As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on December 23, 2016
1933 Act Registration No. 33-17619
1940 Act Registration No. 811-05349
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D. C. 20549
FORM N-1A
REGISTRATION STATEMENT | ||||
UNDER | ||||
THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933 | ☒ | |||
Pre-Effective Amendment No. | ☐ | |||
Post-Effective Amendment No. 585 | ☒ | |||
and/or | ||||
REGISTRATION STATEMENT | ||||
UNDER | ||||
THE INVESTMENT COMPANY ACT OF 1940 | ☒ | |||
Amendment No. 586 | ☒ |
(Check appropriate box or boxes)
GOLDMAN SACHS TRUST
(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Charter)
71 South Wacker Drive
Chicago, Illinois 60606
(Address of Principal Executive Offices)
Registrants Telephone Number, including Area Code: (312) 655-4400
CAROLINE L. KRAUS, ESQ.
Goldman, Sachs & Co.
200 West Street
New York, New York 10282
(Name and Address of Agent for Service)
Copies to:
STEPHEN H. BIER, ESQ.
Dechert LLP
1095 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10036
Approximate Date of Proposed Public Offering: As soon as practicable after the effective date of the registration statement
It is proposed that this filing will become effective (check appropriate box)
☐ | immediately upon filing pursuant to paragraph (b) |
☒ | on December 29, 2016 pursuant to paragraph (b) |
☐ | 60 days after filing pursuant to paragraph (a)(1) |
☐ | on (date) pursuant to paragraph (a)(1) |
☐ | 75 days after filing pursuant to paragraph (a)(2) |
☐ | on (date) pursuant to paragraph (a)(2) of rule 485. |
If appropriate, check the following box:
☐ | this post-effective amendment designates a new effective date for a previously filed post-effective amendment. |
Title of Securities Being Registered:
Class A Shares and Institutional Shares of the Goldman Sachs Enhanced Dividend Global Equity Portfolio and the Goldman Sachs Tax-Advantaged Global Equity Portfolio.
Prospectus
GLOBAL TAX-AWARE EQUITY PORTFOLIOS
December 29, 2016
¢ | Goldman Sachs Enhanced Dividend Global Equity Portfolio |
n | Class A Shares: GADGX |
n | Institutional Shares: GIDGX |
¢ | Goldman Sachs Tax-Advantaged Global Equity Portfolio |
n | Class A Shares: TAGGX |
n | Institutional Shares: TIGGX |
THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION AND COMMODITY FUTURES TRADING COMMISSION HAVE NOT APPROVED OR DISAPPROVED THESE SECURITIES OR PASSED UPON THE ADEQUACY OF THIS PROSPECTUS. ANY REPRESENTATION TO THE CONTRARY IS A CRIMINAL OFFENSE.
AN INVESTMENT IN A PORTFOLIO IS NOT A BANK DEPOSIT AND IS NOT INSURED BY THE FEDERAL DEPOSIT INSURANCE CORPORATION OR ANY OTHER GOVERNMENT AGENCY. AN INVESTMENT IN A PORTFOLIO INVOLVES INVESTMENT RISKS, AND YOU MAY LOSE MONEY IN A PORTFOLIO.
Goldman Sachs Enhanced Dividend Global Equity PortfolioSummary
Investment Objective
The Goldman Sachs Enhanced Dividend Global Equity (EDGE) Portfolio (the Portfolio) seeks long-term growth of capital and current income.
Fees and Expenses of the Portfolio
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Portfolio. You may qualify for sales charge discounts on purchases of Class A Shares if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $50,000 in Goldman Sachs Funds. More information about these and other discounts is available from your financial professional and in Shareholder GuideCommon Questions Applicable to the Purchase of Class A Shares beginning on page 61 of the Prospectus and Other Information Regarding Maximum Sales Charge, Purchases, Redemptions, Exchanges and Dividends beginning on page B-143 of the Portfolios Statement of Additional Information (SAI).
Class A | Institutional | |||||||
Shareholder Fees |
||||||||
(fees paid directly from your investment) | ||||||||
Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price) |
5.50% | None | ||||||
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of the lower of original purchase price or sale proceeds) |
None | None | ||||||
Class A | Institutional | |||||||
Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses |
||||||||
(expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment) | ||||||||
Management Fees |
0.15% | 0.15% | ||||||
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees |
0.25% | None | ||||||
Other Expenses |
0.24% | 0.09% | ||||||
Acquired (Underlying) Fund Fees and Expenses |
0.84% | 0.84% | ||||||
Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses1 |
1.48% | 1.08% | ||||||
Fee Waiver and Expense Limitation2 |
(0.11)% | (0.11)% | ||||||
Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and Expense Limitation1 |
1.37% | 0.97% |
1 | The Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses do not correlate to the ratios of the net and total expenses to average net assets provided in the Financial Highlights, which reflect the operating expenses of the Portfolio and do not include Acquired (underlying) Fund Fees and Expenses. |
2 | The Investment Adviser has agreed to waive a portion of its management fee in order to achieve an effective rate of 0.08% as an annual percentage rate of average daily net assets of the Portfolio through at least December 29, 2017, and prior to such date, the Investment Adviser may not terminate the arrangement without the approval of the Board of Trustees. In addition, the Investment Adviser has agreed to reduce or limit Other Expenses (excluding acquired (underlying) fund fees and expenses, transfer agency fees and expenses, taxes, interest, brokerage fees, shareholder meeting, litigation, indemnification and extraordinary expenses) to 0.014% of the Portfolios average daily net assets through at least December 29, 2017, and prior to such date, the Investment Adviser may not terminate the arrangement without the approval of the Board of Trustees. |
Expense Example
This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Portfolio with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in Class A Shares and Institutional Shares of the Portfolio for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your Class A Shares and Institutional Shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Portfolios operating expenses remain the same (except that the Example incorporates the expense limitation and fee waiver arrangements for only the first year). 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 Shares |
$ | 682 | $ | 982 | $ | 1,303 | $ | 2,212 | ||||||||
Institutional Shares |
$ | 99 | $ | 332 | $ | 585 | $ | 1,307 | ||||||||
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Portfolio Turnover
The Portfolio does not pay transaction costs when it buys and sells shares of the Underlying Funds (as defined below). However, the Portfolio and the Underlying Funds pay transaction costs when they buy and sell other securities or instruments (i.e., turn over their portfolios). A high rate of portfolio turnover may result in increased transaction costs, including brokerage commissions, which must be borne by the Underlying Fund and its shareholders, including the Portfolio, and is also likely to result in higher short-term capital gains for taxable shareholders. These costs are not reflected in annual Portfolio operating expenses or in the expense example above, but are reflected in the Portfolios performance. The Portfolios portfolio turnover rate for the fiscal year ending August 31, 2016 was 19% of the average value of its portfolio.
Principal Strategy
The Portfolio seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing in securities or instruments and a combination of underlying funds that currently exist or that may become available for investment in the future for which Goldman Sachs Asset Management, L.P. (GSAM) or an affiliate now or in the future acts as investment adviser or principal underwriter (the Underlying Funds). Some of the Underlying Funds invest primarily in fixed income or money market instruments (the Underlying Fixed Income Funds) and other Underlying Funds invest primarily in equity securities (the Underlying Equity Funds).
Under normal conditions, at least 80% of the Portfolios total assets measured at time of purchase (Total Assets) will be allocated among Underlying Funds. While it is expected that the Portfolio will invest primarily in the Underlying Funds, the Portfolio may also invest directly in other securities and instruments, including affiliated and/or unaffiliated exchange traded funds (ETFs). The Portfolio is intended for investors who seek current income.
Additionally, under normal circumstances, the Portfolio intends to invest at least 80% of its net assets plus any borrowings for investment purposes (measured at time of purchase) (Net Assets) in Underlying Equity Funds and equity securities with a blend of domestic large-cap, small-cap and international exposure to seek capital appreciation. The Investment Adviser expects that the Portfolio will invest a relatively significant percentage of its equity allocation in the Goldman Sachs U.S. Equity Dividend and Premium Fund and Goldman Sachs International Equity Dividend and Premium Fund, which employ call writing strategies and have an emphasis on dividend paying stocks.
In addition, under normal circumstances, the Portfolio will have a small strategic allocation in U.S. investment grade bonds. This strategic allocation will normally not exceed 10% of the Portfolios Total Assets and may consist of an investment in Underlying Fixed Income Funds or investments in other fixed income securities. This allocation in the Portfolio serves two purposes. First, it provides some ordinary income which can be netted against Portfolio expenses and may increase the net distributions of qualifying dividends (i.e., those dividends subject to the federal long-term capital gain tax rate). Second, it will provide the Investment Adviser with an allocation in which to implement its tactical views.
Also under normal circumstances, the Portfolio invests approximately 10% of its total assets in the Goldman Sachs Tactical Tilt Overlay Fund (the Underlying Tactical Fund). This allocation serves three purposes. First, it enables the Investment Adviser to implement the tactical views generated by the Investment Advisers Investment Strategy Group. Second, the Underlying Tactical Funds investments may provide some ordinary income and short-term gains against which Portfolio expenses can be netted. Finally, it may increase the net distributions of qualifying dividends.
The Investment Adviser will occasionally develop views regarding short-term expected returns, and may seek to temporarily change the allocations in the Portfolio in an attempt to improve short-term return. The Investment Adviser primarily implements such tactical views through its investment in the Underlying Tactical Fund but may also implement these views by selling and buying among the various Underlying Funds or by purchasing securities or other instruments, including ETFs. As part of a tactical allocation, the Portfolio, as of the date of the Prospectus, invests in the Underlying Tactical Fund. The Portfolio may discontinue this allocation in the future at the discretion of the Investment Adviser and without shareholder approval or notice.
Under normal conditions, the Portfolio may have up to 20% of its Total Assets invested directly in securities and other instruments, including derivative instruments (such as swaps, forward currency contracts and futures contracts). These securities and other instruments may be denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar. Because the Investment Adviser may have both positive and negative views on stocks, the Portfolio may also establish short positions.
In managing the Portfolio, the Investment Adviser seeks income in excess of the Enhanced Dividend Global Equity Composite Index (EDGE Composite Index). Many, but not all, of the Underlying Funds seek to invest in high dividend paying stocks and expect to achieve dividends in excess of their respective benchmarks.
The Portfolios benchmark index is the EDGE Composite Index, which is comprised of the Morgan Stanley Capital International All Country World Index Investable Market Index (MSCI ACWI IMI) (90%) and the Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index (10%).
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Principal Risks of the Portfolio
Loss of money is a risk of investing in the Portfolio. An investment in the Portfolio is not a bank deposit and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) or any government agency. The Portfolio should not be relied upon as a complete investment program. There can be no assurance that the Portfolio will achieve its investment objective. Investments in the Portfolio involve substantial risks which prospective investors should consider carefully before investing.
Derivatives Risk. The Portfolios use of options, futures, forwards, swaps, options on swaps, structured securities and other derivative instruments may result in losses. These instruments, which may pose risks in addition to and greater than those associated with investing directly in securities, currencies or other instruments, may be illiquid or less liquid, volatile, difficult to price and leveraged so that small changes in the value of the underlying instruments may produce disproportionate losses to the Portfolio. Derivatives are also subject to counterparty risk, which is the risk that the other party in the transaction will not fulfill its contractual obligation. The use of derivatives is a highly specialized activity that involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with investments in more traditional securities and instruments. In December 2015, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) proposed new regulations relating to a mutual funds use of derivatives and related instruments. If these or other regulations are adopted, they could significantly limit or impact the Portfolios ability to invest in derivatives and other instruments and adversely affect the Portfolios performance and ability to pursue its investment objectives.
Expenses. By investing in the Underlying Funds indirectly through the Portfolio, the investor will incur not only a proportionate share of the expenses of the Underlying Funds held by the Portfolio (including operating costs and investment management fees), but also expenses of the Portfolio.
Investments in Affiliated Underlying Funds. The Investment Adviser will have the authority to select and substitute Underlying Funds. The Investment Adviser and/or its affiliates are compensated by the Portfolios and by the Underlying Funds for advisory and/or principal underwriting services provided. The Investment Adviser is subject to conflicts of interest in allocating Portfolio assets among the various Underlying Funds both because the fees payable to it and/or its affiliates by Underlying Funds differ and because the Investment Adviser and its affiliates are also responsible for managing the Underlying Funds. The portfolio managers may also be subject to conflicts of interest in allocating Portfolio assets among the various Underlying Funds because the Portfolios portfolio management team may also manage some of the Underlying Funds. The Trustees and officers of the Goldman Sachs Trust (the Trust) may also have conflicting interests in fulfilling their fiduciary duties to both the Portfolios and the Underlying Funds for which GSAM or its affiliates now or in the future serve as investment adviser or principal underwriter.
Investing in the Underlying Funds. The investments of the Portfolio are concentrated in the Underlying Funds, and the Portfolios investment performance is directly related to the investment performance of the Underlying Funds it holds. The ability of the Portfolio to meet its investment objective is directly related to the ability of the Underlying Funds to meet their objectives as well as the allocation among those Underlying Funds by the Investment Adviser.
Investments of the Underlying Funds. Because the Portfolio invests in the Underlying Funds, the Portfolios shareholders will be affected by the investment policies and practices of the Underlying Funds in direct proportion to the amount of assets the Portfolio allocates to those Underlying Funds. See the Principal Risks of the Underlying Funds below.
Large Shareholder Transactions Risk. The Portfolio may experience adverse effects when certain large shareholders purchase or redeem large amounts of shares of the Portfolio. Such large shareholder redemptions may cause the Portfolio to sell portfolio securities at times when it would not otherwise do so, which may negatively impact the Portfolios net asset value (NAV) and liquidity. Similarly, large purchases of Portfolio shares may adversely affect the Portfolios performance to the extent that the Portfolio is delayed in investing new cash and is required to maintain a larger cash position than it ordinarily would. These transactions may also accelerate the realization of taxable income to shareholders if such sales of investments resulted in gains, and may also increase transaction costs. In addition, a large redemption could result in the Portfolios current expenses being allocated over a smaller asset base, leading to an increase in the Portfolios expense ratio.
Short Position Risk. The Portfolio may use derivatives, including futures and swaps, to implement short positions. Taking short positions involves leverage of the Portfolios assets and presents various risks. If the value of the underlying instrument or market in which the Portfolio has taken a short position increases, then the Portfolio will incur a loss equal to the increase in value from the time that the short position was entered into plus any related interest payments or other fees. Taking short positions involves the risk that losses may be disproportionate and may exceed the amount invested.
Temporary Investments. Although the Portfolio normally seeks to invest approximately 80% of its Total Assets in the Underlying Funds, the Portfolio may invest a portion of its assets in high-quality, short-term debt obligations to maintain liquidity, to meet shareholder redemptions and for other short-term cash needs. For temporary defensive purposes during abnormal market or economic conditions, the Portfolio may invest without limitation in short-term obligations. When the Portfolios assets are invested in such investments, the Portfolio may not be achieving its investment objective.
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Principal Risks of the Underlying Funds
Commodity Sector Risk. Exposure to the commodities markets may subject the Underlying Tactical Fund to greater volatility than investments in more traditional securities. The value of commodity-linked investments may be affected by changes in overall market movements, commodity index volatility, changes in interest rates, or factors affecting a particular industry or commodity, such as drought, floods weather, livestock disease, embargoes, tariffs and international economic, political and regulatory developments. The prices of energy, industrial metals, precious metals, agriculture and livestock sector commodities may fluctuate widely due to factors such as changes in value, supply and demand and governmental regulatory policies. The commodity-linked investments in which the Underlying Tactical Funds subsidiary may enter into may involve counterparties in the financial services sector, and events affecting the financial services sector may cause the subsidiarys, and therefore the Underlying Tactical Funds, share value to fluctuate.
Conflict of Interest Risk. Affiliates of the Investment Adviser may participate in the primary and secondary market for loan obligations. Because of limitations imposed by applicable law, the presence of the Investment Advisers affiliates in the loan obligations market may restrict an Underlying Funds ability to acquire some loan obligations or affect the timing or price of such acquisitions. Also, because the Investment Adviser may wish to invest in the publicly traded securities of a borrower, it may not have access to material non public information regarding the borrower to which other lenders have access.
Counterparty Risk. Many of the protections afforded to cleared transactions, such as the security afforded by transacting through a clearing house, might not be available in connection with over-the-counter (OTC) transactions. Therefore, in those instances in which the Underlying Tactical Fund enters into OTC transactions, the Underlying Tactical Fund will be subject to the risk that its direct counterparty will not perform its obligations under the transactions and that the Underlying Tactical Fund will sustain losses.
Credit/Default Risk. An issuer or guarantor of fixed income securities or instruments held by an Underlying Fund (which may have low credit ratings) may default on its obligation to pay interest and repay principal or default on any other obligation. Additionally, the credit quality of securities or instruments may deteriorate rapidly, which may impair an Underlying Funds liquidity and cause significant deterioration in NAV. These risks are more pronounced in connection with an Underlying Funds investments in non-investment grade fixed income securities.
Derivatives Risk. An Underlying Funds use of options, futures, forwards, swaps, structured securities and other derivative instruments may result in losses. These instruments, which may pose risks in addition to and greater than those associated with investing directly in securities, currencies or other instruments, may be illiquid or less liquid, volatile, difficult to price and leveraged so that small changes in the value of the underlying instruments may produce disproportionate losses to an Underlying Fund. Derivatives are also subject to counterparty risk, which is the risk that the other party in the transaction will not fulfill its contractual obligation. The use of derivatives is a highly specialized activity that involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with investments in more traditional securities and instruments. In December 2015, the SEC proposed new regulations relating to a mutual funds use of derivatives and related instruments. If these or other regulations are adopted, they could significantly limit or impact an Underlying Funds ability to invest in derivatives and other instruments and adversely affect such Underlying Funds performance and ability to pursue its investment objectives.
Energy Sector Risk. The Goldman Sachs MLP Energy Infrastructure Fund (the Underlying MLP Fund) concentrates its investments in the energy sector, and will therefore be susceptible to adverse economic, environmental, business, regulatory or other occurrences affecting that sector. The energy sector has historically experienced substantial price volatility. Master limited partnerships (MLPs) and other companies operating in the energy sector are subject to specific risks, including, among others: fluctuations in commodity prices; reduced consumer demand for commodities such as oil, natural gas or petroleum products; reduced availability of natural gas or other commodities for transporting, processing, storing or delivering; slowdowns in new construction; extreme weather or other natural disasters; and threats of attack by terrorists on energy assets. Additionally, changes in the regulatory environment for energy companies may adversely impact their profitability. Over time, depletion of natural gas reserves and other energy reserves may also affect the profitability of energy companies.
Expenses. By investing in pooled investment vehicles (including investment companies and ETFs), partnerships and real estate investment trusts (REITs) indirectly through the Underlying Tactical Fund, an investor in the Underlying Tactical Fund such as the Portfolio will incur not only a proportionate share of the expenses of the other pooled investment vehicles, partnerships and REITs held by the Underlying Tactical Fund (including operating costs and investment management fees), but also expenses of the Underlying Tactical Fund.
Floating and Variable Rate Obligations Risk. For floating and variable rate obligations, there may be a lag between an actual change in the underlying interest rate benchmark and the reset time for an interest payment of such an obligation, which could harm or benefit an Underlying Fund, depending on the interest rate environment or other circumstances. In a rising interest rate environment, for example, a floating or variable rate obligation that does not reset immediately would prevent an Underlying Fund from taking full advantage of rising interest rates in a timely manner. However, in a declining interest rate environment, an Underlying Fund may benefit from a lag due to an obligations interest rate payment not being immediately impacted by a decline in interest rates.
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Certain floating and variable rate obligations have an interest rate floor feature, which prevents the interest rate payable by the security from dropping below a specified level as compared to a reference interest rate (the reference rate), such as LIBOR. Such a floor protects an Underlying Fund from losses resulting from a decrease in the reference rate below the specified level. However, if the reference rate is below the floor, there will be a lag between a rise in the reference rate and a rise in the interest rate payable by the obligation, and an Underlying Fund may not benefit from increasing interest rates for a significant amount of time.
Foreign and Emerging Countries Risk. Foreign securities may be subject to risk of loss because of more or less foreign government regulation, less public information and less economic, political and social stability in the countries in which an Underlying Fund invests. The imposition of exchange controls, sanctions, confiscations, trade restrictions (including tariffs) and other government restrictions by the United States and other governments, or from problems in share registration, settlement or custody, may also result in losses. Foreign risk also involves the risk of negative foreign currency rate fluctuations, which may cause the value of securities denominated in such foreign currency (or other instruments through which an Underlying Fund has exposure to foreign currencies) to decline in value. Currency exchange rates may fluctuate significantly over short periods of time. These risks may be more pronounced in connection with an Underlying Funds investments in securities of issuers located in emerging countries.
Geographic Risk. If an Underlying Fund focuses its investments in issuers located in a particular country or geographic region, it will subject the Underlying Fund, to a greater extent than if its investments were less focused, to the risks of volatile economic cycles and/or conditions and developments that may be particular to that country or region, such as: adverse securities markets; adverse exchange rates; adverse social, political, regulatory, economic, business, environmental or other developments; or natural disasters.
Interest Rate Risk. When interest rates increase, fixed income securities or instruments held by an Underlying Fund will generally decline in value. Long-term fixed income securities or instruments will normally have more price volatility because of this risk than short-term fixed income securities or instruments. The risks associated with increasing interest rates are heightened given that interest rates are near historic lows, but may be expected to increase in the future with unpredictable effects on the markets and an Underlying Funds investments. Fluctuations in interest rates may also affect the liquidity of fixed income securities and instruments held by an Underlying Fund.
Investments in ETFs. The Underlying Tactical Fund may invest directly in unaffiliated ETFs. The ETFs in which the Underlying Tactical Fund may invest are subject to the same risks and may invest directly in the same securities as those of the Underlying Tactical Funds underlying funds. In addition, the Underlying Tactical Funds investments in these unaffiliated ETFs will be subject to the restrictions applicable to investments by an investment company in other investment companies, unless relief is otherwise provided under the terms of an SEC exemptive order or SEC exemptive rule.
Investments of an Underlying Funds Underlying Funds. Because the Underlying Tactical Fund invests in its underlying funds, the Underlying Tactical Funds shareholders will be affected by the investment policies and practices of its underlying funds in direct proportion to the amount of assets the Underlying Tactical Fund allocates to those underlying funds.
Investment Style Risk. Different investment styles (e.g., growth, value or quantitative) tend to shift in and out of favor depending upon market and economic conditions and investor sentiment. An Underlying Fund may outperform or underperform other funds that invest in similar asset classes but employ different investment styles.
Large Shareholder Transactions Risk. An Underlying Fund may experience adverse effects when certain large shareholders purchase or redeem large amounts of shares of the Underlying Fund. Such large shareholder redemptions may cause an Underlying Fund to sell portfolio securities at times when it would not otherwise do so, which may negatively impact the Underlying Funds NAV and liquidity. Similarly, large purchases of Underlying Fund shares may adversely affect the Underlying Funds performance to the extent that the Underlying Fund is delayed in investing new cash and is required to maintain a larger cash position than it ordinarily would. These transactions may also accelerate the realization of taxable income to shareholders if such sales of investments resulted in gains, and may also increase transaction costs. In addition, a large redemption could result in an Underlying Funds current expenses being allocated over a smaller asset base, leading to an increase in the Underlying Funds expense ratio.
Leverage Risk. Borrowing and the use of derivatives may result in leverage and may make the Underlying Tactical Fund more volatile. The use of leverage may cause the Underlying Tactical Fund to liquidate portfolio positions to satisfy its obligations or to meet asset segregation requirements when it may not be advantageous to do so. The use of leverage by the Underlying Tactical Fund can substantially increase the adverse impact to which its investment portfolio may be subject.
Liquidity Risk. An Underlying Fund may make investments that are illiquid or that may become less liquid in response to market developments or adverse investor perceptions. Illiquid investments may be more difficult to value. Liquidity risk may also refer to the risk that an Underlying Fund will not be able to pay redemption proceeds within the allowable time period because of unusual market conditions, an unusually high volume of redemption requests, or other reasons. To meet redemption requests, an Underlying Fund may be forced to sell securities at an unfavorable time and/or under unfavorable conditions. Liquidity risk may be the result of, among other things, the reduced number and capacity of traditional market participants to make a market in fixed income securities or the lack of an active market. The potential for liquidity risk may be magnified by a rising interest rate environment or other circumstances
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where investor redemptions from fixed income mutual funds may be higher than normal, potentially causing increased supply in the market due to selling activity.
