referred to in this Statement of Additional Information as “qualified” loan transactions.

The cash collateral so acquired through qualified loan transactions may be invested only in those categories of high quality liquid securities previously authorized by the Board.

Mortgage-Backed Securities - Mortgage-backed securities consist of both collateralized mortgage obligations and mortgage pass-through certificates.

Collateralized Mortgage Obligations (“CMOs”) - CMOs and interests in real estate mortgage investment conduits (“REMICs”) are debt securities collateralized by mortgages or mortgage pass-through securities. CMOs divide the cash flow generated from the underlying mortgages or mortgage pass-through securities into different groups referred to as “tranches,” which are then retired sequentially over time in order of priority. The principal governmental issuers of such securities are the Federal National Mortgage Association (“FNMA”), a government sponsored corporation owned entirely by private stockholders, and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (“FHLMC”), a corporate instrumentality of the United States created pursuant to an act of Congress that is owned entirely by the Federal Home Loan Banks. The issuers of CMOs are structured as trusts or corporations established for the purpose of issuing such CMOs and often have no assets other than those underlying the securities and any credit support provided. A REMIC is a mortgage securities vehicle that holds residential or commercial mortgages and issues securities representing interests in those mortgages. A REMIC may be formed as a corporation, partnership, or segregated pool of assets. A REMIC itself is generally exempt from federal income tax, but the income from its mortgages is taxable to its investors. For investment purposes, interests in REMIC securities are virtually indistinguishable from CMOs.

Mortgage Pass-Through Securities - Mortgage pass-through securities are securities representing interests in “pools” of mortgages in which payments of both interest and principal on the securities are generally made monthly, in effect “passing through” monthly payments made by the individual borrowers on the residential mortgage loans that underlie the securities (net of fees paid to the issuer or guarantor of the securities).  They are issued by governmental, government-related and private organizations which are backed by pools of mortgage loans.

Payment of principal and interest on some mortgage pass-through securities (but not the market value of the securities themselves) may be guaranteed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government, as in the case of securities guaranteed by the Government National Mortgage Association (“GNMA”), or guaranteed by agencies or instrumentalities of the U.S. government, as in the case of securities guaranteed by the Federal National Mortgage Association (“FNMA”) or the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (“FHLMC”), which are supported only by the discretionary authority of the U.S. government to purchase the agency’s obligations.
 
On September 7, 2008, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were placed under the conservatorship of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (“FHFA”) to provide stability in the financial markets, mortgage availability and taxpayer protection by preserving Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac’s assets and property and putting Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in a sound and solvent condition. Under the conservatorship, the U.S. Treasury will receive senior preferred equity shares and warrants to ensure that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac maintain a positive net worth.
 
Further, the U.S. Treasury has established a new secured lending credit facility which will be available to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to assist the entities in funding their regular business activities in the capital markets until December 31, 2009. Also, the U.S. Treasury has initiated a program to purchase Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac mortgage-backed securities through December 31, 2009, to aid mortgage affordability.

Mortgage pass-through securities created by nongovernmental issuers (such as commercial banks, savings and loan institutions, private mortgage insurance companies, mortgage bankers and other secondary market issuers) may be supported by various forms of insurance or guarantees, including individual loan, title, pool and hazard insurance and letters of credit, which may be issued by governmental entities, private insurers or the mortgage poolers.

(1) GNMA Mortgage Pass-Through Certificates (“Ginnie Maes”) - GNMA is a wholly owned U.S. Government corporation within the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Ginnie Maes represent an undivided interest in a pool of mortgages that are insured by the Federal Housing Administration or the Farmers Home Administration or guaranteed by the Veterans Administration. Ginnie Maes entitle the holder to receive all payments (including prepayments) of principal and interest owed by the individual mortgagors, net of fees paid to GNMA and to the issuer which assembles the mortgage pool and passes through the monthly mortgage payments to the certificate holders (typically, a mortgage banking firm), regardless of whether the individual mortgagor actually makes the payment. Because payments are made to certificate holders regardless of whether payments are actually received on the

 
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underlying mortgages, Ginnie Maes are of the “modified pass-through” mortgage certificate type. The GNMA is authorized to guarantee the timely payment of principal and interest on the Ginnie Maes. The GNMA guarantee is backed by the full faith and credit of the United States, and the GNMA has unlimited authority to borrow funds from the U.S. Treasury to make payments under the guarantee. The market for Ginnie Maes is highly liquid because of the size of the market and the active participation in the secondary market of security dealers and a variety of investors.

(2) FHLMC Mortgage Participation Certificates (“Freddie Macs”) - Freddie Macs represent interests in groups of specified first lien residential conventional mortgages underwritten and owned by the FHLMC. Freddie Macs entitle the holder to timely payment of interest, which is guaranteed by the FHLMC. The FHLMC guarantees either ultimate collection or timely payment of all principal payments on the underlying mortgage loans. In cases where the FHLMC has not guaranteed timely payment of principal, the FHLMC may remit the amount due because of its guarantee of ultimate payment of principal at any time after default on an underlying mortgage, but in no event later than one year after it becomes payable. Freddie Macs are not guaranteed by the United States or by any of the Federal Home Loan Banks and do not constitute a debt or obligation of the United States or of any Federal Home Loan Bank. The secondary market for Freddie Macs is highly liquid because of the size of the market and the active participation in the secondary market of the FHLMC, security dealers and a variety of investors.

(3) FNMA Guaranteed Mortgage Pass-Through Certificates (“Fannie Maes”) - Fannie Maes represent an undivided interest in a pool of conventional mortgage loans secured by first mortgages or deeds of trust, on one family or two to four family, residential properties. The FNMA is obligated to distribute scheduled monthly installments of principal and interest on the mortgages in the pool, whether or not received, plus full principal of any foreclosed or otherwise liquidated mortgages. The obligation of the FNMA under its guarantee is solely its obligation and is not backed by, nor entitled to, the full faith and credit of the United States.

(4) Mortgage-Related Securities Issued by Private Organizations - Pools created by non-governmental issuers generally offer a higher rate of interest than government and government-related pools because there are no direct or indirect government guarantees of payments in such pools. However, timely payment of interest and principal of these pools is often partially supported by various enhancements such as over-collateralization and senior/subordination structures and by various forms of insurance or guarantees, including individual loan, title, pool and hazard insurance. The insurance and guarantees are issued by government entities, private insurers or the mortgage poolers. Although the market for such securities is becoming increasingly liquid, securities issued by certain private organizations may not be readily marketable.

Municipal Lease Obligations (“MLOs”) - MLOs are issued by state and local governments and authorities to acquire land and a wide variety of equipment and facilities. These obligations typically are not fully backed by the municipality’s credit and thus interest may become taxable if the lease is assigned. If funds are not appropriated for the following year’s lease payments, a lease may terminate with the possibility of default on the lease obligation.

Options - The Fund may purchase and sell put options and call options on securities and foreign currencies in standardized contracts traded on recognized securities exchanges, boards of trade, or similar entities, or quoted on the NASDAQ National Market System. The Fund will only write (sell) covered call and put options. For a further description, see “Cover.”

An option is a contract that gives the purchaser (holder) of the option, in return for a premium, the right to buy from (call) or sell to (put) the seller (writer) of the option the security or currency underlying the option at a specified exercise price at any time during the term of the option (normally not exceeding nine months). The writer of an option has the obligation upon exercise of the option to deliver the underlying security or currency upon payment of the exercise price or to pay the exercise price upon delivery of the underlying security or currency.

By writing a covered call option, the Fund forgoes, in exchange for the premium less the commission (“net premium”), the opportunity to profit during the option period from an increase in the market value of the underlying security or currency above the exercise price. By writing a put option, the Fund, in exchange for the net premium received, accepts the risk of a decline in the market value of the underlying security or currency below the exercise price.

The Fund may terminate its obligation as the writer of a call or put option by purchasing an option with the same exercise price and expiration date as the option previously written.

When the Fund writes an option, an amount equal to the net premium received by the Fund is included in the liability section of the Fund’s Statement of Assets and Liabilities as a deferred credit. The amount of the deferred credit will be subsequently marked to market to reflect the current market value of the option written. The current market value of a traded

 
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option is the last sale price or, in the absence of a sale, the mean between the closing bid and asked price. If an option expires on its stipulated expiration date or if the Fund enters into a closing purchase transaction, the Fund will realize a gain (or loss if the cost of a closing purchase transaction exceeds the premium received when the option was sold), and the deferred credit related to such option will be eliminated.

The hours of trading for options may not conform to the hours during which the underlying securities are traded. To the extent that the option markets close before the markets for the underlying securities, significant price and rate movements can take place in the underlying securities markets that cannot be reflected in the option markets. It is impossible to predict the volume of trading that may exist in such options, and there can be no assurance that viable exchange markets will develop or continue.

Other Investment Company Securities - The Fund at times may invest in shares of other investment companies, including other investment companies of the Trust. Investments in the securities of other investment companies may involve duplication of advisory fees and certain other expenses. By investing in another investment company, the Fund becomes a shareholder of that investment company. As a result, Fund shareholders indirectly will bear the Fund’s proportionate share of the fees and expenses paid by shareholders of the other investment company, in addition to the fees and expenses Fund shareholders directly bear in connection with the Fund’s own operations.  These other fees and expenses are reflected as Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses and are itemized in the Fees and Expenses Table for the Fund in its prospectuses. Investment in other investment companies may involve the payment of substantial premiums above the value of such issuer’s portfolio securities.

Preferred Stock - A preferred stock blends the characteristics of a bond and common stock. It can offer the higher yield of a bond and has priority over common stock in equity ownership, but does not have the seniority of a bond and its participation in the issuer’s growth may be limited. Preferred stock has preference over common stock in the receipt of dividends and in any residual assets after payment to creditors should the issuer be dissolved. Although the dividend is set at a fixed annual rate, in some circumstances it can be changed or omitted by the issuer.

Private Activity Bonds - PABs are issued to finance, among other things, privately operated housing facilities, pollution control facilities, convention or trade show facilities, mass transit, airport, port or parking facilities and certain facilities for water supply, gas, electricity, sewage or solid waste disposal. PABs are also issued to privately held or publicly owned corporations in the financing of commercial or industrial facilities. The principal and interest on these obligations may be payable from the general revenues of the users of such facilities. See “Tax Information – Taxation of the Fund’s Shareholders.”

Ratings of Long-Term Obligations - The Fund utilizes ratings provided by the following Rating Organizations in order to determine eligibility of long-term obligations.

Credit ratings typically evaluate the safety of principal and interest payments, not the market value risk of high yield bonds. The Rating Organizations may fail to update a credit rating on a timely basis to reflect changes in economic or financial conditions that may affect the market value of the security. For these reasons, credit ratings may not be an accurate indicator of the market value of a high yield bond.

The four highest Moody’s ratings for long-term obligations (or issuers thereof) are Aaa, Aa, A and Baa. Obligations rated Aaa are judged to be of the highest quality, with minimal credit risk. Obligations rated Aa are judged to be of high quality and are subject to very low credit risk. Obligations rated A are considered upper-medium grade and are subject to low credit risk. Obligations rated Baa are subject to moderate credit risk. They are considered medium-grade and as such may possess certain speculative characteristics.

Moody’s ratings of Ba, B, Caa, Ca and C are considered below investment grade. Obligations rated Ba are judged to have speculative elements and are subject to substantial credit risk. Obligations rated B are considered speculative and are subject to high credit risk. Obligations rated Caa are judged to be of poor standing and are subject to very high credit risk. Obligations rated Ca are highly speculative and are likely in, or very near, default, with some prospect of recovery of principal and interest. Obligations rated C are the lowest rated class of bonds and are typically in default, with little prospect for recovery of principal or interest. Moody’s also appends numerical modifiers 1, 2, and 3 to each generic rating classification from Aa through Caa. The modifier 1 indicates that the obligation ranks in the higher end of its generic rating category; the modifier 2 indicates a mid-range ranking; and the modifier 3 indicates a ranking in the lower end of that generic rating category.

The four highest Standard & Poor’s ratings for long-term obligations are AAA, AA, A and BBB. An obligation rated AAA has the highest rating assigned by Standard & Poor’s. The obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is extremely strong. An obligation rated AA differs from the highest-rated obligations only to a small degree. The obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is very strong. An obligation rated A is somewhat more

 
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susceptible to the adverse effects of changes in circumstances and economic conditions than obligations in higher-rated categories. However, the obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is still strong. An obligation rated BBB exhibits adequate protection parameters. However, adverse economic conditions or changing circumstances are more likely to lead to a weakened capacity of the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.

Standard & Poor’s ratings of BB, B, CCC, CC, C and D are considered below investment grade and are regarded as having significant speculative characteristics. While such obligations will likely have some quality and protective characteristics, these may be outweighed by large uncertainties or major exposures to adverse conditions. An obligation rated BB is less vulnerable to nonpayment than other speculative issues. However, it faces major ongoing uncertainties or exposure to adverse business, financial, or economic conditions which could lead to the obligor’s inadequate capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation. An obligation rated B is more vulnerable to nonpayment than obligations rated BB, but the obligor currently has the capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation. Adverse business, financial, or economic conditions will likely impair the obligor’s capacity or willingness to meet its financial commitment on the obligation. An obligation rated CCC is currently vulnerable to nonpayment, and is dependent upon favorable business, financial, and economic conditions for the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation. In the event of adverse business, financial, or economic conditions, the obligor is not likely to have the capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation. An obligation rated CC is currently highly vulnerable to nonpayment. A C rating is assigned to obligations that are currently highly vulnerable to nonpayment, obligations that have payment arrearages allowed by the terms of the documents, or obligations of an issuer that is the subject of a bankruptcy petition or similar action which have not experienced a payment default. Among others, the C rating may be assigned to subordinated debt, preferred stock or other obligations on which cash payments have been suspended in accordance with the instrument’s terms. An obligation rated D is in payment default. The D rating category is used when payments on an obligation are not made on the date due even if the applicable grace period has not expired, unless Standard & Poor’s believes that such payments will be made during such grace period. The D rating also will be used upon the filing of a bankruptcy petition or the taking of a similar action if payments on an obligation are jeopardized.

The four highest ratings for long-term obligations by Fitch Ratings are AAA, AA, A and BBB. Obligations rated AAA are deemed to be of the highest credit quality. AAA ratings denote the lowest expectation of credit risk. They are assigned only in case of exceptionally strong capacity for payment of financial commitments. This capacity is highly unlikely to be adversely affected by foreseeable events. Obligations rated AA are deemed to be of very high credit quality. AA ratings denote expectations of very low credit risk. They indicate very strong capacity for payment of financial commitments. This capacity is not significantly vulnerable to foreseeable events. Obligations rated A are deemed to be of high credit quality. An A rating denotes expectations of low credit risk. The capacity for payment of financial commitments is considered strong. This capacity may, nevertheless, be more vulnerable to changes in circumstances or in economic conditions than is the case for higher ratings. Obligations rated BBB are deemed to be of good credit quality. BBB ratings indicate that there are currently expectations of low credit risk. The capacity for payment of financial commitments is considered adequate but adverse changes in circumstances and economic conditions are more likely to impair this capacity.  This is the lowest investment grade category.

Fitch’s ratings of BB, B, CCC, CC, C, RD and D are considered below investment grade or speculative grade. Obligations rated BB are deemed to be speculative. BB ratings indicate that there is a possibility of credit risk developing, particularly as the result of adverse economic change over time; however, business or financial alternatives may be available to allow financial commitments to be met. Securities rated in this category are not investment grade. Obligations rated B are deemed to be highly speculative.  For issuers and performing obligations, B ratings indicate that significant credit risk is present, but a limited margin of safety remains. Financial commitments are currently being met; however, capacity for continued payment is contingent upon a sustained, favorable business and economic environment. For individual obligations, may indicate distressed or defaulted obligations with potential for extremely high recoveries. Such obligations would possess a Recovery Rating of RR1 (outstanding). Obligations rated CCC indicate, for issuers and performing obligations, default is a real possibility. Capacity for meeting financial commitments is solely reliant upon sustained, favorable business or economic conditions. For individual obligations, may indicate distressed or defaulted obligations with potential for average to superior levels of recovery. Differences in credit quality may be denoted by plus/minus distinctions. Such obligations typically would possess a Recovery Rating of RR2 (superior), or RR3 (good) or RR4 (average). Obligations rated CC indicate, for issuers and performing obligations, default of some kind appears probable. For individual obligations, may indicate distressed or defaulted obligations with a Recovery Rating of RR4 (average) or RR5 (below average). Obligations rated C indicate, for issuers and performing obligations, default is imminent. For individual obligations, may indicate distressed or defaulted obligations with potential for below-average to poor recoveries. Such obligations would possess a Recovery Rating of RR6 (poor). Obligations rated RD indicate an entity that has failed to make due payments (within the applicable grace period) on some but not all material financial obligations, but continues to honor other classes of obligations. Obligations rated D indicate an entity or sovereign that has defaulted on all of its financial obligations. Default generally is defined as one of the following: (a) failure of an obligor to make timely payment of principal and/or interest under the contractual terms of any financial obligation; (b) the bankruptcy filings, administration, receivership, liquidation or other winding-up or cessation of business of an obligor; or (c) the distressed or other coercive exchange of an

 
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obligation, where creditors were offered securities with diminished structural or economic terms compared with the existing obligation. Default ratings are not assigned prospectively; within this context, non-payment on an instrument that contains a deferral feature or grace period will not be considered a default until after the expiration of the deferral or grace period.

           The four highest ratings for long-term obligations by Dominion Bond Rating Service Limited (“DBRS”) are AAA, AA, A and BBB. Long-term debt rated AAA is of the highest credit quality, with exceptionally strong protection for the timely repayment of principal and interest. Earnings are considered stable, the structure of the industry in which the entity operates is strong, and the outlook for future profitability is favorable. There are few qualifying factors present that would detract from the performance of the entity. The strength of liquidity and coverage ratios is unquestioned and the entity has established a credible track record of superior performance. Given the extremely high standard that DBRS has set for this category, few entities are able to achieve a AAA rating.  Long-term debt rated AA is of superior credit quality, and protection of interest and principal is considered high. In many cases they differ from long-term debt rated AAA only to a small degree. Given the extremely restrictive definition DBRS has for the AAA category, entities rated AA are also considered to be strong credits, typically exemplifying above-average strength in key areas of consideration and unlikely to be significantly affected by reasonably foreseeable events. Long-term debt rated “A” is of satisfactory credit quality. Protection of interest and principal is still substantial, but the degree of strength is less than that of AA rated entities. While “A” is a respectable rating, entities in this category are considered to be more susceptible to adverse economic conditions and have greater cyclical tendencies than higher-rated securities. Long-term debt rated BBB is of adequate credit quality. Protection of interest and principal is considered acceptable, but the entity is fairly susceptible to adverse changes in financial and economic conditions, or there may be other adverse conditions present which reduce the strength of the entity and its rated securities.

DBRS’ ratings of BB, B, CCC, CC, C and D are considered speculative and non-investment grade. Long-term debt rated BB is defined to be speculative and non-investment grade, where the degree of protection afforded interest and principal is uncertain, particularly during periods of economic recession. Entities in the BB range typically have limited access to capital markets and additional liquidity support. In many cases, deficiencies in critical mass, diversification, and competitive strength are additional negative considerations. Long-term debt rated B is considered highly speculative and there is a reasonably high level of uncertainty as to the ability of the entity to pay interest and principal on a continuing basis in the future, especially in periods of economic recession or industry adversity. Long-term debt rated CCC, CC or C is very highly speculative and is in danger of default of interest and principal. The degree of adverse elements present is more severe than long-term debt rated B. Long-term debt rated below B often have features which, if not remedied, may lead to default. In practice, there is little difference between these three categories, with CC and C normally used for lower ranking debt of companies for which the senior debt is rated in the CCC to B range. A security rated D implies the issuer has either not met a scheduled payment of interest or principal or that the issuer has made it clear that it will miss such a payment in the near future. In some cases, DBRS may not assign a D rating under a bankruptcy announcement scenario, as allowances for grace periods may exist in the underlying legal documentation. Once assigned, the D rating will continue as long as the missed payment continues to be in arrears, and until such time as the rating is discontinued or reinstated by DBRS.

Standard & Poor’s and Fitch Ratings apply indicators (such as “+” and “-”) and DBRS adds “high” or “low” to indicate relative standing within the major rating categories (except AAA). A rating without one of these indicators falls within the middle of the category.

Ratings of Municipal Obligations - Moody’s ratings for short-term investment-grade municipal obligations are designated Municipal Investment Grade (MIG or VMIG in the case of variable rate demand obligations) and are divided into three levels - MIG/VMIG 1, MIG/VMIG 2 and MIG/VMIG 3. Factors used in determination of ratings include liquidity of the borrower and short-term cyclical elements. The MIG/VMIG 1 rating denotes superior credit quality. Excellent protection is afforded by established cash flows, highly reliable liquidity support, or demonstrated broad-based access to the market for refinancing.  The MIG/VMIG 2 rating denotes strong credit quality. Margins of protection are ample, although not as large as in the preceding group. The MIG/VMIG 3 rating denotes acceptable credit quality. Liquidity and cash-flow protection may be narrow, and market access for refinancing is likely to be less well-established.  An SG rating denotes speculative-grade credit quality. Debt instruments in this category may lack sufficient margins of protection.

Standard & Poor’s uses SP-1, SP-2, and SP-3 to rate short-term municipal obligations. A rating of SP-1 denotes a strong capacity to pay principal and interest. An issue determined to possess a very strong capacity to pay debt service is given a plus (+) designation. A rating of SP-2 denotes a satisfactory capacity to pay principal and interest, with some vulnerability to adverse financial and economic changes over the term of the notes. A rating of SP-3 denotes a speculative capacity to pay principal and interest.

Ratings of Short-Term Obligations - Moody’s short-term ratings, designated as P-1, P-2 or P-3, are opinions of the

 
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ability of issuers to honor short-term financial obligations that generally have an original maturity not exceeding thirteen months. The rating P-1 is the highest short-term rating assigned by Moody’s and it denotes an issuer (or supporting institution) that has a superior ability to repay short-term debt obligations.  The rating P-2 denotes an issuer (or supporting institution) that has a strong ability to repay short-term debt obligations. The rating P-3 denotes an issuer (or supporting institution) that has an acceptable ability for repayment of senior short-term policyholder claims and obligations.

Standard & Poor’s short-term ratings are generally assigned to obligations with an original maturity of no more than 365 days—including commercial paper. A short-term obligation rated A-1 is rated in the highest category by Standard & Poor’s. The obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is strong. Within this category, certain obligations are designated with a plus sign (+). This indicates that the obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitment on these obligations is extremely strong.  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 short-term obligation rated A-3 exhibits adequate protection parameters. However, adverse economic conditions or changing circumstances are more likely to lead to a weakened capacity of the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation. A short-term obligation rated B is regarded as having significant speculative characteristics. Ratings of B-1, B-2, and B-3 may be assigned to indicate finer distinctions within the B category. The obligor currently has the capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation; however, it faces major ongoing uncertainties which could lead to the obligor’s inadequate capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation. A short-term obligation rated C is currently vulnerable to nonpayment and is dependent upon favorable business, financial, and economic conditions for the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation. A short-term obligation rated D is in payment default. The D rating category is used when payments on an obligation are not made on the date due even if the applicable grace period has not expired, unless Standard & Poor’s believes that such payments will be made during such grace period. The D rating also will be used upon the filing of a bankruptcy petition or the taking of a similar action if payments on an obligation are jeopardized.

Fitch Ratings’ short-term ratings have a time horizon of less than 13 months for most obligations, or up to three years for US public finance, in line with industry standards, to reflect unique risk characteristics of bond, tax, and revenue anticipation notes that are commonly issued with terms up to three years. Short-term ratings thus place greater emphasis on the liquidity necessary to meet financial commitments in a timely manner. A rating of F1 denotes an obligation of the highest credit quality.  It indicates the strongest capacity for timely payment of financial commitments and may have an added “+” to denote any exceptionally strong credit feature.  A rating of F2 denotes good credit quality. It indicates a satisfactory capacity for timely payment of financial commitments, but the margin of safety is not as great as in the case of the higher ratings. A rating of F3 denotes fair credit quality. The capacity for timely payment of financial commitments is adequate; however, near term adverse changes could result in a reduction to non investment grade. A rating of B denotes an obligation that is speculative. Minimal capacity for timely payment of financial commitments, plus vulnerability to near term adverse changes in financial and economic conditions. A rating of C denotes a high default risk. Default is a real possibility. Capacity for meeting financial commitments is solely reliant upon a sustained, favorable business and economic environment.  A rating of D indicates an entity or sovereign that has defaulted on all of its financial obligations.

The DBRS short-term debt rating scale is meant to give an indication of the risk that a borrower will not fulfill its near-term debt obligations in a timely manner. Short-term debt rated R-1 (high) is of the highest credit quality, and indicates an entity possessing unquestioned ability to repay current liabilities as they fall due. Entities rated in this category normally maintain strong liquidity positions, conservative debt levels, and profitability that is both stable and above average. Companies achieving an R-1 (high) rating are normally leaders in structurally sound industry segments with proven track records, sustainable positive future results, and no substantial qualifying negative factors. Given the extremely tough definition DBRS has established for an R-1 (high), few entities are strong enough to achieve this rating.  Short-term debt rated R-1 (middle) is of superior credit quality and, in most cases, ratings in this category differ from R-1 (high) credits by only a small degree. Given the extremely tough definition DBRS has established for the R-1 (high) category, entities rated R-1 (middle) are also considered strong credits, and typically exemplify above average strength in key areas of consideration for the timely repayment of short-term liabilities.  Short-term debt rated R-1 (low) is of satisfactory credit quality. The overall strength and outlook for key liquidity, debt, and profitability ratios is not normally as favorable as with higher rating categories, but these considerations are still respectable. Any qualifying negative factors that exist are considered manageable, and the entity is normally of sufficient size to have some influence in its industry. Short-term debt rated R-2 (high) is considered to be at the upper end of adequate credit quality. The ability to repay obligations as they mature remains acceptable, although the overall strength and outlook for key liquidity, debt and profitability ratios is not as strong as credits rated in the R-1 (low) category. Relative to the latter category, other shortcomings often include areas such as stability, financial flexibility, and the relative size and market position of the entity within its industry. Short-term debt rated R-2 (middle) is considered to be of adequate credit quality. Relative to the R-2 (high) category, entities rated R-2 (middle) typically have some combination of higher volatility, weaker debt or liquidity positions, lower future cash flow capabilities, or are negatively impacted by a weaker industry. Ratings in this category would be more vulnerable to adverse changes in financial and economic conditions. Short-term debt rated R-2 (low) is considered to be at the lower end of adequate credit quality, typically

 
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having some combination of challenges that are not acceptable for an R-2 (middle) credit. However, R-2 (low) ratings still display a level of credit strength that allows for a higher rating than the R-3 category, with this distinction often reflecting the issuer’s liquidity profile. Short-term debt rated R-3 is considered to be at the lowest end of adequate credit quality, one step up from being speculative. While not yet defined as speculative, the R-3 category signifies that although repayment is still expected, the certainty of repayment could be impacted by a variety of possible adverse developments, many of which would be outside of the issuer’s control. Entities in this area often have limited access to capital markets and may also have limitations in securing alternative sources of liquidity, particularly during periods of weak economic conditions. Short-term debt rated R-4 is speculative. R-4 credits tend to have weak liquidity and debt ratios, and the future trend of these ratios is also unclear. Due to its speculative nature, companies with R-4 ratings would normally have very limited access to alternative sources of liquidity. Earnings and cash flow would typically be very unstable, and the level of overall profitability of the entity is also likely to be low. The industry environment may be weak, and strong negative qualifying factors are also likely to be present. Short-term debt rated R-5 is highly speculative. There is a reasonably high level of uncertainty as to the ability of the entity to repay the obligations on a continuing basis in the future, especially in periods of economic recession or industry adversity. In some cases, short term debt rated R-5 may have challenges that if not corrected, could lead to default. A security rated D implies the issuer has either not met a scheduled payment or the issuer has made it clear that it will be missing such a payment in the near future. In some cases, DBRS may not assign a D rating under a bankruptcy announcement scenario, as allowances for grace periods may exist in the underlying legal documentation. Once assigned, the D rating will continue as long as the missed payment continues to be in arrears, and until such time as the rating is discontinued or reinstated by DBRS.

Real Estate Securities - The Fund invests primarily in securities issued by real estate and real estate-related companies (as defined in the prospectus), including real estate investment trusts (“REITs”) and real estate operating companies (“REOCs”) and, therefore, adverse economic, business or political developments affecting the real estate sector could have a major effect on the value of the Fund’s investments. REITs pool investors’ funds for investment primarily in income-producing real estate or real estate loans or interests. A U.S.-qualified REIT is not taxed on income distributed to shareholders if it complies with several requirements relating to its organization, ownership, assets, and income and a requirement that it distribute to its shareholders at least 90% of its taxable income (other than net capital gains) for each taxable year. REITs can generally be classified as Equity REITs, Mortgage REITs and Hybrid REITs. Equity REITs, which invest the majority of their assets directly in real property, derive their income primarily from rents. Equity REITs can also realize capital gains by selling properties that have appreciated in value. Mortgage REITs, which invest the majority of their assets in real estate mortgages, derive their income primarily from interest payments. Hybrid REITs combine the characteristics of both Equity REITs and Mortgage REITs. The Fund will not invest in real estate directly, but only in securities issued by real estate and real estate-related companies, except that the Fund may hold real estate and sell real estate acquired through default, liquidation, or other distributions of an interest in real estate as a result of the Fund’s ownership of securities issued by real estate or real estate-related companies.

The Fund may be subject to risks similar to those associated with the direct ownership of real estate (in addition to securities markets risks) because of its policy of concentration in the securities of companies in the real estate industry. These risks include declines in the value of real estate, risks related to general and local economic conditions, dependency on management skill, heavy cash flow dependency, possible lack of availability of mortgage funds, overbuilding, extended vacancies of properties, increased competition, increases in property taxes and operating expenses, changes in zoning laws, losses due to costs resulting from the clean-up of environmental problems, liability to third parties for damages resulting from environmental problems, casualty or condemnation losses, limitations on rents, changes in neighborhood values, the appeal of properties to tenants and changes in interest rates. Investments in certain REITs (such as REIT funds of REITs) may subject Fund shareholders to duplicate management and administrative fees. In addition to these risks, Equity REITs may be affected by changes in the value of the underlying property owned by the trusts, while Mortgage REITs may be affected by the borrower quality and the type of credit extended to such borrowers. Further, Equity and Mortgage REITs are dependent upon management skills and generally may not be diversified. Equity and Mortgage REITs are also subject to heavy cash flow dependency, defaults by borrowers (including the REIT itself) and self-liquidation. The above factors may also adversely affect a borrower’s or a lessee’s ability to meet its obligations to the REIT. In the event of a default by a borrower or lessee, the REIT may experience delays in enforcing its rights as a mortgagee or lessor and may incur substantial costs associated with protecting investments.

In addition, U.S.-qualified Equity and Mortgage REITs could possibly fail to qualify for the beneficial tax treatment available to REITs under the Internal Revenue Code, or to maintain their exemptions from registration under the 1940 Act.

In addition, foreign REITs could possibly fail to qualify for any beneficial tax treatments available to foreign REITs in their local jurisdiction.

Recent Market Events - Recent events in the financial sector have resulted, and may continue to result, in an unusually high degree of volatility in the financial markets. Both domestic and foreign equity markets have been experiencing increased volatility and turmoil, with issuers that have exposure to the real estate, mortgage and credit markets particularly affected, and it

 
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is uncertain whether or for how long these conditions could continue. The U.S. Government has taken a number of unprecedented actions designed to support certain financial institutions and segments of the financial markets that have experienced extreme volatility, and in some cases a lack of liquidity.

Reduced liquidity in credit and fixed-income markets may adversely affect many issuers worldwide. This reduced liquidity may result in less money being available to purchase raw materials, goods and services from emerging markets, which may, in turn, bring down the prices of these economic staples. It may also result in emerging market issuers having more difficulty obtaining financing, which may, in turn, cause a decline in their stock prices. These events and possible continued market turbulence may have an adverse effect on the Fund.

Repurchase Agreements - A repurchase agreement, which provides a means to earn income on funds for periods as short as overnight, is an arrangement under which the purchaser (e.g., the Fund) purchases securities and the seller agrees, at the time of sale, to repurchase the securities at a specified time and price. The repurchase price will be higher than the purchase price, the difference being income to the purchaser, or the purchase and repurchase prices may be the same, with interest at a stated rate due to the purchaser together with the repurchase price on repurchase. In either case, the income to the purchaser is unrelated to the interest rate on the securities subject to the repurchase agreement. Repurchase agreements are generally for a short period of time, usually less than a week.

The Fund may enter into repurchase agreements with any bank that is a member of the Federal Reserve System or registered broker-dealer who, in the opinion of the Manager or the Sub-Adviser presents a minimum risk of bankruptcy during the term of the agreement based upon guidelines that periodically are reviewed by the Board. The Fund may enter into repurchase agreements as a short-term investment of its idle cash in order to earn income. The securities will be held by a custodian (or agent) approved by the Board during the term of the agreement. However, if the market value of the securities subject to the repurchase agreement becomes less than the repurchase price (including interest), the Fund will direct the seller of the securities to deliver additional securities so that the market value of all securities subject to the repurchase agreement will equal or exceed the repurchase price.

In the event of the commencement of bankruptcy or insolvency proceedings with respect to the seller of the securities before the repurchase of the securities under a repurchase agreement, the Fund may encounter a delay and incur costs before being able to sell the security being held as collateral. Delays may involve loss of interest or decline in price of the securities. Apart from the risk of bankruptcy or insolvency proceedings, there is also the risk that the seller may fail to repurchase the securities, in which case the Fund may incur a loss if the proceeds to the Fund from the sale of the securities to a third party are less than the repurchase price.

Reverse Repurchase Agreements - The Fund may borrow funds for temporary purposes by entering into reverse repurchase agreements. Pursuant to such agreements, the Fund would sell portfolio securities to financial institutions such as banks and broker/dealers and agree to repurchase them at a mutually agreed-upon date and price. The Fund intends to enter into reverse repurchase agreements only to avoid selling securities to meet redemptions during market conditions deemed unfavorable by the Manager or the Sub-Adviser possessing investment authority. At the time the Fund enters into a reverse repurchase agreement, it will place in a segregated custodial account assets such as liquid high quality debt securities having a value not less than 100% of the repurchase price (including accrued interest), and will subsequently monitor the account to ensure that such required value is maintained. Reverse repurchase agreements involve the risk that the market value of the securities sold by the Fund may decline below the price at which the Fund is obligated to repurchase the securities. Reverse repurchase agreements are considered to be borrowings by an investment company under the 1940 Act.

Resource Recovery Obligations - Resource recovery obligations are a type of municipal revenue obligation issued to build facilities such as solid waste incinerators or waste-to-energy plants. Usually, a private corporation will be involved and the revenue cash flow will be supported by fees or units paid by municipalities for use of the facilities. The viability of a resource recovery project, environmental protection regulations and project operator tax incentives may affect the value and credit quality of these obligations.

Revenue Obligations - Revenue obligations are backed by the revenue cash flow of a project or facility. The interest on such obligations is payable only from the revenues derived from a particular project, facility, specific excise tax or other revenue source. Revenue obligations are not a debt or liability of the local or state government and do not obligate that government to levy or pledge any form of taxation or to make any appropriation for payment.

Rights and Warrants - Rights are short-term warrants issued in conjunction with new stock issues. Warrants are options to purchase an issuer’s securities at a stated price during a stated term. If the market price of the underlying common stock does not exceed the warrant’s exercise price during the life of the warrant, the warrant will expire worthless. Warrants usually have no

 
33

 

voting rights, pay no dividends and have no rights with respect to the assets of the corporation issuing them. The percentage increase or decrease in the value of a warrant may be greater than the percentage increase or decrease in the value of the underlying common stock. There is no specific limit on the percentage of assets the Fund may invest in rights and warrants, although the ability of the Fund to so invest is limited by its investment objectives and policies.

Section 4(2) Securities - Section 4(2) securities are restricted as to disposition under the federal securities laws, and generally are sold to institutional investors, such as the Fund, that agree they are purchasing the securities for investment and not with an intention to distribute to the public. Any resale by the purchaser must be pursuant to an exempt transaction and may be accomplished in accordance with Rule 144A. Section 4(2) securities normally are resold to other institutional investors through or with the assistance of the issuer or dealers that make a market in the Section 4(2) securities, thus providing liquidity.

The Board and the Sub-Adviser will carefully monitor the Fund’s investments in Section 4(2) securities offered and sold under Rule 144A, focusing on such important factors, among others, as valuation, liquidity, and availability of information. Investments in Section 4(2) securities could have the effect of reducing the Fund’s liquidity to the extent that qualified institutional buyers no longer wish to purchase these restricted securities.

Separately Traded Registered Interest and Principal Securities and Zero Coupon Obligations - Separately traded registered interest and principal securities or “STRIPS” and zero coupon obligations are securities that do not make regular interest payments. Instead they are sold at a discount from their face value. The Fund investing in STRIPs will take into account as income a portion of the difference between these obligations’ purchase prices and their face values. Because they do not pay coupon income, the prices of STRIPS and zero coupon obligations can be very volatile when interest rates change. STRIPS are zero coupon bonds issued by the U.S. Treasury.

Short Sales - In connection with the use of certain instruments based upon or consisting of one or more baskets of securities, the Manager or the Sub-Adviser may sell a security the Fund does not own, or in an amount greater than the Fund owns (i.e., make short sales). Generally, to complete a short sale transaction, the Fund will borrow the security to make delivery to the buyer. The Fund is then obligated to replace the security borrowed. If the price at the time of replacement is more than the price at which the security was sold by the Fund, the Fund will incur a loss. Conversely, the Fund will realize a gain if the price of the security decreases between selling short and replacement. Although the Fund’s gain is limited to the price at which it sold the security short, its potential loss is theoretically unlimited. Until the security is replaced, the Fund is required to pay to the lender any interest that accrues during the period of the loan. To borrow the security, the Fund may be required to pay a premium, which would increase the cost of the security sold. The proceeds of the short sale will be retained by the broker to the extent necessary to meet margin requirements until the short position is closed out. Until the Fund replaces the borrowed security, it will (a) maintain in a segregated account with its custodian cash or liquid securities at such a level that the amount deposited in the account plus the amount deposited with the broker as collateral will equal the current market value of the security sold short or (b) otherwise cover its short position.

Tax, Revenue or Bond Anticipation Notes - Tax, revenue or bond anticipation notes are issued by municipalities in expectation of future tax or other revenues that are payable from those taxes or revenues. Bond anticipation notes usually provide interim financing in advance of an issue of bonds or notes, the proceeds of which are used to repay the anticipation notes. Tax-exempt commercial paper is issued by municipalities to help finance short-term capital or operating needs in anticipation of future tax or other revenue.

Terrorism Risks - Some of the U.S. securities markets were closed for a four-day period as a result of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon on September 11, 2001.  These terrorist attacks, the war with Iraq and its aftermath, continuing occupation of Iraq by coalition forces and related events have led to increased short-term market volatility and may have long-term effects on U.S. and world economies and markets. Those events could also have an acute effect on individual issuers, related groups of issuers, or issuers concentrated in a single geographic area. A similar disruption of the financial markets or other terrorist attacks could adversely impact interest rates, auctions, secondary trading, ratings, credit risk, inflation and other factors relating to portfolio securities and adversely affect Fund service providers and the Fund’s operations.

U.S. Government Securities - U.S. Government Securities are securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government or its agencies or instrumentalities. Some obligations issued by U.S. Government agencies and instrumentalities are supported by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Treasury; others by the right of the issuer to borrow from the U.S. Treasury; others by discretionary authority of the U.S. Government to purchase certain obligations of the agency or instrumentality; and others only by the credit of the agency or instrumentality. U.S. Government Securities bear fixed, floating or variable rates of interest. While the U.S. Government currently provides financial support to certain U.S. Government-sponsored agencies or instrumentalities, no assurance can be given that it will always do so, since it is not so obligated by law. U.S. Government securities include U.S. Treasury bills, notes and bonds, Federal Home Loan Bank obligations, Federal Intermediate Credit Bank obligations, U.S.

 
34

 

Government agency obligations and repurchase agreements secured thereby.

U.S. Treasury Obligations - U.S. Treasury obligations include bills (initial maturities of one year or less), notes (initial maturities between two and ten years), and bonds (initial maturities over ten years) issued by the U.S. Treasury, Separately Traded Registered Interest and Principal component parts of such obligations known as STRIPS and inflation-indexed securities. Although U.S. Treasury securities carry little principal risk if held to maturity, the prices of these securities (like all debt securities) change between issuance and maturity in response to fluctuating market interest rates.

Variable or Floating Rate Obligations - A variable rate obligation is one whose terms provide for the adjustment of its interest rate on set dates and which, upon such adjustment, can reasonably be expected to have a market value that approximates its par value. A floating rate obligation is one whose terms provide for the adjustment of its interest rate whenever a specified interest rate changes and which, at any time, can reasonably be expected to have a market value that approximates its par value. Variable or floating rate obligations may be secured by bank letters of credit.

Pursuant to Rule 2a-7 under the 1940 Act, variable or floating rate obligations with stated maturities of more than 397 days may be deemed to have shorter maturities as follows:

(1) An obligation that is issued or guaranteed by the United States Government or any agency thereof which has a variable rate of interest readjusted no less frequently than every 762 days will be deemed by the Fund to have a maturity equal to the period remaining until the next readjustment of the interest rate.

(2) A variable rate obligation, the principal amount of which is scheduled on the face of the instrument to be paid in 397 days or less, will be deemed by the Fund to have a maturity equal to the period remaining until the next readjustment of the interest rate.

(3) A variable rate obligation that is subject to a demand feature will be deemed by the Fund to have a maturity equal to the longer of the period remaining until the next readjustment of the interest rate or the period remaining until the principal amount can be recovered through demand.

(4) A floating rate obligation that is subject to a demand feature will be deemed by the Fund to have a maturity equal to the period remaining until the principal amount can be recovered through demand.

As used above, an obligation is “subject to a demand feature” when the Fund is entitled to receive the principal amount of the obligation either at any time on no more than 30 days’ notice or at specified intervals not exceeding one year and upon no more than 30 days’ notice.

Variable Rate Auction and Residual Interest Obligations - Variable rate auction and residual interest obligations are created when an issuer or dealer separates the principal portion of a long-term, fixed-rate municipal bond into two long-term, variable-rate instruments. The interest rate on one portion reflects short-term interest rates, while the interest rate on the other portion is typically higher than the rate available on the original fixed-rate bond.

When-Issued and Forward Commitment Transactions - These transactions involve a commitment by the Fund to purchase or sell securities at a future date. These transactions enable the Fund to “lock-in” what the Manager or the Sub-Adviser believes to be an attractive price or yield on a particular security for a period of time, regardless of future changes in interest rates. For instance, in periods of rising interest rates and falling prices, the Fund might sell securities it owns on a forward commitment basis to limit its exposure to falling prices.  In periods of falling interest rates and rising prices, the Fund might purchase a security on a when-issued or forward commitment basis and sell a similar security to settle such purchase, thereby obtaining the benefit of currently higher yields. If the other party fails to complete the trade, the Fund may lose the opportunity to obtain a favorable price. For purchases on a when-issued basis, the price of the security is fixed at the date of purchase, but delivery of and payment for the securities is not set until after the securities are issued (generally one to two months later). The value of when-issued securities is subject to market fluctuation during the interim period and no income accrues to the Fund until settlement takes place. Such transactions therefore involve a risk of loss if the value of the security to be purchased declines prior to the settlement date or if the value of the security to be sold increases prior to the settlement date. A sale of a when-issued security also involves the risk that the other party will be unable to settle the transaction. Forward commitment transactions involve a commitment to purchase or sell securities with payment and delivery to take place at some future date, normally one to two months after the date of the transaction. The payment obligation and interest rate are fixed at the time the buyer enters into the forward commitment. Forward commitment transactions are typically used as a hedge against anticipated changes in interest rates and prices. Forward commitment transactions are executed for existing obligations, whereas in a when-issued transaction, the obligations have not yet been issued.

 
35

 


The Fund maintains with the Custodian a segregated account containing high-grade liquid securities in an amount at least equal to the when-issued or forward commitment transaction. When entering into a when-issued or forward commitment transaction, the Fund will rely on the other party to consummate the transaction; if the other party fails to do so, the Fund may be disadvantaged.


 
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APPENDIX A

PROXY VOTING POLICY AND PROCEDURES FOR THE TRUST
______________________________


AMERICAN BEACON MASTER TRUST
AMERICAN BEACON FUNDS
AMERICAN BEACON MILEAGE FUNDS
AMERICAN BEACON SELECT FUNDS

PROXY VOTING POLICY AND PROCEDURES

Last Amended November 17, 2008

Preface

           Proxy voting is an important component of investment management and must be performed in a dutiful and purposeful fashion in order to secure the best long-term interests of interest holders of the American Beacon Master Trust and shareholders of the American Beacon Funds, the American Beacon Mileage Funds, and the American Beacon Select Funds (collectively, the “Funds”).  Therefore, these Proxy Voting Policy and Procedures (the “Policy”) have been adopted by the Funds.

           The Funds are managed by American Beacon Advisors, Inc. (the “Manager”).  The Manager has retained a proxy voting consultant (the “Consultant”) to provide assistance regarding the objective review and voting of proxies on any assets held by the Funds that invest primarily in the securities of domestic U.S. issuers (the “Domestic Funds”), consistent with the Policy.  The Policy sets forth the policies and procedures the Manager employs when voting proxies for the Domestic Funds, including the role of their investment subadvisers (the “Subadvisers”).  Proxy voting for the Funds that invest primarily in the securities of foreign issuers (the “International Funds”) has been delegated by the International Funds’ Boards of Trustees to the subadvisers for those funds (“International Subadvisers”).  For the securities held in their respective portion of each International Fund, the International Subadvisers make voting decisions pursuant to their own proxy voting policies and procedures, which have been adopted by the International Funds and approved by their Boards of Trustees.  The Policy includes the procedures that the Manager performs to monitor proxy voting by the International Subadvisers.

           For all of the Funds, the Manager seeks to ensure that proxies are voted in the best interests of Fund interest holders and shareholders (collectively, “shareholders”).  For certain proxy proposals, the interests of the Manager and/or its affiliates may differ from Fund shareholders’ interests.  To avoid the appearance of impropriety and to fulfill its fiduciary responsibility to shareholders in these circumstances, the Policy includes procedures established by the Manager for voting proxy proposals that potentially present a conflict of interests.

Domestic Funds - Procedures
 
    1.  Voting –The Consultant has been instructed by the Manager to vote proxies in accordance with the Policy, unless it is notified to vote otherwise by the Manager in writing.  The Manager may decide to instruct the Consultant to vote in a manner different than specified by the Policy if it determines that such a variance from the Policy would be in the best interests of Fund shareholders.  In making such a determination, the Manager will conduct its analysis of the proxy proposal, which may include, among other things, discussing the issue with Subadvisers holding the security to determine their recommended voting position.
 
      Except as otherwise noted, items to be evaluated on a case-by-case basis and proposals not contemplated by the Policy will be assessed by the Manager.  In these situations, the Manager will use its judgment in directing the Consultant to vote in the best interest of the Funds’ shareholders and will propose changes to the Policy when appropriate.

    2.       Conflicts of Interest - The Manager maintains a list by Fund of all affiliated persons, including the Manager and its affiliates, the Subadvisers and their affiliates as well as the Funds' distributor and its affiliates.  Any proxy proposal involving an entity on this list could be considered to represent a conflict of interest between a) the Manager, a Subadviser, the distributor or any of their affiliates and b) Fund shareholders.  The Manager will monitor the Fund’s holdings against the list of affiliated persons and will conduct an analysis based upon the following procedures to resolve these known potential conflicts as well as any unforeseen conflicts.

 

 
APPENDIX A

                 a.       Proxies for Affiliated Funds - Each Fund has the ability to invest in the shares of any of the Money Market Funds.  For example, the High Yield Bond Fund may purchase shares of the Money Market Fund.  If the Money Market Fund issues a proxy for which the High Yield Bond Fund is entitled to vote, the Manager’s interests regarding the Money Market Fund might appear to conflict with the interests of the shareholders of the High Yield Bond Fund.  In these cases, the Manager will instruct the Consultant to vote in accordance with the Board of Trustees’ recommendations in the proxy statement.

                 b.       Business / Personal Connections of the Manager - The Manager is minority owned by AMR Corporation, which is a publicly-traded corporation and the parent company of American Airlines, Inc.  To avoid the appearance of any conflict of interests, the Funds are expressly prohibited from investing in the securities of AMR Corporation or any other airline company.

                 The Manager could have an advisory client that issues a proxy or promotes a proxy proposal for which a Fund is entitled to vote.  By taking a particular voting position on the proxy, it could be perceived by Fund shareholders that the Manager is favoring the advisory client over Fund shareholders in order to avoid harming its relationship with the advisory client.  If the Manager is asked to render a decision regarding a proxy proposal issued or promoted by one of its advisory clients, the Manager will refer that proposal to the applicable Fund’s Board of Trustees, who will decide the Fund’s voting position after consultation with the Manager.

                 In the event that a principal officer of the Manager has a personal relationship or connection with an issuer or proponent of a proxy proposal being considered by the Manager, the voting matter will be discussed with the applicable Fund’s Board of Trustees, who will decide the Fund’s voting position after consultation with the Manager.

                 If an unforeseen conflict pertaining to a particular proxy proposal becomes apparent, the Manager will refer that proposal to the applicable Fund’s Board of Trustees, who will decide the Fund’s voting position after consultation with the Manager.

                 c.       Business / Personal Connections of the Subadvisers - Each Subadviser (and its affiliates) is considered an affiliate of the portion of the Fund it manages.  When the Manager receives input regarding a voting recommendation from a Subadviser, the Manager will request the Subadviser’s disclosure of any business or personal relationships or connections that the Subadviser itself or its principals may have with the proxy issuer or any proponent of the proxy proposal.  If the Subadviser’s disclosure reveals any potential conflicts of interest, the Manager will not rely on the Subadviser’s recommendation regarding the proxy proposal.

           3.      Securities on Loan - The Consultant will notify the Manager before the record date about the occurrence of a future shareholder meeting.  The Manager will determine whether or not to recall shares of the applicable security that are on loan with the intent of voting such shares in accordance with the Policy, based on factors including the nature of the meeting (i.e., annual or special), the percentage of the proxy issuer’s outstanding securities on loan, any other information regarding the proxy proposals of which the Manager may be aware, and the loss of securities lending income to a Fund as a result of recalling the shares on loan.

Domestic Funds - Policies

           1.      Routine Proposals - Routine proxy proposals are most commonly defined as those that do not change the structure, bylaws, or operations of the corporation to the detriment of the shareholders.  The proposals are consistent with industry standards as well as the corporate laws in the state of incorporation.  Traditionally, these include:

                 A.      Location of annual meeting
                 B.      Employee stock purchase plan
                 C.      Appointment of auditors
                 D.      Corporate strategy
                 E.      Director indemnification and liability protection
                 F.      Reincorporation

           The Funds’ policy is to support management on these routine proposals.

           2.      Social, Political and Environmental Proposals - Issues which can be characterized as non-financial or non-business issues involving social, political and environmental issues will result in voting to support management.  Financial interests of the shareholders are the only consideration for proxy voting decisions.

 
 
A-2

 
APPENDIX A


           3.      Shareholder Equality Proposals - Issues that do not discriminate against certain shareholders will be supported.  Non-discriminatory proposals include:

                 A.      Anti-greenmail - Provisions that require that the price paid to the greenmailer must be extended to all shareholders of record will be supported.

                 B.      Fair price provisions - Provisions that guarantee an equal price to all shareholders will be supported.

           4.      Non-routine proposals - Issues in this category are more likely to affect the structure and operation of the corporation and, therefore have a greater impact on the value of the shareholders’ investment.  All situations will be viewed individually and independently with the focus on the financial interest of the shareholders.
 
           Various factors will contribute in the decision-making process assessing the financial interest of the shareholders.  Consideration should be given first and foremost to the board of directors.  The board of directors oversees the management of the company, makes decisions on the most important issues and is a representative of the shareholders. To the degree that the board is independent (defined as at least 75% of members are independent, having no personal or business relationship with management, as defined by the relevant exchange), capable and dedicated to the shareholders, support should be for the board’s recommendations.

           Management’s record, strategy and tenure will contribute in the decision-making process.  The tendency will be to side with management if, in the past, it has shown the intent and ability to maximize shareholder wealth over the long term. Management will not be judged on a quarter-by-quarter basis, but judged on decisions that are consistent with the long-term interests of the shareholders of the company.

           The following are specific issues that directly impact the financial interest of the shareholders.

             A.      Board of Directors

       a. Uncontested elections - The Funds will support management’s slate during uncontested elections if the board is independent.  The company is the best judge of who is able and available to serve, and who will work well together.

       b. Contested elections - will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.  Both slates of candidates will be evaluated based on a thorough analysis of each contesting side.

       c. Independent compensation committee - an independent committee will best represent shareholder interests and guards against conflicts of interest in executive pay decisions.  An independent or majority independent committee will have no financial interest in the outcome.  The Funds will support proposals for independent compensation committees.

       d. Independent nominating committee The Funds believe that independent directors selected by a committee of independent directors will be more likely to question the CEO’s business judgment. Therefore, the Funds will support proposals for independent nominating committees.

       e. Classified boards - A typical classified board is divided into 3 groups with one group standing for election every third year.  The Funds believe that shareholders benefit from the structure as classified boards provide stability of leadership and continuity of management and policy that is crucial when evaluating company issues.  Therefore, the Funds’ policy is to support classified boards, unless an independent board proposes to declassify itself, in which case the Funds will support management.

       f. Cumulative voting - Under cumulative voting, shareholders are entitled to a number of votes equal to the number of board seats open for election, times the number of shares held.  The votes can be cast for one nominee or apportion them, equally or not, amongst the nominees.  The Funds believe that each director should act for the benefit of all shareholders and therefore should not be elected by a special group of shareholders.  As a result, the Funds do not support cumulative voting.  Directors have the fiduciary responsibility to protect and enhance the interests of all shareholders.  The potential disruption caused by a minority director with a special agenda is potentially damaging to a majority of shareholders.  Directors should act in the benefit of the majority, not the minority.

 
 
A-3

 
APPENDIX A

      g. Independent boards The Funds believe independent boards will permit clear and independent decision-making, benefiting shareholders’ long-term interests.  Board members who are independent are more likely to protect shareholders’ interests than company executives or other insiders. An “independent director” is defined as an individual who has had no personal or business relationship with management, as defined by the relevant exchange.  While the Funds’ policy is to generally support independent boards, there is no objection to including up to 25% of insiders or affiliated outsiders on the board.  Inside directors have intimate knowledge of the company that will be beneficial during discussions of the company’s long-term prospects.  If the board is less than 75% independent, the Funds will withhold their vote for non-CEO board members that are not independent.

       h. Separate chairman, CEO positions - Proponents contend that an individual with both positions is accountable to no one.  The CEO is a management employee, responsible for day-to-day operations, implementing corporate strategy, and accountable to the board.  The chairman is responsible for the overall direction of the company, protecting the shareholders' interests, evaluating the performance of the CEO, and is accountable to the shareholders.

                      Opponents contend it would dilute the power of the CEO to provide effective leadership, create a potential rivalry between the two positions leading to compromise rather than decisive action, insulate the CEO from being held accountable by the board if the chairman is overprotective, and finally, may cause confusion by having two public spokesmen.  Despite the widespread use of this structure in Britain, it is relatively revolutionary in the U.S.  If the board is independent, the Funds will support the company’s recommendation regarding separate chairman, CEO positions.  Other situations will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.

       i. Minimum director stock / fund ownership - proponents contend that a director’s interests will be more aligned with shareholders if the director has a personal stake in the company.  Additionally, many companies are providing part of their compensation in the form of stock for directors.

                      Opponents contend that minimum stock/fund ownership requirements will restrict the search to qualified, wealthy board candidates.  This could eliminate other candidates who may not be able to pay the price of the required stock.

                      The Funds will not support proposals for minimum director stock ownership.
 
       j.      Majority vote to elect directors – Shareholder concern about director elections is an outgrowth of their concern about director accountability in the aftermath of corporate scandals. Opponents argue that because of the “holdover” provision applicable to most directors, a resignation policy could be more effective in actually effecting the removal of an unpopular director.  Proponents maintain that a resignation policy approach still leaves such a director technically “elected” and puts the onus on other board members to take action against one of their colleagues.

The Funds will support proposals for a majority vote requirement to elect directors.
 
       k.      Increase/decrease size of board –  The board and management are in the best position to determine the structure for the board.  If the board is independent, the Funds will support proposals to increase or decrease the size of the board if the board will be comprised of at least 5 but no more than 20 members.  Outside of this range, the Funds will vote against a change in the size of a board of directors.
 
       l.      Limit number of boards served – The board and management are in the best position to determine the structure for the board.  The Funds will not support proposals to limit the number of boards a director may serve on.
 
       m.      Term limits - Opponents of term limits sustain that the board and management are in the best position to determine a workable, efficient structure for the board. Furthermore, shareholders may approve or disapprove of certain directors with their vote at annual meetings. The board should be free to identify the individuals who will best serve the shareholders. Supporters of term limits say that limiting the number of years that a director can serve on the board provides a built-in mechanism to force turnover. A structure that specifically limits the period of time a director can serve provides opportunities for recruiting directors with new ideas and perspectives.

The Funds will not support proposals to institute term limits.

             B.      Executive / Director compensation

       a. Incentive/Stock option plans (establish, amend, add) - proponents contend that incentive/stock option plans are designed to attract, hold and motivate management.  Shareholders generally favor these plans, as top managers

 
A-4

 
APPENDIX A

should have a stake in their company that ties compensation to performance.  By aligning management’s interests with shareholders toward a goal of increasing shareholder value, better returns usually result.

                      Opponents contend that incentive/stock option plans may dilute the shareholders’ claim on profits and assets and may lead to a shift in the balance of voting control.  Additionally, easily attainable incentive goals may not provide the necessary incentive for management.

                      If the board is independent and if the company has performed well over the previous 3- or 5- year period, the Funds will generally support these plans.  However, the Funds will not support plans that permit:

 
·
Dilution in excess of the company’s peer group, unless overall executive compensation levels (including the value of the options) are at or below the peer group; or   
 
·      Repricing/replacing underwater options

                      b. Discounted stock options - options that may be exercised at prices below the stock’s fair market value on the award date.  Sometimes called non-qualified options, these options are granted “in-the-money” or immediately exercisable for a profit.  The Funds do not support discounted stock options, as they do not give management much incentive to increase share value, while the purpose of granting stock options is to align executives’ interests with those of the shareholders.

                      c. Exchange of underwater options - options with an exercise price higher than the market price are considered “underwater” and, needless to say, unattractive.  The Funds do not support the exchange of underwater options that result in a financial gain to the participants since other shareholders have no such protection from falling stock prices and since executives would bear no risk if management is willing to bail them out when the stock price falls.  The Funds will support the exchange of underwater options that do not result in a financial gain to the participants.

                      d. Cap or limit executive and director pay - The Funds will not support capping or limiting executive or director pay.  Pay flexibility is necessary to motivate and retain top quality executives and align shareholder and management interests.

                      e. Link pay to performance - Proponents contend that by linking pay to performance management’s interests will be aligned with shareholders.  Management with compensation packages containing little volatility or risk may have a goal other than maximizing shareholder wealth.  As a result, the Funds will support proposals to link pay to performance.  However, the Funds will not support proposals requiring that an excessive portion (75% or more) of equity compensation be performance based.

                      f. Golden parachute provisions - provide severance payments to top executives who are terminated or demoted after a change in control (takeover).  They provide some financial security to executives relieving potential anxiety as they negotiate and impartially evaluate future takeover bids.  This provision will allow executives to not oppose a merger that might be in the best interests of the shareholders but may cost them their job.  Parachutes may also benefit shareholders as they aid in the attraction and retention of managers.

                      However, opponents contend the existence of these provisions can discourage takeover attempts, as significant sums may have to be paid to company executives.  Executives are already well paid to manage the company and should not have an extra reward.  Additionally, shareholder approval is generally not necessary for enactment of this provision.

                      Properly conceived, golden parachutes can free management to act in the best interests of shareholders.  Often, however, it is clearly an attempt to raise the cost to a third party of acquiring the company.  Other criteria for analyzing the actual approval of parachute plans might include necessity, breadth of participation, payout size, sensitivity of triggers and leveraged buyout restrictions.  If the board is independent and the company has performed well over the previous 3- or 5-year period, the Funds will support golden parachute provisions.
 
      g.  Executive incentive bonus plans - Section 162(m) of the Internal Revenue Code prohibits companies from deducting more than $1 million in compensation paid to each of the top five executives, unless the compensation is paid under a performance-based, shareholder approved plan. To maintain compliance, these performance-based plans require shareholder approval every five years.

 
 
A-5

 
APPENDIX A


Cash bonus plans can be an important part of an executive’s overall pay package, along with stock-based plans tied to long-term total shareholder returns. Over the long term, stock prices are an excellent indicator of management performance. However, other factors, such as economic conditions and investor reaction to the stock market in general, and certain industries in particular, can greatly impact the company’s stock price. As a result, a cash bonus plan can effectively reward individual performance and the achievement of business unit objectives that are independent of short-term market share price fluctuations. Moreover, preservation of the full deductibility of all compensation paid reduces the company’s corporate tax obligation.

Generally, the Funds will support these performance-based plans. However, if the compensation committee is not 100% independent, the proposal will be decided on a case-by-case basis.

h.      Supplemental executive retirement plans (SERPs) - Supplemental executive retirement plans (SERPs) provide supplemental retirement benefits for executives in excess of IRS compensation limitations. SERPs are unfunded plans and payable out of the company’s general assets. The ability of a company to offer a SERP could affect the company’s ability to compete for qualified senior executives, and could place the company at a competitive disadvantage to its peers..

Opponents contend that such benefits are unnecessary given the high levels of executive compensation at most companies.

Generally, the Funds will support SERPs. However, if the compensation committee is not 100% independent, the proposal will be decided on a case-by-case basis.

i.      Shareholder Proposal Regarding Advisory Vote on Executive Compensation - Proponents are urging boards to adopt a policy to allow shareholders an opportunity to vote on an advisory management resolution at each annual meeting to ratify compensation of the named executive officers (NEOs) as set forth in the proxy statement’s summary compensation table.  The vote would be non-binding and would not affect any compensation paid or awarded to any NEO.

If the board is independent, the Funds will support management.  All other proposals will be decided on a case-by-case basis.

              C.         RIC Contracts and Policies

                      a. Investment Advisory Contracts - All proposals regarding new investment advisory contracts or amendments to existing contracts will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.  Due to the complex and varied nature of these proposals, the principal emphasis will be on the financial ramifications of the proposal for the Funds’ shareholders.

                      b. Distribution Plans - All proposals pertaining to a RIC’s distribution plan will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis, weighing any proposed additional fees to be paid by shareholders against the potential benefits.  The analysis will foremost consider the effects of the proposal on the shareholders.

                      c. Fundamental Objectives / Policies - All proposals regarding the fundamental investment objectives or policies of a RIC will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.  Due to the complex and varied nature of these proposals, the principal emphasis will be on the financial ramifications of the proposal for the shareholders.

                 D.      Confidential voting – The Funds believe that confidential voting restricts communication between shareholders and management.  Additionally, the system of free and open proxy voting protects shareholder interests and ensures that the fiduciary obligations of investment funds are met.  These representatives are then fully accountable to their constituents.  Confidential voting is also expensive, as voting must be tabulated by a third party before presentation.  The Funds will not support confidential voting.  Management cannot address shareholder concerns if they cannot identify the dissenting voters.  Undue pressure will not be condoned but our concern is that communication might be diminished during a time when shareholders are considering significant issues.  Implementing confidential voting is not an acceptable tradeoff for the potential loss of open dialogue.

                 E.      Supermajority-voting provisions - Proponents contend that a broad agreement should be reached on issues that may have a significant impact on the company.  Supermajority vote requirements usually require a level of voting approval in excess of a simple majority of the outstanding shares.  Usually this range is from 66% to 80%, but in some cases even higher.

 
 
A-6

 
APPENDIX A


              Opponents contend that supermajority-voting provisions detract from a simple majority’s power to enforce its will.  In many cases, the supermajority requirement will make it impossible to repeal or enact proposals due to the number of votes needed.  Matters of corporate policy, a sale of assets or a sale of the entire company should ordinarily only require a majority of shareholders.

                 The Funds will support supermajority provisions up to 67%.  All situations regarding supermajority-voting provisions larger than 67% will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.

                 F.      Right to call a special meeting – Proponents seek to change company’s bylaws and other appropriate governing documents to allow shareholders of between 10% and 25% of outstanding common stock to call a special meeting.  Proponents believe special meetings will allow shareholders to vote on urgent matters that may arise between regularly scheduled meetings.

                 Opponents contend that typically company regulations allow for majority shareholders to call special meetings which is a reasonable threshold in order to avoid the expense of unnecessary meetings.

                 The Funds will support these proposals if proposed by management and the board is independent.  However, if proposed by shareholders, the Funds will support proposals for the right to call a special meeting by shareholders of 30% or greater of outstanding common stock.