Loan-Related Investments Risk. In addition to the risks generally associated with debt investments, loan-related investments such as loan participations and assignments are subject to other risks. Although a loan obligation may be fully collateralized at the time of acquisition, the collateral may decline in value, be relatively illiquid, or lose all or substantially all of its value subsequent to investment. Many loan investments are subject to legal or contractual restrictions on resale and may be relatively illiquid and difficult to value. There is less readily available, reliable information about most loan investments than is the case for many other types of securities. Substantial increases in interest rates may cause an increase in loan obligation defaults. With respect to loan participations, an Underlying Fund may not always have direct recourse against a borrower if the borrower fails to pay scheduled principal and/or interest; may be subject to greater delays, expenses and risks than if the Underlying Fund had purchased a direct obligation of the borrower; and may be regarded as the creditor of the agent lender (rather than the borrower), subjecting the Underlying Fund to the creditworthiness of that lender as well. Investors in loans, such as the Underlying Fund, may not be entitled to rely on the anti-fraud protections of the federal securities laws, although they may be entitled to certain contractual remedies. The market for loan obligations may be subject to irregular trading activity, wide bid/ask spreads and extended trade settlement periods. Because transactions in many loans are subject to extended trade settlement periods, an Underlying Fund may not receive the proceeds from the sale of a loan for a period after the sale. As a result, sale proceeds related to the sale of loans may not be available to make additional investments or to meet an Underlying Funds redemption obligations for a period after the sale of the loans, and, as a result, the Underlying Fund may have to sell other investments or engage in borrowing transactions, such as borrowing from its credit facility, if necessary to raise cash to meet its obligations.
Senior loans hold the most senior position in the capital structure of a business entity, and are typically secured with specific collateral, but are nevertheless usually rated below investment grade. Because second lien loans are subordinated or unsecured and thus lower in priority of payment to senior loans, they are subject to the additional risk that the cash flow of the borrower and property securing the loan or debt, if any, may be insufficient to meet scheduled payments after giving effect to the senior secured obligations of the borrower. Second lien loans generally have greater price volatility than senior loans and may be less liquid.
Management Risk. A strategy used by the Investment Adviser may fail to produce the intended results. The Investment Adviser attempts to execute a complex strategy for certain of the Underlying Funds using proprietary quantitative models. Investments selected using these models may perform differently than expected as a result of the factors used in the models, the weight placed on each factor, changes from the factors historical trends, and technical issues in the construction and implementation of the models (including, for example, data problems and/or software issues). There is no guarantee that the Investment Advisers use of these quantitative models will result in effective investment decisions for an Underlying Fund. Additionally, commonality of holdings across quantitative money managers may amplify losses.
Market Risk. The market value of the securities in which an Underlying Fund invests may go up or down in response to the prospects of individual companies, particular sectors or governments and/or general economic conditions throughout the world due to increasingly interconnected global economies and financial markets.
Master Limited Partnership Risk. Investments in securities of an MLP involve risks that differ from investments in common stock, including risks related to limited control and limited rights to vote on matters affecting the MLP, risks related to potential conflicts of interest between the MLP and the MLPs general partner, cash flow risks, dilution risks and risks related to the general partners right to require unit-holders to sell their common units at an undesirable time or price, resulting from regulatory changes or other reasons. Certain MLP securities may trade in lower volumes due to their smaller capitalizations, and may be subject to more abrupt or erratic price movements and lower market liquidity. MLPs are generally considered interest-rate sensitive investments. During periods of interest rate volatility, these investments may not provide attractive returns.
MLP Tax Risk. Tax risks associated with investments in the Underlying MLP Fund include but are not limited to the following:
MLP Tax Risk Generally. MLPs are generally treated as partnerships for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Partnerships do not pay U.S. federal income tax at the partnership level. Rather, each partner is allocated a share of the partnerships income, gains, losses, deductions and expenses. A change in current tax law or a change in the underlying business mix of a given MLP could result in an MLP being treated as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes, which would result in the MLP being required to pay U.S. federal income tax (as well as state and local income taxes) on its taxable income. This would have the effect of reducing the amount of cash available for distribution by the MLP and could result in a reduction in the value of the Underlying MLP Funds investment in the MLP and lower income to the Underlying MLP Fund.
To the extent a distribution received by the Underlying MLP Fund from an MLP is treated as a return of capital, the Underlying MLP Funds adjusted tax basis in the interests of the MLP may be reduced, which will result in an increase in an amount of income or gain (or decrease in the amount of loss) that will be recognized by the Underlying MLP Fund for tax purposes upon the sale of any such interests or upon subsequent distributions in respect of such interests. Furthermore, any return of capital distribution received from the MLP may require the Underlying MLP Fund to restate the character of its distributions and amend any shareholder tax reporting
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previously issued. Moreover, a change in current tax law, or a change in the underlying business mix of a given MLP, could result in an MLP being treated as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes, which could result in a reduction of the value of the Underlying MLP Funds investment in the MLP and lower income to the Underlying MLP Fund.
Underlying MLP Fund Structure Risk. The Portfolio will gain exposure to MLPs through an investment in the Underlying MLP Fund. Unlike traditional mutual funds, the Underlying MLP Fund will be taxable as a regular corporation, or C corporation, for U.S. federal income tax purposes. This means that the Underlying MLP Fund generally will be subject to U.S. federal income tax on its taxable income at the rates applicable to corporations (currently a maximum rate of 35%), and will also be subject to state and local income taxes.
Underlying MLP Fund Tax Estimation/NAV Risk. In calculating the Underlying MLP Funds daily NAV, the Underlying MLP Fund will, among other things, accrue for its current taxes and deferred tax liability and/or asset balances. The Underlying MLP Fund will accrue a deferred income tax liability balance, at the then effective statutory U.S. federal income tax rate (currently 35%) plus an estimated state and local income tax rate, for its future tax liability associated with the capital appreciation of its investments and the distributions received by the Underlying MLP Fund on interests of MLPs considered to be a return of capital and for any net operating gains. Any deferred tax liability balance will reduce the Underlying MLP Funds NAV. The Underlying MLP Fund may also accrue a deferred tax asset balance, which reflects an estimate of the Underlying MLP Funds future tax benefit associated with net operating losses and unrealized losses. Any deferred tax asset balance will increase the Underlying MLP Funds NAV. The Underlying MLP Fund will rely to some extent on information provided by MLPs, which may not be provided to the Underlying MLP Fund on a timely basis, to estimate current taxes and deferred tax liability and/or asset balances for purposes of financial statement reporting and determining its NAV. The daily estimate of the Underlying MLP Funds current taxes and deferred tax liability and/or asset balances used to calculate the Underlying MLP Funds NAV could vary dramatically from the Underlying MLP Funds actual tax liability or benefit, and, as a result, the determination of the Underlying MLP Funds actual tax liability or benefit may have a material impact on the Underlying MLP Funds NAV. From time to time, the Underlying MLP Fund may modify its estimates or assumptions regarding its current taxes and deferred tax liability and/or asset balances as new information becomes available, which modifications in estimates or assumptions may have a material impact on the Underlying MLP Funds NAV. Shareholders who redeem their shares at a NAV that is based on estimates of the Underlying MLP Funds current taxes and deferred tax liability and/or asset balances may benefit at the expense of remaining shareholders (or remaining shareholders may benefit at the expense of redeeming shareholders) if the estimates are later revised or ultimately differ from the Underlying MLP Funds actual tax liability and/or asset balances.
Mortgage-Backed and Other Asset-Backed Securities Risk. Mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities are subject to certain additional risks, including extension risk (i.e., in periods of rising interest rates, issuers may pay principal later than expected) and prepayment risk (i.e., in periods of declining interest rates, issuers may pay principal more quickly than expected, causing an Underlying Fund to reinvest proceeds at lower prevailing interest rates). Mortgage-backed securities offered by non-governmental issuers are subject to other risks as well, including failures of private insurers to meet their obligations and unexpectedly high rates of default on the mortgages backing the securities. Other asset-backed securities are subject to risks similar to those associated with mortgage-backed securities, as well as risks associated with the nature and servicing of the assets backing the securities. Asset-backed securities may not have the benefit of a security interest in collateral comparable to that of mortgage assets, resulting in additional credit risk.
Municipal Securities Risk. Municipal Securities are subject to credit/default risk, interest rate risk and certain additional risks. Certain Underlying Funds may be more sensitive to adverse economic, business or political developments if they invest a substantial portion of their assets in the bonds of similar projects (such as those relating to education, health care, housing, transportation, and utilities), industrial development bonds, or in particular types of municipal securities (such as general obligation bonds, private activity bonds and moral obligation bonds). Generally, municipalities continue to experience difficulties in the current economic and political environment.
Non-Diversification Risk. Certain of the Underlying Funds are non-diversified, meaning that they are permitted to invest a larger percentage of their assets in fewer issuers than diversified mutual funds. Thus, an Underlying Fund may be more susceptible to adverse developments affecting any single issuer held in its portfolio, and may be more susceptible to greater losses because of these developments.
Non-Hedging Foreign Currency Trading Risk. Certain Underlying Funds may engage in forward foreign currency transactions for both hedging and non-hedging purposes. An Underlying Funds investment adviser may purchase or sell foreign currencies through the use of forward contracts based on the investment advisers judgment regarding the direction of the market for a particular foreign currency or currencies. In pursuing this strategy, the Underlying Funds investment adviser seeks to profit from anticipated movements in currency rates by establishing long and/or short positions in forward contracts on various foreign currencies. Foreign exchange rates can be extremely volatile and a variance in the degree of volatility of the market or in the direction of the market from the investment advisers expectations may produce significant losses to the Underlying Fund. Some of these transactions may also be subject to interest rate risk.
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Non-Investment Grade Investments Risk. Non-investment grade fixed income securities and unrated securities of comparable credit quality (commonly known as junk bonds) are considered speculative and are subject to the increased risk of an issuers inability to meet principal and interest payment obligations. These securities may be subject to greater price volatility due to such factors as specific issuer developments, interest rate sensitivity, negative perceptions of the junk bond markets generally and less liquidity.
Option Writing Risk. Writing (selling) call options limits the opportunity to profit from an increase in the market value of stocks in exchange for up-front cash (premium) at the time of selling the call option. When an Underlying Fund writes stock index (or related ETF) call options, it receives cash but limits its opportunity to profit from an increase in the market value of the index beyond the exercise price (plus the premium received) of the option. In a rising market, such Underlying Funds could significantly underperform the market, and these Underlying Funds option strategies may not fully protect them against declines in the value of the market. Cash received from premiums will enhance return in declining markets, but each Underlying Fund will continue to bear the risk of a decline in the value of the securities held in its portfolio and in a period of a sharply falling equity market, these Underlying Funds will likely also experience sharp declines in their net asset value.
Portfolio Turnover Rate Risk. A high rate of portfolio turnover (100% or more) involves correspondingly greater expenses which must be borne by an Underlying Fund and its shareholders (including the Portfolios), and is also likely to result in short-term capital gains taxable to shareholders of the Underlying Fund.
Private Investment Risk. The Underlying MLP Fund may make private investments in public equities (PIPEs). PIPE transactions typically involve the purchase of securities directly from a publicly traded company or its affiliates in a private placement transaction, typically at a discount to the market price of the companys common stock. Equity issued in this manner is often subject to transfer restrictions and is therefore less liquid than equity issued through a registered public offering. In a PIPE transaction, the Underlying MLP Fund may bear the price risk from the time of pricing until the time of closing. The Underlying MLP Fund may be subject to lock-up agreements that prohibit transfers for a fixed period of time. In addition, because the sale of the securities in a PIPE transaction is not registered under the Securities Act, the securities are restricted and cannot be immediately resold by the investors into the public markets. The Underlying MLP Fund may enter into a registration rights agreement with the issuer pursuant to which the issuer commits to file a resale registration statement allowing the Underlying MLP Fund to publicly resell its securities. Accordingly, PIPE securities may be deemed illiquid. However, the ability of the Underlying MLP Fund to freely transfer the shares is conditioned upon, among other things, the SECs preparedness to declare the resale registration statement effective covering the resale, from time to time, of the shares sold in the private financing and the issuers right to suspend the Underlying MLP Funds use of the resale registration statement if the issuer is pursuing a transaction or some other material non-public event is occurring. Accordingly, PIPE securities may be subject to risks associated with illiquid securities.
Sector Risk. To the extent an Underlying Fund focuses its investments in issuers in one or more sectors (such as the financial services or telecommunications sectors), the Underlying Fund will be subject, to a greater extent than if its investments were diversified across different sectors, to the risks of volatile economic cycles and/or conditions and developments that may be particular to that sector, such as: adverse economic, business, political, environmental or other developments.
Short Position Risk. The Underlying Tactical Fund may enter into a short position through a futures contract, an option or swap agreement or through short sales of any instrument that the Portfolio may purchase for investment. Taking short positions involves leverage of the Underlying Tactical Funds assets and presents various risks. If the value of the underlying instrument or market in which the Underlying Tactical Fund has taken a short position increases, then it will incur a loss equal to the increase in value from the time that the short position was entered into plus any related interest payments or other fees. Taking short positions involves the risk that losses may be disproportionate, may exceed the amount invested and may be unlimited.
Small-Cap and Mid-Cap Risk. Investments in small-capitalization and mid-capitalization companies involve greater risks than those associated with larger, more established companies. These securities may be subject to more abrupt or erratic price movements and may lack sufficient market liquidity, and these issuers often face greater business risks.
Sovereign Default Risk. An issuer of sovereign debt, or the governmental authorities that control the repayment of the debt, may be unable or unwilling to repay the principal or interest when due. This may result from political or social factors, the general economic environment of a country or levels of foreign debt or foreign currency exchange rates.
Stock Risk. Stock prices have historically risen and fallen in periodic cycles. U.S. and foreign stock markets have experienced periods of substantial price volatility in the past and may do so again in the future.
Strategy Risk. The Underlying MLP Funds strategy of investing primarily in MLPs, resulting in its being taxed as a regular corporation, or a C corporation, rather than as a regulated investment company for U.S. federal income tax purposes, is a relatively new investment strategy for mutual funds. This strategy involves complicated and in some cases unsettled accounting, tax and valuation issues that may result in unexpected and potentially significant consequences for Underlying MLP Fund and its shareholders.
Subsidiary Risk. The Underlying Tactical Funds wholly-owned subsidiary organized as a company under the laws of the Cayman Islands (the Subsidiary) is not registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the Investment Company Act),
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and is not subject to all the investor protections of the Investment Company Act. Changes in the laws of the United States and/or the Cayman Islands could result in the inability of the Underlying Tactical Fund and/or the Subsidiary to operate as described in the Underlying Tactical Funds Prospectus and Statement of Additional Information and could adversely affect the Underlying Tactical Fund.
Subsidiary Tax Risk. The Underlying Tactical Fund will seek to gain exposure to the commodity markets primarily through investments in the Funds Subsidiary and commodity index-linked structured notes. Historically, the IRS issued private letter rulings in which the IRS specifically concluded that income and gains from investments in commodity index-linked structured notes or a wholly-owned foreign subsidiary that invests in commodity-linked instruments are qualifying income for purposes of compliance with Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the Code). However, the Underlying Tactical Fund has not received such a private letter ruling, and is not able to rely on private letter rulings issued to other taxpayers. Additionally, the IRS has suspended the granting of such private letter rulings pending review of its position on this matter. The IRS also recently issued proposed regulations that, if finalized, would generally treat the Underlying Tactical Funds income inclusion with respect to a subsidiary as qualifying income only if there is a distribution out of the earnings and profits of a subsidiary that are attributable to such income inclusion. The proposed regulations, if adopted, would apply to taxable years beginning on or after 90 days after the regulations are published as final.
The IRS also recently issued a revenue procedure, which states that the IRS will not in the future issue private letter rulings that would require a determination of whether an asset (such as a commodity index-linked note) is a security under the Investment Company Act. The tax treatment of the Underlying Tactical Funds investments in the Subsidiary or commodity index-linked structured notes may be adversely affected by future legislation, court decisions, Treasury Regulations and/or guidance issued by the IRS (which may be retroactive) that could affect whether income derived from such investments is qualifying income under Subchapter M of Code, or otherwise affect the character, timing and/or amount of the Underlying Tactical Funds taxable income or any gains and distributions made by the Underlying Tactical Fund. In connection with investments in the Subsidiary and commodity index-linked structured notes, the Underlying Tactical Fund has obtained an opinion of counsel that its income from such investments should constitute qualifying income. However, no assurances can be provided that the IRS would not be able to successfully assert that the Underlying Tactical Funds income from such investments was not qualifying income, in which case the Underlying Tactical Fund would fail to qualify as a regulated investment company (RIC) under Subchapter M of the Code if over 10% of its gross income was derived from these investments. If the Underlying Tactical Fund failed to qualify as a RIC, it would be subject to federal and state income tax on all of its taxable income at regular corporate tax rates with no deduction for any distributions paid to shareholders, which would significantly adversely affect the returns to, and could cause substantial loss for, Underlying Tactical Fund shareholders.
Swaps Risk. In a standard swap transaction, two parties agree to exchange the returns, differentials in rates of return or some other amount earned or realized on the notional amount of predetermined investments or instruments, which may be adjusted for an interest factor. Swaps can involve greater risks than direct investment in securities, because swaps may be leveraged and are subject to counterparty risk (e.g., the risk of a counterpartys defaulting on the obligation or bankruptcy), credit risk and pricing risk (i.e., swaps may be difficult to value). Swaps may also be considered illiquid. It may not be possible for the Underlying Tactical Fund to liquidate a swap position at an advantageous time or price, which may result in significant losses.
Tax-Managed Investment Risk. Because the investment advisers of certain Underlying Funds balance investment considerations and tax considerations, the pre-tax performance of those Underlying Funds may be lower than the performance of similar funds that are not tax-managed. Even though tax-managed strategies are being used, they may not reduce the amount of taxable income and capital gains distributed by the Underlying Funds to shareholders. A high percentage of an Underlying Funds NAV may consist of unrealized capital gains, which represent a potential future tax liability to shareholders.
Underlying Funds Investments in Affiliated Underlying Funds. The Investment Adviser will have the authority to select and substitute the Underlying Tactical Funds underlying funds. The Investment Adviser and/or its affiliates are compensated by the Underlying Tactical Fund and its underlying funds for advisory and/or principal underwriting services provided. The Investment Adviser is subject to conflicts of interest in allocating Underlying Tactical Fund assets among the various underlying funds in which it invests, both because the fees payable to the Underlying Tactical Fund and/or its affiliates by its underlying funds differ and because the Investment Adviser and its affiliates are also responsible for managing the Underlying Tactical Funds underlying funds. The portfolio managers may also be subject to conflicts of interest in allocating Underlying Tactical Fund assets among the various underlying funds in which it invests because the Underlying Tactical Funds portfolio management team may also manage some of its underlying funds. The Trustees and officers of the Trust may also have conflicting interests in fulfilling their fiduciary duties to both the Underlying Tactical Fund and those underlying funds for which GSAM or its affiliates now or in the future serve as investment adviser or principal underwriter. In selecting actively managed underlying funds of the Underlying Tactical Fund, the Investment Adviser generally expects to select affiliated investment companies without considering or canvassing the universe of unaffiliated investment companies available even though there may (or may not) be one or more unaffiliated investment company that may be a more appropriate addition to the Underlying Tactical Fund. To the extent that an investment in an affiliated investment company is not
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available, including as the result of capacity constraints, only then will the Investment Adviser consider unaffiliated investment companies.
Underlying Funds Investments in Underlying Funds. The Underlying Tactical Funds investment performance is directly related to the investment performance of the underlying funds that the Underlying Tactical Fund holds. The ability of the Underlying Tactical Fund to meet its investment objective is directly related to the ability of the Underlying Tactical Funds underlying funds to meet their objectives as well as the allocation among those underlying funds by the Investment Adviser.
U.S. Government Securities Risk. The U.S. government may not provide financial support to U.S. government agencies, instrumentalities or sponsored enterprises if it is not obligated to do so by law. U.S. Government Securities issued by those agencies, instrumentalities and sponsored enterprises, including those issued by the Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae), Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac) and the Federal Home Loan Banks, are neither issued nor guaranteed by the U.S. Treasury and, therefore, are not backed by the full faith and credit of the United States. The maximum potential liability of the issuers of some U.S. Government Securities held by an Underlying Fund may greatly exceed their current resources, including any legal right to support from the U.S. Treasury. It is possible that issuers of U.S. Government Securities will not have the funds to meet their payment obligations in the future.
Further Information on Investment Objectives, Strategies and Risks of the Underlying Funds. A concise description of the investment objectives, practices and risks of each of the Underlying Funds that are currently expected to be used for investment by the Portfolio as of the date of the Prospectus is provided beginning on page 33 of the Prospectus.
Performance
The bar chart and table below provide an indication of the risks of investing in the Portfolio by showing how the average annual total returns of the Portfolios Class A Shares and Institutional Shares compare to those of certain broad-based securities market indices and to the EDGE Composite Index, a composite representation prepared by the Investment Adviser of the performance of the Portfolios asset classes weighted according to their respective weightings in the Portfolios target range. The EDGE Composite Index is comprised of the Morgan Stanley Capital International All Country World Index Investable Market Index (MSCI ACWI IMI) (90%) and the Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index (10%). The Portfolios past performance, before and after taxes, is not necessarily an indication of how the Portfolio will perform in the future. Updated performance information is available at no cost at www.gsamfunds.com/performance or by calling the appropriate phone number on the back cover of the Prospectus.
The bar chart (including Best Quarter and Worst Quarter information) does not reflect the sales loads applicable to Class A Shares. If the sales loads were reflected, returns would be less. Performance reflects applicable fee waivers and/or expense limitations in effect during the periods shown.
TOTAL RETURN | CALENDAR YEAR (CLASS A) | |
The total return for Class A Shares for the 9-month period ended September 30, 2016 was 7.20%.
Best Quarter Q2 09 +19.28%
Worst Quarter Q3 11 15.17% |
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AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURN |
For the period ended December 31, 2015 | 1 Year | 5 Years | Since Inception |
|||||||||
Class A Shares (Inception 04/30/08) |
||||||||||||
Returns Before Taxes |
7.71% | 4.93% | 3.59% | |||||||||
Returns After Taxes on Distributions |
9.20% | 3.84% | 2.71% | |||||||||
Returns After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Portfolio Shares |
3.59% | 3.86% | 2.81% | |||||||||
Institutional Shares (Inception 04/30/08) |
||||||||||||
Returns Before Taxes |
1.89% | 6.57% | 4.78% | |||||||||
EDGE Composite Index (reflects no deduction for fees or expenses) |
1.84% | 5.93% | 3.43% | |||||||||
MSCI ACWI IMI (Net, USD, Unhedged; reflects no deduction for fees or expenses) |
2.19% | 6.11% | 3.10% | |||||||||
Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index (reflects no deduction for fees or expenses) |
0.55% | 3.25% | 4.15% |
The after-tax returns are for Class A Shares only. The after-tax returns for Institutional Shares will vary. After-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investors tax situation and may differ from those shown. In addition, the after-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold Portfolio shares through tax-deferred arrangements such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts.
Portfolio Management
GSAM is the investment adviser for the Portfolio (the Investment Adviser or GSAM).
Portfolio Managers: Gary Chropuvka, CFA, Managing Director, Head of Quantitative Investment StrategiesCustomized Beta Strategies, has managed the Portfolio since 2013; Monali Vora, CFA, Managing Director, has managed the Portfolio since 2009; and Aron Kershner, Vice President, has managed the Portfolio since 2014.
Buying and Selling Fund Shares
The minimum initial investment for Class A Shares is, generally, $1,000. The minimum initial investment for Institutional Shares is, generally, $1,000,000 for individual or certain institutional investors, alone or in combination with other assets under the management of GSAM and its affiliates. Those share classes with a minimum initial investment requirement do not impose it on certain employee benefit plans, and Institutional Shares do not impose it on certain investment advisers investing on behalf of other accounts.
The minimum subsequent investment for Class A shareholders is $50, except for certain employee benefit plans, for which there is no minimum. There is no minimum subsequent investment for Institutional shareholders.
You may purchase and redeem (sell) shares of the Portfolio on any business day through certain intermediaries that have a relationship with Goldman, Sachs & Co. (Goldman Sachs), including banks, trust companies, brokers, registered investment advisers and other financial institutions (Intermediaries).
Tax Information
For important tax information, please see Tax Information on page 23 of the Prospectus.
Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries
For important information about financial intermediary compensation, please see Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries on page 23 of the Prospectus.
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Goldman Sachs Tax-Advantaged Global Equity PortfolioSummary
Investment Objective
The Goldman Sachs Tax-Advantaged Global Equity (TAG) Portfolio (the Portfolio) seeks long-term growth of capital.
Fees and Expenses of the Portfolio
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Portfolio. You may qualify for sales charge discounts on purchases of Class A Shares if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $50,000 in Goldman Sachs Funds. More information about these and other discounts is available from your financial professional and in Shareholder GuideCommon Questions Applicable to the Purchase of Class A Shares beginning on page 61 of the Prospectus and Other Information Regarding Maximum Sales Charge, Purchases, Redemptions, Exchanges and Dividends beginning on page B-143 of the Portfolios Statement of Additional Information (SAI).
Class A | Institutional | |||||||
Shareholder Fees |
||||||||
(fees paid directly from your investment) | ||||||||
Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price) |
5.50% | None | ||||||
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of the lower of original purchase price or sale proceeds) |
None | None | ||||||
Class A | Institutional | |||||||
Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses |
||||||||
(expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment) | ||||||||
Management Fees |
0.15% | 0.15% | ||||||
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees |
0.25% | None | ||||||
Other Expenses |
0.21% | 0.06% | ||||||
Acquired (Underlying) Fund Fees and Expenses |
0.83% | 0.83% | ||||||
Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses1 |
1.44% | 1.04% | ||||||
Fee Waiver and Expense Limitation2 |
(0.08)% | (0.08)% | ||||||
Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and Expense Limitation1 |
1.36% | 0.96% |
1 | The Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses do not correlate to the ratios of the net and total expenses to average net assets provided in the Financial Highlights, which reflect the operating expenses of the Portfolio and do not include Acquired (underlying) Fund Fees and Expenses. |
2 | The Investment Adviser has agreed to waive a portion of its management fee in order to achieve an effective rate of 0.08% as an annual percentage rate of average daily net assets of the Portfolio through at least December 29, 2017, and prior to such date, the Investment Adviser may not terminate the arrangement without the approval of the Board of Trustees. In addition, the Investment Adviser has agreed to reduce or limit Other Expenses (excluding acquired (underlying) fund fees and expenses, transfer agency fees and expenses, taxes, interest, brokerage fees, shareholder meeting, litigation, indemnification and extraordinary expenses) to 0.014% of the Portfolios average daily net assets through at least December 29, 2017, and prior to such date, the Investment Adviser may not terminate the arrangement without the approval of the Board of Trustees. |
Expense Example
This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Portfolio with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in Class A Shares and Institutional Shares of the Portfolio for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your Class A Shares and Institutional Shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Portfolios operating expenses remain the same (except that the Example incorporates the expense limitation and fee waiver arrangements for only the first year). 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 Shares |
$ | 681 | $ | 974 | $ | 1,288 | $ | 2,176 | ||||||||
Institutional Shares |
$ | 98 | $ | 324 | $ | 568 | $ | 1,267 | ||||||||
Portfolio Turnover
The Portfolio does not pay transaction costs when it buys and sells shares of the Underlying Funds (as defined below). However, the Portfolio and the Underlying Funds pay transaction costs when they buy and sell other securities or instruments (i.e., turn over their portfolios). A high rate of portfolio turnover may result in increased transaction costs, including brokerage commissions, which must
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be borne by the Underlying Fund and its shareholders, including the Portfolio, and is also likely to result in higher short-term capital gains for taxable shareholders. These costs are not reflected in annual Portfolio operating expenses or in the expense example above, but are reflected in the Portfolios performance. The Portfolios portfolio turnover rate for the fiscal year ending August 31, 2016 was 19% of the average value of its portfolio.
Principal Strategy
The Portfolio seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing in securities or instruments and a combination of underlying funds that currently exist or that may become available for investment in the future for which Goldman Sachs Asset Management, L.P. (GSAM) or an affiliate now or in the future acts as investment adviser or principal underwriter (the Underlying Funds). Some of the Underlying Funds invest primarily in fixed income or money market instruments (the Underlying Fixed Income Funds) and other Underlying Funds invest primarily in equity securities (the Underlying Equity Funds).
Under normal conditions, at least 80% of the Portfolios total assets measured at time of purchase (Total Assets) will be allocated among Underlying Funds. While it is expected that the Portfolio will invest primarily in the Underlying Funds, the Portfolio may also invest directly in other securities and instruments, including affiliated and/or unaffiliated exchange traded funds (ETFs). The Portfolio is intended for investors who wish to minimize short-term gains and defer long-term gains. Additionally, under normal circumstances, the Portfolio intends to invest at least 80% of its net assets plus any borrowings for investment purposes (measured at time of purchase) (Net Assets) in Underlying Equity Funds and equity securities with a blend of domestic large cap, small cap and international exposure to seek capital appreciation. The Investment Adviser expects that the Portfolio will invest a relatively significant percentage of its equity allocation in the Goldman Sachs U.S. Tax-Managed Equity Fund and Goldman Sachs International Tax-Managed Equity Fund (the Underlying Tax-Managed Funds).
In addition, under normal circumstances, the Portfolio will have a small strategic allocation in U.S. investment grade bonds. This strategic allocation will normally not exceed 10% of the Portfolios Total Assets and may consist of an investment in Underlying Fixed Income Funds or investments in other fixed income securities. This allocation in the Portfolio serves two purposes. First, it provides some ordinary income which can be netted against Portfolio expenses and may increase the net distributions of qualifying dividends (i.e., those dividends subject to the federal long-term capital gain tax rate). Second, it will provide the Investment Adviser with an allocation in which to implement its tactical views.
Also under normal circumstances, the Portfolio invests approximately 10% of its total assets in the Goldman Sachs Tactical Tilt Overlay Fund (the Underlying Tactical Fund). This allocation serves three purposes. First, it enables the Investment Adviser to implement the tactical views generated by the Investment Advisers Investment Strategy Group. Second, the Underlying Tactical Funds investments may provide some ordinary income and short-term gains against which Portfolio expenses can be netted. Finally, it may increase the net distributions of qualifying dividends.
The Investment Adviser will occasionally develop views regarding short-term expected returns, and may seek to temporarily change the allocations in the Portfolio in an attempt to improve short-term return. The Investment Adviser primarily implements such tactical views through its investment in the Underlying Tactical Fund but may also implement these views by selling and buying among the various Underlying Funds or by purchasing securities or other instruments, including ETFs. As part of a tactical allocation, the Portfolio, as of the date of the Prospectus, invests in the Underlying Tactical Fund. The Portfolio may discontinue this allocation in the future at the discretion of the Investment Adviser and without shareholder approval or notice.
Under normal conditions, the Portfolio may have up to 20% of its Total Assets invested directly in securities and other instruments, including derivative instruments (such as swaps, forward currency contracts and futures contracts). These securities and other instruments may be denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar. Because the Investment Adviser may have both positive and negative views on stocks, the Portfolio may also establish short positions.
In managing the Portfolio, the Investment Adviser balances investment considerations and tax considerations. The Portfolio seeks to achieve returns primarily in the form of price appreciation (which is not subject to current tax), and may use different strategies in seeking tax-efficiency. These strategies include:
¢ | Investing in Underlying Tax-Managed Funds |
¢ | Offsetting long-term and short-term capital gains with long-term and short-term capital losses and creating loss carry-forward positions |
¢ | Limiting portfolio turnover that may result in taxable gains |
The Portfolios benchmark index is Goldman Sachs Tax-Advantaged Global Composite Index (TAG Composite Index), which is comprised of the Morgan Stanley Capital International All Country World Index Investable Market Index (MSCI ACWI IMI) (90%) and the Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index (10%).
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Principal Risks of the Portfolio
Loss of money is a risk of investing in the Portfolio. An investment in the Portfolio is not a bank deposit and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) or any government agency. The Portfolio should not be relied upon as a complete investment program. There can be no assurance that the Portfolio will achieve its investment objective. Investments in the Portfolio involve substantial risks which prospective investors should consider carefully before investing.
Derivatives Risk. The Portfolios use of options, futures, forwards, swaps, options on swaps, structured securities and other derivative instruments may result in losses. These instruments, which may pose risks in addition to and greater than those associated with investing directly in securities, currencies or other instruments, may be illiquid or less liquid, volatile, difficult to price and leveraged so that small changes in the value of the underlying instruments may produce disproportionate losses to the Portfolio. Derivatives are also subject to counterparty risk, which is the risk that the other party in the transaction will not fulfill its contractual obligation. The use of derivatives is a highly specialized activity that involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with investments in more traditional securities and instruments. In December 2015, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) proposed new regulations relating to a mutual funds use of derivatives and related instruments. If these or other regulations are adopted, they could significantly limit or impact the Portfolios ability to invest in derivatives and other instruments and adversely affect the Portfolios performance and ability to pursue its investment objectives.
Expenses. By investing in the Underlying Funds indirectly through the Portfolio, the investor will incur not only a proportionate share of the expenses of the Underlying Funds held by the Portfolio (including operating costs and investment management fees), but also expenses of the Portfolio.
Investments in Affiliated Underlying Funds. The Investment Adviser will have the authority to select and substitute Underlying Funds. The Investment Adviser and/or its affiliates are compensated by the Portfolios and by the Underlying Funds for advisory and/or principal underwriting services provided. The Investment Adviser is subject to conflicts of interest in allocating Portfolio assets among the various Underlying Funds both because the fees payable to it and/or its affiliates by Underlying Funds differ and because the Investment Adviser and its affiliates are also responsible for managing the Underlying Funds. The portfolio managers may also be subject to conflicts of interest in allocating Portfolio assets among the various Underlying Funds because the Portfolios portfolio management team may also manage some of the Underlying Funds. The Trustees and officers of the Goldman Sachs Trust (the Trust) may also have conflicting interests in fulfilling their fiduciary duties to both the Portfolios and the Underlying Funds for which GSAM or its affiliates now or in the future serve as investment adviser or principal underwriter.
Investing in the Underlying Funds. The investments of the Portfolio are concentrated in the Underlying Funds, and the Portfolios investment performance is directly related to the investment performance of the Underlying Funds it holds. The ability of the Portfolio to meet its investment objective is directly related to the ability of the Underlying Funds to meet their objectives as well as the allocation among those Underlying Funds by the Investment Adviser.
Investments of the Underlying Funds. Because the Portfolio invests in the Underlying Funds, the Portfolios shareholders will be affected by the investment policies and practices of the Underlying Funds in direct proportion to the amount of assets the Portfolio allocates to those Underlying Funds. See the Principal Risks of the Underlying Funds below.
Large Shareholder Transactions Risk. The Portfolio may experience adverse effects when certain large shareholders purchase or redeem large amounts of shares of the Portfolio. Such large shareholder redemptions may cause the Portfolio to sell portfolio securities at times when it would not otherwise do so, which may negatively impact the Portfolios net asset value (NAV) and liquidity. Similarly, large purchases of Portfolio shares may adversely affect the Portfolios performance to the extent that the Portfolio is delayed in investing new cash and is required to maintain a larger cash position than it ordinarily would. These transactions may also accelerate the realization of taxable income to shareholders if such sales of investments resulted in gains, and may also increase transaction costs. In addition, a large redemption could result in the Portfolios current expenses being allocated over a smaller asset base, leading to an increase in the Portfolios expense ratio.
Short Position Risk. The Portfolio may use derivatives, including futures and swaps, to implement short positions. Taking short positions involves leverage of the Portfolios assets and presents various risks. If the value of the underlying instrument or market in which the Portfolio has taken a short position increases, then the Portfolio will incur a loss equal to the increase in value from the time that the short position was entered into plus any related interest payments or other fees. Taking short positions involves the risk that losses may be disproportionate and may exceed the amount invested.
Tax-Managed Investment Risk. Because the Investment Adviser balances investment considerations and tax considerations, the pre-tax performance of the Portfolio may be lower than the performance of similar funds that are not tax-managed. Even though tax managed strategies are being used, they may not reduce the amount of taxable income and capital gains distributed by the Portfolio to shareholders.
Temporary Investments. Although the Portfolio normally seeks to invest approximately 80% of its Total Assets in the Underlying Funds, the Portfolio may invest a portion of its assets in high-quality, short-term debt obligations to maintain liquidity, to meet
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shareholder redemptions and for other short-term cash needs. For temporary defensive purposes during abnormal market or economic conditions, the Portfolio may invest without limitation in short-term obligations. When the Portfolios assets are invested in such investments, the Portfolio may not be achieving its investment objective.
Principal Risks of the Underlying Funds
Commodity Sector Risk. Exposure to the commodities markets may subject the Underlying Tactical Fund to greater volatility than investments in more traditional securities. The value of commodity-linked investments may be affected by changes in overall market movements, commodity index volatility, changes in interest rates, or factors affecting a particular industry or commodity, such as drought, floods weather, livestock disease, embargoes, tariffs and international economic, political and regulatory developments. The prices of energy, industrial metals, precious metals, agriculture and livestock sector commodities may fluctuate widely due to factors such as changes in value, supply and demand and governmental regulatory policies. The commodity-linked investments in which the Underlying Tactical Funds subsidiary may enter into may involve counterparties in the financial services sector, and events affecting the financial services sector may cause the subsidiarys, and therefore the Underlying Tactical Funds, share value to fluctuate.
Conflict of Interest Risk. Affiliates of the Investment Adviser may participate in the primary and secondary market for loan obligations. Because of limitations imposed by applicable law, the presence of the Investment Advisers affiliates in the loan obligations market may restrict an Underlying Funds ability to acquire some loan obligations or affect the timing or price of such acquisitions. Also, because the Investment Adviser may wish to invest in the publicly traded securities of a borrower, it may not have access to material non public information regarding the borrower to which other lenders have access.
Counterparty Risk. Many of the protections afforded to cleared transactions, such as the security afforded by transacting through a clearing house, might not be available in connection with over-the-counter (OTC) transactions. Therefore, in those instances in which the Underlying Tactical Fund enters into OTC transactions, the Underlying Tactical Fund will be subject to the risk that its direct counterparty will not perform its obligations under the transactions and that the Underlying Tactical Fund will sustain losses.
Credit/Default Risk. An issuer or guarantor of fixed income securities or instruments held by an Underlying Fund (which may have low credit ratings) may default on its obligation to pay interest and repay principal or default on any other obligation. Additionally, the credit quality of securities or instruments may deteriorate rapidly, which may impair an Underlying Funds liquidity and cause significant deterioration in NAV. These risks are more pronounced in connection with an Underlying Funds investments in non-investment grade fixed income securities.
Derivatives Risk. An Underlying Funds use of options, futures, forwards, swaps, structured securities and other derivative instruments may result in losses. These instruments, which may pose risks in addition to and greater than those associated with investing directly in securities, currencies or other instruments, may be illiquid or less liquid, volatile, difficult to price and leveraged so that small changes in the value of the underlying instruments may produce disproportionate losses to an Underlying Fund. Derivatives are also subject to counterparty risk, which is the risk that the other party in the transaction will not fulfill its contractual obligation. The use of derivatives is a highly specialized activity that involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with investments in more traditional securities and instruments. In December 2015, the SEC proposed new regulations relating to a mutual funds use of derivatives and related instruments. If these or other regulations are adopted, they could significantly limit or impact an Underlying Funds ability to invest in derivatives and other instruments and adversely affect such Underlying Funds performance and ability to pursue its investment objectives.
Energy Sector Risk. The Goldman Sachs MLP Energy Infrastructure Fund (the Underlying MLP Fund) concentrates its investments in the energy sector, and will therefore be susceptible to adverse economic, environmental, business, regulatory or other occurrences affecting that sector. The energy sector has historically experienced substantial price volatility. Master limited partnerships (MLPs) and other companies operating in the energy sector are subject to specific risks, including, among others: fluctuations in commodity prices; reduced consumer demand for commodities such as oil, natural gas or petroleum products; reduced availability of natural gas or other commodities for transporting, processing, storing or delivering; slowdowns in new construction; extreme weather or other natural disasters; and threats of attack by terrorists on energy assets. Additionally, changes in the regulatory environment for energy companies may adversely impact their profitability. Over time, depletion of natural gas reserves and other energy reserves may also affect the profitability of energy companies.
Expenses. By investing in pooled investment vehicles (including investment companies and ETFs), partnerships and real estate investment trusts (REITs) indirectly through the Underlying Tactical Fund, an investor in the Underlying Tactical Fund such as the Portfolio will incur not only a proportionate share of the expenses of the other pooled investment vehicles, partnerships and REITs held by the Underlying Tactical Fund (including operating costs and investment management fees), but also expenses of the Underlying Tactical Fund.
Floating and Variable Rate Obligations Risk. For floating and variable rate obligations, there may be a lag between an actual change in the underlying interest rate benchmark and the reset time for an interest payment of such an obligation, which could harm or benefit an Underlying Fund, depending on the interest rate environment or other circumstances. In a rising interest rate environment, for
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example, a floating or variable rate obligation that does not reset immediately would prevent an Underlying Fund from taking full advantage of rising interest rates in a timely manner. However, in a declining interest rate environment, an Underlying Fund may benefit from a lag due to an obligations interest rate payment not being immediately impacted by a decline in interest rates.
Certain floating and variable rate obligations have an interest rate floor feature, which prevents the interest rate payable by the security from dropping below a specified level as compared to a reference interest rate (the reference rate), such as LIBOR. Such a floor protects an Underlying Fund from losses resulting from a decrease in the reference rate below the specified level. However, if the reference rate is below the floor, there will be a lag between a rise in the reference rate and a rise in the interest rate payable by the obligation, and an Underlying Fund may not benefit from increasing interest rates for a significant amount of time.
Foreign and Emerging Countries Risk. Foreign securities may be subject to risk of loss because of more or less foreign government regulation, less public information and less economic, political and social stability in the countries in which an Underlying Fund invests. The imposition of exchange controls, sanctions, confiscations, trade restrictions (including tariffs) and other government restrictions by the United States and other governments, or from problems in share registration, settlement or custody, may also result in losses. Foreign risk also involves the risk of negative foreign currency rate fluctuations, which may cause the value of securities denominated in such foreign currency (or other instruments through which an Underlying Fund has exposure to foreign currencies) to decline in value. Currency exchange rates may fluctuate significantly over short periods of time. These risks may be more pronounced in connection with an Underlying Funds investments in securities of issuers located in emerging countries.
Geographic Risk. If an Underlying Fund focuses its investments in issuers located in a particular country or geographic region, it will subject the Underlying Fund, to a greater extent than if its investments were less focused, to the risks of volatile economic cycles and/or conditions and developments that may be particular to that country or region, such as: adverse securities markets; adverse exchange rates; adverse social, political, regulatory, economic, business, environmental or other developments; or natural disasters.
Interest Rate Risk. When interest rates increase, fixed income securities or instruments held by an Underlying Fund will generally decline in value. Long-term fixed income securities or instruments will normally have more price volatility because of this risk than short-term fixed income securities or instruments. The risks associated with increasing interest rates are heightened given that interest rates are near historic lows, but may be expected to increase in the future with unpredictable effects on the markets and an Underlying Funds investments. Fluctuations in interest rates may also affect the liquidity of fixed income securities and instruments held by an Underlying Fund.
Investments in ETFs. The Underlying Tactical Fund may invest directly in unaffiliated ETFs. The ETFs in which the Underlying Tactical Fund may invest are subject to the same risks and may invest directly in the same securities as those of the Underlying Tactical Funds underlying funds. In addition, the Underlying Tactical Funds investments in these unaffiliated ETFs will be subject to the restrictions applicable to investments by an investment company in other investment companies, unless relief is otherwise provided under the terms of an SEC exemptive order or SEC exemptive rule.
Investments of an Underlying Funds Underlying Funds. Because the Underlying Tactical Fund invests in its underlying funds, the Underlying Tactical Funds shareholders will be affected by the investment policies and practices of its underlying funds in direct proportion to the amount of assets the Underlying Tactical Fund allocates to those underlying funds.
Investment Style Risk. Different investment styles (e.g., growth, value or quantitative) tend to shift in and out of favor depending upon market and economic conditions and investor sentiment. An Underlying Fund may outperform or underperform other funds that invest in similar asset classes but employ different investment styles.
Large Shareholder Transactions Risk. An Underlying Fund may experience adverse effects when certain large shareholders purchase or redeem large amounts of shares of the Underlying Fund. Such large shareholder redemptions may cause an Underlying Fund to sell portfolio securities at times when it would not otherwise do so, which may negatively impact the Underlying Funds NAV and liquidity. Similarly, large purchases of Underlying Fund shares may adversely affect the Underlying Funds performance to the extent that the Underlying Fund is delayed in investing new cash and is required to maintain a larger cash position than it ordinarily would. These transactions may also accelerate the realization of taxable income to shareholders if such sales of investments resulted in gains, and may also increase transaction costs. In addition, a large redemption could result in an Underlying Funds current expenses being allocated over a smaller asset base, leading to an increase in the Underlying Funds expense ratio.
Leverage Risk. Borrowing and the use of derivatives may result in leverage and may make the Underlying Tactical Fund more volatile. The use of leverage may cause the Underlying Tactical Fund to liquidate portfolio positions to satisfy its obligations or to meet asset segregation requirements when it may not be advantageous to do so. The use of leverage by the Underlying Tactical Fund can substantially increase the adverse impact to which its investment portfolio may be subject.
Liquidity Risk. An Underlying Fund may make investments that are illiquid or that may become less liquid in response to market developments or adverse investor perceptions. Illiquid investments may be more difficult to value. Liquidity risk may also refer to the risk that an Underlying Fund will not be able to pay redemption proceeds within the allowable time period because of unusual market conditions, an unusually high volume of redemption requests, or other reasons. To meet redemption requests, an Underlying Fund may
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be forced to sell securities at an unfavorable time and/or under unfavorable conditions. Liquidity risk may be the result of, among other things, the reduced number and capacity of traditional market participants to make a market in fixed income securities or the lack of an active market. The potential for liquidity risk may be magnified by a rising interest rate environment or other circumstances where investor redemptions from fixed income mutual funds may be higher than normal, potentially causing increased supply in the market due to selling activity.
Loan-Related Investments Risk. In addition to the risks generally associated with debt investments, loan-related investments such as loan participations and assignments are subject to other risks. Although a loan obligation may be fully collateralized at the time of acquisition, the collateral may decline in value, be relatively illiquid, or lose all or substantially all of its value subsequent to investment. Many loan investments are subject to legal or contractual restrictions on resale and may be relatively illiquid and difficult to value. There is less readily available, reliable information about most loan investments than is the case for many other types of securities. Substantial increases in interest rates may cause an increase in loan obligation defaults. With respect to loan participations, an Underlying Fund may not always have direct recourse against a borrower if the borrower fails to pay scheduled principal and/or interest; may be subject to greater delays, expenses and risks than if the Underlying Fund had purchased a direct obligation of the borrower; and may be regarded as the creditor of the agent lender (rather than the borrower), subjecting the Underlying Fund to the creditworthiness of that lender as well. Investors in loans, such as the Underlying Fund, may not be entitled to rely on the anti-fraud protections of the federal securities laws, although they may be entitled to certain contractual remedies. The market for loan obligations may be subject to irregular trading activity, wide bid/ask spreads and extended trade settlement periods. Because transactions in many loans are subject to extended trade settlement periods, an Underlying Fund may not receive the proceeds from the sale of a loan for a period after the sale. As a result, sale proceeds related to the sale of loans may not be available to make additional investments or to meet an Underlying Funds redemption obligations for a period after the sale of the loans, and, as a result, the Underlying Fund may have to sell other investments or engage in borrowing transactions, such as borrowing from its credit facility, if necessary to raise cash to meet its obligations.
Senior loans hold the most senior position in the capital structure of a business entity, and are typically secured with specific collateral, but are nevertheless usually rated below investment grade. Because second lien loans are subordinated or unsecured and thus lower in priority of payment to senior loans, they are subject to the additional risk that the cash flow of the borrower and property securing the loan or debt, if any, may be insufficient to meet scheduled payments after giving effect to the senior secured obligations of the borrower. Second lien loans generally have greater price volatility than senior loans and may be less liquid.
Management Risk. A strategy used by the Investment Adviser may fail to produce the intended results. The Investment Adviser attempts to execute a complex strategy for certain of the Underlying Funds using proprietary quantitative models. Investments selected using these models may perform differently than expected as a result of the factors used in the models, the weight placed on each factor, changes from the factors historical trends, and technical issues in the construction and implementation of the models (including, for example, data problems and/or software issues). There is no guarantee that the Investment Advisers use of these quantitative models will result in effective investment decisions for an Underlying Fund. Additionally, commonality of holdings across quantitative money managers may amplify losses.
Market Risk. The market value of the securities in which an Underlying Fund invests may go up or down in response to the prospects of individual companies, particular sectors or governments and/or general economic conditions throughout the world due to increasingly interconnected global economies and financial markets.
Master Limited Partnership Risk. Investments in securities of an MLP involve risks that differ from investments in common stock, including risks related to limited control and limited rights to vote on matters affecting the MLP, risks related to potential conflicts of interest between the MLP and the MLPs general partner, cash flow risks, dilution risks and risks related to the general partners right to require unit-holders to sell their common units at an undesirable time or price, resulting from regulatory changes or other reasons. Certain MLP securities may trade in lower volumes due to their smaller capitalizations, and may be subject to more abrupt or erratic price movements and lower market liquidity. MLPs are generally considered interest-rate sensitive investments. During periods of interest rate volatility, these investments may not provide attractive returns.
MLP Tax Risk. Tax risks associated with investments in the Underlying MLP Fund include but are not limited to the following:
MLP Tax Risk Generally. MLPs are generally treated as partnerships for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Partnerships do not pay U.S. federal income tax at the partnership level. Rather, each partner is allocated a share of the partnerships income, gains, losses, deductions and expenses. A change in current tax law or a change in the underlying business mix of a given MLP could result in an MLP being treated as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes, which would result in the MLP being required to pay U.S. federal income tax (as well as state and local income taxes) on its taxable income. This would have the effect of reducing the amount of cash available for distribution by the MLP and could result in a reduction in the value of the Underlying MLP Funds investment in the MLP and lower income to the Underlying MLP Fund.