                 G.      Anti-takeover proposals Poison pills, preemptive rights, fair pricing and dual class voting provisions force potential bidders to deal directly with the board of directors.  The board’s role is to protect shareholders against unfair and unequal treatment and guard against partial tender offers and other abusive tactics.  Fair and equitable offers will not be prevented and will equally benefit all shareholders.

                      a. Poison pills (Shareholder rights plans) - protect shareholders from coercive and unfair offers.  Therefore, all shareholders should receive a better/fairer offer.  If the board is independent, the Funds will support poison pills. If the board is not independent, each situation involving poison pills will be decided on a case-by-case basis.

                      b. Preemptive rights - enable shareholders to retain the same percentage of ownership during additional stock offerings.  This eliminates the effect of dilution on the shareholder.  The Funds will support preemptive rights.

                      c. Fair pricing provisions - require that if offers are not approved by the board, the bidder must pay the same “fair” price for all shares purchased.  The fair price is usually defined as the highest price paid by the bidder for shares acquired before the start of the tender offer.  This provision attempts to prevent “two-tiered” offers in which the bidder offers a premium for sufficient shares to gain control then offers a much lower price to the remaining holders.  The Funds will support fair pricing provisions.

                      d. Dual class voting provisions - create unequal voting rights among different shareholders.  These provisions allow companies to raise capital and expand while letting management maintain control without fear of being acquired.  However, these provisions enable management to become entrenched, as it is an anti-takeover mechanism.  With management controlling the voting power, no one will pay a premium for shares of a company when there is no way for them to obtain voting control of the company.  The Funds will not support dual class voting provisions.

                 H.      Stock related proposals

                      a. Increase authorized common/preferred stock - A request for additional shares of stock was, in the past, considered a routine voting item.  Companies usually state it is for a specific use, such as a stock split, acquisition or for “general corporate purposes.”  However, an abundance of authorized but unissued shares can become an anti-takeover measure, such as implementing a poison pill or placing a large block of stock with a friendly holder to maintain control.

                      If the board is independent, the Funds will support increases in common/preferred stock.  The authorization will give companies the ability and flexibility to finance corporate growth.  If the board is not independent, the Funds will not support increases in common/preferred stock.

                       b. Targeted share placements - the issuance of a specific block of company securities to a friendly shareholder.  These placements are often used to defend against an unfriendly takeover or to obtain favorable financing and may be executed using common stock, preferred stock or convertible securities.  Targeted share placements are often less

 
 
A-7

 
APPENDIX A

expensive to execute than issuing stock, they do not require the high interest rates of traditional debt and a placement can be structured for the benefit of the limited number of parties.  Additionally, share placements can be executed fairly quickly and shareholder approval is not required.

                       Opponents contend targeted placements give selected shareholders an unfair access to valuable securities while diluting current shareholder’s proportional ownership and voting interests.  Additionally, critics contend that not only do targeted share placements serve to entrench management, but also the holder of the share placement may have a senior claim or return from company assets.

                       All situations regarding targeted share placements will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.  Since such stock could be used to dilute the ownership rights of current shareholders, shareholders should have the opportunity to analyze the proposal to determine whether it is in their best economic interests.

                 I.       Mergers, Acquisitions, Restructurings - These transactions involve fundamental changes in the structure and allocation of a company’s assets.  Financial considerations are foremost in these transactions but ERISA fiduciaries are not obligated to take an offer if they feel the long-term interests of the Funds, as a shareholder will be best served by the company continuing as is.

                 All situations regarding mergers, acquisitions, or restructuring will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.  Due to the complexity and company-specific nature of these proposals, the principal emphasis will be on the financial ramifications of the proposal.

    5.      Other Business -- The Funds will support management with respect to “Other Business.”
 
    6.      Adjourn Meeting – The Funds will support management with respect to proposals to adjourn the shareholder meeting.

All other issues will be decided on a case-by-case basis.  As with other non-routine proposals, decisions will be based primarily on management and board responsiveness to enhancing shareholder wealth.

Issues requiring analysis on a case-by-case basis will be voted according to the Consultant’s recommendation when the Funds own less than 1% of the company’s outstanding shares and less than $3 million of the company’s market capitalization.

International Funds - Procedures

           1.      Voting - The International Funds’ Boards of Trustees have delegated proxy voting to the International Subadvisers.  Each International Fund has adopted the proxy voting policies and procedures of its respective subadvisers.  The Manager maintains copies of the International Subadvisers’ policies and will periodically check the voting record for adherence to the policies.  If any discrepancies are noted, the Manager will follow up with the International Subadviser.

           2.      Conflicts of Interest - Each International Subadviser receives from the Manager the list of affiliated persons for each International Fund.  Any proxy proposal involving an entity on this list could be considered to represent a conflict of interest between a) the Manager, an International Subadviser, the distributor or any of their affiliates and b) Fund shareholders.  If an International Subadviser receives a proxy involving one of these entities, it will notify the Manager and forward all proxy materials for consideration by the applicable Fund’s Board of Trustees.  The Board of Trustees will decide the Fund’s voting position in consultation with the Manager and the International Subadviser.

                 If an unforeseen conflict pertaining to a particular proxy proposal becomes apparent, the International Subadviser will notify the Manager and forward all proxy materials for consideration by the applicable Fund’s Board of Trustees.  The Board of Trustees will decide the Fund’s voting position in consultation with the Manager and the International Subadviser.

All Funds - Other Procedures

           1.      Recordkeeping - Records of all votes will be maintained by a) the Consultant for the Domestic Funds and b) the International Subadvisers for the International Funds.  Documentation of all votes for the Domestic Funds will be maintained by the Manager and the Consultant.  Such documentation will include the recommendations of the Subadvisers along with pertinent supporting comments and letters, the Policy, the proxy voting policies and procedures of the International Subadvisers, any and all company reports provided by proxy advisory consulting services, additional information gathered by

 
 
A-8

 
APPENDIX A

the Manager, minutes from any meeting at which the Boards of Trustees considered a voting matter, the conclusion and final vote.

           2.      Disclosure - The Manager, in conjunction with the Consultant, will compile the Funds’ proxy voting record for each year ended June 30 and file the required information with the SEC via Form N-PX by August 31.  The Manager will include a summary of the Policy and/or the proxy voting policies and procedures of the International Subadvisers, as applicable, in each Fund’s Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”).  In each Fund’s annual and semi-annual reports to shareholders, the Manager will disclose that a description of the Policy and/or the proxy voting policies and procedures of the International Subadvisers, as applicable, is a) available upon request, without charge, by toll-free telephone request, b) on the Funds’ website (if applicable), and c) on the SEC’s website in the SAI.  The SAI and shareholder reports will also disclose that the Funds’ proxy voting record is available by toll-free telephone request (or on the Funds’ website) and on the SEC’s website by way of the Form N-PX.  Within three business days of receiving a request, the Manager will send a copy of the policy description or voting record by first-class mail.

           3.      Board Oversight - On at least an annual basis, the Manager will present a summary of the voting records of the Funds to the Boards of Trustees for their review.  The Boards of Trustees will annually consider for approval the Policy and the proxy voting policies and procedures of the International Subadvisers.  In addition, the Manager and International Subadvisers will notify the Board of any material changes to the proxy voting policies and procedures.





 
 
A-9

 
APPENDIX B

PROXY VOTING POLICY AND PROCEDURES FOR THE SUB-ADVISER
______________________________



CB RICHARD ELLIS GLOBAL REAL ESTATE SECURITIES, LLC
 
PROXY VOTING POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
 
Rule 206(4)-6 under the Advisers Act requires every investment adviser to adopt and implement written policies and procedures, reasonably designed to ensure that the adviser votes proxies in the best interest of its clients. The Rule further requires the adviser to provide a concise summary of the adviser’s proxy voting process and offer to provide copies of the complete proxy voting policy and procedures to clients upon request. Lastly, the Rule requires that the adviser disclose to clients how they may obtain information on how the adviser voted their proxies.
 
CB Richard Ellis Global Real Estate Securities, LLC (the “Company”) anticipates that a majority of clients will be responsible for all actions in relation to proxy voting. However, if the Company is instructed by the client to vote proxies on the client’s behalf, then the Company will follow the guidelines of the Proxy Voting Policy and Procedures. Any questions about this document should be directed to the CCO.
 
Policy
 
Assuming that the Company is requested to vote proxies on behalf of a particular client, it is the policy of the Company to vote client proxies in the interest of maximizing shareholder value. To that end, the Company will vote in a way that it believes, consistent with its fiduciary duty, will cause the value of the issue to increase the most or decline the least. Consideration will be given to both the short and long term implications of the proposal to be voted on when considering the optimal vote.
 
Any general or specific proxy voting guidelines provided by an advisory client or its designated agent in writing will supersede this policy. Clients may wish to have their proxies voted by an independent third party or other named fiduciary or agent, at the client’s cost.
 
With respect to class actions, it is CBRE GRES’ policy not to take any action without first consulting the client. We will then only take action as the client directs.
 
Procedures for Identification and Voting of Proxies
 
These proxy voting procedures are designed to enable the Company to resolve material conflicts of interest with clients before voting their proxies in the interest of shareholder value.
 
 
1.
The Company shall maintain a list of all clients for which it votes proxies. The list will be maintained either in hard copy or electronically and updated by the Co-Chief Investment Officers or Portfolio Managers or Portfolio Administrators who will obtain proxy voting information from client agreements.
 
 
2.
The Company shall work with the client to ensure that CBRE GRES is the designated party to receive proxy voting materials from companies or intermediaries. To that end, new account forms of broker-dealers/custodians will state that CBRE GRES should receive this documentation. The designation may also be made by telephoning contacts and/or client service representatives at broker-dealers/custodians.
 
 
3.
The Co-Chief Chief Investment Officers shall receive all proxy voting materials and will be responsible for ensuring that proxies are voted and submitted in a timely manner.

 
 
4.
The Co-Chief Investment Officers will review the list of clients and compare the record date of the proxies with a security holdings list for the security or company soliciting the proxy vote.
 
For any client who has provided specific voting instructions, the Co-Chief Investment Officers shall vote that client’s proxy in accordance with the client’s written instructions.
 
Proxies of clients who have selected a third party to vote proxies, and whose proxies were received by the Company, shall be forwarded to the designee for voting and submission.
 
Proxies received after the termination date of a client relationship will not be voted. Such proxies should be delivered to the last known address of the client or to the intermediary who distributed the proxy with a written or oral statement indicating that the advisory relationship has been terminated and that future proxies for the named client should not be delivered to the Company.

  B-1

 

 
5. 
The Co-Chief Investment Officers will reasonably try to assess any material conflicts between the Company’s interests and those of its clients with respect to proxy voting by considering the situations identified in theConflicts of Interest section of this document.
 
 
6.
So long as there are no material conflicts of interest identified, the Company will vote proxies according to the policy set forth above. The Company may also elect to abstain from voting if it deems such abstinence in its clients’ best interests. The rationale for “abstain” votes will be documented and the documentation will be maintained in the permanent file.
 
 
7.
The Company is not required to vote every client proxy and such should not necessarily be construed as a violation of CBRE GRES’s fiduciary obligations. The Company shall at no time ignore or neglect its proxy voting responsibilities. However, there may be times when refraining from voting is in the client’s best interest, such as when an adviser’s analysis of a particular client proxy reveals that the cost of voting the proxy may exceed the expected benefit to the client (i.e., casting a vote on a foreign security may require that the adviser engage a translator or travel to a foreign country to vote in person). Such position also complies with Interpretive Bulletin 94-2 of the DOL.
 
 
8.
The CCO shall be responsible for conducting the proxy voting cost-benefit analysis in those certain situations in which the Company believes it may be in its clients’ best interest for the Company not to vote a particular proxy. The CCO shall maintain documentation of any cost/benefit analysis with respect to client proxies that were not voted by the Company.
 
 
9.
If the Co-Chief Investment Officers detect a conflict of interest, the Company will, at its expense, engage the services of an outside proxy voting service or consultant who will provide an independent recommendation on the direction in which the Company should vote on the proposal. The proxy voting service’s or consultant’s determination will be binding on CBRE GRES.
 
 
10.
The Chief Co-Chief Investment Officers shall collect and submit the proxy votes in a timely manner.
 
 
11.
The CCO will report any attempts by the Company’s personnel to influence the voting of client proxies in a manner that is inconsistent with the Company’s Policy.

 
 
12.
All proxy votes will be recorded and the following information will be maintained:
 
 
The name of the issuer of the portfolio security;
 
 
The exchange ticker symbol of the portfolio security;
 
 
The Council on Uniform Securities Identification Procedures (“CUSIP”) number for the portfolio security;
 
 
The shareholder meeting date;
 
 
The number of shares the Company is voting on firm-wide;
 
 
A brief identification of the matter voted on;
 
 
Whether the matter was proposed by the issuer or by a security holder;
 
 
Whether or not the Company cast its vote on the matter;
 
 
How the Company cast its vote (e.g., for or against proposal, or abstain; for or withhold regarding election of directors);
 
 
Whether the Company cast its vote with or against management; and
 
 
Whether any client requested an alternative vote of its proxy.
 
In the event that the Company votes the same proxy in two directions, it shall maintain documentation to support its voting (this may occur if a client requires the Company to vote a certain way on an issue, while the Company deems it beneficial to vote in the opposite direction for its other clients) in the permanent file.
 
Conflicts of Interest
 
Although the Company has not currently identified any material conflicts of interest that would affect its proxy voting decisions, it is aware of the following potential conflicts that could exist in the future:
 
 
Conflict: CBRE GRES retains a client, or is in the process of retaining a client that is an officer or director of an issuer that is held in the Company’s client portfolios.
 
 
Conflict: CBRE GRES’s supervised persons maintain a personal and/or business relationship (not an advisory relationship) with issuers or individuals that serve as officers or directors of issuers. For example, the spouse of a

  B-2

 

 
 
Company supervised person may be a high-level executive of an issuer that is held in the Company’s client portfolios. The spouse could attempt to influence the Company to vote in favor of management.
 
Resolution: Upon the detection of a material conflict of interest, the procedure described under Item 7 of the Procedures for Identification and Voting of Proxies section above will be followed.
 
The Company realizes that due to the difficulty of predicting and identifying all material conflicts, it must rely on its supervised persons to notify the Co-Chief Investment Officers of any material conflict that may impair the Company’s ability to vote proxies in an objective manner. Upon such notification, the CCO will seek legal counsel who will recommend an appropriate course of action.

 
In addition, any attempts by others within the Company to influence the voting of client proxies in a manner that is inconsistent with the proxy voting policy shall be reported to the CCO. The CCO should then report the attempt to legal counsel.
 
The CCO should, as necessary, report to legal counsel all conflicts of interest that arise in connection with the performance of the Company’s proxy-voting obligations (if any), and any conflicts of interest that have come to his or her attention (if any). The CCO will use the form included as Attachment A to this document. This information can lead to future amendments to this proxy voting policy and procedure.
 
Recordkeeping
 
The Company must maintain the documentation described in the following section for a period of not less than five (5) years, the first two (2) years at its principal place of business. The CCO will be responsible for the following procedures and for ensuring that the required documentation is retained.
 
Client request to review proxy votes:
 
 
Any request, whether written (including e-mail) or oral, received by any supervised persons of the Company, must be promptly reported to the CCO. All written requests must be retained in the permanent file.
 
 
The CCO will record the identity of the client, the date of the request, and the disposition (e.g., provided a written or oral response to client’s request, referred to third party, not a proxy voting client, other dispositions, etc.) in a suitable place.
 
 
In order to facilitate the management of proxy voting record keeping process, and to facilitate dissemination of such proxy voting records to clients, the CCO will distribute to any client requesting proxy voting information the complete proxy voting record of the Company for the period requested. Reports containing proxy information of only those issuers held by a certain client will not be created or distributed. 4
 
Any report disseminated to a client(s) will contain the following legend:
 
“This report contains the full proxy voting record of CBRE GRES. If securities of a particular issuer were held in your account on the date of the shareholder meeting indicated, your proxy was voted in the direction indicated (absent your expressed written direction otherwise).”
 
 
Furnish the information requested, free of charge, to the client within a reasonable time period (within 10 business days). Maintain a copy of the written record provided in response to client’s written (including e-mail) or oral request. A copy of the written response should be attached and maintained with the client’s written request, if applicable and maintained in the permanent file.
 
 
clients are permitted to request the proxy voting record for the 5 year period prior to their request.

_____________________
4
For clients who have provided the Company with specific direction on proxy voting, the CCO will review the proxy voting record and permanent file in order to identify those proposals voted differently than how the Company voted clients not providing direction.

 
Proxy statements received regarding client securities:
 
 
Upon receipt of a proxy, copy or print a sample of the proxy statement or card and maintain the copy in a central file along with a sample of the proxy solicitation instructions.
 
Note: The Company is permitted to rely on proxy statements filed on the SEC’s EDGAR system instead of keeping its own copies.
 
Proxy voting records:
 
 
The Company’s proxy voting records may include the following:
 
 
Documents prepared or created by the Company that were material to making a decision on how to vote, or that memorialized the basis for the decision.
 
 
Documentation or notes or any communications received from third parties, other industry analysts, third party service providers, company’s management discussions, etc. that were material in the basis for the decision.
 
Disclosure
 
 
The Company will ensure that Part II of Form ADV is updated as necessary to reflect: (i) all material changes to the Proxy Voting Policy and Procedures; and (ii) regulatory requirements.
 
Proxy Solicitation
 
As a matter of practice, it is the Company’s policy to not reveal or disclose to any client how the Company may have voted (or intends to vote) on a particular proxy until after such proxies have been counted at a shareholder’s meeting. The Company will never disclose such information to unrelated third parties.
 
The CCO is to be promptly informed of the receipt of any solicitation from any person to vote proxies on behalf of clients. At no time may any supervised persons accept any remuneration in the solicitation of proxies. The CCO shall handle all responses to such solicitations.

B-3 

 

 
Attachment A


CB Richard Ellis Global Real Estate Securities LLC
Report of Proxy Voting Conflicts


To:           [Legal Counsel]

From: CCO

Date: <DATE>

 Re:           Proxy Voting Conflict of Interest

Rule 206(4)-6 (the “Rule”) under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 (“Advisers Act”) requires every investment adviser to adopt and implement written policies and procedures, reasonably designed to ensure that the adviser votes proxies in the best interest of its clients. A challenging aspect to Rule 206(4)-6 has been an adviser’s identification of material conflicts of interest that may influence the manner in which it votes proxies.

I have listed below the conflicts of interest that came to my attention and the manner in which such conflicts were mitigated:



Signature:          ____________________________________________________


Date:              ____________________________________________________
 
 
B-4

PART C

OTHER INFORMATION

Item 15. Indemnification
 

     See (i) the Amended and Restated Declaration of Trust (the “Declaration of Trust”) of American Beacon Funds (the “Trust” or the “Registrant”), attached as Exhibit (a) to Post-Effective Amendment (“PEA”) No. 51 to Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File Nos. 033-11387 and 811-04984) (the “Registration Statement”) filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on December 15, 2004, and the Written Instrument Amending the Amended and Restated Declaration of Trust, attached as Exhibit (a) to PEA No. 74 to the Registration Statement filed with the SEC on February 27, 2009, and (ii) Bylaws, attached as Exhibit (b) to Post-Effective Amendment No. 23 to the Registration Statement filed with the SEC on December 18, 1997.

     Article XI of the Declaration of Trust of the Trust provides that:

Limitation of Liability

Section 1. Provided they have exercised reasonable care and have acted under the reasonable belief that their actions are in the best interest of the Trust, the Trustees shall not be responsible for or liable in any event for neglect or wrongdoing of them or any officer, agent, employee or investment adviser of the Trust, but nothing contained herein shall protect any Trustee against any liability to which he or she would otherwise be subject by reason of willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of the duties involved in the conduct of his or her office.
 

Indemnification

     Section 2.
 

          (a)    Subject to the exceptions and limitations contained in paragraph (b)  below:

(i)     every person who is, or has been, a Trustee or officer of the Trust (hereinafter referred to as "Covered Person") shall be indemnified by the appropriate portfolios to the fullest extent permitted by law against liability and against all expenses reasonably incurred or paid by him in connection with any claim, action, suit or proceeding in which he becomes involved as a party or otherwise by virtue of his being or having been a Trustee or officer and against amounts paid or incurred by him in the settlement thereof;

 

(ii)   the words "claim," "action," "suit," or "proceeding" shall apply to all claims, actions, suits or proceedings (civil, criminal or other, including appeals), actual or threatened while in office or thereafter, and the words "liability" and "expenses" shall include, without limitation, attorneys' fees, costs, judgments, amounts paid in settlement, fines, penalties and other liabilities.

          (b)     No indemnification shall be provided hereunder to a Covered Person:
 

(i)    who shall have been adjudicated by a court or body before which the proceeding was brought (A) to be liable to the Trust or its Shareholders by reason of willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of the duties involved in the conduct of his office or (B) not to have acted in good faith in the reasonable belief that his

 

     action was in the best interest of the Trust; or

(ii)     in the event of a settlement, unless there has been a determination that such Trustee or officer did not engage in willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of the duties involved in the conduct of his office (A) by the court or other body approving the settlement; (B) by at least a majority of those Trustees who are neither interested persons of the Trust nor are parties to the matter based upon a review of readily available facts (as opposed to a full trial-type inquiry); or (C) by written opinion of independent legal counsel based upon a review of readily available facts (as opposed to a full trial-type inquiry); provided, however, that any Shareholder may, by appropriate legal proceedings, challenge any such determination by the Trustees, or by independent counsel.

     (c)     The rights of indemnification herein provided may be insured against by policies maintained by the Trust, shall be severable, shall not be exclusive of or affect any other rights to which any Covered Person may now or hereafter be entitled, shall continue as to a person who has ceased to be such Trustee or officer and shall inure to the benefit of the heirs, executors and administrators of such a person. Nothing contained herein shall affect any rights to indemnification to which Trust personnel, other than Trustees and officers, and other persons may be entitled by contract or otherwise under law.

     (d)     Expenses in connection with the preparation and presentation of a defense to any claim, action, suit, or proceeding of the character described in paragraph (a) of this Section 2 may be paid by the applicable Portfolio from time to time prior to final disposition thereof upon receipt of an undertaking by or on behalf of such Covered Person that such amount will be paid over by him to the Trust if it is ultimately determined that he is not entitled to indemnification under this Section 2; provided, however, that:

(i)     such Covered Person shall have provided appropriate security for such undertaking;

 

(ii)     the Trust is insured against losses arising out of any such advance payments; or

 

(iii)      either a majority of the Trustees who are neither interested persons of the Trust nor parties to the matter, or independent legal counsel in a written opinion, shall have determined, based upon a review of readily available facts (as opposed to a trial-type inquiry or full investigation), that there is reason to believe that such Covered Person will be found entitled to indemnification under this Section 2.

     According to Article XII, Section 1 of the Declaration of Trust, the Trust is a trust, not a partnership. Trustees are not liable personally to any person extending credit to, contracting with or having any claim against the Trust, a particular Portfolio or the Trustees. A Trustee, however, is not protected from liability due to willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of the duties involved in the conduct of his office.
 
     Article XII, Section 2 provides that, subject to the provisions of Section 1 of Article XII and to Article XI, the Trustees are not liable for errors of judgment or mistakes of fact or law, or for any act or omission in accordance with advice of counsel or other experts or for failing to follow such advice.
  
    
    


     Numbered Paragraph 8 of the Management Agreement provides that:

     8. Limitation of Liability of the Manager. The Manager shall not be liable for any error of judgment or mistake of law or for any loss suffered by a Trust or any Fund in connection with the matters to which this Agreement relate except a loss resulting from the willful misfeasance, bad faith or gross negligence on its part in the performance of its duties or from reckless disregard by it of its obligations and duties under this Agreement. Any person, even though also an officer, partner, employee, or agent of the Manager, who may be or become an officer, Board member, employee or agent of a Trust shall be deemed, when rendering services to a Trust or acting in any business of a Trust, to be rendering such services to or acting solely for a Trust and not as an officer, partner, employee, or agent or one under the control or direction of the Manager even though paid by it.

Numbered Paragraph 9 of the Investment Advisory Agreement with CB Richard Ellis Global Real Estate Securities, LLC provides that:

     9. Liability of Adviser. The Adviser shall have no liability to the Trust, its shareholders or any third party arising out of or related to this Agreement except with respect to claims which occur due to any willful misfeasance, bad faith, or gross negligence in the performance of its duties or the reckless disregard of its obligations under this Agreement.
 
     Numbered Paragraph 11 of the Administration Agreement provides that:

     11. Limitation of Liability of [American Beacon Advisors, Inc. (“ABA”)]. ABA shall not be liable for any error of judgment or mistake of law or for any loss suffered by a Trust or any Series in connection with the matters to which this Agreement relate except a loss resulting from the willful misfeasance, bad faith or gross negligence on its part in the performance of its duties or from reckless disregard by it of its obligations and duties under this Agreement. Any person, even though also an officer, partner, employee, or agent of ABA, who may be or become an officer, Board member, employee or agent of a Trust shall be deemed, when rendering services to any Trust or acting in any business of a Trust, to be rendering such services to or acting solely for the Trust and not as an officer, partner, employee, or agent or one under the control or direction of ABA even though paid by it.

     Section 4.2 of the Distribution Agreement provides that:

     (a) Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary, Foreside shall not be responsible for, and the Clients shall on behalf of each applicable Fund or Class thereof, indemnify and hold harmless Foreside, its employees, directors, officers and managers and any person who controls Foreside within the meaning of section 15 of the Securities Act or section 20 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, (for purposes of this Section 4.2(a), "Foreside Indemnitees") from and against, any and all losses, damages, costs, charges, reasonable counsel fees, payments, liabilities and other expenses of every nature and character (including, but not limited to, direct and indirect reasonable reprocessing costs) arising out of or attributable to all and any of the following (for purposes of this Section 4.2(a), a "Foreside Claim"):
 

          (i) any action (or omission to act) of Foreside or its agents taken in connection with this Agreement; provided, that such action (or omission to act) is taken in good faith and without willful misfeasance, negligence or reckless disregard by Foreside of its duties and obligations under this Agreement;

          (ii) any untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement or arising out of or based upon any alleged omission to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, unless such statement or omission was


        made in reliance upon, and in conformity with, information furnished to the Clients in connection with the preparation of the Registration Statement or exhibits to the Registration Statement by or on behalf of Foreside;

          (iii) any material breach of the Clients' agreements, representations, warranties, and covenants in Sections 2.9 and 5.2 of this Agreement; or

          (iv) the reliance on or use by Foreside or its agents or subcontractors of information, records, documents or services which have been prepared, maintained or performed by the Clients or any agent of the Clients, including but not limited to any Predecessor Records provided pursuant to Section 2.9(b).

     (b) Foreside will indemnify, defend and hold the Clients and their several officers and members of their Governing Bodies and any person who controls the Clients within the meaning of section 15 of the Securities Act or section 20 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, (collectively, the "Clients Indemnitees" and, with the Foreside Indemnitees, an "Indemnitee"), free and harmless from and against any and all claims, demands, actions, suits, judgments, liabilities, losses, damages, costs, charges, reasonable counsel fees and other expenses of every nature and character (including the cost of investigating or defending such claims, demands, actions, suits or liabilities and any reasonable counsel fees incurred in connection therewith), but only to the extent that such claims, demands, actions, suits, judgments, liabilities, losses, damages, costs, charges, reasonable counsel fees and other expenses result from, arise out of or are based upon all and any of the following (for purposes of this Section 4.2(c), a "Clients Claim" and, with a Foreside Claim, a "Claim"):
 

          (i) any material action (or omission to act) of Foreside or its agents taken in connection with this Agreement, provided that such action (or omission to act) is not taken in good faith and with willful misfeasance, negligence or reckless disregard by Foreside of its duties and obligations under this Agreement.

          (ii) any untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement or any alleged omission of a material fact required to be stated or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, if such statement or omission was made in reliance upon, and in conformity with, information furnished to the Clients in writing in connection with the preparation of the Registration Statement by or on behalf of Foreside; or

          (iii) any material breach of Foreside's agreements, representations, warranties and covenants set forth in Section 2.4 and 5.1 hereof

     (d) The Clients or Foreside (for purpose of this Section 4.2(d), an "Indemnifying Party") may assume the defense of any suit brought to enforce any Foreside Claim or Clients Claim, respectively, and may retain counsel chosen by the Indemnifying Party and approved by the other Party, which approval shall not be unreasonably withheld or delayed. The Indemnifying Party shall advise the other Party that it will assume the defense of the suit and retain counsel within ten (10) days of receipt of the notice of the claim. If the Indemnifying Party assumes the defense of any such suit and retains counsel, the other Party shall bear the fees and expenses of any additional counsel that they retain. If the Indemnifying Party does not assume the defense of any such suit, or if other Party does not approve of counsel chosen by the Indemnifying Party, or if the other Party has been advised that it may have available defenses or claims that are not available to or conflict with those available to the Indemnifying Party, the Indemnifying Party will reimburse any Indemnitee named as defendant in such suit for the reasonable fees and expenses of any counsel that the Indemnitee retains. An Indemnitee shall not settle or confess any claim without the prior written consent of the applicable Client, which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld or delayed.


 

 

     (e) An Indemnifying Party's obligation to provide indemnification under this section is conditioned upon the Indemnifying Party receiving notice of any action brought against an Indemnitee within twenty (20) days after the summons or other first legal process is served. Such notice shall refer to the Person or Persons against whom the action is brought. The failure to provide such notice shall not relieve the Indemnifying Party of any liability that it may have to any Indemnitee except to the extent that the ability of the party entitled to such notice to defend such action has been materially adversely affected by the failure to provide notice.
 
     (f) The provisions of this section and the parties' representations and warranties in this Agreement shall remain operative and in full force and effect regardless of any investigation made by or on behalf of any Indemnitee and shall survive the sale and redemption of any Shares made pursuant to subscriptions obtained by Foreside. The indemnification provisions of this section will inure exclusively to the benefit of each person that may be an Indemnitee at any time and their respective successors and assigns (it being intended that such persons be deemed to be third party beneficiaries under this Agreement).
 
     
Section 4.3 of the Distribution Agreement provides that:

     Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary, except as specifically set forth below:
 
     (a) Neither Party shall be liable for losses, delays, failure, errors, interruption or loss of data occurring directly or indirectly by reason of circumstances beyond its reasonable control, including, without limitation, acts of God; action or inaction of civil or military authority; public enemy; war; terrorism; riot; fire; flood; sabotage; epidemics; labor disputes; civil commotion; interruption, loss or malfunction of utilities, transportation, computer or communications capabilities; insurrection; or elements of nature;
 
     (b) Neither Party shall be liable for any consequential, special or indirect losses or damages suffered by the other Party, whether or not the likelihood of such losses or damages was known by the Party;
 
     (c) No affiliate, director, officer, employee, manager, shareholder, partner, agent, counsel or consultant of either Party shall be liable at law or in equity for the obligations of such Party under this Agreement or for any damages suffered by the other Party related to this Agreement;
 
     (d) Except as set forth in Section 4.2(f), there are no third party beneficiaries of this Agreement;
 
     (e) Each Party shall have a duty to mitigate damages for which the other Party may become responsible;
 
     (f) The assets and liabilities of each Fund are separate and distinct from the assets and liabilities of each other Fund, and no Fund shall be liable or shall be charged for any debt, obligation or liability of any other Fund, whether arising under this Agreement or otherwise; and in asserting any rights or claims under this Agreement, Foreside shall look only to the assets and property of the Fund to which Foreside's rights or claims relate in settlement of such rights or claims; and
 
     (g) Each Party agrees promptly to notify the other party of the commencement of any litigation or proceeding of which it becomes aware arising out of or in any way connected with the issuance or sale of Shares.
 

     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 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.     

Item 16. Exhibits.

 

(1)

(a)

Amended and Restated Declaration of Trust of Registrant, dated November 1, 2004 – (x)

  

 

(b)

Written Instrument Amending the Amended and Restated Declaration of Trust, filed with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts on March 23, 2005 – (xvi)


(2)

 

Bylaws – (i)


(3)

 

Voting Trust Agreements – (not applicable)


(4)

 

Agreement and Plan of Reorganization and Termination dated December 3, 2009 – (filed herewith as Appendix A to the Combined Proxy Statement and Prospectus)


(5)

 

Rights of holders of the securities being registered are contained in Articles III, VIII, X, XI and XII of the Registrant’s Declaration of Trust and Articles III, V, VI and XI of the Registrant’s Bylaws


(6)

(a)

Management Agreement among American Beacon Funds, American Beacon Mileage Funds, American Beacon Select Funds, American Beacon Master Trust and American Beacon Advisors, Inc., dated September 12, 2008 – (xv)

  

 

(b)

Amendment to Management Agreement, dated February 13, 2009 – (xvi)
  

 

(c)

Form of Amendment to Management Agreement – (xix)

  

 

(d)

Form of Investment Advisory Agreement between American Beacon Advisors, Inc. and CB Richard Ellis Global Real Estate Securities, LLC – (xix)


(7)

 

Form of Distribution Agreement among American Beacon Funds, American Beacon Mileage Funds, American Beacon Select Funds and Foreside Fund Services, LLC, dated March 31, 2009 – (xvii)


(8)

 

Bonus, profit sharing or pension plans – (not applicable)


(9)

(a)

Custodian Agreement between the American AAdvantage Funds and State Street Bank and Trust Company, dated December 1, 1997 – (ii)

  

 

(b)

Amendment to Custodian Agreement to add Small Cap Value Fund, dated January 1, 1999 – (iii)




 

(c)

Amendment to Custodian Agreement to add Large Cap Growth Fund, Emerging Markets Fund, Small Cap Index Fund and International Equity Index Fund, dated July 31, 2000 – (vii)
  

 

(d)

Amendment to Custodian Agreement to add High Yield Bond Fund, dated December 29, 2000 – (iv)
  

 

(e)

Amendment to Custodian Agreement to reflect amendments to Rule 17f-5 of the 1940 Act, dated June 1, 2001 – (vii)
  

 

(f)

Amendment to Custodian Agreement to add Enhanced Income Fund, dated July 1, 2003 – (viii)

 

(g)

Amendment to Custodian Agreement to add Mid-Cap Value Fund and Treasury Inflation Protected Securities Fund, dated June 30, 2004– (ix)
  

 

(h)

Amendment to Custodian Agreement to add Small Cap Value Opportunity Fund, dated March 31, 2006 – (xii)
  

 

(i)

Form of Amendment to Custodian Agreement to add American Beacon Global Real Estate Fund – (xix)


(10)

 

Amended and Restated Plan pursuant to Rule 18f-3, dated July 24, 2009 – (xviii)


(11)

 

Opinion of Counsel as to the Legality of Shares Being Registered – (filed herewith)


(12)

 

Opinion of Counsel on Tax Matters – (to be filed by subsequent amendment)


(13)

 

Other Material Contracts
    

 

(a)(1)

Administration Agreement among American Beacon Funds, the American Beacon Mileage Funds, the American Beacon Select Funds and the American Beacon Master Trust, and American Beacon Advisors, Inc., dated September 12, 2008 – (xv)

  

 

(a)(2)

Amendment to Administration Agreement among American Beacon Funds, the American Beacon Mileage Funds, the American Beacon Select Funds and the American Beacon Master Trust, and American Beacon Advisors, Inc., dated April 30, 2009 – (xvii)

  

 

(a)(3)

Amendment to Administration Agreement among American Beacon Funds, the American Beacon Mileage Funds, the American Beacon Select Funds and the American Beacon Master Trust, and American Beacon Advisors, Inc., dated July 24, 2009 – (xviii)
  

 

(a)(4)

Form of Amendment to Administration Agreement among American Beacon Funds, the American Beacon Mileage Funds, the American Beacon Select Funds and the American Beacon Master Trust, and American Beacon Advisors, Inc. — (xix)

  

 

(b)(1)

Service Plan Agreement for the American Beacon Funds Investor Class, dated March 6, 2009 – (xviii)




 

(b)(2)

Service Plan Agreement for the American Beacon Funds Y Class, dated July 24, 2009 – (xviii)

  

 

(c)(1)

Transfer Agency and Service Agreement between the American AAdvantage Funds and State Street Bank and Trust Company, dated January 1, 1998 – (ii)

  

 

(c)(2)

Amendment to Transfer Agency and Service Agreement to add Small Cap Value Fund, dated January 1, 1999 – (iii)
  

 

(c)(3)

Amendment to Transfer Agency and Service Agreement to add four new series of American AAdvantage Funds, dated July 31, 2000 – (vii)
  

 

(c)(4)

Amendment to Transfer Agency and Service Agreement to add High Yield Bond Fund, dated December 29, 2000 – (iv)
  

 

(c)(5)

Amendment to Transfer Agency and Service Agreement regarding anti-money laundering procedures, dated July 24, 2002 – (vi)
  

 

(c)(6)

Amendment to Transfer Agency and Service Agreement regarding anti-money laundering procedures, dated September 24, 2002 – (vii)
  

 

(c)(7)

Amendment to Transfer Agency and Service Agreement to add Enhanced Income Fund, dated July 1, 2003 – (viii)
  

 

(c)(8)

Amendment to Transfer Agency and Service Agreement to replace fee schedule, dated March 26, 2004 – (xiii)
  

 

(c)(9)

Amendment to Transfer Agency and Service Agreement to add Mid-Cap Value Fund and Treasury Inflation Protected Securities Fund, dated June 30, 2004 – (ix)
  

 

(c)(10)

Amendment to Transfer Agency and Service Agreement to add Small Cap Value Opportunity Fund, dated March 31, 2006 – (xii)
  

 

(c)(11)

Form of Amendment to Schedule A to Transfer Agency and Service Agreement to add American Beacon Global Real Estate Fund – (xix)
  

 

(d)(1)

Securities Lending Authorization Agreement between American AAdvantage Funds and State Street Bank and Trust Company, dated January 2, 1998 – (ii)
  

 

(d)(2)

Amendment to Securities Lending Authorization Agreement to add Small Cap Value Fund, dated January 1, 1999 – (v)
  

 

(d)(3)

Amendment to Securities Lending Authorization Agreement to add Large Cap Growth Fund and Emerging Markets Fund, dated July 31, 2000 – (iv)
  

 

(d)(4)

Amendment to Securities Lending Authorization Agreement to add High Yield Bond Fund, dated December 29, 2000 – (iv)
  

 

(d)(5)

Amendment to Securities Lending Authorization Agreement to add Mid-Cap Value Fund, dated June 30, 2004 – (ix)
  




 

(d)(6)

Amendment to Securities Lending Authorization Agreement regarding lending in new countries, dated August 12, 2005 – (xi)
  

 

(d)(7)

Amendment to Securities Lending Authorization Agreement to add Small Cap Value Opportunity Fund, dated March 31, 2006 – (xii)
  

 

(e)

Amended and Restated Credit Agreement between American Beacon Funds and American Beacon Advisors, Inc., dated January 31, 2008 – (xiv)


(14)

 

Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm – (filed herewith)


(15)

 

Financial Statements Omitted Pursuant to Item 14(a)(1) – (not applicable)


(16)

 

Powers of Attorney (filed herewith)


(17)

 

Other Exhibits

  

 

(a)

Form of Proxy Card – (filed herewith)
  

 

(b)

Prospectus for the CNL Global Real Estate Fund of The CNL Funds – (filed herewith)
  

 

(c)

Statement of Additional Information for the CNL Global Real Estate Fund of The CNL Funds – (filed herewith)
  

 

(d)

Semi-Annual Report to Shareholders of the CNL Global Real Estate Fund of The CNL Funds – (filed herewith)
  

 

(e)

Annual Report to Shareholders of the CNL Global Real Estate Fund of The CNL Funds – (filed herewith)



_________________________

(i)        Incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 23 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A of the American AAdvantage Funds as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on December 18, 1997.

(ii)       Incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 24 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A of the American AAdvantage Funds as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on February 27, 1998.

(iii)      Incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 32 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A of the American AAdvantage Funds as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on July 7, 2000.

(iv)       Incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 34 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A of the American AAdvantage Funds as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on December 29, 2000.

(v)        Incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 35 to the Registration Statement on Form N-


            1A of the American AAdvantage Funds as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on February 28, 2001.

(vi)       Incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 41 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A of the American AAdvantage Funds as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on October 1, 2002.

(vii)     Incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 42 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A of the American AAdvantage Funds as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on February 28, 2003.

(viii)     Incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 46 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A of the American AAdvantage Funds as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on July 1, 2003.

(ix)      Incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 50 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A of the American AAdvantage Funds as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on June 30, 2004.

(x)        Incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 51 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A of the American AAdvantage Funds as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on December 15, 2004.

(xi)      Incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 56 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A of American Beacon Funds as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on September 30, 2005.

(xii)      Incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 62 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A of American Beacon Funds as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 31, 2006.

(xiii)     Incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 64 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A of American Beacon Funds as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 1, 2007.

(xiv)     Incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 70 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A of American Beacon Funds as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on February 29, 2008.

(xv)      Incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 73 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A of American Beacon Funds as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on December 31, 2008.

(xvi)     Incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 74 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A of American Beacon Funds as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on February 27, 2009.

(xvii)     Incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 75 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A of American Beacon Funds as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on May1, 2009.

(xviii)   Incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 77 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A of American Beacon Funds as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on August 3, 2009.

(xix)     Incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 79 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A of American Beacon Funds as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on December 22, 2009.


Item 17. Undertakings.
 

(1) The undersigned Registrant agrees that prior to any public reoffering of the securities registered through the use of a prospectus which is a part of this Registration Statement by any person or party who is deemed to be an underwriter within the meaning of Rule 145(c) of the Securities Act [17 CFR 230.145c], the reoffering prospectus will contain the information called for by the applicable registration form for re-offerings by persons who may be deemed underwriters, in addition to the information called for by the other items of the applicable form.

(2) The undersigned Registrant agrees that every prospectus that is filed under paragraph (1) above will be filed as part of an amendment to the Registration Statement and will not be used until the amendment is effective, and that, in determining any liability under the 1933 Act, each post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be a new registration statement for the securities offered therein, and the offering of the securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering of them.

(3)     The undersigned Registrant undertakes to file an opinion of counsel supporting the tax matters and consequences to shareholders discussed in the Proxy/Prospectus in a post-effective amendment to this registration statement.


SIGNATURES

     Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, the Registrant has duly caused this Registration Statement to be signed below on its behalf by the undersigned, duly authorized, in the City of Fort With and the State of Texas on the 23rd day of December, 2009.

 

AMERICAN BEACON FUNDS

 

 

 

By:

/s/ William F. Quinn

 

 

William F. Quinn

 

 

President



     Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, this Registration Statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated.

Signature

 

Title

Date

       

/s/ William F. Quinn

 

President

December 23, 2009

William F. Quinn

     
       

/s/ Rebecca L. Harris

 

Treasurer (Principal Financial Officer)

December 23, 2009

Rebecca L. Harris

     
       

W. Humphrey Bogart*

 

Trustee

December 23, 2009

W. Humphrey Bogart

     
       

Brenda A. Cline*

 

Trustee

December 23, 2009

Brenda A. Cline

     
       

Eugene J. Duffy*

 

Trustee

December 23, 2009

Eugene J. Duffy

     
       

Thomas M. Dunning*

 

Trustee

December 23, 2009

Thomas M. Dunning

     
       

Alan D. Feld*

 

Trustee

December 23, 2009

Alan D. Feld

     
       

Richard A. Massman*

 

Chairman and Trustee

December 23, 2009

Richard A. Massman

     
       

R. Gerald Turner*

 

Trustee

December 23, 2009

R. Gerald Turner

     
       

Paul J. Zucconi*

 

Trustee

December 23, 2009

Paul J. Zucconi

     
       


*By     /s/ William F. Quinn               

     William F. Quinn
     Attorney-In-Fact


EXHIBIT INDEX

Exhibit No.

Exhibit

EX-99.11

Opinion of Counsel as to the Legality of Shares Being Registered
  

EX-99.14

Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

  

EX-99.16
Powers of Attorney

EX-99.17(a)

Form of Proxy Card
  

EX-99.17(b)

Prospectus for the CNL Global Real Estate Fund of The CNL Funds
  

EX-99.17(c)

Statement of Additional Information the CNL Global Real Estate Fund of The CNL Funds
  

EX-99.17(d)

Semi-Annual Report to Shareholders of the CNL Global Real Estate Fund of The CNL Funds
  

EX-99.17(e)

Annual Report to Shareholders of the CNL Global Real Estate Fund of The CNL Funds



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December 23, 2009

American Beacon Funds

4151 Amon Carter Boulevard

Fort Worth, TX 76155
 

Ladies and Gentlemen:
 

We have acted as counsel to American Beacon Funds, a business trust formed under the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts (the “Trust”), in connection with the filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) of the Trust’s registration statement on Form N-14 (the “Registration Statement”) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “1933 Act”), registering the shares of beneficial interest of American Beacon Global Real Estate Fund, a series of the Trust (the “Acquiring Fund”), (the “Shares”) to be issued pursuant to an Agreement and Plan of Reorganization (the “Agreement”) to be entered into by the Trust, on behalf of the Acquiring Fund, and The CNL Funds, on behalf of its CNL Global Real Estate Fund series (the “Acquired Fund”). The Agreement will provide for the transfer of the Acquired Fund’s assets to, and the assumption of the Acquired Fund’s liabilities by, the Acquiring Fund in exchange solely for a number of Shares determined in the manner specified in the Agreement, such Shares to be distributed to the Acquired Fund’s shareholders upon the subsequent liquidation of the Acquired Fund.

You have requested our opinion as to the matters set forth below in connection with the filing of the Registration Statement. For purposes of rendering that opinion, we have examined the Registration Statement, including the form of the Agreement filed as part thereof, the Amended and Restated Declaration of Trust, as subsequently amended, and By-Laws of the Trust, and the resolutions adopted by the Trustees of the Trust that provide for the issuance of the Shares, and we have made such investigation of law as we have deemed appropriate. We have examined and relied upon certificates of public officials and, as to certain matters of fact that are material to our opinions, we have also relied on a certificate of an officer of the Trust. In rendering our opinion, we also have made the assumptions that are customary in opinion letters of this kind. We have not verified any of those assumptions.

Our opinion, as set forth herein, is based on the facts in existence and the laws in effect on the date hereof and is limited to the federal laws of the United States of America and the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts that, in our experience, generally are applicable to the issuance of shares by entities such as the Trust. We express no opinion with respect to any other laws.


 

American Beacon Funds
December 23, 2009
Page 2

Based upon and subject to the foregoing, we are of the opinion that:

1.     The Shares to be issued pursuant to the Registration Statement have been duly authorized for issuance by the Trust; and

2.     When issued and delivered upon the terms provided in the Agreement, the Shares to be issued pursuant to the Registration Statement will be validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable. In this regard, however, we note that the Trust is an entity of the type commonly known as a “Massachusetts business trust” and, under certain circumstances, shareholders of a Massachusetts business trust could be held personally liable for the obligations of the trust.

This opinion is rendered solely in connection with the filing of the Registration Statement. We hereby consent to the filing of this opinion with the SEC in connection with the Registration Statement and to the reference to this firm in the Registration Statement. In giving our consent we do not thereby admit that we are in the category of persons whose consent is required under Section 7 of the 1933 Act or the rules and regulations of the SEC thereunder.

Very truly yours,
 

/s/ K&L Gates LLP

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CONSENT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED CERTIFIED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

We hereby consent to the incorporation by reference in this Registration Statement on Form N-14 of our report dated February 26, 2009, relating to the financial statements and financial highlights which appears in the December 31, 2008 Annual Report of CNL Global Real Estate Fund, which is also incorporated by reference into the Registration Statement. We also consent to the references to us under the heading "Financial Highlights of the AB Fund" in such Registration Statement.

 

/s/ PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP

 

PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP

Tampa, Florida
December 21, 2009
 

EX-99.16 7 powersofatttorney.htm POWERS OF ATTORNEY

POWER OF ATTORNEY

I, W. Humphrey Bogart, Trustee of the American Beacon Funds (the “Trust”), hereby constitute and appoint William F. Quinn, Gene L. Needles, Jr. and Rosemary K. Behan, each of them with the power to act without any other and with full power of substitution, my true and lawful attorney with full power to sign for me in my capacity as Trustee the Trust’s Registration Statement on Form N-14 under the Securities Act of 1933 and/or the Investment Company Act of 1940 and any amendments thereto of the Trust and all instruments necessary or desirable in connection therewith, hereby ratifying and confirming my signature as it may be signed by said attorney to any and all amendments to said Registration Statement.

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, this instrument has been signed below by the following in my capacity and on the 18th day of November, 2009.

/s/ W. Humphrey Bogart     

W. Humphrey Bogart, Trustee


POWER OF ATTORNEY

I, Brenda A. Cline, Trustee of the American Beacon Funds (the “Trust”), hereby constitute and appoint William F. Quinn, Gene L. Needles, Jr. and Rosemary K. Behan, each of them with the power to act without any other and with full power of substitution, my true and lawful attorney with full power to sign for me in my capacity as Trustee the Trust’s Registration Statement on Form N-14 under the Securities Act of 1933 and/or the Investment Company Act of 1940 and any amendments thereto of the Trust and all instruments necessary or desirable in connection therewith, hereby ratifying and confirming my signature as it may be signed by said attorney to any and all amendments to said Registration Statement.

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, this instrument has been signed below by the following in my capacity and on the 18th day of November, 2009.

/s/ Brenda A. Cline

Brenda A. Cline, Trustee


POWER OF ATTORNEY

I, Eugene J. Duffy, Trustee of the American Beacon Funds (the “Trust”), hereby constitute and appoint William F. Quinn, Gene L. Needles, Jr. and Rosemary K. Behan, each of them with the power to act without any other and with full power of substitution, my true and lawful attorney with full power to sign for me in my capacity as Trustee the Trust’s Registration Statement on Form N-14 under the Securities Act of 1933 and/or the Investment Company Act of 1940 and any amendments thereto of the Trust and all instruments necessary or desirable in connection therewith, hereby ratifying and confirming my signature as it may be signed by said attorney to any and all amendments to said Registration Statement.

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, this instrument has been signed below by the following in my capacity and on the 18th day of November, 2009.

/s/ Eugene J. Duffy

Eugene J. Duffy, Trustee


POWER OF ATTORNEY

I, Thomas M. Dunning, Trustee of the American Beacon Funds (the “Trust”), hereby constitute and appoint William F. Quinn, Gene L. Needles, Jr. and Rosemary K. Behan, each of them with the power to act without any other and with full power of substitution, my true and lawful attorney with full power to sign for me in my capacity as Trustee the Trust’s Registration Statement on Form N-14 under the Securities Act of 1933 and/or the Investment Company Act of 1940 and any amendments thereto of the Trust and all instruments necessary or desirable in connection therewith, hereby ratifying and confirming my signature as it may be signed by said attorney to any and all amendments to said Registration Statement.

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, this instrument has been signed below by the following in my capacity and on the 18th day of November, 2009.

/s/ Thomas M. Dunning

Thomas M. Dunning, Trustee


POWER OF ATTORNEY

I, Alan D. Feld, Trustee of the American Beacon Funds (the “Trust”), hereby constitute and appoint William F. Quinn, Gene L. Needles, Jr. and Rosemary K. Behan, each of them with the power to act without any other and with full power of substitution, my true and lawful attorney with full power to sign for me in my capacity as Trustee the Trust’s Registration Statement on Form N-14 under the Securities Act of 1933 and/or the Investment Company Act of 1940 and any amendments thereto of the Trust and all instruments necessary or desirable in connection therewith, hereby ratifying and confirming my signature as it may be signed by said attorney to any and all amendments to said Registration Statement.

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, this instrument has been signed below by the following in my capacity and on the 18th day of November, 2009.

/s/ Alan D. Feld

Alan D. Feld, Trustee


POWER OF ATTORNEY

I, Richard A Massman, Trustee of the American Beacon Funds (the “Trust”), hereby constitute and appoint William F. Quinn, Gene L. Needles, Jr. and Rosemary K. Behan, each of them with the power to act without any other and with full power of substitution, my true and lawful attorney with full power to sign for me in my capacity as Trustee the Trust’s Registration Statement on Form N-14 under the Securities Act of 1933 and/or the Investment Company Act of 1940 and any amendments thereto of the Trust and all instruments necessary or desirable in connection therewith, hereby ratifying and confirming my signature as it may be signed by said attorney to any and all amendments to said Registration Statement.

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, this instrument has been signed below by the following in my capacity and on the 18th day of November, 2009.

/s/ Richard A. Massman

Richard A. Massman, Trustee


POWER OF ATTORNEY

I, R. Gerald Turner, Trustee of the American Beacon Funds (the “Trust”), hereby constitute and appoint William F. Quinn, Gene L. Needles, Jr. and Rosemary K. Behan, each of them with the power to act without any other and with full power of substitution, my true and lawful attorney with full power to sign for me in my capacity as Trustee the Trust’s Registration Statement on Form N-14 under the Securities Act of 1933 and/or the Investment Company Act of 1940 and any amendments thereto of the Trust and all instruments necessary or desirable in connection therewith, hereby ratifying and confirming my signature as it may be signed by said attorney to any and all amendments to said Registration Statement.

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, this instrument has been signed below by the following in my capacity and on the 18th day of November, 2009.

/s/ R. Gerald Turner

R. Gerald Turner, Trustee


POWER OF ATTORNEY

I, Paul J. Zucconi, Trustee of the American Beacon Funds (the “Trust”), hereby constitute and appoint William F. Quinn, Gene L. Needles, Jr. and Rosemary K. Behan, each of them with the power to act without any other and with full power of substitution, my true and lawful attorney with full power to sign for me in my capacity as Trustee the Trust’s Registration Statement on Form N-14 under the Securities Act of 1933 and/or the Investment Company Act of 1940 and any amendments thereto of the Trust and all instruments necessary or desirable in connection therewith, hereby ratifying and confirming my signature as it may be signed by said attorney to any and all amendments to said Registration Statement.

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, this instrument has been signed below by the following in my capacity and on the 18th day of November, 2009.

/s/ Paul J. Zucconi

Paul J. Zucconi, Trustee

EX-99.17 8 proxycard.htm FORM OF PROXY CARD

FORM OF PROXY CARD


PROXY TABULATOR
P.O. BOX 9112
FARMINGDALE, NY 11735

To vote by Internet

1)
 
2)
3)

Read the Proxy Statement and have the proxy card below at hand.
Go to website www.proxyvote.com
Follow the instructions provided on the website.

   
 

To vote by Telephone

   
 

1)
 
2)
3)

Read the Proxy Statement and have the proxy card below at hand.
Call (800) 690-6903
Follow the instructions.

   
 

To vote by Mail

     
 

1)
2)
 
3)
4)

Read the Proxy Statement.
Check the appropriate boxes on the proxy card
below.
Sign and date the proxy card.
Return the proxy card in the envelope
provided.



 
 
TO VOTE, MARK BLOCKS BELOW IN BLUE OR BLACK INK AS FOLLOWS:
 
LHGF1
KEEP THIS PORTION FOR YOUR RECORDS
 
THIS PROXY CARD IS VALID ONLY WHEN SIGNED AND DATED.
 
DETACH AND RETURN THIS PORTION ONLY
       CNL GLOBAL REAL ESTATE FUND
 
     
     
The shares represented by this proxy will be voted as instructed. Unless indicated to the contrary, this proxy shall be deemed to grant authority to vote "FOR" each proposal, and to grant discretionary power to vote upon such other business as may properly come before the Special Meeting.
 
For   Against Abstain       
1.  To approve an Agreement and Plan of Reorganization and Termination under which the CNL Global Real Estate Fund, a series of the CNL Funds, would transfer all of its assets and liabilities to American Beacon Global Real Estate Fund, a series of American Beacon Funds, in exchange for shares of the American Beacon Global Real Estate Fund in a tax-free transaction.
0            0              0           
 
     
The undersigned acknowledges receipt with this proxy of a copy of the Notice of the Special Meeting of Shareholders and the Proxy Statement.
 
Please sign exactly as name appears above. If shares are held in the name of joint owners, each should sign, if possible. Attorneys-in-fact, executors, administrators,  etc., should give full title. If shareholder is a corporation or partnership, please sign in full corporate or partnership name by authorized person.
 
     
Signature [PLEASE SIGN WITHIN BOX]
           Date
 
Signature (Joint Owners)
       Date
         
             
         
         
         

 
 

 

Important Notice Regarding the Availability of Proxy Materials for the Special Meeting:
 
The Notice and Proxy Statement is available at www.proxyvote.com.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 
   
 
LHGF2
   
PROXY
PROXY
   

CNL GLOBAL REAL ESTATE FUND

PROXY FOR THE SPECIAL MEETING OF SHAREHOLDERS TO BE HELD FEBRUARY 22, 2010

This Proxy is solicited on behalf of the Board of Trustees of The CNL Funds (the “CNL Trust”) on behalf of the CNL Global Real Estate Fund (the “CNL Fund”). Revoking any such prior appointments, the undersigned hereby appoints as proxies Paul S. Saint-Pierre and Susan L. Terenzio (or, if only one shall act, that one), and each of them (with power of substitution), to vote all shares of the undersigned of the CNL Fund at the Special Meeting of Shareholders to be held at 10:00 a.m., Eastern time, on February 22, 2010, at the offices of the CNL Trust, 450 South Orange Avenue, Orlando, FL 32801, and any adjournment(s) thereof (the “Special Meeting”), with all the power the undersigned would have if personally present.

YOUR VOTE IS IMPORTANT NO MATTER HOW MANY SHARES YOU OWN. IF YOU ARE NOT VOTING BY
PHONE OR INTERNET, PLEASE SIGN AND DATE THIS PROXY CARD ON THE REVERSE SIDE AND RETURN
IT PROMPTLY IN THE ENCLOSED ENVELOPE.
PLEASE SIGN ON REVERSE SIDE OF THIS CARD
 
 

EX-99.17 9 cnlprospectus.htm CNL FUNDS PROSPECTUS
 

THE CNL FUNDS
CNL Global Real Estate Fund

Supplement dated December 4, 2009 to the
Prospectuses and Statement of Additional Information dated April 30, 2009

This Supplement updates the information in, and should be read in conjunction with, the Prospectus for Class A Shares, Class C Shares and Institutional Class Shares Prospectus, and the Statement of Additional Information, each dated April 30, 2009.

At a meeting held on November 19, 2009, the Board of Trustees of The CNL Funds unanimously approved an Agreement and Plan of Reorganization and Termination (the “Plan”) pursuant to which the CNL Global Real Estate Fund (the “CNL Fund”) will be reorganized with and into the American Beacon Global Real Estate Fund (the “American Beacon RE Fund”), a series of the American Beacon Funds, sponsored and advised by American Beacon Advisors, Inc.  The Plan provides for the CNL Fund to transfer all of its assets to the American Beacon RE Fund in exchange for Investor Class and Y Class shares of the American Beacon RE Fund and the American Beacon RE Fund’s assumption of all of the CNL Fund’s liabilities.  After the transfer, each holder of the CNL Fund’s Class A and Institutional Shares will receive a pro rata distribution of the American Beacon RE Fund’s Investor Class and Y Class shares, respectively.  The CNL Fund will then be liquidated.

No sales charge or fee of any kind will be charged to CNL Fund shareholders in connection with the reorganization.  It is expected that the exchange will be on a tax-free basis, meaning that, for federal income tax purposes, CNL Fund shareholders should not recognize any gain or loss on the receipt of American Beacon RE Fund shares in exchange for their CNL Fund shares in the reorganization.  The value of a CNL Fund shareholder’s account with the American Beacon RE Fund immediately after the reorganization will be the same as the value of such shareholder’s account with the CNL Fund immediately prior to the reorganization.

CB Richard Ellis Global Real Estate Securities, LLC will continue to serve as sub-adviser for the CNL Fund, and it is expected to serve as sub-adviser for the American Beacon RE Fund after the Plan approval and completion of the reorganization.

The Plan is subject to approval by the CNL Fund’s shareholders.  A special meeting of the CNL Fund’s shareholders is expected to be held on February 22, 2010, for the purpose of approving the Plan.  The CNL Fund will send proxy materials containing detailed information regarding the proposed Plan to all shareholders eligible to vote on the proposed Plan in advance of the special meeting.

This is not an offer to sell, or a solicitation to buy, shares of the American Beacon RE Fund.

EXISTING SHAREHOLDERS OF THE CNL GLOBAL REAL ESTATE FUND MAY CONTINUE TO PURCHASE AND REDEEM SHARES AS SET FORTH IN THE FUND’S PROSPECTUS.  INVESTORS CONSIDERING AN INVESTMENT IN THE CNL GLOBAL REAL ESTATE FUND MAY PURCHASE SHARES IN THE FUND.

This Supplement should be retained with your Prospectus for future reference. You may obtain an additional copy of the Prospectus, as supplemented, free of charge, by calling 888-890-8934 or via the Internet at www.thecnlfunds.com.



Table of Contents

CNL GLOBAL REAL ESTATE FUND

Class A Shares

Class C Shares

Institutional Class Shares

Prospectus

April 30, 2009

Sub-advised by CB Richard Ellis Global Real Estate Securities, LLC

The CNL Funds (“The CNL Funds” or the “Trust”) is an open-end, management investment company that currently offers its shares in one separate investment portfolio, the CNL Global Real Estate Fund (“Fund”). Class A shares, Class C shares and Institutional Class shares of the Fund are offered by this Prospectus. Institutional Class Shares are available for purchase only by certain investors. The Trust is currently not accepting new investments in Class C shares.

This prospectus contains important information about the Fund. Before you invest, please read this prospectus carefully, paying particular attention to the risks involved.

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has not approved or disapproved these securities nor determined if this prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

Shares of the Fund:

 

Are Not a Bank Deposit    Are Not FDIC Insured    May Lose Value


Table of Contents

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

     PAGE

RISK/RETURN SUMMARY

   1

Investment Objective

   1

Principal Investment Strategies

   1

Investment Process

   2

Temporary Defensive Position

   3

Principal Risks

   3

Who May Want to Invest?

   4

Fund Performance

   5

FEES AND EXPENSES

   6

Shareholder Fees

   6

Annual Fund Operating Expenses

   7

Cost Example

   7

MANAGEMENT

   8

Adviser

   8

Sub-Adviser

   9

Distributor

   9

Adviser’s Fee

   9

Portfolio Managers of the Fund

   9

SHAREHOLDER INFORMATION

   10

Good Order

   10

Eligible Investors for Institutional Class Shares

   11

Investment Minimums

   12

Types of Accounts

   12

Purchasing Shares

   14

Automatic Investment Plan

   15

Customer Identification and Anti-Money Laundering

   15

Selling (Redeeming) Shares

   16

Redemption Fee

   16

Systematic Withdrawal Plan

   17

Signature Guarantees

   17

Involuntary Redemption

   18

Redemptions-In-Kind

   18

Additional Redemption Information

   18

How Fund Shares are Priced

   18

 

-i-


Table of Contents

TABLE OF CONTENTS

(continued)

 

     PAGE

Frequent Purchases and Redemptions of Fund Shares

   19

Closure of Class C Shares

   20

Choosing a Share Class

   20

Sales Charges – Class A Shares

   22

Reduced Sales Charges – Class A Shares

   22

Elimination of Initial Sales Charges – Class A Shares

   23

Class A Share Purchases Subject to Contingent Deferred Sales Charge

   24

Contingent Deferred Sales Charge Waivers – Class A Shares

   24

Sales Charges – Class C Shares

   24

Contingent Deferred Sales Charge Waivers – Class C Shares

   25

Features of Institutional Class Shares

   25

Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees

   25

DIVIDENDS, DISTRIBUTIONS AND TAXES

   26

Dividends and Distributions

   26

Taxes

   26

OTHER SHAREHOLDER INFORMATION

   27

Buying a Dividend

   27

Social Security Number/Taxpayer Identification Number

   27

STATEMENTS AND REPORTS

   28

Household Mailings

   28

Electronic Delivery of Reports and Prospectus

   28

Disclosure of Portfolio Holdings

   28

Emergency Circumstances

   28

Statement of Additional Information (SAI)

   28

FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS

   29

PRIVACY POLICY

   31

 

-ii-


Table of Contents

RISK/RETURN SUMMARY

The following is a summary of certain key information about the Fund. You will find additional information about the Fund, including a more detailed description of the principal risks of an investment in the Fund, after this summary. Before investing, make sure the Fund’s objective matches your own.

Investment Objective

The Fund seeks to achieve a high total return through a combination of current income and capital appreciation. There are no guarantees this objective will be met.

Principal Investment Strategies

Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets (plus borrowings for investment purposes, if any) in equity and equity related securities issued by real estate and real estate-related companies. The Fund considers a company to be a real estate or real estate-related company if at least 50% of its assets, gross income or net profits are attributable to ownership, construction, management or sale of residential, commercial or industrial real estate or whose products or services are related to the real estate industry, such as manufacturers and distributors of building supplies and financial institutions that issue mortgages. Such companies include real estate investment trusts (REITs) and real estate operating companies (REOCs). A REIT qualified under the U.S. tax code is a real estate company that pools funds for investment primarily in income-producing real estate or in real estate-related loans (such as mortgages) or other interests. A U.S.-qualified REIT is not taxed on income distributed to its shareholders if, among other things, it distributes to its shareholders substantially all of its taxable income (other than net capital gains) for each taxable year. Real estate companies in other countries may have similar features to U.S.-qualified REITs; however the specific characteristics and regulations for REIT-like companies may not be identical to those of U.S.-qualified REITs.

The securities in which the Fund invests will principally include common equities, preferred equities, and convertible debt issued by real estate and real estate-related companies located primarily in North America, Europe, and the Asia Pacific region. It is anticipated that the Fund will give particular investment consideration to equity securities traded on major exchanges in the following sub-regions: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Continental Europe, Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Australia/New Zealand. The number of sub-regions may be expanded in the future. Under normal market conditions, the Fund will invest significantly (at least 40%, unless market conditions are not deemed favorable by CNL Fund Advisors Company (the “Adviser”), in which case the Fund would invest at least 30%) in equity securities issued by real estate and real estate-related companies organized or located outside the U.S. or doing a substantial amount of business outside the U.S. The Fund will allocate its assets among no less than three different countries. The Fund may invest up to 15% of its total assets in equity securities that are traded on the major stock exchanges located in emerging markets.

The Fund may invest in securities of small-, mid- and large-sized real estate or real estate-related companies. The Fund seeks to limit risk through various controls, such as diversifying the portfolio property types and geographic areas as well as by limiting the size of any one holding. The Fund will limit the maximum holding of the issued capital of any individual company to no more than 10% of the Fund’s assets.

The Adviser seeks to construct a portfolio with return and risk characteristics similar to the FTSE EPRA/NAREIT Global Real Estate Index Series (the Fund’s “Benchmark Index”). The Benchmark Index is designed to track the performance of listed real estate companies and REITs worldwide. The Adviser uses the Benchmark Index as a guide in structuring and designing the Fund’s portfolio, but the Fund is not an index fund.

The Fund typically maintains a portion of its assets in cash or cash equivalents to meet redemption requests, pay Fund expenses or satisfy other liquidity needs. These assets may be invested in overnight or short-term investment vehicles.


Table of Contents

The Fund's investment objective and principal investment strategies are “non-fundamental," which means they may be changed with the approval of the Board of Trustees of the Trust (the "Board") and without shareholder approval. If at any time the Board votes to reduce or eliminate the percentage requirement of its non-fundamental investment policy to invest at least 80% of the Fund’s net assets in securities issued by real estate and real estate-related companies, shareholders will be notified at least sixty days prior to the change, and the Fund will change its name.

Investment Process

The Adviser is the investment adviser for the Fund. The Adviser has retained CB Richard Ellis Global Real Estate Securities, LLC (the “Sub-Adviser”) to serve as sub-adviser for the Fund.

Adviser

The Adviser, in its capacity as investment adviser, provides a program of continuous investment management for the Fund in accordance with the Fund’s investment objective, policies and limitations as stated in this prospectus and the Fund’s Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”). The Adviser monitors and evaluates the performance of the Fund’s Sub-Adviser and oversees the Sub-Adviser’s compliance with the Fund’s stated investment objective, strategy, limitations and restrictions.

Sub-Adviser

The Sub-Adviser is responsible for investing the Fund’s assets according to the stated investment objective and principal investment strategies of the Fund. The Sub-Adviser uses fundamental real estate analysis and quantitative securities analysis to select investments in REITs, REOCs and other real estate and real estate-related companies that the Sub-Adviser believes are attractively valued relative to comparable real estate and real estate-related companies. The Sub-Adviser will seek to identify real estate and real estate-related securities that are deemed to be under-valued relative to other permissible investment opportunities. The Sub-Adviser utilizes its proprietary global allocation model, the Sub-Regional Ranking Matrix, along with its proprietary global valuation model, VISTA, to seek to determine those global sub-regions, countries and companies that the Sub-Adviser believes offer stronger relative risk-adjusted returns over the medium term.

The Sub-Adviser may consider selling or reducing the Fund’s position in a security if, among other things, it believes:

 

   

the reward/risk ratio of the security is unattractive; or

 

   

the reward/risk ratio of the security is unattractive compared to a candidate company or a more attractively valued existing holding; or

 

   

the long-term investment outlook for the company is unattractive relative to other investment alternatives; or

 

   

the company’s fundamentals have deteriorated in a material or long-term manner.

In general, a security is sold when the Sub-Adviser believes that its relative risk-return characteristics are not attractive relative to other permissible investments over an 18- to 36-month investment horizon. The Sub-Adviser may sell a security when the investment rationale for owning the stock no longer holds, whether it is due to valuation, strategy, management changes or conflict issues, capital structure changes, or any other reason which alters the investment case. The Sub-Adviser applies the sell discipline in the context of optional availability of alternative investments and the relativity of risk-return characteristics.

 

- 2 -


Table of Contents

Temporary Defensive Position

In order to respond to adverse market, economic, political or other conditions, the Fund may assume a temporary defensive position that is inconsistent with its principal investment strategies and invest, without limitation, in cash or prime quality cash equivalents (including commercial paper, certificates of deposit, banker’s acceptances and time deposits). A defensive position, taken at the wrong time, may have an adverse impact on the Fund’s performance. The Fund may be unable to achieve its investment objective during the employment of a temporary defensive measure.

Principal Risks

Although the Fund makes every effort to achieve its investment objective, there is no guarantee that it will do so, and you could lose money by investing in the Fund. The following are the principal risks of investing in the Fund.

Market Risk   The risk that the market value of a security may increase or decrease, sometimes rapidly and unpredictably, due to factors unrelated to the issuer. This risk may relate to the equity market as a whole, to the suspension of trading on a securities exchange, to a sector or an industry within a sector, or a particular issuer. This risk is common to all stocks and bonds and the mutual funds that invest in them.

Equity Risk   The value of the equity securities held by the Fund, and thus of the Fund’s shares, can fluctuate – at times dramatically. The prices of equity securities are affected by various factors, including market conditions, political, business, financial and capital markets events and developments affecting the particular issuer, or its industry, or its geographic sector, or the listing requirements on various securities exchanges.

Risks of Concentrating in the Real Estate Industry   The Fund invests primarily in real estate and real estate-related companies and, therefore, adverse economic, business or political developments affecting real estate could have a major effect on the value of the Fund’s investments. Investing in securities issued by real estate and real estate-related companies may subject the Fund to risks associated with the direct ownership of real estate, such as decreases in real estate values, overbuilding and space over-supply conditions, increased competition among competing real estate property owners and other risks related to local or general economic and business conditions, increases in operating costs and property taxes, changes in zoning laws, acts of terrorism and war, casualty or condemnation losses, possible environmental liabilities, regulatory limitations on rental rates and fluctuations in rental income due to lease terminations or expirations. Changes in interest rates, debt leverage ratios, debt maturity schedules, and the availability of credit to real estate companies may also affect the value of the Fund’s investment in real estate securities. Rising interest rates may drive up mortgage and financing costs and hinder real estate construction activity, which may negatively impact the securities that the Fund owns. Real estate securities are dependent upon specialized management skills at the operating company level, have limited diversification and are, therefore, subject to risks inherent in operating and financing a limited number of properties. Real estate securities are also subject to heavy cash flow dependency and defaults by borrowers, including the issuer of the real estate security. The real estate industry tends to be cyclical. Such cycles may adversely affect the value of the Fund’s portfolio. The Fund will indirectly bear a proportionate share of a REIT’s on-going operating fees and expenses, which may include management, operating and administrative expenses in addition to the expenses of the Fund. In addition, U.S.-qualified REITs are subject to the possibility of failing to a) qualify for tax-free pass-through of income under the Internal Revenue Code (“IRC”) and b) maintain exemption eligibility from the investment company registration requirements.

Small- and Mid-Size Company Securities Risk   The Fund may invest in small- and mid-size companies. Certain real estate companies have a relatively small market capitalization, which may tend to increase the volatility of the market price of their securities. The securities of small- and mid-size companies may have more risks than those of large capitalization companies. Small- and mid-size companies often have few market-makers and may experience low trading volumes, thereby making

 

- 3 -


Table of Contents

them more difficult to sell. Small- and mid-size companies may also have less access to managerial and financial resources than larger, more established companies. As a result, they may be more sensitive to changing economic conditions, which could increase the volatility of the Fund’s portfolio returns. Generally, the smaller the company size, the greater the potential for the presence of market price volatility and liquidity risks in connection with its issued securities.

Risks of Investing in Foreign Securities   Investments in foreign (non-U.S.) securities involve risks in addition to those of U.S. securities. Foreign securities are generally more volatile and less liquid than U.S. securities, in part because of greater political and economic risks and because there is less public information available about foreign companies. Issuers of foreign securities are generally not subject to the same degree of regulations as are U.S. issuers. The reporting, accounting and auditing standards of foreign countries may differ, in some cases significantly, from U.S. standards. Investments in foreign securities can also incur currency risk where a decline in the value of foreign currencies relative to the U.S. dollar will reduce the U.S. dollar converted value of foreign securities denominated in those declining currencies.

Furthermore, with respect to certain foreign countries, there is a possibility of expropriation or confiscatory taxation, imposition of withholding taxes on dividend or interest payments, limitations on the removal of cash or other assets of the Fund, difficulty in obtaining or enforcing a court judgment, or political or social instability or diplomatic developments that could affect investments in those countries. Individual foreign economies also may differ favorably or unfavorably from the U.S. economy in such respects as growth of gross national product, rate of inflation, capital reinvestment, resource self-sufficiency, and balance of payments position.

Emerging Markets Risk   The Fund may invest in securities of issuers located in countries with emerging economies and/or securities markets. Numerous emerging market countries have experienced serious, and frequently continuing, economic and political problems. For example, some emerging market countries have experienced substantial rates of inflation and, in some cases, related currency devaluations. Stock markets in many emerging market countries are relatively small with low liquidity, expensive to trade and risky. Foreigners are often limited in their ability to invest in, and withdraw assets from, these markets. Additional restrictions may be imposed under emergency conditions.

Political Risk   The Fund may experience losses that are directly attributable to government actions or political events of any sort. Foreign countries may experience political or social instability or diplomatic developments that could affect investments in those countries and the value of the Fund’s investments.

Who May Want to Invest?

Consider investing in the Fund if you are:

 

   

seeking to add a growth component to your investment portfolio;

 

   

seeking some diversified investment returns related to non-U.S. real estate and real estate-related securities; or

 

   

seeking potentially higher long-term returns and are willing to accept the risks of investing in global real estate and real estate-related securities, including the loss of principal.

This Fund will not be appropriate for anyone:

 

   

pursuing a short-term goal or investing emergency reserves; or

 

   

seeking safety of principal.

 

- 4 -


Table of Contents

Additional information about the Fund’s investment strategies, limitations and risks is described in the Fund’s SAI. The back cover of this prospectus explains how you can obtain a copy of the SAI.

Fund Performance

The bar chart and table below, which show the Fund’s annual total returns and long-term performance, provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund. The bar chart and performance table assume reinvestment of dividends and distributions. The Fund’s past performance, before and after taxes, does not necessarily indicate how it will perform in the future.

The following bar chart shows how the performance of the Fund has varied from year to year. Sales loads are not reflected in the bar chart. If sales loads were reflected, the returns would be less than those shown.

LOGO

During the period shown in the bar chart, the highest quarterly return was -2.31% (for the quarter ended March 31, 2008) and the lowest quarterly return was -29.56% (for the quarter ended December 31, 2008).

The Fund’s Average Annual Total Returns for the Period Ended December 31, 2008

The table below shows how the average annual total returns of the Fund for one year and since inception compared to those of a selected market index.

After tax returns for the Fund are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after tax returns depend on the investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown. After tax returns are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts (“IRAs”). After tax returns are shown only for Class A shares. After tax returns for Institutional Class shares will vary.

 

- 5 -


Table of Contents
      Past 1
Year
       

Since Inception

(10/30/07)1

Class A Shares

             
     

Return Before Taxes

   -45.91%        -47.32%
     

Return After Taxes on Distributions

   -46.10%        -47.62%
     

Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares

   -29.77%        -39.95%

Class C Shares2

             
     

Return Before Taxes

   N/A        -48.30%

Institutional Class Shares

             
     

Return Before Taxes

   -45.66%        -47.09%
       

FTSE EPRA/NAREIT Global Real Estate Index3

   -47.72%        -48.01%

1 Represents commencement date of investment operations (i.e., began to invest in accordance with its investment objective).

2 Average Annual Total Returns for the Past 1 Year for Class C shares is not shown because all of the outstanding Class C shares were converted to Class A shares on December 30, 2008 and, as a result, Class C shares were not outstanding for the full calendar year. Since inception returns reflect the performance of Class C shares from October 30, 2007, the commencement of investment operations of the Fund, through December 30, 2008.

3 The FTSE EPRA NAREIT Global Real Estate Index is an index that tracks the performance of listed real estate companies and REITs worldwide. Index returns do not reflect deductions for fees, expenses and taxes.

FEES AND EXPENSES

The following tables describe the fees and expenses you may pay if you buy and hold Class A, Class C or Institutional Class shares of the Fund.

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment)

 

     Class A    Class C1    Institutional
Class

Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases

   5.75%2       None

Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load)

   None3    1.00%4    None

Redemption Fee5

   1.00%    1.00%    1.00%

Maximum Account Fee

   None       None

 

- 6 -


Table of Contents

Annual Fund Operating Expenses (deducted from the Fund’s assets)

 

      Class A    Class C1    Institutional
Class

Management Fee

   1.00%       1.00%

Distribution (12b-1) Fees

   0.25%       None

Other Expenses6

   3.18%       3.18%

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

   4.43%       4.18%

Waivers/Reimbursements7

   2.63%       2.63%

Net Annual Fund Operating Expenses

   1.80%       1.55%

1

All outstanding Class C shares were converted into Class A shares on December 30, 2008. The Fund is currently not accepting investments in Class C shares. See “Closure of Class C Shares.”

 

2

Lower sales charges are available depending upon the amount invested. See “Shareholder Information – Sales Charges – Class A Shares,” “Reduced Sales Charges – Class A Shares” and “Elimination of Initial Sales Charges – Class A Shares.”

 

3

A contingent deferred sales charge (“CDSC”) is a one-time fee that may be charged at the time of redemption. Under certain circumstances, if you redeem Class A shares within one year that were purchased with no initial sales charge as part of an investment of $1 million or more, then a 1.00% CDSC may apply. See “Shareholder Information – Class A Purchases Subject to Contingent Deferred Sales Charge” and see “Contingent Deferred Sales Charge Waivers – Class A Shares.”

 

4

Deferred Sales Charges are applied on Class C share redemptions that occur within one year of purchase. Deferred Sales Charges are in addition to any Redemption Fees that may apply. See “Sales Charges – Class C Shares” and see “Contingent Deferred Sales Charge Waivers – Class C Shares.”

 

5

A Redemption Fee is charged to shares redeemed within 75 calendar days of purchase. This fee does not apply to shares purchased through reinvested dividends or capital gains, or to shares held in certain omnibus accounts or retirement plans that cannot implement the fee, to redemptions of shares through systematic withdrawal plans and certain life events. For more information on the redemption fee, see the “Shareholder Information – Redemption Fee” section in this prospectus. Redemption fees are in addition to any CDSC that is imposed.

 

6

Other Expenses are based on estimated amounts for the current fiscal year. Other Expenses include operating expenses other than the management fee and distribution (12b-1) fee. Other Expenses also include Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses ("AFFE"). AFFE reflect the pro-rata portion of the fees and expenses charged by any underlying funds in which the Fund invests, including money market funds and exchange traded funds (ETFs). For the Fund, AFFE are estimated to be 0.00% for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2009.

 

7

The Adviser has contractually agreed to waive its fee and/or reimburse Class A shares Fund expenses to the extent that the total annual fund operating expenses exceed 1.80% (“Class A Expense Limit”), Class C shares Fund expenses to the extent that the total annual fund operating expenses exceed 2.55% (“Class C Expense Limit”) and Institutional Class shares Fund expenses to the extent that the total annual fund operating expenses exceed 1.55% (“Institutional Class Expense Limit”) through April 30, 2010. The expense limits exclude certain non-routine and other expenses or costs. See the Statement of Additional Information for details. The Fund has agreed to repay the Adviser for amounts waived or reimbursed by the Adviser under the expense limitation agreement subject to the following conditions: if the estimated Class A shares, Class C shares or Institutional Class shares Fund expenses for the fiscal year are less than the corresponding Class A, Class C or Institutional Class Expense Limit for that year, subject to approval by the Board, the Adviser is entitled to reimbursement by the Fund, in whole or in part, of the advisory fees waived or reduced and other payments remitted by the Adviser to the Fund. The total amount of reimbursement to which the Adviser may be entitled (the “Reimbursement Amount”) is equal to the sum of all advisory fees previously waived or reduced by the Adviser and all other payments remitted by the Adviser to the Fund during any of the previous three (3) fiscal years, less any reimbursement previously paid by the Fund to the Adviser with respect to such waivers, reductions, and payments. The Reimbursement Amount does not include any additional charges or fees whatsoever, including, e.g., interest accruable on the Reimbursement Amount.

Cost 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 (as a percentage of net assets) remain the same as shown above and include the effect of contractual fee waivers and expense

 

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reimbursements for the period of the contractual commitment. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

 

      1 Year    3 Years    5 Years    10 Years

Class A

           

Assuming Redemption

   $747    $1,614    $2,491    $4,726

Assuming no Redemption

   $747    $1,614    $2,491    $4,726
      1 Year    3 Years    5 Years    10 Years

Class C*

           

Assuming Redemption

           

Assuming no Redemption

           
      1 Year    3 Years    5 Years    10 Years

Institutional Class

           

Assuming Redemption

   $158    $1,030    $1,916    $4,196

Assuming no Redemption

   $158    $1,030    $1,916    $4,196
*

The Fund is currently not accepting investments in Class C shares. See “Closure of Class C shares.”

The above example should not be considered a representation of past or future expenses or performance. Because this example is hypothetical and for comparison purposes only, your actual costs are likely to be different.

MANAGEMENT

The business of the Trust and the Fund is managed under the oversight of the Board. The Board oversees the Fund and meets periodically to review the Fund’s performance, monitor investment activities and practices, and discuss other matters affecting the Fund. Additional information regarding the Board, as well as the Trust’s executive officers, may be found in the SAI.

Adviser

CNL Fund Advisors Company is the Fund’s investment manager. While the Adviser’s experience operating a mutual fund is limited to its management of the Fund since the Fund’s inception on October 26, 2007, affiliates of the Adviser have extensive experience in the real estate investment management industry, including the management of real estate investment trusts. The Adviser is an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of CNL Financial Group, Inc. (“CNL”), one of the nation’s largest privately held real estate investment and development companies. Headquartered in Orlando, Florida, CNL is a sponsor of a wide array of investment products. Since its inception in 1973, CNL and its affiliates have formed or acquired companies with more than $23 billion in assets, including hotel, retail, restaurant, seniors' housing and lifestyle properties as of December 31, 2008.

 

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Sub-Adviser

The Sub-Adviser is a subsidiary of CB Richard Ellis Investors, LLC, a global real estate investment management firm with approximately $38 billion in “Assets under Management,” including assets under management by global affiliates that do not offer investment management services in the United States or to U.S. clients, as of December 31, 2008. The term “Assets under Management” generally refers to the properties and other assets with respect to which CB Richard Ellis Investors, LLC provides (or participates in) oversight, investment management services and other advice, and which generally consist of real estate properties or loans, securities portfolios and investments in operating companies and joint ventures.

CB Richard Ellis Investors, LLC is an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of CB Richard Ellis Group, Inc., one of the world’s largest publicly held commercial real estate services firms (in terms of 2008 revenues). The Sub-Adviser is focused on managing exchange-listed global real estate securities portfolios on behalf of investors. The Sub-Adviser has dedicated real estate securities investment management offices located in Baltimore, London, Sydney, and Tokyo. The Sub-Adviser’s principals have an average of fourteen years of investment experience related to the investment management of listed domestic and global real estate securities portfolios. The Sub-Adviser was formed in 2004 and had approximately $1.5 billion of assets under management as of December 31, 2008. The Sub-Adviser’s principal business location is 250 West Pratt Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21201.

Distributor

Foreside Fund Services, LLC (“Foreside”) is the Fund’s distributor and principal underwriter. Foreside is located at Three Canal Plaza, Suite 100, Portland, Maine 04101. As distributor, Foreside acts as the Fund’s agent to offer and sell shares of the Fund to the public. Foreside has appointed CNL Securities Corp. as National Sales and Marketing Agent to assist Foreside in the promotion of the Fund. Foreside pays CNL Securities Corp. for its services out of the portion of the initial sales charges and non-shareholder servicing distribution (12b-1) fees received and retained by Foreside, if any. Additional detail about the arrangement between Foreside and CNL Securities Corp. is included in the SAI. CNL Securities Corp. is a registered broker-dealer and is affiliated with the Adviser.

Adviser’s Fee

The Adviser receives an advisory fee from the Fund at an annual rate of 1.00% of the Fund’s average daily net assets. The Fund paid no management fee to the Adviser for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2008 since the Adviser waived the entire amount of its management fee payable by the Fund pursuant to the expense limitation agreement. The Adviser pays the Sub-Adviser 50% of its advisory fee. Details on the Sub-Adviser’s fee are included in the SAI. A discussion summarizing the basis on which the Board approved a) the investment advisory agreement between the Trust and the Adviser and b) the sub-advisory agreement between the Trust, the Adviser and the Sub-Adviser, with respect to the Fund will be included in the Fund’s semi-annual report to shareholders.

Portfolio Managers of the Fund

Jeremy Anagnos, Steve Carroll, and William Morrill serve as the Fund’s portfolio managers and share responsibilities for the day-to-day management of the Fund’s investment portfolio. Mr. Anagnos, Mr. Carroll, and Mr. Morrill have 63 years of combined experience with investment management firms specializing in domestic and global real estate securities, and 40 years of combined experience serving in the capacity as portfolio managers of listed U.S. domestic and global real estate securities accounts and they are responsible for managing the Sub-Adviser’s Global REIT Team.

Jeremy Anagnos has served as portfolio manager of the Fund since the Fund’s inception. Mr. Anagnos has served as Co-Chief Investment Officer and Managing Director of the Sub-Adviser since 2004. Prior to that, Mr. Anagnos was the Head of Real Estate Equities Research at Deutsche Bank in London from 2000-2004 and was an Assistant Portfolio Manager working with

 

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Mr. Carroll in Europe and a REIT Analyst in the United States at LaSalle Investment Management (Securities) (“La Salle”) from 1997 through 2000. Mr. Anagnos has a degree in Finance from Boston College and holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation. Mr. Anagnos is primarily responsible for the investment management activities and securities selection of companies located in Europe. Mr. Anagnos has 11 years experience within the field of real estate securities investment management and 6 years as a portfolio manager of listed real estate securities accounts.

Steve Carroll has served as portfolio manager of the Fund since the Fund’s inception. Mr. Carroll has served as Co-Chief Investment Officer and Managing Director of the Sub-Adviser since 2004. Prior to that, Mr. Carroll was employed by LaSalle from 1994 through 2004 and served as LaSalle’s Global Portfolio Manager, Regional Portfolio Manager-Europe, and Senior Analyst-U.S. Mr. Carroll is a Certified Public Accountant licensed in the State of California. He graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles with a B.A. degree in Economics and he currently serves on the North American Index Committee for the FTSE EPRA/NAREIT Property Securities Index. He is also a member of NAREIT (National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts). Mr. Carroll is primarily responsible for the investment management activities and securities selection of companies located in Asia Pacific. Mr. Carroll has 15 years experience within the field of real estate securities investment management and 10 years as a portfolio manager of listed real estate securities accounts.

William Morrill has served as portfolio manager of the Fund since the Fund’s inception. Mr. Morrill has served as Managing Director of the Sub-Adviser and Chairman of the Sub-Adviser’s Global Securities Advisory Committee since late 2006. Between 2004 and 2006, Mr. Morrill served as portfolio manager to Brown Investment Advisory & Trust Company. Prior to joining Brown in 2003, Mr. Morrill was a Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of LaSalle since 1995 and the head of the real estate securities operations of its predecessor company since 1985. Mr. Morrill has a B.A. from Johns Hopkins University and a Masters of Business Administration from Harvard Business School. Mr. Morrill is primarily responsible for the investment management activities and securities selection of companies located in North America. Mr. Morrill has 37 years experience within the field of real estate securities investment management and 24 years as a portfolio manager of listed real estate securities accounts.

The SAI provides additional information about the portfolio managers’ compensation, other accounts managed by the portfolio managers, and the portfolio managers’ ownership of Fund shares.

SHAREHOLDER INFORMATION

This section explains how Fund shares are priced, how to buy and sell shares, the different types of accounts you can establish with the Fund, the services and features you can establish on your account, and account fees and policies that may apply to your account. Account policies (including fees), services, and features may be modified or discontinued without shareholder approval or prior notice.

Good Order

As discussed in detail below in connection with requests to purchase and redeem Fund shares, the phrase good order means that the request must include:

 

   

An instruction specifying the number of shares or dollar amounts to be purchased or redeemed, signed by all registered owners of the shares in the exact names in which they are registered or, with respect to orders placed by a Service Agent (defined below), transmitted through the FUND/Serv system of the National Securities Clearing Corp. (NSCC) or by other means acceptable to the Fund or its transfer agent;

 

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A signature guarantee under the circumstances described in “Signature Guarantees” below;

 

   

Any other necessary legal documents, if required, in the case of estates, trusts, guardianships, custodians, corporations, pension and profit sharing plans and other organizations; and

 

   

Payment for shares that are being purchased.

See also “Customer Identification and Anti-Money Laundering” below.

Eligible Investors for Institutional Class Shares

Institutional Class shares are only offered, subject to the minimum initial purchase requirements stated below, to the following groups of investors (referred to herein as “Eligible Investors”):

 

   

a bank, trust company, insurance company or similar financial institution investing for its own account or for the account of its bank-trust-insurance company customers for whom such financial institution is exercising investment discretion or acts as agent in purchasing Institutional Class shares, except where the investment is part of a program that requires payment to the financial institution of a Rule 12b-1 Plan fee;

 

   

a registered investment advisor or financial planner purchasing on behalf of clients and charging an asset-based or hourly fee;

 

   

a current or former director or trustee of The CNL Funds;

 

   

an associate/employee, the associate's/employee’s spouse or life partner and children or stepchildren age 21 or younger of: a) CNL Financial Group and its affiliates; or b) a sub-advisor to any fund in the family of The CNL Funds; or c) a broker-dealer authorized to sell shares in the fund family of The CNL Funds;

 

   

institutional advisory accounts of the Advisor or its affiliates and related employee benefit plans and rollover IRAs;

 

   

retirement plans introduced by persons not associated with brokers or dealers that are primarily engaged in the retail securities business and rollover individual retirement accounts (IRA) from such plans;

 

   

qualified pension and profit sharing plans;

 

   

endowment funds, educational, religious or charitable foundations and corporations;

 

   

tax-exempt employee benefit plans of the Advisor or its affiliates and securities dealer firms with a selling agreement with the Distributor; and

 

   

such other institutional investors and financial intermediaries that qualify for the minimum purchase amount and are approved by the Advisor.

 

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Investment Minimums

 

        Minimums      Regular
Account
    

Retirement

Account

Class A and C Shares*

    

To Open an Account

     $2,000      $2,000
    

To Add to an Account

     $100      $100

Institutional Class Shares

    

To Open an Account

     $100,000      $100,000
    

To Add to an Account

     $10,000      $10,000
*

The Fund is currently not accepting investments in Class C shares. See “Closure of Class C shares.”

Types of Accounts

You may purchase and redeem Class A shares and Class C shares of the Fund, and Eligible Investors may purchase and redeem Institutional Class shares of the Fund, through certain financial institutions that have entered into a dealer agreement with the Distributor or a shareholder servicing arrangement with the Trust. Certain shareholders may also purchase and redeem Class A shares, Class C shares and Institutional Class shares of the Fund directly through the Trust’s transfer agent. The following sections describe both types of accounts.

The Trust reserves the right to change these minimum investment requirements.

Accounts Held Through Service Agents

Shares of the Fund may be purchased or redeemed through a broker-dealer, bank or other financial intermediary or an organization that provides recordkeeping and consulting services to 401(k) plans or other employee benefit plans which have established shareholder servicing relationships with the Fund on behalf of their customers (collectively, “Service Agents”). Such Service Agents are authorized to designate other financial intermediaries to receive purchase and redemption orders on behalf of the Fund. The Fund will be deemed to have received a purchase or redemption order when an authorized Service Agent or, if applicable, a Service Agent’s authorized designee, receives the order. Accounts opened through Service Agents may be subject to different investment minimums for initial and subsequent purchases.

 

   

Service Agents may impose additional or different conditions on purchases or redemptions of Fund shares and may charge transaction or other account fees. Shareholders who are customers of Service Agents should consult their Service Agent for information regarding these fees and conditions. Your Service Agent can provide you with more information about these fees.

 

   

Certain Service Agents may enter into agreements with the Trust or its agents that permit them to confirm orders for their customers by phone with payment to follow in accordance with the procedures of the Fund’s transfer agent. If the transfer agent does not receive payment, the transaction may be cancelled and the Service Agent could be held liable for resulting fees or losses.

 

   

Once you have established an account through a Service Agent, any subsequent transactions or inquiries with respect to the account must be made through such Service Agent unless you establish a separate account directly with the transfer agent. See “Direct Accounts” below.

 

   

The Service Agent through which you purchase your shares may receive all or a portion of the sales charges and Rule 12b-1 distribution fees associated with Class A shares and Class C shares of the Fund, as discussed in the “Choosing a Share Class” section below. Service

 

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Agents may also receive other compensation from the Fund for providing administrative and shareholder recordkeeping services as well as compensation from the Adviser or other Fund affiliate for providing distribution support or other services. The amounts of this additional compensation may be based on the total number of a firm’s customers or the total assets of such firms’ customers invested in the Fund. If the total amount paid to your Service Agent by the Fund, its agents or other Fund affiliates is higher than the amount the Service Agent receives from other mutual fund companies or sponsors of other financial products, your Service Agent may have an incentive to recommend the Fund over such other funds or financial products. Please speak with your financial adviser at your Service Agent to learn more about the total amounts paid to your financial adviser and his or her firm by the Fund and/or its agents and by sponsors of other mutual funds and financial products he or she may recommend to you. You should also review disclosures made by your financial adviser at the time of purchase.

Direct Accounts

Only certain persons or groups of persons may invest in the Fund directly by contacting the Fund’s transfer agent (“Direct Accounts”). Persons qualified to establish Direct Accounts include the following:

 

   

Directors, officers and full-time employees of the Adviser and its affiliates, the spouse, sibling, direct ancestor or direct descendent (collectively, “relatives”) of any such person; any trust or individual retirement account or self-employed retirement plan for the benefit of any such person or relative; or the estate of any such person or relative.

 

   

Directors, officers and full-time employees of the Sub-Adviser or its parent, CB Richard Ellis Investors, LLC.

 

   

Trustees and officers of the Trust.

In order to establish a direct account for the purchase of Institutional Class shares, Eligible Investors must provide a) a valid U.S. social security number or U.S. taxpayer identification number and b) a U.S. address, including U.S. territories. Persons eligible to establish Direct Accounts for the purchase of Class A shares or Class C shares (if offered for sale by the Fund) may do so by establishing one or more Regular Accounts or Retirement Accounts, as described below.

Regular Accounts

 

   

Individual or Joint Ownership. You must include the name, birth date and Social Security number of each owner on the Account Application.

 

   

Gift or Transfer to Minor (UGMA/UTMA). An UGMA/UTMA account is a custodial account managed for the benefit of a minor. To open this type of an account, you must include the custodian’s and minor’s names, birth dates, and Social Security numbers on the Account Application.

 

   

Trust. An established trust can open an account. You must include the name, birth date, and Social Security number of each trustee, together with the name of the trust, and the date of the trust agreement. You must also include a copy of the first, last and signature pages of the trust agreement.

Retirement Accounts

 

   

Traditional or Roth IRA. Retirement plans protect investment income and capital gains from current taxes. Contributions to these accounts may be tax deductible. Retirement accounts require special account applications (IRA kits).

 

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Simplified Employee Pension Plan (SEP). SEPs allow small business owners (including sole proprietors) to make tax-deductible contributions for themselves and any other eligible employees.

Purchasing Shares

 

   

Your purchase request will be processed at the net asset value per share (“NAV”) next calculated after your order is received in good order (as defined in “Shareholder Information – Good Order” above) by the transfer agent. In other words, purchase orders received before the close of the regular trading session of the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) (generally 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time) will be invested at the NAV calculated after the NYSE closes on that day; purchase orders received after the close of the NYSE will be executed at the NAV computed on the next day the NYSE is open.

 

   

If you purchase shares through a Service Agent and the Service Agent, or a Service Agent’s authorized designee, receives your order in good order before the close of the regular trading session of the NYSE and promptly transmits the order to the transfer agent then your purchase order will be deemed to have been received by the Fund on the day you place your order. The Service Agent is responsible for promptly transmitting purchase orders to the Fund in good order so that you may receive the same day’s NAV.

 

   

Purchases must be in U.S. dollars.

 

   

You may pay for shares of the Fund by check or by wire transfer.

 

   

The Fund does not accept cash, credit cards, money orders, starter checks, third-party checks, travelers’ checks, checks drawn on banks outside the U.S., or other checks deemed to be high risk by the transfer agent.

Purchasing Shares by Mail through Direct Accounts

Complete and sign an Account Application and mail it with a check made payable to “The CNL Funds” to one of the following addresses:

The CNL Funds

c/o Boston Financial Data Services, Inc.

P.O. Box 8044

Boston, MA 02266-8044

Or via overnight mail:

The CNL Funds

c/o Boston Financial Data Services, Inc.

30 Dan Road

Canton, MA 02021

You can obtain an Account Application and IRA kit (if applicable), along with the prospectus by calling 1-888-890-8934 or visiting the Fund’s website at www.thecnlfunds.com.

Purchasing Shares by Wire through Direct Accounts

You may also purchase shares of the Fund by wiring money from your bank account to the Fund. Call the transfer agent at 1-888-890-8934 to receive wiring instructions.

 

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Automatic Investment Plan

This Plan provides a convenient method to have monies deducted from your bank account for investment into the Fund on a regular basis. Once your account has been opened with the applicable initial minimum investment, you may make automatic investments with a minimum of $100 in the Fund from your bank account if the bank is a member of the Automated Clearing House (ACH) network. To begin participating in this Plan, complete the Automatic Investment Plan section on the account application or call the transfer agent at 1-888-890-8934. Any request to change or terminate your Automatic Investment Plan should be submitted to the transfer agent 5 days prior to effective date. The Fund may modify or terminate this option at any time, or may charge a service fee. Only shareholders of Class A shares or Class C shares may participate in the Automatic Investment Plan.

Customer Identification and Anti-Money Laundering

To help the U.S. Government fight the funding of terrorism and money laundering activities, the USA PATRIOT Act of 2001 (the “PATRIOT Act”) and federal regulations require financial institutions, including mutual funds, to obtain, verify and record information that identifies each person who opens a new account, and to determine, among other things, whether such person’s name appears on U.S. Government lists of known or suspected terrorists and terrorist organizations. Accordingly, the following information is required to open an account, whether directly with the Fund or through a Service Agent:

 

   

Name;

 

   

Date of birth;

 

   

Permanent street address (a mailing address containing a P.O. Box will not be accepted for purposes of opening an account); and

 

   

U.S. Social Security number, taxpayer identification number, or other identifying number.

Opening an Account

When you open an account in order to comply with the PATRIOT Act, the transfer agent will verify certain information on your Account Application. As requested on the Account Application, be sure to provide the information listed above. You may be asked to provide certain other documentation (such as a driver’s license or a passport) in order to verify your identity. Additional information may be required to open accounts for corporations and other non-natural persons.

If you do not supply the necessary information, the transfer agent may not be able to open your account. Please contact the transfer agent if you need additional assistance when completing your Account Application. If the transfer agent is unable to verify your identity or that of another person authorized to act on your behalf, or if it believes it has identified potentially criminal activity, the transfer agent reserves the right to close your account or take any other action it deems reasonable or required by law.

A Service Agent is also required to comply with the PATRIOT Act when opening an account. The Service Agent will follow its own anti-money laundering and customer identification procedures when opening an account.

The ability of the Trust or its agents to verify customer identification through omnibus accounts is limited, and there is no guarantee that the Trust or its agents will be able to identify shareholders who may be engaging in money laundering activities through omnibus accounts or to curtail such activities. The Trust is provided representations from the participating brokers that they conduct similar verifications under the Patriot Act for these omnibus accounts.

 

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Selling (Redeeming) Shares

 

   

You may redeem all or a portion of your Fund shares on any day the Fund calculates its share price, as described in “How Fund Shares are Priced” below.

 

   

Your redemption request will be processed at the NAV next calculated after the transfer agent receives all required documents in good order (as defined in “Shareholder Information – Good Order” above).

 

   

If you place a redemption order through a Service Agent, the Service Agent must receive your order before the close of the regular trading session of the NYSE and promptly transmit the order to the Fund’s transfer agent for your redemption order to be effective on the day you place your order. The Service Agent is responsible for promptly transmitting redemption orders to the Fund in good order so that you may receive the same day’s NAV.

Redemption Fee

 

   

The Fund will charge a redemption fee of 1.00% of the total redemption amount if you sell your shares after holding them for less than 75 calendar days subject to certain exceptions and limitations as described below. The redemption fee is paid directly to the Fund and is designed to offset brokerage commissions, market impact and other costs of the Fund associated with short-term trading of Fund shares. For purposes of determining whether the redemption fee applies, the shares that were held the longest will be redeemed first. The redemption fee will not apply to shares representing the reinvestment of dividends and capital gains distributions. The redemption fee may also not apply on certain types of accounts, such as certain omnibus accounts or retirement plans or other accounts to which application of the redemption fee is not technologically feasible. The redemption fee may also not apply to redemptions that do not indicate market timing strategies, such as redemptions of shares through systematic withdrawal plans, redemptions requested within 30 days following the death or disability of the shareholder, redemptions requested pursuant to minimum required distributions from retirement plans or redemptions initiated by the Fund. For Class A shares and Class C shares, the redemption fee will be imposed in addition to any CDSC that may also apply to the shares redeemed.

Selling Shares by Mail through Direct Accounts

To sell shares from a direct account by mail, send requests to sell shares directly to the transfer agent at the address referenced above under “Purchasing Shares by Mail through Direct Accounts.” Redemption requests made by fax are not acceptable. Your redemption request will be processed at the Fund’s NAV next calculated after the transfer agent receives all required documents in good order.

Selling Shares by Telephone through Direct Accounts

To sell shares from a direct account by telephone you must:

 

   

Pre-establish the telephone redemption privilege and wiring instructions (if applicable) by completing the appropriate section of the Account Application; and

 

   

Call the transfer agent at 1-888-890-8934 by the close of the regular trading session of the NYSE (normally 4:00 PM Eastern time).

The transfer agent will employ reasonable procedures to confirm that instructions received by telephone are valid. The Fund and the transfer agent will not be responsible for any losses resulting from unauthorized transactions when procedures reasonably designed to verify the identity of the caller are followed. Please note that the telephone redemption privilege is not available for IRA accounts.

 

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Systematic Withdrawal Plan

Shareholders of Class A shares and Class C shares with a balance of $25,000 or more may choose to participate in the Fund’s Systematic Withdrawal Plan. This option allows you to make regular automatic withdrawals from your account. Withdrawals are processed on the 10th day of each month. To establish a Systematic Withdrawal Plan, you must complete the corresponding section on the Account Application. You may cancel your participation or change the amount of withdrawal at any time by calling the transfer agent at 1-888-890-8934 or by written notification.

You can receive automatic payments from your account on a monthly, quarterly, semi-annual or annual basis. The minimum withdrawal is $50. To activate this feature:

 

   

Make sure you’ve checked the appropriate box on the Account Application. Or call 1-888-890-8934.

 

   

Minimum balance required to start this program is $25,000.

 

   

Include a voided personal check.

 

   

If the value of your account falls below $1,000, you may be asked to add sufficient funds to bring the account back to $1,000, or the Fund may close your account and mail the proceeds to you.

 

   

It may take up to 10 business days to activate the automatic withdrawal plan with your designated bank.

The Fund may modify or terminate this option at any time, or may charge a service fee.

Signature Guarantees

A signature guarantee assures that a signature is genuine and is intended to protect shareholders from unauthorized account transfers. A signature guarantee is required if any of the following is applicable:

 

   

You request a redemption that exceeds $100,000.

 

   

You would like a check made payable to anyone other than the shareholder(s) of record.

 

   

You would like a check mailed to an address that has been changed within 10 days of the redemption request.

 

   

You would like a check mailed to an address other than the address of record.

 

   

Establishing certain services after the account is opened.

The Fund reserves the right to require a signature guarantee under other circumstances or to reject or delay the processing of any redemption request on certain legal grounds. See “Emergency Circumstances” below.

Signature guarantees can be obtained from most domestic banks, credit unions or savings associations, or from broker-dealers, national securities exchanges, registered securities exchanges, registered securities associations, clearing agencies, or other financial institutions that participate in a Medallion program recognized by the Securities Transfer Association. Signature guarantees from financial institutions who do not participate in a Medallion program will not be accepted. Notary publics cannot provide signature guarantees.

 

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Involuntary Redemption

The Fund reserves the right to redeem the shares held in any account if the account balance falls below the minimum initial investment requirement. Your account will not be closed if the drop below the minimum initial investment requirement is due to share price fluctuations; however, the Fund reserves the right to redeem the shares held in the account if your account balance drops below $1,000. You will be given at least 60 days’ written notice before involuntary redemptions are made. You may purchase shares to bring your account balance above the minimum during the 60-day grace period.

Redemptions-In-Kind

The Fund reserves the right, if conditions exist which make cash payments undesirable, to honor any request for redemption by making payment in whole or in part in readily marketable securities chosen by the Fund and valued as they are for purposes of calculating the Fund’s NAV. If a payment is made in securities, a shareholder may incur transaction expenses in converting these securities to cash.

Additional Redemption Information

Payment for redeemed Class A shares and Class C shares will normally be made on the next business day after redemption, but no later than seven days after the transaction. However, redemption proceeds for shares newly purchased with a check may be delayed up to 15 days after the purchase of the shares, pending verification that your check has cleared. Please note that the Fund seeks to prohibit short-term trading, as described under “Frequent Purchases and Redemptions of Fund Shares” below, and if you redeem newly purchased shares, the Fund reserves the right to reject any future purchase orders from you.

The transfer agent will wire redemption proceeds only to a pre-established bank account. During periods of significant economic or market changes, telephone redemptions may be difficult to implement. If you are unable to contact the transfer agent by telephone at 1-888-890-8934, the redemption request may be delivered to the transfer agent at the address referenced above under “Purchasing Shares by Mail through Direct Accounts.”

How Fund Shares are Priced

 

   

The Fund’s share price, or NAV, changes daily. The price of shares you wish to purchase or redeem will be determined the next time the Fund’s share price is calculated after the transfer agent receives your request in good order (as defined in “Shareholder Information – Good Order” above).

 

   

The Fund’s share price is calculated by dividing the value of all securities and other assets owned by the Fund, less the liabilities of the Fund, by the number of Fund shares outstanding.

 

   

The Fund’s share price is calculated for each class of shares as of the close of trading on the NYSE (generally 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time) each day the NYSE is open.

 

   

The Fund’s share price will not be calculated on holidays the NYSE observes, including New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Presidents’ Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. NYSE holiday schedules are subject to change without notice. The NYSE may close early on the day before each of these holidays and the day after Thanksgiving and Christmas.

 

   

The Fund’s investments are primarily valued using market quotations. Debt securities (other than short-term instruments) are valued at prices furnished by a pricing service, subject to review and possible revision by the Adviser’s Pricing Committee. Short-term instruments

 

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maturing within 60 days are valued at either original cost or amortized cost, both of which approximate current market value.

 

   

In general, the market quotations used to price the Fund’s equity investments are based on the last quoted sale price from the exchange or market on which the investment is principally traded, up to the time of valuation, except for securities trading on the NASDAQ Stock Market, the value is the NASDAQ Official Closing Price (“NOCP”), unless the NOCP is not available, in which case the value is the Consolidated Closing Price (“CCP”) reported by NASDAQ.

 

   

Trading in foreign securities may be completed at times that vary from the closing of the NYSE. The Fund values foreign securities at the latest closing price on the exchange on which they are traded immediately prior to the closing of the NYSE. Certain foreign currency exchange rates may also be determined at the latest rate prior to the closing of the NYSE. Foreign securities quoted in foreign currencies are translated into U.S. dollars at current rates. Foreign securities may trade in their primary markets on weekends or other days when the Fund does not price its shares. Therefore, the value of the Fund’s portfolio may change on days when shareholders will not be able to buy or redeem shares.

 

   

If market prices are not readily available for any securities in which the Fund has invested, those securities will be valued at fair value by or under the supervision of the Fund’s Board and in accordance with Board-approved Valuation Policies and Procedures. These circumstances include, among others, the lack of available quotations for restricted or illiquid securities; trading halts in securities; and the Adviser’s Pricing Committee determination that a significant event has occurred after the close of a security’s primary exchange or market (for example, a foreign exchange or market), but before the time the Fund’s share price is calculated, which will have a material effect on the value of the security.

 

   

The Fund’s investments in securities of smaller companies are more likely to require a fair value determination because they are more thinly traded and less liquid than securities of larger companies. Similarly, the Fund’s investments in foreign securities are more likely to require a fair value determination because, among other things, the primary securities exchanges for most foreign securities close before the Fund values its securities. The earlier close of those foreign securities exchanges gives rise to the possibility that significant events may have occurred in the interim.

 

   

Despite the Fund’s best efforts, there is an inherent circumstance and risk that the fair value price assigned to some of the Fund’s investments may be higher or lower than the price the Fund would have received if it had sold those investments on securities exchanges, when open for trading.

See the SAI for more detailed information.

Frequent Purchases and Redemptions of Fund Shares

The Fund is intended to be a long-term investment vehicle and is not designed to provide investors with a means of speculation on short-term market movements. Short-term trading (“market timing”) involves redeeming Fund shares shortly after purchasing them or frequent purchases and redemptions (“excessive trading”) of Fund shares, both of which may harm long-term shareholders of the Fund by diluting the value of Fund shares held by long-term shareholders, interfering in the efficient management of the Fund’s portfolio, and increasing brokerage and administrative costs. Accordingly, the Fund’s Board has adopted a policy pursuant to which the Fund seeks to prohibit market timing and to discourage excessive trading. The Fund or its agents may reject, without any prior notice, any purchase orders by any investor or group of investors, including purchase orders that the Fund or its agents believe are attributable to market timers or are otherwise excessive or potentially disruptive to the Fund. Orders

 

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placed by investors in violation of the market timing or excessive trading policies may be revoked or cancelled, without prior notice, by the Fund on the next business day after receipt of the order. Transactions placed by shareholders through omnibus accounts held by Service Agents or other financial intermediaries may be rejected, without prior notice, in whole or in part by the Fund.

Steps that the Fund has taken to seek to identify and discourage frequent trading include periodically reviewing individual shareholder trading activity to identify shareholders who are making excessive transactions or otherwise trading inappropriately. The Trust or its agent has entered or will enter into an agreement with certain Service Agents, pursuant to which the Service Agent is obligated to provide individual shareholder transaction information to the Trust or its agents for the purpose of monitoring individual shareholder trading activity. These agreements will aid the Trust and its agents in monitoring the trading activity of beneficial owners of Fund shares who hold those shares through third-party 401(k) and other group retirement plans and other omnibus arrangements maintained by Service Agents. However, due to the complexity and subjectivity involved in identifying market timing or excessive trading activity, the variety of strategies to avoid detection, and the volume of Fund shareholder transactions, there can be no guarantee that the Fund will be able to identify and restrict shareholders engaged in such activity.

In addition to trade monitoring, the redemption fee is another means by which the Trust attempts to discourage frequent trading. The Trust cannot directly monitor redemption fees that are applied to trades placed through omnibus accounts and, in these circumstances, must rely on the Service Agents to properly apply the redemption fee. The redemption fee may not apply on certain types of accounts to which the application of the redemption fee is not technologically feasible.

Closure of Class C Shares

The Fund is currently not accepting investments in Class C shares.

The Board of Trustees of the Fund approved a plan to reclassify Class C shares of the Fund as Class A shares of the Fund (the "Reclassification"), effective December 30, 2008 (the “Effective Date”). As a result of the Reclassification, each outstanding Class C share was automatically reclassified as Class A shares of the Fund, with an aggregate net asset value equal to the aggregate net asset value of the Class C shares so exchanged. Any applicable short term redemption/exchange fees or contingent deferred sales charge attributable to Class C shares or sales charge attributable to Class A shares were waived for shares exchanged or acquired in connection with the Reclassification. Although each Fund’s Class A shares are generally sold with an initial sales charge, holders of Class C shares that are converted into Class A shares were permitted to purchase additional Class A shares of such Fund without an initial sales charge. The Reclassification was tax-free for federal income tax purposes. The Fund may in the future re-commence the offer of Class C shares.

Choosing a Share Class

The Fund presently offers two classes of shares through this Prospectus, each of which is designed for specific investors. Although Class C shares are described in this Prospectus, Class C shares are not presently offered by the Fund. You should carefully consider the differences in the fee and sales charge structures as well as the length of time you wish to invest in the Fund before choosing which class to purchase. Please review the fees and sales charges of Class A and Institutional Class shares of the Fund before investing. This information is also available on the Fund’s website at www.thecnlfunds.com (Go to Forms & Literature, view the section Other Information, and click on the link to the file “How to Choose Share Class & Class A Share Sales Charges). You may also want to consult with a financial professional to help you determine which class is most appropriate for you. The following is a summary of the differences between Class A shares, Class C shares and Institutional Class shares of the Fund:

 

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     Class A    Class C*    Institutional Class
Class Availability  

•        Designed for retail investors and certain employee-directed benefit plans

 

•        Available through Service Agents

  

•        Designed for retail investors and certain employee-directed benefit plans

 

•        Available through Service Agents

  

•        Designed for institutional investors, registered investment advisors or financial planners, retirement plans and rollover individual retirement accounts (IRA) from such plans, qualified pension and profit sharing plans, endowment funds, educational, religious or charitable foundations and corporations, and other institutional investors and financial intermediaries

 

•        Available through Service Agents

 

Sales Charge (Load)  

•        Maximum initial sales charge of 5.75%

 

•        Reductions or waivers of initial sales charge available for certain investors

 

•        No initial sales charge on purchases of $1 million or more

 

•        CDSC of 1.00% on purchases of $1 million or more may be imposed on shares redeemed within 12 months of purchase

 

  

•        No initial sales charge

 

•        CDSC of 1.00% of the purchase amount may apply

 

•        Waivers of the CDSC available in certain circumstances

  

•        No initial or contingent deferred sales charge

Distribution (12b-1) Fee  

•        Rule 12b-1 distribution/service fee equal to 0.25% of Class A shares’ average daily net assets

  

•        Rule 12b-1 distribution/ service fee equal to 1.00% of Class C shares’ average daily net assets

 

  

•        No Rule 12b-1 distribution/service fee

Fund Expenses  

•        Higher annual expenses than Institutional Class shares

  

•        Higher annual expenses than Class A shares

  

•        Lower annual expenses than Class A shares and Class C shares

 

*

The Fund is currently not accepting investments in Class C shares. See “Closure of Class C shares.”

 

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The following sub-sections summarize information you should know regarding sales charges applicable to purchases of Class A shares and Class C shares of the Fund.

Sales Charges – Class A Shares

An initial sales charge is assessed on purchases of Class A shares as follows:

 

Your Investment   

Sales Charge as a
% of Public

Offering Price1

  Sales Charge as a
% of Net Amount
Invested
  Dealer Reallowance %

Less than $50,000

   5.75%   6.10%   5.00%

$50,000 but less than $100,000

   5.00%   5.26%   4.25%

$100,000 but less than $250,000

   4.00%   4.17%   3.25%

$250,000 but less than $500,000

   3.00%   3.09%   2.50%

$500,000 but less than $750,000

   2.50%   2.56%   2.25%

$750,000 but less than $1,000,000

   2.00%   2.04%   1.75%

$1,000,000 but less than 2,500,0002,3

   0.00%   0.00%   1.00%

$2,500,000 but less than $5,000,0002,3

   0.00%   0.00%   0.50%

$5,000,000 and above2,3

   0.00%   0.00%   0.25%

1

The Public Offering Price for Class A shares is the amount that you actually pay for Class A Fund shares and includes the relevant sales charge.

 

2

There is no initial sales charge on purchases of Class A shares of the Fund in amounts of $1 million or more. In the case of redemptions of Class A shares that were initially part of a purchase of $1 million or more, a CDSC of 1.00% may be assessed on Class A shares redeemed within 12 months of purchase (excluding shares purchased with reinvested dividends and/or distributions).

 

3

Broker-dealers that initiate and are responsible for purchases of $1 million or more may receive a sales commission up to 1.00% of the offering price of A shares as set forth above.

The Distributor retains the sales charge less the reallowance paid to broker-dealers. Normally, reallowances are paid as indicated in the above table. From time to time, however, the entire sales charge may be reallowed for all sales during a particular period.

Reduced Sales Charges – Class A Shares

You may qualify for a reduced initial sales charge on purchases of Class A shares under rights of accumulation (“ROA”) or a letter of intent (“LOI”). The transaction processing procedures maintained by certain financial institutions through which you can purchase Fund shares may restrict the universe of accounts considered for purposes of calculating a reduced sales charge under ROA or LOI. For example, the processing procedures of a financial institution may limit accounts to those that share the same tax identification number or mailing address and that are maintained only with that financial institution. The Fund permits financial institutions to calculate ROA and LOI based on the financial institution’s transaction processing procedures. Please contact your financial institution before investing to determine the process used to identify accounts for ROA and LOI purposes.

To determine the applicable reduced sales charge under ROA, the Fund or its agent will combine the value of your current purchase with the collective value of shares of all eligible CNL Fund shares (collectively, “CNL Shares”) (as of the Fund’s prior business day) that were purchased previously for accounts (1) in your name, (2) in the name of your spouse, (3) in the name of you and your spouse, (4) in the name of your minor child under the age of 21, and (5) sharing the same mailing address (“Accounts”).

 

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To be entitled to a reduced initial sales charge based on shares already owned, you must ask for the reduction at the time of purchase. You must also provide the Fund or its agent with your account number(s) and, if applicable, the account numbers for your spouse, children (provide the children’s ages), or other household members and, if requested by your financial institution, the following additional information regarding these Accounts:

 

   

Information or records regarding CNL Shares held in all accounts in your name at a financial intermediary; and

   

Information or records regarding CNL Shares for Accounts at the transfer agent or another financial intermediary.

If you purchase shares through a Service Agent, the Service Agent is responsible for forwarding such information to the Fund or its designated agent. The Fund may amend or terminate this right of accumulation at any time.

You may also enter into an LOI, which expresses your intent to invest $100,000 or more in the Fund’s Class A shares in Accounts within a future period of thirteen months. Accounts subject to the LOI must be specifically identified in the LOI. Each purchase under an LOI will be made at the public offering price applicable at the time of the purchase to a single transaction of the dollar amount indicated in the LOI. If you do not purchase the minimum investment referenced in the LOI, you must pay the Fund an amount equal to the difference between the dollar value of the sales charges paid under the LOI and the dollar value of the sales charges due on the aggregate purchases of the Class A shares as if such purchases were executed in a single transaction.

Elimination of Initial Sales Charges – Class A Shares

Certain persons may also be eligible to purchase or redeem Class A shares without a sales charge. No sales charge is assessed on the reinvestment of Class A shares’ distributions. No sales charge is assessed on purchases made for investment purposes by:

 

   

A qualified pension, profit sharing or other employee benefit plan under Section 401(a) of the IRC or a plan operating consistent with Section 403(b) of the IRC.

   

Any bank, trust company, savings institution, registered investment advisor, financial planner or securities dealer on behalf of an account for which it provides advisory or fiduciary services and charges an account management fee.

   

Any managed account (wrap) program for the benefit of clients of a broker-dealer that charges an annual or flat fee rather than a transaction based fee and has an arrangement with the Distributor or with a clearing agent that has an arrangement with the Distributor with respect to the broker-dealer’s use of the Fund in connection with such program.

   

Insurance company separate accounts.

   

Trustees and officers of the Trust; directors, officers and full-time employees of the Adviser and its affiliates, directors, officers and full-time employees of any organization with which the Distributor has entered into a Selected Dealer agreement or similar agreement; the spouse, sibling, direct ancestor or direct descendent (collectively, “relatives”) of any such person; any trust or individual retirement account or self-employed retirement plan for the benefit of any such person or relative; or the estate of any such person or relative.

   

Officers, directors and full time employees of the Sub-Adviser and its principal owner, CB Richard Ellis Investors, LLC.

   

Full-time employees and retired employees of the Fund’s service providers and immediate family members of the foregoing persons.

   

Any person who has, within the preceding 90 days, redeemed Fund shares directly with the Fund’s transfer agent or through a financial institution and completes a reinstatement form upon investment with that financial institution (but only on purchases in amounts not exceeding the redeemed amounts).

 

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Any person who has received Class A shares pursuant to a reclassification of Class C shares of the Fund into Class A shares pursuant to a plan of reclassification approved by the Board of Trustees of the Trust.

The Fund requires appropriate documentation of an investor’s eligibility to purchase or redeem Class A shares without a sales charge. Any shares of the Fund so purchased may not be resold except to the Fund. For further information on sales charges please consult with your broker-dealer.

Class A Share Purchases Subject to Contingent Deferred Sales Charge

A CDSC of 1.00% is assessed on redemptions of Class A shares that were part of a purchase of $1 million or more and that are redeemed in whole or in part within 12 months of purchase. The CDSC is based on the offering price that you paid for Class A shares. In determining whether a CDSC is payable and the amount of any such charge, the Fund will first liquidate shares that are not subject to a CDSC such as shares acquired with reinvested dividends and capital gains. The Fund will then liquidate shares in the order that they were first purchased until the redemption request is satisfied.

Contingent Deferred Sales Charge Waivers – Class A Shares

The CDSC will be waived on redemptions of shares purchased by an investor in amounts of $1 million or more under the following circumstances:

 

   

Where such investor’s dealer of record, due to the nature of the investor’s account, notifies the Distributor prior to the time of investment that the dealer waives the payments otherwise payable to the dealer.

 

   

Managed account (wrap) programs for the benefit of clients of broker-dealers and financial institutions or financial planners adhering to certain standards established by the Trust that provide asset allocation or similar specialized investment services or investment company transaction services for their customers, that charge a minimum annual fee for such services, and that have entered into an agreement with the Distributor or a clearing agent that has an agreement with the Distributor with respect to their use of the Fund in connection with such services.

 

   

On purchases subject to the reinstatement privilege, which allows you to reinvest all or part of the proceeds from a previous redemption of Fund shares. See the SAI for more information on the reinstatement privilege.

 

   

On purchases made in connection with the reinvestment of dividends and distributions from the Fund.

Sales Charges – Class C Shares

Class C shares are not currently being offered.

Class C shares are sold at NAV, with no initial sales charge. Therefore, the entire amount of your purchase price is invested in Class C shares. A CDSC of 1.00% is applied to redemptions of Class C shares within 12 months of purchase. The CDSC is based on the offering price of Class C shares. In determining whether a CDSC is payable and the amount of any such charge, the Fund will first liquidate shares that are not subject to a CDSC and then liquidate shares in the order that they were first purchased until the redemption request is satisfied.

The Fund will not pay an up-front sales commission on sales of Class C shares. However, the Fund’s Distributor may pay to broker-dealers whose clients redeem Class C shares within 12 months of purchase any CDSC applied to such redemptions.

 

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Contingent Deferred Sales Charge Waivers – Class C Shares

The CDSC applicable to redemptions of Class C Shares will be waived under certain circumstances, including the following:

 

   

On increases in the NAV of your shares.

 

   

Distributions from retirement plans if the distributions are made following the death or disability of shareholders or plan participants.

 

   

Redemptions from accounts other than retirement plans following the death or post-purchase disability of the shareholder (this generally excludes accounts registered in the names of trusts and other entities).

The CDSC waiver following the death of a shareholder or plan participant will only apply if one of the following distribution methods are met:

 

  (1)

The lump sum distribution of assets by the re-registration of the decedent’s assets into a Beneficiary IRA account;

 

  (2)

Regularly scheduled distributions of the decedent's assets based on life expectancy taken within a Beneficiary IRA account; or

 

  (3)

Payments taken within a Beneficiary IRA account over a 5 year period.

 

   

Returns of excess contributions to retirement plans.

 

   

If you participate in a Systematic Withdrawal Plan, distributions of up to 12% of the value of your shares that are subject to a CDSC in any twelve-month period.

 

   

If the redemption represents the minimum required distribution from a retirement plan.

 

   

Redemptions of shares acquired through reinvestment of dividends and distributions.

 

   

When using the reinstatement privilege, which allows you to reinvest all or part of the proceeds from a previous redemption of Fund shares. See the SAI for more information on the reinvestment privilege.

Features of Institutional Class Shares

The following is a summary of the features of Institutional Class shares of the Fund:

 

   

Eligible for purchase only by certain institutions. See “Eligible Investors for Institutional Class shares.”

 

   

No initial or contingent deferred sales charges.

 

   

No Rule 12b-1 distribution/service fee.

Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees

The Fund has adopted distribution and service plans for Class A shares and Class C shares under Rule 12b-1 of the 1940 Act. 12b-1 fees are used to compensate the Distributor and third parties for services and expenses related to the sale and distribution of the Fund’s shares and/or for providing shareholder services. Because 12b-1 fees are paid out of the Fund’s assets on an ongoing basis, over time these fees

 

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will increase the cost of your investment and may cost you more than paying other types of sales charges.

The 12b-1 fees vary by share class as follows:

 

   

Class A shares pay a 12b-1 fee at the annual rate of 0.25% of the average daily net assets of the Fund.

   

Class C shares pay a 12b-1 fee at the annual rate of 1.00% of the average daily net assets of the Fund.

   

Institutional Class shares do not pay a 12b-1 fee.

12b-1 fees, together with the CDSC, help the Fund sell Class C shares by financing the costs for marketing-related activities and for providing shareholder services. For Class C shares, payments under the plan include up to 0.75% for distribution and marketing-related activities and up to 0.25% for shareholder services.

DIVIDENDS, DISTRIBUTIONS AND TAXES

In addition to any increase in the value of shares that the Fund may achieve, you may receive dividends and capital gain distributions from the Fund.

Dividends and Distributions

As a regulated investment company, the Fund generally pays no Federal income tax on the income and gains it distributes to you. The Fund expects to declare and distribute all of its net investment income, if any, at least quarterly, usually in March, June, September and December. The Fund will distribute net realized capital gains, if any, at least annually usually in December. The Fund may distribute such income dividends and capital gains more frequently, if necessary, in order to reduce or eliminate Federal excise or income taxes on the Fund. The amount of any distribution will vary, and there is no guarantee the Fund will pay either an income dividend or a capital gains distribution.

Taxes

In general, if you are a taxable investor, Fund distributions (other than a return of capital) are taxable to you at either ordinary income or capital gains tax rates. This is true whether you reinvest your distributions in additional Fund shares or receive them in cash. In addition, investors in taxable accounts should be aware of the following basic tax points:

 

   

Distributions of net investment income and net short-term capital gains are taxable to you as ordinary income. With respect to taxable years of the Fund beginning before January 1, 2011, unless such provision is extended or made permanent a portion of income dividends paid by the Fund may be designated as qualified dividend income eligible for taxation by individual shareholders at long-term capital gain rates provided certain holding periods are met. However, dividend distributions attributable to the Fund’s REIT investments are not eligible to be treated as qualified dividend income.

 

   

Distributions of net long-term capital gains are taxable to you as long-term capital gains no matter how long you have owned your shares.

 

   

Distributions declared to shareholders with a record date in December—if paid to you by the end of January—are taxable for federal income tax purposes as if received in December.

 

   

Because of “noncash” expenses such as property depreciation, an equity REIT’s cash flow will exceed its taxable income. The REIT, and in turn the Fund, may distribute this excess cash to shareholders. Such a distribution is classified as a return of capital. Return-of-capital distributions

 

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generally are not taxable to you. Your cost basis in your Fund shares will be decreased by the amount of any return of capital. Any return-of-capital distributions in excess of your cost basis will be treated as capital gains.

 

   

A sale or exchange of Fund shares is a taxable event. This means that you may have a capital gain or loss (provided the shares are held as a capital asset) which will be long-term or short-term, depending on your holding period for the shares.

 

   

If more than 50% of the Fund’s assets are invested in foreign securities at the end of any fiscal year, the Fund may elect to pass through to you for foreign tax credit purposes the amount of foreign income taxes that the Fund paid.

 

   

Fund distributions and gains from the sale or exchange of your Fund shares generally are subject to state and local taxes.

Fund shares are generally not sold outside the United States. Foreign investors should be aware that U.S. withholding, special certification requirements to avoid U.S. backup withholding and claim any treaty benefits and estate taxes may apply to any investment in the Fund. If you are not a citizen or resident of the United States, see the SAI for additional information.

Income received by the Fund from certain equity interests in mortgage pooling vehicles is treated as “excess inclusion income.” The Fund may derive such income either directly or through an investment in a U.S.-qualified REIT that holds such interests or qualifies as a taxable mortgage pool. The rules concerning excess inclusion income are complex and unduly burdensome in their current form, and the Fund’s manager is awaiting further guidance from the IRS on how these rules are to be implemented. Shareholders should talk to their tax advisors about whether an investment in the Fund is a suitable investment given the potential tax consequences of the Fund’s receipt and distribution of excess inclusion income.

This discussion of “Dividends, Distributions, and Taxes” is not intended or written to be used as tax advice. Because everyone’s tax situation is unique, you should consult your tax professional about Federal, state, local, or foreign tax consequences before making an investment in the Fund. Refer to the SAI for additional tax information.

OTHER SHAREHOLDER INFORMATION

Buying a Dividend

If you are a taxable investor and invest in the Fund shortly before it makes a capital gain distribution, the distribution will lower the value of the Fund's shares by the amount of the distribution and, in effect, you will receive some of your investment back in the form of a taxable distribution. This is sometimes referred to as “buying a dividend” because, although the distribution is in effect a return of a portion of the purchase price, it is taxable.