To the extent a distribution received by the Underlying MLP Fund from an MLP is treated as a return of capital, the Underlying MLP Funds adjusted tax basis in the interests of the MLP may be reduced, which will result in an increase in an amount of income or gain
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(or decrease in the amount of loss) that will be recognized by the Underlying MLP Fund for tax purposes upon the sale of any such interests or upon subsequent distributions in respect of such interests. Furthermore, any return of capital distribution received from the MLP may require the Underlying MLP Fund to restate the character of its distributions and amend any shareholder tax reporting previously issued. Moreover, a change in current tax law, or a change in the underlying business mix of a given MLP, could result in an MLP being treated as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes, which could result in a reduction of the value of the Underlying MLP Funds investment in the MLP and lower income to the Underlying MLP Fund.
Underlying MLP Fund Structure Risk. The Portfolio will gain exposure to MLPs through an investment in the Underlying MLP Fund. Unlike traditional mutual funds, the Underlying MLP Fund will be taxable as a regular corporation, or C corporation, for U.S. federal income tax purposes. This means that the Underlying MLP Fund generally will be subject to U.S. federal income tax on its taxable income at the rates applicable to corporations (currently a maximum rate of 35%), and will also be subject to state and local income taxes.
Underlying MLP Fund Tax Estimation/NAV Risk. In calculating the Underlying MLP Funds daily NAV, the Underlying MLP Fund will, among other things, accrue for its current taxes and deferred tax liability and/or asset balances. The Underlying MLP Fund will accrue a deferred income tax liability balance, at the then effective statutory U.S. federal income tax rate (currently 35%) plus an estimated state and local income tax rate, for its future tax liability associated with the capital appreciation of its investments and the distributions received by the Underlying MLP Fund on interests of MLPs considered to be a return of capital and for any net operating gains. Any deferred tax liability balance will reduce the Underlying MLP Funds NAV. The Underlying MLP Fund may also accrue a deferred tax asset balance, which reflects an estimate of the Underlying MLP Funds future tax benefit associated with net operating losses and unrealized losses. Any deferred tax asset balance will increase the Underlying MLP Funds NAV. The Underlying MLP Fund will rely to some extent on information provided by MLPs, which may not be provided to the Underlying MLP Fund on a timely basis, to estimate current taxes and deferred tax liability and/or asset balances for purposes of financial statement reporting and determining its NAV. The daily estimate of the Underlying MLP Funds current taxes and deferred tax liability and/or asset balances used to calculate the Underlying MLP Funds NAV could vary dramatically from the Underlying MLP Funds actual tax liability or benefit, and, as a result, the determination of the Underlying MLP Funds actual tax liability or benefit may have a material impact on the Underlying MLP Funds NAV. From time to time, the Underlying MLP Fund may modify its estimates or assumptions regarding its current taxes and deferred tax liability and/or asset balances as new information becomes available, which modifications in estimates or assumptions may have a material impact on the Underlying MLP Funds NAV. Shareholders who redeem their shares at a NAV that is based on estimates of the Underlying MLP Funds current taxes and deferred tax liability and/or asset balances may benefit at the expense of remaining shareholders (or remaining shareholders may benefit at the expense of redeeming shareholders) if the estimates are later revised or ultimately differ from the Underlying MLP Funds actual tax liability and/or asset balances.
Mortgage-Backed and Other Asset-Backed Securities Risk. Mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities are subject to certain additional risks, including extension risk (i.e., in periods of rising interest rates, issuers may pay principal later than expected) and prepayment risk (i.e., in periods of declining interest rates, issuers may pay principal more quickly than expected, causing an Underlying Fund to reinvest proceeds at lower prevailing interest rates). Mortgage-backed securities offered by non-governmental issuers are subject to other risks as well, including failures of private insurers to meet their obligations and unexpectedly high rates of default on the mortgages backing the securities. Other asset-backed securities are subject to risks similar to those associated with mortgage-backed securities, as well as risks associated with the nature and servicing of the assets backing the securities. Asset-backed securities may not have the benefit of a security interest in collateral comparable to that of mortgage assets, resulting in additional credit risk.
Municipal Securities Risk. Municipal Securities are subject to credit/default risk, interest rate risk and certain additional risks. Certain Underlying Funds may be more sensitive to adverse economic, business or political developments if they invest a substantial portion of their assets in the bonds of similar projects (such as those relating to education, health care, housing, transportation, and utilities), industrial development bonds, or in particular types of municipal securities (such as general obligation bonds, private activity bonds and moral obligation bonds). Generally, municipalities continue to experience difficulties in the current economic and political environment.
Non-Diversification Risk. Certain of the Underlying Funds are non-diversified, meaning that they are permitted to invest a larger percentage of their assets in fewer issuers than diversified mutual funds. Thus, an Underlying Fund may be more susceptible to adverse developments affecting any single issuer held in its portfolio, and may be more susceptible to greater losses because of these developments.
Non-Hedging Foreign Currency Trading Risk. Certain Underlying Funds may engage in forward foreign currency transactions for both hedging and non-hedging purposes. An Underlying Funds investment adviser may purchase or sell foreign currencies through the use of forward contracts based on the investment advisers judgment regarding the direction of the market for a particular foreign currency or currencies. In pursuing this strategy, the Underlying Funds investment adviser seeks to profit from anticipated movements in currency rates by establishing long and/or short positions in forward contracts on various foreign currencies. Foreign exchange rates can be extremely volatile and a variance in the degree of volatility of the market or in the direction of the market from
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the investment advisers expectations may produce significant losses to the Underlying Fund. Some of these transactions may also be subject to interest rate risk.
Non-Investment Grade Investments Risk. Non-investment grade fixed income securities and unrated securities of comparable credit quality (commonly known as junk bonds) are considered speculative and are subject to the increased risk of an issuers inability to meet principal and interest payment obligations. These securities may be subject to greater price volatility due to such factors as specific issuer developments, interest rate sensitivity, negative perceptions of the junk bond markets generally and less liquidity.
Option Writing Risk. Writing (selling) call options limits the opportunity to profit from an increase in the market value of stocks in exchange for up-front cash (premium) at the time of selling the call option. When an Underlying Fund writes stock index (or related ETF) call options, it receives cash but limits its opportunity to profit from an increase in the market value of the index beyond the exercise price (plus the premium received) of the option. In a rising market, such Underlying Funds could significantly underperform the market, and these Underlying Funds option strategies may not fully protect them against declines in the value of the market. Cash received from premiums will enhance return in declining markets, but each Underlying Fund will continue to bear the risk of a decline in the value of the securities held in its portfolio and in a period of a sharply falling equity market, these Underlying Funds will likely also experience sharp declines in their net asset value.
Portfolio Turnover Rate Risk. A high rate of portfolio turnover (100% or more) involves correspondingly greater expenses which must be borne by an Underlying Fund and its shareholders (including the Portfolios), and is also likely to result in short-term capital gains taxable to shareholders of the Underlying Fund.
Private Investment Risk. The Underlying MLP Fund may make private investments in public equities (PIPEs). PIPE transactions typically involve the purchase of securities directly from a publicly traded company or its affiliates in a private placement transaction, typically at a discount to the market price of the companys common stock. Equity issued in this manner is often subject to transfer restrictions and is therefore less liquid than equity issued through a registered public offering. In a PIPE transaction, the Underlying MLP Fund may bear the price risk from the time of pricing until the time of closing. The Underlying MLP Fund may be subject to lock-up agreements that prohibit transfers for a fixed period of time. In addition, because the sale of the securities in a PIPE transaction is not registered under the Securities Act, the securities are restricted and cannot be immediately resold by the investors into the public markets. The Underlying MLP Fund may enter into a registration rights agreement with the issuer pursuant to which the issuer commits to file a resale registration statement allowing the Underlying MLP Fund to publicly resell its securities. Accordingly, PIPE securities may be deemed illiquid. However, the ability of the Underlying MLP Fund to freely transfer the shares is conditioned upon, among other things, the SECs preparedness to declare the resale registration statement effective covering the resale, from time to time, of the shares sold in the private financing and the issuers right to suspend the Underlying MLP Funds use of the resale registration statement if the issuer is pursuing a transaction or some other material non-public event is occurring. Accordingly, PIPE securities may be subject to risks associated with illiquid securities.
Sector Risk. To the extent an Underlying Fund focuses its investments in issuers in one or more sectors (such as the financial services or telecommunications sectors), the Underlying Fund will be subject, to a greater extent than if its investments were diversified across different sectors, to the risks of volatile economic cycles and/or conditions and developments that may be particular to that sector, such as: adverse economic, business, political, environmental or other developments.
Short Position Risk. The Underlying Tactical Fund may enter into a short position through a futures contract, an option or swap agreement or through short sales of any instrument that the Portfolio may purchase for investment. Taking short positions involves leverage of the Underlying Tactical Funds assets and presents various risks. If the value of the underlying instrument or market in which the Underlying Tactical Fund has taken a short position increases, then it will incur a loss equal to the increase in value from the time that the short position was entered into plus any related interest payments or other fees. Taking short positions involves the risk that losses may be disproportionate, may exceed the amount invested and may be unlimited.
Small-Cap and Mid-Cap Risk. Investments in small-capitalization and mid-capitalization companies involve greater risks than those associated with larger, more established companies. These securities may be subject to more abrupt or erratic price movements and may lack sufficient market liquidity, and these issuers often face greater business risks.
Sovereign Default Risk. An issuer of sovereign debt, or the governmental authorities that control the repayment of the debt, may be unable or unwilling to repay the principal or interest when due. This may result from political or social factors, the general economic environment of a country or levels of foreign debt or foreign currency exchange rates.
Stock Risk. Stock prices have historically risen and fallen in periodic cycles. U.S. and foreign stock markets have experienced periods of substantial price volatility in the past and may do so again in the future.
Strategy Risk. The Underlying MLP Funds strategy of investing primarily in MLPs, resulting in its being taxed as a regular corporation, or a C corporation, rather than as a regulated investment company for U.S. federal income tax purposes, is a relatively new investment strategy for mutual funds. This strategy involves complicated and in some cases unsettled accounting, tax and valuation issues that may result in unexpected and potentially significant consequences for Underlying MLP Fund and its shareholders.
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Subsidiary Risk. The Underlying Tactical Funds wholly-owned subsidiary organized as a company under the laws of the Cayman Islands (the Subsidiary) is not registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the Investment Company Act), and is not subject to all the investor protections of the Investment Company Act. Changes in the laws of the United States and/or the Cayman Islands could result in the inability of the Underlying Tactical Fund and/or the Subsidiary to operate as described in the Underlying Tactical Funds Prospectus and Statement of Additional Information and could adversely affect the Underlying Tactical Fund.
Subsidiary Tax Risk. The Underlying Tactical Fund will seek to gain exposure to the commodity markets primarily through investments in the Funds Subsidiary and commodity index-linked structured notes. Historically, the IRS issued private letter rulings in which the IRS specifically concluded that income and gains from investments in commodity index-linked structured notes or a wholly-owned foreign subsidiary that invests in commodity-linked instruments are qualifying income for purposes of compliance with Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the Code). However, the Underlying Tactical Fund has not received such a private letter ruling, and is not able to rely on private letter rulings issued to other taxpayers. Additionally, the IRS has suspended the granting of such private letter rulings pending review of its position on this matter. The IRS also recently issued proposed regulations that, if finalized, would generally treat the Underlying Tactical Funds income inclusion with respect to a subsidiary as qualifying income only if there is a distribution out of the earnings and profits of a subsidiary that are attributable to such income inclusion. The proposed regulations, if adopted, would apply to taxable years beginning on or after 90 days after the regulations are published as final.
The IRS also recently issued a revenue procedure, which states that the IRS will not in the future issue private letter rulings that would require a determination of whether an asset (such as a commodity index-linked note) is a security under the Investment Company Act. The tax treatment of the Underlying Tactical Funds investments in the Subsidiary or commodity index-linked structured notes may be adversely affected by future legislation, court decisions, Treasury Regulations and/or guidance issued by the IRS (which may be retroactive) that could affect whether income derived from such investments is qualifying income under Subchapter M of Code, or otherwise affect the character, timing and/or amount of the Underlying Tactical Funds taxable income or any gains and distributions made by the Underlying Tactical Fund. In connection with investments in the Subsidiary and commodity index-linked structured notes, the Underlying Tactical Fund has obtained an opinion of counsel that its income from such investments should constitute qualifying income. However, no assurances can be provided that the IRS would not be able to successfully assert that the Underlying Tactical Funds income from such investments was not qualifying income, in which case the Underlying Tactical Fund would fail to qualify as a regulated investment company (RIC) under Subchapter M of the Code if over 10% of its gross income was derived from these investments. If the Underlying Tactical Fund failed to qualify as a RIC, it would be subject to federal and state income tax on all of its taxable income at regular corporate tax rates with no deduction for any distributions paid to shareholders, which would significantly adversely affect the returns to, and could cause substantial loss for, Underlying Tactical Fund shareholders.
Swaps Risk. In a standard swap transaction, two parties agree to exchange the returns, differentials in rates of return or some other amount earned or realized on the notional amount of predetermined investments or instruments, which may be adjusted for an interest factor. Swaps can involve greater risks than direct investment in securities, because swaps may be leveraged and are subject to counterparty risk (e.g., the risk of a counterpartys defaulting on the obligation or bankruptcy), credit risk and pricing risk (i.e., swaps may be difficult to value). Swaps may also be considered illiquid. It may not be possible for the Underlying Tactical Fund to liquidate a swap position at an advantageous time or price, which may result in significant losses.
Tax-Managed Investment Risk. Because the investment advisers of certain Underlying Funds balance investment considerations and tax considerations, the pre-tax performance of those Underlying Funds may be lower than the performance of similar funds that are not tax-managed. Even though tax-managed strategies are being used, they may not reduce the amount of taxable income and capital gains distributed by the Underlying Funds to shareholders. A high percentage of an Underlying Funds NAV may consist of unrealized capital gains, which represent a potential future tax liability to shareholders.
Underlying Funds Investments in Affiliated Underlying Funds. The Investment Adviser will have the authority to select and substitute the Underlying Tactical Funds underlying funds. The Investment Adviser and/or its affiliates are compensated by the Underlying Tactical Fund and its underlying funds for advisory and/or principal underwriting services provided. The Investment Adviser is subject to conflicts of interest in allocating Underlying Tactical Fund assets among the various underlying funds in which it invests, both because the fees payable to the Underlying Tactical Fund and/or its affiliates by its underlying funds differ and because the Investment Adviser and its affiliates are also responsible for managing the Underlying Tactical Funds underlying funds. The portfolio managers may also be subject to conflicts of interest in allocating Underlying Tactical Fund assets among the various underlying funds in which it invests because the Underlying Tactical Funds portfolio management team may also manage some of its underlying funds. The Trustees and officers of the Trust may also have conflicting interests in fulfilling their fiduciary duties to both the Underlying Tactical Fund and those underlying funds for which GSAM or its affiliates now or in the future serve as investment adviser or principal underwriter. In selecting actively managed underlying funds of the Underlying Tactical Fund, the Investment Adviser generally expects to select affiliated investment companies without considering or canvassing the universe of unaffiliated investment companies available even though there may (or may not) be one or more unaffiliated investment company that may be a
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more appropriate addition to the Underlying Tactical Fund. To the extent that an investment in an affiliated investment company is not available, including as the result of capacity constraints, only then will the Investment Adviser consider unaffiliated investment companies.
Underlying Funds Investments in Underlying Funds. The Underlying Tactical Funds investment performance is directly related to the investment performance of the underlying funds that the Underlying Tactical Fund holds. The ability of the Underlying Tactical Fund to meet its investment objective is directly related to the ability of the Underlying Tactical Funds underlying funds to meet their objectives as well as the allocation among those underlying funds by the Investment Adviser.
U.S. Government Securities Risk. The U.S. government may not provide financial support to U.S. government agencies, instrumentalities or sponsored enterprises if it is not obligated to do so by law. U.S. Government Securities issued by those agencies, instrumentalities and sponsored enterprises, including those issued by the Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae), Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac) and the Federal Home Loan Banks, are neither issued nor guaranteed by the U.S. Treasury and, therefore, are not backed by the full faith and credit of the United States. The maximum potential liability of the issuers of some U.S. Government Securities held by an Underlying Fund may greatly exceed their current resources, including any legal right to support from the U.S. Treasury. It is possible that issuers of U.S. Government Securities will not have the funds to meet their payment obligations in the future.
Further Information on Investment Objectives, Strategies and Risks of the Underlying Funds. A concise description of the investment objectives, practices and risks of each of the Underlying Funds that are currently expected to be used for investment by the Portfolio as of the date of the Prospectus is provided beginning on page 33 of the Prospectus.
Performance
The bar chart and table below provide an indication of the risks of investing in the Portfolio by showing how the average annual total returns of the Portfolios Class A Shares and Institutional Shares compare to those of certain broad-based securities market indices and to the TAG Composite Index, a composite representation prepared by the Investment Adviser of the performance of the Portfolios asset classes weighted according to their respective weightings in the Portfolios target range. The TAG Composite Index is comprised of the Morgan Stanley Capital International All Country World Index Investable Market Index (MSCI ACWI IMI) (90%) and the Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index (10%). The Portfolios past performance, before and after taxes, is not necessarily an indication of how the Portfolio will perform in the future. Updated performance information is available at no cost at www.gsamfunds.com/performance or by calling the appropriate phone number on the back cover of the Prospectus.
The bar chart (including Best Quarter and Worst Quarter information) does not reflect the sales loads applicable to Class A Shares. If the sales loads were reflected, returns would be less. Performance reflects applicable fee waivers and/or expense limitations in effect during the periods shown.
TOTAL RETURN | CALENDAR YEAR (CLASS A) | |
The total return for Class A Shares for the 9-month period ended September 30, 2016 was 4.25%.
Best Quarter Q2 09 +17.52%
Worst Quarter Q3 11 16.46% |
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AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURN |
For the period ended December 31, 2015 | 1 Year | 5 Years | Since Inception |
|||||||||
Class A Shares (Inception 04/30/08) |
||||||||||||
Returns Before Taxes |
6.48% | 7.33% | 4.33% | |||||||||
Returns After Taxes on Distributions |
7.10% | 6.80% | 3.86% | |||||||||
Returns After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Portfolio Shares |
3.41% | 5.73% | 3.35% | |||||||||
Institutional Shares (Inception 04/30/08) |
||||||||||||
Returns Before Taxes |
0.59% | 9.01% | 5.53% | |||||||||
TAG Composite Index (reflects no deduction for fees or expenses) |
1.84% | 5.93% | 3.43% | |||||||||
MSCI ACWI IMI (Net, USD, Unhedged; reflects no deduction for fees or expenses) |
2.19% | 6.11% | 3.10% | |||||||||
Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index (reflects no deduction for fees or expenses) |
0.55% | 3.25% | 4.15% |
The after-tax returns are for Class A Shares only. The after-tax returns for Institutional Shares will vary. After-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investors tax situation and may differ from those shown. In addition, the after-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold Portfolio shares through tax-deferred arrangements such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts.
Portfolio Management
GSAM is the investment adviser for the Portfolio (the Investment Adviser or GSAM).
Portfolio Managers: Gary Chropuvka, CFA, Managing Director, Head of Quantitative Investment StrategiesCustomized Beta Strategies, has managed the Portfolio since 2013; Monali Vora, CFA, Managing Director, has managed the Portfolio since 2009; and Aron Kershner, Vice President, has managed the Portfolio since 2014.
Buying and Selling Fund Shares
The minimum initial investment for Class A Shares is, generally, $1,000. The minimum initial investment for Institutional Shares is, generally, $1,000,000 for individual or certain institutional investors, alone or in combination with other assets under the management of GSAM and its affiliates. Those share classes with a minimum initial investment requirement do not impose it on certain employee benefit plans, and Institutional Shares do not impose it on certain investment advisers investing on behalf of other accounts.
The minimum subsequent investment for Class A shareholders is $50, except for certain employee benefit plans, for which there is no minimum. There is no minimum subsequent investment for Institutional shareholders.
You may purchase and redeem (sell) shares of the Portfolio on any business day through certain intermediaries that have a relationship with Goldman, Sachs & Co. (Goldman Sachs), including banks, trust companies, brokers, registered investment advisers and other financial institutions (Intermediaries).
Tax Information
For important tax information, please see Tax Information on page 23 of the Prospectus.
Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries
For important information about financial intermediary compensation, please see Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries on page 23 of the Prospectus.
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Global Tax-Aware Equity Portfolios
Additional Summary Information
Tax Information
The Portfolios distributions are taxable, and will be taxed as ordinary income or capital gains, unless you are investing through a tax-deferred arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or an individual retirement account. Investments through tax deferred arrangements may become taxable upon withdrawal from such arrangements.
Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries
If you purchase a Portfolio through an Intermediary, the Portfolio and/or its related companies may pay the Intermediary for the sale of Portfolio shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the Intermediary and your salesperson to recommend a Portfolio over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your Intermediarys website for more information.
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Investment Management Approach
INVESTMENT OBJECTIVES |
The Goldman Sachs EDGE Portfolio seeks long-term growth of capital and current income. The Goldman Sachs TAG Portfolio seeks long-term growth of capital. Each Portfolios investment objective may be changed without shareholder approval upon 60 days notice.
PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES |
Enhanced Dividend Global Equity Portfolio
Under normal conditions, at least 80% of the Portfolios Total Assets will be allocated among Underlying Funds. While it is expected that the Portfolio will invest primarily in the Underlying Funds, the Portfolio will also invest directly in other securities and instruments, including affiliated and/or unaffiliated ETFs. The Portfolio is intended for investors who seek current income.
Additionally, under normal circumstances, the Portfolio intends to invest at least 80% of its Net Assets in Underlying Equity Funds and equity securities with a blend of domestic large-cap, small-cap and international exposure to seek capital appreciation. To the extent required by SEC regulations, shareholders will be provided with sixty days notice in the manner prescribed by the SEC before any change in the Portfolios policy to invest at least 80% of its Net Assets in the particular type of assets suggested by its name. The Investment Adviser expects that the Portfolio will invest a relatively significant percentage of its equity allocation in the Goldman Sachs U.S. Equity Dividend and Premium Fund and Goldman Sachs International Equity Dividend and Premium Fund, which employ call writing strategies and have an emphasis on dividend paying stocks.
In addition, under normal circumstances the Portfolio will have a small strategic allocation in U.S. investment grade bonds. This strategic allocation will normally not exceed 10% of the Portfolios Total Assets and may consist of an investment in the Goldman Sachs Core Fixed Income Fund or investments in other fixed income securities. This allocation in the Portfolio serves two purposes. First, it provides some ordinary income which can be netted against Portfolio expenses and may increase the net distributions of qualifying dividends (i.e., those dividends subject to the federal long-term capital gain tax rate). Second, it will provide the Investment Adviser with an allocation in which to implement its tactical views.
Also under normal circumstances, the Portfolio invests approximately 10% of its total assets in the Goldman Sachs Tactical Tilt Overlay Fund (the Underlying Tactical Fund). This allocation serves three purposes. First, it enables the Investment Adviser to implement the tactical views generated by the Investment Strategy Group. Second, the Underlying Tactical Funds investments may provide some ordinary income and short-term gains against which Portfolio expenses can be netted. Finally, it may increase the net distributions of qualifying dividends.
The Investment Adviser may occasionally develop views regarding short-term expected returns, and may seek to temporarily change the allocations in the Portfolio in an attempt to improve short-term return. The Investment Adviser primarily implements such tactical views through its investment in the Underlying Tactical Fund but may also implement these views by selling and buying among the various Underlying Funds or by purchasing securities or other instruments, including ETFs. As part of a tactical allocation, the Portfolio, as of the date of the Prospectus, invests in the Underlying Tactical Fund. The Portfolio may discontinue this allocation in the future at the discretion of the Investment Adviser and without shareholder approval or notice.
Under normal conditions, the Portfolio may have up to 20% of its Total Assets invested directly in securities and other instruments, including derivative instruments (such as swaps, forward currency contracts and futures contracts). These securities and other instruments may be denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar. Because the Investment Adviser may have both positive and negative views on stocks, the Portfolio also may establish short positions.
In managing the Portfolio, the Investment Adviser seeks income in excess of the EDGE Composite Index. Many, but not all, of the underlying fund investments seek to invest in high dividend paying stocks and expect to achieve dividends in excess of their respective benchmarks.
The Portfolios benchmark indices are the Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index, the MSCI ACWI IMI and the EDGE Composite Index. The Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index represents an unmanaged diversified portfolio of fixed income securities, including U.S. Treasuries, investment-grade corporate bonds, and mortgage-backed and asset-backed securities. The MSCI ACWI IMI represents unmanaged, diversified portfolio of developed and emerging countries with the exception of the
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INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT APPROACH
United States and Canada. The EDGE Composite Index is comprised of the MSCI ACWI IMI (90%) and the Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index (10%).