Social Security Number/Taxpayer Identification Number

By law, the Fund is required to withhold and remit to the U.S. Treasury a percentage of dividend distributions, capital gain distributions, and redemption proceeds paid to certain shareholders who have not certified that the Social Security number or taxpayer identification number (“TIN”) they have supplied is correct and that they are not subject to backup withholding because of previous underreporting to the IRS. This backup withholding requirement generally does not apply to shareholders that are exempt recipients (such as a corporation or certain tax-exempt entities). The Fund also must withhold if the IRS instructs it to do so. When withholding is required, the amount will be 28% of any distributions or proceeds paid.

 

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To avoid backup withholding you must certify on your Account Application that your Social Security number or TIN is correct and that you are not subject to backup withholding.

STATEMENTS AND REPORTS

The Service Agent or Transfer Agent sends confirmation statements after each transaction affecting your share balance and/or account registration. You will be sent Form 1099-DIV, usually in January of each year, which will include information about the tax status of any dividend and capital gain distributions paid to during the previous calendar year. This information will also be reported to the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”).

Household Mailings

To reduce Fund expenses, the Fund attempts to identify related shareholders within a household and to send only one copy of a shareholder report or prospectus per household. You can call the Fund at 1-888-890-8934 or visit the Fund’s website at www.thecnlfunds.com if you would like an additional free copy of a Fund shareholder report or prospectus.

If you do not want the mailing of shareholder reports and prospectuses combined with other members in your household, contact the Fund at 1-888-890-8934. Your request will become effective within 30 days.

Electronic Delivery of Reports and Prospectus

If you purchased Fund shares through a brokerage firm or a financial institution, electronic delivery of the Fund’s shareholder reports and prospectus may be available. Go to www.icsdelivery.com and from the main page you can locate a list of brokers and financial institutions. If your broker or financial institution is not listed, electronic delivery may not be available. At any time, you can cancel electronic delivery at www.icsdelivery.com and once again receive physical delivery of your materials. If you have any questions, please contact your brokerage firm or financial institution.

Disclosure of Portfolio Holdings

A description of the Trust’s policies and procedures with respect to disclosure of its portfolio holdings is available in the SAI.

Emergency Circumstances

The Fund may, in case of emergency, temporarily suspend telephone transactions and other shareholder services. It may be difficult to reach the Fund by telephone during periods of substantial economic or market change or in emergency situations. Under these circumstances, you may wish to consider placing direct purchase or redemption orders for shares by mail or overnight express delivery. The Fund may suspend redemptions and/or delay payments of redemption proceeds when the New York Stock Exchange is closed due to financial conditions, during emergency circumstances, or for other reasons as determined by the SEC.

Statement of Additional Information (SAI)

The Fund’s SAI has been filed with the SEC and is incorporated in this prospectus by reference, which means it is legally considered part of this prospectus. It contains more details about the Fund. You may request a copy of the SAI, free of charge, by calling Shareholder Services at 1-888-890-8934. The SAI is also available on the Fund’s website at www.thecnlfunds.com.

 

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FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS

The financial highlights table is intended to help you understand the Fund’s financial performance for the past fiscal year. The total returns in the table represent the rate that an investor would have earned or lost on an investment in the Fund (assuming reinvestment of all dividends and distributions). This information has been audited by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, whose report, along with the Fund’s financial statements, is included in the Annual Report, which is available upon request. Financial highlights for Class C shares are not shown as the Fund is currently not accepting investments in Class C shares. See “Closure of Class C shares.”

CNL Global Real Estate Fund

Financial Highlights

Class A

 

Year ended December 31,    2008     2007a  

Selected Per Share Data

    

Net asset value, beginning of year

   $ 8.64     $ 10.00  

Income (loss) from investment operations:

    

Net investment income (loss)b

     0.10       0.07  

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investment transactions

     (4.06 )     (1.35 )
                

Total from investment operations

     (3.96 )     (1.28 )

Less distributions from:

    

Net investment income

     (0.07 )     (0.08 )
                

Total distributions to shareholders

     (0.07 )     (0.08 )
                

Redemption Fees

     0.00 c      
                

Net asset value, end of year

   $ 4.61     $ 8.64  

Total Return (%)d

     (45.91 )     (12.77 )e
                

Ratios to Average Net Assets and Supplemental Data

    

Net Assets, End of Year (000s)

   $ 1,241     $ 61  

Ratio of expenses before expense waiver/reimbursement (%)

     4.99       29.19 f

Ratio of expenses after expense waiver/reimbursement (%)

     1.80       1.80 f

Ratio of net investment income (loss) (%)g

     1.69 d     4.30 f

Portfolio turnover rate (%)

     25       6 e

 

a

For the period from October 26, 2007 (commencement of operations) to December 31, 2007.

b

Per share amounts have been calculated using the average shares method.

c

Amount is less than $0.005 per share.

d

Does not reflect sales charges, which would reduce return.

e

Not annualized.

f

Annualized.

g

Differences between classes are impacted by the timing of subscriptions and the timing of dividend income earned by the Fund.

 

- 29 -


Table of Contents

CNL Global Real Estate Fund

Financial Highlights

Institutional Class

 

Year ended December 31,

   2008     2007a  

Selected Per Share Data

    

Net asset value, beginning of year

   $ 8.64     $ 10.00  

Income (loss) from investment operations:

    

Net investment income (loss)b

     0.13       0.04  

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investment transactions

     (4.06 )     (1.31 )
                

Total from investment operations

     (3.93 )     (1.27 )

Less distributions from:

    

Net investment income

     (0.09 )     (0.09 )
                

Total distributions to shareholders

     (0.09 )     (0.09 )
                

Redemption Fees

     0.00 c      
                

Net asset value, end of year

   $ 4.62     $ 8.64  

Total Return (%)

     (45.66 )     (12.73 )d
                

Ratios to Average Net Assets and Supplemental Data

    

Net Assets, End of Year (000s)

   $ 26,880     $ 4,517  

Ratio of expenses before expense waiver/reimbursement (%)

     5.49       28.94 e

Ratio of expenses after expense waiver/reimbursement (%)

     1.55       1.55 e

Ratio of net investment income (loss) (%)f

     2.09       2.45 e

Portfolio turnover rate (%)

     25       6 d

 

 

a

For the period from October 26, 2007 (commencement of operations) to December 31, 2007.

b

Per share amount has been calculated using the average shares method.

c

Amount is less than $0.005 per share.

d

Not annualized.

e

Annualized.

f

Differences between classes are impacted by the timing of subscriptions and the timing of dividend income earned by the Fund.

 

- 30 -


Table of Contents

PRIVACY POLICY

 

I.

Commitment to Customer Privacy

The CNL Funds (the “Trust,” “we,” “us” or “our”) recognizes and respects the privacy expectations of each of our customers (“customer,” “you” or “shareholder”) and we believe the confidentiality and protection of our customers’ nonpublic personal information (“Information”) is one of our fundamental responsibilities. The policies and practices described in this policy apply equally to our current and former customers.

While new technologies have dramatically changed the way information is gathered, used and stored, the importance of preserving the security and confidentiality of Information remains a core value of ours.

 

II.

Collection of Customer Information

We collect, retain and use Information only where we reasonably believe it would be useful to the Trust or the customer and is allowed by law. We do not sell Information about customers to third parties for their independent use.

Information collected by, or on behalf of, the Trust generally comes from the following sources:

   

account applications or other required forms, correspondence (written or electronic), or from telephone contacts with customers inquiring about the Trust;

   

transaction history of a customer’s account; and

   

service providers.

 

III.

Disclosure of Information

We do not disclose any Information about you or any former customer to anyone, except as required or permitted by law, including as set forth below. Information may be shared within the CNL Fund Advisors Company and its affiliates.

We may disclose Information about you or any former customer to the following types of third parties:

   

financial service and other service providers that assist us in maintaining or servicing the Trust or your accounts, such as data processing companies, securities broker-dealers, printers, and the Trust’s distributor, custodian and transfer agent;

   

non-financial companies, such as service providers that fulfill information requests;

   

companies that perform marketing services on our behalf or to other financial institutions with whom we have joint marketing agreements;

   

government entities, in response to subpoenas or to comply with laws or regulations; and

   

others, such as joint account holders and those with whom you have consented to our sharing your Information;

We may also disclose all of the Information we collect to protect against fraud.

 

IV.

Security of Customer Information

The Trust’s service providers:

 

  A.

maintain policies and procedures designed to assure only appropriate access to, and use of, the Information by those employees who need to know that Information in order to provide services to customers; and

 

  B.

maintain physical, electronic and procedural safeguards that comply with federal standards to guard the Information.

Adopted: May 24, 2007

NOT A PART OF THE PROSPECTUS


Table of Contents

CNL GLOBAL REAL ESTATE FUND

For More Information

Annual/Semi-Annual Reports

Additional information about the Fund’s investments is available in the Fund’s annual/semi-annual reports to shareholders. In the Fund’s annual report, you will find a discussion of the market conditions and investment strategies that significantly affected the Fund’s performance during its last fiscal year. Annual and semi-annual reports will be available after the Fund has completed the applicable fiscal period.

Statement of Additional Information

The SAI provides more detailed information about the Fund and is incorporated

by reference into, and is legally part of, this prospectus.

Contacting the Fund

You can get free copies of the annual/semi-annual reports and the SAI, request other information

and discuss your questions about the Fund by contacting the Fund at:

The CNL Funds

c/o Boston Financial Data Services, Inc.

30 Dan Road

Canton, MA 02021

1-888-890-8934

The Fund’s prospectus, SAI and annual/semi-annual reports are also

available without charge on the Trust’s website at www.thecnlfunds.com.

For questions about investment management of the Fund contact:

CNL Fund Advisors Company

450 South Orange Avenue

Orlando, FL 32801

1-866-745-3797

Securities and Exchange Commission Information

You can also review the Fund’s annual/semi-annual reports, the SAI and other information about the Fund at the Public Reference Room of the SEC. Information about the operation of the Public Reference Room may be obtained by calling the SEC at (202) 942-8090. You can get copies of this information, for a fee, by e-mailing or writing to:

Public Reference Room

Securities and Exchange Commission

Washington, D.C. 20549-0102

E-mail address: publicinfo@sec.gov

Fund information, including copies of the annual/semi-annual reports and the SAI,

is available on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.

 

Investment Company Act File No. 811-22017

  

Distributor

Foreside Fund Services, LLC

Three Canal Plaza, Suite 100, Portland, Maine 04101

00067306

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Table of Contents

The CNL Funds

CNL Global Real Estate Fund

STATEMENT OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

April 30, 2009

This Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”) supplements the Prospectus dated April 30, 2009, as may be amended from time to time, offering Class A shares, Class C shares and Institutional Class shares of the CNL Global Real Estate Fund (the “Fund”). The Fund is a series portfolio of The CNL Funds. This SAI is not a prospectus and should only be read in conjunction with the Fund’s prospectus (the “Prospectus”). You may obtain a Prospectus without charge by calling 1-888-890-8934 or by visiting the Fund’s website at www.thecnlfunds.com.

The Fund’s audited financial statements and financial highlights appearing in the 2008 Annual Report to Shareholders are incorporated by reference into this SAI. No other part of the Annual Report is incorporated by reference herein. You may obtain the Annual Report without charge by calling 1-888-890-8934.

Table of Contents

 

Glossary

   1

Investment Policies and Risks

   2

Investment Limitations

   11

Management

   13

Portfolio Transactions

   25

Purchase and Redemption Information

   28

Taxation

   30

Other Matters

   36

Financial Statements

   38

Appendix A – Description of Securities and Ratings

   39

Appendix B – Proxy Voting Procedures

   42

Glossary

As used in this SAI, the following terms have the meanings listed below. All other terms have the meaning given to them in the text.

“Accountant” means State Street.

“Administrator” means State Street.

“Adviser” means CNL Fund Advisors Company.

“Board” means the Board of Trustees of the Trust.

“CFTC” means Commodities Future Trading Commission.

“Code” means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended.

“Custodian” means State Street.

“Distributor” means Foreside Fund Services, LLC (“Foreside”)

“FCS” means Foreside Compliance Services, LLC.

 

1


Table of Contents

“Fund” means CNL Global Real Estate Fund.

“Independent Trustee” means a Trustee that is not an “interested person” of the Trust as that term is defined in Section 2(a)(19) of the 1940 Act.

“IRS” means Internal Revenue Service.

“Moody’s” means Moody’s Investors Service.

“NAV” means net asset value per share.

“NRSRO” means a nationally recognized statistical rating organization.

“Plans” mean the 12b-1 Plans adopted by the Trust for Class A shares and Class C shares, respectively.

“SAI” means Statement of Additional Information.

“SEC” means the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

“S&P” means Standard & Poor’s Corporation, a division of the McGraw Hill Companies.

“State Street” means State Street Bank and Trust Company.

“Sub-Adviser” means CB Richard Ellis Global Real Estate Securities, LLC.

“Transfer Agent” means Boston Financial Data Services, Inc.

“Trust” means The CNL Funds.

“U.S. Government Securities” means obligations issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government, its agencies or instrumentalities.

“1933 Act” means the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.

“1934 Act” means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.

“1940 Act” means the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended.

“1940 Act Laws, Interpretations and Exemptions” means the 1940 Act, the rules promulgated thereunder, SEC interpretations and any exemptive orders on which the Trust or the Fund may rely.

 

1. Investment Policies and Risks

The Fund is a series portfolio of the Trust. This section discusses in greater detail than the Fund’s Prospectus certain investments that the Fund can make.

 

A. Equity Securities

 

1. Common and Preferred Stock

General. The Fund may invest in the common stock of companies located both inside and outside the United States. 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 Fund may also invest in preferred stock. Preferred stock is a class of stock having a preference over common stock as to the payment of dividends and the recovery of investment should a company be liquidated, although preferred stock is usually junior to the debt securities of the issuer. Preferred stock typically does not possess voting rights and its market value may change based on changes in interest rates.

Risks. The fundamental risk of investing in common and preferred stock is the risk 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. Historically, common stocks have provided greater long-term returns and have entailed greater short-term risks than preferred stocks, fixed-income and money market investments. The market value of all securities, including

 

2


Table of Contents

common and preferred stocks, is based upon the market’s perception of value and not necessarily the book value of an issuer or other objective measures of a company’s worth. If you invest in the Fund, you should be willing to accept the risks of the stock market and should consider an investment in the Fund only as a part of your overall investment portfolio.

 

2. Real Estate Securities

General. The Fund invests primarily in securities issued by real estate and real estate-related companies (as defined in the prospectus), including real estate investment trusts (“REITs”) and real estate operating companies (“REOCs”) and, therefore, adverse economic, business or political developments affecting the real estate sector could have a major effect on the value of the Fund’s investments. REITs pool investors’ funds for investment primarily in income-producing real estate or real estate loans or interests. A U.S.-qualified REIT is not taxed on income distributed to shareholders if it complies with several requirements relating to its organization, ownership, assets, and income and a requirement that it distribute to its shareholders at least 90% of its taxable income (other than net capital gains) for each taxable year. REITs can generally be classified as Equity REITs, Mortgage REITs and Hybrid REITs. Equity REITs, which invest the majority of their assets directly in real property, derive their income primarily from rents. Equity REITs can also realize capital gains by selling properties that have appreciated in value. Mortgage REITs, which invest the majority of their assets in real estate mortgages, derive their income primarily from interest payments. Hybrid REITs combine the characteristics of both Equity REITs and Mortgage REITs. The Fund will not invest in real estate directly, but only in securities issued by real estate and real estate-related companies, except that the Fund may hold real estate and sell real estate acquired through default, liquidation, or other distributions of an interest in real estate as a result of the Fund’s ownership of securities issued by real estate or real estate-related companies.

Risks. The Fund may be subject to risks similar to those associated with the direct ownership of real estate (in addition to securities markets risks) because of its policy of concentration in the securities of companies in the real estate industry. These risks include declines in the value of real estate, risks related to general and local economic conditions, dependency on management skill, heavy cash flow dependency, possible lack of availability of mortgage funds, overbuilding, extended vacancies of properties, increased competition, increases in property taxes and operating expenses, changes in zoning laws, losses due to costs resulting from the clean-up of environmental problems, liability to third parties for damages resulting from environmental problems, casualty or condemnation losses, limitations on rents, changes in neighborhood values, the appeal of properties to tenants and changes in interest rates. Investments in certain REITs (such as REIT funds of REITs) may subject Fund shareholders to duplicate management and administrative fees. In addition to these risks, Equity REITs may be affected by changes in the value of the underlying property owned by the trusts, while Mortgage REITs may be affected by the borrower quality and the type of credit extended to such borrowers. Further, Equity and Mortgage REITs are dependent upon management skills and generally may not be diversified. Equity and Mortgage REITs are also subject to heavy cash flow dependency, defaults by borrowers (including the REIT itself) and self-liquidation. The above factors may also adversely affect a borrower’s or a lessee’s ability to meet its obligations to the REIT. In the event of a default by a borrower or lessee, the REIT may experience delays in enforcing its rights as a mortgagee or lessor and may incur substantial costs associated with protecting investments.

In addition, U.S.-qualified Equity and Mortgage REITs could possibly fail to qualify for the beneficial tax treatment available to REITs under the Internal Revenue Code, or to maintain their exemptions from registration under the 1940 Act.

In addition, foreign REITs could possibly fail to qualify for any beneficial tax treatments available to foreign REITs in their local jurisdiction.

 

3. Convertible Securities

General. The Fund may invest in convertible securities. The Fund may also invest in U.S. or foreign securities convertible into common stock. Convertible securities include debt securities, preferred stock or other securities that may be converted into or exchanged for a given amount of common stock of the same or a different issuer during a specified period and at a specified price in the future. A convertible security entitles the holder to receive interest on debt or the dividend on preferred stock until the convertible security matures or is redeemed, converted or exchanged.

Convertible securities rank senior to common stock in a company’s capital structure but are usually subordinated to comparable nonconvertible securities. Convertible securities have unique investment characteristics in that they generally: (1) have higher yields than common stocks, but lower yields than comparable non-convertible securities; (2) are less subject to fluctuation in value than the underlying stocks since they have fixed income characteristics; and (3) provide the potential for capital appreciation if the market price of the underlying common stock increases.

A convertible security may be subject to redemption or conversion at the option of the issuer after a particular date and under certain circumstances (including a specified price) established in the convertible security’s governing instrument. If a

 

3


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convertible security is called for redemption or conversion, the Fund will be required to permit the issuer to redeem the security, convert it into the underlying common stock or sell it to a third party.

Security Ratings Information. The Fund’s investments in convertible and other debt securities are subject to the credit risk relating to the financial condition of the issuers of the securities that the Fund holds. The Fund does not have any rating criteria applicable to their investments in any securities, convertible or otherwise.

Unrated securities may not be as actively traded as rated securities. The Fund may retain securities whose rating has been lowered below the lowest permissible rating category (or that are unrated and determined by the Sub-Adviser to be of comparable quality to securities whose rating has been lowered below the lowest permissible rating category) if the Sub-Adviser determines that retaining such security is in the best interests of the Fund. Because a downgrade often results in a reduction in the market price of the security, the sale of a downgraded security may result in a loss.

Moody’s, S&P and other NRSROs are private services that provide ratings of the credit quality of debt obligations, including convertible securities. A description of the range of ratings assigned to various types of bonds and other securities by several NRSROs is included in Appendix A to this SAI. The Fund may use these ratings to determine whether to purchase, sell or hold a security. Ratings are general and are not absolute standards of quality. Securities with the same maturity, interest rate and rating may have different market prices. To the extent that the ratings given by an NRSRO may change as a result of changes in such organizations or their rating systems, the Sub-Adviser will attempt to substitute comparable ratings. Credit ratings attempt to evaluate the safety of principal and interest payments and do not evaluate the risks of fluctuations in market value. Also, rating agencies may fail to make timely changes in credit ratings. An issuer’s current financial condition may be better or worse than a rating indicates.

Risks. Investment in convertible securities generally entails less risk than an investment in the issuer’s common stock. However, securities that are convertible at the option of the issuer generally do not limit the potential for loss to the same extent as securities convertible at the option of the holder. Convertible securities may be issued by smaller capitalized companies whose stock price may be volatile as well as by large public companies in private securities offerings pursuant to Rule 144A under the 1933 Act. Therefore, the price of a convertible security may reflect variations in the price of the underlying common stock in a way that nonconvertible debt does not. The extent to which such risk is reduced, however, depends in large measure upon the degree to which the convertible security sells above its value as a fixed income security.

 

4. Warrants

General. The Fund may invest in warrants. Warrants are securities, typically issued with preferred stock or bonds that give the holder the right to purchase a given number of shares of common stock at a specified price and time. The price of the warrant usually represents a premium over the applicable market value of the common stock at the time of the warrant’s issuance. Warrants have no voting rights with respect to the common stock, receive no dividends and have no rights with respect to the assets of the issuer.

Risks. Investments in warrants involve certain risks, including the possible lack of a liquid market for the resale of the warrants, potential price fluctuations due to adverse market conditions or other factors and failure of the price of the common stock to rise. If the warrant is not exercised within the specified time period, it becomes worthless.

 

5. Depositary Receipts

General. The Fund may invest in sponsored and unsponsored American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”), European Depositary Receipts (“EDRs”) or other similar instruments. ADRs typically are issued by a U.S. bank or trust company, evidence ownership of underlying securities issued by a foreign company, and are designed for use in U.S. securities markets. EDRs are receipts issued by a European financial institution evidencing an arrangement similar to that of ADRs. EDRs, in bearer form, are designed for use in the European securities markets. The Fund invests in depositary receipts in order to obtain exposure to foreign securities markets. For purposes of the Fund’s investment policies, the Fund’s investment in an ADR will be considered an investment in the underlying securities of the applicable foreign company.

Risks. Unsponsored depositary receipts may be created without the participation of the foreign issuer. Holders of these receipts generally bear all the costs of the depositary receipt facility, whereas foreign issuers typically bear certain costs of a sponsored depositary receipt. The bank or trust company depositary of an unsponsored depositary receipt may be under no obligation to distribute shareholder communications received from the foreign issuer or to pass through voting rights. Accordingly, available information concerning the issuer may not be current and the prices of unsponsored depositary receipts may be more volatile than the prices of sponsored depositary receipts.

 

4


Table of Contents
B. Foreign Securities

The Fund will invest in foreign securities. Investments in the securities of foreign issuers may involve risks in addition to those normally associated with investments in the securities of U.S. issuers. All foreign investments are subject to risks of: (1) foreign political and economic instability; (2) adverse movements in foreign exchange rates; (3) the imposition or tightening of exchange controls or other limitations on repatriation of foreign capital; and (4) changes in foreign governmental attitudes towards private investment, including potential nationalization, increased taxation or confiscation of the Fund’s assets. The Fund may invest up to 15% of its total assets in securities of real estate or real estate-related companies that are traded on the major stock exchanges in emerging markets.

In addition, dividends payable on foreign securities may be subject to foreign withholding taxes, thereby reducing the income available for distribution to you. Some foreign brokerage commissions and custody fees are higher than those in the United States. Foreign accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards differ from those in the United States and therefore, less information may be available about foreign companies than is available about issuers of comparable U.S. companies. Foreign securities also may trade less frequently and with lower volume and may exhibit greater price volatility than U.S. securities.

Changes in foreign exchange rates will affect the U.S. dollar value of all foreign currency-denominated securities 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 inside and outside the United States, many of which may be difficult, if not impossible, to predict.

Income from foreign securities 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 after the Fund’s income has been earned and computed in U.S. dollars may require the Fund to liquidate portfolio securities 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 foreign securities to purchase the U.S. dollars required to meet such expenses.

 

C. Options and Futures

 

1. General

The Fund may purchase or write (sell) put and call options, futures and options on futures to: (1) enhance the Fund’s performance; or (2) to hedge against a decline in the value of securities owned by the Fund or an increase in the price of securities that the Fund plans to purchase.

Specifically, the Fund may purchase or write options on securities in which it may invest or on market indices based in whole or in part on such securities. Options purchased or written by the Fund must be traded on an exchange or over-the-counter. The Fund may invest in futures contracts on market indices based in whole or in part on securities in which the Fund may invest. The Fund may also purchase or write put and call options on these futures contracts.

Options and futures contracts are considered to be derivatives. Use of these instruments is subject to regulation by the SEC, the options and futures exchanges on which futures and options are traded or by the CFTC. No assurance can be given that any hedging or income strategy will achieve its intended result.

Currently, the Fund does not have any intention of investing in options or futures for purposes other than hedging. If the Fund will be financially exposed to another party due to its investments in options or futures, the Fund will maintain either: (1) an offsetting (“covered”) position in the underlying security or an offsetting option or futures contract; or (2) cash, receivables and liquid debt securities with a value sufficient at all times to cover its potential obligations. The Fund will comply with SEC guidelines with respect to coverage of these strategies and, if the guidelines require, will set aside cash, liquid securities and other permissible assets (“Segregated Assets”) in a segregated account with that Fund’s Custodian in the prescribed amount. Segregated Assets cannot be sold or closed out while the hedging strategy is outstanding, unless the Segregated Assets are replaced with similar assets. As a result, there is a possibility that the use of cover or segregation involving a large percentage of the Fund’s assets could impede portfolio management or the Fund’s ability to meet redemption requests or other current obligations.

The Fund filed a notice with the National Futures Association on April 25, 2008 claiming exclusion from the definition of the term “commodity pool operator” under the Commodity Exchange Act (the “Act”) and therefore the Fund is not subject to registration or regulation as a commodity pool operator under the Act.

 

5


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2. Options and Futures Contracts

Options on Securities. A call option is a contract under which the purchaser of the call option, in return for a premium paid, has the right to buy the security (or index) underlying the option at a specified price at any time during the term of the option. The writer of the call option, who receives the premium, has the obligation upon exercise of the option to deliver the underlying security against payment of the exercise price. A put option gives its purchaser, in return for a premium, the right to sell the underlying security at a specified price during the term of the option. The writer of the put, who receives the premium, has the obligation to buy, upon exercise of the option, the underlying security (or a cash amount equal to the value of the index) at the exercise price. The amount of a premium received or paid for an option is based upon certain factors including the market price of the underlying security, the relationship of the exercise price to the market price, the historical price volatility of the underlying security, the option period and interest rates.

Options on Stock Indices. A stock index assigns relative values to the stock included in the index, and the index fluctuates with changes in the market values of the stocks included in the index. Stock index options operate in the same way as the more traditional options on securities except that stock index options are settled exclusively in cash and do not involve delivery of securities. Thus, upon exercise of stock index options, the purchaser will realize and the writer will pay an amount based on the differences between the exercise price and the closing price of the stock index.

Options on Foreign Currency. Options on foreign currency operate in the same way as more traditional options on securities except that currency options are settled exclusively in the currency subject to the option. The value of a currency option is dependent upon the value of the currency relative to the U.S. dollar and has no relationship to the investment merits of a foreign security. Because 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 in transactions of less than $1 million) for the underlying currencies at prices that are less favorable than round lots. To the extent that the U.S. options markets are closed while the market for the underlying currencies are open, significant price and rate movements may take place in the underlying markets that cannot be reflected in the options markets.

Options on Futures. Options on futures contracts are similar to options on securities except that an option on a futures contract gives the purchaser the right, in return for the premium paid, to assume a position in a futures contract rather than to purchase or sell a security, at a specified exercise price at any time during the period of the option. Upon exercise of the option, the delivery of the futures position to the holder of the option will be accompanied by transfer to the holder of an accumulated balance representing the amount by which the market price of the futures contract exceeds, in the case of a call, or is less than, in the case of a put, the exercise price of the option on the future.

Futures Contracts and Index Futures Contracts. A futures contract is a bilateral agreement where one party agrees to accept, and the other party agrees to make, delivery of cash or an underlying debt security, as called for in the contract, at a specified date and at an agreed upon price. An index futures contract involves the delivery of an amount of cash equal to a specified dollar amount multiplied by the difference between the index value at the close of trading of the contract and at the price designated by the futures contract. No physical delivery of the securities comprising the index is made. Generally, these futures contracts are closed out prior to the expiration date of the contracts.

 

3. Risks of Options and Futures Transactions

There are certain investment risks associated with options and futures transactions. These risks include: (1) dependence on the Adviser’s or Sub-Adviser’s ability to predict movements in the prices of individual securities and fluctuations in the general securities markets; (2) imperfect correlation between movements in the prices of options and movements in the price of the securities (or indices) hedged or used for cover which may cause a given hedge not to achieve its objective; (3) the fact that the skills and techniques needed to trade these instruments are different from those needed to select the securities in which the Fund invests; and (4) lack of assurance that a liquid secondary market will exist for any particular instrument at any particular time, which, among other things, may hinder the Fund’s ability to limit exposures by closing its positions. The potential loss to the Fund from investing in certain types of futures transactions is unlimited.

Other risks include the inability of the Fund, as the writer of covered call options, to benefit from any appreciation of the underlying securities above the exercise price, and the possible loss of the entire premium paid for options purchased by the Fund. In addition, the futures exchanges may limit the amount of fluctuation permitted in certain futures contract prices or related options during a single trading day. The Fund may be forced, therefore, to liquidate or close out a futures contract position at a disadvantageous price. There is no assurance that a counterparty in an over-the-counter option transaction will be able to perform its obligations. The Fund may use various futures contracts that are relatively new instruments without a significant trading history. As a result, there can be no assurance that an active secondary market in those contracts will

 

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develop or continue to exist. The Fund’s activities in the futures and options markets may result in higher portfolio turnover rates and additional brokerage costs, which could reduce the Fund’s return.

 

D. Illiquid and Restricted Securities

 

1. General

The Fund may invest in illiquid and restricted securities, subject to the limitations described below in the “Investment Limitations – Non-Fundamental Limitations – Illiquid Securities” section. The term “illiquid securities” means securities that cannot be disposed of within seven days in the ordinary course of business at approximately the amount at which the Fund has valued the securities. Illiquid securities include: (1) repurchase agreements not entitling the holder to payment of principal within seven days; (2) purchased over-the-counter options; (3) securities which are not readily marketable; and (4) subject to certain exceptions, securities subject to contractual or legal restrictions on resale because they have not been registered under the 1933 Act (“restricted securities”).

 

2. Risks

Limitations on resale may have an adverse effect on the marketability of a security and the Fund might also have to register a restricted security in order to dispose of it, resulting in expense and delay. The Fund might not be able to dispose of restricted or illiquid securities promptly or at reasonable prices and might thereby experience difficulty satisfying redemption requests. There can be no assurance that a liquid market will exist for any security at any particular time. Any security, including securities determined by the Adviser to be liquid, can become illiquid.

 

3. Determination of Liquidity

The Board has the ultimate responsibility for determining whether specific securities are liquid or illiquid and has delegated the function of making determinations of liquidity to the Adviser pursuant to guidelines approved by the Board. The Adviser, in consultation with the Sub-Adviser, determines and monitors the liquidity of the portfolio securities and reports periodically on its decisions to the Board. The Adviser takes into account a number of factors in reaching liquidity decisions, including but not limited to: (1) the frequency of trades and quotations for the security; (2) the number of dealers willing to purchase or sell the security and the number of other potential buyers; (3) the willingness of dealers to undertake to make a market in the security; and (4) the nature of the marketplace trades, including the time needed to dispose of the security, the method of soliciting offers and the mechanics of the transfer. The Adviser relies on the input of the Sub-Adviser in making these determinations.

An institutional market has developed for certain restricted securities. Accordingly, contractual or legal restrictions on the resale of a security may not be indicative of the liquidity of the security. If such securities are eligible for purchase by institutional buyers in accordance with Rule 144A under the 1933 Act or other exemptions, the Adviser may determine that the securities are liquid.

 

E. Investment Company Securities

 

1. Open-End and Closed-End Investment Companies

General. The Fund may invest in shares of closed-end investment companies that invest in real estate or real estate-related companies. In order to manage its cash position, the Fund may also invest in shares of other open-end and closed-end investment companies and unit investment trusts that invest in U.S. Government Securities or other money market instruments. The Fund may invest in the securities of other open-end and closed-end investment companies to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act Laws, Interpretations and Exemptions.

Risks. The Fund, as a shareholder of another investment company, will bear its pro-rata portion of the other investment company’s advisory fee and other expenses, in addition to its own expenses and will be exposed to the investment risks associated with the other investment company. To the extent that the Fund invests in closed-end companies that invest primarily in the securities of issuers located outside the United States, see the risks related to foreign securities set forth in the section entitled “Investment Policies and Risks – Foreign Securities Risks” above.

Exchange-Traded Funds. The Fund may purchase shares of exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”). The Fund’s purchases of shares of an ETF are subject to the same limitations as investments in other types of investment companies, as described in this SAI.

ETFs hold portfolios of securities, commodities and/or currencies that are designed to replicate, as closely as possible before expenses, the price and/or yield of (i) a specified market or other index, (ii) a basket of securities, commodities or currencies, or (iii) a particular commodity or currency. The ETFs’ performance results will not replicate exactly the performance of the pertinent index,

 

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basket, commodity or currency due to transaction and other expenses, including fees to service providers, borne by ETFs. ETF shares are sold and redeemed at net asset value only in large blocks called creation units and redemption units, respectively. ETF shares also may be purchased and sold in secondary market trading on national securities exchanges, which allows investors to purchase and sell ETF shares at exchange-traded market prices throughout the day.

Investments in ETFs involve the same risks associated with a direct investment in the commodity or currency, or in the types of securities, commodities and/or currencies included in the indices or baskets the ETFs are designed to replicate. In addition, ETF shares may trade at a market price that is higher or lower than their net asset value and an active trading market in such shares may not develop or continue. Moreover, trading of an ETF’s shares may be halted if the listing exchange’s officials deem such action to be appropriate, the shares are de-listed from the exchange, or the activation of market-wide “circuit breakers” (which are tied to large decreases in stock prices) halts stock trading generally. Finally there can be no assurance that the portfolio of securities, commodities and/or currencies purchased by an ETF to replicate a particular index or basket will replicate (i) such index or basket, or (ii) a commodity or currency will replicate the prices of such commodity or currency.

 

F. Fixed Income Securities

 

1. U.S. Government Securities

The Fund may invest in U.S. Government Securities. U.S. Government Securities include securities issued by the U.S. Treasury and by U.S. Government agencies and instrumentalities. U.S. Government Securities may be supported by the full faith and credit of the United States (such as mortgage-backed securities and certificates of the Government National Mortgage Association and securities of the Small Business Administration); by the right of the issuer to borrow from the U.S. Treasury (for example, Federal Home Loan Bank securities); by the discretionary authority of the U.S. Treasury to lend to the issuer (for example, Fannie Mae (formerly the Federal National Mortgage Association) securities); or solely by the creditworthiness of the issuer (for example, Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation securities).

Holders of U.S. Government Securities not backed by the full faith and credit of the United States must look principally to the agency or instrumentality issuing the obligation for repayment and may not be able to assert a claim against the United States in the event that the agency or instrumentality does not meet its commitment. No assurance can be given that the U.S. Government would provide support if it were not obligated to do so by law. Neither the U.S. Government nor any of its agencies or instrumentalities guarantees the market value of the securities they issue.

 

2. Other Fixed Income Securities

The Fund many invest in short-term money market instruments issued in the United States or abroad, denominated in U.S. dollars or any foreign currency. Short-term money market instruments include short-term fixed or variable rate certificates of deposit, time deposits with a maturity no greater than 180 days, bankers’ acceptances, commercial paper rated A-1 by S&P or Prime-1 by Moody’s or in similar other money market securities. Certificates of deposit represent an institution’s obligation to repay funds deposited with it that earn a specified interest rate over a given period. Bankers’ acceptances are negotiable obligations of a bank to pay a draft, which has been drawn by a customer, and are usually backed by goods in international trade. Time deposits are non-negotiable deposits with a banking institution that earn a specified interest rate over a given period. Certificates of deposit and time deposits generally may be withdrawn on demand by the Fund but may be subject to early withdrawal penalties that could reduce the Fund’s performance.

The Fund may also invest in other investment grade fixed income securities denominated in U.S. dollars, any foreign currency or in a multi-national currency unit (e.g. the European Currency Unit).

 

3. Risks

General. Yields on fixed income securities are dependent on a variety of factors, including the general conditions of the fixed income securities markets, the size of a particular offering, the maturity of the obligation and the rating of the issue. Fixed income securities with longer maturities tend to produce higher yields and are generally subject to greater price movements than obligations with shorter maturities. In addition, certain debt securities may be subject to extension risk, which refers to the change in total return on a security resulting from an extension or abbreviation of the security’s maturity. Finally, the issuers of debt securities are subject to the provisions of bankruptcy, insolvency and other laws affecting the rights and remedies of creditors that may restrict the ability of the issuer to pay, when due, the principal of and interest on its debt securities. The possibility exists therefore, that, as a result of bankruptcy, litigation or other conditions, the ability of an issuer to pay, when due, the principal of and interest on its fixed income securities may become impaired.

Interest Rate Risk. The market value of the interest-bearing fixed income securities held by the Fund will be affected by changes in interest rates. There is normally an inverse relationship between the market value of securities sensitive to prevailing interest rates and

 

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actual changes in interest rates. The longer the remaining maturity (and duration) of a security, the more sensitive the security is to changes in interest rates. Duration is a measurement of how long, in years, it takes for the price of a bond to be repaid by its internal cash flows. All fixed income securities, including U.S. Government Securities, can change in value when there is a change in interest rates. Changes in the ability of an issuer to make payments of interest and principal and in the markets’ perception of an issuer’s creditworthiness will also affect the market value of that issuer’s debt securities. As a result, an investment in the Fund is subject to risk even if all debt securities in the Fund’s investment portfolio are paid in full at maturity. In addition, issuers may prepay fixed rate securities when interest rates fall, forcing the Fund to invest in securities with lower interest rates.

Credit Risk. The financial condition of an issuer of a security held by the Fund may cause it to default on interest or principal payments due on a security. This risk generally increases as security credit ratings fall. To limit credit risk, the Fund limits its fixed income investments to short-term money market securities, including commercial paper rated in the highest short-term rating category, and other high quality (rated in the two highest ratings categories by an NRSRO) fixed income securities.

The Sub-Adviser may use NRSRO ratings to determine whether to purchase, sell or hold a security. Ratings are not, however, absolute standards of quality. Credit ratings attempt to evaluate the safety of principal and interest payments and do not evaluate the risks of fluctuations in market value. Consequently, similar securities with the same rating may have different market prices. In addition, rating agencies may fail to make timely changes in credit ratings and the issuer’s current financial condition may be better or worse than a rating indicates.

The Fund may retain a security that ceases to be rated or whose rating has been lowered below the Fund’s lowest permissible rating category if the Sub-Adviser determines that retaining the security is in the best interests of the Fund. Because a downgrade often results in a reduction in the market price of the security, sale of a downgraded security may result in a loss.

Foreign Securities Risks. To the extent that the Fund invests in fixed income securities of companies located outside the United States, see the risks related to foreign securities set forth in the section entitled “Investment Policies and Risks – Foreign Securities” above.

 

G. Foreign Currencies Transactions

General. Investments in foreign companies will usually involve currencies of foreign countries. The Fund may temporarily hold funds in bank deposits in foreign currencies during the completion of investment programs. The Fund may conduct foreign currency exchange transactions either on a cash basis at the rate prevailing in the foreign exchange market or by entering into a forward foreign currency contract. A forward 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. At or before settlement of a forward currency contract, the Fund may either deliver the currency or terminate its contractual obligation to deliver the currency by purchasing an offsetting contract. If the Fund makes delivery of the foreign currency at or before the settlement of a forward contract, it may be required to obtain the currency through the conversion of assets of the Fund into the currency. The Fund may close out a forward contract obligating it to purchase currency by selling an offsetting contract, in which case, it will realize a gain or a loss.

Forward contracts are considered “derivatives,” financial instruments whose performance is derived, at least in part, from the performance of another asset (such as a security, currency or an index of securities). 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. The Fund does not intend to enter into forward contracts on a regular or continuing basis and the Fund will not enter these contracts for speculative purposes.

The Fund will not have more than 10% of its total assets committed to forward contracts, or maintain a net exposure to forward contracts that would obligate the Fund to deliver an amount of foreign currency in excess of the value of the Fund’s investment securities or other assets denominated in that currency.

Risks. 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 Adviser and/or Sub-Adviser is inaccurate in its prediction of 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

 

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and the decision is made to sell the security and make delivery of the foreign currency. The use of forward contracts as a hedging technique does not eliminate fluctuations in the prices of the underlying securities the Fund owns or intends to acquire, but it does fix a rate of exchange in advance. Although forward contracts can reduce the risk of loss due to a decline in the value of the hedged currencies, they also limit any potential gain that might result from an increase in the value of the currencies. There is also the risk that the other party to the transaction may fail to deliver currency when due which may result in a loss to the Fund.

 

H. Leverage Transactions

 

1. General

The Fund may use leverage to increase potential returns. Leverage involves special risks and may involve speculative investment techniques. Leverage exists when cash made available to the Fund through an investment technique is used to make additional Fund investments. Leverage transactions include borrowing for other than temporary or emergency purposes, lending portfolio securities, entering into reverse repurchase agreements, and purchasing securities on a when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment basis. The Fund uses these investment techniques only when the Adviser believes that the leveraging and the returns available to the Fund from investing the cash will provide investors with a potentially higher return.

Borrowing. The Fund may borrow money from a bank in amounts up to 33 1/3% of total assets at the time of borrowing or enter into reverse repurchase agreements. Purchasing securities on a when-issued, delayed delivery or forward delivery basis are not subject to this limitation. A reverse repurchase agreement is a transaction in which the Fund sells securities to a bank or securities dealer and simultaneously commits to repurchase the securities from the bank or dealer at an agreed upon date and at a price reflecting a market rate of interest unrelated to the sold securities. An investment of the Fund’s assets in reverse repurchase agreements will increase the volatility of the Fund’s NAV. A counterparty to a reverse repurchase agreement must be a primary dealer that reports to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York or one of the largest 100 commercial banks in the United States.

Securities Lending and Repurchase Agreements. The Fund may lend portfolio securities in an amount up to 33 1/3% of its total assets to brokers, dealers and other financial institutions. In a portfolio securities lending transaction, the Fund receives from the borrower an amount equal to the interest paid or the dividends declared on the loaned securities during the term of the loan as well as the interest on the collateral securities, less any fees (such as finders or administrative fees) the Fund pays in arranging the loan. The Fund may share the interest it receives on the collateral securities with the borrower. The terms of the Fund’s loans will generally permit the Fund to reacquire loaned securities within a normal settlement period for the security involved or in time to vote on any important matter. Loans are subject to termination at the option of the Fund or the borrower at any time, and the borrowed securities must be returned when the loan is terminated. The Fund may pay fees to arrange for securities loans.

The Fund may enter into repurchase agreements which are transactions in which the Fund purchases a security and simultaneously agrees to resell that security to the seller at an agreed upon price on an agreed upon future date, normally, one to seven days later. If the Fund enters into a repurchase agreement, it will maintain possession of the purchased securities and any underlying collateral.

Securities loans and repurchase agreements must be continuously collateralized and the collateral must have market value at least equal to the value of the Fund’s loaned securities, plus accrued interest or, in the case of repurchase agreements, equal to the repurchase price of the securities, plus accrued interest.

When-Issued Securities and Forward Commitments. The Fund may purchase securities offered on a “when-issued” and “forward commitment” basis (including a delayed delivery basis). Securities purchased on a “when-issued” or “forward commitment basis” are securities not available for immediate delivery despite the fact that a market exists for those securities. A purchase is made on a “delayed delivery” basis when the transaction is structured to occur some time in the future.

When these transactions are negotiated, the price, which is generally expressed in yield terms, is fixed at the time the commitment is made, but delivery and payment for the securities take place at a later date. Normally, the settlement date occurs within two months after the transaction, but delayed settlements beyond two months may be negotiated. During the period between a commitment and settlement, no payment is made for the securities purchased by the purchaser and, thus, no interest accrues to the purchaser from the transaction. At the time the Fund makes the commitment to purchase securities on a when-issued basis, the Fund will record the transaction as a purchase and thereafter reflect the value each day of such securities in determining its NAV. No when-issued or forward commitments will be made by the Fund if, as a result, more than 25% of the Fund’s total assets would be committed to such transactions.

 

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2. Risks

Leverage creates the risk of magnified capital losses. Leverage may involve the creation of a liability that requires the Fund to pay interest (for instance, reverse repurchase agreements) or the creation of a liability that does not entail any interest costs (for instance, forward commitment costs).

The risks of leverage include a higher volatility of the NAV of the Fund’s securities which may be magnified by favorable or adverse market movements or changes in the cost of cash obtained by leveraging and the yield from invested cash. So long as the Fund is able to realize a net return on its investment portfolio that is higher than interest expense incurred, if any, leverage will result in higher current net investment income for the Fund than if the Fund were not leveraged. Changes in interest rates and related economic factors could cause the relationship between the cost of leveraging and the yield to change so that rates involved in the leveraging arrangement may substantially increase relative to the yield on the obligations in which the proceeds of the leveraging have been invested. To the extent that the interest expense involved in leveraging approaches the net return on the Fund’s investment portfolio, the benefit of leveraging will be reduced, and, if the interest expense incurred as a result of leveraging on borrowings were to exceed the net return to investors, the Fund’s use of leverage would result in a lower rate of return than if the Fund were not leveraged. In an extreme case, if the Fund’s current investment income were not sufficient to meet the interest expense of leveraging, it could be necessary for the Fund to liquidate certain of its investments at an inappropriate time.

Segregated Accounts. In order to attempt to reduce the risks involved in certain transactions involving leverage, the Fund’s Custodian will segregate cash and liquid securities with a value at least equal to the Fund’s commitments under these transactions. Segregated assets will be marked to market daily.

 

I. Temporary Defensive Position

The Fund may invest in prime quality money market instruments, pending investment of cash balances. The Fund may also assume a temporary defensive position and may invest without limit in prime quality money market instruments. Prime quality instruments are those instruments that are rated in one of the two highest short-term rating categories by an NRSRO or, if not rated, determined by the Sub-Adviser to be of comparable quality.

Money market instruments usually have maturities of one year or less and fixed rates of return. The money market instruments in which the Fund may invest include short-term U.S. Government Securities, commercial paper, bankers’ acceptances, certificates of deposit, interest-bearing savings deposits of commercial banks, repurchase agreements concerning securities in which the Fund may invest and money market mutual funds.

 

2. Investment Limitations

Except as required by the 1940 Act or the Code, if any percentage restriction on investment or utilization of assets is adhered to at the time an investment is made, a later change in percentage resulting from a change in the market values of the Fund’s assets or purchases and redemptions of Fund shares will not be considered a violation of the limitation.

A fundamental policy of the Fund cannot be changed without the affirmative vote of the lesser of: (1) 50% of the outstanding shares of the Fund; or (2) 67% of the shares of the Fund present or represented at a shareholders meeting at which the holders of more than 50% of the outstanding shares of the Fund are present or represented. A non-fundamental policy of the Fund may be changed by the Board without shareholder approval.

 

A. Fundamental Limitations

The Fund has adopted the following investment limitations that cannot be changed by the Board without affirmative shareholder approval as described above. The Fund may not:

 

1. Borrowing Money

Borrow money if, as a result, outstanding borrowings would exceed an amount equal to 33 1/3% of the Fund’s total assets.

 

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2. Concentration

Purchase a security if, as a result, more than 25% of the Fund’s total assets would be invested in securities of issuers conducting their principal business activities in the same industry, except that the Fund will invest at least 25% of the value of its total assets in securities issued by real estate and real estate-related companies (in which the Fund intends to concentrate). For purposes of this limitation, there is no limit on investments in U.S. Government Securities and repurchase agreements collateralized by U.S. Government Securities.

 

3. Diversification

With respect to 75% of its assets, purchase securities of any issuer (other than a U.S. Government Security or security of an investment company) if, as a result: (1) more than 5% of the Fund’s total assets would be invested in the securities of a that issuer; or (2) the Fund would own more than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of a that issuer.

 

4. Underwriting Activities

Underwrite securities issued by other persons except, to the extent that in connection with the disposition of portfolio securities, the Fund may be deemed to be an underwriter.

 

5. Making Loans

Make loans to other parties, except as permitted by the 1940 Act Laws, Interpretations and Exemptions. For purposes of this limitation, entering into repurchase agreements, lending securities and acquiring any debt security are not deemed to be the making of loans.

 

6. Purchases and Sales of Real Estate

Purchase or sell real estate, except that the Fund may invest in (i) securities directly or indirectly secured by real estate or interests therein or issued by companies that invest in real estate or interests therein or (ii) securities of issues that deal in real estate or are engaged in the real estate business, including real estate investment trusts. The Fund may hold real estate and sell real estate acquired through default, liquidation, or other distributions of an interest in real estate as a result of the Fund’s ownership of such securities.

 

7. Purchases and Sales of Commodities

Purchase or sell physical commodities unless acquired as a result of ownership of securities or other instruments (but this shall not prevent the Fund from purchasing or selling options and futures contracts or from investing in securities or other instruments backed by physical commodities).

 

8. Issuance of Senior Securities

Issue senior securities except as permitted by the 1940 Act Laws, Interpretations and Exemptions.

 

B. Non-Fundamental Limitations

The Fund has adopted the following investment limitations that may be changed by the Board without shareholder approval. The Fund may not:

 

1. Securities of Investment Companies

Invest in the securities of any investment company except to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act Laws, Interpretations and Exemptions.

 

2. Short Sales

Sell securities short, unless it owns or has the right to obtain securities equivalent in kind and amount to the securities sold short (short sales “against the box”), and provided that transactions in futures contracts and options are not deemed to constitute selling securities short.

 

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3. Purchases on Margin

Purchase securities on margin, except that the Fund may use short-term credit for the clearance of the Fund’s transactions, and provided that initial and variation margin payments in connection with futures contracts and options on futures contracts shall not constitute purchasing securities on margin.

 

4. Exercising Control of Issuers

Make investments for the purpose of exercising control of an issuer. Investments by the Fund in entities created under the laws of foreign countries solely to facilitate investment in securities in that country will not be deemed the making of investments for the purpose of exercising control.

 

5. Illiquid Securities

Invest more than 15% of its net assets in illiquid assets such as: (1) securities that cannot be disposed of within seven days at their then-current value; (2) repurchase agreements not entitling the holder to payment of principal within seven days; and (3) securities subject to restrictions on the sale of the securities to the public without registration under the 1933 Act that are not readily marketable. The Fund may treat certain restricted securities as liquid pursuant to guidelines adopted by the Board.

 

3. Management

 

A. Trustees and Officers of the Trust

The Board of Trustees is responsible for oversight of the management of the Trust’s business affairs and of the exercise of all the Trust’s powers except those reserved for shareholders. The following tables give information about each Board member (“Trustee”) and certain officers of the Trust. Each Trustee and officer holds office until the person resigns, is removed, or replaced. Unless otherwise noted, the persons have held their principal occupations for more than five years.

 

Name, Address and Age

  

Position(s)
Held with
Trust and
Length of Time Served(1)

  

Principal Occupation(s) During

Past 5 Years

  

Number of

Portfolios in

Fund Complex

Overseen by

Trustee

  

Other Trusteeships/

Directorships Held

Interested Trustee:            

Robert A. Bourne(2)

c/o CNL Fund Advisors Company

450 South Orange Avenue

Orlando, FL 32801

Age: 62

   Chairman of the Board and
Trustee, May
2007 to present
   Vice Chairman, CNL Financial Group, Inc. (real estate and development company). Mr. Bourne also serves and has served as a director and an officer for various affiliates of CNL Financial Group, Inc. including CNL Fund Advisors Company.    1    Director, CNL Financial Group, Inc.; Director, CNLBancshares, Inc.; Director, CNL Lifestyle Properties, Inc.
Independent Trustees:            

G. Richard Hostetter

c/o CNL Fund Advisors Company

450 South Orange Avenue

Orlando, FL 32801

Age: 69

   Trustee, May
2007 to present
   Principal, Century Capital Markets, LLC (financial services consultant) from 1999-present; Manager, Strategic Redevelopment Initiatives, LLC from 2005-present; Principal and employee of Florida CommerceCenters, LLC from February 2008-present.    1    None

James H. Kropp

c/o CNL Fund Advisors Company

450 South Orange Avenue

Orlando, FL 32801

Age: 60

   Trustee, May
2007 to present
   Chief Investment Officer, i3 Funds, LLC from 2009-present; Sr. VP- Investments, Gazit Group USA, Inc. (real estate company) from 2006-2008; Portfolio Manager, Realty Enterprise Funds from 1998-2006; Managing Director, Christopher Weil & Co. Inc. (broker-dealer) from 1995-2004.    1    Director, PS Business Parks, Inc.

 

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Name, Address and Age

  

Position(s)
Held with
Trust and
Length of
Time Served(1)

  

Principal Occupation(s) During

Past 5 Years

  

Number of

Portfolios in

Fund Complex

Overseen by

Trustee

  

Other Trusteeships/

Directorships Held

J. Joseph Kruse

c/o CNL Fund Advisors Company

450 South Orange Avenue

Orlando, FL 32801

Age: 76

   Trustee, May 2007 to present    Senior Advisor, Process Sensors Corp. (manufacturer of moisture sensors) from 2001-present; Senior Advisor, Hyde Park Capital (investment banking firm) from 2006-present; President, Kruse & Co., Inc. (merchant banking company) from 1993-present; Partner and Senior Advisor, G. William Miller & Co., Inc from 1983-present.    1    Chairman, Topsider Building Systems; Chairman, Professional Facilities Management (manages performing arts centers)
Officers:            

Andrew A. Hyltin

CNL Fund Advisors Company

450 South Orange Avenue

Orlando, FL 32801

Age: 50

   President, March 2009 to present    President, CNL Private Equity Corp. from 2005 – present and its Chief Investment Officer from 2004 – present; President, CNL Fund Advisors Company from 2009 – present.    N/A    Director, Florida Opportunity Fund (non-profit); Chairman, Front Line Outreach (educational non-profit)

Paul S. Saint-Pierre

CNL Fund Advisors Company

450 South Orange Avenue

Orlando, FL 32801

Age: 55

   Treasurer, May
2007 to present
   Senior Vice President and CFO, CNL Fund Advisors Company from 2007-present; Senior Vice President and CFO, CNL Fund Management Company from 2007-2008; CFO of Hovnanian Land Investment Group (land development and investment) from 2005-2007; Executive Vice President of Wall Street Realty Capital (real estate investment banking) prior to 2005.    N/A    N/A

Paul F. Hahesy

Foreside Compliance Services, LLC, Three Canal Plaza, Suite 100, Portland, Maine 04101

Age: 37

   Chief Compliance Officer, October 2008 to present    Director, Foreside Compliance Services, LLC from 2008-present; Compliance Manager, Foreside Compliance Services, LLC from 2005-2008; Compliance Consultant, MetLife Group, Inc. from 2001-2005.    N/A    N/A

Susan L. Terenzio

CNL Fund Advisors Company

450 South Orange Avenue

Orlando, FL 32801

Age: 48

   Secretary, March 2008 to present    Corporate Paralegal, CNL Financial Group, Inc. from 2004-present; Securities Paralegal, Bingham, McCutchen, LP from 2000-2003.    N/A    N/A

Frank J. DiPietro

State Street Bank and Trust Company

2 Avenue de Lafayette, Boston, MA 02110

Age: 38

  

Assistant

Treasurer, May 2007 to present

   Senior Director and Vice President, State Street Bank & Trust Company from 2005-present; Senior Manager Investment Accounting & Administration of PFPC Inc. from 1997-2005.    N/A    N/A

 

(1) Trustees hold their position with the Trust until their resignation or removal. Officers hold their positions with the Trust until a successor has been duly elected and qualified or until their earlier resignation or removal.

 

(2) Robert A. Bourne is considered to be an “Interested Trustee” due to his position as Director of CNL Financial Group, Inc., which is the parent company of the Trust’s Adviser.

 

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B. Trustee Ownership in Each Fund in Family of Investment Companies

The following table sets forth, for each Trustee, the aggregate dollar range of equity securities owned of the Fund as of March 31, 2009. The Fund is the only Fund in the Trust.

 

     Dollar Range of Equity
Securities in the Fund
   Aggregate Dollar Range of Equity Securities in
All Registered Investment Companies Overseen
by Trustee in Family of Investment Companies

Independent Trustees

     

G. Richard Hostetter

   $10,001 – $50,000    $10,001 – $50,000

James H. Kropp

   $50,001 – $100,000    $50,001 – $100,000

J. Joseph Kruse

   $10,001 – $50,000    $10,001 – $50,000

Interested Trustee

     

Robert A. Bourne

   Over $100,000    Over $100,000

As of March 31, 2009, the Trustees and officers of the Trust, as a group, owned 1.29% of outstanding shares of the Fund.

 

C. Ownership of Securities of the Adviser and Related Companies

As of the date of this SAI, no Independent Trustee or any of his immediate family members owned, beneficially or of record, securities of the Adviser or Sub-Adviser, the Distributor, or any person (other than a registered investment company) directly or indirectly, controlling, controlled by or under common control with any such company.

In 2004, independent trustee G. Richard Hostetter acted as co-guarantor of a loan from CNLBank to a Florida-based non-profit organization with which Mr. Hostetter was a director. The loan was in the amount of $200,000 and matures in September 2009. The loan is secured by a first lien on certain property owned by the non-profit organization, which in 2004 was valued well in excess of the loan amount. Mr. Hostetter has not been a director of the non-profit organization since 2005. CNLBank is a wholly-owned subsidiary of CNLBancshares, Inc., a Florida corporation which is a bank holding company. CNLBancshares, Inc., and the Adviser are both indirectly owned or controlled by a common owner.

Mr. Hostetter’s son-in-law was formerly employed by CNL Retirement Corp., the adviser to CNL Retirement Properties, Inc., a retirement-oriented properties real estate investment trust. CNL Retirement Corp. was indirectly owned and controlled by CNL Holdings, Inc. which was renamed to CFG I, Inc. In October 2006 CNL Retirement Corp. merged into a subsidiary of HCP, Inc., a publicly-traded company. Since the merger, CNL Retirement Corp. has not been affiliated with CFG I, Inc. (f/k/a CNL Holdings, Inc.) or any of its subsidiaries and Mr. Hostetter’s son-in-law has not held any officer, director or employee positions with any affiliate of CNL Fund Advisors Company.

 

D. Information Concerning Trust Committees

 

1. Audit Committee

The Trust’s Audit Committee consists of all of the Independent Trustees. The Audit Committee operates pursuant to a written Audit Committee Charter and meets periodically as necessary. The Audit Committee assists the Board in fulfilling its responsibility for oversight of the quality and integrity of the accounting, auditing and financial reporting practices of the Trust. It is directly responsible for the appointment, termination, compensation and oversight of work of the independent registered public accountants to the Trust. In so doing, the Committee reviews the methods, scope and results of the audits and audit fees charged, and reviews the Trust’s internal accounting procedures and controls. The Audit Committee also serves as the Trust’s qualified legal compliance committee (“QLCC”), within the meaning of the SEC’s conduct rules governing attorney’s practicing before the SEC. As such, the Audit Committee has adopted written procedures for the confidential receipt, retention, consideration, investigation and reporting of any report of evidence of a material violation of an applicable Federal or state securities law or a material breach of fiduciary duty arising under United States Federal or state law. The Audit Committee met four times during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2008.

 

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2. Governance Committee

The Trust’s Governance Committee consists of all of the Independent Trustees. The Governance Committee operates pursuant to a written Governance Committee Charter and meets periodically as necessary. The Governance Committee:

 

   

reviews and assesses the adequacy of the Board’s ongoing adherence to industry corporate governance best practices and makes recommendations as to any appropriate changes;

 

   

reviews and makes recommendations to the Board regarding trustee compensation;

 

   

undertakes periodically to coordinate and facilitate evaluations of the Board and Board committees and recommends improvements, as appropriate;

 

   

reviews, discusses and makes recommendations to the Board relating to those issues that pertain to the effectiveness of the Board in carrying out its responsibilities in governing the Trust and the Fund and overseeing the management of the Fund; and

 

   

addresses any Board vacancies.

If there is a vacancy on the Board, the Governance Committee will:

 

   

identify and evaluate potential candidates to fill the vacancy;

 

   

select from among the potential candidates a nominee to be presented to the full Board for its consideration; and

 

   

recommend to the Board a nominee to fill any vacancy.

When seeking suggestions for nominees to serve as independent trustees, the Governance Committee may consider suggestions from anyone it deems appropriate. When seeking to fill a position on the Board previously held by an interested trustee, the Governance Committee will consider the views and recommendations of the Adviser.

The Governance Committee shall consider nominees to the Board recommended in writing by a shareholder (other than shareholder recommendations of himself or herself) to serve as trustees, provided: (i) that such person is a shareholder of the Fund at the time he or she submits such names and is entitled to vote at the meeting of shareholders at which trustees will be elected; and (ii) that the Governance Committee or the Board, as applicable, shall make the final determination of persons to be nominated. The Governance Committee shall evaluate nominees recommended by a shareholder to serve as trustees in the same manner as they evaluate nominees identified by the Governance Committee.

A shareholder who desires to recommend a nominee shall submit a request in writing by regular mail or delivery service to the following address: CNL Fund Advisor Company, 450 South Orange Avenue, Orlando, Florida 32801, Attention: Secretary of The CNL Funds. Such request shall contain (i) the name, address and telephone number of, and number of Fund shares owned by, the person or entity or group of persons or entities on whose behalf the recommendation is being made, and the related account name, number and broker or account provider name and (ii) if any of such persons were not record owners of the Fund at the time the recommendation was submitted, verification acceptable in form and substance to the Trust of such person’s ownership of the Fund at the time the recommendation was made.

The Governance Committee met twice during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2008.

 

3. Independent Trustee Committee

The Trust’s Independent Trustee Committee consists of all of the Independent Trustees. The Independent Trustee Committee operates pursuant to a written Independent Trustee Committee Charter and meets periodically as necessary. The Independent Trustee Committee assists the Board by acting as a liaison between the Board and the Trust’s principal service providers, including without limitation, the Adviser. The Committee is responsible for assessing the flow of information between management and the Board and overseeing the annual approval process of the Trust’s advisory, sub-advisory and distribution contracts. The Committee is also responsible for addressing conflict of interest matters and directing the retention of any consultants that that Board may deem necessary or appropriate. The Independent Trustee Committee met once during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2008.

 

E. Compensation of Trustees and Officers

Each Independent Trustee is paid an annual retainer fee of $2,000 for service to the Trust. In addition, the Audit Committee chair, the Governance Committee chair and the Independent Trustee Committee Chair each receives $2,000 per annum for fulfilling these roles. In addition, each Independent Trustee is paid a fee of $1,500 for each regular Board meeting attended whether the regular or special Board meetings are attended in person or by telephone. In addition, each Independent Trustee is paid a fee of $1,000 for each committee meeting, including Audit Committee, Governance Committee and Independent

 

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Trustee Committee meetings. Trustees are also reimbursed for all reasonable out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with his duties as a Trustee, including travel and related expenses incurred in attending Board meetings. No officer of the Trust is compensated by the Trust. The following table sets forth the fees paid to each Trustee by the Fund and the Fund Complex for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2008.

 

Trustee

   Aggregate Compensation
from the Fund
   Total Compensation from
Trust and Fund Complex

G. Richard Hostetter

   $ 17,500    $ 17,500

James H. Kropp

   $ 17,500    $ 17,500

J. Joseph Kruse

   $ 17,500    $ 17,500

 

F. Investment Advisers

 

1. Services of Adviser and Sub-Adviser

Adviser. The Trust has hired CNL Fund Advisors Company to serve as investment adviser to the Fund. The Adviser and the Trust have in turn hired the Sub-Adviser to serve as investment sub-adviser to the Fund.

 

Adviser    CNL Fund Advisors Company
Agreement    Investment Advisory Agreement between the Adviser and the Trust, on behalf of the Fund, dated May 24, 2007 (“Advisory Agreement”)
Fees    For its services to the Fund, the Adviser receives an annual fee, accrued daily and payable following the last day of each month, equal to 1.00% of the Fund’s average daily net assets. Each class of the Fund’s shares pays its proportionate share of the Fee.

The Advisory Agreement was approved by the Trust’s Board on May 24, 2007. The Advisory Agreement provides that the Adviser has the general responsibility to provide a program of continuous investment management for and invest and reinvest the assets of the Fund (and any additional Funds the Trust may establish). The Adviser’s responsibilities under the Advisory Agreement include: (a) providing a program of continuous investment management for a Fund in accordance with the Fund’s investment objectives, policies and limitations as stated in the Fund’s Prospectus and SAI; (b) making decisions for a Fund regarding investments and the allocation of assets; and (c) placing orders to purchase and sell securities for a Fund. In performing its advisory services to a Fund, the Adviser will provide the Fund with ongoing investment guidance and policy direction, including oral and written research, analysis, advice, statistical and economic data, and judgments regarding individual investments, general economic conditions and trends and long-range investment policy. The Adviser will determine the securities, instruments, repurchase agreements, options, futures and other investments and techniques that a Fund will purchase, sell, enter into or use, and will provide an ongoing evaluation of the Fund’s investments. The Adviser will determine what portion of a Fund’s investments shall be invested in securities and other assets, and what portion, if any, should be held uninvested.

Subject to the approval of the Board (including a majority of the Independent Trustees), the Adviser may select and delegate to one or more sub-advisers any of its duties listed above. If the Adviser delegates its duties to one or more sub-advisers, the Adviser will: (1) oversee the investment decisions of each of the sub-advisers and monitor and evaluate the performance of the sub-advisers; (2) oversee the portfolio trading by the sub-advisers, including without limitation, trade allocation policies and procedures, best execution and the use of soft dollars; (3) oversee the sub-advisers’ compliance with a Fund’s investment objective, policies, prospectus limitations and other relevant investment restrictions; (4) coordinate communications with each of the sub-advisers; (5), if applicable and when appropriate, allocate and reallocate assets of a Fund among multiple sub-advisers; and (6) if deemed necessary, recommend to the Board the termination or replacement of one or more sub-advisers.

The Advisory Agreement will continue for an initial period ending May 24, 2009, and thereafter will continue for successive annual periods provided that its continuance is specifically approved annually by (i) the Trustees or (ii) a vote of a “majority” (as defined in the 1940 Act) of the Fund’s outstanding voting securities (as defined in the 1940 Act), provided that in either event the continuance is also approved by a majority of the Independent Trustees by vote cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on such approval.

The Advisory Agreement may be terminated as to a Fund (a) at any time without penalty by the Trust upon the vote of a majority of the Trustees or by vote of the majority of the Fund’s outstanding voting securities, upon sixty (60) days’ written notice to the Adviser or (b) by the Adviser at any time without penalty, upon sixty (60) days’ written notice to the Trust. The Advisory Agreement will terminate automatically in the event of its assignment (as defined in the 1940 Act).

 

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Under the Advisory Agreement, the Adviser is not liable to the Trust, any Fund, or to any shareholder of the Trust for any error of judgment or mistake of law or for any loss suffered by the Trust, any Fund or the shareholders of the Trust in the performance of its duties under the Advisory Agreement, except for willful misfeasance, bad faith or gross negligence in the performance of its duties or by reason of reckless disregard of its obligations and duties under the Advisory Agreement.

The Adviser pays all fees of the Sub-Adviser from the fees it receives under the Advisory Agreement. The Adviser waived the entire amount of its management fee payable by the Fund pursuant to the expense limitation arrangement described in the following paragraph. As a result, the Fund paid no management fee to the Adviser for the fiscal period ended December 31, 2007 and for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2008.

The Adviser has contractually agreed to waive its fee and/or reimburse Fund expenses to the extent necessary to maintain the Fund’s annual operating expenses for Class A shares, Class C shares, and Institutional Class shares at 1.80%, 2.55%, and 1.55%, respectively (“Expense Limits”). The Expense Limits exclude interest, taxes, brokerage costs and commissions, dividends on short sales and other expenditures which are capitalized in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles and other extraordinary expenses not incurred in the ordinary course of a Fund’s business. At its meeting on February 26, 2008, the Board of Trustees, including a majority of the Independent Trustees, approved the extension of the expense limitation agreement through April 30, 2010. The expense limitation agreement will continue thereafter from year to year provided such continuance is specifically approved by a majority of the Independent Trustees. The Fund has agreed to repay the Adviser for amounts waived or reimbursed by the Adviser pursuant to the expense limitation agreement subject to the following conditions: if the estimated Fund expenses for the fiscal year are less than the corresponding Expense Limit for that year, subject to quarterly approval by the Board, the Adviser shall be entitled to reimbursement by such Fund, in whole or in part, of the advisory fees waived or reduced and other payments remitted by the Adviser to such Fund. The total amount of reimbursement to which the Adviser may be entitled (the “Reimbursement Amount”) shall equal, at any time, the sum of all advisory fees previously waived or reduced by the Adviser and all other payments remitted by the Adviser to the Fund during any of the previous three (3) fiscal years, less any reimbursement previously paid by such Fund to the Adviser with respect to such waivers, reductions, and payments. The Reimbursement Amount shall not include any additional charges or fees whatsoever, including, e.g., interest accruable on the Reimbursement Amount.

The Sub-Adviser has contractually agreed to share the Adviser’s obligation to waive and/or reimburse Fund expenses to the extent that the total annual operating expenses exceed the Expense Limit.

The Trust has entered into a Brand License Agreement (“License Agreement”) with CNL Intellectual Properties Inc. (“Licensor”), an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of CFG I, Inc. (f/k/a CNL Holdings, Inc.) Under the License Agreement, the Licensor has granted the Trust (“Licensee”) a non-exclusive license to use the name and mark “CNL” and various other intellectual property and materials, including service marks, in connection with the Trust’s mutual fund business.

Under the License Agreement, the Trust agrees to indemnify and hold Licensor, its affiliates, and certain other parties, including Licensor’s and its affiliates’ employees, contractors, agents, directors, and officers (“Representatives”), harmless from any and all damages, losses, costs, and liabilities which it or they may suffer or incur, that have arisen out of, resulted from or are connected to: (1) any claims, actions, or lawsuits by third parties against Licensor, its affiliates, or any of their Representatives involving or arising from the mutual fund shares, products and services advertised and sold by Licensee to the extent not directly attributable to any fault of Licensor, its affiliates, or its Representatives; (2) any disclosure or use of Confidential Information (as defined in the License Agreement) by Licensee or any of Licensee’s Representatives that is not permitted under the terms of the License Agreement; (3) the failure by Licensee to comply with any of the Policies & Standards (as defined in the License Agreement); or (4) a breach of or other failure by Licensee to comply with any of the terms or conditions of the License Agreement.

The initial term of the License Agreement began on May 24, 2007 and continued until May 23, 2008 (the “Initial Term”). Thereafter, License Agreement automatically renews for consecutive periods of one (1) year each after the expiration of the Initial Term (each, a “Renewal Term” and collectively, the “Renewal Terms”; the Initial Term together with any Renewal Terms being called the “Term”) unless either party gives the other party written notice of termination at least ninety (90) days prior to the end of the current Term.

Sub-Adviser

The Trust and the Adviser have hired the Sub-Adviser to provide day-to-day management of the Fund’s investments. The Sub-Adviser is not an affiliate of the Trust, its affiliated persons, or the Adviser other than as by reason of serving as investment sub-adviser to the Fund.

 

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Sub-Adviser    CB Richard Ellis Global Real Estate Securities, LLC
Agreement    Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement among the Trust, the Sub-Adviser and the Adviser, dated August 24, 2007 (“Sub-Advisory Agreement”).
Fees    For the Sub-Adviser’s services to the Fund, the Adviser pays the Sub-Adviser an annual fee, accrued daily and payable following the last day of each month, equal to 0.50% of the Fund’s average daily net assets. The Sub-Adviser has contractually agreed to reduce its sub-advisory fee by an amount equal to 50% of the fees waived or expenses reimbursed by the Adviser in the event the total annual operating expenses exceed the Expense Limits, and the Sub-Adviser will be repaid upon repayment to the Adviser by the Fund.

The Sub-Advisory Agreement was approved by the Trust’s Board on August 23, 2007. Subject to the oversight of the Board and the Adviser, the Sub-Adviser makes decisions regarding the investment and reinvestment of the Fund’s assets allocated to it for management by the Adviser.

Under the Sub-Advisory Agreement, and subject to supervision and oversight by the Adviser and the Board, the Sub-Adviser manages (i) the investment operations of the Fund, and (ii) the composition of the Fund’s assets, including the purchase, retention and disposition thereof, in accordance with the Fund’s investment objectives, policies and restrictions as stated in the Fund’s Prospectus and SAI as currently in effect and as amended or supplemented from time to time.

Under the Sub-Advisory Agreement, the Sub-Adviser is authorized to place transactions with brokers who provide the Sub-Adviser with investment research, such as reports concerning individual issuers, industries and general economic and financial trends, and other research services. The Sub-Advisory Agreement permits the Sub-Adviser to cause the Fund to pay a broker or dealer that furnishes brokerage and research services a higher commission than that which might be charged by another broker or dealer for effecting the same transaction, provided that the Sub-Adviser determines in good faith that such commission is reasonable in relation to the value of the brokerage and research services provided by such broker or dealer, viewed in terms of either the particular transaction or the overall responsibilities of the Sub-Adviser to the Funds. The Sub-Adviser will place portfolio transactions with a view to seeking the best price and execution.

The Sub-Advisory Agreement authorizes the Trust to use the names CB Richard Ellis, CB Richard Ellis Global Real Estate Securities, LLC, CBRE, CB Richard Ellis Investors, CBRE Investors or any derivative thereof, and any trade name, trademark, trade device, service mark, symbol or logo associated with those names (collectively the “Marks”) with the specific prior written approval of the Sub-Adviser, during the term of the Sub-Advisory Agreement. Upon termination of the Sub-Advisory Agreement or the Sub-Adviser’s revocation in writing of its approval to use the Marks, the Adviser and the Trust are required to cease use of such Marks.

The Sub-Advisory Agreement will continue for an initial period ending May 24, 2009, and thereafter will continue for successive annual periods, provided its continuance is specifically approved annually by (i) the Trustees or (ii) a vote of a “majority” (as defined in the 1940 Act) of the Fund’s outstanding voting securities (as defined in the 1940 Act), provided that in either event the continuance is also approved by a majority of the Independent Trustees by vote cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on such approval.

The Sub-Advisory Agreement may be terminated (a) by a Fund at any time, without the payment of any penalty, by the Board or by the vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of a Fund, (b) by the Adviser at any time, without the payment of any penalty, on not less than 90 days’ written notice to the other parties, or (c) by the Sub-Adviser at any time, without the payment of any penalty, on not less than 90 days’ written notice to the other parties. The Sub-Advisory Agreement will terminate automatically and immediately in the event of its assignment (as defined in the 1940 Act).

In the absence of any willful misfeasance, bad faith or gross negligence in the performance of its duties or any reckless disregard of its obligations and duties under the Sub-Advisory Agreement, the Sub-Adviser shall not be liable to the Adviser, the Trust or their shareholders, directors, officers and employees for good faith mistakes of judgment or for action or inaction taken in good faith for a purpose the Sub-Adviser reasonably believes to be in the best interests of the Fund. However, this provision of the Sub-Advisory Agreement shall not constitute a waiver or limitation of any rights which the Adviser or the Trust may have under Federal or state laws.

Under the Sub-Advisory Agreement, the Adviser and the Trust shall each indemnify and hold harmless the Sub-Adviser and its shareholders, directors, officers and employees against any loss, liability, claim, damage or expense (including reasonable attorneys’ fees and costs) arising out of the Adviser’s or the Trust’s breach of their respective duties or obligations under the Sub-Advisory Agreement or breach of applicable law, rule or regulation in connection with the Adviser’s or the Trust’s respective performance under the Sub-Advisory Agreement; provided, however, that nothing in the Sub-Advisory Agreement

 

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shall be deemed to protect the Sub-Adviser against any liability to which the Sub-Adviser would otherwise be subject by reason of willful misfeasance, bad faith or gross negligence on its part in the performance of its duties under the Sub-Advisory Agreement or by reason of the Sub-Adviser’s reckless disregard of its obligations and duties under the Sub-Advisory Agreement.

Similarly, the Sub-Adviser shall indemnify and hold harmless the Trust and the Adviser and their shareholders, directors, trustees, officers and employees against any loss, liability, claim, damage or expense (including reasonable attorneys’ fees and costs) arising out of the Sub-Adviser’s breach of its duties or obligations under the Sub-Advisory Agreement or breach of applicable law, rule or regulation in connection with Sub-Adviser’s performance under the Sub-Advisory Agreement; provided, however, that nothing in the Sub-Advisory Agreement shall be deemed to protect the Adviser or Trust against any liability to which the Adviser or Trust would otherwise be subject by reason of willful misfeasance, bad faith or gross negligence on its part in the performance of its duties under the Sub-Advisory Agreement or by reason of the Adviser’s or Trust’s reckless disregard of its obligations and duties under the Sub-Advisory Agreement.

In addition, the Trust and the Adviser, severally and not jointly, have each agreed to indemnify and hold harmless the Sub-Adviser, the shareholders, the directors, officers, employees, agents and affiliates of the Sub-Adviser (collectively, the “Sub-Adviser Indemnified Parties”), against any and all loss, liability, claim, damage and expense whatsoever, as incurred, arising out of (i) the Trust’s Registration Statement, all prospectuses, proxy statements, reports to shareholders, sales literature, marketing materials or other materials prepared for distribution to shareholders of the Trust, the public or otherwise in connection with the capital raising for the Trust (collectively, the “Offering Materials”) and (ii) otherwise in connection with the operations or maintenance of the Trust; provided that no such indemnification shall be provided to the Sub-Adviser to the extent any such loss, liability, claim, damage and expense arises from information or disclosures relating specifically to the Sub-Adviser, its affiliates, employees, policies, procedures or services the disclosure of which had been previously approved in writing by the Sub-Adviser. The Sub-Adviser agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Trust, the trustees, officers, employees and agents of the Trust and each person, if any, who controls the Trust within the meaning of Section 15 of the 1933 Act (collectively, the “Trust Indemnified Parties”) and the Adviser, its shareholders, the directors, officers, employees and agents of the Adviser and each person, if any, who controls the Adviser within the meaning of Section 15 of the 1933 Act (collectively, the “Adviser Indemnified Parties”) against any and all loss, liability, claim, damage and expense whatsoever, as incurred, arising directly from information in the Offering Materials, relating specifically to the Sub-Adviser, its affiliates, employees, policies, procedures or services the disclosure of which had been previously approved in writing by the Sub-Adviser.

The Sub-Adviser may provide similar services to other investment companies or to other clients or engage in other activities, provided such other services and activities do not, during the term of the Sub-Advisory Agreement, interfere with the Sub-Adviser’s ability to meet its obligations to the Adviser, the Trust and the Fund.

The Adviser pays all fees of the Sub-Adviser from the fees it receives under the Advisory Agreement.

 

2. Ownership of Adviser and Sub-Adviser

The Adviser is an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of CNL Financial Group, Inc., one of the largest, privately held real estate investment and development companies in the United States that has been in business since 1973. The Adviser is located at 450 South Orange Avenue, Orlando, FL 32801. The Sub-Adviser is CB Richard Ellis Global Real Estate Securities, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company. The Sub-Adviser is a subsidiary of CB Richard Ellis Investors, LLC, which is the real estate investment management affiliate and wholly-owned subsidiary of CB Richard Ellis Group, Inc.

 

3. Information Regarding Portfolio Managers

The following information regarding the Fund’s portfolio managers has been provided by the Sub-Adviser.

Other Accounts Under Management

The Fund’s portfolio managers also manage other pooled investment vehicles that are not registered mutual funds, and other accounts managed for organizations and individuals. The following chart reflects accounts other than the Funds for which each portfolio manager has day-to-day management responsibilities as of December 31, 2008. Accounts are grouped into three categories: (i) mutual funds, (ii) other pooled investment vehicles, and (iii) other accounts. To the extent that any of these accounts pay advisory fees that are based on performance of the account (“performance-based fees”), that information is specifically identified.

 

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Name of Portfolio Manager

  

Number of Accounts Managed by Each Portfolio Manager and Total Assets in Each Category

Jeremy Anagnos    Registered Investment Companies – 1 account with $28 million in total assets under management.
   16 Other Pooled Investment Vehicles with $914 million in total assets under management, of which 0 accounts ($0 million) are subject to a performance-based advisory fee.
   14 Other Accounts with $535 million in total assets under management, of which 1 account ($93 million) is subject to a performance-based advisory fee.

Name of Portfolio Manager

  

Number of Accounts Managed by Each Portfolio Manager and Total Assets in Each Category

W. Stevens Carroll    Registered Investment Companies – 1 account with $28 million in total assets under management.
   16 Other Pooled Investment Vehicles with $914 million in total assets under management, of which 0 accounts ($0 million) are subject to a performance-based advisory fee.
   14 Other Accounts with $535 million in total assets under management, of which 1 account ($93 million) is subject to a performance-based advisory fee.
William K. Morrill    Registered Investment Companies – 1 account with $28 million in total assets under management.
   16 Other Pooled Investment Vehicles with $914 million in total assets under management, of which 0 accounts ($0 million) are subject to a performance-based advisory fee.
   14 Other Accounts with $535 million in total assets under management, of which 1 account ($93 million) is subject to a performance-based advisory fee.

Note: Mr. Anagnos, Mr. Carroll, and Mr. Morrill jointly manage all 31 accounts reflected above.

Conflicts of Interest: If the Sub-Adviser believes that there is a conflict in relation to trading securities between the interests of the Sub-Adviser and a client or between one client and another or multiple clients, then the Sub-Adviser must contact the clients involved to obtain their consent prior to trading. The Sub-Adviser has adopted trade allocation and other policies and procedures that it believes are reasonably designed to address these and other conflicts of interest. As a result, the Sub-Adviser does not believe that any of these potential sources of conflicts of interest will affect the Sub-Adviser’s professional judgment in managing the Fund. When necessary, the Sub-Adviser shall address known conflicts of interests in its trading practices by disclosure to clients and/or in its Form ADV or other appropriate action. However, there is no guarantee that such procedures will detect each and every situation where a conflict arises.

Compensation: The Sub-Adviser’s Co-Chief Investment Officers are remunerated with base salary and a significant interest in the Sub-Adviser. Such persons, senior management and senior investment staff of the Sub-Adviser hold a significant interest in the company and, as such, a significant portion of their compensation is tied to the profits and performance of the company.

Aside from the Co-Chief Investment Officers, the investment staff is remunerated with a base salary, a performance bonus and, in some cases, a material profits interest in the Sub-Adviser. The performance bonus is set as a target at the beginning of the year, usually at approximately 20% of the base salary. The profits interest in the Sub-Adviser is granted by senior management and entitles the employee to a share in the profits of the Sub-Adviser. The profits interest typically vests over a three year period. As a result, the Sub-Adviser believes that its investment team has a very strong bond to the Sub-Adviser for the long term.

Portfolio Manager Ownership in the Fund. The following table sets forth the dollar range of equity securities of the Fund beneficially owned by each Portfolio Manager as of March 31, 2009:

 

Name of Portfolio Manager

   Dollar Range of Shares Beneficially Owned

Jeremy Anagnos

   None

W. Stevens Carroll

   None

William K. Morrill

   None

 

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G. Distributor

 

1. Distribution Services

The Distributor (also known as principal underwriter) of the shares of the Fund 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 (FINRA).

Under a Distribution Agreement with the Trust, 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 may enter into agreements with selected broker-dealers, banks or other financial institutions (each a “Financial Institution,” collectively, the “Financial Institutions”) for distribution and/or servicing of shares of the Fund (see “Purchases through Financial Institutions” below).

Pursuant to the Distribution Agreement, the Distributor receives, and may reallow to broker-dealers, all or a portion of the sales charge paid by the purchasers of Class A shares and Class C shares. The Distributor may also retain any portion of the distribution and/or shareholder servicing (12b-1) fees received from the Fund that are not paid to Financial Intermediaries.

The following chart reflects the total sales charges paid in connection with the sale of Class A shares of the Fund and the amount retained by the Distributor for the fiscal period October 26, 2007 through December 31, 2007 and for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2008:

 

2008

  

2007

Sales Charges    Amount Retained    Sales Charges    Amount Retained
$7,215    $0    $0    $0

The following chart reflects the contingent deferred sales charges (“CDSCs”) paid by Class A shareholders and retained by the Distributor for the fiscal period October 26, 2007 through December 31, 2007 and for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2008:

 

2008

  

2007

 $0

   $0

The Distributor has entered into an arrangement with CNL Securities Corp. (“CSC”) whereby CSC will use its best efforts, consistent with its other business, to introduce the Fund to retail broker-dealers, and to facilitate the negotiation and execution of selected dealer agreements between the Distributor and such retail broker-dealers. In connection with these obligations, CSC shall also produce and distribute sales literature and advertising materials pertaining to the Fund, subject to the approval of the Distributor. Under the Wholesale Broker Agreement, CSC will compensate the Distributor for its distribution services with a fixed fee coupled with an asset based fee. The Distributor will compensate CSC for its wholesaling services out of the portion of the sales charges and non-shareholder servicing 12b-1 fees it retains from the Fund, if any. Such compensation may equal substantially all of the sales charges and non-shareholder servicing 12b-1 fees retained by the Distributor. In the event that the sales charges and 12b-1 fees received and retained by the Distributor are less than its contractually agreed upon fixed fee and asset based fee, CSC (and not the Fund) will be responsible to pay the difference to the Distributor. CSC is a registered broker-dealer and is an affiliate of the Adviser.

 

2. Distribution Plan

The Trust has adopted a Rule 12b-1 plan for Class A shares under which the Fund is authorized to pay to the Distributor or any other entity approved by the Board (collectively, “payees”) as compensation for the distribution-related and/or shareholder services provided by such entities, an aggregate fee up to 0.25% of the average daily net assets of Class A shares of the Fund. The Trust has also adopted a Rule 12b-1 plan for Class C shares under which the Fund is authorized to pay payees compensation for the distribution-related and/or shareholder services provided by such entities. Under the Rule 12b-1 Plan for Class C shares, the Trust may pay an aggregate fee up to 0.75% of the average daily net assets of Class C shares of the Fund for distribution-related services and an aggregate fee up to 0.25% of the average daily net assets of Class C shares of the Fund for shareholder services. The payees may pay any or all amounts received under the Rule 12b-1 plan to other persons for any distribution or service activity conducted on behalf of the Fund. The plans are a core component of the ongoing distribution of Class A shares and Class C shares. The anticipated benefits that may result from the plans with respect to the Fund and/or the classes of the Fund and its shareholders include, but are not limited to the following: (i) providing an incentive for broker and advisor personnel to provide continuous shareholder servicing to their clients after the time of sale; (ii) retaining existing accounts; (iii) facilitating portfolio management flexibility through continued cash flow

 

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into the Fund; and (iv) maintaining a competitive sales, service and technology-based transaction and service platform that is consistent with best practices within the mutual fund industry.

Each plan provides that payees may incur expenses for distribution and service activities including but are not limited to: (1) any sales, marketing and other activities primarily intended to result in the sale of the Fund’s shares and (2) providing services to holders of shares related to their investment in the Fund, including without limitation providing assistance in connection with responding to the Fund’s shareholder inquiries regarding the Fund’s investment objective, policies and other operational features, and inquiries regarding shareholder accounts. Expenses for such activities include compensation to employees, and expenses, including overhead and telephone and other communication expenses, of a payee who engages in or supports the distribution of Fund shares, or who provides shareholder servicing such as responding to the Fund’s shareholder inquiries regarding the Fund’s operations; the incremental costs of printing (excluding typesetting) and distributing prospectuses, statements of additional information, annual reports and other periodic reports for use in connection with the offering or sale of the Fund’s shares to any prospective investors; and the costs of preparing, printing and distributing sales literature and advertising materials used by the Distributor, Adviser or others in connection with the offering of the Fund’s shares for sale to the public.

Each plan requires the payee(s) to prepare and submit to the Board, at least quarterly, and the Board to review, written reports setting forth all amounts expended under the plan and identifying the activities for which those expenditures were made. Each plan obligates the Fund to compensate a payee for services and not to reimburse it for expenses incurred.

Each plan provides that it will remain in effect for one year from the date of its adoption and thereafter shall continue in effect provided it is approved at least annually by the shareholders or by the Board, including a majority of the Independent Trustees. Each plan further provides that it may not be amended to materially increase the costs, which the Trust bears for distribution/shareholder servicing pursuant to the plan, without approval by shareholders of the class of shares to which the plan relates, and that other material amendments to the plan must be approved by the Independent Trustees. Each plan may be terminated at any time by the Board, by a majority of the Independent Trustees or by shareholders of the class of shares to which the plan relates.

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2008, the Fund paid the Distributor $2,037 pursuant to the Rule 12b-1 Plans.

The following amounts paid to the Distributor by the Fund under the Plans during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2008 were spent on, or allocated to:

 

        Advertising           Printing and Mailing
of Prospectuses to
other than Current
Shareholders
          Compensation
to
Underwriters
         

Compensation
to

Dealers

         

Compensation
to

Sales
Personnel

          Interest
Carrying or
other
Financing
Charges
          Payments
under
Foreside-CSC
Agreement
    

Class A

     $0          $0          $0          $1,720          $0          $0          $160    

Class C*

     $0          $0          $0          $95          $0          $0          $62    
* The Fund is currently not accepting investments in Class C shares.

 

H. Compliance Services

Under a Compliance Services Agreement (the “Compliance Agreement”) with the Trust and subject to approval by the Board, FCS provides a Chief Compliance Officer (“CCO”) to the Trust as well as certain additional compliance support functions (“Compliance Services”).

For making available the CCO and for providing the Compliance Services under the Compliance Agreement, FCS receives a fee from the Fund of (i) $30,000 (allocated equally among all Trust series), $15,000 per Trust series and $5,000 per Sub-Adviser appointed per year and an (ii) annual fee of 0.0025% of the Fund’s average daily net assets.

The Compliance Agreement with respect to the Fund continues in effect until terminated. The Compliance Agreement is terminable at any time and without payment of penalty by the Board of the Trust or by FCS with respect to the Fund on 60 days’ written notice to the other party. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Trust’s relationship with the CCO may be terminated with or without cause at any time by the Board.

Under the Compliance Agreement, FCS is not liable to the Trust or the Trust’s shareholders for any action or inaction, except for willful misfeasance, bad faith or negligence in the performance of its duties and obligations or by reason of reckless disregard of its obligations and duties under the Compliance Agreement.

 

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Under the Compliance Agreement, FCS and certain related parties (such as employees, directors, and officers of FCS, including without limitation, the CCO) are indemnified by the Trust against any and all claims and expenses related to FCS’s actions or omissions with respect to the Trust, except for any act or omission resulting from FCS’s willful misfeasance, bad faith or negligence in the performance of its duties and obligations or by reason of reckless disregard of its obligations and duties under the Compliance Agreement. For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2008, the Fund paid FCS $52,893 for its services under the Compliance Agreement.

FCS is an affiliate of the Fund’s Distributor. FCS and its officers have no role in determining the investment policies or which securities are to be purchased or sold by the Fund.

 

I. Other Fund Service Providers

 

1. Administrator

State Street serves as administrator for the Trust pursuant to an administration agreement (the “Administration Agreement”) with the Trust. State Street’s principal business address is One Lincoln Street, Boston, Massachusetts, 02111. Under the Administration Agreement, State Street is responsible for (i) the general administrative duties associated with the day-to-day operations of the Trust; (ii) conducting relations with the custodian, independent registered public accounting firm, legal counsel and other service providers; (iii) providing regulatory reporting; and (iv) providing the office facilities and sufficient personnel required by it to perform such administrative services. As compensation for these services, State Street receives a fee which is calculated daily and paid monthly at an annual rate based on the average daily net assets of the Trust complex as follows: 0.05% on the first $100 million of net assets, plus 0.03% for net assets between $100 million and $200 million, plus 0.01% on net assets over $200 million. There is a minimum annual charge of $125,000 per Fund.

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2008, State Street received $110,108 for its services under the Administration Agreement.

 

2. Transfer Agent

Boston Financial Data Services, Inc., 30 Dan Road, Canton, MA 02021, an affiliate of State Street, acts as the transfer agent and dividend disbursing agent of the Fund. As transfer agent and dividend disbursing agent, the transfer agent maintains an account for each shareholder of record of the Fund and is responsible for processing purchase and redemption requests and paying distributions to shareholders of record.

 

3. Custodian

State Street serves as custodian of the assets of the Trust pursuant to a custodian agreement (the “Custody Contract”) with the Trust. State Street’s principal business address is One Lincoln Street, Boston, Massachusetts, 02111. Under the custody agreement, State Street holds and transfers portfolio securities on account of the Fund, provides fund accounting and keeps all necessary records and documents, and performs other duties, all as directed by authorized persons. Portfolio securities purchased in the United States are maintained in the custody of State Street or other domestic banks or depositories. Portfolio securities purchased outside of the United States are maintained in the custody of foreign banks and trust companies who are members of State Street’s Global Custody Network and foreign depositories (foreign subcustodians). With respect to foreign subcustodians, there can be no assurance that the Fund, and the value of its shares, will not be adversely affected by acts of foreign governments, financial or operational difficulties of the foreign subcustodians, difficulties and costs of obtaining jurisdiction over, or enforcing judgments against, the foreign subcustodians or application of foreign law to a Fund’s foreign subcustodial arrangements.

 

4. Legal Counsel

Stradley Ronon Stevens & Young, LLP, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, serves as legal counsel to the Fund and passes upon legal matters in connection with the issuance of shares of the Trust.

 

5. Independent Registered Certified Public Accounting Firm

PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, 4221 West Boy Scout Boulevard, Suite 200, Tampa, Florida, 33607, is the independent registered certified public accounting firm for the Fund. The financial statement of the Fund that appears in this SAI has been audited by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP and is included herein in reliance upon the report of said firm of accountants, which is given upon their authority as experts in accounting and auditing.

 

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4. Portfolio Transactions

 

A. How Securities are Purchased and Sold

Purchases and sales of portfolio securities that are fixed income securities (for instance, money market instruments and bonds, notes and bills) usually are principal transactions. In a principal transaction, the party from whom the Fund purchases, or to whom the Fund sells, is acting on its own behalf (and not as the agent of some other party such as its customers). These securities normally are purchased directly from the issuer or from an underwriter or market maker for the securities. Usually, there are no brokerage commissions paid for these securities.

Purchases and sales of portfolio securities that are equity securities (for instance common stock and preferred stock) are generally effected: (1) if the security is traded on an exchange, through brokers who charge commissions; and (2) if the security is traded in the “over-the-counter” markets, in a principal transaction directly from a market maker. In transactions on stock exchanges, commissions are negotiated. When transactions are executed in an over- the-counter market, the Sub-Adviser will seek to deal with the primary market makers; but when necessary in order to seek best execution, the Sub-Adviser will utilize the services of others.

The price of securities purchased from underwriters includes a disclosed fixed commission or concession paid by the issuer to the underwriter, and prices of securities purchased from dealers serving as market makers reflects the spread between the bid and asked price.

In the case of fixed income and equity securities traded in the over-the-counter markets, there is generally no stated commission, but the price usually includes an undisclosed commission or markup.

 

B. Commissions Paid

For the fiscal period October 26, 2007 through December 31, 2007, and for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2008, the Fund paid $3,739 and $30,516, respectively, in brokerage commissions.

 

C. Sub-Adviser Responsibility for Purchases and Sales

The Sub-Adviser places orders for the purchase and sale of securities with broker-dealers selected by and in the discretion of the Sub-Adviser. The Fund does not have any obligation to deal with a specific broker or dealer in the execution of portfolio transactions. Allocations of transactions to brokers and dealers and the frequency of transactions are determined by the Sub-Adviser in its best judgment and in a manner deemed to be in the best interest of the Fund rather than by any formula.

The Sub-Adviser seeks “best execution” for all portfolio transactions. In placing portfolio transactions, the Sub-Adviser will seek to obtain the best execution for the Fund and may take the following factors into account: the ability to effect prompt and reliable executions at favorable prices (including the applicable dealer spread or commission, if any); the operational efficiency with which transactions are effected, taking into account the size of order and difficulty of execution; the financial strength, integrity and stability of the broker; the broker’s risk in positioning a block of securities; and the competitiveness of commission rates in comparison with other brokers satisfying the Sub-Adviser’s other selection criteria.

 

D. Choosing Broker-Dealers

The Sub-Adviser is responsible for the selection of brokers. The Sub-Adviser is responsible for the placement of the portfolio transactions for the Fund and the negotiation of any commissions paid on such transactions. The Fund may not always pay the lowest commission or spread available.

Consistent with applicable rules and the Sub-Adviser’s duties, the Sub-Adviser may consider payments made by brokers effecting transactions for the Fund (sometimes known as “soft dollars”). These payments may be made to the Fund or to other persons on behalf of the Fund for services provided to the Fund for which those other persons would be obligated to pay. Please be aware that the Fund may use brokers who sell shares of the Fund to effect portfolio transactions. However, the Sub-Adviser does not consider the sale of Fund shares as a factor when selecting brokers to effect portfolio transactions.

 

E. Obtaining Research from Brokers

The Sub-Adviser has full brokerage discretion. The Sub-Adviser evaluates the range and quality of a broker’s services in placing trades including securing best price, confidentiality, clearance and settlement capabilities, promptness of execution and the financial stability of the broker-dealer. The Sub-Adviser may give consideration to research services furnished by brokers to the Sub-Adviser for its use and may cause the Fund to pay these brokers a higher amount of commission than may be charged by other brokers provided that such consideration complies with Section 28(e) of the 1934 Act and applicable SEC guidelines. This research is designed to augment the Sub-Adviser’s own internal research and investment strategy

 

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capabilities. Typically, the investment sector and company research will be used to service all of the Sub-Adviser’s accounts, although a particular client may not benefit from all the research received on each occasion. The Sub-Adviser’s fees are not reduced by reason of the Sub-Adviser’s receipt of research services. Since most of the Sub-Adviser’s brokerage commissions for research are for economic research on specific companies or industries, and since the Sub-Adviser follows a limited number of securities, most of the commission dollars spent for industry and stock research directly benefit the Sub-Adviser’s clients and the Fund’s investors.

The Sub-Adviser may also utilize a broker and pay a slightly higher commission if, for example, the broker has specific expertise in a particular type of transaction (due to factors such as size or difficulty), or it is efficient in trade execution.

 

F. Counterparty Risk

The Sub-Adviser monitors the creditworthiness of counterparties to the Fund’s transactions and intends to enter into a transaction only when it believes that the counterparty presents minimal and appropriate credit risks.

 

G. Transactions through Affiliates

The Sub-Adviser will generally not effect transactions through affiliates of the Adviser or Sub-Adviser.

 

H. Other Accounts of the Adviser or Sub-Adviser

Investment decisions for the Fund are made independently from those for any other account or investment company that is or may in the future become advised by the Adviser or Sub-Adviser or its affiliates. Investment decisions are the product of many factors, including basic suitability for the particular client involved. Likewise, a particular security may be bought or sold for certain clients even though it could have been bought or sold for other clients at the same time. Likewise, a particular security may be bought for one or more clients when one or more clients are selling the security. In some instances, one client may sell a particular security to another client. In addition, two or more clients may simultaneously purchase or sell the same security, in which event, each day’s transactions in such security are, insofar as is possible, averaged as to price and allocated between such clients in a manner which, in the Adviser’s or Sub-Adviser’s opinion is in the best interest of the affected accounts and is equitable to each and in accordance with the amount being purchased or sold by each. There may be circumstances when purchases or sales of a portfolio security for one client could have an adverse effect on another client that has a position in that security. In addition, when purchases or sales of the same security for the Fund and other client accounts managed by the Adviser or Sub-Adviser occurs contemporaneously, the purchase or sale orders may be aggregated in order to obtain any price advantages available to large denomination purchases or sales.

 

I. Portfolio Turnover

The frequency of portfolio transactions of the Fund (the portfolio turnover rate) will vary from year to year depending on many factors. From time to time, the Fund may engage in active short-term trading to take advantage of price movements affecting individual issues, groups of issues or markets. An annual portfolio turnover rate of 100% would occur if all the securities in the Fund were replaced once in a period of one year. Higher portfolio turnover rates may result in increased brokerage costs to the Fund and a possible increase in short-term capital gains or losses.

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2008, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 25%.

 

J. Securities of Regular Broker-Dealers

From time to time, the Fund may acquire and hold securities issued by its “regular brokers and dealers” or the parents of those brokers and dealers. For this purpose, regular brokers and dealers are the 10 brokers or dealers that: (1) received the greatest amount of brokerage commissions during the Fund’s last fiscal year; (2) engaged in the largest amount of principal transactions for portfolio transactions of the Fund during the Fund’s last fiscal year; or (3) sold the largest amount of the Fund’s shares during the Fund’s last fiscal year. During the fiscal year ended December 31, 2008, the Fund did not acquire or hold securities issued by its regular brokers and dealers or their parents.

 

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K. Disclosure of Portfolio Holdings

Introduction

The Trust, on behalf of the Fund, has adopted a portfolio holdings disclosure policy (the “Policy”) designed to prevent selective disclosure of the Fund’s portfolio holdings to third parties, other than disclosures that are consistent with the best interests of Fund shareholders.

The Trust discloses to the general public a complete schedule of portfolio holdings of the Fund (1) for the first and third fiscal quarters on Form N-Q, within 60 days of the end of the respective quarter; and (2) for the second and fourth fiscal quarters on Form N-CSR, within 70 days of the end of the respective quarter, by filing the applicable form with the SEC. In addition, within 30 days after each month end, the Trust generally makes publicly available information regarding the Fund’s top ten holdings (including the percentage of the Fund’s assets represented by each security). The disclosure of the Fund’s top ten holdings may include market capitalization ranges, the percentage breakdown of the Fund’s investments by country, sector and industry, volatility measures (such as beta and standard deviation) and other portfolio characteristics.

The Policy is to be followed by the Trust, the Adviser and any sub-adviser(s) to the Trust, the Trust’s custodian, transfer agent, administrator, distributor, and other service providers (the “Service Providers”) for the disclosure of information about the portfolio holdings of the Trust, on behalf of the Fund and any future funds of the Trust.

Neither the Fund, nor the Service Providers, nor any other party may receive compensation or other consideration in connection with the disclosure of information about portfolio securities.

General Policy

In general, the Policy provides that portfolio holdings may be disclosed by the Trust on a selective basis only by the President, Treasurer, or a Vice President (“Senior Trust Officers”) of the Trust where:

 

   

there is a legitimate business purpose for the information;

 

   

recipients are subject to a duty of confidentiality, including a duty not to trade on the nonpublic information; and

 

   

disclosure is in the best interests of Fund shareholders.

The Senior Trust Officers shall attempt to uncover any apparent conflict between the interests of Fund shareholders on the one hand and those of the Fund’s Adviser, sub-adviser(s), the Distributor and their affiliates on the other. Any potential conflicts between shareholders and affiliated persons of the Fund that arise as a result of a request for portfolio holdings information shall be resolved by the Senior Trust Officers in the best interests of shareholders.

In accordance with the foregoing, the Policy provides that a complete schedule of portfolio holdings information for the Fund may be made available prior to its public availability to:

 

  1. Certain Service Providers. Various firms, such as pricing services, proxy voting services, financial printers, pricing information vendors, third parties that deliver analytical, statistical, or consulting services, and other unaffiliated third parties that provide services and may require portfolio holdings information to provide services to the Fund, Fund shareholders, or prospective shareholders. The Trust has determined that selective and complete disclosure of holdings information to such service providers fulfills a legitimate business purpose and is in the best interest of shareholders, as it allows such service providers to facilitate the day-to-day operations of the Fund. The Trust has also determined that selective disclosure of partial holdings information to broker-dealers that execute portfolio transactions for the Fund fulfills a legitimate business purpose and is in the best interest of shareholders. The frequency with which portfolio holdings may be disclosed to the foregoing service providers, and the length of the time delay, if any, between the date of the information and the date on which the information is disclosed to the service provider, is determined based on the facts and circumstances surrounding the disclosure.

 

  2. Ratings and Rankings Agencies. The Fund has determined that selective and complete disclosure of holdings information to organizations that publish ratings and/or rankings of the Fund (collectively, “Ratings and Rankings Agencies”) fulfills a legitimate business purpose and is in the best interest of shareholders, as it provides existing and potential shareholders with an independent basis for evaluating the Fund in comparison to other mutual funds. The frequency with which portfolio holdings may be disclosed to Ratings and Rankings Agencies, and the length of the time delay, if any, between the date of the information and the date on which the information is disclosed to the Ratings and Rankings Agency, is determined based on the facts and circumstances surrounding the disclosure. As of the date of this SAI, full portfolio holdings are disclosed quarterly to Morningstar, Inc. subject to a prohibition on trading on the information received.

 

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  3. Fund Affiliates and Fiduciaries. Various firms, such as (i) the Service Providers and their affiliates (in their capacities as investment adviser, sub-adviser, administrator, transfer agent and custodian) and the Trust’s distributor; and (ii) an accounting firm, an auditing firm, or outside legal counsel retained by the Service Providers, their affiliates, a Fund or a Portfolio (collectively, “Fund Affiliates and Fiduciaries”). The Fund has determined that selective and complete disclosure of holdings information to such Fund Affiliates and Fiduciaries fulfills a legitimate business purpose and is in the best interest of shareholders, as it allows the Fund Affiliates and Fiduciaries to facilitate the day-to-day operations of the Fund and/or provide other valuable services within the scope of their official duties and responsibilities, subject to such persons’ continuing legal duty of confidentiality and legal duty not to trade on the basis of any material nonpublic information, as such duties are imposed under the Code of Ethics, by agreement, or under applicable laws, rules, and regulations. The frequency with which portfolio holdings may be disclosed to Fund Affiliates and Fiduciaries, and the length of the time delay, if any, between the date of the information and the date on which the information is disclosed to the Fund Affiliates and Fiduciaries, is determined based on the facts and circumstances surrounding the disclosure.

 

  4. Certain Parties As Required by Law. Certain parties may receive portfolio holding information more frequently as required by applicable laws, rules, and regulations. Examples of such required disclosures include, but are not limited to, disclosure of Fund portfolio holdings: (i) in a filing or submission with the SEC or another regulatory body (including, without limitation, filings by the investment adviser and its affiliates on Schedules 13D, 13G and 13F); (ii) upon the request of the SEC or another regulatory body; (iii) in connection with a lawsuit; or (iv) as required by court order.

In addition, disclosure may be made to any other party, for a legitimate business purpose, upon waiver or exception, with the consent of a Senior Trust Officer. Any such disclosure will be disclosed to the Board of Trustees no later than its next regularly scheduled quarterly meeting.

Prohibitions on Disclosure of Portfolio Holdings

The Policy provides that portfolio managers and other senior officers or spokespersons of the Adviser, Sub-Adviser or the Trust may disclose or confirm the Fund’s ownership of any individual portfolio holding position to reporters, brokers selling Fund shares, shareholders, consultants or other interested persons only if such information has been previously publicly disclosed in accordance with the Policy. For example, the Adviser or Sub-Adviser may indicate that the Fund owns XYZ Company only if the Fund’s ownership of such company has previously been publicly disclosed.

 

5. Purchase and Redemption Information

 

A. General Information

The Fund accepts orders for the purchase or redemption of shares on any weekday except days when the New York Stock Exchange is closed, but under unusual circumstances, may accept orders when the New York Stock Exchange is closed if deemed appropriate by the Trust’s officers.

Not all classes of the Fund may be available for sale in the state in which you reside. To determine a class or Fund’s availability, please check with your investment professional or call 1-888-890-8934.

 

B. Additional Purchase Information

Shares of the Fund or class thereof are sold on a continuous basis by the Distributor at NAV plus any applicable sales charge. Accordingly, the offering price per share of a Fund class may be higher than a Fund class’ NAV.

The Fund reserves the right to refuse any purchase request.

Fund shares are normally issued for cash only. In the Adviser’s discretion, however, the Fund may accept portfolio securities that meet the investment objective and policies of the Fund as payment for Fund shares, subject to certain procedures adopted by the Fund’s Board. The Fund will only accept securities that: (1) are not restricted as to transfer by law and are not illiquid; and (2) have a value that is readily ascertainable (and not established only by valuation procedures). Investors interested in purchasing Fund shares using securities should contact the Adviser for more information.

 

1. IRAs

All contributions into an IRA through the automatic investing service are treated as IRA contributions made during the year the contribution is received.

 

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2. UGMAs/UTMAs

If the custodian’s name is not in the account registration of a gift or transfer to minor (“UGMA/UTMA”) account, the custodian must provide instructions in a manner indicating custodial capacity.

 

3. Purchases through Financial Institutions

You may purchase and redeem shares through Financial Institutions. Certain Financial Institutions may authorize their agents to receive purchase, redemption, or other requests on behalf of the Fund. Your order will be priced at the Fund’s NAV next calculated after the Financial Institution receives your order so long as the Financial Institution transmits such order to the Fund consistent with the Fund’s prospectus or the Financial Institution’s contractual arrangements with the Fund.

If you purchase shares through a Financial Institution, you will be subject to the institution’s procedures, which may include charges, limitations, investment minimums, cutoff times and restrictions in addition to, or different from, those applicable when you invest in the Fund directly. The Fund is not responsible for the failure of any Financial Institution to carry out its obligations.

Investors purchasing shares of the Fund through a Financial Institution should read any materials and information provided by the Financial Institution to acquaint themselves with its procedures and any fees that the Financial Institution may charge.

 

C. Additional Redemption Information

You may redeem shares of the Fund at the NAV per share minus any applicable redemption fee and CDSC. Accordingly, the redemption price per share of the Fund may be lower than its NAV per share. To calculate redemption fees, after first redeeming any shares associated with reinvested distributions, the Fund will use the first-in-first-out (FIFO) method to determine the holding period. Under this method, the date of redemption will be compared with the earliest purchase date of shares held in the account.

 

1. Suspension of Right of Redemption

The right of redemption may not be suspended, except for any period during which: (1) the New York Stock Exchange is closed (other than customary weekend and holiday closings) or during which the SEC determines that trading thereon is restricted; (2) an emergency (as determined by the SEC) exists as a result of which disposal by the Fund of its securities is not reasonably practicable or as a result of which it is not reasonably practicable for the Fund fairly to determine the value of its net assets; or (3) the SEC may by order permit for the protection of the shareholders of the Fund.

 

2. Redemption-In-Kind

Redemption proceeds normally are paid in cash. If deemed appropriate and advisable by the Adviser, the Fund may satisfy a redemption request from a shareholder by distributing portfolio securities pursuant to procedures adopted by the Board. The Trust has filed an election with the SEC pursuant to which the Fund may only effect a redemption in portfolio securities if the particular shareholder is redeeming more than $250,000 or 1.00% of the Fund’s total net assets, whichever is less, during any 90-day period.

 

3. Distributions

Distributions of net investment income will be reinvested at the applicable Fund class’ NAV (unless you elect to receive distributions in cash) as of the last day of the period with respect to which the distribution is paid. Distributions of capital gain will be reinvested at the applicable Fund class’ NAV (unless you elect to receive distributions in cash) on the payment date for the distribution. Cash payments may be made more than seven days following the date on which distributions would otherwise be reinvested.

 

4. Reinstatement Privilege

Within 90 days of a redemption, you may reinvest all or part of the redemption proceeds in Class A or Class C shares of the Fund at the net asset value next computed after receipt by the Transfer Agent of the proceeds to be reinvested. You or the Financial Institution submitting a purchase order on your behalf must ask for such privilege at the time of reinvestment. A realized gain on the redemption is taxable, and reinvestment may alter any capital gains payable. If there has been a loss on the redemption and shares of the same Fund are repurchased, all of the loss may not be tax deductible, depending on the timing and amount reinvested. The Fund may amend, suspend or cease offering this privilege at any time as to shares redeemed after the date of such amendment, suspension or cessation. This privilege may only be exercised once each year by a shareholder.

 

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If you are assessed a CDSC in connection with the redemption of shares and you subsequently reinvest a portion or all of the value of the redeemed shares in shares of the Fund within 90 days after such redemption, such reinvested proceeds will not be subject to either an initial sales charge at the time of reinvestment or an additional CDSC upon subsequent redemption. In order to exercise this reinvestment privilege, you or the Financial Institution submitting a purchase order on your behalf must notify the Transfer Agent of your intent to do so at the time of reinvestment.

 

6. Taxation

The tax information set forth in the Prospectus and the information in this section relates solely to Federal income tax law and assumes that the Fund qualifies as a regulated investment company (as discussed below). Such information is only a summary of certain key Federal income tax considerations affecting the Fund and its shareholders and is in addition to the information provided in the Prospectus. No attempt has been made to present a complete explanation of the Federal tax treatment of the Fund or the tax implications to shareholders. The discussions here and in the Prospectus are not intended as substitutes for careful tax planning.

This “Taxation” section is based on the Code and applicable regulations in effect on the date of this Statement of Additional Information. Future legislative or administrative changes or court decisions may significantly change the tax rules applicable to the Fund and its shareholders. Any of these changes or court decisions may have a retroactive effect.

All investors should consult their own tax advisors as to the Federal, state, local and foreign tax provisions applicable to them.

 

A. Qualification as a Regulated Investment Company

The Fund has elected and qualified, and intends to continue to qualify, as a “regulated investment company” under Subchapter M of the Code. This qualification does not involve governmental supervision of management or investment practices or policies of the Fund. The Board of Trustees reserves the right not to maintain the qualification of the Fund as a regulated investment company if it determines such a course of action to be beneficial to shareholders. See the discussion below under the subheading “Failure to Qualify” for what happens if the Fund fails to qualify as a regulated investment company.

The tax year end of the Fund is December 31 (the same as the Fund’s fiscal year end).

 

1. Meaning of Qualification

As a regulated investment company, the Fund will not be subject to Federal income tax on the portion of its investment company taxable income (that is, taxable interest, dividends, net short-term capital gains and other taxable ordinary income, net of expenses) and net capital gain (that is, the excess of net long-term capital gains over net short-term capital losses) that it distributes to shareholders. In order to qualify to be taxed as a regulated investment company the Fund must satisfy the following requirements:

 

   

The Fund must distribute at least 90% of its investment company taxable income each tax year (certain distributions made by the Fund after the close of its tax year are considered distributions attributable to the previous tax year for purposes of satisfying this requirement).

 

   

The Fund must derive at least 90% of its gross income each year from dividends, interest, payments with respect to securities loans, and gains from the sale or other disposition of stock, securities or foreign currencies (to the extent such currency gain is directly related to the regulated investment company’s principal business of investing in stock or securities), other income (including, but not limited to, gains from options, futures or forward contracts) derived from its business of investing in such stock, securities or currencies, and net income derived from certain publicly traded partnerships.

 

   

The Fund must satisfy the following asset diversification test at the close of each quarter of the Fund’s tax year: (1) at least 50% of the value of the Fund’s assets must consist of cash, cash items, U.S. Government securities, securities of other regulated investment companies, and securities of other issuers (as to which the Fund has not invested more than 5% of the value of the Fund’s total assets in securities of an issuer and as to which the Fund

 

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does not hold more than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of the issuer); and (2) no more than 25% of the value of the Fund’s total assets may be invested in the securities of any one issuer (other than U.S. Government securities and securities of other regulated investment companies), in two or more issuers which the Fund controls and which are engaged in the same or similar trades or businesses or collectively, in the securities of certain publicly traded partnerships.

 

2. Failure to Qualify

If for any tax year the Fund does not qualify as a regulated investment company, all of its taxable income (including its net capital gain) will be subject to tax at regular corporate rates without any deduction for dividends paid to shareholders, and the dividends will be taxable to the shareholders as ordinary income to the extent of the Fund’s current and accumulated earnings and profits.

Failure to qualify as a regulated investment company would thus have a negative impact on the Fund’s income and performance. It is possible that the Fund will not qualify as a regulated investment company in any given tax year.

 

B. Fund Distributions

The Fund anticipates distributing substantially all of its investment company taxable income for each tax year. These distributions (other than returns of capital) are taxable to you as ordinary income. A portion of these distributions may qualify for the 70% dividends-received deduction for corporate shareholders. The Fund’s distributions of dividends that it receives from REITs generally do not qualify for the dividends-received deduction.

A portion of the Fund’s distributions may be treated as “qualified dividend income,” taxable to individuals at a maximum Federal income tax rate of 15% (0% for investors in the 10% and 15% tax brackets) if received in taxable years beginning on or before December 31, 2010. A distribution is treated as qualified dividend income to the extent that the Fund receives dividend income from taxable domestic corporations and certain qualified foreign corporations, provided that holding period and other requirements are met by the Fund and the shareholder. To the extent the Fund’s distributions are attributable to other sources, such as interest or capital gains, the distributions are not treated as qualified dividend income. The Fund’s distributions of dividends that it receives from REITs generally do not constitute “qualified dividend income.”

The Fund anticipates distributing substantially all of its net capital gain for each tax year. These net capital gains generally are distributed only once a year, usually in November or December, but the Fund may make additional distributions of net capital gain at any time during the year. These distributions are taxable to you as long-term capital gain, regardless of how long you have held shares. These distributions do not qualify for the dividends-received deduction.

The Fund may have capital loss carryovers (unutilized capital losses from prior years). These capital loss carryovers (which can be used for up to eight years) may be used to offset any current capital gain (whether short- or long-term). All capital loss carryovers are listed in the Fund’s financial statements. Any such losses may not be carried back.

Distributions by the Fund that do not constitute ordinary income dividends or capital gain dividends will be treated as a return of capital. Return of capital distributions reduce your tax basis in the shares and are treated as gain from the sale of the shares to the extent your basis would be reduced below zero.

Income earned on certain U.S. government obligations is exempt from state and local personal income taxes if earned directly by you. States also grant tax-free status to dividends paid to you from interest earned on direct obligations of the U.S. government, subject in some states to minimum investment or reporting requirements that must be met by the Fund. Income on investments by the Fund in certain other obligations, such as repurchase agreements collateralized by U.S. government obligations, commercial paper and Federal agency-backed obligations (e.g., GNMA) or FNMA obligations), generally does not qualify for tax-free treatment. The rules on exclusion of this income are different for corporations.

All distributions by the Fund will be treated in the manner described above regardless of whether the distribution is paid in cash or reinvested in additional shares of the Fund (or of another fund). If you receive distributions in the form of additional shares, you will be treated as receiving a distribution in an amount equal to the fair market value of the shares received, determined as of the reinvestment date.

 

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You may purchase shares with an NAV at the time of purchase that reflects undistributed net investment income or recognized capital gain, or unrealized appreciation in the value of the assets of the Fund. Distributions of these amounts are taxable to you in the manner described above, although the distribution economically constitutes a return of capital to you.

Ordinarily, you are required to take distributions by the Fund into account in the year in which they are made. A distribution declared in October, November or December of any year and payable to shareholders of record on a specified date in those months, however, is deemed to be paid by the Fund and received by you on December 31 of that calendar year if the distribution is paid by the Fund in January of the following year.

The Fund will send you information annually as to the Federal income tax consequences of distributions made (or deemed made) during the year. If you have not held Fund shares for a full year, the Fund may designate and distribute to you, as ordinary income, qualified dividends or capital gains, a percentage of income that is not equal to the actual amount of such income earned during the period of your investment in the Fund.

 

C. Certain Tax Rules Applicable to the Fund’s Transactions

For Federal income tax purposes, when put and call options purchased by the Fund expire unexercised, the premiums paid by the Fund give rise to short- or long-term capital losses at the time of expiration (depending on the length of the respective exercise periods for the options). When put and call options written by the Fund expire unexercised, the premiums received by the Fund give rise to short-term capital gains at the time of expiration. When the Fund exercises a call, the purchase price of the underlying security is increased by the amount of the premium paid by the Fund. When the Fund exercises a put, the proceeds from the sale of the underlying security are decreased by the premium paid. When a put written by the Fund is exercised, the purchase of the underlying security is decreased for tax purposes by the premium received. When a call written by the Fund is exercised, the selling price of the underlying security is increased for tax purposes by the premium received.

Certain listed options, regulated futures contracts and forward currency contracts are considered “Section 1256 contracts” for Federal income tax purposes. Section 1256 contracts held by the Fund at the end of each tax year are “marked-to-market” and treated for Federal income tax purposes as though sold for fair market value on the last business day of the tax year. Gains or losses realized by the Fund on Section 1256 contracts generally are considered 60% long-term and 40% short-term capital gains or losses. The Fund can elect to exempt its Section 1256 contracts that are part of a “mixed straddle” (as described below) from the application of Section 1256.

Any option, futures contract or other position entered into or held by the Fund in conjunction with any other position held by the Fund may constitute a “straddle” for Federal income tax purposes. A straddle of which at least one, but not all, the positions are Section 1256 contracts, may constitute a “mixed straddle.” In general, straddles are subject to certain rules that may affect the character and timing of the Fund’s gains and losses with respect to straddle positions by requiring, among other things, that: (1) the loss realized on disposition of one position of a straddle may not be recognized to the extent that the Fund has unrealized gains with respect to the other position in such straddle; (2) the Fund’s holding period in straddle positions be suspended while the straddle exists (possibly resulting in a gain being treated as short-term capital gain rather than long-term capital gain); (3) the losses recognized with respect to certain straddle positions which are part of a mixed straddle and which are non-Section 1256 contracts be treated as 60% long-term and 40% short-term capital loss; (4) losses recognized with respect to certain straddle positions which would otherwise constitute short-term capital losses be treated as long-term capital losses; and (5) the deduction of interest and carrying charges attributable to certain straddle positions be deferred. Various elections are available to the Fund, which may mitigate the effects of the straddle rules, particularly with respect to mixed straddles. In general, the straddle rules described above do not apply to any straddles held by the Fund if all of the offsetting positions consist of Section 1256 contracts.

Under the Code, gains or losses attributable to fluctuations in exchange rates which occur between the time the Fund accrues interest or other receivables or accrues expenses or other liabilities denominated in a foreign currency and the time the Fund actually collects such receivables or pays such liabilities are treated as ordinary income or ordinary loss. Similarly, gains or losses from the disposition of foreign currencies, from the disposition of debt securities denominated in a foreign currency, or from the disposition of a forward contract denominated in a foreign currency which are attributable to fluctuations in the value of the foreign currency between the date of acquisition of the asset and the date of disposition also are treated as ordinary income or loss. These gains or losses, referred to under the Code as “Section 988” gains or losses, increase or decrease the amount of the Fund’s investment company taxable income available to be distributed to its shareholders as ordinary income, rather than increasing or decreasing the amount of the Fund’s net capital gain or net capital loss.

 

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If the Fund owns shares in a foreign corporation that constitutes a “passive foreign investment company” (a “PFIC”) for Federal income tax purposes and the Fund does not elect to mark the shares of such foreign corporation to market or elect to treat the foreign corporation as a “qualified electing fund” within the meaning of the Code (each of which elections is more fully described below), the Fund may be subject to United States Federal income taxation on a portion of any “excess distribution” it receives from the PFIC or any gain it derives from the disposition of such shares, even if such income is distributed as a taxable dividend by the Fund to its shareholders. The Fund may also be subject to additional interest charges in respect of deferred taxes arising from such distributions or gains. Any tax paid by the Fund as a result of its ownership of shares in a PFIC will not give rise to any deduction or credit to the Fund or to any shareholder. A PFIC means any foreign corporation if, for the taxable year involved, either (1) it derives at least 75% of its gross income from “passive income” (including, but not limited to, interest, dividends, royalties, rents and annuities) or (2) on average, at least 50% of the value (or adjusted tax basis, if elected) of the assets held by the corporation produce “passive income.”

The Fund may elect to “mark-to-market” the securities associated with a PFIC. Under such an election, the Fund would include in income each year an amount equal to the excess, if any, of the fair market value of the PFIC security as of the close of the taxable year over the Fund’s adjusted basis in the PFIC stock. The Fund would be allowed a deduction for the excess, if any, of the adjusted basis of the PFIC stock over the fair market value of the PFIC stock as of the close of the taxable year, but only to the extent of any net mark-to-market gains included by the Fund for prior taxable years. The Fund’s adjusted basis in the PFIC stock would be adjusted to reflect the amounts included in, or deducted from, income under this election. Amounts included in income pursuant to this election, as well as gain realized on the sale or other disposition of the PFIC security, would be treated as ordinary income. The deductible portion of any mark-to-market loss, as well as loss realized on the sale or other disposition of the PFIC stock to the extent that such loss does not exceed the net mark-to-market gains previously included by the Fund, would be treated as ordinary loss. The Fund generally would not be subject to the deferred tax and interest charge provisions discussed above with respect to PFIC stock for which a mark-to-market election has been made.

Alternatively, if the Fund elects to treat a PFIC as a “qualified electing fund” the Fund may be required to include in its income each year a portion of the ordinary income and net capital gains of the PFIC, even if this income is not distributed to the Fund. Any such income would be subject to the 90% distribution requirement described above and to the calendar year excise tax distribution requirement described below.

 

D. Federal Excise Tax

A 4% non-deductible excise tax is imposed on a regulated investment company that fails to distribute in each calendar year an amount equal to: (1) 98% of its ordinary taxable income for the calendar year; and (2) 98% of its capital gain net income for the one-year period ended on October 31 of the calendar year. The balance of the Fund’s income must be distributed during the next calendar year. The Fund will be treated as having distributed any amount on which it is subject to income tax for any tax year ending in the calendar year.

For purposes of calculating the excise tax, the Fund: (1) reduces its capital gain net income (but not below its net capital gain) by the amount of any net ordinary loss for the calendar year; and (2) excludes foreign currency gains and losses incurred after October 31 of any year in determining the amount of ordinary taxable income for the current calendar year. The Fund will include foreign currency gains and losses incurred after October 31 in determining ordinary taxable income for the succeeding calendar year. The Fund may also elect under applicable Treasury regulations to treat any net capital loss, any net long-term capital loss and any net foreign currency loss incurred after October 31 as if it had been incurred in the succeeding taxable year for purposes of satisfying the distribution requirement for qualification as a regulated investment company discussed above.

The Fund intends to make sufficient distributions of its ordinary taxable income and capital gain net income prior to the end of each calendar year to avoid liability for the excise tax. Investors should note, however, that the Fund might in certain circumstances be required to liquidate portfolio investments to make sufficient distributions to avoid excise tax liability.

 

E. Sale, Exchange or Redemption of Shares

In general, you will recognize gain or loss on the sale, exchange or redemption of shares of the Fund in an amount equal to the difference between the proceeds of the sale, exchange or redemption and your adjusted tax basis in the shares. All or a portion of any loss so recognized may be disallowed if you purchase (for example, by reinvesting dividends) Fund shares within 30 days before or after the sale, exchange or redemption (a “wash sale”). If disallowed, the loss will be reflected in an

 

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upward adjustment to the basis of the shares purchased. In general, any gain or loss arising from the sale, exchange or redemption of shares of the Fund will be considered capital gain or loss and will be long-term capital gain or loss if the shares were held for longer than one year. Any capital loss arising from the sale, exchange or redemption of shares held for six months or less, however, will be treated as a long-term capital loss to the extent of the amount of distributions of net capital gain received on such shares. In determining the holding period of such shares for this purpose, any period during which your risk of loss is offset by means of options, short sales or similar transactions is not counted. Capital losses in any year are deductible only to the extent of capital gains plus, in the case of a non-corporate taxpayer, $3,000 of ordinary income.

Under recently enacted provisions of the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008, the Fund’s service agent or transfer agent will be required to provide you with cost basis information on the sale of any of your shares in the Fund, subject to certain exceptions. The cost basis reporting requirement is effective for shares purchased in the Fund on or after January 1, 2012.

 

F. Backup Withholding

The Fund will be required in certain cases to withhold and remit to the U.S. Treasury 28% of distributions paid to you if you: (1) have failed to provide your correct taxpayer identification number; (2) are otherwise subject to backup withholding by the IRS for failure to report the receipt of interest or dividend income properly; or (3) have failed to certify to the Fund that you are not subject to backup withholding or that you are a corporation or other “exempt recipient.” The Fund will also be required to withhold 28% of the proceeds of redemptions of shares in the first of these three situations. Backup withholding is not an additional tax; rather any amounts so withheld may be credited against your Federal income tax liability or refunded.

 

G. Foreign Shareholders

Taxation of a shareholder who, under the Code, is a nonresident alien individual, foreign trust or estate, foreign corporation or foreign partnership (“foreign shareholder”), depends on whether the income from the Fund is “effectively connected” with a U.S. trade or business carried on by the foreign shareholder.

If the income from the Fund is not effectively connected with your U.S. trade or business, distributions of ordinary income paid to a foreign shareholder will be subject to U.S. withholding tax at the rate of 30% (or lower treaty rate) upon the gross amount of the distribution. A foreign shareholder generally would be exempt from Federal income tax on gain realized on the sale of Fund shares and Fund distributions of net capital gain (other than gain realized on disposition of U.S. real property interests), unless you are a nonresident alien individual present in the United States for a period or periods aggregating 183 days or more during the taxable year (special rules apply in the case of a shareholder that is a foreign trust or foreign partnership).

The Fund may invest in equity securities of corporations that invest in U.S. real property, including U.S. REITs. The sale of a U.S. real property interest (USRPI) by the Fund or by a U.S. REIT or U.S. real property holding corporation in which the Fund invests may trigger special tax consequences to the Fund’s foreign shareholders. The Foreign Investment in Real Property Tax Act of 1980 (FIRPTA) makes non-U.S. persons subject to U.S. tax on disposition of a USRPI as if he or she were a U.S. person. Such gain is sometimes referred to as FIRPTA gain. The Code provides a look-through rule for distributions of FIRPTA gain by a regulated investment company (RIC), received from a U.S. REIT or another RIC classified as a U.S. real property holding corporation, or realized by the RIC on the sale of a USRPI (other than a domestically controlled U.S. REIT or RIC that is classified as a qualified investment entity) as follows:

 

 

The RIC is classified as a qualified investment entity. A RIC is classified as a “qualified investment entity” with respect to a distribution to a non-US person which is attributable directly or indirectly to a distribution from a U.S. REIT if, in general, more than 50% of the RIC’s assets consists of interests in U.S. REITs and U.S. real property holding corporations; and

 

You are a foreign shareholder that owns more than 5% of a class of Fund shares at any time during the one-year period ending on the date of the distribution.

 

If these conditions are met, such Fund distributions to you are treated as gain from the disposition of a USRPI, causing the distributions to be subject to U.S. withholding tax at a rate of 35%, and requiring that you file a nonresident U.S. income tax return.

 

In addition, even if you do not own more than 5% of a class of Fund shares, but the Fund is a qualified investment entity, such Fund distributions to you will be taxable as ordinary dividends (rather than as a capital gain or short-term capital gain dividend) subject to withholding at 30% or lower treaty rate.

 

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These rules apply to dividends with respect to the Fund’s taxable years beginning before January 1, 2010 (sunset date), except that after such sunset date, Fund distributions from a U.S. REIT (whether or not domestically controlled) attributable to FIRPTA gain will continue to be subject to the withholding rules described above provided the Fund would otherwise be classified as a qualified investment entity. There can be no assurance that the Fund will not be determined to be a “qualified investment entity.”