Tax-Advantaged Equity Portfolio
Under normal conditions, at least 80% of the Portfolios Total Assets will be allocated among Underlying Funds. While it is expected that the Portfolio will invest primarily in the Underlying Funds, the Portfolio will also invest directly in other securities and instruments, including affiliated and/or unaffiliated ETFs. The Portfolio is intended for investors who wish to minimize short-term gains and defer long-term gains. Additionally, under normal circumstances, the Portfolio intends to invest at least 80% of its Net Assets in Underlying Equity Funds and equity securities with a blend of domestic large cap, small cap and international exposure to seek capital appreciation. To the extent required by SEC regulations, shareholders will be provided with sixty days notice in the manner prescribed by the SEC before any change in the Portfolios policy to invest at least 80% of its Net Assets in the particular type of assets suggested by its name. The Investment Adviser expects that the Portfolio will invest a relatively significant percentage of its equity allocation in the Underlying Tax-Managed Funds.
In addition, under normal circumstances, the Portfolio will have a small strategic allocation in U.S. investment grade bonds. This strategic allocation will normally not exceed 10% of the Portfolios Total Assets and may consist of an investment in the Goldman Sachs Core Fixed Income Fund or investments in other fixed income securities. This allocation in the Portfolio serves two purposes. First, it provides some ordinary income which can be netted against Portfolio expenses and may increase the net distributions of qualifying dividends (i.e., those dividends subject to the federal long-term capital gain tax rate). Second, it will provide the Investment Adviser with an allocation in which to implement its tactical views.
Also under normal circumstances, the Portfolio invests approximately 10% of its total assets in the Goldman Sachs Tactical Tilt Overlay Fund (the Underlying Tactical Fund). This allocation serves three purposes. First, it enables the Investment Adviser to implement the tactical views generated by the Investment Strategy Group. Second, the Underlying Tactical Funds investments may provide some ordinary income and short-term gains against which Portfolio expenses can be netted. Finally, it may increase the net distributions of qualifying dividends.
The Investment Adviser may occasionally develop views regarding short-term expected returns, and may seek to temporarily change the allocations in the Portfolio in an attempt to improve short-term return. The Investment Adviser primarily implements such tactical views through its investment in the Underlying Tactical Fund but may also implement these views by selling and buying among the various Underlying Funds or by purchasing securities or other instruments, including ETFs. As part of a tactical allocation, the Portfolio, as of the date of the Prospectus, invests in the Underlying Tactical Fund. The Portfolio may discontinue this allocation in the future at the discretion of the Investment Adviser and without shareholder approval or notice.
Under normal conditions, the Portfolio may have up to 20% of its Total Assets invested directly in securities and other instruments, including derivative instruments (such as swaps, forward currency contracts and futures contracts). These securities and other instruments may be denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar. Because the Investment Adviser may have both positive and negative views on stocks, the Portfolio may also establish short positions.
In managing the Portfolio, the Investment Adviser balances investment considerations and tax considerations. The Portfolio seeks to achieve returns primarily in the form of price appreciation (which is not subject to current tax), and may use different strategies in seeking tax-efficiency. These strategies include:
¢ | Investing in Underlying Tax-Managed Funds |
¢ | Offsetting long-term and short-term capital gains with long-term and short-term capital losses and creating loss carry-forward positions |
¢ | Limiting portfolio turnover that may result in taxable gains |
The Portfolios benchmark indices are the Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index, the MSCI ACWI IMI and the TAG Composite Index. The Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index represents an unmanaged diversified portfolio of fixed income securities, including U.S. Treasuries, investment-grade corporate bonds, and mortgage-backed and asset-backed securities. The MSCI ACWI IMI represents unmanaged, diversified portfolio of developed and emerging countries with the exception of the United States and Canada. The TAG Composite Index is comprised of the MSCI ACWI IMI (90%) and the Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index (10%).
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All Portfolios
Each Portfolio seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing within specified equity and fixed income ranges among Underlying Funds and other securities or instruments. The table below illustrates the current Underlying Equity/Fixed Income Fund and other investments allocation targets and ranges for each Portfolio:
Equity/Fixed Income Range (Percentage of Each Portfolios Total Assets)
Portfolio | Target | Range | ||||||
Enhanced Dividend Global Equity |
||||||||
Equity |
90% | 80100% | ||||||
Fixed Income |
10% | 020% | ||||||
Tax-Advantaged Global Equity |
||||||||
Equity |
90% | 80100% | ||||||
Fixed Income |
10% | 020% | ||||||
A Portfolio will invest in particular Underlying Funds based on various criteria. Among other things, the Investment Adviser will analyze the Underlying Funds respective investment objectives, policies and investment strategies in order to determine which Underlying Funds, in combination with other Underlying Funds, are appropriate in light of a Portfolios investment objective.
A Portfolio may purchase or sell investments to: (a) accommodate purchases and sales of its shares; (b) change the percentages of its assets invested in each of the Underlying Funds at the determination of the Investment Adviser; or (c) maintain or modify the allocation of its assets among the Underlying Funds or securities or instruments within the percentage ranges described above.
While each Portfolio can invest in any or all of the Underlying Funds, it is expected that each Portfolio will normally invest in only some of the Underlying Funds at any particular time. Each Portfolios investment in any of the Underlying Funds may, and in some cases is expected to, exceed 25% of such Portfolios total assets.
THE PARTICULAR UNDERLYING FUNDS IN WHICH EACH PORTFOLIO MAY INVEST, THE EQUITY/FIXED INCOME TARGETS AND THE INVESTMENTS IN EACH UNDERLYING FUND MAY BE CHANGED FROM TIME TO TIME WITHOUT SHAREHOLDER APPROVAL OR NOTICE.
In addition, each Portfolios investment objective and all policies not specifically designated as fundamental in the Prospectus or the SAI are non-fundamental and may be changed without shareholder approval. If there is a change in a Portfolios investment objective, you should consider whether that Portfolio remains an appropriate investment in light of your then current financial position and needs.
The Portfolios and the Underlying Funds may, from time to time, take temporary defensive positions that are inconsistent with the Portfolios principal investment strategies in attempting to respond to adverse market, political or other conditions. For temporary defensive purposes each Portfolio may invest up to 100% of its total assets in U.S. Government Securities, commercial paper rated at least A-2 by Standard & Poors Ratings Services (Standard & Poors), P-2 by Moodys Investors Service, Inc. (Moodys), or having a comparable credit rating by another nationally recognized statistical rating organization (NRSRO) (or if unrated, determined by the Investment Adviser to be of comparable credit quality), certificates of deposit, bankers acceptances, repurchase agreements, non-convertible preferred stocks and non-convertible corporate bonds with a remaining maturity of less than one year, ETFs and other investment companies and cash items. When a Portfolio or an Underlying Funds assets are invested in such instruments, the Portfolio or Underlying Fund may not be achieving its investment objective.
GSAMs Investment Philosophy
The asset allocation process begins with setting strategic target weights to each of the Underlying Funds selected by the Investment Adviser. The strategic weights are set with the goal of achieving an attractive ratio of expected return to expected risk. The analysis behind these weights is based upon assumptions regarding long-term expected returns, expected volatilities and expected correlations, as well as the views of the Investment Strategy Group of Goldman Sachs.
The Investment Adviser may seek to temporarily change the allocations in a Portfolio in an attempt to improve short-term return. The Investment Adviser may implement such temporary tactical views by selling and buying among the various Underlying Funds or by purchasing securities or other instruments, including ETFs. When the Investment Adviser implements a tactical view in a Portfolio the strategic allocations will change. Although these tactical views generally are developed by the Investment Strategy
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INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT APPROACH
Group, the Investment Adviser will have complete discretion as to whether any such view will be implemented within the Portfolio and will evaluate each view and determine whether it should be implemented by the Portfolio.
From time to time, the Investment Adviser will monitor, and may make changes to, the selection or weight of Underlying Funds, individual or groups of securities, currencies or markets in the Portfolios. Such changes (which may be the result of changes in the asset allocation techniques, the manner of applying the asset allocation techniques or the judgment of the Investment Adviser) may include: (i) evolutionary changes to the structure of the asset allocation techniques; (ii) changes in trading procedures; or (iii) changes to the weight of Underlying Funds, individual or groups of securities, currencies or markets based on the Investment Advisers judgment. Any such changes will preserve a Portfolios basic investment philosophy of selecting investments using a disciplined investment process. Similarly, with respect to those Underlying Funds that are managed pursuant to a quantitative methodology, the Investment Adviser will monitor and may make changes to the selection or weight of individual or groups of securities, currencies, or markets in those Underlying Funds, including changes resulting from changes in the quantitative methodology, the manner of applying the quantitative methodology, changes in trading procedure, or the judgment of the Investment Adviser. For more information, please consult the relevant Underlying Funds SAI.
To better express the Investment Advisers negative views, the Portfolios may use derivatives, including futures and swaps, to implement short positions. The Portfolios may also take short positions in equity securities (including ETFs) directly. When a Portfolio sells a security short, it borrows the security from a lender and then sells it to a third party. To complete or close the short transaction, a Portfolio must acquire the same security in the market and return it to the lender. If a Portfolio can close the transaction by buying the security at a price lower than the price paid by the third party, a profit results; however, if the price rises, a loss occurs. When a Portfolio makes a short sale, the Portfolio may use all or a portion of the cash proceeds of the short sale to purchase additional securities or for any other Portfolio purpose. When the Portfolio does this, it is required to pledge replacement collateral as security to the broker, and may use securities it owns to meet any such collateral obligations. The Portfolios short positions may range between 0% and 20% of the value of each Portfolios net assets.
Short sales involve forms of leveraging, so an investment in the Portfolios may present more risk than other funds that do not engage in short selling transactions. For example, a Portfolios long positions could decline in value at the same time that the value of the Portfolios short positions increases, thereby increasing the potential for loss. In addition, the investment of cash proceeds from a short sale in equity securities or other investments may increase further the volatility of each Portfolios Net Asset Value and investment performance, and may result in greater potential investment losses. For additional information, see Risks of the Portfolios.
The Investment Adviser employs proprietary asset allocation techniques in setting both strategic and tactical weights and will also take into account research from the Investment Strategy Group.
References in the Prospectus to a Portfolios benchmarks are for informational purposes only, and unless otherwise noted are not an indication of how a particular Portfolio is managed.
ADDITIONAL FEES AND EXPENSES INFORMATION |
Acquired (Underlying) Fund Fees and Expenses reflect the expenses (including the management fees) borne by the Portfolios through their ownership of shares in other investment companies.
Differences in the Expense Limitation ratio across the share classes are the result of the effect of mathematical rounding on the daily accrual of expense reimbursement, particularly, in respect to small share classes.
Note that differences in the Other Expenses ratios across a Portfolios share classes are the result of, among other things, contractual differences in transfer agency fees and/or the effect of mathematical rounding on the daily accrual of certain expenses, particularly, in respect to small share classes.
ADDITIONAL PERFORMANCE INFORMATION |
The below is additional information that relates to the Performance section of each Portfolios Summary section.
Note that the Best Quarter and Worst Quarter figures shown in the Performance section of each Portfolios Summary section are applicable only to the time period covered by the bar chart.
These definitions apply to the after-tax returns shown in the Performance section of each Portfolios Summary section.
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Average Annual Total Returns Before Taxes. These returns do not reflect taxes on distributions on a Portfolios Shares nor do they show how performance can be impacted by taxes when shares are redeemed (sold) by you.
Average Annual Total Returns After Taxes on Distributions. These returns assume that taxes are paid on distributions on a Portfolios Class A Shares (i.e., dividends and capital gains) but do not reflect taxes that may be incurred upon redemption (sale) of the Class A Shares at the end of the performance period.
Average Annual Total Returns After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Portfolio Shares. These returns reflect taxes paid on distributions on a Portfolios Class A Shares and taxes applicable when the shares are redeemed (sold).
Note on Tax Rates. The after-tax performance figures are calculated using the historically highest individual federal marginal income tax rates at the time of the distributions and do not reflect state and local taxes. In calculating the federal income taxes due on redemptions, capital gains taxes resulting from a redemption are subtracted from the redemption proceeds and the tax benefits from capital losses resulting from the redemption are added to the redemption proceeds. Under certain circumstances, the addition of the tax benefits from capital losses resulting from redemptions may cause the Returns After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Portfolio Shares to be greater than the Returns After Taxes on Distributions or even the Returns Before Taxes.
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Loss of money is a risk of investing in each Portfolio. An investment in a Portfolio is not a bank deposit and is not insured or guaranteed by the FDIC or any other governmental agency. While the Portfolios offer a greater level of diversification than many other types of mutual funds, a single Portfolio may not provide a complete investment program for an investor. The principal risks of each Portfolio are discussed in the Summary sections of the Prospectus. The following gives additional information on the risks that apply to the Portfolios and may result in a loss of your investment. There can be no assurance that a Portfolio will achieve its investment objective.
⬛ | Derivatives RiskA Portfolios use of options, futures, forwards, swaps, options on swaps, structured securities and other derivative instruments may result in losses. These instruments, which may pose risks in addition to and greater than those associated with investing directly in securities, currencies or other instruments, may be illiquid or less liquid, volatile, difficult to price and leveraged so that small changes in the value of the underlying instruments may produce disproportionate losses to a Portfolio. Derivatives are also subject to counterparty risk, which is the risk that the other party in the transaction will not fulfill its contractual obligations, liquidity risk and risks arising from margin requirements, which include the risk that a Portfolio will be required to pay additional margin or set aside additional collateral to maintain open derivative positions. Derivatives may be used for both hedging and non-hedging purposes. |
The use of derivatives is a highly specialized activity that involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with investments in more traditional securities and instruments, and there is no guarantee that the use of derivatives will achieve their intended result. If the Investment Adviser is incorrect in its expectation of the timing or level of fluctuation in securities prices, interest rates, currency prices or other variables, the use of derivatives could result in losses, which in some cases may be significant. A lack of correlation between changes in the value of derivatives and the value of the portfolio assets (if any) being hedged could also result in losses. In addition, there is a risk that the performance of the derivatives or other instruments used by the Investment Adviser to replicate the performance of a particular asset class may not accurately track the performance of that asset class.
Each Portfolio may use derivatives, including futures and swaps, to implement short positions. Taking short positions involves leverage of the Portfolios assets and presents various risks. If the value of the instrument or market in which a Portfolio has taken a short position increases, then the Portfolio will incur a loss equal to the increase in value from the time that the short position was entered into plus any premiums and interest paid to a counterparty. Therefore, taking short positions involves the risk that losses may be exaggerated, potentially losing more money than the actual cost of the investment.
As investment companies registered with the SEC, the Portfolios must identify on their books (often referred to as asset segregation) liquid assets, or engage in other SEC or SEC-staff approved or other appropriate measures, to cover open positions with respect to certain kinds of derivative instruments. For more information about these practices, see Appendix A.
Derivatives Regulatory Risk. In December 2015, the SEC proposed new regulations relating to a mutual funds use of derivatives and related instruments. If these or other regulations are adopted, they could significantly limit or impact a Portfolios ability to invest in derivatives and other instruments and adversely affect such Portfolios performance and ability to pursue its investment objectives. Certain aspects of the tax treatment of derivative instruments may be affected by changes in legislation, regulations or other legally binding authority that could affect the character, timing and amount of a Portfolios taxable income or gains and distributions. There can be no assurance that any new governmental regulation will not adversely affect a Portfolios ability to achieve its investment result.
⬛ | Expenses RiskBecause a Portfolio and the Underlying Funds may invest in pooled investment vehicles (including investment companies and ETFs), partnerships and real estate investment trusts (REITs), the investor will incur indirectly through the Portfolio not only a proportionate share of the expenses of the other pooled investment vehicles, partnerships and REITs held by the Underlying Fund (including operating costs and investment management fees), but also expenses of the Underlying Fund. |
⬛ | Interest Rate RiskWhen interest rates increase, fixed income securities or instruments held by a Portfolio (which may include inflation protected securities) will generally decline in value. Long-term fixed income securities or instruments will normally have more price volatility because of this risk than short-term fixed-income securities or instruments. A wide variety of market factors can cause interest rates to rise, including central bank monetary policy, rising inflation and changes in general economic conditions. The risks associated with increasing interest rates are heightened given that interest rates are near historic lows, but may be expected to increase in the future with unpredictable effects on the markets and a Portfolios investments. Fluctuations in interest rates may also affect the liquidity of fixed income securities and instruments held by a Portfolio. |
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⬛ | Investments in Affiliated Underlying FundsIn managing the Portfolios, the Investment Adviser will have the authority to select and substitute Underlying Funds. The Investment Adviser is subject to conflicts of interest in allocating Portfolio assets among the various Underlying Funds both because the fees payable to it and/or its affiliates by some Underlying Funds are higher than the fees payable by other Underlying Funds and because the Investment Adviser and its affiliates are also responsible for managing the Underlying Funds. The portfolio managers may also be subject to conflicts of interest in allocating a Portfolios assets among the various Underlying Funds because the Portfolios portfolio management team may also manage some of the Underlying Funds. The Investment Adviser and/or its affiliates are compensated by the Portfolios and by the Underlying Funds for advisory, transfer agency and/or principal underwriting services provided. The Trustees and officers of the Trust may also have conflicting interests in fulfilling their fiduciary duties to both the Portfolios and the Underlying Funds for which GSAM or its affiliates now or in the future serve as investment adviser or principal underwriter. Other funds with similar investment strategies may perform better or worse than the Underlying Funds. |
⬛ | Investing in the Underlying FundsThe investments of each Portfolio are generally concentrated in the Underlying Funds, and each Portfolios investment performance is directly related to the investment performance of the Underlying Funds it holds. The ability of each Portfolio to meet its investment objective is directly related to the ability of the Underlying Funds to meet their objectives as well as the allocation among those Underlying Funds by the Investment Adviser. The value of the Underlying Funds investments, and the NAVs of the shares of both the Portfolios and the Underlying Funds, will fluctuate in response to various market and economic factors related to the equity and fixed income markets, as well as the financial condition and prospects of issuers in which the Underlying Funds or the Portfolios invest. There can be no assurance that the investment objective of any Portfolio or any Underlying Fund will be achieved. |
⬛ | Investments in ETFsThe Portfolios may also invest directly in affiliated and/or unaffiliated ETFs. The ETFs in which the Portfolios may invest are subject to the same risks and may invest directly in the same securities as those of the Underlying Funds, as described above under Investments of the Underlying Funds. In addition, the Portfolios investments in these ETFs will be subject to the restrictions applicable to investments by an investment company in other investment companies, unless relief is otherwise provided under the terms of an SEC exemptive order or SEC exemptive rule. |
⬛ | Investments of the Underlying FundsBecause the Portfolios invest in the Underlying Funds, the Portfolios shareholders will be affected by the investment policies and practices of the Underlying Funds in direct proportion to the amount of assets the Portfolios allocate to those Underlying Funds. Each Portfolio may invest in Underlying Funds that in turn invest in small- and mid-capitalization companies and foreign issuers and thus are subject to additional risks, including changes in foreign currency exchange rates and political risk. Foreign investments may include securities of issuers located in emerging countries in Asia, Central and South America, Eastern and Central Europe, Africa and the Middle East. Each Portfolio may also invest in Underlying Funds that in turn invest in debt securities, including investment grade fixed income securities, emerging market debt securities, inflation protected securities and non-investment grade fixed income securities which are considered speculative (junk bonds). In addition, the Underlying Funds may purchase derivative instruments including structured notes; enter into forward currency and options on currency transactions; lend their portfolio securities; enter into futures contracts and options transactions; purchase zero coupon bonds and payment-in-kind bonds; purchase securities issued by REITs and other issuers in the real estate industry; purchase restricted and illiquid securities; purchase securities on a when-issued or delayed delivery basis; enter into repurchase agreements; borrow money; and engage in various other investment practices. The risks presented by these investment practices are discussed in Appendix A to the Prospectus and in the SAI. |
⬛ | Large Shareholder Transactions RiskA Portfolio may experience adverse effects when certain large shareholders, such as other funds, institutional investors (including those trading by use of non-discretionary mathematical formulas), financial intermediaries (who may make investment decisions on behalf of underlying clients and/or include the Portfolio in their investment model), individuals, accounts and Goldman Sachs affiliates, purchase or redeem large amounts of shares of the Portfolio. Such large shareholder redemptions may cause a Portfolio to sell portfolio securities at times when it would not otherwise do so, which may negatively impact the Portfolios NAV and liquidity. Similarly, large purchases of Portfolio shares may adversely affect the Portfolios performance to the extent that the Portfolio is delayed in investing new cash and is required to maintain a larger cash position than it ordinarily would. These transactions may also accelerate the realization of taxable income to shareholders if such sales of investments resulted in gains, and may also increase transaction costs. In addition, a large redemption could result in a Portfolios current expenses being allocated over a smaller asset base, leading to an increase in the Portfolios expense ratio. |
⬛ | Management RiskA strategy used by the Investment Adviser may fail to produce the intended results. |
⬛ | Market RiskThe value of the securities in which a Portfolio invests may go up or down in response to the prospects of individual companies, particular sectors or governments and/or general economic conditions throughout the world. Price changes may be temporary or last for extended periods. A Portfolios investments may be overweighted from time to time in one or more sectors or |
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RISKS OF THE PORTFOLIOS
countries, which will increase the Portfolios exposure to risk of loss from adverse developments affecting those sectors or countries. |
Global economies and financial markets are becoming increasingly interconnected, and conditions and events in one country, region or financial market may adversely impact issuers in a different country, region or financial market. In addition, governmental and quasi-governmental organizations have taken a number of unprecedented actions designed to support the markets. Such conditions, events and actions may result in greater market risk.
⬛ | NAV RiskThe NAV of a Portfolio and the value of your investment may fluctuate. |
⬛ | Short Position RiskThe Portfolios may use derivatives, including futures and swaps, to implement short positions and may also engage in direct short selling. If a Portfolio uses a derivative to implement a short position and the value of the underlying instrument or market in which the Portfolio has taken a short position increases, then the Portfolio will incur a loss equal to the increase in value from the time that the short position was entered into plus any interest payments or other fees. Short positions also may involve leverage of a Portfolios assets and presents various risks (see Risks of the Underlying FundsRisks That Are Particularly Important For Specific Underlying FundsLeverage Risk for a description of the related risks to which the Portfolios may also be subject). |
In order to directly establish a short position in a security, a Portfolio must first borrow the security from a lender, such as a broker or other institution. A Portfolio may not always be able to borrow the security at a particular time or at an acceptable price. Thus, there is risk that a Portfolio may be unable to implement its investment strategy due to the lack of available stocks or for other reasons.
After selling the borrowed security, a Portfolio is then obligated to cover the short sale by purchasing and returning the security to the lender on a later date. A Portfolio cannot guarantee that the security necessary to cover a short position will be available for purchase at the time a Portfolio wishes to close a short position or, if available, that the security will be available at an acceptable price. If the borrowed security has appreciated in value, a Portfolio will be required to pay more for the replacement security than the amount it received for selling the security short. Moreover, purchasing a security to cover a short position can itself cause the price of the security to rise further, thereby exacerbating the loss. The potential loss on a short sale is unlimited because the loss increases as the price of the security sold short increases and the price may rise indefinitely. If the price of a borrowed security declines before the short position is covered, a Portfolio may realize a gain. A Portfolios gain on a short sale, before transaction and other costs, is generally limited to the difference between the price at which it sold the borrowed security and the price it paid to purchase the security to return to the lender.
While a Portfolio has an open short position, it is subject to the risk that the securitys lender will terminate the loan at a time when a Portfolio is unable to borrow the same security from another lender. If this happens, a Portfolio may be required to buy the replacement shares immediately at the securitys then current market price or buy in by paying the lender an amount equal to the cost of purchasing the security to close out the short position.
Short sales also involve other costs. A Portfolio must normally repay to the lender an amount equal to any dividends or interest that accrues while the loan is outstanding. In addition, to borrow the security, a Portfolio may be required to pay a premium. A Portfolio also will incur transaction costs in effecting short sales. The amount of any ultimate gain for a Portfolio resulting from a short sale will be decreased, and the amount of any ultimate loss will be increased, by the amount of premiums, dividends, interest or expenses a Portfolio may be required to pay in connection with the short sale.
Until a Portfolio replaces a borrowed instrument, a Portfolio may be required to maintain short sale proceeds with the lending broker as collateral. Moreover, the Portfolio will be required to make margin payments to the lender during the term of the borrowing if the value of the security it borrowed (and short sold) increases. Thus, short sales involve credit exposure to the broker that executes the short sales. In the event of the bankruptcy or other similar insolvency with respect to a broker with whom a Portfolio has an open short position, the Portfolio may be unable to recover, or delayed in recovering, any margin or other collateral held with or for the lending broker. In addition, a Portfolio is required to identify on its books liquid assets (less any additional collateral held by the broker, not including the short sale proceeds) to cover the short sale obligation, marked-to-market daily. The requirement to identify liquid assets limits a Portfolios leveraging of its investments and the related risk of losses from leveraging. However, such identification may also limit a Portfolios investment flexibility, as well as its ability to meet redemption requests or other current obligations.