If a foreign shareholder disposes of Fund shares prior to a distribution from the disposition of FIRPTA gain and the foreign shareholder later acquires an identical stock interest, the foreign shareholder may still be required to pay U.S. tax on such Fund distribution. Under certain circumstances, the sale of Fund shares could also be considered a sale of a U.S. real property interest and any resulting gain from such sale may be subject to U.S. tax as income “effectively connected with a U.S. trade or business.”

If the income from the Fund is effectively connected with a foreign shareholder’s U.S. trade or business, then ordinary income distributions, capital gain distributions, and any gain realized upon the sale of shares of the Fund will be subject to Federal income tax at the rates applicable to U.S. citizens or U.S. corporations.

The tax consequences to a foreign shareholder entitled to claim the benefits of an applicable tax treaty may be different from those described herein.

An individual who, at the time of death, is a foreign shareholder may be subject to U.S. Federal estate tax with respect to Fund shares at the graduated rates applicable to U.S. citizens and residents, unless a treaty exception applies.

Special U.S. tax certification requirements apply to foreign shareholders both to avoid U.S. back up withholding imposed at a rate of 28% on distributions that are otherwise exempt from withholding and to obtain the benefits of any treaty between the United States and the shareholder’s country of residence. In general, a foreign shareholder must provide a Form W-8 BEN (or other applicable Form W-8) to establish that you are not a U.S. person, to claim that you are the beneficial owner of the income and, if applicable, to claim a reduced rate of, or exemption from, withholding as a resident of a country with which the United States has an income tax treaty. A Form W-8 BEN provided without a U.S. taxpayer identification number will remain in effect for a period beginning on the date signed and ending on the last day of the third succeeding calendar year unless an earlier change of circumstances makes the information on the form incorrect.

The tax rules of other countries with respect to an investment in the Fund can differ from the Federal income taxation rules described above. These foreign rules are not discussed herein. Foreign shareholders are urged to consult their own tax advisors as to the consequences of foreign tax rules with respect to an investment in the Fund.

 

H. State and Local Taxes

The tax rules of the various states of the U.S. and their local jurisdictions with respect to an investment in the Fund can differ from the Federal income taxation rules described above. These state and local rules are not discussed herein. You are urged to consult your tax advisor as to the consequences of state and local tax rules with respect to an investment in the Fund.

 

I. Foreign Income Tax

Investment income received by the Fund from sources within foreign countries may be subject to foreign income taxes withheld at the source. The United States has entered into tax treaties with many foreign countries that may entitle the Fund to a reduced rate of such taxes or exemption from taxes on such income. It is impossible to know the effective rate of foreign tax in advance since the amount of the Fund’s assets to be invested within various countries cannot be determined. If more than 50% of the value of the Fund’s total assets at the close of its taxable year consists of stocks or securities of foreign corporations, the Fund will be eligible to file an election with the Internal Revenue Service to pass through to its shareholders the amount of foreign taxes paid by the Fund in lieu of deducting such amount in determining its investment company taxable income. However, there can be no assurance that the Fund will be able to do so and the Fund will make such an election only if it is deemed to be in the best interests of shareholders. If the Fund makes this election, you will be required to (1) include in gross income (in addition to taxable dividends actually received) your pro rata share of foreign taxes paid by the Fund, (2) treat your pro rata share of such foreign taxes as having been paid by you and (3) either deduct such pro rata share of foreign taxes in computing your taxable income or treat such foreign taxes as a credit against Federal income taxes. You may be subject to rules which limit or reduce your ability to fully deduct, or claim a credit for, your pro rata share of the foreign taxes paid by the Fund. Moreover, no foreign tax credit will be allowable to any shareholder who has not held his shares of

 

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the Fund for a minimum holding period, and no deduction for foreign tax may be claimed by a non-corporate shareholder who does not itemize deductions or who is subject to alternative minimum tax.

 

J. Investment in Taxable Mortgage Pools (Excess Inclusion Income)

The Fund may invest in U.S. REITs that hold residual interests in real estate mortgage investment conduits (REMICs) or which are, or have certain wholly-owned subsidiaries that are, “taxable mortgage pools.” Under a Notice recently issued by the IRS, the Code and Treasury regulations to be issued, a portion of the Fund’s income from a U.S. REIT that is attributable to the REIT’s residual interest in a REMIC or equity interests in a taxable mortgage pool (referred to in the Code as an excess inclusion) will be subject to Federal income tax in all events. The excess inclusion income of a regulated investment company, such as the Fund, will be allocated to shareholders of the regulated investment company in proportion to the dividends received by such shareholders, with the same consequences as if the shareholders held the related REMIC residual interest or, if applicable, taxable mortgage pool directly. In general, excess inclusion income allocated to shareholders (i) cannot be offset by net operating losses (subject to a limited exception for certain thrift institutions), (ii) will constitute unrelated business taxable income to entities (including a qualified pension plan, an individual retirement account, a 401(k) plan, a Keogh plan or other tax-exempt entity) subject to tax on unrelated business income, thereby potentially requiring such an entity that is allocated excess inclusion income, and otherwise might not be required to file a tax return, to file a tax return and pay tax on such income, and (iii) in the case of a foreign stockholder, will not qualify for any reduction in U.S. Federal withholding tax. In addition, if at any time during any taxable year a “disqualified organization” (as defined in the Code) is a record holder of a share in a regulated investment company, then the regulated investment company will be subject to a tax equal to that portion of its excess inclusion income for the taxable year that is allocable to the disqualified organization, multiplied by the highest Federal income tax rate imposed on corporations. The Notice imposes certain reporting requirements upon regulated investment companies that have excess inclusion income.

The IRS has not provided further guidance on how to report and implement these rules. These rules are potentially applicable to the Fund in the event more than fifty percent of the fair market value of its assets consist of shares in U.S. REITs. Shareholders should talk to their tax advisors about whether an investment in the Fund is a suitable investment given the potential tax consequences of the Fund’s receipt and distribution of excess inclusion income.

This discussion of “Taxation” is not intended or written to be used as tax advice and does not purport to deal with all Federal tax consequences applicable to all categories of investors, some of which may be subject to special rules. You should consult your own tax advisor regarding your particular circumstances before making an investment in the Fund.

 

7. Other Matters

 

A. The Trust and Its Shareholders

 

1. General Information

The CNL Funds was organized as a statutory trust under the laws of the State of Delaware on February 16, 2007. The Trust is registered as an open-end, management investment company under the 1940 Act. The Fund is a diversified mutual fund. The Trust offers shares of beneficial interest in its series.

The Trust has an unlimited number of authorized shares of beneficial interest. The Board may, without shareholder approval, divide the authorized shares into an unlimited number of separate series and may divide series into classes of shares; the costs of doing so will be borne by the Trust. As of the date hereof, the Trust consisted of the following series:

CNL Global Real Estate Fund

The Trust and each series and classes thereof will continue indefinitely until terminated. Shares of the Fund are entitled upon liquidation to a pro rata share in the net assets of the Fund available for distribution to shareholders. Shareholders have no preemptive rights. All consideration received by the Trust for shares of the Fund and all assets in which such consideration is invested would belong to the Fund and would be subject to the liabilities related thereto.

On December 17, 2008, the Board of Trustees of the Fund approved the reclassification of the Class C shares into the Class A shares. This conversion was completed on December 30, 2008, and as of this date, the Fund no longer accepts investments in Class C shares. The Trust may in the future re-commence the offer of Class C shares.

 

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2. Series and Classes of the Trust

Each series or class of the Trust may have a different expense ratio and its expenses will affect each class’ performance. For more information on any other class of shares of the Fund, investors may contact the Transfer Agent.

 

B. Fund Ownership

As of April 1, 2009, CNL Fund Advisors Company, which provided the initial capitalization for the Fund, owned less than 1.00% of the Fund.

From time to time, certain other shareholders may own a large percentage of the shares of the Fund. Accordingly, those shareholders may be able to greatly affect (if not determine) the outcome of a shareholder vote. “Control” for this purpose is the ownership of 25% or more of the Fund’s voting securities.

To the Fund’s knowledge, the following shareholders by class beneficially owned 5% or more of the outstanding shares of the Fund as of April 1, 2009.

 

Name and Address of Owner

   Percentage of
Outstanding Shares
Class A   

CHARLES SCHWAB & CO INC

SPECIAL CUSTODY A/C

FBO CUSTOMERS

ATTN MUTUAL FUNDS

101 MONTGOMERY ST

SAN FRANCISCO CA 94104-4151

   18.74%
Institutional Class   

CNL CHARITABLE FOUNDATION, INC

C/O TIMOTHY SENEFF

450 S ORANGE AVE

ORLANDO FL 32801-3383

   6.87%

 

C. Voting Rights, Shareholder Liability and Trustee Liability

The Trust’s Agreement and Declaration of Trust, as amended (the “Trust Agreement”), provides for voting rights based on a shareholder’s total dollar investment (dollar-based voting), rather than on the number of shares owned. As a result, voting power is allocated in proportion to the value of each shareholder’s investment. If the Trustees create a new fund or funds then dollar-based voting provides a more equitable distribution of voting rights for Trust-wide votes than a one-share, one-vote system. The voting power of each shareholder would be commensurate with the value of the shareholder’s dollar investment rather than with the number of shares held.

Each Fund share held entitles a shareholder to one vote for each dollar of NAV of shares held by the shareholder. To the extent the Trustees create one or more additional series of shares, shareholders of the Fund and such new series will vote separately on matters relating solely to it, such as approval of advisory agreements and changes in fundamental policies. Matters affecting the Fund and some but not all of such new series will be voted on only by shareholders of the Fund and the affected series. Shareholders of Fund and any new series will vote together in matters affecting the Trust generally, such as the election of Trustees. Shareholders of each Class of the Trust will vote separately on matters relating solely to such Class and not on matters relating solely to any other Class or Classes of the Trust. The Trust is not required to hold annual meetings of shareholders but shareholder approval will be sought for certain changes in the operation of the Trust and for the election of Trustees. The Trust Agreement provides that the Trustees shall hold office during the existence of the Trust, except as follows: (a) any Trustee may resign or retire; (b) any Trustee may be removed by a vote of the holders of Fund shares that represent at least two-thirds of the voting power of the Fund shares at a meeting, or at any time by written instrument signed by at least two-thirds of the Trustees and specifying when such removal becomes effective; (c) any Trustee who has become incapacitated and is unable to serve may be removed by a written instrument signed by a majority of the Trustees; or (d) any Trustee who has died may be retired by written instrument signed by a majority of the other Trustees, specifying the date of his or her retirement.

 

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Under Delaware law, shareholders of a Delaware statutory trust are entitled to the same limitations of liability extended to shareholders of private for-profit corporations; however, there is a remote possibility that shareholders could, under certain circumstances, be held liable for the obligations of the Trust to the extent the courts of another state which does not recognize such limited liability were to apply the laws of such state to a controversy involving such obligations. However, the Trust Agreement disclaims shareholder liability for acts or obligations of the Trust and requires that notice of such disclaimer be given in each agreement, obligation or instrument entered into or executed by the Trust or the trustees. The Trust Agreement and the By-Laws (the “Governing Instruments”) provide for indemnification out of the property of the Fund for all losses and expenses of any shareholder of the Fund held liable on account of being or having been a shareholder. Thus, the risk of a shareholder incurring financial loss due to shareholder liability is limited to circumstances in which the Fund would be unable to meet its obligations and the complaining party was held not to be bound by the liability disclaimer.

The Governing Instruments provide indemnification for current and former trustees, officers, employees and agents of the Trust to the fullest extent permitted by Delaware law and other applicable law. Trustees may be personally liable to the Trust and its shareholders by reason of willful misfeasance, bad faith, or gross negligence in the performance of their duties or by reason of reckless disregard of their duties as trustees.

 

D. Proxy Voting Procedures

Copies of the proxy voting procedures of the Trust, the Adviser and the Sub-Adviser are included in Appendix B. Under the Sub-Advisory Agreement, the Sub-Adviser will vote proxies for the Fund according to the Sub-Adviser’s proxy voting policy. Information regarding how the Fund voted proxies relating to portfolio securities during the most recent twelve-month period ended June 30, will be available, if applicable, (1) without charge, upon request, by contacting the Adviser at 1-866-747-3797 and (2) on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.

 

E. Code of Ethics

The Trust, the Adviser, the Sub-Adviser and the Distributor have each adopted a code of ethics under Rule 17j-1 of the 1940 Act which are designed to mitigate conflicts of interest between the Fund and personnel of the Trust, the Adviser, the Sub-Adviser and the Distributor. The codes permit such personnel to invest in securities, including securities that may be purchased or held by the Fund, subject to certain limitations.

 

F. Registration Statement

This SAI and the Prospectus do not contain all the information included in the Trust’s registration statement filed with the SEC under the 1933 Act with respect to the securities offered hereby. The registration statement, including the exhibits filed therewith, may be examined at the office of the SEC in Washington, D.C.

Statements contained herein and in the Prospectus as to the contents of any contract or other documents are not necessarily complete, and, in each instance, are qualified by, reference to the copy of such contract or other documents filed as exhibits to the registration statement.

 

8. Financial Statements

The Fund’s Financial Statements for the year ended December 31, 2008, including the financial highlights pertaining thereto, appearing in the 2008 Annual Report to Shareholders, and the report thereon of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, the Fund’s independent registered certified public accounting firm, also appearing therein, are incorporated by reference in this SAI. No other parts of the 2008 Annual Report to Shareholders are incorporated herein.

 

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APPENDIX A

DESCRIPTION OF SECURITIES AND RATINGS

 

I. Short-Term Credit Ratings

A Standard & Poor’s short-term issue credit rating is a current opinion of the creditworthiness of an obligor with respect to a specific financial obligation having an original maturity of no more than 365 days. The following summarizes the rating categories used by Standard & Poor’s for short-term issues:

“A-1” – Obligations are rated in the highest category and indicate that the obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is strong. Within this category, certain obligations are designated with a plus sign (+). This indicates that the obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitment on these obligations is extremely strong.

“A-2” – The obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is satisfactory. Obligations are somewhat more susceptible to the adverse effects of changes in circumstances and economic conditions than obligations in the higher rating categories.

“A-3” – Obligor has adequate protection parameters. However, adverse economic conditions or changing circumstances are more likely to lead to a weakened capacity of the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.

“B” – An obligation is regarded as having significant speculative characteristics. The obligor currently has the capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation; however, it faces major ongoing uncertainties which could lead to the obligor’s inadequate capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation. Ratings of “B1”, “B-2” and “B-3” may be assigned to indicate finer distinctions within the “B” category.

“C” – Obligations are currently vulnerable to nonpayment and are dependent upon favorable business, financial, and economic conditions for the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.

“D” – Obligations are in payment default. This rating category is used when payments on an obligation are not made on the date due even if the applicable grace period has not expired, unless Standard & Poor’s believes that such payments will be made during such grace period. The “D” rating also will be used upon the filing of a bankruptcy petition or the taking of a similar action if payments on an obligation are jeopardized.

Local Currency and Foreign Currency Risks - Country risk considerations are a standard part of Standard & Poor’s analysis for credit ratings on any issuer or issue. Currency of repayment is a key factor in this analysis. An obligor’s capacity to repay foreign currency obligations may be lower than its capacity to repay obligations in its local currency due to the sovereign government’s own relatively lower capacity to repay external versus domestic debt. These sovereign risk considerations are incorporated in the debt ratings assigned to specific issues. Foreign Currency issuer ratings are also distinguished from local currency issuer ratings to identify those instances where sovereign risks make them different for the same issuer.

Moody’s Investors Service (“Moody’s”) short-term ratings are opinions of the ability of issuers to honor short-term financial obligations. Ratings may be assigned to issuers, short-term programs or to individual short-term debt instruments. Such obligations generally have an original maturity not exceeding thirteen months, unless explicitly noted.

Moody’s employs the following designations to indicate the relative repayment ability of rated issuers:

“P-1” – Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated Prime-1 have a superior ability to repay short-term debt obligations.

“P-2” – Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated Prime-2 have a strong ability to repay short-term debt obligations.

“P-3” – Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated Prime-3 have an acceptable ability to repay short-term obligations.

“NP” – Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated Not Prime do not fall within any of the Prime rating categories.

 

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II. Long-Term Credit Ratings

The following summarizes the ratings used by Standard & Poor’s for long-term issues:

“AAA” – An obligation rated “AAA” has the highest rating assigned by Standard & Poor’s. The obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is extremely strong.

“AA” – An obligation rated “AA” differs from the highest-rated obligations only to a small degree. The obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is very strong.

“A” – An obligation rated “A” is somewhat more susceptible to the adverse effects of changes in circumstances and economic conditions than obligations in higher-rated categories. However, the obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is still strong.

“BBB” – An obligation rated “BBB” exhibits adequate protection parameters. However, adverse economic conditions or changing circumstances are more likely to lead to a weakened capacity of the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.

Obligations rated “BB,” “B,” “CCC,” “CC” and “C” are regarded as having significant speculative characteristics. “BB” indicates the least degree of speculation and “C” the highest. While such obligations will likely have some quality and protective characteristics, these may be outweighed by large uncertainties or major exposures to adverse conditions.

“BB” – An obligation rated “BB” is less vulnerable to nonpayment than other speculative issues. However, it faces major ongoing uncertainties or exposure to adverse business, financial, or economic conditions which could lead to the obligor’s inadequate capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.

“B” – An obligation rated “B” is more vulnerable to nonpayment than obligations rated “BB,” but the obligor currently has the capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation. Adverse business, financial, or economic conditions will likely impair the obligor’s capacity or willingness to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.

“CCC” – An obligation rated “CCC” is currently vulnerable to nonpayment, and is dependent upon favorable business, financial and economic conditions for the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation. In the event of adverse business, financial, or economic conditions, the obligor is not likely to have the capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.

“CC” – An obligation rated “CC” is currently highly vulnerable to nonpayment.

“C” – A subordinated debt or preferred stock obligation rated “C” is currently highly vulnerable to nonpayment, obligations that have payment arrearages allowed by the terms of the documents, or obligations of an issuer that is the subject of a bankruptcy petition or similar action which have not experienced a payment default. The “C” rating may be assigned to subordinated debt, preferred stock or other obligations on which cash payments may have been suspended in accordance with the instrument’s terms.

“D” – An obligation rated “D” is in payment default. The “D” rating category is used when payments on an obligation are not made on the date due even if the applicable grace period has not expired, unless Standard & Poor’s believes that such payments will be made during such grace period. The “D” rating also will be used upon the filing of a bankruptcy petition or the taking of a similar action if payments on an obligation are jeopardized.

Plus (+) or minus (-) – The ratings from “AA” to “CCC” may be modified by the addition of a plus (+) or minus (-) sign to show relative standing within the major rating categories.

“NR” – This indicates that no rating has been requested, that there is insufficient information on which to base a rating, or that Standard & Poor’s does not rate a particular obligation as a matter of policy.

Local Currency and Foreign Currency Risks - Country risk considerations are a standard part of Standard & Poor’s analysis for credit ratings on any issuer or issue. Currency of repayment is a key factor in this analysis. An obligor’s capacity to repay foreign currency obligations may be lower than its capacity to repay obligations in its local currency due to the sovereign government’s own relatively lower capacity to repay external versus domestic debt. These sovereign risk considerations are incorporated in the debt ratings assigned to specific issues. Foreign currency issuer ratings are also

 

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distinguished from local currency issuer ratings to identify those instances where sovereign risks make them different for the same issuer.

The following summarizes the ratings used by Moody’s for long-term debt:

“Aaa” – Obligations rated “Aaa” are judged to be of the highest quality, with minimal credit risk.

“Aa” – Obligations rated “Aa” are judged to be of high quality and are subject to very low credit risk.

“A” – Obligations rated “A” are considered upper-medium grade and are subject to low credit risk.

“Baa” – Obligations rated “Baa” are subject to moderate credit risk. They are considered medium-grade and as such may possess certain speculative characteristics.

“Ba” – Obligations rated “Ba” are judged to have speculative elements and are subject to substantial credit risk.

“B” – Obligations rated “B” are considered speculative and are subject to high credit risk.

“Caa” – Obligations rated “Caa” are judged to be of poor standing and are subject to very high credit risk.

“Ca” – Obligations rated “Ca” are highly speculative and are likely in, or very near, default, with some prospect of recovery of principal and interest.

“C” – Obligations rated “C” are the lowest rated class of bonds and are typically in default, with little prospect for recovery of principal or interest.

Note: Moody’s appends numerical modifiers 1, 2, and 3 to each generic rating classification from “Aa” through “Caa.” The modifier 1 indicates that the obligation ranks in the higher end of its generic rating category; the modifier 2 indicates a mid-range ranking; and the modifier 3 indicates a ranking in the lower end of that generic rating category.

About Credit Ratings

A Standard & Poor’s issue credit rating is a current opinion of the creditworthiness of an obligor with respect to a specific financial obligation, a specific class of financial obligations, or a specific financial program (including ratings on medium-term note programs and commercial paper programs). It takes into consideration the creditworthiness of guarantors, insurers, or other forms of credit enhancement on the obligation and takes into account the currency in which the obligation is denominated. The opinion evaluates the obligor’s capacity and willingness to meet its financial commitments as they come due, and may assess terms, such as collateral security and subordination, which could affect ultimate payment in the event of default. The issue credit rating is not a recommendation to purchase, sell, or hold a financial obligation, inasmuch as it does not comment as to market price or suitability for a particular investor.

Moody’s credit ratings must be construed solely as statements of opinion and not as statements of fact or recommendations to purchase, sell or hold any securities.

 

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Appendix B – Proxy Voting Procedures

THE CNL FUNDS

PROXY VOTING POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

I.   INTRODUCTION

CNL Fund Advisors Company (the “Adviser”) is an investment adviser registered under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended (the “Advisers Act”). The Adviser provides investment advisory services to The CNL Funds (the “Trust”). The Trust is an investment company registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (“1940 Act”).

The Trust recognizes that proxies have an economic value and in voting proxies, the Trust seeks to maximize the value of its investments and its shareholders’ assets. The Trust believes that the voting of proxies is an economic asset that has direct investment implications. Moreover, the Trust believes that the investment advisor for each of the series it establishes from time to time (each a “Fund” and together, the “Funds”), or portion thereof, is in the best position to assess the financial implications presented by proxy issues and the impact a particular vote may have on the value of a security. Consequently, the Trust generally assigns proxy voting responsibilities to the investment manager responsible for the management of each Fund, or portion thereof. In supervising this assignment, the Trustees will periodically review the voting policies of each investment advisor or sub-advisor that manages a Fund that invests in voting securities. If an investment advisor or sub-advisor to a Fund that invests in voting securities does not have a proxy policy which complies with the relevant portions of Rule 30b1-4 and the proxy voting rule under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, that advisor or sub-advisor will be required to follow these Proxy Voting Policies and Procedures (“Policies and Procedures”).

II.   THE PROXY MANAGER

Day-to-day administration of the proxy voting process at the Adviser is the responsibility of the Proxy Manager appointed by the Adviser. The Proxy Manager is responsible for reviewing regularly the voting record to ensure that proxies are voted in accordance with these Policies and Procedures and the Proxy Voting Guidelines attached hereto as Exhibit A and for ensuring that procedures, documentation, and reports relating to the voting of proxies are promptly and properly prepared and disseminated.1 The Proxy Manager shall seek to reconcile on a regular basis all proxies received against holdings of all client accounts over which the Adviser has voting authority to ensure that all shares held on the record date, and for which a voting obligation exists, are voted.

 

1

The Adviser may satisfy this requirement by relying on a third party service provider provided the Adviser has obtained an undertaking from the third party to provide reconciliation reports promptly upon request. If the Adviser chooses to delegate this authority, the Adviser must monitor the third party service provider to ensure that such party is carrying out its duties accordingly.

III.   THE CNL FUNDS

A.   GENERAL PRINCIPLES

The Trust invests in a variety of securities, including voting securities of many different issuers. As a result, the Trust, as the beneficial owner of those voting securities, will be asked to vote on various matters affecting the issuers of those voting securities. The Trust has adopted and the Adviser will implement these Policies and Procedures, as they relate to its Funds, as a means reasonably designed to ensure that it votes any proxy or other beneficial interest in an equity security owned by the Trust over which the Adviser has discretionary proxy voting authority.

The Adviser will vote or cause to have voted any proxy prudently and solely in the best interest of the Trust and their shareholders considering all relevant factors and without undue influence from individuals or groups who may have an economic interest in the outcome of a proxy vote. Ultimately, each vote is cast on a case-by-case basis taking into consideration the contractual obligations under the advisory agreements or comparable documents, and all other relevant facts and circumstances at the time of the vote.

As a matter of policy, the Adviser:

 

  1. Votes all proxies in the best interest of the Trust.

 

  2. Identifies and resolves all material proxy-related conflicts of interest between the Adviser and the Trust in the best interests of CNL Funds.

 

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  3. Believes that proxy voting is a valuable tool that may be used to promote sound corporate governance to the ultimate benefit of the Trust.

 

  4. Provides the Trust, upon request, with copies of reports with such substance and frequency as required to fulfill obligations under applicable law or as reasonably requested by the Board of Trustees.

 

  5. Reviews regularly the proxy voting record to ensure that proxies are voted in accordance with these Policies and Procedures, and ensures that procedures, documentation, and reports relating to the voting of proxies are promptly and properly prepared and disseminated.

B.   Material Conflict of Interest Identification and Resolution Processes

The Adviser’s use of sub-advisers to manage each Fund’s investments serves to minimize the number of, but not prevent, material conflicts of interest it faces in voting proxies. The Proxy Manager reviews each proxy to assess the extent to which there may be a potential conflict of interest. A potential conflict of interest situation may arise where, for example, the Adviser (or one of its affiliates) manages assets for, or otherwise has a material business relationship with, a company whose management is soliciting proxies, and failure to vote proxies in favor of management of the company may harm the Adviser’s (or its affiliate’s) relationship with the company. In an effort to identify potential conflicts of interest, the Adviser will prepare a list of the Adviser’s clients and vendors, and list of companies with which the Adviser and CNL Financial Group, Inc. (and its affiliates) have material business relationships, and provide that list to the Proxy Manager. The Adviser will periodically update this list as new information becomes available. All personnel are required to contact the Proxy Manager about any apparent conflicts of interest, including apparent conflicts of interest involving personal relationships. Apparent conflicts are reviewed by the Proxy Manager to determine if there is a conflict, and if so, whether the conflict is material.

If a proxy is identified as presenting a material conflict of interest, the matter must be reviewed by the Proxy Manager, which will resolve the conflict and direct the vote. In order to avoid even the appearance of impropriety, the Proxy Manager will not take the Adviser’s relationship (or the relationship of an affiliate of the Adviser) with a company into account, and will vote the company’s proxies in the best interest of the Trust, in accordance with these Policies and Procedures. If the Proxy Manager is himself or herself subject to the identified conflict, he or she will not participate in the proxy voting activities regarding the particular proxy, including the decision on whether and how to vote the proxy in question and the matter will be referred to the Board of Trustees of CNL Funds for a determination as to how the proxy should be voted. The Proxy Manager will record and maintain materials to document the factors that were considered to evidence that there was a reasonable basis for the Proxy Manager’s decision with respect to any conflict of interest.

VI.   REVIEW OF VOTING RECORD

The CCO is responsible for reviewing regularly the voting record to ensure that proxies are voted in accordance with these Policies and Procedures and for ensuring that procedures, documentation, and reports relating to the voting of proxies are promptly and properly prepared and disseminated.

VII.   RECORDKEEPING

The Adviser shall, with respect to those clients over which it has discretionary proxy voting authority, make and retain the following documentation:2

 

  (1) All proxy voting policies and procedures.

 

  (2) A copy of each proxy statement it receives regarding client securities.

 

  (3) A record of each vote cast by the Adviser on behalf of a client.

 

  (4) A record of all oral and a copy of all written communications received and memoranda or similar documents created by the Adviser that were material to making a decision on voting client securities, including any supporting documentation, whether or not approved, or that memorializes the basis for that decision.

 

  (5) A record of each written client request for proxy voting information on how the Adviser voted proxies on behalf of the client, and a copy of any written response by the Adviser to any (written or oral) client request for proxy voting information on how the Adviser voted proxies on behalf of the requesting client.

 

2

The Adviser may satisfy this requirement by relying on a third party to make and retain on the Adviser’s behalf, a copy of a proxy statement (provided the Adviser has obtained an undertaking from the third party to provide a copy of the proxy statement promptly upon request) or may rely on obtaining a copy of a proxy statement from the SEC EDGAR system at www.sec.gov.

 

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  (6) Copies of all reconciliations of securities held in client accounts and proxies voted.

All books and records required to be maintained hereunder, shall be maintained and preserved in an easily accessible place for a period of not less than five (5) years from the end of the fiscal year during which the last entry was made on such record, the first two (2) years in an appropriate office of the Adviser.

 

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EXHIBIT A

PROXY VOTING GUIDELINES

These Proxy Voting Guidelines are a reflection of The CNL Funds (the “Trust”) views that the Trust’s fiduciary obligations to their shareholders include an obligation to vote their proxies in a manner consistent with solid corporate governance and corporate social responsibility.

The Trust believes that good corporations are characterized by sound corporate governance and overall corporate social responsibility. A well-governed company that meets high standards of corporate ethics and operates in the best interests of the shareholders, employees, customers, communities and the environment will be better positioned for long-term success. This long-term success translates into positive returns for long-term shareholders.

Board of Directors

 

   

The Trust believes that one of the fundamental sources of good governance is independence. In our view, the board should be composed of a majority of independent directors and key committees, including the audit, compensation, and nominating and/or governance committees, should be composed exclusively of independent directors. The Trust will generally support the board’s nominees, if the above conditions are met.

 

   

The Trust believes that classified or staggered board structures may deter legitimate efforts to elect new directors or takeover attempts that may benefit shareholders. The Trust will generally support proposals to elect all board members annually and to remove classified boards.

 

   

The Trust will generally oppose director nominees that have not attended a sufficient number of meetings of the board or key committees on which they were to serve.

 

   

The Trust will generally support proposals that seek to indemnify directors and limit director liability for acts excluding fraud or other wanton or willful misconduct or illegal acts.

 

   

The Trust will generally oppose excessive awards of stock or stock options to directors.

 

   

The Trust will generally oppose director nominees who have acted against the interests of shareholders.

 

   

The Trust will generally support proposals to require majority voting in favor of director nominees.

Independent Auditors

 

   

The Trust believes that the company is in the best position to evaluate the competence of the outside auditors. The Trust will generally vote on ratification of the company’s auditor recommendation unless it has reason to believe that the company has used overly aggressive or other unrealistic assumptions in financial reporting that overstate or otherwise distort earnings.

Compensation Issues

 

   

The Trust recognizes that there are significant variables that exist in order to properly evaluate compensation proposals such as industry, market capitalization, competitive factors, etc. that adequately address the need to balance the needs of the employees and those of the other shareholders in the company. While each proposal needs to be evaluated on a case by case basis, the Trust will oppose plans that substantially dilute outside shareholder interests, provide for excessive awards that are not reflective of economic or financial performance, or are just structured in an objectionable manner.

 

   

The Trust will support proposals requesting the formation of a committee of independent directors to regularly review and examine executive compensation.

 

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The Trust will generally support proposals requesting companies to fully disclose executive compensation including salaries, option awards, bonuses, and restricted stock grants, supplemental executive retirement plans of senior management and the Board of Directors.

 

   

The Trust will generally support employee stock purchase plans, provided the shares purchased under the plan are acquired at no less than 85% of their market value and the shares reserved account for less than 5% of outstanding shares.

 

   

The Trust will generally support supplemental executive retirement plans that are reasonably estimated, fully disclosed, and where constructive credit does not exceed full service credit.

 

   

The Trust will generally oppose proposals to approve stock option plans that have a dilutive effect in excess of 10% of share value.

 

   

The Trust will generally oppose proposals to approve stock option plans that have option exercise prices below the market price on the day of the grant and/or the average grants are in excess of 3% per year.

 

   

The Trust will generally oppose proposals that contain evergreen provisions which reserve a specified percentage of stock for award each year with no termination date.

 

   

The Trust will generally oppose bonus plans that do not clearly define performance criteria and maximum awards in absolute dollars. Plans that appear excessive will generally be opposed.

 

   

The Trust will generally oppose proposals of severance arrangements that exceed three times an executive’s salary and bonus if triggered by a change of control without the requirement for submission to shareholder approval.

 

   

The Trust will generally oppose proposals of severance arrangements which allow payments to executives who are terminated for misconduct, gross mismanagement or other reasons constituting a for cause termination.

Shareholder Voting Rights

 

   

The Trust will generally support the elimination of pre-emptive voting rights except in those cases where there is a reasonable indication that such rights would have a value to the shareholder.

 

   

The Trust will generally oppose a poison pill plan unless it is short term, requires shareholder approval for renewal, requires independent review, and there is a strongly independent and non-classified board.

 

   

The Trust will generally oppose cumulative voting rights.

 

   

The Trust will generally oppose supermajority voting requirements.

 

   

The Trust will generally oppose proposals that abridge the shareholders’ right to call special meetings of the board in cases of good cause and to act by written consent.

 

   

The Trust will generally oppose proposals that do not provide for confidential voting.

 

   

The Trust will generally oppose the creation of separate classes with different voting rights in those situations where the different groups of shareholders have similar economic investments.

 

   

The Trust will generally support the creation of classes of stock offering different dividend rights if they do not limit shareholder rights.

 

   

The Trust will generally oppose proposals that allow the company to buy back shares from a particular shareholder(s) at higher than market prices.

 

   

The Trust will generally oppose reincorporation in a new domicile if the Trust believes that it is being done with the intention of reducing current shareholder rights.

 

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The Trust will actively voice their displeasure for companies who set forth proposals in a bundle. The right to vote each proposal separately must be encouraged and protected.

 

   

The Trust will generally oppose proposals for by-law changes allowing a company to opt into state anti-takeover laws.

Stock Authorization

 

   

The Trust will generally support proposals authorizing the issuance of additional common stock necessary to facilitate a stock split.

 

   

The Trust will generally oppose proposals for the creation of blank check preferred stock.

 

   

The Trust will generally oppose proposals that call for increases in authorization of preferred stock with unspecified terms and conditions of use which can be determined at a future date and without approval from shareholders.

Social Issues

The Trust believes that it is the responsibility of the board and management to run a company on a daily basis. With this in mind, in the absence of unusual circumstances, the Trust does not believe that shareholders should be involved in determining how a company should address broad social and policy issues. As a result, the Trust generally votes against these types of proposals, which are generally initiated by shareholders, unless the Trust believes the proposal has significant economic implications.

Foreign Market

 

   

The Trust will vote in a manner consistent with its domestic voting policy however, the Trust will take into consideration different governance standards, disclosure requirements, accounting practices and voting procedures that are unique to foreign markets. However, there may be situations where the Trust may elect not to vote because it would be in the best interests of the Trust and its shareholders.

 

   

Depending on the country, numerous disadvantages may apply to voting foreign proxies. In many non-U.S. markets, shareholders who vote proxies may not be permitted to trade in the issuer’s stock within a given period of time on or around the shareholder meeting. This practice is call “share-blocking.” If the Trust believes it may wish to buy or sell the security during the relevant period, it will abstain from voting. In other non-U.S. markets, travel to the foreign country to vote in person, translation expense or other cost prohibitive procedures may lead the Trust to abstain from voting. The Trust may be unable to vote in other certain non-U.S. markets that do not permit foreign holders to vote securities. It is also possible that the Trust may not receive proxy materials in time to vote due to operational difficulties in certain non-U.S. markets, or that the Trust may not otherwise receive sufficient timely information to make a voting determination.

 

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CB RICHARD ELLIS GLOBAL REAL ESTATE SECURITIES, LLC

PROXY VOTING POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

Rule 206(4)-6 under the Advisers Act requires every investment adviser to adopt and implement written policies and procedures, reasonably designed to ensure that the adviser votes proxies in the best interest of its clients. The Rule further requires the adviser to provide a concise summary of the adviser’s proxy voting process and offer to provide copies of the complete proxy voting policy and procedures to clients upon request. Lastly, the Rule requires that the adviser disclose to clients how they may obtain information on how the adviser voted their proxies.

CB Richard Ellis Global Real Estate Securities, LLC (the “Company”) anticipates that a majority of clients will be responsible for all actions in relation to proxy voting. However, if the Company is instructed by the client to vote proxies on the client’s behalf, then the Company will follow the guidelines of the Proxy Voting Policy and Procedures. Any questions about this document should be directed to the CCO.

Policy

Assuming that the Company is requested to vote proxies on behalf of a particular client, it is the policy of the Company to vote client proxies in the interest of maximizing shareholder value. To that end, the Company will vote in a way that it believes, consistent with its fiduciary duty, will cause the value of the issue to increase the most or decline the least. Consideration will be given to both the short and long term implications of the proposal to be voted on when considering the optimal vote.

Any general or specific proxy voting guidelines provided by an advisory client or its designated agent in writing will supersede this policy. Clients may wish to have their proxies voted by an independent third party or other named fiduciary or agent, at the client’s cost.

With respect to class actions, it is CBRE GRES’ policy not to take any action without first consulting the client. We will then only take action as the client directs.

Procedures for Identification and Voting of Proxies

These proxy voting procedures are designed to enable the Company to resolve material conflicts of interest with clients before voting their proxies in the interest of shareholder value.

 

  1. The Company shall maintain a list of all clients for which it votes proxies. The list will be maintained either in hard copy or electronically and updated by the Co-Chief Investment Officers or Portfolio Managers or Portfolio Administrators who will obtain proxy voting information from client agreements.

 

  2. The Company shall work with the client to ensure that CBRE GRES is the designated party to receive proxy voting materials from companies or intermediaries. To that end, new account forms of broker-dealers/custodians will state that CBRE GRES should receive this documentation. The designation may also be made by telephoning contacts and/or client service representatives at broker-dealers/custodians.

 

  3. The Co-Chief Chief Investment Officers shall receive all proxy voting materials and will be responsible for ensuring that proxies are voted and submitted in a timely manner.

 

  4. The Co-Chief Investment Officers will review the list of clients and compare the record date of the proxies with a security holdings list for the security or company soliciting the proxy vote.

For any client who has provided specific voting instructions, the Co-Chief Investment Officers shall vote that client’s proxy in accordance with the client’s written instructions.

Proxies of clients who have selected a third party to vote proxies, and whose proxies were received by the Company, shall be forwarded to the designee for voting and submission.

Proxies received after the termination date of a client relationship will not be voted. Such proxies should be delivered to the last known address of the client or to the intermediary who distributed the proxy with a written or oral statement indicating that the advisory relationship has been terminated and that future proxies for the named client should not be delivered to the Company.

 

  5. The Co-Chief Investment Officers will reasonably try to assess any material conflicts between the Company’s interests and those of its clients with respect to proxy voting by considering the situations identified in the Conflicts of Interest section of this document.

 

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  6. So long as there are no material conflicts of interest identified, the Company will vote proxies according to the policy set forth above. The Company may also elect to abstain from voting if it deems such abstinence in its clients’ best interests. The rationale for “abstain” votes will be documented and the documentation will be maintained in the permanent file.

 

  7. The Company is not required to vote every client proxy and such should not necessarily be construed as a violation of CBRE GRES’s fiduciary obligations. The Company shall at no time ignore or neglect its proxy voting responsibilities. However, there may be times when refraining from voting is in the client’s best interest, such as when an adviser’s analysis of a particular client proxy reveals that the cost of voting the proxy may exceed the expected benefit to the client (i.e., casting a vote on a foreign security may require that the adviser engage a translator or travel to a foreign country to vote in person). Such position also complies with Interpretive Bulletin 94-2 of the DOL.

 

  8. The CCO shall be responsible for conducting the proxy voting cost-benefit analysis in those certain situations in which the Company believes it may be in its clients’ best interest for the Company not to vote a particular proxy. The CCO shall maintain documentation of any cost/benefit analysis with respect to client proxies that were not voted by the Company.

 

  9. If the Co-Chief Investment Officers detect a conflict of interest, the Company will, at its expense, engage the services of an outside proxy voting service or consultant who will provide an independent recommendation on the direction in which the Company should vote on the proposal. The proxy voting service’s or consultant’s determination will be binding on CBRE GRES.

 

  10. The Chief Co-Chief Investment Officers shall collect and submit the proxy votes in a timely manner.

 

  11. The CCO will report any attempts by the Company’s personnel to influence the voting of client proxies in a manner that is inconsistent with the Company’s Policy.

 

  12. All proxy votes will be recorded and the following information will be maintained:

 

   

The name of the issuer of the portfolio security;

 

   

The exchange ticker symbol of the portfolio security;

 

   

The Council on Uniform Securities Identification Procedures (“CUSIP”) number for the portfolio security;

 

   

The shareholder meeting date;

 

   

The number of shares the Company is voting on firm-wide;

 

   

A brief identification of the matter voted on;

 

   

Whether the matter was proposed by the issuer or by a security holder;

 

   

Whether or not the Company cast its vote on the matter;

 

   

How the Company cast its vote (e.g., for or against proposal, or abstain; for or withhold regarding election of directors);

 

   

Whether the Company cast its vote with or against management; and

 

   

Whether any client requested an alternative vote of its proxy.

In the event that the Company votes the same proxy in two directions, it shall maintain documentation to support its voting (this may occur if a client requires the Company to vote a certain way on an issue, while the Company deems it beneficial to vote in the opposite direction for its other clients) in the permanent file.

Conflicts of Interest

Although the Company has not currently identified any material conflicts of interest that would affect its proxy voting decisions, it is aware of the following potential conflicts that could exist in the future:

 

   

Conflict: CBRE GRES retains a client, or is in the process of retaining a client that is an officer or director of an issuer that is held in the Company’s client portfolios.

 

   

Conflict: CBRE GRES’s supervised persons maintain a personal and/or business relationship (not an advisory relationship) with issuers or individuals that serve as officers or directors of issuers. For example, the spouse of a Company supervised person may be a high-level executive of an issuer that is held in the Company’s client portfolios. The spouse could attempt to influence the Company to vote in favor of management.

 

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Resolution: Upon the detection of a material conflict of interest, the procedure described under Item 7 of the Procedures for Identification and Voting of Proxies section above will be followed.

The Company realizes that due to the difficulty of predicting and identifying all material conflicts, it must rely on its supervised persons to notify the Co-Chief Investment Officers of any material conflict that may impair the Company’s ability to vote proxies in an objective manner. Upon such notification, the CCO will seek legal counsel who will recommend an appropriate course of action.

In addition, any attempts by others within the Company to influence the voting of client proxies in a manner that is inconsistent with the proxy voting policy shall be reported to the CCO. The CCO should then report the attempt to legal counsel.

The CCO should, as necessary, report to legal counsel all conflicts of interest that arise in connection with the performance of the Company’s proxy-voting obligations (if any), and any conflicts of interest that have come to his or her attention (if any). The CCO will use the form included as Attachment A to this document. This information can lead to future amendments to this proxy voting policy and procedure.

Recordkeeping

The Company must maintain the documentation described in the following section for a period of not less than five (5) years, the first two (2) years at its principal place of business. The CCO will be responsible for the following procedures and for ensuring that the required documentation is retained.

Client request to review proxy votes:

 

   

Any request, whether written (including e-mail) or oral, received by any supervised persons of the Company, must be promptly reported to the CCO. All written requests must be retained in the permanent file.

 

   

The CCO will record the identity of the client, the date of the request, and the disposition (e.g., provided a written or oral response to client’s request, referred to third party, not a proxy voting client, other dispositions, etc.) in a suitable place.

 

 

 

In order to facilitate the management of proxy voting record keeping process, and to facilitate dissemination of such proxy voting records to clients, the CCO will distribute to any client requesting proxy voting information the complete proxy voting record of the Company for the period requested. Reports containing proxy information of only those issuers held by a certain client will not be created or distributed.4

Any report disseminated to a client(s) will contain the following legend:

“This report contains the full proxy voting record of CBRE GRES. If securities of a particular issuer were held in your account on the date of the shareholder meeting indicated, your proxy was voted in the direction indicated (absent your expressed written direction otherwise).”

 

   

Furnish the information requested, free of charge, to the client within a reasonable time period (within 10 business days). Maintain a copy of the written record provided in response to client’s written (including e-mail) or oral request. A copy of the written response should be attached and maintained with the client’s written request, if applicable and maintained in the permanent file.

 

   

clients are permitted to request the proxy voting record for the 5 year period prior to their request.

 

4

For clients who have provided the Company with specific direction on proxy voting, the CCO will review the proxy voting record and permanent file in order to identify those proposals voted differently than how the Company voted clients not providing direction.

Proxy statements received regarding client securities:

 

   

Upon receipt of a proxy, copy or print a sample of the proxy statement or card and maintain the copy in a central file along with a sample of the proxy solicitation instructions.

Note: The Company is permitted to rely on proxy statements filed on the SEC’s EDGAR system instead of keeping its own copies.

 

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Proxy voting records:

 

   

The Company’s proxy voting records may include the following:

 

   

Documents prepared or created by the Company that were material to making a decision on how to vote, or that memorialized the basis for the decision.

 

   

Documentation or notes or any communications received from third parties, other industry analysts, third party service providers, company’s management discussions, etc. that were material in the basis for the decision.

Disclosure

 

   

The Company will ensure that Part II of Form ADV is updated as necessary to reflect: (i) all material changes to the Proxy Voting Policy and Procedures; and (ii) regulatory requirements.

Proxy Solicitation

As a matter of practice, it is the Company’s policy to not reveal or disclose to any client how the Company may have voted (or intends to vote) on a particular proxy until after such proxies have been counted at a shareholder’s meeting. The Company will never disclose such information to unrelated third parties.

The CCO is to be promptly informed of the receipt of any solicitation from any person to vote proxies on behalf of clients. At no time may any supervised persons accept any remuneration in the solicitation of proxies. The CCO shall handle all responses to such solicitations.

 

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Attachment A

CB Richard Ellis Global Real Estate Securities LLC

Report of Proxy Voting Conflicts

 

To: [Legal Counsel]

From: CCO

Date: <DATE>

 

Re: Proxy Voting Conflict of Interest

Rule 206(4)-6 (the “Rule”) under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 (“Advisers Act”) requires every investment adviser to adopt and implement written policies and procedures, reasonably designed to ensure that the adviser votes proxies in the best interest of its clients. A challenging aspect to Rule 206(4)-6 has been an adviser’s identification of material conflicts of interest that may influence the manner in which it votes proxies.

I have listed below the conflicts of interest that came to my attention and the manner in which such conflicts were mitigated:

 

Signature:     
Date:    

 