⬛ | Tax-Managed Investment RiskBecause the Investment Adviser balances investment considerations and tax considerations, the pre-tax performance of the TAG Portfolio may be lower than the performance of similar funds that are not tax-managed. This is because the Investment Adviser may choose not to make certain investments that may result in taxable distributions to the TAG |
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Portfolio. Even though tax managed strategies are being used, they may not reduce the amount of taxable income and capital gains distributed by the TAG Portfolio to shareholders. |
⬛ | Temporary InvestmentsAlthough the Portfolios normally seek to invest approximately 80% of their Total Assets in the Underlying Funds, each Portfolio may invest its assets in high-quality, short-term debt obligations (including commercial paper, certificates of deposit, bankers acceptances, repurchase agreements, debt obligations backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government and demand and time deposits of domestic and foreign banks and savings and loan associations) to maintain liquidity, to meet shareholder redemptions and for other short-term cash needs. Also, there may be times when, in the opinion of the Investment Adviser, abnormal market or economic conditions warrant that, for temporary defensive purposes, a Portfolio may invest without limitation in short-term obligations. When a Portfolios assets are invested in such investments, the Portfolio may not be achieving its investment objective. |
⬛ | U.S. Government Securities RiskThe U.S. government may not provide financial support to U.S. government agencies, instrumentalities or sponsored enterprises if it is not obligated to do so by law. U.S. Government Securities issued by those agencies, instrumentalities and sponsored enterprises, including those issued by Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and the Federal Home Loan Banks, are neither issued nor guaranteed by the U.S. Treasury and, therefore, are not backed by the full faith and credit of the United States. The maximum potential liability of the issuers of some U.S. Government Securities held by a Portfolio may greatly exceed their current resources, including any legal right to support from the U.S. Treasury. It is possible that issuers of U.S. Government Securities will not have the funds to meet their payment obligations in the future. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have been operating under conservatorship, with the Federal Housing Finance Administration (FHFA) acting as their conservator, since September 2008. The entities are dependent upon the continued support of the U.S. Department of the Treasury and FHFA in order to continue their business operations. These factors, among others, could affect the future status and role of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and the value of their securities and the securities which they guarantee. Additionally, the U.S. government and its agencies and instrumentalities do not guarantee the market values of their securities, which may fluctuate. |
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Description of the Underlying Funds
DESCRIPTION OF THE UNDERLYING FUNDS |
The following is a concise description of the investment objectives and practices for each of the Underlying Funds that are currently expected to be used for strategic investment by the Portfolios as of the date of the Prospectus. A Portfolio may also invest in other Underlying Funds not listed below that currently exist or that may become available for investment in the future at the discretion of the Investment Adviser and without shareholder approval or notice. Additional information regarding the investment practices of the Underlying Funds is provided in Appendix A to the Prospectus and in the SAI. The Prospectus is not an offer to sell and is not soliciting an offer to buy any of the Underlying Funds. A description of the Portfolios policies and procedures with respect to the disclosure of a Portfolios portfolio security holdings is available in the SAI. For information regarding the disclosure of an Underlying Funds portfolio securities holdings, see the applicable Underlying Funds prospectus.
Underlying Fund | Investment Objectives | Investment Criteria | Benchmark Descriptions | |||
Large Cap Value Insights |
Long-term growth of capital and dividend income. | At least 80% of its Net Assets in a diversified portfolio of equity investments in large-cap U.S. issuers, including foreign issuers that are traded in the U.S. The Funds investments are selected using fundamental research and a variety of quantitative techniques based on certain investment themes, including, among others, Valuation, Profitability, and Momentum. The Fund seeks to maintain risk, style, and capitalization characteristics similar to the Russell 1000® Value Index. | The Russell 1000® Value Index is an unmanaged index of common stock prices that measures the performance of those Russell 1000 companies with lower price-to-book ratios and lower forecasted growth values. | |||
Large Cap Growth Insights |
Long-term growth of capital. Dividend income is a secondary consideration. | At least 80% of its Net Assets in a broadly diversified portfolio of equity investments in large-cap U.S. issuers, including foreign issuers that are traded in the U.S. The Funds investments are selected using fundamental research and a variety of quantitative techniques based on certain investment themes, including, among others, Valuation, Profitability, and Momentum. The Fund seeks to maintain risk, style, and capitalization characteristics similar to the Russell 1000® Growth Index. | The Russell 1000® Growth Index is an unmanaged index of common stock prices that measures the performance of those Russell 1000 companies with higher price-to-book ratios and higher forecasted growth values. | |||
Small Cap Equity Insights |
Long-term growth of capital. | At least 80% of its Net Assets in a broadly diversified portfolio of equity investments in small-cap U.S. issuers, including foreign issuers that are traded in the U.S. The Funds investments are selected using fundamental research and a variety of quantitative techniques based on certain investment themes, including, among others, Valuation, Profitability, and Momentum. The Fund seeks to maintain risk, style, and capitalization characteristics similar to the Russell 2000® Index. | The Russell 2000® Index is an index designed to represent an investable universe of small cap companies. | |||
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Underlying Fund | Investment Objectives | Investment Criteria | Benchmark Descriptions | |||
International Tax-Managed Equity |
Long-term after-tax growth of capital through tax-sensitive participation in a broadly diversified portfolio of international equity securities. | At least 80% of its Net Assets in equity investments in equity investments in companies that are organized outside the U.S. or whose securities are principally traded outside the U.S. The Fund uses a variety of quantitative techniques, in combination with a qualitative overlay, when selecting investments. The Fund expects to maintain risk, style, capitalization and industry characteristics similar to the MSCI® EAFE® Index. The Investment Adviser balances investment considerations and tax considerations. The Fund may seek tax-efficiency by offsetting gains and losses, limiting portfolio turnover that may result in taxable gains, or selling high tax basis securities. | The MSCI® EAFE® Index (Net, USD, Unhedged) is a free float-adjusted market capitalization index that is designed to measure the equity market performance of developed markets, excluding the U.S. and Canada. | |||
U.S. Tax-Managed Equity |
Long-term after-tax growth of capital through tax-sensitive participation in a broadly diversified portfolio of U.S. equity securities. | At least 80% of its Net Assets in equity investments in U.S. issuers, including foreign issuers that are traded in the U.S. The Fund uses a variety of quantitative techniques, in combination with a qualitative overlay, when selecting investments. The Fund will seek to maintain risk, style, capitalization and industry characteristics similar to the Russell 3000® Index. The Investment Adviser balances investment considerations and tax considerations. The Fund may seek tax-efficiency by offsetting gains and losses, limiting portfolio turnover that may result in taxable gains, or selling high tax basis securities. | The Russell 3000® Index is an unmanaged index that measures the performance of the 3,000 largest U.S. companies based on total market capitalization. | |||
Emerging Markets Equity Insights |
Long-term growth of capital. | At least 80% of its Net Assets in a diversified portfolio of equity investments in emerging country issuers. The Fund uses a quantitative style of management, in combination with a qualitative overlay, that emphasizes fundamentally-based stock and country/currency selection, careful portfolio construction and efficient implementation. The Fund seeks to maintain risk, style, and capitalization characteristics similar to the MSCI® Emerging Markets Standard Index (adjusted for country views). | The MSCI® Emerging Markets Standard Index (Net, USD, Unhedged) is a free float-adjusted market capitalization index that is designed to measure equity market performance of the large and mid-market capitalization segments of emerging markets. | |||
International Small Cap Insights |
Long-term growth of capital. | At least 80% of its Net Assets in a broadly diversified portfolio of equity investments in small cap non-U.S. issuers. The Fund uses a quantitative style of management, in combination with a qualitative overlay, that emphasizes fundamentally-based stock selection, careful portfolio construction and efficient implementation. The Fund seeks to maintain risk, style, and capitalization characteristics similar to the MSCI® EAFE® Small Cap Index. | The MSCI® EAFE® Small Cap Index (Net, USD, Unhedged) is a free float-adjusted market capitalization index that is designed to measure the equity market performance of the small market capitalization segment of developed markets, excluding the U.S. and Canada. | |||
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DESCRIPTION OF THE UNDERLYING FUNDS
Underlying Fund | Investment Objectives | Investment Criteria | Benchmark Descriptions | |||
U.S. Equity Dividend and Premium |
Maximize income and total return. | At least 80% of its Net Assets in dividend-paying equity investments in large-cap U.S. issuers (including foreign issuers that are traded in the U.S.) with public stock market capitalizations within the range of the market capitalization of the S&P 500® Index at the time of investment. The Fund uses a variety of quantitative techniques, in combination with a qualitative overlay, when selecting investments. The Fund will seek to maintain risk, style, capitalization and industry characteristics similar to the S&P 500® Index. Under normal circumstances, the Fund expects to sell call options in an amount that is between 20% and 75% of the value of the Funds portfolio. | The S&P 500® Index is the Standard & Poors 500 Composite Index of 500 stocks, an unmanaged index of common stock prices that measures the performance of the 500 largest U.S. companies. | |||
International Equity Dividend and Premium |
Maximize total return with an emphasis on income. | At least 80% of its Net Assets in dividend-paying equity investments in companies that are organized outside the U.S. or whose securities are principally traded outside the U.S. with public stock market capitalizations within the range of capitalization of the MSCI® EAFE® Index at the time of investment. The Fund uses a variety of quantitative techniques, in combination with a qualitative overlay, when selecting investments. The Fund will seek to maintain risk, style, capitalization and industry characteristics similar to the MSCI® EAFE® Index. The Fund expects that, under normal circumstances, it will sell call options in an amount that is between 20% and 75% of the value of the Funds portfolio. | The MSCI® EAFE® Index (Net, USD, Unhedged) is a free float-adjusted market capitalization index that is designed to measure the equity market performance of developed markets, excluding the U.S. and Canada. | |||
Small Cap Growth Insights |
Long-term growth of capital. | At least 80% of its Net Assets in a broadly diversified portfolio of equity investments in small-cap U.S. issuers, including foreign issuers that are traded in the U.S. The Fund uses a quantitative style of management, in combination with a qualitative overlay, that emphasizes fundamentally-based stock selection, careful portfolio construction and efficient implementation. The Fund seeks to maintain risk, style, and capitalization characteristics similar to the Russell 2000 Growth Index. | The Russell 2000® Growth Index is an unmanaged index of common stock prices that measures the performance of those Russell 2000 companies with higher price-to-book ratios and higher forecasted growth values. | |||
Small Cap Value Insights |
Long-term growth of capital. | At least 80% of its Net Assets in a broadly diversified portfolio of equity investments in small-cap U.S. issuers, including foreign issuers that are traded in the U.S. The Fund uses a quantitative style of management, in combination with a qualitative overlay, that emphasizes fundamentally-based stock selection, careful portfolio construction and efficient implementation. The Fund seeks to maintain risk, style, and capitalization characteristics similar to the Russell 2000 Value Index. | The Russell 2000® Value Index is an unmanaged index of common stock prices that measures the performance of those Russell 2000 companies with lower price-to-book ratios and lower forecasted growth values. | |||
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Underlying Fund | Investment Objectives | Investment Criteria | Benchmark Descriptions | |||
U.S. Equity Insights |
Long-term growth of capital and dividend income. | At least 80% of its Net Assets in a diversified portfolio of equity investments in U.S. issuers, including foreign issuers that are traded in the U.S. The Fund uses a quantitative style of management, in combination with a qualitative overlay, that emphasizes fundamentally-based stock selection, careful portfolio construction and efficient implementation. The Fund seeks to maintain risk, style, and capitalization characteristics similar to the S&P 500 Index. | The S&P 500® Index is the Standard & Poors 500 Composite Stock Price Index of 500 stocks, an unmanaged index of common stock prices that measures the performance of the 500 largest U.S. companies. | |||
International Equity Insights |
Long-term growth of capital. | At least 80% of its Net Assets in a broadly diversified portfolio of equity investments in companies that are organized outside the U.S. or whose securities are principally traded outside the U.S. The Fund uses a quantitative style of management, in combination with a qualitative overlay, that emphasizes fundamentally-based stock and country/currency selection, careful portfolio construction and efficient implementation. The Fund seeks to maintain style, risk and capitalization characteristics similar to the MSCI EAFE Standard Index (adjusted for country views). | The MSCI® EAFE® Standard Index (Net, USD, Unhedged) is a free float-adjusted market capitalization index that is designed to measure the equity market performance of large and mid-capitalization segments of developed markets, excluding the U.S. and Canada. | |||
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DESCRIPTION OF THE UNDERLYING FUNDS
Underlying Fund | Investment Objectives |
Duration or Maturity |
Investment Sector |
Credit Quality |
Other Investments | |||||
Core Fixed Income |
Total return consisting of capital appreciation and income that exceeds the total return of the Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index. | Target Duration* = Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index plus or minus one year | At least 80% of its Net Assets in fixed income securities, including U.S. Government Securities, corporate debt securities, privately issued adjustable rate and fixed rate mortgage loans or other mortgage-related securities and asset-backed securities. | Minimum = BBB/Baa3 (at time of purchase) | Foreign fixed income securities, custodial receipts, municipal and convertible securities, foreign currencies and repurchase agreements collateralized by U.S. Government Securities. Also invests in futures, swaps and other derivatives. | |||||
High Yield |
A high level of current income, and may also consider the potential for capital appreciation. | Target Duration* = Bloomberg Barclays U.S. High-Yield 2% Issuer Capped Bond Index plus or minus 2.5 years | At least 80% of its Net Assets in high-yield, fixed income securities that, at the time of purchase, are non-investment grade securities. | At least 80% of Net Assets rated BB+/Ba1 or below (at time of purchase) | Foreign fixed income securities, senior and subordinated corporate debt obligations, convertible and non-convertible corporate debt obligations, loan participations, custodial receipts, municipal securities, and preferred stock. Also invests in credit default swap indices and other derivatives. | |||||
Local Emerging Markets Debt |
A high level of total return consisting of income and capital appreciation. | Target Duration* = J.P. Morgan Government Bond Index Emerging Markets Global Diversified Index, plus or minus 2 years. | At least 80% of its Net Assets in (i) sovereign and corporate debt securities and other instruments of issuers in emerging market countries, denominated in the local currency, and/or (ii) currencies of such emerging countries. | The Fund may invest in securities without regard to credit rating. | All types of foreign and emerging country fixed income securities, including Brady bonds and other government-issued debt, interests issued by entities organized and operated for the purpose of restructuring the investment characteristics of instruments issued by emerging country issuers, fixed and floating rate, senior and subordinated corporate debt obligations (such as bonds, debentures, notes, and commercial paper), loan participations, and repurchase agreements with respect to these types of securities. | |||||
High Yield Floating Rate |
A high level of current income. | Average Duration* = Credit Suisse Leveraged Loan Index, plus or minus one year. | At least 80% of Net Assets in domestic or foreign floating rate loans and other floating or variable rate obligations rated below investment grade. | At least 80% of Net Assets rated BB+/Ba1 or below (at time of purchase) | Fixed income instruments, regardless of rating, including fixed rate corporate bonds, government bonds, convertible debt obligations, and mezzanine fixed income instruments. Also invests in floating or variable rate instruments that are rated investment grade and in preferred stock, repurchase agreements and cash securities. | |||||
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Underlying Fund | Investment Objectives | Investment Criteria | ||
MLP Energy Infrastructure |
Total return through current income and capital appreciation. | At least 80% of its Net Assets in energy infrastructure master limited partnership (MLP) investments. The Funds MLP investments may include, but are not limited to: MLPs structured as limited partnerships or limited liability companies; MLPs that are taxed as C corporations; institutional units issued by MLP affiliates; C corporations that hold significant interests in MLPs; private investments in public equities (PIPEs) issued by MLPs; and other equity and fixed income securities and derivative instruments, including pooled investment vehicles and exchange-traded notes, that provide exposure to MLPs. Energy infrastructure MLPs own and operate assets that are used in the energy sector, including assets used in exploring, developing, producing, generating, transporting (including marine), transmitting, terminal operation, storing, gathering, processing, refining, distributing, mining or marketing of natural gas, natural gas liquids, crude oil, refined products, coal or electricity, or that provide energy-related equipment or services. The Underlying MLP Funds MLP investments may be of any capitalization size. | ||
Tactical Tilt Overlay |
Long-term total return | The Portfolio seeks to implement investment ideas that are generally derived from short-term or medium-term market views on a variety of asset classes and instruments (Tactical Tilts) generated by the Investment Strategy Group. Tactical Tilts are generally implemented by investing in any one or in any combination of the following securities and instruments: (i) U.S. and foreign equity securities, including common and preferred stocks; (ii) pooled investment vehicles including, but not limited to, (a) unaffiliated investment companies, exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and exchange-traded notes (ETNs) and (b) affiliated investment companies that currently exist or that may become available for investment in the future for which GSAM or an affiliate now or in the future acts as investment adviser or principal underwriter; (iii) fixed income instruments, which include, among others, debt issued by governments (including the U.S. and foreign governments), their agencies, instrumentalities, sponsored entities, and political subdivisions, notes, debt participations and non-investment grade securities (commonly known as junk bonds); (iv) derivatives; and (v) commodity investments, primarily through a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Portfolio organized as a company under the laws of the Cayman Islands. The Portfolios investments may be publicly traded or privately issued or negotiated. The Portfolio may invest without restriction as to issuer capitalization, country, currency, maturity or credit rating. The Portfolio may implement short positions for hedging purposes or to seek to enhance absolute return, and may do so by using swaps or futures, or through short sales of any instrument that the Portfolio may purchase for investment. | ||
* | An Underlying Funds duration approximates its price sensitivity to changes in interest rates. |
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Loss of money is a risk of investing in each Underlying Fund. An investment in an Underlying Fund is not a bank deposit and is not insured or guaranteed by the FDIC or any other governmental agency. The principal risks of the applicable Underlying Funds for each Portfolio are discussed in the Summary sections of the Prospectus. The following summarizes the risks that apply to the Underlying Funds that are currently expected to be used for investment by the Portfolios, which may result in a loss of your investment in a Portfolio. For more information, please consult the relevant Underlying Funds prospectus. There can be no assurance that an Underlying Fund will achieve its investment objective.
Risks That Apply To All Underlying Funds:
⬛ | Credit/Default RiskAn issuer or guarantor of fixed income securities or instruments held by an Underlying Fund (which may have low credit ratings) may default on its obligation to pay interest and repay principal or default on any other obligation. |
The credit quality of an Underlying Funds portfolio securities or instruments may meet the Underlying Funds credit quality requirements at the time of purchase but then deteriorate thereafter, and such a deterioration can occur rapidly. In certain instances, the downgrading or default of a single holding or guarantor of an Underlying Funds holding may impair the Underlying Funds liquidity and have the potential to cause significant deterioration in NAV. These risks are more pronounced in connection with an Underlying Funds investments in non-investment grade fixed income securities.
⬛ | Interest Rate RiskWhen interest rates increase, fixed income securities or instruments held by an Underlying Fund (which may include inflation protected securities) will generally decline in value. Long-term fixed income securities or instruments will normally have more price volatility because of this risk than short-term fixed income securities or instruments. A wide variety of market factors can cause interest rates to rise, including central bank monetary policy, rising inflation and changes in general economic conditions. The risks associated with increasing interest rates are heightened given that interest rates are near historic lows, but may be expected to increase in the future with unpredictable effects on the markets and an Underlying Funds investments. Fluctuations in interest rates may also affect the liquidity of fixed income securities and instruments held by an Underlying Fund. |
⬛ | Large Shareholder Transactions RiskAn Underlying Fund may experience adverse effects when certain large shareholders, such as other funds, institutional investors (including those trading by use of non-discretionary mathematical formulas), financial intermediaries (who may make investment decisions on behalf of underlying clients and/or include the Underlying Fund in their investment model), individuals, accounts and Goldman Sachs affiliates, purchase or redeem large amounts of shares of the Underlying Fund. Such large shareholder redemptions may cause an Underlying Fund to sell portfolio securities at times when it would not otherwise do so, which may negatively impact the Underlying Funds NAV and liquidity. Similarly, large purchases of Underlying Fund shares may adversely affect the Underlying Funds performance to the extent that the Underlying Fund is delayed in investing new cash and is required to maintain a larger cash position than it ordinarily would. These transactions may also accelerate the realization of taxable income to shareholders if such sales of investments resulted in gains, and may also increase transaction costs. In addition, a large redemption could result in an Underlying Funds current expenses being allocated over a smaller asset base, leading to an increase in the Underlying Funds expense ratio. |
⬛ | Liquidity RiskAn Underlying Fund may invest to a greater degree in securities or instruments that trade in lower volumes and may make investments that may be less liquid than other investments. An Underlying Fund may make investments that may become less liquid in response to market developments or adverse investor perceptions. Investments that are illiquid or that trade in lower volumes may be more difficult to value. When there is no willing buyer and investments cannot be readily sold at the desired time or price, an Underlying Fund may have to accept a lower price or may not be able to sell the security or instrument at all. An inability to sell one or more portfolio positions can adversely affect the Underlying Funds value or prevent the Underlying Fund from being able to take advantage of other investment opportunities. |
To the extent that the traditional dealer counterparties that engage in fixed income trading do not maintain inventories of bonds (which provide an important indication of their ability to make markets) that keep pace with the growth of the bond markets over time, relatively low levels of dealer inventories could lead to decreased liquidity and increased volatility in the fixed income markets. Additionally, market participants other than an Underlying Fund may attempt to sell fixed income holdings at the same time as the Underlying Fund, which could cause downward pricing pressure and contribute to illiquidity.
Underlying Funds that invest in non-investment grade fixed income securities, small- and mid-capitalization stocks, REITs and/or emerging country issuers may be especially subject to the risk that, during certain periods, the liquidity of particular issuers or
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industries, or all securities within a particular investment category, may shrink or disappear suddenly and without warning as a result of adverse economic, market or political events, or adverse investor perceptions whether or not accurate.
Liquidity risk may also refer to the risk that an Underlying Fund will not be able to pay redemption proceeds within the allowable time period stated in the Underlying Funds prospectus because of unusual market conditions, an usually high volume of redemption requests, or other reasons. While an Underlying Fund reserves the right to meet redemption requests through in-kind distributions, the Underlying Fund may instead choose to raise cash to meet redemption requests through sales of portfolio securities or permissible borrowings. If an Underlying Fund is forced to sell securities at an unfavorable time and/or under unfavorable conditions, such sales may adversely affect the Underlying Funds NAV.
Certain shareholders, including clients or affiliates of the Investment Adviser and/or other funds managed by the Investment Adviser, may from time to time own or control a significant percentage of an Underlying Funds shares. Redemptions by these shareholders of their shares of that Underlying Fund may further increase the Underlying Funds liquidity risk and may impact the Underlying Funds NAV. These shareholders may include, for example, institutional investors, funds of funds, discretionary advisory clients and other shareholders whose buy-sell decisions are controlled by a single decision-maker.
⬛ | Management RiskA strategy used by an investment adviser to the Underlying Funds may fail to produce the intended results. With respect to certain Underlying Funds, the Underlying Funds investment adviser attempts to execute a complex investment strategy using proprietary quantitative models. Investments selected using these models may perform differently than expected as a result of the factors used in the models, the weight placed on each factor, changes from the factors historical trends, and technical issues in the construction and implementation of the models (including, for example, data problems and/or software issues). There is no guarantee that an Underlying Funds investment advisers use of this quantitative methodology will result in effective investment decisions for the Underlying Fund. Additionally, commonality of holdings across quantitative money managers may amplify losses. |
⬛ | Market RiskThe value of the securities in which an Underlying Fund invests may go up or down in response to the prospects of individual companies, particular sectors or governments and/or general economic conditions throughout the world. Price changes may be temporary or last for extended periods. An Underlying Funds investments may be overweighted from time to time in one or more sectors or countries, which will increase the Underlying Funds exposure to risk of loss from adverse developments affecting those sectors or countries. |
Global economies and financial markets are becoming increasingly interconnected, and conditions and events in one country, region or financial market may adversely impact issuers in a different country, region or financial market. In addition, governmental and quasi-governmental organizations have taken a number of unprecedented actions designed to support the markets. Such conditions, events and actions may result in greater market risk.
⬛ | NAV RiskThe NAV of an Underlying Fund and the value of your investment will fluctuate. |
⬛ | Non-Diversification RiskCertain Underlying Funds are non-diversified, meaning that they are permitted to invest a larger percentage of their assets in fewer issuers than diversified mutual funds. Thus, those Underlying Funds may be more susceptible to adverse developments affecting any single issuer held in their portfolios, and may be more susceptible to greater losses because of these developments. |
⬛ | U.S. Government Securities RiskThe U.S. government may not provide financial support to U.S. government agencies, instrumentalities or sponsored enterprises if it is not obligated to do so by law. U.S. Government Securities issued by those agencies, instrumentalities and sponsored enterprises, including those issued by the Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae), Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac) and the Federal Home Loan Banks, are neither issued nor guaranteed by the U.S. Treasury and, therefore, are not backed by the full faith and credit of the United States. The maximum potential liability of the issuers of some U.S. Government Securities held by an Underlying Fund may greatly exceed their current resources, including any legal right to support from the U.S. Treasury. It is possible that issuers of U.S. Government Securities will not have the funds to meet their payment obligations in the future. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have been operating under conservatorship, with the Federal Housing Finance Administration (FHFA) acting as their conservator, since September 2008. The entities are dependent upon the continued support of the U.S. Department of the Treasury and FHFA in order to continue their business operations. These factors, among others, could affect the future status and role of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and the value of their securities and the securities which they guarantee. Additionally, the U.S. government and its agencies and instrumentalities do not guarantee the market values of their securities, which may fluctuate. |
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RISKS OF THE UNDERLYING FUNDS
Risks That Apply Primarily To The Underlying Equity Funds:
⬛ | Portfolio Turnover Rate RiskA high rate of portfolio turnover (100% or more) involves correspondingly greater expenses which must be borne by an Underlying Fund and its shareholders (including the Portfolios), and is also likely to result in short-term capital gains taxable to shareholders of the Underlying Fund. |
⬛ | Stock RiskStock prices have historically risen and fallen in periodic cycles. U.S. and foreign stock markets have experienced substantial periods of price volatility before and may do so again in the future. Stock prices may fluctuate from time to time in response to the activities of individual companies and in response to general market and economic conditions. Individual companies may report poor results or be negatively affected by industry and/or economic trends and developments, and the stock prices of such companies may suffer a decline in response. |
Risks That Apply Primarily To The Underlying Fixed Income Funds:
⬛ | Call/Prepayment RiskAn issuer could exercise its right to pay principal on an obligation held by an Underlying Fund (such as a mortgage-backed security) earlier than expected. This may happen when there is a decline in interest rates, when credit spreads change, or when an issuers credit quality improves. Under these circumstances the value of the obligation may decrease, and an Underlying Fund may be unable to recoup all of its initial investment and may also suffer from having to reinvest in lower-yielding securities. |
⬛ | Distressed Debt RiskWhen an Underlying Fixed Income Fund invests in obligations of financially troubled companies (sometimes known as Distressed securities), there exists the risk that the transaction involving such debt obligations will be unsuccessful, take considerable time or will result in a distribution of cash or a new security or obligation in exchange for the stressed and distressed debt obligations, the value of which may be less than such Underlying Funds purchase price of such debt obligations. Furthermore, if an anticipated transaction does not occur, an Underlying Fund may be required to sell its investment at a loss or hold its investment pending bankruptcy proceedings in the event the issuer files for bankruptcy. |
⬛ | Extension RiskAn issuer could exercise its right to pay principal on an obligation held by an Underlying Fund (such as a mortgage-backed security) later than expected. This may happen when there is a rise in interest rates. Under these circumstances, the value of the obligation may decrease, and an Underlying Fund may also suffer from the inability to invest in higher yielding securities. |
⬛ | Floating and Variable Rate Obligations RiskFloating rate and variable rate obligations are debt instruments issued by companies or other entities with interest rates that reset periodically (typically, daily, monthly, quarterly, or semi-annually) in response to changes in the market rate of interest on which the interest rate is based. For floating and variable rate obligations, there may be a lag between an actual change in the underlying interest rate benchmark and the reset time for an interest payment of such an obligation, which could harm or benefit an Underlying Fund, depending on the interest rate environment or other circumstances. In a rising interest rate environment, for example, a floating or variable rate obligation that does not reset immediately would prevent an Underlying Fund from taking full advantage of rising interest rates in a timely manner. However, in a declining interest rate environment, an Underlying Fund may benefit from a lag due to an obligations interest rate payment not being immediately impacted by a decline in interest rates. |
Certain floating and variable rate obligations have an interest rate floor feature, which prevents the interest rate payable by the security from dropping below a specified level as compared to a reference interest rate (the reference rate), such as LIBOR. Such a floor protects an Underlying Fund from losses resulting from a decrease in the reference rate below the specified level. However, if the reference rate is below the floor, there will be a lag between a rise in the reference rate and a rise in the interest rate payable by the obligation, and an Underlying Fund may not benefit from increasing interest rates for a significant amount of time.
⬛ | Loan-Related Investment RiskIn addition to risks generally associated with debt investments, loan-related investments such as loan participations and assignments are subject to other risks. Although a loan obligation may be fully collateralized at the time of acquisition, the collateral may decline in value, be relatively illiquid, or lose all or substantially all of its value subsequent to investment. Many loan investments are subject to legal or contractual restrictions on resale and may be relatively illiquid and difficult to value. There is less readily available, reliable information about most loan investments than is the case for many other types of securities, and the Investment Adviser relies primarily on its own evaluation of a borrowers credit quality rather than on any available independent sources. The ability of an Underlying Fund to realize full value in the event of the need to sell a loan investment may be impaired by the lack of an active trading market for certain loans or adverse market conditions limiting liquidity. Loan obligations are not traded on an exchange, and purchasers and sellers rely on certain market makers, such as the administrative agent for the particular loan obligation, to trade that loan obligation. The market for loan obligations may be subject to irregular trading activity, wide bid/ask spreads and extended trade settlement periods. Because transactions in many loans are subject to extended trade settlement periods, an Underlying Fund may not receive the proceeds from the sale of a loan for a period after the sale. As a result, sale proceeds related to the sale of loans may not be available to make additional investments or to meet |
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an Underlying Funds redemption obligations for a period after the sale of the loans, and, as a result, an Underlying Fund may have to sell other investments or engage in borrowing transactions, such as borrowing from its credit facility, if necessary to raise cash to meet its obligations. In addition, substantial increases in interest rates may cause an increase in loan obligation defaults. |
With respect to loan participations, an Underlying Fund may not always have direct recourse against a borrower if the borrower fails to pay scheduled principal and/or interest; may be subject to greater delays, expenses and risks than if the Underlying Fund had purchased a direct obligation of the borrower; and may be regarded as the creditor of the agent lender (rather than the borrower), subjecting the Underlying Fund to the creditworthiness of that lender as well and the ability of the lender to enforce appropriate credit remedies against the borrower. Investors in loans, such as the Underlying Fund, may not be entitled to rely on the anti-fraud protections of the federal securities laws, although they may be entitled to certain contractual remedies.
Senior loans hold the most senior position in the capital structure of a business entity, and are typically secured with specific collateral and have a claim on the assets and/or stock of the borrower that is senior to that held by subordinated debt holders and stockholders of the borrower. Nevertheless, senior loans are usually rated below investment grade. Because second lien loans are subordinated or unsecured and thus lower in priority of payment to senior loans, they are subject to the additional risk that the cash flow of the borrower and property securing the loan or debt, if any, may be insufficient to meet scheduled payments after giving effect to the senior secured obligations of the borrower. This risk is generally higher for subordinated unsecured loans or debt, which are not backed by a security interest in any specific collateral. Second lien loans generally have greater price volatility than senior loans and may be less liquid.
⬛ | Mortgage-Backed and Other Asset-Backed Securities RiskMortgage-related and other asset-backed securities are subject to certain additional risks. Generally, rising interest rates tend to extend the duration of fixed rate mortgage-backed securities, making them more sensitive to changes in interest rates. As a result, in a period of rising interest rates, if an Underlying Fund holds mortgage-backed securities, it may exhibit additional volatility. This is known as extension risk. In addition, adjustable and fixed rate mortgage-backed securities are subject to prepayment risk. When interest rates decline, borrowers may pay off their mortgages sooner than expected. This can reduce the returns of an Underlying Fund because the Underlying Fund may have to reinvest that money at the lower prevailing interest rates. |
An Underlying Funds investments in other asset-backed securities are subject to risks similar to those associated with mortgage-backed securities, as well as additional risks associated with the nature of the assets and the servicing of those assets. Asset-backed securities may not have the benefit of a security interest in collateral comparable to that of mortgage assets, resulting in additional credit risk.
The Funds may invest in mortgage-backed securities issued by the U.S. Government. (See U.S. Government Securities Risk). To the extent that an Underlying Fund invests in mortgage-backed securities offered by non-governmental issuers, such as commercial banks, savings and loan institutions, private mortgage insurance companies, mortgage bankers and other secondary market issuers, the Underlying Fund may be subject to additional risks. Timely payment of interest and principal of non-governmental issuers are supported by various forms of private insurance or guarantees, including individual loan, title, pool and hazard insurance purchased by the issuer. There can be no assurance that the private insurers can meet their obligations under the policies. An unexpectedly high rate of defaults on the mortgages held by a mortgage pool may adversely affect the value of a mortgage-backed security and could result in losses to an Underlying Fund. The risk of such defaults is generally higher in the case of mortgage pools that include subprime mortgages. Subprime mortgages refer to loans made to borrowers with weakened credit histories or with a lower capacity to make timely payments on their mortgages.
⬛ | Municipal Securities RiskMunicipal securities are subject to call/prepayment risk, credit/default risk, extension risk, interest risk and certain additional risks. An Underlying Fixed Income Fund may be more sensitive to adverse economic, business or political developments if it invests a substantial portion of its assets in the debt securities of similar projects (such as those relating to education, health care, housing, transportation, and utilities), industrial development bonds, or in particular types of municipal securities (such as general obligation bonds, private activity bonds and moral obligation bonds). Specific risks are associated with different types of municipal securities. With respect to general obligation bonds, the full faith, credit and taxing power of the municipality that issues a general obligation bond secures payment of interest and repayment of principal. Timely payments depend on the issuers credit quality, ability to raise tax revenues and ability to maintain an adequate tax base. Certain of the municipalities in which an Underlying Fund invests may experience significant financial difficulties, which may lead to bankruptcy or default. |
With respect to revenue bonds, payments of interest and principal are made only from the revenues generated by a particular facility, class of facilities or the proceeds of a special tax, or other revenue source, and depends on the money earned by that source. Private activity bonds are issued by municipalities and other public authorities to finance development of industrial
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RISKS OF THE UNDERLYING FUNDS
facilities for use by a private enterprise. The private enterprise pays the principal and interest on the bond, and the issuer does not pledge its full faith, credit and taxing power for repayment. If the private enterprise defaults on its payments, an Underlying Fund may not receive any income or get its money back from the investment. Moral obligation bonds are generally issued by special purpose public authorities of a state or municipality. If the issuer is unable to meet its obligations, repayment of these bonds becomes a moral commitment, but not a legal obligation, of the state or municipality. Municipal notes are shorter term municipal debt obligations. They may provide interim financing in anticipation of, and are secured by, tax collection, bond sales or revenue receipts. If there is a shortfall in the anticipated proceeds, the notes may not be fully repaid and an Underlying Fund may lose money. In a municipal lease obligation, the issuer agrees to make payments when due on the lease obligation. The issuer will generally appropriate municipal funds for that purpose, but is not obligated to do so. Although the issuer does not pledge its unlimited taxing power for payment of the lease obligation, the lease obligation is secured by the lease property. However, if the issuer does not fulfill its payment obligation it may be difficult to sell the property and the proceeds of a sale may not cover an Underlying Funds loss.
⬛ | Non-Hedging Foreign Currency Trading RiskAn Underlying Fund may engage in forward foreign currency transactions for both hedging and non-hedging purposes. An Underlying Funds investment adviser may purchase or sell foreign currencies through the use of forward contracts based on the investment advisers judgment regarding the direction of the market for a particular foreign currency or currencies. In pursuing this strategy, the investment adviser seeks to profit from anticipated movements in currency rates by establishing long and/or short positions in forward contracts on various foreign currencies. Foreign exchange rates can be extremely volatile and a variance in the degree of volatility of the market or in the direction of the market from the investment advisers expectations may produce significant losses to these Underlying Funds. |
⬛ | Non-Investment Grade Investments RiskNon-investment grade fixed income securities and unrated securities of comparable credit quality (commonly known as junk bonds) are considered speculative and are subject to the increased risk of an issuers inability to meet principal and interest payment obligations. These securities may be subject to greater price volatility due to such factors as specific issuer developments, interest rate sensitivity, negative perceptions of the junk bond markets generally and less secondary market liquidity. |
Risks That Are Particularly Important For Specific Underlying Funds:
⬛ | Commodity Sector RiskExposure to the commodities markets may subject the Underlying Tactical Fund to greater volatility than investments in more traditional securities. The value of commodity-linked investments may be affected by changes in overall market movements, commodity index volatility, changes in interest rates, or factors affecting a particular industry or commodity, such as drought, floods weather, livestock disease, embargoes, tariffs and international economic, political and regulatory developments. The prices of energy, industrial metals, precious metals, agriculture and livestock sector commodities may fluctuate widely due to factors such as changes in value, supply and demand and governmental regulatory policies. The commodity-linked investments in which the Underlying Tactical Funds subsidiary may enter into may involve counterparties in the financial services sector, and events affecting the financial services sector may cause the subsidiarys, and therefore the Underlying Tactical Funds, share value to fluctuate. |
⬛ | Conflict of Interest RiskAffiliates of the Investment Adviser may participate in the primary and secondary market for loan obligations. Because of limitations imposed by applicable law, the presence of the Investment Advisers affiliates in the loan obligations market may restrict an Underlying Funds ability to acquire some loan obligations or affect the timing or price of such acquisitions. Also, because the Investment Adviser may wish to invest in the publicly traded securities of a borrower, it may not have access to material non-public information regarding the borrower to which other lenders have access. |
⬛ | Counterparty RiskMany of the protections afforded to cleared transactions, such as the security afforded by transacting through a clearing house, might not be available in connection with over-the-counter (OTC) transactions. Therefore, in those instances in which the Underlying Tactical Fund enters into OTC transactions, the Underlying Tactical Fund will be subject to the risk that its direct counterparty will not perform its obligations under the transactions and that the Underlying Tactical Fund will sustain losses. |
⬛ | Derivatives RiskThe Underlying Funds use of options, futures, forwards, swaps, options on swaps, structured securities and other derivative instruments may result in losses. These instruments, which may pose risks in addition to and greater than those associated with investing directly in securities, currencies or other instruments, may be illiquid or less liquid, volatile, difficult to price and leveraged so that small changes in the value of the underlying instruments may produce disproportionate losses to an Underlying Fund. Derivatives are also subject to counterparty risk, which is the risk that the other party in the transaction will not fulfill its contractual obligations, liquidity risk and risks arising from margin requirements, which include the risk that an Underlying Fund will be required to pay additional margin or set aside additional collateral to maintain open derivative positions. Derivatives may be used for both hedging and non-hedging purposes. |
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The use of derivatives is a highly specialized activity that involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with investments in more traditional securities and instruments, and there is no guarantee that the use of derivatives will achieve their intended result. If the Investment Adviser is incorrect in its expectation of the timing or level of fluctuation in securities prices, interest rates, currency prices or other variables, the use of derivatives could result in losses, which in some cases may be significant. A lack of correlation between changes in the value of derivatives and the value of the portfolio assets (if any) being hedged could also result in losses. In addition, there is a risk that the performance of the derivatives or other instruments used by the Investment Adviser to replicate the performance of a particular asset class may not accurately track the performance of that asset class. Derivatives are also subject to risks arising from margin requirements. There is also risk of loss if the Investment Adviser is incorrect in its expectation of the timing or level of fluctuation in securities prices, interest rates, currency prices or other variables.
Certain Underlying Funds may use derivatives, including futures and swaps, to implement short positions. Taking short positions involves leverage of the Underlying Funds assets and presents various risks. If the value of the instrument or market in which an Underlying Fund has taken a short position increases, then that Underlying Fund will incur a loss equal to the increase in value from the time that the short position was entered into plus any premiums and interest paid to a counterparty. Therefore, taking short positions involves the risk that losses may be exaggerated, potentially losing more money than the actual cost of the investment.
As investment companies registered with the SEC, an Underlying Fund must identify on its books (often referred to as asset segregation) liquid assets, or engage in other SEC- or SEC-staff approved measures, to cover open positions with respect to certain kinds of derivatives instruments. For more information about these practices, see Appendix A.
Derivatives Regulatory Risk. In December 2015, the SEC proposed new regulations relating to a mutual funds use of derivatives and related instruments. If these or other regulations are adopted, they could significantly limit or impact an Underlying Funds ability to invest in derivatives and other instruments and adversely affect such Underlying Funds performance and ability to pursue its investment objectives. Certain aspects of the tax treatment of derivative instruments may be affected by changes in legislation, regulations or other legally binding authority that could affect the character, timing and amount of an Underlying Funds taxable income or gains and distributions. There can be no assurance that any new governmental regulation will not adversely affect an Underlying Funds ability to achieve its investment result.
⬛ | Emerging Countries RiskCertain Underlying Funds may invest in securities of issuers located in emerging countries. Investments in securities of issuers located in emerging countries are subject to the risks associated with investments in foreign securities. In addition, the securities markets of most emerging countries are less liquid, developed and efficient, are subject to greater price volatility, have smaller market capitalizations, have more or less government regulation and are not subject to as extensive and frequent accounting, financial and other reporting requirements as the securities markets of more developed countries. Further, investments in securities of issuers located in certain emerging countries involve the risk of loss resulting from problems in share registration, settlement and custody and substantial economic, political and social disruptions. These risks are not normally associated with investments in more developed countries. For more information about these risks, see Appendix A. |
⬛ | Energy Sector RiskThe Underlying MLP Fund concentrates its investments in the energy sector, and will therefore be susceptible to adverse economic, environmental, business, regulatory or other occurrences affecting that sector. The energy sector has historically experienced substantial price volatility. At times, the performance of these investments may lag the performance of other sectors or the market as a whole. MLPs and other companies operating in the energy sector are subject to specific risks, including, among others, fluctuations in commodity prices; reduced consumer demand for commodities such as oil, natural gas or petroleum products; reduced availability of natural gas or other commodities for transporting, processing, storing or delivering; slowdowns in new construction; extreme weather or other natural disasters; and threats of attack by terrorists on energy assets. Additionally, energy sector companies are subject to substantial government regulation and changes in the regulatory environment for energy companies may adversely impact their profitability. MLPs may incur environmental costs and liabilities due to the nature of their businesses and the substances they handle. Changes in existing laws, regulations or enforcement policies governing the energy sector could significantly increase the compliance costs of MLPs. Certain MLPs could, from time to time, be held responsible for implementing remediation measures, the cost of which may not be recoverable from insurance. Over time, depletion of natural gas reserves and other energy reserves may also affect the profitability of energy companies. The Underlying MLP Fund will select its investments in MLPs from the current small pool of issuers. Demand for investment opportunities in MLPs that operate energy-related businesses may exceed supply, which could make it difficult to operate the Underlying MLP Fund. |
⬛ | ExpensesBy investing in pooled investment vehicles (including investment companies and ETFs), partnerships and real estate investment trusts (REITs) indirectly through the Underlying Tactical Fund, an investor in the Underlying Tactical Fund such as the Portfolio will incur not only a proportionate share of the expenses of the other pooled investment vehicles, partnerships and |
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RISKS OF THE UNDERLYING FUNDS
REITs held by the Underlying Tactical Fund (including operating costs and investment management fees), but also expenses of the Underlying Tactical Fund. |
⬛ | Foreign RiskWhen an Underlying Fund invests in foreign securities, it may be subject to risk of loss not typically associated with U.S. issuers. Loss may result because of more or less foreign government regulation, less public information, less liquid, developed or efficient trading markets, greater volatility and less economic, political and social stability in the countries in which an Underlying Fund invests. Loss may also result from, among other things, deteriorating economic and business conditions in other countries, including the United States, regional and global conflicts, the imposition of exchange controls, sanctions, foreign taxes, confiscations, trade restrictions (including tariffs), expropriations and other government restrictions by the United States and other governments, higher transaction costs, difficulty enforcing contractual obligations or from problems in share registration, settlement or custody. An Underlying Fund will also be subject to the risk of negative foreign currency rate fluctuations, which may cause the value of securities denominated in such foreign currency (or other instruments through which an Underlying Fund has exposure to foreign currencies) to decline in value. Currency exchange rates may fluctuate significantly over short periods of time. Foreign risks will normally be greatest when an Underlying Fund invests in securities of issuers located in emerging countries. For more information about these risks, see Appendix A. |
⬛ | Foreign Custody RiskCertain Underlying Funds may hold foreign securities and cash with foreign banks, agents, and securities depositories appointed by the Underlying Funds custodian (each a Foreign Custodian). Some Foreign Custodians may be recently organized or new to the foreign custody business. In some countries, Foreign Custodians may be subject to little or no regulatory oversight over or independent evaluation of their operations. Further, the laws of certain countries may place limitations on an Underlying Funds ability to recover its assets if a Foreign Custodian enters bankruptcy. Investments in emerging markets may be subject to even greater custody risks than investments in more developed markets. Custody services in emerging countries are very often undeveloped and may be considerably less well regulated than in more developed countries, and this may not afford the same level of investor protection as would apply in developed countries. |
⬛ | Geographic RiskIf an Underlying Fund focuses its investments in securities of issuers located in a particular country or geographic region, it will subject the Underlying Fund, to a greater extent than if its investments were less focused, to the risks of volatile economic cycles and/or conditions and developments that may be particular to that country or region, such as: adverse securities markets; adverse exchange rates; adverse social, political, regulatory, economic, business, environmental or other developments; or natural disasters. |
⬛ | Investments in ETFsThe Underlying Tactical Fund may invest directly in unaffiliated ETFs. The ETFs in which the Underlying Tactical Fund may invest are subject to the same risks and may invest directly in the same securities as those of the Underlying Tactical Funds underlying funds. In addition, the Underlying Tactical Funds investments in these unaffiliated ETFs will be subject to the restrictions applicable to investments by an investment company in other investment companies, unless relief is otherwise provided under the terms of an SEC exemptive order or SEC exemptive rule. |
⬛ | Investments of an Underlying Funds Underlying FundsBecause the Underlying Tactical Fund invests in its underlying funds, the Underlying Tactical Funds shareholders will be affected by the investment policies and practices of its underlying funds in direct proportion to the amount of assets the Underlying Tactical Fund allocates to those underlying funds. |
⬛ | Investment Style RiskDifferent investment styles tend to shift in and out of favor depending upon market and economic conditions as well as investor sentiment. An Underlying Fund may outperform or underperform other funds that employ a different investment style. Examples of different investment styles include growth and value investing. Growth stocks may be more volatile than other stocks because they are more sensitive to investor perceptions of the issuing companys growth of earnings potential. Growth companies are often expected by investors to increase their earnings at a certain rate. When these expectations are not met, investors can punish the stocks inordinately even if earnings showed an absolute increase. Also, because growth companies usually invest a high portion of earnings in their business, growth stocks may lack the dividends of some value stocks that can cushion stock prices in a falling market. Growth oriented funds will typically underperform when value investing is in favor. Value stocks are those that are undervalued in comparison to their peers due to adverse business developments or other factors. |
⬛ | Leverage RiskLeverage creates exposure to potential gains and losses in excess of the initial amount invested. Borrowing and the use of derivatives may result in leverage and may make an Underlying Fund more volatile. When an Underlying Fund uses leverage the sum of the Underlying Funds investment exposure may significantly exceed the amount of assets invested in the Underlying Fund, although these exposures may vary over time. Relatively small market movements may result in large changes in the value of a leveraged investment. An Underlying Fund will identify liquid assets on its books or otherwise cover transactions that may give rise to such risk, to the extent required by applicable law. The use of leverage may cause an Underlying Fund to liquidate portfolio positions to satisfy its obligations or to meet segregation requirements when it may not be advantageous to do so. The use of leverage by an Underlying Fund can substantially increase the adverse impact to which the Underlying Funds investment portfolio may be subject. |
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⬛ | Master Limited Partnership RiskInvestments in securities of an MLP involve risks that differ from investments in common stock, including risks related to limited control and limited rights to vote on matters affecting the MLP, risks related to potential conflicts of interest between the MLP and the MLPs general partner, cash flow risks, dilution risks and risks related to the general partners right to require unit-holders to sell their common units at an undesirable time or price, resulting from regulatory changes or other reasons. Certain MLP securities may trade in lower volumes due to their smaller capitalizations, and may be subject to more abrupt or erratic price movements and lower market liquidity. MLPs are generally considered interest-rate sensitive investments. During periods of interest rate volatility, these investments may not provide attractive returns. |
MLP Tax Risk. Tax risks associated with investments in the Underlying MLP Fund include but are not limited to the following:
MLP Tax Risk Generally. Much of the benefit that the Underlying MLP Fund may derive from its investment in equity securities of MLPs is a result of MLPs generally being treated as partnerships for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Partnerships do not pay U.S. federal income tax at the partnership level. Rather, each partner is allocated a share of the partnerships income, gains, losses, deductions and expenses. A change in current tax law or a change in the underlying business mix of a given MLP could result in an MLP being treated as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes, which would result in the MLP being required to pay U.S. federal income tax (as well as state and local income taxes) on its taxable income. The classification of an MLP as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes would have the effect of reducing the amount of cash available for distribution by the MLP. If any MLP in which the Fund invests were treated as a corporation for U.S. Federal income tax purposes, it could result in a reduction of the value of the Underlying MLP Funds investment in the MLP and lower income to the Underlying MLP Fund.