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EX-99.17 12 semiannualreport.txt CNL FUNDS SEMI-ANNUAL REPORT CNL GLOBAL REAL ESTATE FUND CLASS A SHARES INSTITUTIONAL CLASS SHARES SEMI-ANNUAL REPORT THE CNL FUNDS JUNE 30, 2009 SUB-ADVISED BY CB RICHARD ELLIS GLOBAL REAL ESTATE SECURITIES, LLC (CNL(R) LOGO) CNL FUND ADVISORS COMPANY Table of Contents Letter to Shareholders .................................................... 1 Portfolio Management Review ............................................... 3 Fund Performance Summary .................................................. 6 Understanding Your Ongoing Costs .......................................... 8 Investment Portfolio ...................................................... 9 Statement of Assets and Liabilities ....................................... 12 Statement of Operations ................................................... 13 Statement of Changes in Net Assets ........................................ 14 Financial Highlights ...................................................... 15 Notes to Financial Statements ............................................. 17 Tax and Other Information ................................................. 25 Approval of Investment Advisory Agreements ................................ 26
This material is authorized for distribution only when preceded or accompanied by a current prospectus. The Fund concentrates its investments in real estate securities, including REITs. A fund with a concentrated investment portfolio is vulnerable to the risks of the industry in which it invests and is subject to greater risks and market fluctuations than funds investing in a broader range of industries. Real estate securities are susceptible to the risks associated with direct ownership of real estate, such as declines in property values; increases in property taxes, operating expenses, interest rates or competition; zoning changes; and losses from casualty and condemnation. The Fund may directly purchase securities of foreign issuers. Investing in securities of foreign issuers involves special risks not typically associated with investing in securities of U.S. issuers. The risks include possible revaluation of currencies, the ability to repatriate funds, less complete financial information about companies and possible future adverse political and economic developments. Moreover, securities of many foreign issuers and their markets may be less liquid and their prices more volatile than those of securities of comparable U.S. issuers. Note 7 of the Financial Statements presents additional discussion of the risks of investing in the Fund. Letter to Shareholders Dear Shareholders: We are pleased to present this semi-annual report for The CNL Funds to you, our shareholders in the CNL Global Real Estate Fund (the "Fund"). Real estate ownership has been, and likely always will be, a process of skillfully managing complex assets to generate investment returns that compensate for the risks involved. The process is currently underway in the real estate industry to separate the strong and the weak management teams. All real estate owners and managers are facing the ongoing challenge of devoting substantial resources to restore and protect operating margins. Concurrently, investors' pursuit of transparency on multiple fronts is driven by their goal to align themselves with the strong. We reaffirm that the Fund's portfolio management team seeks to continue to focus its investment research on ensuring that the highest quality companies, with strong balance sheets and seasoned management teams intact, are selected for inclusion in the Fund while seeking to avoid extraordinary risk. We believe that the portfolio management team's worldwide presence and in-depth knowledge of the better management teams and portfolio assets have contributed to the Fund's outperformance relative to the industry benchmark. While global financial and economic events in the near term will feed further market volatility, we believe the stock prices of the highest quality real estate companies will hold their value and capable management teams will gradually restore operating margins and profits within the constraints of a new world order for global capital markets. The first half of 2009 started with the continuation of worldwide economic dislocation, a gripping recession and persistent financial stress that carried over from 2008. Equity markets continued their downward spiral in early 2009, taking along global real estate stocks; the FTSE EPRA/NAREIT Global Real Estate Index (the "Benchmark Index") declined sharply by 35.7% through March 9, 2009. Thereafter, global real estate stock prices moved upwards in a choppy manner with the Benchmark Index finishing up 5.9% for the first six months of 2009. Throughout this cycle of extreme volatility and dramatic price corrections, the worldwide stock exchanges continued to function properly and provide investors access to attractive, value investment opportunities for market entry buyers and liquidity to investors seeking alternative investments or increased cash positions. Time and again over the past 20 years, real estate stock prices have generally foreshadowed significant price movements for commercial real estate values, and we believe that this current investment cycle is no different. The observable value correction process for real properties lags the equities markets due to (1) the more complex transaction process where the gravity of profound economic events may be more slowly incorporated into the negotiations and price setting process and (2) the reporting delay for completed property transactions. The Benchmark Index declined by 71.7% over a 24-month period ending March 9, 2009; market participants were quickly factoring the impacts of future real estate value write-downs, credit market gridlock, foreclosures, bankruptcies, weak operating fundamentals, higher costs of capital, and investors' pursuit of liquidity. Throughout this challenging investment environment, the Fund's portfolio management team maintained its conviction that the stocks of the higher quality real estate companies were oversold, even while commercial real estate values remained opaque given the lack of transaction activity and the continuing gridlock posed by commercial mortgage financing. We continue to anticipate more headline news impacting sentiment towards the global REIT sector - distressed asset sales and foreclosure auctions, CMBS workouts, U.S. Treasury mega-investment in real estate-related assets through the Public-Private Investment Program, investors abandoning their capital commitments in leveraged real estate funds, tightening regulations, and banks and finance companies continuing to struggle under the weight of distressed real estate-related assets. Meanwhile, the market has embraced the recapitalization efforts of numerous REITs worldwide that are enhancing the financial flexibility of their balance sheets to be in a position to pursue and seize the emerging opportunities within real estate sector chaos. Overall, global REITs have raised $35 billion of equity in 2009 to polish up their balance sheets and to earn a first look at distressed seller investment opportunities over the next 12 to 36 months. REIT investors are confirming their confidence in publicly traded REITs and recharging them with fresh capital to set pricing in the upcoming transfer of assets from weak hands to proven management teams. CNL GLOBAL REAL ESTATE FUND - 1 Letter to Shareholders FINANCIAL RESULTS During the six months ended June 30, 2009, the Fund received approximately $2 million in gross proceeds from the sale of shares and deployed $7.2 million of capital to redeem shares. The Fund holds investment interests in 56 public companies that are listed on the securities exchanges in 10 countries, eliminating its investment exposure in Finland and Germany during this reporting period. Net investment income was $394,628 and distributions paid to shareholders totaled $269,200 for the same period, representing 100% ordinary income dividends. The net asset value per share had increased from $4.62 per share on December 31, 2008, to $4.96 per share (Institutional Class) on June 30, 2009, resulting in a total return of +8.79%, including dividends. The Fund's benchmark registered a total return of +5.88% over the same six month period. LOOKING AHEAD The Fund's active investment strategy and diversification rules combined to deliver favorable returns relative to the industry benchmark, during the six month period ended June 30, 2009. We are very much aware of the risks that surround the global investment markets, the regional financial sectors, and the slate of public companies that we scrutinize and select to meet the Fund's investment objective. Hopefully, the severe correction in global REITs' stock prices is behind us and the recalibration of commercial real estate values will affirm the present price levels for global REITs. We will be paying close attention to the resolution of the ownership and financial chaos within the real estate sector. In addition, we will continue to focus our investment attention on both global REIT companies that have their real estate operations under tight supervision and that have the resources to dominate within their market segments. Thank you for your continuing confidence in the CNL Global Real Estate Fund. Sincerely, /s/ Robert A. Bourne /s/ Andrew Hyltin Robert A. Bourne Andrew Hyltin Chairman President The CNL Funds The CNL Funds August 20, 2009 Any information in this shareholder report regarding market or economic trends or the factors influencing the Fund's historical or future performance are statements of the opinion of Fund management as of the date of this report. These statements should not be relied upon for any other purposes. Past performance is no guarantee of future results, and there is no guarantee that any market forecasts discussed will be realized. 2 - CNL GLOBAL REAL ESTATE FUND Portfolio Management Review This report provides management's discussion of performance for CNL Global Real Estate Fund (the "Fund") for the semi-annual reporting period ended June 30, 2009. INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE AND PORTFOLIO MANAGEMENT The Fund seeks to achieve a high total return through a combination of current income and capital appreciation. The Fund is managed by: Jeremy Anagnos, Portfolio Manager, Co-Chief Investment Officer and Managing Director, Steve Carroll, Portfolio Manager, Co-Chief Investment Officer and Managing Director, and William Morrill, Portfolio Manager, Managing Director of CB Richard Ellis Global Real Estate Securities LLC. ("CBRE GRES" or the Sub-Adviser). INVESTMENT STRATEGIES AND POLICIES Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets in equity securities issued by real estate and real estate-related companies, including real estate investment trusts and real estate operating companies. The Fund considers a company to be a real estate or real estate-related company if at least 50% of its assets, gross income or net profits are attributable to ownership, construction, management or sale of residential, commercial or industrial real estate or whose products or services are related to the real estate industry, such as manufacturers and distributors of building supplies and financial institutions that issue mortgages. Real estate companies in other countries may have similar features to U.S.-qualified REITs; however the specific characteristics and regulations for REIT-like companies may not be identical to those of U.S.-qualified REITs. At June 30, 2009, 100% of the Fund's security holdings were in common stocks associated with real estate companies. Under normal market conditions, the Fund will invest significantly (at least 40%, unless market conditions are not deemed favorable by CNL Fund Advisors Company (the "Adviser"), in which case the Fund would invest at least 30%) in equity securities issued by real estate and real estate-related companies organized or located outside the U.S. or doing a substantial amount of business outside the U.S. The Fund will allocate its assets among no less than three different countries. The Fund may invest up to 15% of its total assets in equity securities that are traded on the major stock exchanges located in emerging markets. The Fund may invest in common equities, preferred equities, and convertible debt issued by real estate and real estate-related companies located primarily in North America, Europe, and the Asia-Pacific. The Fund also gives particular investment consideration to equity securities traded on major exchanges in the following sub-regions: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Continental Europe, Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Australia/New Zealand. At June 30, 2009, approximately 36% of the Fund's holdings were invested in the common stocks of companies domiciled in the U.S. and the remainder in the common stocks of real estate companies domiciled outside of the U.S. All of the companies held on June 30, 2009 were domiciled in developed countries. The Fund may invest in securities of small-, mid- and large-sized real estate or real estate-related companies. The Fund seeks to limit risk through various controls, such as diversifying the portfolio property types and geographic areas as well as by limiting the size of any one holding. The Fund limits the maximum holding of the issued capital of any individual company to no more than 10% of the Fund's assets. At June 30, 2009, the single largest Fund holding accounted for 5.7% of the Fund's total net assets. The Sub-Adviser seeks to construct a portfolio with return and risk characteristics similar to the FTSE EPRA/NAREIT Global Real Estate Index Series (the Fund's "Benchmark Index"). The Benchmark Index is designed to track the performance of listed real estate companies and REITs worldwide. The Sub-Adviser uses the Benchmark Index as a guide in structuring and designing the Fund's portfolio, but the Fund is not an index fund. The Fund typically maintains a portion of its assets in cash or cash equivalents in order to meet redemption requests, pay Fund expenses or satisfy other liquidity needs. These assets may be invested in overnight or short-term investment vehicles. CNL GLOBAL REAL ESTATE FUND - 3 Portfolio Management Review (continued) PORTFOLIO MANAGEMENT TECHNIQUES The Fund was managed during 2009 to maintain approximately 95% investment allocation in common stocks of publicly traded real estate companies. No leverage was employed at the Fund level for investment purposes. The Fund did not invest in any exchange-traded funds, real estate closed-end funds, derivatives, or short positions. The Fund invested in securities that are listed on major exchanges located in the United States, Canada, Australia, Hong Kong, Japan, Continental Europe and United Kingdom; the Fund did not hold any securities listed on security exchanges located in emerging countries during the first half of 2009. The Sub-Adviser employs an investment process of top-down global asset allocation in the various regions, sub-regions, and countries as well as bottom-up stock selection. This process is continuously revisited and requires regular rebalancing of the Fund's global portfolio in order to meet its investment objective, to manage portfolio risk and to satisfy the Fund's diversification requirements. CBRE GRES actively manages the portfolio construction process using a top-down allocation method. The Fund's portfolio managers target sub-regional relative deviations from the benchmark based on economic outlook, real estate fundamentals, relative valuation, credit market conditions and qualitative factors (capital flows, currencies, sub-regional equity and bond market behavior, etc.). CBRE GRES' regional portfolio managers are responsible for individual sector and security recommendations within their respective regions. The regional portfolio managers recommend those stocks and sectors in their sub-region that they believe offer superior risk/return attributes relative to their peers. Individual stock weights are based in part on the global target of securities to be held, the weight of the security in the benchmark, the liquidity of the security relative to the amount to be invested, and the relative attractiveness of the stock to other securities to be included in the portfolio in the region. The recommendations of regional portfolio managers, and their securities analyst team members, and the input from the research team members of the Sub-Adviser's global affiliates are crucial to assessing appropriate global allocation, stock selection, and risk assessment. We believe the vast global platform of direct real estate and equity securities real-time information injects substantial added value to the Sub-Adviser's investment process. FUND PERFORMANCE For the six months ended June 30, 2009, the Fund's Class A shares, excluding sales charges, provided a total return of 8.68% and the Institutional Class total return was 8.79%. The Benchmark Index return was 5.88% for the six month period ending June 30, 2009. Class A shares, excluding sales commission, outperformed the Benchmark Index by 280 basis points (+2.80%) and Institutional Class shares outperformed the Benchmark Index by 291 basis points (+2.91%). The Fund consistently outperformed the Benchmark Index subsequent to the Fund price and Benchmark Index value trough in early March 2009. When comparing the Fund's risk adjusted return to the Benchmark Index, a positive alpha of 7.1% was obtained in the period since the Fund's inception of October 30, 2007, through June 30, 2009. Alpha is a coefficient which measures risk-adjusted performance, factoring in the risk that is associated with the specific security or portfolio (in this case the Fund), rather than the overall market sector (in this case the Benchmark Index). A positive alpha value, which has been achieved for the Fund as measured since inception through June 30, 2009, implies that the Fund has performed better than the risk-adjusted expectations, given its volatility (beta) and it is also an indication of value-added performance by the portfolio manager. Throughout 2008, global real estate stocks recorded very poor results from a historical perspective across the board, with most sectors plunging to historical lows. In 2009, the global regions exhibited unique differences; Asia-Pacific led the pack with +24.7% year-to-date total return as of June 30, 2009, in sharp contrast with Europe (+2.1%) and North America (-10.1%). Volatility has persisted, as negative financial and economic news contributed to significant price swings on a daily and weekly basis, and portfolio management demanded focus on balancing into and away from the right regions, along with selecting the right companies. 4 - CNL GLOBAL REAL ESTATE FUND Portfolio Management Review (continued) Despite the streaming negative financial and economic news, the portfolio management team continued to actively screen companies that exhibited balance sheet quality and strength, (i.e., modest corporate leverage, minimal need for near-term financing, etc.) and potential cash flow growth. PORTFOLIO SPECIFICS On June 30, 2009, the Fund held positions in 56 real estate companies. This number has remained relatively consistent over the life of the Fund relative to the 55 and 56 positions at the fiscal year-end of 2007 and 2008, respectively. Meanwhile the portfolio allocation between the macro-regions shifted in the first half of 2009 towards the Asia-Pacific region and away from Europe, as indicated in the below chart: % OF EQUITIES HOLDINGS IN US$
12/31/2007 12/31/2008 6/30/2009 ---------- ---------- --------- North America Sub-Total 37.50% 41.50% 39.89% Asia-Pacific Sub-Total 42.80% 41.30% 44.53% Europe Sub-Total 19.70% 17.20% 15.58% ------ ------ ------ TOTAL 100.00% 100.00% 100.00% ------ ------ ------
The portfolio tilt towards the Asia-Pacific region, combined with the strong relative performance of the Asia-Pacific region, was one of the contributing factors to the relative outperformance of the Fund as compared to the Benchmark Index in the first half of 2009. As of June 30, 2009 no position represented more than 6% of the Fund and the top ten holdings accounted for 40.4% of the Fund's assets, reflecting the portfolio manager's strategy to weight the Fund's investment capital towards larger, more liquid, high quality real estate companies. CURRENT STRATEGY AND OUTLOOK The Sub-Adviser continues to seek investments in higher quality companies that are expected to weather the current financial and economic crises. Additionally, the Fund's portfolio managers expect to continue to seek investments in those economies and companies that offer realistic expectations for long-term cash flow growth in property-related earnings, where dividend payments are sustainable by operations and corporate liquidity, and where the stock prices of real estate companies are well below the reasonable estimates of corporate enterprise values based on the professional projections of the future direction of property values. CNL GLOBAL REAL ESTATE FUND - 5 Fund Performance Summary ALL FUND PERFORMANCE SHOWN IS HISTORICAL, ASSUMES REINVESTMENT OF ALL DIVIDEND AND CAPITAL GAIN DISTRIBUTIONS, AND DOES NOT GUARANTEE FUTURE RESULTS. INVESTMENT RETURNS AND PRINCIPAL VALUE FLUCTUATE WITH CHANGING MARKET CONDITIONS SO THAT, WHEN REDEEMED, SHARES MAY BE WORTH MORE OR LESS THAN THEIR ORIGINAL COST. CURRENT PERFORMANCE MAY BE LOWER OR HIGHER THAN THE PERFORMANCE SHOWN BELOW. PLEASE VISIT www.thecnlfunds.com FOR THE FUND'S MOST RECENT MONTHLY PERFORMANCE. GROWTH OF A $10,000 INVESTMENT - CLASS A SHARES (PERFORMANCE GRAPH)
FTSE/EPRA NAREIT investment @ $10k Class A (no load) @ $10k Class A (with load) @ $10k ---------------------------------- ------------------------ -------------------------- 10/29/2007 10000 10000 9425 10/31/2007 10155.2 10180 9594.72 11/30/2007 9371.8 9340 8803.02 12/31/2007 8885.32 8722.6 8221.11 1/31/2008 8507.13 8510.59 8021.29 2/29/2008 8352.41 8349.06 7869.05 3/31/2008 8385.14 8520.69 8030.81 4/30/2008 8909.54 9015.37 8497.05 5/31/2008 8691.04 8692.31 8192.57 6/30/2008 7667.4 7678.01 7236.58 7/31/2008 7730.12 7718.42 7274.66 8/31/2008 7569.97 7374.93 6950.92 9/30/2008 6869.18 6698.25 6313.15 10/31/2008 4954.73 4881.61 4600.95 11/30/2008 4235.89 4201.63 3960.07 12/31/2008 4645.04 4717.97 4446.72 1/31/2009 4047.78 4073.22 3839.04 2/28/2009 3380.12 3428.46 3231.35 3/31/2009 3618.74 3765.88 3549.37 4/30/2009 4366.53 4537.58 4276.7 5/31/2009 4918.04 5165.23 4868.27 6/30/2009 4918.07 5127.26 4832.48
GROWTH OF A $100,000 INVESTMENT - INSTITUTIONAL CLASS SHARES (PERFORMANCE GRAPH)
FTSE/EPRA NAREIT investment @ $100k Institutional Class @ $100k ----------------------------------- --------------------------- 10/29/2007 100000 100000 10/31/2007 101552 101800 11/30/2007 93718 93500 12/31/2007 88853.2 87266 1/31/2008 85071.3 85144.9 2/29/2008 83524.1 83528.9 3/31/2008 83851.4 85347 4/30/2008 89095.4 90296.1 5/31/2008 86910.4 86963 6/30/2008 76674 77012.2 7/31/2008 77301.2 77315.8 8/31/2008 75699.7 73976.3 9/30/2008 68691.8 67137.3 10/31/2008 49547.3 49030.6 11/30/2008 42358.9 42215.1 12/31/2008 46450.4 47420.3 1/31/2009 40477.8 40851.2 2/28/2009 33801.2 34487.5 3/31/2009 36187.3 37791.5 4/30/2009 43665.3 45638.9 5/31/2009 49180.4 51937.5 6/30/2009 49180.7 51589.6
Based on an initial investment of $10,000 (Class A Shares) and $100,000 (Institutional Class Shares), the graph above illustrates the total return of CNL Global Real Estate Fund against the Benchmark Index. The Fund's Benchmark Index is designed to track the performance of listed real estate companies and REITs worldwide. The free-float adjusted index constituents are liquidity, size and revenue screened and are broken down into eight index families covering the world's largest investment markets in various currencies. The Benchmark Index is unmanaged and has no cash in its portfolio, no sales charge and incurs no operating expenses. An investor cannot invest directly in the index. The graphs do not reflect the deduction of taxes that a U.S. taxable shareholder will pay on Fund distributions or the redemption of Fund shares. 6 - CNL GLOBAL REAL ESTATE FUND Fund Performance Summary (continued) The maximum sales charge for Class A shares is 5.75%. Average annual returns (Unadjusted for Sales Charges) do not reflect sales charges and would have been lower if they had. Institutional Class shares are not subject to sales charges. To discourage short-term trading, the Fund imposes a 1.00% redemption fee on shareholders redeeming shares held less than 75 days, which has the effect of lowering the total returns for short-term shareholders. AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS
SIX MONTHS SINCE ENDED JUNE 30, SIX MONTHS INCEPTION SINCE 2009 ENDED JUNE 30, (10/30/07)+ INCEPTION UNADJUSTED FOR 2009 UNADJUSTED FOR (10/30/07)+ CNL GLOBAL REAL ESTATE FUND SALES CHARGES WITH LOAD SALES CHARGES WITH LOAD --------------------------- -------------- -------------- -------------- ----------- Class A Shares 8.68% 2.45% (32.95)% (35.28)% Institutional Class Shares 8.79% N/A (32.70)% N/A FTSE EPRA/NAREIT Global Real Estate Index Series++ 5.88% N/A (34.60)% N/A
Returns do not reflect the payment of taxes that a shareholder may pay on distributions or upon redemption of Fund shares. + Represents commencement date of investment operations (i.e., began to invest in accordance with its investment objective). ++ The FTSE EPRA/NAREIT Global Real Estate Index is an index that tracks the performance of listed real estate companies and REITs worldwide. The annualized gross and net expense ratios, respectively, for each class of shares as in the April 30, 2009 prospectus were as follows: Class A--4.43% and 1.80%; and Institutional Class--4.18% and 1.55%. Through April 30, 2010, the Adviser has contractually agreed to waive its fee and/or reimburse the Fund for expenses incurred to the extent necessary to maintain the Fund's annual operating expenses at 1.80% for Class A shares and 1.55% for Institutional Class shares. Performance results reflect applicable expense waivers in effect during the period shown. Without such waivers Fund performance would be lower. See the prospectus for more information. NET ASSET VALUE AND DISTRIBUTION INFORMATION PER SHARE
INSTITUTIONAL CLASS A CLASS ------- ------------- NET ASSET VALUE: 6/30/09 $ 4.95 $ 4.96 DISTRIBUTION INFORMATION: 3/31/09--Net Investment Income $0.0197 $0.0219 6/30/09--Net Investment Income $0.0331 $0.0363
CNL GLOBAL REAL ESTATE FUND - 7 Understanding Your Ongoing Costs (Unaudited) As a Fund shareholder, you incur two types of costs: (1) ongoing costs including management fees, Fund expenses, and distribution (12b-1) fees, if applicable; and (2) transaction costs, including sales charges (loads) on purchase payments and redemption fees, if applicable. This example is intended to help you understand your ongoing costs (in dollars) of investing in the Fund and to compare these costs with the ongoing costs of investing in other mutual funds. The example is based on an investment of $1,000 at the beginning of the period and held for the entire period from January 1, 2009, through June 30, 2009. ACTUAL EXPENSES The first section of the table below (Actual Fund Return) provides information about actual account values and expenses. You may use the information in this line, together with the amount you invested, to estimate the expenses that you paid over the period. Simply divide your account value by $1,000 (for example, an $8,600 account value on January 1, 2009 divided by $1,000 = 8.6), then multiply the result by the expense number associated with your share class on the line entitled "Expenses Paid During the Period" to estimate the expenses you paid on your account during this period. HYPOTHETICAL EXAMPLE FOR COMPARISON PURPOSES The second section of the table (Hypothetical 5% Fund Return) below provides information about hypothetical account values and hypothetical expenses based on the Fund's actual expense ratio and an assumed rate of return of 5% per year before expenses, which is not the Fund's actual return. The hypothetical account values and expenses may not be used to estimate the actual ending account balance or expenses you paid for the period. You may use this information to compare the ongoing cost of investing in the Fund and other funds. To do so, compare this 5% hypothetical example with the 5% hypothetical examples that appear in the shareholder reports of other funds. Please note that the expenses shown in the table are meant to highlight your ongoing costs only and do not reflect any transactional costs, such as sales charges (loads) and redemption fees. Therefore, the second section of the table is useful in comparing ongoing costs only, and will not help you determine the relative total costs of owning different funds. In addition, if these transactional costs were included, your costs would have been higher.
INSTITUTIONAL ACTUAL FUND RETURN CLASS A CLASS ------------------ --------- ------------- Beginning Account Value January 1, 2009 $1,000.00 $1,000.00 Ending Account Value June 30, 2009 $1,086.80 $1,087.90 Expenses Paid per $1,000(a) $ 9.31 $ 8.02
INSTITUTIONAL HYPOTHETICAL 5% FUND RETURN CLASS A CLASS --------------------------- --------- ------------- Beginning Account Value January 1, 2009 $1,000.00 $1,000.00 Ending Account Value June 30, 2009 $1,015.87 $1,017.11 Expenses Paid per $1,000(a) $ 9.00 $ 7.75
INSTITUTIONAL ANNUALIZED EXPENSE RATIOS(b) CLASS A CLASS ---------------------------- --------- ------------- 1.80% 1.55%
(a) Expenses are equal to the Fund's annualized expense ratios for each class of shares, multiplied by the average account value over the period, multiplied by the actual days in the period (181); and then dividing that result by the actual number of days in the fiscal year (365). The data reflects the 181 day period from January 1, 2009, through June 30, 2009. (b) The annualized gross expense ratio, based on the six months ended June 30, 2009, was: Class A--4.53% and Institutional Class--4.27%. 8 - CNL GLOBAL REAL ESTATE FUND Investment Portfolio (Unaudited) as of June 30, 2009 CNL GLOBAL REAL ESTATE FUND TEN LARGEST HOLDINGS (AS A PERCENTAGE OF TOTAL NET ASSETS)
MARKET VALUE (US$) PERCENT ----------- ------- Mitsubishi Estate Co., Ltd. ............................ 1,289,916 5.7% Westfield Group ........................................ 1,130,618 4.9 Unibail-Rodamco ........................................ 1,091,895 4.8 Simon Property Group, Inc. (REIT) ...................... 997,588 4.4 Mitsui Fudosan Co., Ltd. ............................... 919,240 4.0 Vornado Realty Trust (REIT) ............................ 894,926 3.9 Capitaland Ltd. ........................................ 811,481 3.6 Hang Lung Properties Ltd. .............................. 741,301 3.2 China Resources Land Ltd. .............................. 696,484 3.0 Kerry Properties Ltd. .................................. 670,390 2.9 --------- ---- TOTAL .................................................. 9,243,839 40.4% ========= ====
COUNTRY SUMMARY (AS A PERCENTAGE OF TOTAL COMMON STOCK INVESTMENT PORTFOLIO)(a)
MARKET VALUE (US$) PERCENT ----------- ------- United States .......................................... 8,099,976 35.7% Hong Kong .............................................. 3,502,485 15.4 Japan .................................................. 3,226,451 14.2 United Kingdom ......................................... 1,775,087 7.8 Australia .............................................. 1,719,593 7.6 Singapore .............................................. 1,665,650 7.3 France ................................................. 1,411,807 6.2 Canada ................................................. 961,773 4.2 Sweden ................................................. 201,519 0.9 Netherlands ............................................ 151,043 0.7 ---------- ----- TOTAL .................................................. 22,715,384 100.0% ========== =====
---------- (a) Country summary represents the allocation of holdings based on the country domicile of the holding or underlying company. It does not represent the geographic diversification of the underlying property holdings of the real estate companies. Following the Fund's fiscal first and third quarter-end, a complete portfolio holdings listing is filed with the SEC on Form N-Q. The form is available on the SEC's Web site at www.sec.gov, and it may be reviewed and copied at the SEC's Public Reference Room in Washington, D.C. Information on the operation of the SEC's Public Reference Room may be obtained by calling 1-800-SEC-0330. THE ACCOMPANYING NOTES ARE AN INTEGRAL PART OF THESE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS. CNL GLOBAL REAL ESTATE FUND - 9 Investment Portfolio (Unaudited) as of June 30, 2009 CNL GLOBAL REAL ESTATE FUND
VALUE SHARES (US$) ------- --------- COMMON STOCKS 99.4%(a) AUSTRALIA 7.5% Stockland ....................................... 228,327 588,975 Westfield Group ................................. 123,534 1,130,618 --------- 1,719,593 CANADA 4.2% Allied Properties Real Estate Investment Trust .. 18,839 238,899 Boardwalk Real Estate Investment Trust .......... 13,759 386,811 Canadian Real Estate Investment Trust ........... 13,901 293,999 Riocan Real Estate Investment Trust(b, c) ....... 3,202 42,064 --------- 961,773 FRANCE 6.2% Fonciere des Regions ............................ 4,243 319,912 Unibail-Rodamco ................................. 7,303 1,091,895 --------- 1,411,807 HONG KONG 15.3% China Resources Land Ltd. ....................... 315,470 696,484 Hang Lung Properties Ltd. ....................... 229,132 741,301 Henderson Land Development Co., Ltd. ............ 60,757 344,353 Kerry Properties Ltd. ........................... 153,000 670,390 Shui On Land Ltd. ............................... 194,170 132,293 Sino-Ocean Land Holdings Ltd. ................... 350,960 400,317 Sun Hung Kai Properties Ltd. .................... 41,533 517,347 --------- 3,502,485 JAPAN 14.1% Global One Real Estate Investment Co., Ltd. ..... 14 101,903 Japan Excellent, Inc. ........................... 17 71,940 Japan Real Estate Investment Corp. .............. 28 232,258 Mitsubishi Estate Co., Ltd. ..................... 77,698 1,289,916 Mitsui Fudosan Co., Ltd. ........................ 53,000 919,240 Nippon Building Fund, Inc. ...................... 45 384,658 NTT Urban Development Corp. ..................... 235 226,536 --------- 3,226,451 NETHERLANDS 0.7% Prologis European Properties .................... 39,778 151,043 SINGAPORE 7.3% CapitaCommercial Trust .......................... 359,372 202,462 CapitaLand Ltd. ................................. 319,161 811,481 CapitaMall Trust ................................ 220,226 211,807 Yanlord Land Group Ltd. ......................... 280,596 439,900 --------- 1,665,650 SWEDEN 0.9% Kungsleden AB ................................... 43,557 201,519
THE ACCOMPANYING NOTES ARE AN INTEGRAL PART OF THESE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS. 10 - CNL GLOBAL REAL ESTATE FUND Investment Portfolio (Unaudited) as of June 30, 2009 CNL GLOBAL REAL ESTATE FUND
VALUE SHARES (US$) ------- --------- UNITED KINGDOM 7.8% Big Yellow Group PLC ............................ 41,683 235,157 British Land Co. PLC ............................ 84,540 532,336 Derwent London PLC .............................. 16,720 257,533 Helical Bar PLC ................................. 59,020 320,357 Land Securities Group PLC ....................... 9,100 70,766 St Modwen Properties PLC ........................ 119,577 358,938 --------- 1,775,087 UNITED STATES 35.4% Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc. (REIT) .... 15,180 543,292 American Campus Communities, Inc. (REIT) ........ 13,731 304,554 AvalonBay Communities, Inc. (REIT) .............. 5,471 306,048 BioMed Realty Trust, Inc. (REIT) ................ 23,000 235,290 Boston Properties, Inc. (REIT) .................. 8,760 417,852 Corporate Office Properties Trust (REIT) ........ 4,392 128,817 Digital Realty Trust, Inc. (REIT) ............... 14,014 502,402 Douglas Emmett, Inc. (REIT) ..................... 25,303 227,474 Duke Realty Corp (REIT) ......................... 24,395 213,944 Essex Property Trust, Inc. (REIT) ............... 3,881 241,515 Federal Realty Investment Trust (REIT) .......... 7,520 387,430 Government Properties Income Trust (REIT)(d) .... 6,738 138,331 HCP, Inc. (REIT) ................................ 20,243 428,949 Health Care REIT, Inc. (REIT) ................... 9,977 340,216 OMEGA Healthcare Investors, Inc. (REIT) ......... 17,261 267,891 Public Storage (REIT) ........................... 9,920 649,562 Regency Centers Corp. (REIT) .................... 10,088 352,172 Simon Property Group, Inc. (REIT) ............... 19,397 997,588 Tanger Factory Outlet Centers, Inc. (REIT) ...... 9,066 294,010 The Macerich Co. (REIT) ......................... 329 5,794 Ventas, Inc. (REIT) ............................. 7,432 221,919 Vornado Realty Trust (REIT) ..................... 19,874 894,926 --------- 8,099,976
% OF NET ASSETS ---------- TOTAL INVESTMENT PORTFOLIO (Cost $25,043,685)(e) 99.4 22,715,384 OTHER ASSETS AND LIABILITIES, NET 0.6 128,740 ----- ---------- NET ASSETS 100.0 22,844,124
(a) As a percentage of net assets. (b) Illiquid security. (c) Security acquired in a transaction exempt from registration under Rule 144A of the Securities Act of 1933 ("Rule 144A Security"). (d) Non-income producing security. (e) The cost for federal income tax purpose was $25,043,685. At June 30, 2009, net unrealized depreciation for all securities based on tax cost was $2,328,301. This consisted of aggregate gross unrealized appreciation for all securities in which there was an excess of tax cost of $1,528,258 and aggregate gross unrealized depreciation for all securities in which there was an excess of tax costs over value of $3,856,559. REIT: U.S. Real Estate Investment Trust. Many of the foreign companies have adopted REIT-like corporate structures in their respective countries. The character and features of REIT-like corporate structures in foreign countries may differ from U.S. REITs. Therefore, only U.S. companies are designated as "REIT" where applicable. THE ACCOMPANYING NOTES ARE AN INTEGRAL PART OF THESE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS. CNL GLOBAL REAL ESTATE FUND - 11 Statement of Assets and Liabilities (Unaudited) as of June 30, 2009 CNL GLOBAL REAL ESTATE FUND ASSETS Investments in securities, at value (cost $25,043,685) ................... $ 22,715,384 Foreign currency, at value (cost $43,903) ................................ 43,883 Receivable for investments sold .......................................... 216,995 Dividends receivable ..................................................... 70,994 Receivable for Fund shares sold .......................................... 46,543 Prepaid insurance ........................................................ 27,248 Due from Adviser ......................................................... 20,324 Foreign taxes recoverable ................................................ 3,418 ------------ Total assets ............................................................. 23,144,789 ------------ LIABILITIES Distributions payable .................................................... 104,808 Due to custodian ......................................................... 67,993 Accrued transfer agent fees .............................................. 27,860 Accrued auditing and tax services fees ................................... 23,579 Accrued reports to shareholders fee ...................................... 12,341 Accrued administration fees .............................................. 11,470 Accrued trustees fees .................................................... 10,417 Accrued custodian and accounting fees .................................... 9,571 Payable for Fund shares redeemed ......................................... 7,958 Accrued distribution fee (12b-1) - Class A ............................... 445 Accrued legal fees ....................................................... 10,010 Other accrued expenses and payables ...................................... 14,213 ------------ Total liabilities ........................................................ 300,665 ------------ NET ASSETS, AT VALUE ..................................................... $ 22,844,124 ============ NET ASSETS Net assets consist of: Distributions in excess of net investment income ......................... (28,928) Net unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on: Investments ........................................................... (2,328,301) Foreign currency related transactions ................................. (987) Accumulated net realized gain (loss) ..................................... (16,233,263) Paid-in capital .......................................................... 41,435,603 ------------ NET ASSETS, AT VALUE ..................................................... $ 22,844,124 ============ NET ASSET VALUE: CLASS A Net Asset Value and redemption price per share ($2,207,450 / 445,647 shares of capital stock outstanding, $0.001 par value, unlimited number of shares authorized) .......................................... $ 4.95 ------------ Maximum offering price per share ($4.95 / 0.9425) ........................ $ 5.25 ------------ INSTITUTIONAL CLASS Net Asset Value offering and redemption price per share ($20,636,674 / 4,161,576 shares of capital stock outstanding, $0.001 par value, unlimited number of shares authorized) ................................ $ 4.96 ------------
THE ACCOMPANYING NOTES ARE AN INTEGRAL PART OF THESE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS. 12 - CNL GLOBAL REAL ESTATE FUND Statement of Operations (Unaudited) for the six months ended June 30, 2009 CNL GLOBAL REAL ESTATE FUND INVESTMENT INCOME: Dividends (net of $47,987 taxes withheld) ................................ $ 564,800 ------------ Total Income ............................................................. 564,800 ------------ EXPENSES: Management fee ........................................................... 108,591 Transfer agent fee ....................................................... 82,908 Administration fees ...................................................... 69,053 Custodian and accounting fees ............................................ 55,098 Trustees fees and expenses ............................................... 35,610 Legal fees ............................................................... 27,632 Auditing and tax services ................................................ 27,347 Compliance services expense .............................................. 25,707 Insurance ................................................................ 13,537 Registration fees ........................................................ 9,584 Reports to shareholders .................................................. 6,642 Distribution fee (12b-1) - Class A ....................................... 1,854 Other .................................................................... 1,932 ------------ Total expenses, before expense waiver/reimbursement ...................... 465,495 ------------ Expense waiver/reimbursement ............................................. (295,323) ------------ Total expenses, after expense waiver/reimbursement ....................... 170,172 ------------ NET INVESTMENT INCOME (LOSS) ............................................. 394,628 ============ REALIZED AND UNREALIZED GAIN (LOSS) ON INVESTMENT TRANSACTIONS: Net realized gain (loss) from: Investments ........................................................... (11,225,746) Foreign currency related transactions ................................. (47,934) ------------ (11,273,680) ------------ Net unrealized appreciation (depreciation) during the period on: Investments ........................................................... 11,009,059 Foreign currency related transactions ................................. (3,162) ------------ 11,005,897 ------------ NET GAIN (LOSS) ON INVESTMENT TRANSACTIONS .................................. (267,783) ============ NET INCREASE (DECREASE) IN NET ASSETS RESULTING FROM OPERATIONS ............. $ 126,845 ============
THE ACCOMPANYING NOTES ARE AN INTEGRAL PART OF THESE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS. CNL GLOBAL REAL ESTATE FUND - 13 Statement of Changes in Net Assets CNL GLOBAL REAL ESTATE FUND
SIX MONTHS ENDED JUNE 30, YEAR 2009 ENDED (UNAUDITED) DECEMBER 31, 2008 ------------ ----------------- INCREASE (DECREASE) IN NET ASSETS Operations: Net investment income (loss) .................................................... $ 394,628 $ 380,422 Net realized gain (loss) on investment transactions and foreign currency related transactions ......................................................... (11,273,680) (4,935,637) Net unrealized appreciation (depreciation) during the period on investment transactions and foreign currency related transactions ....................... 11,005,897 (12,725,302) ------------ ------------ Net increase (decrease) in net assets resulting from operations .................... 126,845 (17,280,517) ------------ ------------ Distributions to shareholders from: Net investment income: Class A ......................................................................... (21,483) (19,496) Class C ......................................................................... -- (176)(a) Institutional Class ............................................................. (247,717) (450,171) ------------ ------------ Decrease in net assets from distributions to shareholders .......................... (269,200) (469,843) ------------ ------------ Fund share transactions: Proceeds from shares sold ....................................................... 1,988,801 45,937,265 Reinvestment of distributions ................................................... 97,743 322,570 Cost of shares redeemed ......................................................... (7,232,313) (4,991,773) Redemption fees ................................................................. 11,214 11,916 ------------ ------------ Net increase (decrease) in net assets from Fund share transactions ................. (5,134,555) 41,279,978 ------------ ------------ INCREASE (DECREASE) IN NET ASSETS ..................................................... (5,276,910) 23,529,618 ============ ============ Net assets at beginning of period .................................................. 28,121,034 4,591,416 ------------ ------------ NET ASSETS AT END OF PERIOD (INCLUDING DISTRIBUTIONS IN EXCESS NET INVESTMENT INCOME OF $28,928 AND $154,356, RESPECTIVELY) .......................................... $ 22,844,124 $ 28,121,034 ============ ============
---------- (a) On December 30, 2008, Class C shares were reclassified into Class A Shares. THE ACCOMPANYING NOTES ARE AN INTEGRAL PART OF THESE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS. 14 - CNL GLOBAL REAL ESTATE FUND FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS CNL GLOBAL REAL ESTATE FUND
CLASS A ---------------------------------------------- SIX MONTHS ENDED YEAR ENDED YEAR ENDED JUNE 30, 2009 DECEMBER 31, DECEMBER 31, (UNAUDITED) 2008 2007(a) ---------------- ------------ ------------ SELECTED PER SHARE DATA NET ASSET VALUE, BEGINNING OF PERIOD ..................................... $ 4.61 $ 8.64 $ 10.00 Income (loss) from investment operations: Net investment income (loss)(b) .................................... 0.07 0.10 0.07 Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investment transactions .................................................... 0.32 (4.06) (1.35) ------ ------- ------- Total from investment operations ...................................... 0.39 (3.96) (1.28) Less distributions from: Net investment income ................................................. (0.05) (0.07) (0.08) ------ ------- ------- Total distributions to shareholders ................................... (0.05) (0.07) (0.08) ------ ------- ------- Redemption fees .......................................................... 0.00(c) 0.00(c) -- ------ ------- ------- NET ASSET VALUE, END OF PERIOD ........................................... $ 4.95 $ 4.61 $ 8.64 Total Return (%)(d) ................................................... 8.68(e) (45.91) (12.77)(e) ------ ------- ------- RATIOS TO AVERAGE NET ASSETS AND SUPPLEMENTAL DATA Net Assets, End of Period (000s) ...................................... $2,207 $ 1,241 $ 61 Ratio of expenses before expense waiver/reimbursement (%) ............. 4.53(f) 4.99 29.19(f) Ratio of expenses after expense waiver/reimbursement (%) .............. 1.80(f) 1.80 1.80(f) Ratio of net investment income (loss) (%)(g)........................... 3.40(f) 1.69 4.30(f) Portfolio turnover rate (%) ........................................... 41(e) 25 6(e)
---------- (a) For the period from October 26, 2007 (commencement of operations) to December 31, 2007. (b) Per share numbers have been calculated using the average shares method. (c) Amount is less than $0.005 per share. (d) Does not reflect sales charges, which would reduce return. (e) Not annualized. (f) Annualized. (g) Differences between classes are impacted by the timing of subscriptions and the timing of dividend income earned by the Fund. THE ACCOMPANYING NOTES ARE AN INTEGRAL PART OF THESE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS. CNL GLOBAL REAL ESTATE FUND - 15 FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS CNL GLOBAL REAL ESTATE FUND
INSTITUTIONAL CLASS ---------------------------------------------- SIX MONTHS ENDED YEAR ENDED YEAR ENDED JUNE 30, 2009 DECEMBER 31, DECEMBER 31, (UNAUDITED) 2008 2007(a) ---------------- ------------ ------------ SELECTED PER SHARE DATA NET ASSET VALUE, BEGINNING OF PERIOD ......................................... $ 4.62 $ 8.64 $ 10.00 Income (loss) from investment operations: Net investment income (loss)(b) ........................................ 0.08 0.13 0.04 Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investment transactions ..... 0.32 (4.06) (1.31) ------- ------- ------- Total from investment operations .......................................... 0.40 (3.93) (1.27) Less distributions from: Net investment income ..................................................... (0.06) (0.09) (0.09) ------- ------- ------- Total distributions to shareholders ....................................... (0.06) (0.09) (0.09) ------- ------- ------- Redemption fees .............................................................. 0.00(c) 0.00(c) -- ------- ------- ------- NET ASSET VALUE, END OF PERIOD ............................................... $ 4.96 $ 4.62 $ 8.64 ------- ------- ------- Total Return (%) .......................................................... 8.79(d) (45.66) (12.73)(d) ------- ------- ------- RATIOS TO AVERAGE NET ASSETS AND SUPPLEMENTAL DATA Net Assets, End of Period (000s) .......................................... $20,637 $26,880 $ 4,517 Ratio of expenses before expense waiver/reimbursement (%) ................. 4.27(e) 5.49 28.94(e) Ratio of expenses after expense waiver/reimbursement (%) .................. 1.55(e) 1.55 1.55(e) Ratio of net investment income (loss) (%)(f) .............................. 3.65(e) 2.09 2.45(e) Portfolio turnover rate (%) ............................................... 41(d) 25 6(d)
(a) For the period from October 26, 2007 (commencement of operations) to December 31, 2007. (b) Per share numbers have been calculated using the average shares method. (c) Amount is less than $0.005 per share. (d) Not annualized. (e) Annualized. (f) Differences between classes are impacted by the timing of subscriptions and the timing of dividend income earned by the Fund. THE ACCOMPANYING NOTES ARE AN INTEGRAL PART OF THESE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS. 16 - CNL GLOBAL REAL ESTATE FUND Notes to Financial Statements (Unaudited) June 30, 2009 CNL GLOBAL REAL ESTATE FUND 1. ORGANIZATION CNL Global Real Estate Fund (the "Fund") is a diversified series of The CNL Funds (the "Trust") which is registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the "1940 Act"), as an open-end management investment company organized as a Delaware statutory trust. The Fund commenced operations on October 26, 2007. The Fund seeks to achieve a high total return through a combination of current income and capital appreciation. The Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets (plus borrowings for investment purposes, if any) in equity and equity-related securities issued by real estate and real estate-related companies. The Fund offers two classes of shares which provide investors with different purchase options. Class A shares are offered to investors subject to an initial sales charge of 5.75% (on investments greater than $50,000, the sales charge is reduced). Sales charges may be reduced or waived for certain eligible investors. Institutional Class shares are offered to a limited group of investors, are not subject to initial or contingent deferred sales charges and have lower ongoing expenses than Class A shares. Class C shares were offered to investors without an initial sales charge and were subject to higher ongoing expenses than Class A shares and a contingent deferred sales charge of 1.00% payable upon certain redemptions within one year of purchase. On December 17, 2008, the Board of Trustees of the Fund approved the reclassification of the Class C shares into the Class A shares. This conversion was completed on December 30, 2008 and shares of Class C were not available after this date. 2. SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES USE OF ESTIMATES The preparation of financial statements in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America ("GAAP") requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amount and disclosures. Actual results could differ from these estimates and those differences could be material. PORTFOLIO VALUATION Generally, the Fund's investments are valued at market value. Securities traded on a principal domestic or foreign securities exchange or the National Association of Securities Dealers' Automated Quotation System ("NASDAQ") are valued at the last quoted sales price, the NASDAQ official close price or, in the absence of closing sales prices on that day, securities are valued at the mean between the closing bid and asked prices. Securities traded on more than one exchange are valued using the primary exchange where the security is principally traded. Securities for which market prices are unavailable, or securities for which CNL Fund Advisors Company ("the Adviser") determines that prices do not reflect market value, will be valued at fair value pursuant to valuation policies and procedures approved by the Board of Trustees. Circumstances in which market prices may be unavailable include, but are not limited to, when exchange trading in a security is suspended, the exchange on which the security is traded is subject to an unscheduled close or disruption or material events occur after the close of the exchange on which the security is principally traded. In these circumstances, the Adviser's Pricing Committee determines fair value in a manner that it believes fairly reflects the market value of the security on the valuation date based on consideration of any information or factors it deems appropriate. These may include recent transactions in comparable securities, information relating to the specific security and developments in the markets. In particular, portfolio securities primarily traded on foreign markets are generally valued at the preceding closing values of such securities on their respective exchanges. Alternatively, the value of non-North American securities may be adjusted to reflect the estimated fair value of such securities as of the close of trading on the New York Stock Exchange ("NYSE") using a pricing service and/or procedures approved by the Board of Trustees if after the close of the foreign markets, but prior to the close of trading on the NYSE on the day the securities are being valued, developments occur that are expected to materially affect the value of such non-North American securities. CNL GLOBAL REAL ESTATE FUND - 17 Notes to Financial Statements (Unaudited) (continued) June 30, 2009 CNL GLOBAL REAL ESTATE FUND The Fund's use of fair value pricing may cause the net asset value of Fund shares to differ from the net asset value that would be calculated using market quotations. Fair value pricing involves subjective judgments and it is possible that the fair value determined for a security may be materially different than the value that could be realized upon the sale of that security. Short-term debt securities, which have a maturity date of 60 days or less, are valued at amortized cost, which approximates value. The Fund adopted Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 157 ("FAS 157"). FAS 157 establishes a single definition of fair value, creates a three-tier hierarchy as a framework for measuring fair value based on inputs used to value the Fund's investments, and requires disclosure about fair value. The hierarchy of inputs is summarized below. - Level 1 - quoted prices in active markets for identical assets - Level 2 - significant other observable inputs (including quoted prices for similar investments, interest rates, prepayment speeds, credit risk, etc.) - Level 3 - significant unobservable inputs (including the Fund's own assumptions in determining the fair value of investments) Effective June 15, 2009, the Fund adopted Financial Accounting Standards Board Statement of Financial Accounting Standards Staff Position No. 157-4 "Determining Fair Value When the Volume and Level of Activity for the Asset or Liability Have Significantly Decreased and Identifying Transactions That Are Not Orderly" ("FSP 157-4"). FSP 157-4 provides additional guidance for estimating fair value in accordance with FAS 157, when the volume and level of activity for the asset or liability have significantly decreased as well as guidance on identifying circumstances that indicate a transaction is not orderly. The following is a summary of the fair value measurements used for the June 30, 2009 values:
QUOTED PRICES SIGNIFICANT IN ACTIVE OTHER SIGNIFICANT MARKET FOR OBSERVABLE UNOBSERVABLE IDENTICAL ASSETS INPUTS INPUTS TOTAL (LEVEL 1) (LEVEL 2) (LEVEL 3) ----------- ---------------- ----------- ------------ Common stock - Canada $ 961,773 $ 961,773 $ -- $-- Common stock - United States 8,099,976 8,099,976 -- -- Common stock - other countries 13,653,635 -- 13,653,635 -- ----------- ---------- ----------- --- TOTAL INVESTMENTS $22,715,384 $9,061,749 $13,653,635 $-- =========== ========== =========== ===
The Fund's assets consisting of all North American exchange-traded common stocks and rights were classified under Level 1 for this reporting period ending June 30, 2009. Level 2 Fund assets include 30 non-North American publicly traded stocks that represent an aggregate fair value of $13,653,635. Had the Fund used the observable closing prices from the primary exchange instead of using fair value procedures, then the value of these 30 securities would be $13,700,565. At June 30, 2009, there were no other securities fair valued pursuant to the Fund's fair value procedures. SECURITY TRANSACTIONS AND INVESTMENT INCOME Security transactions are recorded on trade date. Realized gains and losses on investments sold are recorded on the basis of identified cost. Interest income is recorded on the accrual basis. Discounts are accreted and premiums are amortized over the life of the respective securities. Dividend income (net of foreign withholding taxes, if any) is recorded on the ex-dividend date except for certain dividends on foreign securities, which are recorded as soon as the Fund is informed after the ex-dividend date. The Fund records distributions received in excess of income from underlying investments as a reduction of cost of investments 18 - CNL GLOBAL REAL ESTATE FUND Notes to Financial Statements (Unaudited) (continued) June 30, 2009 CNL GLOBAL REAL ESTATE FUND and/or realized gain. Such amounts are based on estimates if actual amounts are not available and actual amounts of income, realized gain and return of capital may differ from the estimated amounts. The Fund adjusts the estimated amounts of the components of distributions (and consequently its net investment income) as an increase to unrealized appreciation/ (depreciation) and realized gain/(loss) on investments as necessary once the issuers provide information about the actual composition of the distributions. FOREIGN CURRENCY TRANSLATION The books and records of the Fund are maintained in U.S. dollars as follows: (1) the foreign currency market value of investment securities, other assets and liabilities and forward foreign currency contracts (forward contracts) are translated at the exchange rates prevailing at the end of the period; and (2) purchases, sales, income and expenses are translated at the exchange rates prevailing on the respective dates of such transactions. The resultant exchange gains and losses are recorded as realized and unrealized gain/(loss) on foreign currency related transactions. Pursuant to U.S. federal income tax regulations, certain foreign exchange gains/(losses) included in realized and unrealized gain/(loss) are included in or are a reduction of ordinary income for federal income tax purposes. The Fund does not isolate that portion of the results of operations arising as a result of changes in the foreign exchange rates from the changes in the market prices of the securities; such changes are included with the net realized and unrealized gain/(loss) on investments. FORWARD FOREIGN CURRENCY CONTRACTS Forward contracts are valued daily at the appropriate exchange rates. The resultant unrealized exchange gains and losses are recorded as unrealized foreign currency gain or loss. The Fund records realized gains or losses on delivery of the currency or at the time the forward contract is extinguished (compensated) by entering into a closing transaction prior to delivery. The Fund held no forward foreign currency contracts at June 30, 2009. FEDERAL INCOME TAXES It is the policy of the Fund to qualify as a regulated investment company, if such qualification is in the best interest of the shareholders, by complying with the requirements of Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code applicable to regulated investment companies, and by distributing substantially all of its taxable earnings to its shareholders. Accordingly, no provision for federal income or excise tax is necessary. The Fund has adopted the provisions of Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) Interpretation 48, Accounting for Uncertainty in Income Taxes--an interpretation of FASB Statement 109 (FIN 48). FIN 48 clarifies the accounting for income taxes by prescribing the minimum recognition threshold a tax position must meet before being recognized in the financial statements. An assessment of the Fund's tax positions has been made and it has been determined that there is no impact to the Fund's financial statements. The Fund's federal tax return for the years ended December 31, 2007, and December 31, 2008, remain subject to examination by the Internal Revenue Service. DIVIDENDS AND DISTRIBUTIONS TO SHAREHOLDERS Dividends from net investment income and capital gain distributions are determined in accordance with U.S. federal income tax regulations, which may differ from GAAP. Dividends from net investment income, if any, are declared and paid quarterly. Net realized capital gains, unless offset by any available capital loss carryforward, are distributed to shareholders annually. Dividends and distributions to shareholders are recorded on the ex-dividend date and are automatically reinvested in full and fractional shares of the Fund based on the net asset value per share at the close of business on the ex-dividend date, unless the shareholder has elected to have the dividends and distributions paid in cash. REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT TRUSTS At year end, the Fund recharacterizes distributions received from a Real Estate Investment Trust ("REIT") investment based on information provided by the REIT into the following categories: ordinary income, long-term and short-term capital gains, and return of capital. If information is not available timely from a REIT, the recharacterization will be based on other available information. Distributions received from REITs in excess of income are recorded as either a reduction of cost of investments or CNL GLOBAL REAL ESTATE FUND - 19 Notes to Financial Statements (Unaudited) (continued) June 30, 2009 CNL GLOBAL REAL ESTATE FUND realized gains. The Fund distinguishes between dividends on a tax basis and a financial reporting basis and only distributions in excess of tax basis earnings and profits are reported in the financial statements as a tax return of capital. REPURCHASE AGREEMENTS The Fund may enter into repurchase agreements which are transactions in which the Fund purchases a security and simultaneously agrees to resell that security to the seller at an agreed upon price on an agreed upon future date, normally, one to seven days later. If the Fund enters into a repurchase agreement, it will maintain possession of the purchased securities and any underlying collateral. Repurchase agreements must be continuously collateralized and the collateral must have market value at least equal to the repurchase price of the securities, plus accrued interest. CLASS ALLOCATION Investment income, realized and unrealized gains and losses, and certain Fund-level expenses and expense reductions, if any, are borne pro rata on the basis of relative net assets by the holders of all classes of shares, except that each class bears distribution and shareholder servicing expenses unique to that class. Differences in class-level expenses may result in payment of different per share dividends by share class. All shares of the Fund have equal rights with respect to voting subject to class-specific arrangements. REDEMPTION FEES The Fund imposes a redemption fee of 1.00% of the total redemption amount on the Fund shares redeemed within 75 days of buying them. This fee is assessed and retained by the Fund for the benefit of the remaining shareholders. The redemption fee is accounted for as an addition to paid-in-capital. OTHER In the normal course of business, the Fund may enter into contracts with service providers that contain general indemnification clauses. The Fund's maximum exposure under these arrangements is unknown as this would involve future claims that may be made against the Fund that have not yet been made. However, the Fund expects the risk of loss to be remote. 3. MANAGEMENT FEES AND OTHER EXPENSES Under the Investment Management Agreement with the Adviser, the Adviser directs the investments of the Fund in accordance with its investment objective, policies and restrictions. The Fund pays a monthly investment management fee, computed and accrued daily and payable monthly, at an annual rate of 1.00% of the Fund's average daily net assets. For the six months ended June 30, 2009, the Adviser waived $108,591 of its investment management fee and reimbursed other operating expenses of $186,732 pursuant to an expense limitation agreement with the Fund. CB Richard Ellis Global Real Estate Securities, LLC ("CB Richard Ellis GRES") is the sub-adviser for the Fund. The Adviser compensates CB Richard Ellis GRES out of the management fee it receives from the Fund. EXPENSE LIMITATIONS For the period from October 26, 2007, (commencement of operations) through April 30, 2010, the Adviser has contractually agreed to waive all or a portion of its management fee and reimburse or pay certain operating expenses of the Fund to the extent necessary to maintain the annual expenses of each class as follows:
CONTRACTUAL CLASS EXPENSE LIMIT ----- ------------- Class A 1.80% Institutional Class 1.55%
The Adviser may recapture all or a portion of any waived investment management fees and expenses it has borne, if any, to the extent a class's expenses fall below the maximum ratio within three years after the end of the fiscal year in which the waiver was 20 - CNL GLOBAL REAL ESTATE FUND Notes to Financial Statements (Unaudited) (continued) June 30, 2009 CNL GLOBAL REAL ESTATE FUND made. The Fund's Board of Trustees shall determine quarterly, in advance, whether any reimbursement may be paid to the Adviser in such quarter. The amounts subject to possible reimbursement under the expense limitation agreements at December 31, 2007 through 2009 were as follows: Expenses Subject to Possible Recapture through December 31, 2010 $228,405 Expenses Subject to Possible Recapture through December 31, 2011 $717,556 Expenses Subject to Possible Recapture through December 31, 2012 $295,323
DISTRIBUTOR The Trust has adopted a Rule 12b-1 plan for Class A shares under which the Fund is authorized to pay to Foreside Fund Services, LLC (the "Distributor") or any other approved entity (collectively, "payees") as compensation for the distribution services and/or shareholder services provided by such payees, an aggregate fee equal to 0.25% of the average daily net assets of Class A shares of the Fund. The payees may pay any or all amounts received under the Rule 12b-1 plan to other persons for any distribution or service activity conducted on behalf of the Fund. The plan is a core component of the ongoing distribution and shareholder servicing as related to Class A shares. For the six months ended June 30, 2009, the Fund has been advised that the Distributor received $0 in sales commissions from the sale of Class A shares. ADMINISTRATOR State Street Bank and Trust Company ("State Street") serves as administrator for the Trust pursuant to an administration agreement (the "Administration Agreement") with the Trust. Under the Administration Agreement, State Street is responsible for (i) the general administrative duties associated with the day-to-day operations of the Trust; (ii) conducting relations with the independent registered certified public accounting firm, legal counsel and other service providers; (iii) providing regulatory reporting; and (iv) providing the office facilities and sufficient personnel required by it to perform such administrative services. TRANSFER AGENT Boston Financial Data Services, Inc., an affiliate of State Street, acts as the transfer agent and dividend disbursing agent of the Fund. As transfer agent and dividend disbursing agent, the transfer agent maintains an account for each shareholder of record of the Fund and is responsible for processing purchase and redemption requests and paying distributions to shareholders of record. CUSTODIAN State Street serves as custodian of the assets of the Trust pursuant to a custodian agreement (the "Custody Contract") with the Trust. Under the Custody Contract, State Street holds and transfers portfolio securities on account of the Fund, provides fund accounting and keeps all necessary records and documents, and performs other duties, all as directed by authorized persons. Portfolio securities purchased in the United States are maintained in the custody of State Street or other domestic banks or depositories. Portfolio securities purchased outside of the United States are maintained in the custody of foreign banks and trust companies who are members of State Street's Global Custody Network and foreign depositories (collectively "foreign subcustodians"). With respect to foreign subcustodians, there can be no assurance that the Fund, and the value of its shares, will not be adversely affected by acts of foreign governments, financial or operational difficulties of the foreign subcustodians, difficulties and costs of obtaining jurisdiction over, or enforcing judgments against, the foreign subcustodians or application of foreign law to the Fund's foreign subcustodial arrangements. CNL GLOBAL REAL ESTATE FUND - 21 Notes to Financial Statements (Unaudited) (continued) June 30, 2009 CNL GLOBAL REAL ESTATE FUND TRUSTEES AND OFFICERS Each trustee of the Trust who is not an "interested person" of the Trust, as that term is defined in the 1940 Act (an "Independent Trustee"), is paid an annual retainer fee of $2,000 for service to the Trust. In addition, the Audit Committee chair, the Governance Committee chair and the Independent Trustee Committee chair will each receive $2,000 per annum for fulfilling these roles. In addition, each Independent Trustee will be paid a fee of $1,500 for each regular Board meeting attended whether the regular or special Board meetings are attended in person or by telephone. In addition, each Independent Trustee will be paid a fee of $1,000 for each committee meeting, including Audit Committee, Governance Committee and Independent Trustee Committee meetings. Trustees are also reimbursed for all reasonable out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with his duties as a Trustee, including travel and related expenses incurred in attending Board meetings. No officer of the Trust is compensated by the Trust. 4. PURCHASES AND SALES OF SECURITIES Purchases and sales of securities, excluding short-term investments, for the six months ended June 30, 2009 totaled $8,767,730 and $12,086,945, respectively. 5. INCOME TAX INFORMATION The tax character of dividends and distributions paid for the years ended December 31, 2008 and 2007 were as follows:
FOR THE PERIOD FOR THE YEAR OCTOBER 26, ENDED 2007* THROUGH DECEMBER 31, 2008 DECEMBER 31, 2007 ----------------- ----------------- Ordinary income $469,843 $45,561 Long-term capital gains -- -- Tax return of capital -- -- -------- ------- Total dividends and distributions $469,843 $45,561 ======== =======
* COMMENCEMENT OF OPERATIONS. As of December 31, 2008, the tax-basis components of accumulated earnings were as follows: Undistributed ordinary income $ 15,999 Other temporary differences $ (34,216) Undistributed long-term capital gains $ -- Net unrealized depreciation on investments and currency $(14,309,752)
As of December 31, 2008, the Fund had a net capital loss carryforward of $1,169,804, which will expire on December 31, 2016. This carryforward may be used to offset future capital gains to the extent provided by regulations. As of December 31, 2008, the Fund had temporary book/tax differences primarily attributable to wash sales on portfolio securities, post-October realized losses and mark-to-market on passive foreign investment companies and permanent book/tax differences primarily attributable to non-deductible expenses and foreign currency losses. To reflect reclassifications arising from the permanent differences, paid-in capital was credited $7,775, accumulated net realized loss was credited $31,317 and distributions in excess of net investment income was charged $39,092. The tax character of current year distributions will be determined at the end of the current fiscal year. 22 - CNL GLOBAL REAL ESTATE FUND Notes to Financial Statements (Unaudited) (continued) June 30, 2009 CNL GLOBAL REAL ESTATE FUND 6. CAPITAL STOCK The following table summarized shares and dollar activity in the Fund:
FOR THE FOR THE SIX MONTHS ENDED YEAR ENDED JUNE 30, 2009 DECEMBER 31, 2008 ------------------------ ----------------------- SHARES DOLLARS SHARES DOLLARS ---------- ----------- --------- ----------- CLASS A Shares sold 211,983 $ 879,195 498,298 $ 3,199,670 Issued as reinvestment of dividends 4,807 21,350 3,569 19,300 Shares redeemed (40,344) (174,560) (243,580) (1,222,503) Shares reclassified(a) -- -- 3,841 17,516 Redemption fees(b) -- 770 -- 419 ---------- ----------- --------- ----------- Net increase 176,446 $ 726,755 262,128 $ 2,014,402 ========== =========== ========= =========== CLASS C Shares sold -- $ -- 3,846 $ 26,511 Issued as reinvestment of dividends -- -- 22 118 Shares redeemed -- -- (1,528) (7,247) Shares reclassified(a) -- -- (3,852) (17,516) Redemption fees(b) -- -- -- 8 ---------- ----------- --------- ----------- Net increase (decrease) -- $ -- (1,512) $ 1,874 ========== =========== ========= =========== INSTITUTIONAL CLASS Shares sold 280,907 $ 1,109,606 6,080,792 $42,711,084 Issued as reinvestment of dividends 17,578 76,393 55,049 303,152 Shares redeemed (1,961,039) (7,057,753) (834,702) (3,762,023) Redemption fees(b) -- 10,444 -- 11,489 ---------- ----------- --------- ----------- Net increase (decrease) (1,662,554) $(5,861,310) 5,301,139 $39,263,702 ========== =========== ========= ===========
---------- (a) On December 30, 2008, the Fund's outstanding Class C shares were reclassified into Class A shares. (b) The Fund may charge a 1.00% redemption fee on shares sold within 75 days of the time of purchase. 7. KEY RISKS REAL ESTATE CONCENTRATION The Fund concentrates its investments in real estate securities, including REITs. A fund with a concentrated investment portfolio is vulnerable to the risks of the industry in which it invests and is subject to greater risks and market fluctuations than funds investing in a broader range of industries. Real estate securities are susceptible to the risks associated with direct ownership of real estate, such as declines in property values; increases in property taxes, operating expenses, interest rates or competition; zoning changes; and losses from casualty and condemnation. FOREIGN SECURITIES The Fund may directly purchase securities of foreign issuers. Investing in securities of foreign issuers involves special risks not typically associated with investing in securities of U.S. issuers. The risks include possible revaluation of currencies, the ability to repatriate funds, less complete financial information about companies and possible future adverse political and economic developments. Moreover, securities of many foreign issuers and their markets may be less liquid and their prices more volatile than those of securities of comparable U.S. issuers. CNL GLOBAL REAL ESTATE FUND - 23 Notes to Financial Statements (Unaudited) (continued) June 30, 2009 CNL GLOBAL REAL ESTATE FUND 8. CONCENTRATION OF OWNERSHIP From time to time, the Fund may have a concentration of several shareholders holding a significant percentage of shares outstanding. Investment activities of these shareholders could have a material impact on the Fund. At June 30, 2009, one shareholder held 23% of Class A shares and one shareholder held 7% of the Institutional Class shares. 9. SUBSEQUENT EVENTS In accordance with the provisions set forth in FASB Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 165 "Subsequent Events", adopted by the Fund as of June 30, 2009, management has evaluated the possibility of subsequent events existing in the Fund's financial statements through August 20, 2009. Management has determined that there are no material events that would require disclosure in the Fund's financial statement through this date. 24 - CNL GLOBAL REAL ESTATE FUND Tax Information (Unaudited) Please contact a tax advisor if you have questions about federal or state income tax laws, or on how to prepare your tax returns. If you have specific questions about your account, please call 1-888-890-8934. Other Information PROXY VOTING RECORD The Fund files with the Securities and Exchange Commission its proxy voting record on Form N-PX for each 12-month period ending June 30. Form N-PX must be filed by the Fund each year by August 31. The most recent Form N-PX is available without charge, upon request, by calling 1-866-745-3797 or on the Securities and Exchange Commission's website at www.sec.gov. A description of the policies and procedures that the Fund uses to determine how to vote proxies relating to portfolio securities is available without charge, (i) by calling 1-866-745-3797; (ii) on the Fund's website at www.thecnlfunds.com; and (iii) on the Securities and Exchange Commission's website at www.sec.gov. CNL GLOBAL REAL ESTATE FUND - 25 Approval of Investment Advisory and Sub-Advisory Agreements June 30, 2009 (Unaudited) The Board of Trustees of the Trust (the "Board") is required under the Investment Company Act of 1940 to approve, on behalf of the CNL Global Real Estate Fund (the "Fund"), the investment advisory agreement (the "Advisory Agreement") with CNL Fund Advisors Company ("CNL Advisors") and the sub-advisory agreement (the "Sub-Advisory Agreement") with CB Richard Ellis Global Real Estate Securities, LLC ("CB Richard Ellis GRES"). During a meeting held in May 2009, the Board as a whole and the "independent" Trustees, voting separately ("Independent Trustees"), approved the renewal of each of the Advisory Agreement and the Sub-Advisory Agreement for an additional one year term. In doing so, the Board determined that the Advisory Agreement and the Sub-Advisory Agreement are in the best interests of Fund shareholders and that the compensation paid to CNL Advisors and CB Richard Ellis GRES under these agreements is fair and reasonable. The Independent Trustees met separately with their legal counsel during their evaluation of the Advisory Agreement and the Sub-Advisory Agreement. The following discussion more fully describes the factors considered by the Board and the Independent Trustees in approving the Advisory Agreement and the Sub-Advisory Agreement. The trustees of the Trust (the "Trustees") reviewed with their counsel a memorandum describing their fiduciary and regulatory duties in connection with the renewal of the Advisory Agreement and the Sub-Advisory Agreement. They also reviewed the extensive materials provided by CNL Advisors and CB Richard Ellis GRES along with supporting information provided by the Fund's service providers. It was noted that prior to the meeting, counsel had requested such materials from management on behalf of the Independent Trustees. The Trustees also took into account the quarterly updates given at Board meetings and other reports provided throughout the period since the initial approval of the Advisory Agreement and the Sub-Advisory Agreement. The Trustees considered the nature, extent, and quality of services provided by CNL Advisors, particularly in oversight of the sub-adviser and the various service providers. The Trustees concluded that these oversight services had been performed diligently and promptly since the initial phase of the Fund's operations. The Trustees also considered the nature, extent and quality of services provided by CB Richard Ellis GRES. The Independent Trustees reviewed the investment performance of the Fund and CB Richard Ellis GRES. The Trustees noted that while the market in global real estate securities and REITs had suffered losses over the last year and a half, the Fund had performed relatively well when compared against the performance of comparable global real estate mutual funds and the Fund's Benchmark Index. The Trustees noted that because of the severe securities market conditions and the downturn in the real estate markets, the Fund's total assets had declined below the value of the capital contributed to the Fund. The Trustees further noted that CNL Advisors had continued to experience significant operating losses in servicing the Fund and that neither CNL Advisors nor CB Richard Ellis GRES had collected an investment advisory or sub-advisory fee from the Fund as a result of CNL Advisors' expense limitation commitment with the Fund. In view of the fact that the Fund had paid no investment advisory or sub-advisory fee since inception and CNL Advisors' continued expense limitation commitment, the Trustees did not consider the costs of the investment advisory or sub-advisory services provided. The Trustees noted that, to date, no profits had been realized by either CNL Advisors or CB Richard Ellis GRES or by any of their affiliates from their relationship with the Fund. The Independent Trustees concluded, however, that although CNL Advisors and CB Richard Ellis GRES had not yet earned a profit from the Fund, they were satisfied that both entities had provided appropriate services to the Fund. In view of the Fund's small asset size, the Trustees did not consider as currently relevant the extent to which economies of scale would be realized as the Fund grows, and whether advisory fee levels reflect these economies of scale for the benefit of Fund shareholders. The Board noted that the Advisory Agreement's flat fee across all asset levels was appropriate given the Fund's small size and the current expense subsidizes provided by CNL Advisors under its expense limitation commitment with the Fund. 26 - CNL GLOBAL REAL ESTATE FUND Approval of Investment Advisory and Sub-Advisory Agreements June 30, 2009 (Unaudited) (continued) In view of the Fund's small size and expense limitation agreement with CNL Advisors, the Independent Trustees did not believe that there were any other significant benefits derived by CNL Advisors or CB Richard Ellis GRES (or any of their affiliates) from the relationship with the Fund ( "fall out benefits"). The materials provided to the Trustees did not indicate any soft dollar arrangements involving the Fund. The Independent Trustees took into consideration the representation by the Fund's portfolio managers at CB Richard Ellis GRES that they continued to believe that the Fund had good long-term prospects and that CB Richard Ellis GRES was committed to the Fund. The Independent Trustees also considered statements from the Chairman of the Board that CNL Advisors continued to be committed to the Fund and was committed to taking a strategic look at the Fund's prospects and the potential for acquisitions to increase the Fund's size. The Trustees did not identify any single factor discussed previously as all-important or controlling in evaluating the Advisory Agreement and the Sub-Advisory Agreement. The Trustees, including all of the Independent Trustees, concluded that the terms of the Advisory Agreement and the Sub-Advisory Agreement as presented to the Board were fair and reasonable, that CNL Advisors' and CB Richard Ellis GRES' fees were reasonable in light of the services provided to the Fund, and that the Advisory Agreement and Sub-Advisory Agreement should be renewed. CNL GLOBAL REAL ESTATE FUND - 27 THIS PAGE IS INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK. THIS PAGE IS INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK. CNL GLOBAL REAL ESTATE FUND INVESTMENT ADVISER CNL Fund Advisors Company 450 South Orange Avenue Orlando, FL 32801 SUB-ADVISER CB Richard Ellis Global Real Estate Securities, LLC 250 West Pratt Street Baltimore, MD 21201 ADMINISTRATOR & CUSTODIAN State Street Bank and Trust Company One Lincoln Street Boston, MA 02111 DISTRIBUTOR Foreside Fund Services, LLC Three Canal Plaza, Suite 100 Portland, ME 04101 TRANSFER AGENT Boston Financial Data Services, Inc. 30 Dan Road Canton, MA 02021 LEGAL COUNSEL Stradley Ronon Stevens & Young, LLP 2600 One Commerce Square Philadelphia, PA 19103 INDEPENDENT REGISTERED CERTIFIED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP 4221 West Boy Scout Boulevard, Suite 200 Tampa, FL 33607 INVESTMENT COMPANY ACT FILE NO. 811-22017 (CNL(R) LOGO) CNL FUND ADVISORS COMPANY
EX-99.17 13 annualreport.txt CNL FUNDS ANNUAL REPORT CNL GLOBAL REAL ESTATE FUND CLASS A SHARES INSTITUTIONAL CLASS SHARES ANNUAL REPORT THE CNL FUNDS (GRAPHIC) DECEMBER 31, 2008 SUB-ADVISED BY CB RICHARD ELLIS GLOBAL REAL ESTATE SECURITIES, LLC (CNL(R) LOGO) CNL FUND ADVISORS COMPANY Table of Contents Letter to Shareholders .................................................... 1 Portfolio Management Review ............................................... 2 Fund Performance Summary .................................................. 4 Understanding Your Ongoing Costs .......................................... 6 Investment Portfolio ...................................................... 7 Statement of Assets and Liabilities ....................................... 11 Statement of Operations ................................................... 12 Statement of Changes in Net Assets ........................................ 13 Financial Highlights ...................................................... 14 Notes to Financial Statements ............................................. 16 Report of Independent Registered Certified Public Accounting Firm ......... 24 Tax and Other Information (Unaudited) ..................................... 25 Trustees and Officers (Unaudited) ......................................... 26
This material is authorized for distribution only when preceded or accompanied by a current prospectus. The Fund concentrates its investments in real estate securities, including REITs. A fund with a concentrated investment portfolio is vulnerable to the risks of the industry in which it invests and is subject to greater risks and market fluctuations than funds investing in a broader range of industries. Real estate securities are susceptible to the risks associated with direct ownership of real estate, such as declines in property values; increases in property taxes, operating expenses, interest rates or competition; zoning changes; and losses from casualty and condemnation. The Fund may directly purchase securities of foreign issuers. Investing in securities of foreign issuers involves special risks not typically associated with investing in securities of U.S. issuers. The risks include possible revaluation of currencies, the ability to repatriate funds, less complete financial information about companies and possible future adverse political and economic developments. Moreover, securities of many foreign issuers and their markets may be less liquid and their prices more volatile than those of securities of comparable U.S. issuers. Note 7 of the Financial Statements presents additional discussion of the risks of investing in the Fund. Letter to Shareholders Dear Shareholders: We are pleased to present this annual report for The CNL Funds to you, our shareholders in the CNL Global Real Estate Fund (the "Fund"). First, we welcome the new shareholders who joined the Fund this year and look forward to communicating regularly with all shareholders and their financial advisors regarding the performance of the Fund, and the investment conditions and economic events that generally drive returns for publicly traded real estate companies. The investment program for CNL Global Real Estate Fund is managed by CNL Fund Advisors Company and the portfolio management team at CB Richard Ellis Global Real Estate Securities, LLC. The portfolio management team is highly focused on the research of regional economies that generate growth in demand for real estate. Gathering and processing fundamental real estate market data is essential to making investment decisions about hundreds of real estate companies around the world. We believe that the portfolio management team's presence and in-depth knowledge of global real estate markets are critical elements for attempting to mitigate investment risks in the global real estate investment sector. In the second half of 2008, the global economy deteriorated significantly creating uncertainty for investors in the United States and overseas financial markets. The headline themes, including credit market illiquidity, sub-prime mortgage sector fallout, and uncertain asset valuations, have cast a shadow over financial companies and real estate companies. The Fund's portfolio management team is quite cognizant of the correlation between debt markets and the business of real estate. The portfolio managers stress the importance of selecting companies with strong balance sheets to weather this market adjustment period. At the same time, the portfolio management team focuses on company and regional fundamentals to ensure that the highest quality companies are selected for inclusion in the portfolio while seeking to avoid extraordinary risk. These recent events underscore the importance of the CNL Global Real Estate Fund's investment strategy, which is to be well positioned with its investments in real estate companies within stable and improving economies on a global basis. While the persistence of financial and economic news continues to impact most asset classes, we believe the stock prices of many real estate companies around the world represent remarkable values by every historic measure. FINANCIAL RESULTS During the twelve months ended December 31, 2008, the Fund received approximately $45.94 million in gross proceeds from the sale of shares. The Fund used this investment capital to acquire interests in 56 public companies that are listed on the securities exchanges in 12 countries. In 2008, net investment income was $380,422. Distributions paid to shareholders totaled $469,843 for the same period, representing 100% ordinary income dividends. The net asset value per share had declined from $8.64 per share on December 31, 2007 to $4.62 per share (Institutional Class) on December 31, 2008, resulting in a total return of -45.66%. The Fund's benchmark registered a total return of -47.72% over the same twelve month period. The value of shares in real estate companies generally declined across the board in North America, Asia Pacific and Europe in 2008. LOOKING AHEAD The quest for attractive risk-adjusted investment returns within the real estate sector is the driving force behind the investment program for the CNL Global Real Estate Fund. The events over the past year reinforced the viewpoint that severe market dislocations create opportunities to acquire investment positions in high quality real estate companies at attractive prices. As stated in the Fourth Quarter 2008 report by the Fund's portfolio managers, Steve Carroll and Jeremy Anagnos of CB Richard Ellis Global Real Estate Securities: "We remain defensively positioned in companies with strong balance sheets and proven management teams with the potential to post outsized earnings growth in the recovery by capitalizing on market opportunities at a time when there will likely be limited participants." Thank you for your continuing confidence in the CNL Global Real Estate Fund. Sincerely, /s/ Robert A. Bourne /s/ J. Grayson Sanders ------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------- Robert A. Bourne J. Grayson Sanders Chairman President The CNL Funds The CNL Funds February 24, 2009 Any information in this shareholder report regarding market or economic trends or the factors influencing the Fund's historical or future performance are statements of the opinion of Fund management as of the date of this report. These statements should not be relied upon for any other purposes. Past performance is no guarantee of future results, and there is no guarantee that any market forecasts discussed will be realized. CNL GLOBAL REAL ESTATE FUND - 1 Portfolio Management Review This report provides management's discussion of performance for CNL Global Real Estate Fund (the "Fund') for the annual reporting period ended December 31, 2008. INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE & PORTFOLIO MANAGEMENT The Fund seeks to achieve a high total return through a combination of current income and capital appreciation. The Fund is managed by: Jeremy Anagnos, Portfolio Manager, Co-Chief Investment Officer and Managing Director, Steve Carroll, Portfolio Manager, Co-Chief Investment Officer and Managing Director, and William Morrill, Portfolio Manager, Managing Director of CB Richard Ellis Global Real Estate Securities LLC. ("CBRE GRES") - the Sub-Advisor. INVESTMENT STRATEGIES AND POLICIES Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets in equity securities issued by real estate and real estate-related companies, including real estate investment trusts (REITs) and real estate operating companies (REOCs). The Fund considers a company to be a real estate or real estate-related company if at least 50% of its assets, gross income or net profits are attributable to ownership, construction, management or sale of residential, commercial or industrial real estate or whose products or services are related to the real estate industry, such as manufacturers and distributors of building supplies and financial institutions that issue mortgages. Real estate companies in other countries may have similar features to U.S.-qualified REITs; however the specific characteristics and regulations for REIT-like companies may not be identical to those of U.S.-qualified REITs. Under normal market conditions, the Fund will invest significantly (at least 40%, unless market conditions are not deemed favorable by CNL Fund Advisors Company (the "Adviser"), in which case the Fund would invest at least 30%) in equity securities issued by real estate and real estate-related companies organized or located outside the U.S. or doing a substantial amount of business outside the U.S. The Fund will allocate its assets among no less than three different countries. The Fund may invest up to 15% of its total assets in equity securities that are traded on the major stock exchanges located in emerging markets. The Fund may invest in common equities, preferred equities, and convertible debt issued by real estate and real estate-related companies located primarily in North America, Europe, and the Asia Pacific. The Fund also gives particular investment consideration to equity securities traded on major exchanges in the following sub-regions: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Continental Europe, Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Australia/New Zealand. The Fund may invest in securities of small-, mid- and large- sized real estate or real estate-related companies. The Fund seeks to limit risk through various controls, such as diversifying the portfolio property types and geographic areas as well as by limiting the size of any one holding. The Fund limits the maximum holding of the issued capital of any individual company to no more than 10% of the Fund's assets. The Sub-Adviser seeks to construct a portfolio with return and risk characteristics similar to the FTSE EPRA/NAREIT Global Real Estate Index Series (the Fund's "Benchmark Index"). The Benchmark Index is designed to track the performance of listed real estate companies and REITs worldwide. The Sub-Adviser uses the Benchmark Index as a guide in structuring and designing the Fund's portfolio, but the Fund is not an index fund. The Fund typically maintains a portion of its assets in cash or cash equivalents in order to meet redemption requests, pay Fund expenses or satisfy other liquidity needs. These assets may be invested in overnight or short-term investment vehicles. PORTFOLIO MANAGEMENT TECHNIQUES The Fund was managed during 2008 to maintain approximately 95% investment allocation in common stocks of publicly-traded real estate companies. No leverage was employed at the Fund level for investment purposes. The Fund did not invest in any exchange-traded funds, real estate closed-end funds, derivatives, or short positions during 2008. The Fund invested in securities that are listed on major exchanges located in the United States, Canada, Australia, Hong Kong, Japan, Continental Europe and United Kingdom; the Fund did not hold any securities listed in emerging countries during 2008. The sub-advisor's investment process employs a process of top-down global asset allocation in the various regions, sub-regions, and countries as well as bottom-up stock selection. This process is continuously ongoing and requires regular rebalancing of 2 - CNL GLOBAL REAL ESTATE FUND Portfolio Management Review (continued) the Fund's global portfolio in order to meet its investment objective, to manage portfolio risk and to satisfy the Fund's diversification requirements. The sub-advisor's global investment decision-making process is managed by the Co-Chief Investment Officers. CBRE GRES actively manages the portfolio construction process using a top-down allocation method. The Co-Chief Investment Officers target sub-regional relative deviations from the benchmark based on economic outlook, real estate fundamentals, valuations and qualitative factors (capital flows, currencies, sub-regional equity and bond market behavior, etc.). The regional portfolio managers are responsible for individual sector and security selection within their respective regions. The regional portfolio managers recommend those stocks and sectors in their sub-region that they believe offer superior risk/return attributes relative to their peers. Individual stock weights are based in part on the global target of securities to be held, the weight of the security in the benchmark, the liquidity of the security relative to the amount to be invested, and the relative attractiveness of the stock to other securities to be included in the portfolio in the region. The recommendations of the regional portfolio managers, and their securities analyst teams, and the input from the research teams of the sub-advisor's global affiliates are crucial to assessing appropriate global allocation, stock selection, and risk assessment. The vast global platform of direct real estate and equity securities real-time information injects substantial added value to the sub-advisor's investment process. FUND PERFORMANCE For the year ended December 31, 2008, the Fund's Class A shares, excluding sales charges, provided a total return of (45.91%) and the Institutional Class total return was (45.66%). The Fund's benchmark (FTSE EPRA/NAREIT Global Real Estate Index) was (47.72%) for the twelve month period ending December 31, 2008. Therefore Class A shares, excluding sales commission, outperformed the benchmark by 181 basis points (1.81%) and Institutional Class shares outperformed the benchmark by 206 basis points (2.06%). The Fund did not consistently outperform the benchmark throughout 2008, but rather performed both below and above the benchmark and registering positive out-performance for the final leg from late November 2008 to the end of the year. Global real estate stocks recorded very poor results from a historical perspective across the board. The three main regions of North America (-40.6%), Asia (-52.5%) and Europe (-51.1%) all registered the worst year on record, contributing to the worst year for the aggregate global index. The credit crises roiled through all asset classes in 2008, including the global equities and real estate sectors. Real estate securities experienced a significant shift to very high correlation levels with global stock indices, such as the MSCI World Index, as investors sought indiscriminate liquidity through the disposition of equities. Volatility became the rule, rather than the exception, as negative financial and economic news contributed to significant price swings on a daily and weekly basis. Despite the streaming negative financial and economic news, the portfolio management team continued to actively screen companies that exhibited balance sheet quality and strength, (i.e. modest corporate leverage, minimal need for near-term financing, etc.) and potential cash flow growth. PORTFOLIO SPECIFICS At the end of fiscal year 2007, the Fund held positions in 55 different common stock positions of real estate companies. At June 30, 2008, the Fund held 58 positions in common stocks positions, and fiscal year 2008 closed with 56 common stock positions. At June 30, 2008, the top ten holdings accounted for 25.7% of the Fund's Total Net Assets. By December 31, 2008, the top ten largest holdings accounted for 39.3% of the Fund's Total Net Asset's, reflecting the portfolio manager's strategy to weight the Fund's investment capital towards larger, more liquid, high quality real estate companies. As mentioned above, the Fund outperformed the benchmark since late November to wind up 181 basis points (1.81%) above the benchmark for 2008. During the final months of 2008, the sub-advisor altered the Asia Pacific sub-regional allocation, reducing portfolio exposure to Japan and increasing portfolio exposure to Singapore and the United States. By the end of December 2008, the portfolio was underweighted relative to benchmark in Australia, Hong Kong, Japan, United Kingdom and the United States, and over-weighted to benchmark in Continental Europe, Singapore, and Canada. CNL GLOBAL REAL ESTATE FUND - 3 Portfolio Management Review (continued) CURRENT STRATEGY AND OUTLOOK The Fund continues to favor investments higher quality companies that are expected to weather the current financial and economic crises. Additionally, the Fund's portfolio managers will continue to seek investments in those economies and companies that offer realistic expectations for long-term cash flow growth in property-related earnings, where dividend payments are sustainable given banking and financial related circumstances, and where the stock prices of real estate companies are well below the reasonable estimates of corporate enterprise values based on the future direction of property values. Fund Performance Summary ALL FUND PERFORMANCE SHOWN IS HISTORICAL, ASSUMES REINVESTMENT OF ALL DIVIDEND AND CAPITAL GAIN DISTRIBUTIONS, AND DOES NOT GUARANTEE FUTURE RESULTS. INVESTMENT RETURNS AND PRINCIPAL VALUE FLUCTUATE WITH CHANGING MARKET CONDITIONS SO THAT, WHEN REDEEMED, SHARES MAY BE WORTH MORE OR LESS THAN THEIR ORIGINAL COST. CURRENT PERFORMANCE MAY BE LOWER OR HIGHER THAN THE PERFORMANCE SHOWN BELOW. PLEASE VISIT WWW.THECNLFUNDS.COM FOR THE FUND'S MOST RECENT MONTHLY PERFORMANCE. (PERFORMANCE GRAPH)
FTSE/EPRA NAREIT Class A (no Class A (with investment @ $10k load) @ $10k load) @ $10k ----------------- ------------ ------------- 10/29/2007 $10,000.00 $10,000.00 $9,425.00 10/31/2007 $10,155.22 $10,180.00 $9,594.72 11/30/2007 $ 9,371.80 $ 9,340.00 $8,803.02 12/31/2007 $ 8,885.32 $ 8,722.60 $8,221.11 1/31/2008 $ 8,507.13 $ 8,510.59 $8,021.29 2/29/2008 $ 8,352.41 $ 8,349.06 $7,869.05 3/31/2008 $ 8,385.14 $ 8,520.69 $8,030.81 4/30/2008 $ 8,909.54 $ 9,015.37 $8,497.05 5/31/2008 $ 8,691.04 $ 8,692.31 $8,192.57 6/30/2008 $ 7,667.40 $ 7,678.01 $7,236.58 7/31/2008 $ 7,730.12 $ 7,718.42 $7,274.66 8/31/2008 $ 7,569.97 $ 7,374.93 $6,950.92 9/30/2008 $ 6,869.18 $ 6,698.25 $6,313.15 10/31/2008 $ 4,954.73 $ 4,881.61 $4,600.95 11/30/2008 $ 4,235.89 $ 4,201.63 $3,960.07 12/31/2008 $ 4,645.04 $ 4,717.97 $4,446.72
(PERFORMANCE GRAPH)
FTSE/EPRA NAREIT Institutional investment @ $100k Class @ $100k ------------------ ------------- 10/29/2007 $100,000.00 $100,000.00 10/31/2007 $101,552.21 $101,800.00 11/30/2007 $ 93,717.97 $ 93,500.00 12/31/2007 $ 88,853.23 $ 87,266.00 1/31/2008 $ 85,071.29 $ 85,144.95 2/29/2008 $ 83,524.05 $ 83,528.91 3/31/2008 $ 83,851.45 $ 85,346.96 4/30/2008 $ 89,095.39 $ 90,296.07 5/31/2008 $ 86,910.37 $ 86,962.99 6/30/2008 $ 76,673.96 $ 77,012.24 7/31/2008 $ 77,301.18 $ 77,315.84 8/31/2008 $ 75,699.73 $ 73,976.28 9/30/2008 $ 68,691.76 $ 67,137.27 10/31/2008 $ 49,547.35 $ 49,030.55 11/30/2008 $ 42,358.95 $ 42,215.10 12/31/2008 $ 46,450.37 $ 47,420.30
Based on an initial investment of $10,000 (Class A shares) and $100,000 (Institutional Class shares), the graph above illustrates the total return of CNL Global Real Estate Fund against the benchmark index. The Fund's benchmark is the FTSE EPRA/NAREIT Global Real Estate Index Series which is designed to track the performance of listed real estate companies and REITs worldwide. The free-float adjusted index constituents are liquidity, size and revenue screened and are broken down into eight index families covering the world's largest investment markets in various currencies. The benchmark index is unmanaged and has no cash in its portfolio, no sales charge and incurs no operating expenses. An investor cannot invest directly in the index. The graphs do not reflect the deduction of taxes that a shareholder will pay on Fund distributions or the redemption of Fund shares. 4 - CNL GLOBAL REAL ESTATE FUND Fund Performance Summary (continued) The maximum sales charge for Class A shares is 5.75%. Average annual returns (Unadjusted for Sales Charges) do not reflect sales charges and would have been lower if they had. Institutional Class shares are not subject to sales charges. To discourage short-term trading, the Fund imposes a 1.00% redemption fee on shareholders redeeming shares held less than 75 days, which has the effect of lowering the total returns for short-term shareholders. AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS
ONE YEAR ENDED ONE SINCE DECEMBER 31, YEAR ENDED INCEPTION SINCE 2008 DECEMBER 31, (10/30/07)+ INCEPTION UNADJUSTED FOR 2008 UNADJUSTED FOR (10/30/07)+ CNL GLOBAL REAL ESTATE FUND SALES CHARGES WITH LOAD SALES CHARGES WITH LOAD --------------------------- -------------- ------------ -------------- ----------- Class A (45.91)% (49.04)% (47.32)% (49.91)% Institutional Class (45.66)% N/A (47.09)% N/A FTSE EPRA/NAREIT Global Real Estate Index Series++ (47.72)% N/A (48.01)% N/A
Returns do not reflect the deduction of taxes that a shareholder would pay on distributions or upon redemption of Fund shares. + Represents commencement date of investment operations (i.e., began to invest in accordance with its investment objective). ++ The FTSE EPRA/NAREIT Global Real Estate Index is an index that tracks the performance of listed real estate companies and REITs worldwide. The annualized gross and net expense ratios, respectively, for each class of shares as in the April 29, 2008 prospectus were as follows: Class A--19.74% and 1.80%; and Institutional Class--18.49% and 1.55%. Through April 30, 2009, the Advisor has contractually agreed to waive its fee and/or reimburse the Fund for expenses incurred to the extent necessary to maintain the Fund's annual operating expenses at 1.80% for Class A shares and 1.55% for Institutional Class shares. The annualized gross and net expense ratios, respectively, for each class of shares as of December 31, 2008, are as follows: Class A -- 4.99% and 1.80%; and Institutional Class -- 5.49% and 1.55%. For more information, see the Financial Highlights. Performance results reflect applicable expense waivers in effect during the period shown. Without such waivers Fund performance would be lower. See the prospectus for more information. NET ASSET VALUE AND DISTRIBUTION INFORMATION PER SHARE
INSTITUTIONAL NET ASSET VALUE: CLASS A CLASS ---------------- ------- ------------- 12/31/08 $ 4.61 $ 4.62 DISTRIBUTION INFORMATION: Net Investment Income $0.0736 $0.0899
CNL GLOBAL REAL ESTATE FUND - 5 Understanding Your Ongoing Costs (Unaudited) As a Fund shareholder, you incur two types of costs: (1) ongoing costs including management fees, Fund expenses, and distribution (12b-1) fees if applicable; and (2) transaction costs, including sales charges (loads) on purchase payments and redemption fees, if applicable. This example is intended to help you understand your ongoing costs (in dollars) of investing in the Fund and to compare these costs with the ongoing costs of investing in other mutual funds. The example is based on an investment of $1,000 at the beginning of the period and held for the entire period from July 1, 2008 through December 31, 2008. ACTUAL EXPENSES The first section of the table below (Actual Fund Return) provides information about actual account values and expenses. You may use the information in this line, together with the amount you invested, to estimate the expenses that you paid over the period. Simply divide your account value by $1,000 (for example, an $8,600 account value divided by $1,000 = 8.6), then multiply the result by the expense number associated with your share class on the line entitled "Expenses Paid During the Period" to estimate the expenses you paid on your account during this period. HYPOTHETICAL EXAMPLE FOR COMPARISON PURPOSES The second section of the table (Hypothetical 5% Fund Return) below provides information about hypothetical account values and hypothetical expenses based on the Fund's actual expense ratio and an assumed rate of return of 5% per year before expenses, which is not the Fund's actual return. The hypothetical account values and expenses may not be used to estimate the actual ending account balance or expenses you paid for the period. You may use this information to compare the ongoing cost of investing in the Fund and other funds. To do so, compare this 5% hypothetical example with the 5% hypothetical examples that appear in the shareholder reports of other funds. Please note that the expenses shown in the table are meant to highlight your ongoing costs only and do not reflect any transactional costs, such as sales charges (loads) and redemption fees. Therefore, the second section of the table is useful in comparing ongoing costs only, and will not help you determine the relative total costs of owning different funds. In addition, if these transactional costs were included, your costs would have been higher.
INSTITUTIONAL ACTUAL FUND RETURN CLASS A CLASS ------------------ --------- ------------- Beginning Account Value July 1, 2008 $1,000.00 $1,000.00 Ending Account Value December 31, 2008 $ 614.50 $ 615.80 Expenses Paid per $1,000(1) $ 7.30 $ 6.30
INSTITUTIONAL HYPOTHETICAL 5% FUND RETURN CLASS A CLASS --------------------------- --------- ------------- Beginning Account Value July 1, 2008 $1,000.00 $1,000.00 Ending Account Value December 31, 2008 $1,016.09 $1,017.34 Expenses Paid per $1,000(1) $ 9.12 $ 7.86
INSTITUTIONAL ANNUALIZED EXPENSE RATIOS(2) CLASS A CLASS ---------------------------- --------- ------------- 1.80% 1.55%
(1) Expenses are equal to the Fund's annualized expense ratios for each class of shares, multiplied by the average account value over the period, multiplied by the actual days in the period (184); and then dividing that result by the actual number of days in the fiscal year (366). The data reflects the 184 day period from July 1, 2008 through December 31, 2008. (2) The annualized gross expense ratio, based on the six months ended December 31, 2008, was: Class A--3.89% and Institutional Class-- 3.66%. 6 - CNL GLOBAL REAL ESTATE FUND Investment Portfolio as of December 31, 2008 CNL GLOBAL REAL ESTATE FUND TEN LARGEST HOLDINGS AT DECEMBER 31, 2008 (AS A PERCENTAGE OF TOTAL NET ASSETS)
MARKET VALUE (US$) PERCENT ------------------ ------- Mitsubishi Estate Co., Ltd. ........ 1,836,867 6.5% Unibail-Rodamco .................... 1,272,544 4.5 Simon Property Group, Inc. (REIT) .. 1,242,445 4.4 Mitsui Fudosan Co., Ltd. ........... 1,233,745 4.4 Westfield Group .................... 1,099,745 3.9 Hang Lung Properties Ltd. .......... 1,009,616 3.6 Capitaland Ltd. .................... 939,713 3.4 Vornado Realty Trust (REIT) ........ 910,380 3.2 China Resources Land Ltd. .......... 765,540 2.7 Fonciere des Regions ............... 763,773 2.7 ---------- ---- TOTAL .............................. 11,074,368 39.3% ---------- ----
COUNTRY SUMMARY REPORT (AS A PERCENTAGE OF TOTAL COMMON STOCK INVESTMENT PORTFOLIO)(a)
MARKET VALUE (US$) PERCENT ------------------ ------- United States ... 9,612,434 36.7% Japan ........... 4,397,095 16.8 Hong Kong ....... 2,582,886 9.8 Singapore ....... 2,190,680 8.4 France .......... 2,036,317 7.8 Australia ....... 1,660,249 6.3 United Kingdom .. 1,263,933 4.8 Canada .......... 1,254,130 4.8 Sweden .......... 665,805 2.5 Finland ......... 301,079 1.1 Netherlands ..... 188,699 0.7 Germany ......... 71,733 0.3 ---------- ----- TOTAL ........... 26,225,040 100.0% ---------- -----
---------- (a) Country summary represents the allocation of holdings based on the country domicile of the holding or underlying company. It does not represent the geographic diversification of the underlying property holdings of the real estate companies. Following the Fund's fiscal first and third quarter-end, a complete portfolio holdings listing is filed with the SEC on Form N-Q. The form will be available on the SEC's Web site at www.sec.gov, and it may be reviewed and copied at the SEC's Public Reference Room in Washington, D.C. Information on the operation of the SEC's Public Reference Room may be obtained by calling 1-800-SEC-0330. THE ACCOMPANYING NOTES ARE AN INTEGRAL PART OF THESE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS. CNL GLOBAL REAL ESTATE FUND - 7 Investment Portfolio as of December 31, 2008 CNL GLOBAL REAL ESTATE FUND
SHARES VALUE (US$) ------- ----------- COMMON STOCKS 93.3%(c) AUSTRALIA 5.9% Stockland ............................................... 197,035 560,504 Westfield Group ......................................... 121,134 1,099,745 ---------- 1,660,249 CANADA 4.5% Allied Properties Real Estate Investment Trust .......... 33,836 341,238 Boardwalk Real Estate Investment Trust .................. 18,148 375,750 Chartwell Seniors Housing Real Estate Investment Trust .. 67,317 294,461 Dundee Real Estate Investment Trust ..................... 23,777 242,681 ---------- 1,254,130 FINLAND 1.1% Sponda Oyj .............................................. 68,614 301,079 FRANCE 7.2% Fonciere des Regions .................................... 11,147 763,773 Unibail-Rodamco ......................................... 8,518 1,272,544 ---------- 2,036,317 GERMANY 0.2% DIC Asset AG ............................................ 8,229 71,733 HONG KONG 9.2% China Resources Land Ltd. ............................... 618,470 765,540 Hang Lung Properties Ltd. ............................... 459,843 1,009,616 Kerry Properties Ltd. ................................... 226,000 607,964 Sino-Ocean Land Holdings Ltd. ........................... 437,345 199,766 ---------- 2,582,886 JAPAN 15.6% Global One Real Estate Investment Co., Ltd. ............. 6 50,203 Japan Real Estate Investment Corp. ...................... 60 535,988 Mitsubishi Estate Co., Ltd. ............................. 111,198 1,836,867 Mitsui Fudosan Co., Ltd. ................................ 74,000 1,233,745 Nippon Building Fund, Inc. .............................. 30 329,753 Nippon Commercial Investment Corp. ...................... 222 236,761 Nippon Residential Investment Corp. ..................... 187 173,778 ---------- 4,397,095 NETHERLANDS 0.7% Prologis European Properties ............................ 41,878 188,699 SINGAPORE 7.8% CapitaCommercial Trust .................................. 543,686 341,967 Capitaland Ltd. ......................................... 430,680 939,713 CapitaMall Trust ........................................ 356,086 396,248 Yanlord Land Group Ltd. ................................. 813,984 512,752 ---------- 2,190,680 SWEDEN 2.4% Kungsleden AB ........................................... 94,557 665,805
THE ACCOMPANYING NOTES ARE AN INTEGRAL PART OF THESE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS. 8 - CNL GLOBAL REAL ESTATE FUND Investment Portfolio as of December 31, 2008 CNL GLOBAL REAL ESTATE FUND
SHARES VALUE (US$) ------- ----------- UNITED KINGDOM 4.5% Big Yellow Group PLC .......................... 62,683 217,909 British Land Co. PLC .......................... 28,564 228,862 Dawnay Day Treveria PLC ....................... 415,159 42,305 Derwent London PLC ............................ 31,890 335,464 Helical Bar PLC ............................... 57,820 234,979 Mapeley Ltd. .................................. 3,987 5,953 St Modwen Properties PLC ...................... 83,358 141,961 Workspace Group PLC ........................... 62,949 56,500 ---------- 1,263,933 UNITED STATES 34.2% Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc. (REIT) .. 7,480 451,343 AMB Property Corp. (REIT) ..................... 6,571 153,893 American Campus Communities, Inc. (REIT) ...... 11,350 232,448 AvalonBay Communities, Inc. (REIT) ............ 9,235 559,456 Boston Properties, Inc. (REIT) ................ 10,960 602,800 Corporate Office Properties Trust (REIT) ...... 13,640 418,748 Digital Realty Trust, Inc. (REIT) ............. 17,889 587,654 Douglas Emmett, Inc. (REIT) ................... 19,230 251,144 Essex Property Trust, Inc. (REIT) ............. 3,031 232,629 Federal Realty Investment Trust (REIT) ........ 9,195 570,826 Health Care REIT, Inc. (REIT) ................. 8,847 373,343 Healthcare Realty Trust, Inc. (REIT) .......... 13,361 313,716 Medical Properties Trust, Inc. (REIT) ......... 36,073 227,621 Public Storage (REIT) ......................... 3,841 305,359 Regency Centers Corp. (REIT) .................. 10,870 507,629 Simon Property Group, Inc. (REIT) ............. 23,385 1,242,445 SL Green Realty Corp. (REIT) .................. 8,475 219,503 Tanger Factory Outlet Centers, Inc. (REIT) .... 13,975 525,739 The Macerich Co. (REIT) ....................... 24,706 448,661 Ventas, Inc. (REIT) ........................... 14,212 477,097 Vornado Realty Trust (REIT) ................... 15,085 910,380 ---------- 9,612,434 ---------- TOTAL COMMON STOCKS (Cost $39,562,400) ........ 26,225,040
THE ACCOMPANYING NOTES ARE AN INTEGRAL PART OF THESE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS. CNL GLOBAL REAL ESTATE FUND - 9 Investment Portfolio as of December 31, 2008 CNL GLOBAL REAL ESTATE FUND
PRINCIPAL AMOUNT ($) VALUE (US$) ---------- ----------- REPURCHASE AGREEMENT 5.9%(c) UNITED STATES State Street Bank and Trust Co., 0.01%, dated 12/31/2008, to be repurchased at $1,660,001 on 1/2/2009a ................................................... 1,660,000 1,660,000 --------- TOTAL REPURCHASE AGREEMENT (Cost $1,660,000) ................................. 1,660,000
% OF NET ASSETS ---------- TOTAL INVESTMENT PORTFOLIO (Cost $41,222,400)(b) 99.2 27,885,040 OTHER ASSETS AND LIABILITIES, NET 0.8 235,994 ----- ---------- NET ASSETS 100.0 28,121,034
(a) Collateralized by $1,700,000 U.S. Treasury Bill, with a maturity date of 7/30/2009 with a value of $1,697,450. (b) The cost for federal income tax purpose was $42,196,967. At December 31, 2008, net unrealized depreciation for all securities based on tax cost was $14,311,927. This consisted of aggregate gross unrealized appreciation for all securities in which there was an excess of tax cost of $152,890 and aggregate gross unrealized depreciation for all securities in which there was an excess of tax costs over value of $14,464,817. (c) As a percentage of net assets. REIT: U.S. Real Estate Investment Trust. Many of the foreign companies have adopted REIT-like corporate structures in their respective countries. The character and features of REIT-like corporate structures in foreign countries may differ from U.S. REITs. Therefore, only U.S. companies are designated as "REIT" where applicable. THE ACCOMPANYING NOTES ARE AN INTEGRAL PART OF THESE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS. 10 - CNL GLOBAL REAL ESTATE FUND Statement of Assets and Liabilities as of December 31, 2008 CNL GLOBAL REAL ESTATE FUND ASSETS Investments: Investments in securities, at value (cost $39,562,400) ... $ 26,225,040 Repurchase Agreement, at value (cost $1,660,000) ......... 1,660,000 ------------ Total investments in securities, at value (cost $41,222,400) ....................................... 27,885,040 ------------ Cash ........................................................ 648 Foreign currency, at value (cost $175,890) .................. 177,655 Dividends receivable ........................................ 113,003 Receivable for Fund shares sold ............................. 83,747 Due from Adviser ............................................ 32,644 Prepaid insurance ........................................... 10,482 Foreign taxes recoverable ................................... 536 ------------ Total assets ................................................ 28,303,755 ------------ LIABILITIES Accrued transfer agent fees ................................. 28,292 Distributions payable ....................................... 15,929 Accrued administration fees ................................. 12,209 Accrued trustees fees ....................................... 10,417 Accrued custodian and accounting fees ....................... 10,238 Payable for Fund shares redeemed ............................ 7,168 Accrued distribution (12b-1) fee - Class A .................. 218 Accrued distribution (12b-1) fee - Class C .................. 13 Accrued auditing and tax services fees ...................... 47,400 Accrued legal fees .......................................... 10,000 Accrued reports to shareholders fee ......................... 23,512 Other accrued expenses and payables ......................... 17,325 ------------ Total liabilities ........................................... 182,721 ------------ NET ASSETS, AT VALUE ........................................ $ 28,121,034 ============ NET ASSETS Net assets consist of: Distributions in excess of net investment income ............ (154,356) Net unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on: Investments .............................................. (13,337,360) Foreign currency related transactions .................... 2,175 Accumulated net realized gain (loss) ........................ (4,959,583) Paid-in capital ............................................. 46,570,158 ------------ NET ASSETS, AT VALUE ........................................ $ 28,121,034 ============ NET ASSET VALUE: CLASS A Net Asset Value and redemption price per share ($1,241,158 / 269,201 shares of capital stock outstanding, $0.001 par value, unlimited number of shares authorized) ................... $ 4.61 ------------ Maximum offering price per share ($4.61 / 0.9425) ........... $ 4.89 ------------ INSTITUTIONAL CLASS Net Asset Value offering and redemption price per share ($26,879,876 / 5,824,130 shares of capital stock outstanding, $0.001 par value, unlimited number of shares authorized) ................... $ 4.62 ------------
THE ACCOMPANYING NOTES ARE AN INTEGRAL PART OF THESE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS. CNL GLOBAL REAL ESTATE FUND - 11 Statement of Operations for the year ended December 31, 2008 CNL GLOBAL REAL ESTATE FUND INVESTMENT INCOME Dividends (net of $49,466 taxes withheld) ................... $ 659,197 Interest .................................................... 7,314 ------------ Total Income ................................................ 666,511 ------------ EXPENSES: Management fee .............................................. 183,260 Transfer agent fee .......................................... 140,170 Custodian and accounting fees ............................... 115,505 Administration fees ......................................... 110,108 Legal fees .................................................. 99,323 Registration fees ........................................... 82,044 Trustees fees and expenses .................................. 70,422 Auditing and tax services ................................... 52,748 Insurance ................................................... 35,642 Reports to shareholders ..................................... 20,736 Compliance services expense ................................. 52,893 Distribution (12b-1) fee - Class A .......................... 1,880 Distribution (12b-1) fee - Class C .......................... 157 Amortization of offering costs .............................. 34,774 Other ....................................................... 3,983 ------------ Total expenses, before expense waiver/reimbursement ......... 1,003,645 ------------ Expense waiver/reimbursement ................................ (717,556) ------------ Total expenses, after expense waiver/reimbursement .......... 286,089 ------------ NET INVESTMENT INCOME (LOSS) ................................ 380,422 ============ REALIZED AND UNREALIZED GAIN (LOSS) ON INVESTMENT TRANSACTIONS Net realized gain (loss) from: Investments .............................................. (4,903,784) Foreign currency related transactions .................... (31,853) ------------ (4,935,637) ------------ Net unrealized appreciation (depreciation) during the period on: Investments .............................................. (12,729,016) Foreign currency related transactions .................... 3,714 ------------ (12,725,302) ------------ NET GAIN (LOSS) ON INVESTMENT TRANSACTIONS .................. (17,660,939) ============ NET INCREASE (DECREASE) IN NET ASSETS RESULTING FROM OPERATIONS .......................................... $(17,280,517) ============
THE ACCOMPANYING NOTES ARE AN INTEGRAL PART OF THESE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS. 12 - CNL GLOBAL REAL ESTATE FUND Statement of Changes in Net Assets CNL GLOBAL REAL ESTATE FUND
YEAR YEAR ENDED ENDED DECEMBER 31, DECEMBER 31, 2008 2007(a) ------------ ------------ INCREASE (DECREASE) IN NET ASSETS Operations: Net investment income (loss) .............................. $ 380,422 $ 20,471 Net realized gain (loss) on investment transactions and foreign currency related transactions .............. (4,935,637) (63,841) Net unrealized appreciation (depreciation) during the period on investment transactions and foreign currency related transactions ................................... (12,725,302) (609,883) ------------ ---------- Net increase (decrease) in net assets resulting from operations ........................................... (17,280,517) (653,253) ------------ ---------- Distributions to shareholders from: Net investment income: Class A ................................................... (19,496) (579) Class C ................................................... (176) (106) Institutional Class ....................................... (450,171) (44,876) ------------ ---------- Decrease in net assets from distributions to shareholders .............................................. (469,843) (45,561) ------------ ---------- Fund share transactions: Proceeds from shares sold ................................. 45,937,265 5,148,115 Reinvestment of distributions ............................. 322,570 42,095 Cost of shares redeemed ................................... (4,991,773) -- Redemption fees ........................................... 11,916 -- ------------ ---------- Net increase (decrease) in net assets from Fund share transactions ........................................ 41,279,978 5,190,210 ------------ ---------- INCREASE (DECREASE) IN NET ASSETS ............................... 23,529,618 4,491,396 ============ ========== Net assets at beginning of year .............................. 4,591,416 100,020(b) ------------ ---------- NET ASSETS AT END OF YEAR (INCLUDING DISTRIBUTIONS IN EXCESS OF NET INVESTMENT INCOME OF $154,356 AND $25,843, RESPECTIVELY) ....................................... $ 28,121,034 $4,591,416 ============ ==========
---------- (a) For the period from October 26, 2007 (commencement of operations) to December 31, 2007. (b) Amount represents seed capital. THE ACCOMPANYING NOTES ARE AN INTEGRAL PART OF THESE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS. CNL GLOBAL REAL ESTATE FUND - 13 Financial Highlights CNL GLOBAL REAL ESTATE FUND
CLASS A --------------------------- YEAR ENDED YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, DECEMBER 31, 2008 2007(a) ------------ ------------ SELECTED PER SHARE DATA NET ASSET VALUE, BEGINNING OF YEAR ............................ $ 8.64 $ 10.00 Income (loss) from investment operations: Net investment income (loss)(b) ......................... 0.10 0.07 Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investment transactions ........................... (4.06) (1.35) ------- ------- Total from investment operations ........................... (3.96) (1.28) Less distributions from: Net investment income ...................................... (0.07) (0.08) ------- ------- Total distributions to shareholders ........................ (0.07) (0.08) ------- ------- Redemption fees ............................................... 0.00(c) -- ------- ------- NET ASSET VALUE, END OF YEAR .................................. $ 4.61 $ 8.64 Total Return (%)(d) ........................................ (45.91) (12.77)(e) ------- ------- RATIOS TO AVERAGE NET ASSETS AND SUPPLEMENTAL DATA Net Assets, End of Year (000s) ............................. $ 1,241 $ 61 Ratio of expenses before expense waiver/reimbursement (%) .. 4.99 29.19(f) Ratio of expenses after expense waiver/reimbursement (%) ... 1.80 1.80(f) Ratio of net investment income (loss) (%)(g) ............... 1.69 4.30(f) Portfolio turnover rate (%) ................................ 25 6(e)
---------- (a) For the period from October 26, 2007 (commencement of operations) to December 31, 2007. (b) Per share amounts have been calculated using the average shares method. (c) Amount is less than $0.005 per share. (d) Does not reflect sales charges, which would reduce return. (e) Not annualized. (f) Annualized. (g) Differences between classes are impacted by the timing of subscriptions and the timing of dividend income earned by the Fund. THE ACCOMPANYING NOTES ARE AN INTEGRAL PART OF THESE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS. 14 - CNL GLOBAL REAL ESTATE FUND Financial Highlights CNL GLOBAL REAL ESTATE FUND
INSTITUTIONAL CLASS --------------------------- YEAR ENDED YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, DECEMBER 31, 2008 2007(a) ------------ ------------ SELECTED PER SHARE DATA NET ASSET VALUE, BEGINNING OF YEAR ............................ $ 8.64 $ 10.00 Income (loss) from investment operations: Net investment income (loss)(b) ......................... 0.13 0.04 Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investment transactions ........................... (4.06) (1.31) ------- ------- Total from investment operations ........................... (3.93) (1.27) Less distributions from: Net investment income ...................................... (0.09) (0.09) ------- ------- Total distributions to shareholders ........................ (0.09) (0.09) ------- ------- Redemption fees ............................................... 0.00(c) -- ------- ------- NET ASSET VALUE, END OF YEAR .................................. $ 4.62 $ 8.64 Total Return (%) ........................................... (45.66) (12.73)(d) ------- ------- RATIOS TO AVERAGE NET ASSETS AND SUPPLEMENTAL DATA Net Assets, End of Year (000s) ............................. $26,880 $ 4,517 Ratio of expenses before expense waiver/reimbursement (%) .. 5.49 28.94(e) Ratio of expenses after expense waiver/reimbursement (%) ... 1.55 1.55(e) Ratio of net investment income (loss) (%)(f) ............... 2.09 2.45(e) Portfolio turnover rate (%) ................................ 25 6(d)
---------- (a) For the period from October 26, 2007 (commencement of operations) to December 31, 2007. (b) Per share amounts have been calculated using the average shares method. (c) Amount is less than $0.005 per share. (d) Not annualized. (e) Annualized. (f) Differences between classes are impacted by the timing of subscriptions and the timing of dividend income earned by the Fund. THE ACCOMPANYING NOTES ARE AN INTEGRAL PART OF THESE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS. CNL GLOBAL REAL ESTATE FUND - 15 Note to Financial Statements December 31, 2008 CNL GLOBAL REAL ESTATE FUND 1. ORGANIZATION CNL Global Real Estate Fund (the "Fund") is a series of The CNL Funds (the "Trust") which is registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the "1940 Act"), as a diversified open-end management investment company organized as a Delaware statutory trust. The Fund commenced operations on October 26, 2007. The Fund seeks to achieve a high total return through a combination of current income and capital appreciation. The Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets (plus borrowings for investment purposes, if any) in equity and equity-related securities issued by real estate and real estate-related companies. The Fund presently offers two classes of shares. Class A shares are offered to investors subject to an initial sales charge of 5.75% (on investments greater than $50,000, the sales charge is reduced). Sales charges may be reduced or waived for certain eligible investors. Institutional Class shares are offered to a limited group of investors, are not subject to initial or contingent deferred sales charges and have lower ongoing expenses than Class A shares. Class C shares were offered to investors without an initial sales charge and were subject to higher ongoing expenses than Class A shares and a contingent deferred sales charge of 1.00% payable upon certain redemptions within one year of purchase. On December 17, 2008, the Board of Trustees of the Fund approved the reclassification of the Class C shares into the Class A shares. This conversion was completed on December 30, 2008 and shares of Class C were not available after this date. 2. SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES USE OF ESTIMATES The preparation of financial statements in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America ("GAAP") requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amount and disclosures. Actual results could differ from these estimates and those differences could be material. PORTFOLIO VALUATION Generally, the Fund's investments are valued at market value. Securities traded on a principal domestic or foreign securities exchange or the National Association of Securities Dealers' Automated Quotation System ("NASDAQ") are valued at the last quoted sales price, the NASDAQ official close price or, in the absence of closing sales prices on that day, securities are valued at the mean between the closing bid and asked prices. Securities traded on more than one exchange are valued using the primary exchange where the security is principally traded. Securities for which market prices are unavailable, or securities for which CNL Fund Advisors Company (the "Adviser") determines that prices do not reflect market value, will be valued at fair value pursuant to valuation policies and procedures approved by the Board of Trustees. Circumstances in which market prices may be unavailable include, but are not limited to, when exchange trading in a security is suspended, the exchange on which the security is traded is subject to an unscheduled close or disruption or material events occur after the close of the exchange on which the security is principally traded. In these circumstances, the Adviser's Pricing Committee determines fair value in a manner that it believes fairly reflects the market value of the security on the valuation date based on consideration of any information or factors it deems appropriate. These may include recent transactions in comparable securities, information relating to the specific security and developments in the markets. In particular, portfolio securities primarily traded on foreign markets are generally valued at the preceding closing values of such securities on their respective exchanges. Alternatively, the value of non-North American securities may be adjusted to reflect the estimated fair value of such securities as of the close of trading on the New York Stock Exchange ("NYSE") using a pricing service and/or procedures approved by the Board of Trustees if, after the close of the foreign markets but prior to the close of trading on the NYSE on the day the securities are being valued, developments occur that are expected to materially affect the value of such non-North American securities. The Fund's use of fair value pricing may cause the net asset value of Fund shares to differ from the net asset value that would be calculated using market quotations. Fair value pricing involves subjective judgments and it is possible that the fair value determined for a security may be materially different than the value that could be realized upon the sale of that security. 16 - CNL GLOBAL REAL ESTATE FUND Note to Financial Statements (continued) December 31, 2008 CNL GLOBAL REAL ESTATE FUND Short-term debt securities that have a maturity date of 60 days or less are valued at amortized cost, which approximates value. Effective January 1, 2008, the Fund adopted Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 157 ("FAS 157"). FAS 157 establishes a single definition of fair value for financial reporting, creates a three-tier hierarchy as a framework for measuring fair value based on inputs used to value the Fund's investments, and requires additional disclosure about fair value. The hierarchy of inputs is summarized below. - Level 1 - quoted prices in active markets for identical investments - Level 2 - significant other observable inputs (including quoted prices for similar investments, interest rates, prepayment speeds, credit risk, etc.) - Level 3 - significant unobservable inputs (including the Fund's own assumptions in determining the fair value of investments) The following is a summary of the inputs used in valuing the Fund's assets carried at fair value:
SIGNIFICANT OTHER SIGNIFICANT QUOTED OBSERVABLE UNOBSERVABLE PRICES INPUTS INPUTS DECEMBER 31, 2008 (LEVEL 1) (LEVEL 2) (LEVEL 3) ----------------- ----------- ----------- ------------ Investments in Securities $27,885,040 $10,866,564 $17,018,476 $-- ----------- ----------- ----------- --- Total $27,885,040 $10,866,564 $17,018,476 $-- ----------- ----------- ----------- ---
The Fund's assets consisting of all North American exchange-traded common stocks and rights were classified under Level 1 for this reporting period ending December 31, 2008. Level 2 Fund assets include 31 non-North American publicly traded stocks that represent an aggregate fair value of $15,358,476. Had the Fund used the observable closing prices from the primary exchange instead of using fair value procedures, then the value of these 31 securities would be $15,122,977. One repurchase agreement in the amount of $1,660,000 was classified under Level 2 for the same reporting period. SECURITY TRANSACTIONS AND INVESTMENT INCOME Security transactions are recorded on trade date. Realized gains and losses on investments sold are recorded on the basis of identified cost. Interest income is recorded on the accrual basis. Discounts are accreted and premiums are amortized over the life of the respective securities. Dividend income (net of foreign withholding taxes, if any) is recorded on the ex-dividend date. The Fund records distributions received in excess of income from underlying investments as a reduction of cost of investments and/or realized gain. Such amounts are based on estimates if actual amounts are not available and actual amounts of income, realized gain and return of capital may differ from the estimated amounts. FOREIGN CURRENCY TRANSLATION The books and records of the Fund are maintained in U.S. dollars as follows: (1) the foreign currency market value of investment securities, other assets and liabilities and forward foreign currency contracts (forward contracts) are translated at the exchange rates prevailing at the end of the period; and (2) purchases, sales, income and expenses are translated at the exchange rates prevailing on the respective dates of such transactions. The resultant exchange gains and losses are recorded as realized and unrealized gain/(loss) on foreign currency related transactions. Pursuant to U.S. federal income tax regulations, certain foreign exchange gains/(losses) included in realized and unrealized gain/(loss) are included in or are a reduction of ordinary income for federal income tax purposes. The Fund does not isolate that portion of the results of operations arising as a result of changes in the foreign exchange rates from the changes in the market prices of the securities; such changes are included with the net realized and unrealized gain/(loss) on investments. CNL GLOBAL REAL ESTATE FUND - 17 Note to Financial Statements (continued) December 31, 2008 CNL GLOBAL REAL ESTATE FUND FORWARD FOREIGN CURRENCY CONTRACTS Forward contracts are valued daily at the appropriate exchange rates. The resultant unrealized exchange gains and losses are recorded as unrealized foreign currency gain or loss. The Fund records realized gains or losses on delivery of the currency or at the time the forward contract is extinguished (compensated) by entering into a closing transaction prior to delivery. The Fund held no forward foreign currency contracts at December 31, 2008. FEDERAL INCOME TAXES It is the policy of the Fund to qualify as a regulated investment company, if such qualification is in the best interest of the shareholders, by complying with the requirements of Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code applicable to regulated investment companies, and by distributing substantially all of its taxable earnings to its shareholders. Accordingly, no provision for federal income or excise tax is necessary. The Fund has adopted the provisions of Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) Interpretation 48, Accounting for Uncertainty in Income Taxes--an interpretation of FASB Statement 109 ("FIN 48"). FIN 48 clarifies the accounting for income taxes by prescribing the minimum recognition threshold a tax position must meet before being recognized in the financial statements. An assessment of the Fund's tax positions has been made and it has been determined that there is no impact to the Fund's financial statements. The Fund's federal tax return for the year ended December 31, 2007 remains subject to examination by the Internal Revenue Service. DIVIDENDS AND DISTRIBUTIONS TO SHAREHOLDERS Dividends from net investment income and capital gain distributions are determined in accordance with U.S. federal income tax regulations, which may differ from GAAP. Dividends from net investment income, if any, are declared and paid quarterly. Net realized capital gains, unless offset by any available capital loss carryforward, are distributed to shareholders annually. Dividends and distributions to shareholders are recorded on the ex-dividend date and are automatically reinvested in full and fractional shares of the Fund based on the net asset value per share at the close of business on the ex-dividend date, unless the shareholder has elected to have the dividends and distributions paid in cash. REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT TRUSTS At year end, the Fund recharacterizes distributions received from a Real Estate Investment Trust ("REIT") investment based on information provided by the REIT into the following categories: ordinary income, long-term and short-term capital gains, and return of capital. If information is not available timely from a REIT, the recharacterization will be based on other available information. Distributions received from REITs in excess of income are recorded as either a reduction of cost of investments or realized gains. The Fund distinguishes between dividends on a tax basis and a financial reporting basis and only distributions in excess of tax basis earnings and profits are reported in the financial statements as a tax return of capital. REPURCHASE AGREEMENTS The Fund may enter into repurchase agreements which are transactions in which the Fund purchases a security and simultaneously agrees to resell that security to the seller at an agreed upon price on an agreed upon future date, normally, one to seven days later. If the Fund enters into a repurchase agreement, it will maintain possession of the purchased securities and any underlying collateral. Repurchase agreements must be continuously collateralized and the collateral must have market value at least equal to the repurchase price of the securities, plus accrued interest. Repurchase agreements could involve certain risks in the event of default or insolvency of the counterparty including possible delays or restrictions upon the Fund's ability to dispose of the underlying securities. 18 - CNL GLOBAL REAL ESTATE FUND Note to Financial Statements (continued) December 31, 2008 CNL GLOBAL REAL ESTATE FUND CLASS ALLOCATION Investment income, realized and unrealized gains and losses, and certain Fund-level expenses and expense reductions, if any, are borne pro rata on the basis of relative net assets by the holders of all classes of shares, except that each class bears distribution and shareholder servicing expenses unique to that class. Differences in class-level expenses may result in payment of different per share dividends by share class. All shares of the Fund have equal rights with respect to voting subject to class-specific arrangements. REDEMPTION FEES The Fund imposes a redemption fee of 1.00% of the total redemption amount on the Fund shares redeemed within 75 days of buying them. This fee is assessed and retained by the Fund for the benefit of the remaining shareholders. The redemption fee is accounted for as an addition to paid-in-capital. OTHER In the normal course of business, the Fund may enter into contracts with service providers that contain general indemnification clauses. The Fund's maximum exposure under these arrangements is unknown as this would involve future claims that may be made against the Fund that have not yet been made. However, the Fund expects the risk of loss to be remote. OFFERING COSTS Offering costs of $194,577 were incurred by the Fund in connection with the offering of its shares and paid by CNL Fund Management Company (the "Management Company"), the parent company of the Adviser. The Fund reimbursed $42,566 to the Management Company. The Adviser has absorbed the remaining offering costs of $152,011 and will not seek reimbursement from the Fund. The Fund amortized the deferred offering costs of $42,566 over one year. For the year ended December 31, 2008, the Fund amortized to expense the remaining deferred offering costs of $34,774. 3. MANAGEMENT FEES AND OTHER EXPENSES Under the Investment Management Agreement with the Adviser, the Adviser directs the investments of the Fund in accordance with its investment objective, policies and restrictions. The Fund pays a monthly investment management fee, computed and accrued daily and payable monthly, at an annual rate of 1.00% of the Fund's average daily net assets. For the year ended December 31, 2008, the Adviser waived $183,260 of its investment management fee and reimbursed other operating expenses of $534,296 pursuant to an expense limitation agreement with the Fund. CB Richard Ellis Global Real Estate Securities, LLC ("CB Richard Ellis GRES") is the sub-adviser for the Fund. The Adviser compensates CB Richard Ellis GRES out of the management fee it receives from the Fund. EXPENSE LIMITATIONS For the period from October 26, 2007 (commencement of operations) through April 30, 2009, the Adviser has contractually agreed to waive all or a portion of its management fee and reimburse or pay certain operating expenses of the Fund to the extent necessary to maintain the annual expenses of each class as follows:
CONTRACTUAL CLASS EXPENSE LIMIT ----- ------------- Class A 1.80% Institutional Class 1.55%
The Adviser may recapture all or a portion of any waived investment management fees and expenses it has borne, if any, to the extent a class's expenses fall below the maximum ratio within three years after the end of the fiscal year in which the waiver was made. The Fund's Board of Trustees shall determine quarterly, in advance, whether any reimbursement may be paid to the CNL GLOBAL REAL ESTATE FUND - 19 Note to Financial Statements (continued) December 31, 2008 CNL GLOBAL REAL ESTATE FUND Adviser in such quarter. The amounts subject to possible reimbursement under the expense limitation agreements at December 31, 2007 and 2008 were as follows: Expenses Subject to Possible Recapture through December 31, 2010 $228,405 Expenses Subject to Possible Recapture through December 31, 2011 $717,556
DISTRIBUTOR The Trust has adopted a Rule 12b-1 plan for Class A shares under which the Fund is authorized to pay to Foreside Fund Services, LLC (the "Distributor") or any other approved entity (collectively, "payees") as compensation for the distribution services and/or shareholder services provided by such payees, an aggregate fee equal to 0.25% of the average daily net assets of Class A shares of the Fund. The Trust had also adopted a Rule 12b-1 plan for its Class C shares (which are not offered after December 30, 2008) under which the Fund was authorized to pay payees compensation for the distribution services and/or shareholder services provided by such payees. Under the Rule 12b-1 Plan for Class C shares, the Trust paid an aggregate fee equal to 0.75% of the average daily net assets of Class C shares of the Fund for distribution services and an aggregate fee equal to 0.25% of the average daily net assets of Class C shares of the Fund for shareholder services. The payees may have paid any or all amounts received under the Rule 12b-1 plan to other persons for any distribution or service activity conducted on behalf of the Fund. The Rule 12b-1 plan for Class A shares is a core component of the ongoing distribution and shareholder servicing as related to Class A shares. For the year ended December 31, 2008, the Fund has been advised that the Distributor received $7,215 in sales commissions from the sale of Class A shares. ADMINISTRATOR State Street Bank and Trust Company ("State Street") serves as administrator for the Trust pursuant to an administration agreement (the "Administration Agreement") with the Trust. Under the Administration Agreement, State Street is responsible for (i) the general administrative duties associated with the day-to-day operations of the Trust; (ii) conducting relations with the independent registered certified public accounting firm, legal counsel and other service providers; (iii) providing regulatory reporting; and (iv) providing the office facilities and sufficient personnel required by it to perform such administrative services. TRANSFER AGENT Boston Financial Data Services, Inc., an affiliate of State Street, acts as the transfer agent and dividend disbursing agent of the Fund. As transfer agent and dividend disbursing agent, the transfer agent maintains an account for each shareholder of record of the Fund and is responsible for processing purchase and redemption requests and paying distributions to shareholders of record. CUSTODIAN State Street serves as custodian of the assets of the Trust pursuant to a custodian agreement (the "Custody Contract") with the Trust. Under the Custody Contract, State Street holds and transfers portfolio securities on account of the Fund, provides fund accounting and keeps all necessary records and documents, and performs other duties, all as directed by authorized persons. Portfolio securities purchased in the United States are maintained in the custody of State Street or other domestic banks or depositories. Portfolio securities purchased outside of the United States are maintained in the custody of foreign banks and trust companies who are members of State Street's Global Custody Network and foreign depositories (collectively "foreign subcustodians"). With respect to foreign subcustodians, there can be no assurance that the Fund, and the value of its shares, will not be adversely affected by acts of foreign governments, financial or operational difficulties of the foreign subcustodians, difficulties and costs of obtaining jurisdiction over, or enforcing judgments against, the foreign subcustodians or application of foreign law to the Fund's foreign subcustodial arrangements. 20 - CNL GLOBAL REAL ESTATE FUND Note to Financial Statements (continued) December 31, 2008 CNL GLOBAL REAL ESTATE FUND TRUSTEES AND OFFICERS Each trustee of the Trust who is not an "interested person" of the Trust, as that term is defined in the 1940 Act (an "Independent Trustee"), is paid an annual retainer fee of $2,000 for service to the Trust. In addition, the Audit Committee chair, the Governance Committee chair and the Independent Trustee Committee chair will each receive $2,000 per annum for fulfilling these roles. In addition, each Independent Trustee will be paid a fee of $1,500 for each regular Board meeting attended whether the regular or special Board meetings are attended in person or by telephone. In addition, each Independent Trustee will be paid a fee of $1,000 for each committee meeting, including Audit Committee, Governance Committee and Independent Trustee Committee meetings. Trustees are also reimbursed for all reasonable out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with their duties as Trustees, including travel and related expenses incurred in attending Board meetings. No officer of the Trust is compensated by the Trust. 4. PURCHASES AND SALES OF SECURITIES Purchases and sales of securities, excluding short-term investments, for the year ended December 31, 2008 totaled $43,845,072 and $4,284,025, respectively. 5. INCOME TAX INFORMATION The tax character of dividends and distributions paid for the years ended December 31, 2008 and 2007 were as follows:
FOR THE PERIOD FOR THE YEAR OCTOBER 26, 2007* ENDED THROUGH DECEMBER 31, 2008 DECEMBER 31, 2007 ----------------- ----------------- Ordinary income $469,843 $45,561 Long-term capital gains -- -- Tax return of capital -- -- -------- ------- Total dividends and distributions $469,843 $45,561 ======== =======
* COMMENCEMENT OF OPERATIONS. As of December 31, 2008, the tax-basis components of accumulated earnings were as follows: Undistributed ordinary income $ 15,999 Other temporary differences $ (34,216) Undistributed long-term capital gains $ -- Net unrealized depreciation on investments and currency $(14,309,752)
As of December 31, 2008, the Fund had a net capital loss carryforward of $1,169,804, which will expire on December 31, 2016. This carryforward may be used to offset future capital gains to the extent provided by regulations. In addition, the Fund incurred losses of $2,951,351 after October 31, 2008 that it has elected to treat as arising in the following fiscal year. As of December 31, 2008, the Fund had temporary book/tax differences primarily attributable to wash sales on portfolio securities, post-October realized losses and mark-to-market on passive foreign investment companies and permanent book/tax differences primarily attributable to non-deductible expenses and foreign currency losses. To reflect reclassifications arising from the permanent differences, paid-in capital was credited $7,775, accumulated net realized loss was credited $31,317 and distributions in excess of net investment income was charged $39,092. Net assets were not impacted by these reclassifications. CNL GLOBAL REAL ESTATE FUND - 21 Note to Financial Statements (continued) December 31, 2008 CNL GLOBAL REAL ESTATE FUND 6. CAPITAL STOCK The following table summarized shares and dollar activity in the Fund:
FOR THE PERIOD FOR THE OCTOBER 26, 2007(a) YEAR ENDED THROUGH DECEMBER 31, 2008 DECEMBER 31, 2007 ----------------------- --------------------- SHARES DOLLARS SHARES DOLLARS --------- ----------- ------- ---------- CLASS A Shares sold 498,298 $ 3,199,670 5,504(b) $ 48,115(b) Issued as reinvestment of dividends 3,569 19,300 67 578 Shares redeemed (243,580) (1,222,503) -- -- Shares reclassified(c) 3,841 17,516 -- -- Redemption fees(d) -- 419 -- -- --------- ----------- ------- ---------- Net increase (decrease) 262,128 $ 2,014,402 5,571 $ 48,693 --------- ----------- ------- ---------- CLASS C Shares sold 3,846 $ 26,511 --(b) --(b) Issued as reinvestment of dividends 22 118 12 106 Shares redeemed (1,528) (7,247) -- -- Shares reclassified(c) (3,852) (17,516) -- -- Redemption fees(d) -- 8 -- -- --------- ----------- ------- ---------- Net increase (decrease) (1,512) $ 1,874 12 $ 106 --------- ----------- ------- ---------- INSTITUTIONAL CLASS Shares sold 6,080,792 $42,711,084 511,198(b) $5,100,000(b) Issued as reinvestment of dividends 55,049 303,152 4,793 41,411 Shares redeemed (834,702) (3,762,023) -- -- Redemption fees(d) -- 11,489 -- -- --------- ----------- ------- ---------- Net increase (decrease) 5,301,139 $39,263,702 515,991 $5,141,411 --------- ----------- ------- ----------
(a) Commencement of operations. (b) Does not include seed shares of 1,502, 1,500 and 7,000 and seed dollars of $15,020, $15,000 and $70,000 for Class A, Class C and Institutional Class, respectively. (c) On December 30, 2008, Class C shares were reclassified into Class A shares. (d) The Fund may charge a 1.00% redemption fee on shares sold within 75 days of the time of purchase. 7. KEY RISKS REAL ESTATE CONCENTRATION The Fund concentrates its investments in real estate securities, including REITs. A fund with a concentrated investment portfolio is vulnerable to the risks of the industry in which it invests and is subject to greater risks and market fluctuations than funds investing in a broader range of industries. Real estate securities are susceptible to the risks associated with direct ownership of real estate, such as decreases in real estate values, overbuilding and space over-supply conditions, increased competition among competing real estate property owners and other risks related to local or general economic and business conditions, increases in operating costs and property taxes, changes in zoning laws, casualty or condemnation losses, possible environmental liabilities, regulatory limitations on rental rates and fluctuations in rental income due to lease terminations or expirations. Changes in interest rates, debt leverage ratios, debt maturity schedules, and the availability of credit to real estate 22 - CNL GLOBAL REAL ESTATE FUND Note to Financial Statements (continued) December 31, 2008 CNL GLOBAL REAL ESTATE FUND companies may also affect the value of the Fund's investment in real estate securities. Rising interest rates may drive up mortgage and financing costs and hinder real estate construction activity, which may negatively impact the securities that the Fund owns. Real estate securities are dependent upon specialized management skills at the operating company level, have limited diversification and are, therefore, subject to risks inherent in operating and financing a limited number of properties. Real estate securities are also subject to heavy cash flow dependency and defaults by borrowers, including the issuer of the real estate security. The real estate industry tends to be cyclical. Such cycles may adversely affect the value of the Fund's portfolio. The Fund will indirectly bear a proportionate share of a REIT's on-going operating fees and expenses, which may include management, operating and administrative expenses in addition to the expenses of the Fund. In addition, U.S.-qualified REITs are subject to the possibility of failing to a) qualify for tax-free pass-through of income under the Internal Revenue Code ("IRC") and b) maintain exemption eligibility from the investment company registration requirements. FOREIGN SECURITIES The Fund may directly purchase securities of foreign issuers. Investing in securities of foreign issuers involves special risks not typically associated with investing in securities of U.S. issuers. The risks include possible revaluation of currencies, the ability to repatriate funds, less complete financial information about companies and possible future adverse political and economic developments. Moreover, securities of many foreign issuers and their markets may be less liquid and their prices more volatile than those of securities of comparable U.S. issuers. REPURCHASE AGREEMENTS Repurchase agreements could involve certain risks in the event of default or insolvency of the counterparty including possible delays or restrictions upon the Fund's ability to dispose of the underlying securities. 8. NEW ACCOUNTING PRONOUNCEMENTS In March 2008, the Financial Accounting Standards Board issued Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 161, Disclosures about Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities ("FAS 161"), an amendment of FASB Statement No. 133. FAS 161 requires enhanced disclosures about (a) how and why an entity uses derivative instruments, (b) how derivative instruments and related hedged items are accounted for, and (c) how derivative instruments and related hedged items affect the Fund's financial position, financial performance, and cash flows. Management is currently evaluating the impact the adoption of FAS 161 will have on the Fund's financial statements. FAS 161-related disclosures will be effective for fiscal years beginning after November 15, 2008. 9. CONCENTRATION OF OWNERSHIP From time to time, the Fund may have a concentration of several shareholders holding a significant percentage of shares outstanding. Investment activities of these shareholders could have a material impact on the Fund. At December 31, 2008, one shareholder held 5% of Class A and one shareholder held 5% of the Institutional Class. CNL GLOBAL REAL ESTATE FUND - 23 Report of Independent Registered Certified Public Accounting Firm To the Board of Trustees and Shareholders of The CNL Funds -- CNL Global Real Estate Fund In our opinion, the accompanying statement of assets and liabilities, including the investment portfolio, and the related statements of operations and of changes in net assets and the financial highlights present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of CNL Global Real Estate Fund (the "Fund") at December 31, 2008, and the results of its operations, the changes in its net assets and the financial highlights for the periods indicated, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. These financial statements and financial highlights (hereafter referred to as "financial statements") are the responsibility of the Fund's management; our responsibility is to express an opinion on these financial statements based on our audits. We conducted our audits of these financial statements in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement. An audit includes examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements, assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, and evaluating the overall financial statement presentation. We believe that our audit, which included confirmation of securities at December 31, 2008 by correspondence with the custodian provide a reasonable basis for our opinion. PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP Tampa, FL February 26, 2009 24 - CNL GLOBAL REAL ESTATE FUND Tax Information (Unaudited) Pursuant to the Jobs and Growth Relief Reconciliation Act of 2003, the Fund designates qualified dividend income of $156,745. Please contact a tax advisor if you have questions about federal or state income tax laws, or on how to prepare your tax returns. If you have specific questions about your account, please call 1-888-890-8934. Other Information PROXY VOTING RECORD The Fund files with the Securities and Exchange Commission its proxy voting record on Form N-PX for each 12-month period ending June 30. Form N-PX must be filed by the Fund each year by August 31. The most recent Form N-PX is available without charge, upon request, by calling 1-866-745-3797 or on the Securities and Exchange Commission's website at www.sec.gov. A description of the policies and procedures that the Fund uses to determine how to vote proxies relating to portfolio securities is available without charge, (i) by calling 1-866-745-3797; (ii) on the Fund's website at www.thecnlfunds.com; and (iii) on the Securities and Exchange Commission's website at www.sec.gov. CNL GLOBAL REAL ESTATE FUND - 25 Trustees and Officers (Unaudited)
POSITION(S) HELD WITH NUMBER OF TRUST AND PORTFOLIOS IN LENGTH OF FUND COMPLEX OTHER TIME PRINCIPAL OCCUPATION OVERSEEN BY TRUSTEESHIPS/ NAME, ADDRESS AND AGE SERVED(1) DURING PAST 5 YEARS TRUSTEE DIRECTORSHIPS HELD ------------------------- ------------ ------------------------------------- ------------- -------------------- INTERESTED TRUSTEE: Chairman Vice Chairman, CNL Financial 1 Director, CNL Robert A. Bourne(2) of the Group, Inc. (real estate and Financial Group, c/o CNL Fund Board development company). Mr. Bourne also Inc.; Director, Advisors Company and serves and has served as a director CNLBank; Director, 450 South Orange Avenue Trustee, and an officer for various affiliates CNL Income Orlando, FL 32801 May 2007 of CNL Financial Group, Inc. Properties, Inc. Age: 61 to present including CNL Fund Advisors Company. INDEPENDENT TRUSTEES: Trustee, Principal, Century Capital Markets, 1 None G. Richard Hostetter May 2007 LLC (financial services consultant) c/o CNL Fund to present from 1999-present; Manager, Advisors Company Strategic Redevelopment Initiatives, 450 South Orange Avenue LLC from 2005-present; Principal Orlando, FL 32801 and employee of Florida Commerce Age: 69 Centers, LLC from February 2008- present. James H. Kropp Trustee, Chief Investment Officer, i3 Funds, 1 Director, PS c/o CNL Fund May 2007 LLC from 2009-present; Sr. VP- Business Parks, Inc. Advisors Company to present Investments, Gazit Group USA, Inc. 450 South Orange Avenue (real estate company) from 2006- Orlando, FL 32801 2008; Portfolio Manager, Realty Age: 59 Enterprise Funds from 1998-2006; Managing Director, Christopher Weil & Co. Inc. (broker-dealer) from 1995-2004. J. Joseph Kruse Trustee, Senior Advisor Process Sensors 1 Chairman, Topsider c/o CNL Fund May 2007 Corp. (manufacturer of moisture Building Systems Advisors Company to present sensors) from 2001-present; Senior Chairman, 450 South Orange Avenue Advisor, Hyde Park Capital Professional Orlando, FL 32801 (investment banking firm) from 2006- Facilities Age: 76 present; President, Kruse & Co., Inc. Management (manages (merchant banking company) performing arts from 1993-present; Partner and centers) Senior Advisor, G. William Miller & Co., Inc from 1983-present.
(1) Trustees hold their position with the Trust until their resignation or removal. (2) Robert A. Bourne is considered to be an "Interested Trustee" due to his position as Director of CNL Financial Group, Inc., which is the parent company of the Trust's Adviser. The Trust's Statement of Additional Information ("SAI") includes additional information about the Trustees. The SAI is available, without charge, upon request. If you would like to request a copy of the SAI, you may do so by calling the following toll-free number: 1-888-890-8934 or downloading it from the Internet at www.thecnlfunds.com. 26 - CNL GLOBAL REAL ESTATE FUND Trustees and Officers (Unaudited) (continued)
POSITION(S) HELD WITH NUMBER OF TRUST AND PORTFOLIOS IN LENGTH OF FUND COMPLEX OTHER TIME PRINCIPAL OCCUPATION OVERSEEN BY TRUSTEESHIPS/ NAME, ADDRESS AND AGE SERVED(1) DURING PAST 5 YEARS TRUSTEE DIRECTORSHIPS HELD ------------------------- ------------ ------------------------------------- ------------- -------------------- OFFICERS: President, President, CNL Fund Advisors N/A N/A J. Grayson Sanders May 2007 Company from 2006-present; CNL Fund to present President, CNL Fund Management Advisors Company Company from 2006-2008; 450 South Orange Avenue President of CNL Capital Markets, Orlando, FL 32801 Inc. from 2004-2006; Managing Age: 68 Director- Marketing of AIG Global Real Estate Investment Corp. (real estate investment management) from 2000-2004. Paul S. Saint-Pierre Treasurer, Senior Vice President and CFO, N/A N/A CNL Fund May 2007 CNL Fund Advisors Company from Advisors Company to present 2007-present; Senior Vice President 450 South Orange Avenue and CFO, CNL Fund Management Orlando, FL 32801 Company from 2007-2008; CFO of Age: 54 Hovnanian Land Investment Group (land development and investment) from 2005-2007; Executive Vice president of Wall Street Realty Capital (real estate investment banking) prior to 2005. Paul F. Hahesy Chief Director, Foreside Compliance N/A N/A Foreside Compliance Compliance Services, LLC from 2008-present; Services, LLC, Officer, Compliance Manager, Foreside Three Canal Plaza, October 2008 Compliance Services, LLC from Suite 100 to present 2005-2008; Compliance Consultant, Portland, ME 04101 MetLife Group, Inc. from 2001-2005. Age: 37 Susan L. Terenzio Secretary, Corporate Paralegal, CNL Financial N/A N/A CNL Financial Group, Inc. March 2008 Group, Inc. from 2004-present. 450 South Orange Avenue to present Orlando, FL 32801 Age: 48 Frank J. DiPietro Assistant Senior Director and Vice President, N/A N/A State Street Bank and Treasurer, State Street Bank & Trust Company Trust Company May 2007 from 2005-present; Senior Manager 2 Avenue de Lafayette, to present Investment Accounting & Boston, MA 02110 Administration of PFPC Inc. Age: 38 from 1997-2005.
(1) Officers hold their positions with the Trust until a successor has been duly elected and qualified or until their earlier resignation or removal. CNL GLOBAL REAL ESTATE FUND - 27 THIS PAGE IS INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK. THIS PAGE IS INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK. CNL GLOBAL REAL ESTATE FUND INVESTMENT ADVISER CNL Fund Advisors Company 450 South Orange Avenue Orlando, FL 32801 SUB-ADVISER CB Richard Ellis Global Real Estate Securities, LLC 250 West Pratt Street Baltimore, MD 21201 ADMINISTRATOR & CUSTODIAN State Street Bank and Trust Company One Lincoln Street Boston, MA 02111 DISTRIBUTOR Foreside Fund Services, LLC Three Canal Plaza, Suite 100 Portland, ME 04101 TRANSFER AGENT Boston Financial Data Services, Inc. 30 Dan Road Canton, MA 02021 LEGAL COUNSEL Stradley Ronon Stevens & Young, LLP 2600 One Commerce Square Philadelphia, PA 19103 INDEPENDENT REGISTERED CERTIFIED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP 4221 West Boy Scout Boulevard, Suite 200 Tampa, FL 33607 INVESTMENT COMPANY ACT FILE NO. 811-22017 (CNL(R) LOGO) CNL FUND ADVISORS COMPANY
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December 23, 2009

VIA EDGAR

U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission
100 F Street, N.E.
Washington, DC 20549
 

Re:

American Beacon Funds

 

Registration Statement on Form N-14

Dear Sir or Madam:

On behalf of American Beacon Funds (the “Trust”), transmitted herewith for filing is a registration statement for the Trust on Form N-14 (the “Registration Statement”). The Registration Statement includes a Letter to Shareholders, Notice of Special Meeting of Shareholders of the CNL Global Real Estate Fund (the “Target Fund”), Shareholder Q&A, Combined Proxy Statement and Prospectus (the “Proxy Statement/Prospectus”) and Form of Proxy for the special meeting of shareholders of the Target Fund scheduled to be held on February 22, 2010 (the “Special Meeting”). The Special Meeting is being held to request shareholder approval of the reorganization of the Target Fund’s Class A and Institutional Class shares into the Investor Class and Y Class shares, respectively, of the American Beacon Global Real Estate Fund (the “Acquiring Fund”), a newly created series of the Trust.

In connection with the reorganization, the assets and liabilities of the Target Fund will be acquired and assumed by the Acquiring Fund in exchange for shares of the shares of the Acquiring Fund. Thereafter, the Target Fund will be dissolved and liquidated and the shares of the Acquiring Fund will be distributed to the Target Fund’s shareholders. The Trust filed a Registration Statement on Form N-1A to register the Acquiring Fund with the Securities and Exchange Commission on December 22, 2009 (Accession No. 0000898432-09-001484).

Pursuant to Rule 488 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, this Registration Statement will become effective on January 22, 2009.

This transmission contains a conformed signature page. The manually signed original of this document is maintained at the offices of the Trust.

If you have any questions or comments concerning the foregoing, please call me at (202) 778-9187.

Very truly yours,
 
/s/ Francine Rosenberger
 
Francine J. Rosenberger

Attachments
 

cc:

Rosemary Behan 

   

American Beacon Advisors, Inc.