To the extent a distribution received by the Underlying MLP Fund from an MLP is treated as a return of capital, the Underlying MLP Funds adjusted tax basis in the interests of the MLP will be reduced, which may increase the Underlying MLP Funds tax liability upon the sale of the interests in the MLP or upon subsequent distributions in respect of such interests.
Underlying MLP Fund Structure Risk. The Portfolio will gain exposure to MLPs through an investment in the Underlying MLP Fund. Unlike traditional mutual funds that are structured as regulated investment companies for U.S. federal income tax purposes, the Underlying MLP Fund will be taxable as a regular corporation, or C corporation, for U.S. federal income tax purposes. This means that the Underlying MLP Fund generally will be subject to U.S. federal income tax on its taxable income at the rates applicable to corporations (currently a maximum rate of 35%), and will also be subject to state and local income taxes.
Underlying MLP Fund Tax Estimation/NAV Risk. In calculating the Underlying MLP Funds daily NAV, the Underlying MLP Fund will, among other things, accrue for its current taxes and deferred tax liability and/or asset balances. The Underlying MLP Fund will accrue a deferred income tax liability balance, at the then effective statutory U.S. federal income tax rate (currently 35%) plus an estimated state and local income tax rate, for its future tax liability associated with the capital appreciation of its investments and the distributions received by the Underlying MLP Fund on interests of MLPs considered to be a return of capital, and for any net operating gains. Any deferred tax liability balance will reduce the Underlying MLP Funds NAV. The Underlying MLP Fund may also accrue a deferred tax asset balance, which reflects an estimate of the Underlying MLP Funds future tax benefit associated with net operating losses and unrealized losses. Any deferred tax asset balance will increase the Underlying MLP Funds NAV. The Underlying MLP Fund will rely to some extent on information provided by MLPs, which may not be provided to the Underlying MLP Fund on a timely basis, to estimate current taxes and deferred tax liability and/or asset balances for purposes of financial statement reporting and determining its NAV. The daily estimate of the Underlying MLP Funds current taxes and deferred tax liability and/or asset balances used to calculate the Underlying MLP Funds NAV could vary dramatically from the Underlying MLP Funds actual tax liability or benefit, and, as a result, the determination of the Underlying MLP Funds actual tax liability or benefit may have a material impact on the Underlying MLP Funds NAV. From time to time, the Underlying MLP Fund may modify its estimates or assumptions regarding its current taxes and deferred tax liability and/or asset balances as new information becomes available, which modifications in estimates or assumptions may have a material impact on the Underlying MLP Funds NAV. Shareholders who redeem their shares at a NAV that is based on estimates of the Underlying MLP Funds current taxes and deferred tax liability and/or asset balances may benefit at the expense of remaining shareholders (or remaining shareholders may benefit at the expense of redeeming shareholders) if the estimates are later revised or ultimately differ from the Underlying MLP Funds actual current taxes and tax liability and/or asset balances.
⬛ | Option Writing RiskWriting (selling) call options limits the opportunity to profit from an increase in the market value of stocks in exchange for up-front cash at the time of selling the call option. When the U.S. Equity Dividend and Premium Fund or International Equity Dividend and Premium Fund writes (sells) stock index (or related ETF) call options, it receives cash but limits its opportunity to profit from an increase in the market value of the index or related ETF beyond the exercise price (plus the premium received) of the option. In a rising market, these Underlying Funds could significantly underperform the market. These Underlying Funds option strategies may not fully protect them against declines in the values of the markets. Cash received from premiums |
46
RISKS OF THE UNDERLYING FUNDS
will enhance return in declining markets, but these Underlying Funds will continue to bear the risk of a decline in the value of the securities held in their portfolios and in a period of a sharply falling equity market, these Underlying Funds will likely also experience sharp declines in their net asset values. |
⬛ | Private Investment RiskThe Underlying MLP Fund may make private investments in public equities (PIPEs). PIPE transactions typically involve the purchase of securities directly from a publicly traded company or its affiliates in a private placement transaction, typically at a discount to the market price of the companys common stock. Equity issued in this manner is often subject to transfer restrictions and is therefore less liquid than equity issued through a registered public offering. In a PIPE transaction, the Fund may bear the price risk from the time of pricing until the time of closing. The Underlying MLP Fund may be subject to lock-up agreements that prohibit transfers for a fixed period of time. In addition, because the sale of the securities in a PIPE transaction is not registered under the Securities Act, the securities are restricted and cannot be immediately resold by the investors into the public markets. The Underlying MLP Fund may enter into a registration rights agreement with the issuer pursuant to which the issuer commits to file a resale registration statement allowing the Underlying MLP Fund to publicly resell its securities. Accordingly, PIPE securities may be deemed illiquid. However, the ability of the Underlying MLP Fund to freely transfer the shares is conditioned upon, among other things, the SECs preparedness to declare the resale registration statement effective covering the resale, from time to time, of the shares sold in the private financing and the issuers right to suspend the Underlying MLP Funds use of the resale registration statement if the issuer is pursuing a transaction or some other material non-public event is occurring. Accordingly, PIPE securities may be subject to risks associated with illiquid securities. |
⬛ | REIT RiskInvesting in REITs involves certain unique risks in addition to those risks associated with investing in the real estate industry in general. REITs whose underlying properties are concentrated in a particular industry or geographic region are also subject to risks affecting such industries and regions. The securities of REITs involve greater risks than those associated with larger, more established companies and may be subject to more abrupt or erratic price movements because of interest rate changes, economic conditions and other factors. Securities of such issuers may lack sufficient market liquidity to enable an Underlying Fund to effect sales at an advantageous time or without a substantial drop in price. |
⬛ | Sector RiskTo the extent an Underlying Fund focuses its investments in securities of issuers in one or more sectors (such as the financial services or telecommunications sectors), the Underlying Fund will be subject, to a greater extent than if its investments were diversified across different sectors, to the risks of volatile economic cycles and/or conditions and developments that may be particular to that sector, such as: adverse economic, business, political, environmental or other developments. |
⬛ | Short Position RiskThe Underlying Tactical Fund may enter into a short position through a futures contract, an option or swap agreement or through short sales of any instrument that the Portfolio may purchase for investment. Taking short positions involves leverage of the Underlying Tactical Funds assets and presents various risks. If the value of the underlying instrument or market in which the Underlying Tactical Fund has taken a short position increases, then it will incur a loss equal to the increase in value from the time that the short position was entered into plus any related interest payments or other fees. Taking short positions involves the risk that losses may be disproportionate, may exceed the amount invested and may be unlimited. |
⬛ | Small-Cap and Mid-Cap RiskCertain Underlying Funds may invest in small- and mid-capitalization stocks. The securities of small- and mid-capitalization companies involve greater risks than those associated with larger, more established companies and may be subject to more abrupt or erratic price movements. Securities of such issuers may lack sufficient market liquidity to enable an Underlying Fund to effect sales at an advantageous time or without a substantial drop in price. Both small- and mid-capitalization companies often have narrower markets and more limited managerial and financial resources than larger, more established companies. As a result, their performance can be more volatile and they face greater risk of business failure, which could increase the volatility of an Underlying Funds portfolio. Generally, the smaller the company size, the greater these risks. |
⬛ | Sovereign Default RiskCertain Underlying Funds will be subject to the risk that the issuer of the sovereign debt or the governmental authorities that control the repayment of the debt may be unable or unwilling to repay the principal or interest when due. This may result from political or social factors, the general economic environment of a country or levels of foreign debt or foreign currency exchange rates. Sovereign Default Risk includes the following risks: |
⬛ | Political RiskThe risks associated with the general political and social environment of a country. These factors may include among other things government instability, poor socioeconomic conditions, corruption, lack of law and order, lack of democratic accountability, poor quality of the bureaucracy, internal and external conflict, and religious and ethnic tensions. High political risk can impede the economic welfare of a country. |
⬛ | Economic RiskThe risks associated with the general economic environment of a country. These can encompass, among other things, low quality and growth rate of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), high inflation or deflation, high government deficits as a percentage of GDP, weak financial sector, overvalued exchange rate, and high current account deficits as a percentage of GDP. |
47
⬛ | Repayment RiskA country may be unable to pay its external debt obligations in the immediate future. Repayment risk factors may include but are not limited to high foreign debt as a percentage of GDP, high foreign debt service as a percentage of exports, low foreign exchange reserves as a percentage of short-term debt or exports, and an unsustainable exchange rate structure. |
⬛ | Strategy RiskThe Underlying MLP Funds strategy of investing primarily in MLPs, resulting in its being taxed as a regular corporation, or a C corporation, rather than as a regulated investment company for U.S. federal income tax purposes, is a relatively new investment strategy for mutual funds. This strategy involves complicated and in some cases unsettled accounting, tax and valuation issues that may result in unexpected and potentially significant consequences for the Underlying MLP Fund and its shareholders. In addition, accounting, tax and valuation procedures in this area are still developing, and there may not always be a clear consensus among industry participants as to the most appropriate approach. This may result in changes over time in the Underlying MLP Funds accounting, tax and valuation practices, which, in turn, could have material adverse consequences on the Underlying MLP Fund and its shareholders. |
⬛ | Subsidiary RiskThe Underlying Tactical Funds wholly-owned subsidiary organized as a company under the laws of the Cayman Islands (the Subsidiary) is not registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the Investment Company Act), and is not subject to all the investor protections of the Investment Company Act. Changes in the laws of the United States and/or the Cayman Islands could result in the inability of the Underlying Tactical Fund and/or the Subsidiary to operate as described in the Underlying Tactical Funds Prospectus and Statement of Additional Information and could adversely affect the Underlying Tactical Fund. |
⬛ | Subsidiary Tax RiskThe Underlying Tactical Fund will seek to gain exposure to the commodity markets primarily through investments in the Funds Subsidiary and commodity index-linked structured notes. Historically, the IRS issued private letter rulings in which the IRS specifically concluded that income and gains from investments in commodity index-linked structured notes or a wholly-owned foreign subsidiary that invests in commodity-linked instruments are qualifying income for purposes of compliance with Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the Code). However, the Underlying Tactical Fund has not received such a private letter ruling, and is not able to rely on private letter rulings issued to other taxpayers. Additionally, the IRS has suspended the granting of such private letter rulings pending review of its position on this matter. The IRS also recently issued proposed regulations that, if finalized, would generally treat the Underlying Tactical Funds income inclusion with respect to a subsidiary as qualifying income only if there is a distribution out of the earnings and profits of a subsidiary that are attributable to such income inclusion. The proposed regulations, if adopted, would apply to taxable years beginning on or after 90 days after the regulations are published as final. |
The IRS also recently issued a revenue procedure, which states that the IRS will not in the future issue private letter rulings that would require a determination of whether an asset (such as a commodity index-linked note) is a security under the Investment Company Act. The tax treatment of the Underlying Tactical Funds investments in the Subsidiary or commodity index-linked structured notes may be adversely affected by future legislation, court decisions, Treasury Regulations and/or guidance issued by the IRS (which may be retroactive) that could affect whether income derived from such investments is qualifying income under Subchapter M of Code, or otherwise affect the character, timing and/or amount of the Underlying Tactical Funds taxable income or any gains and distributions made by the Underlying Tactical Fund. In connection with investments in the Subsidiary and commodity index-linked structured notes, the Underlying Tactical Fund has obtained an opinion of counsel that its income from such investments should constitute qualifying income. However, no assurances can be provided that the IRS would not be able to successfully assert that the Underlying Tactical Funds income from such investments was not qualifying income, in which case the Underlying Tactical Fund would fail to qualify as a regulated investment company (RIC) under Subchapter M of the Code if over 10% of its gross income was derived from these investments. If the Underlying Tactical Fund failed to qualify as a RIC, it would be subject to federal and state income tax on all of its taxable income at regular corporate tax rates with no deduction for any distributions paid to shareholders, which would significantly adversely affect the returns to, and could cause substantial loss for, Underlying Tactical Fund shareholders.
⬛ | Swaps RiskThe use of swaps is a highly specialized activity which involves investment techniques and risk analyses different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. Certain Underlying Funds transactions in swaps may be significant. These transactions can result in sizeable realized and unrealized capital gains and losses relative to the gains and losses from such Underlying Funds direct investments in securities and short sales. |
Transactions in swaps can involve greater risks than if an Underlying Fund had invested in securities directly since, in addition to general market risks, swaps may be leveraged and are also subject to illiquidity risk, counterparty risk, credit risk and pricing risk. Regulators also may impose limits on an entitys or group of entities positions in certain swaps. However, certain risks are reduced (but not eliminated) if an Underlying Fund invests in cleared swaps. Because bilateral swap agreements are two-party
48
RISKS OF THE UNDERLYING FUNDS
contracts and because they may have terms of greater than seven days, these swaps may be considered to be illiquid. Moreover, an Underlying Fund bears the risk of loss of the amount expected to be received under an equity swap in the event of the default or bankruptcy of a swap counterparty. Many swaps are complex and valued subjectively. Swaps may also be subject to pricing or basis risk, which exists when a particular derivative diverges from the price of corresponding cash market instruments. Under certain market conditions it may not be economically feasible to initiate a transaction or liquidate a position in time to avoid a loss or take advantage of an opportunity. If a swap transaction is particularly large or if the relevant market is illiquid, it may not be possible to initiate a transaction or liquidate a position at an advantageous time or price, which may result in significant losses.
The value of swaps can be very volatile, and a variance in the degree of volatility or in the direction of securities prices from the expectations of an Underlying Funds investment adviser may produce significant losses in such Underlying Funds investments in swaps. In addition, a perfect correlation between a swap and a security position may be impossible to achieve. As a result, an Underlying Funds investment advisers use of swaps may not be effective in fulfilling the investment advisers investment strategies and may contribute to losses that would not have been incurred otherwise.
⬛ | Tax-Managed Investment RiskBecause the Investment Adviser balances investment considerations and tax considerations, the pre-tax performance of the U.S. Equity Dividend and Premium Fund, International Equity Dividend and Premium Fund, U.S. Tax-Managed Equity Fund and International Tax-Managed Equity Fund may be lower than the performance of similar funds that are not tax-managed. This is because the Investment Adviser may choose not to make certain investments that may result in taxable distributions. Even though tax-managed strategies are being used, they may not reduce the amount of taxable income and capital gains distributed by these Underlying Funds to shareholders. A high percentage of these Underlying Funds NAVs may consist of unrealized capital gains, which represent a potential future tax liability to shareholders. |
⬛ | Underlying Funds Investments in Affiliated Underlying FundsThe Investment Adviser will have the authority to select and substitute the Underlying Tactical Funds underlying funds. The Investment Adviser and/or its affiliates are compensated by the Underlying Tactical Fund and its underlying funds for advisory and/or principal underwriting services provided. The Investment Adviser is subject to conflicts of interest in allocating Underlying Tactical Fund assets among the various underlying funds in which it invests, both because the fees payable to the Underlying Tactical Fund and/or its affiliates by its underlying funds differ and because the Investment Adviser and its affiliates are also responsible for managing the Underlying Tactical Funds underlying funds. The portfolio managers may also be subject to conflicts of interest in allocating Underlying Tactical Fund assets among the various underlying funds in which it invests because the Underlying Tactical Funds portfolio management team may also manage some of its underlying funds. The Trustees and officers of the Trust may also have conflicting interests in fulfilling their fiduciary duties to both the Underlying Tactical Fund and those underlying funds for which GSAM or its affiliates now or in the future serve as investment adviser or principal underwriter. In selecting actively managed underlying funds of the Underlying Tactical Fund, the Investment Adviser generally expects to select affiliated investment companies without considering or canvassing the universe of unaffiliated investment companies available even though there may (or may not) be one or more unaffiliated investment company that may be a more appropriate addition to the Underlying Tactical Fund. To the extent that an investment in an affiliated investment company is not available, including as the result of capacity constraints, only then will the Investment Adviser consider unaffiliated investment companies. |
⬛ | Underlying Funds Investments in Underlying FundsThe Underlying Tactical Funds investment performance is directly related to the investment performance of the underlying funds that the Underlying Tactical Fund holds. The ability of the Underlying Tactical Fund to meet its investment objective is directly related to the ability of the Underlying Tactical Funds underlying funds to meet their objectives as well as the allocation among those underlying funds by the Investment Adviser. |
More information about the portfolio securities and investment techniques of the Underlying Funds, and their associated risks, is provided in Appendix A. You should consider the investment risks discussed in this section and in Appendix A. Both are important to your investment choice.
49
INVESTMENT ADVISERS |
Investment Adviser | Portfolio | |
Goldman Sachs Asset Management, L.P. (GSAM) 200 West Street |
Enhanced Dividend Global Equity | |
New York, New York 10282 |
Tax-Advantaged Global Equity | |
GSAM also serves as investment adviser to each Underlying Fund that the Portfolios are invested in as of the date of the Prospectus.
GSAM has been registered as an investment adviser with the SEC since 1990 and is a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. and an affiliate of Goldman, Sachs & Co. (Goldman Sachs). GSAM also serves as investment adviser to each Underlying Fund. Founded in 1869, The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. is a publicly-held financial holding company and a leading global investment banking, securities and investment management firm. As of September 30, 2016, GSAM, including its investment advisory affiliates, had assets under supervision of approximately $1.15 trillion.
Under a Management Agreement with each Portfolio, the Investment Adviser, subject to the general supervision of the Trustees, provides advice as to each Portfolios investment transactions, including determinations concerning changes to (a) the Underlying Funds and securities in which the Portfolios may invest; and (b) the percentage range of assets of any Portfolio that may be invested in the Underlying Equity Funds and the Underlying Fixed Income Funds as separate groups.
While the Investment Adviser is ultimately responsible for the management of the Portfolios, it is able to draw upon the research and expertise of its asset management affiliates for portfolio decisions and management with respect to certain portfolio securities. In addition, the Investment Adviser has access to the research and certain proprietary technical models developed by Goldman Sachs (subject to legal, internal, regulatory and Chinese Wall restrictions), and will apply quantitative and qualitative analysis in determining the appropriate allocations among Underlying Funds and securities in which the Portfolios may directly invest.
The Investment Adviser also performs the following additional services for the Portfolios (to the extent not performed by others pursuant to agreements with the Portfolios):
¢ | Supervises all non-advisory operations of the Portfolios |
¢ | Provides personnel to perform necessary executive, administrative and clerical services to the Portfolios |
¢ | Arranges for the preparation of all required tax returns, reports to shareholders, prospectuses and statements of additional information and other reports filed with the SEC and other regulatory authorities |
¢ | Maintains the records of each Portfolio |
¢ | Provides office space and all necessary office equipment and services |
An investment in a Portfolio may be negatively impacted because of the operational risks arising from factors such as processing errors and human errors, inadequate or failed internal or external processes, failures in systems and technology, changes in personnel, and errors caused by third-party service providers or trading counterparties. Although the Portfolios attempt to minimize such failures through controls and oversight, it is not possible to identify all of the operational risks that may affect a Portfolio or to develop processes and controls that completely eliminate or mitigate the occurrence of such failures. A Portfolio and its shareholders could be negatively impacted as a result.
From time to time, Goldman Sachs, or its affiliates may invest seed capital in a Portfolio or an Underlying Fund. These investments are generally intended to enable a Portfolio or an Underlying Fund, as the case may be, to commence investment operations and achieve sufficient scale. Goldman Sachs and its affiliates may hedge the exposure of seed capital invested in a Portfolio or an Underlying Fund by, among other things, taking an offsetting position in the benchmark of the Fund.
50
SERVICE PROVIDERS
MANAGEMENT FEES AND OTHER EXPENSES |
As compensation for its services and its assumption of certain expenses, the Investment Adviser is entitled to the following fees, computed daily and payable monthly, at the annual rates listed below (as a percentage of each respective Portfolios average daily net assets):
Portfolio | Contractual Management Fee |
Actual Rate For the Fiscal Year Ended August 31, 2016 | ||
Enhanced Dividend Global Equity |
0.15% | 0.08%* | ||
Tax-Advantaged Global Equity |
0.15% | 0.08%* | ||
* | The Investment Adviser has agreed to waive a portion of its management fee in order to achieve an effective rate of 0.08% as an annual percentage rate of the average daily net assets of the Enhanced Dividend Global Equity Portfolio and the Tax-Advantaged Global Equity Portfolio through at least December 29, 2017, and prior to such date, the Investment Adviser may not terminate the arrangement without the approval of the Board of Trustees. This management fee waiver may be modified or terminated by the Investment Adviser at its discretion and without shareholder approval after such date, although the Investment Adviser does not presently intend to do so. |
In addition to the management fee waiver described above, the Investment Adviser may waive an additional portion of its management fees from time to time, and may discontinue or modify any such waivers in the future, consistent with the terms of any fee waiver arrangements in place.
In addition, each Portfolio, as a shareholder in the Underlying Funds, will indirectly bear a proportionate share of any investment management fees and other expenses paid by the Underlying Funds. The following chart shows the total net operating expense ratios (management fee plus other operating expenses) of Institutional Shares of each strategic Underlying Fund in which the Portfolios may invest after applicable fee waivers and expense limitations. In addition, the following chart shows the contractual investment management fees payable to the Investment Adviser or its affiliates by the Underlying Funds (in each case as an annualized percentage of an Underlying Funds average daily net assets). Absent fee waivers and/or expense reimbursements, which may be discontinued at any time, consistent with the terms of any such arrangements, the total operating expense ratios of certain Underlying Funds would be higher.
Underlying Fund | Management Fee | Total Net Operating Expense Ratio* | ||||||
Core Fixed Income |
First $1 Billion | 0.40% | 0.44% | |||||
Next $1 Billion | 0.36% | |||||||
Next $3 Billion | 0.34% | |||||||
Next $3 Billion | 0.33% | |||||||
Over $8 Billion | 0.32% | |||||||
High Yield |
First $2 Billion | 0.70% | 0.71% | |||||
Next $3 Billion | 0.63% | |||||||
Next $3 Billion | 0.60% | |||||||
Over $8 Billion | 0.59% | |||||||
High Yield Floating Rate |
First $1 Billion | 0.60% | 0.61% | |||||
Next $1 Billion | 0.54% | |||||||
Next $3 Billion | 0.51% | |||||||
Next $3 Billion | 0.50% | |||||||
Over $8 Billion | 0.49% | |||||||
Local Emerging Markets Debt |
First $2 Billion | 0.90% | 0.91% | |||||
Next $3 Billion | 0.81% | |||||||
Next $3 Billion | 0.77% | |||||||
Over $8 Billion | 0.75% | |||||||
Small Cap Equity Insights |
First $2 Billion | 0.85% | 0.85% | |||||
Next $3 Billion | 0.77% | |||||||
Next $3 Billion | 0.73% | |||||||
Over $8 Billion | 0.72% | |||||||
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Underlying Fund | Management Fee | Total Net Operating Expense Ratio* | ||||||
International Tax-Managed Equity |
First $1 Billion | 0.85% | 0.97% | |||||
Next $1 Billion | 0.77% | |||||||
Next $3 Billion | 0.73% | |||||||
Next $3 Billion | 0.72% | |||||||
Over $8 Billion | 0.71% | |||||||
U.S. Tax-Managed Equity |
First $1 Billion | 0.70% | 0.77% | |||||
Next $1 Billion | 0.63% | |||||||
Next $3 Billion | 0.60% | |||||||
Next $3 Billion | 0.59% | |||||||
Over $8 Billion | 0.58% | |||||||
Emerging Markets Equity Insights |
First $2 Billion | 1.00% | 1.17% | |||||
Next $3 Billion | 0.90% | |||||||
Next $3 Billion | 0.86% | |||||||
Over $8 Billion | 0.84% | |||||||
International Small Cap Insights |
First $2 Billion | 0.85% | 0.90% | |||||
Next $3 Billion | 0.77% | |||||||
Next $3 Billion | 0.73% | |||||||
Over $8 Billion | 0.72% | |||||||
U.S. Equity Dividend and Premium |
First $1 Billion | 0.75% | 0.77% | |||||
Next $1 Billion | 0.68% | |||||||
Next $3 Billion | 0.65% | |||||||
Next $3 Billion | 0.64% | |||||||
Over $8 Billion | 0.63% | |||||||
International Equity Dividend and Premium |
First $1 Billion | 0.81% | 0.97% | |||||
Next $1 Billion | 0.73% | |||||||
Next $3 Billion | 0.69% | |||||||
Next $3 Billion | 0.68% | |||||||
Over $8 Billion | 0.67% | |||||||
MLP Energy Infrastructure |
First $1 Billion | 1.00% | 1.06% | |||||
Next $1 Billion | 0.90% | |||||||
Next $3 Billion | 0.86% | |||||||
Next $3 Billion | 0.84% | |||||||
Next $8 Billion | 0.82% | |||||||
Large Cap Value Insights |
First $1 Billion | 0.60% | 0.56% | |||||
Next $1 Billion | 0.54% | |||||||
Next $3 Billion | 0.51% | |||||||
Next $3 Billion | 0.50% | |||||||
Over $8 Billion | 0.49% | |||||||
Large Cap Growth Insights |
First $1 Billion | 0.65% | 0.56% | |||||
Next $1 Billion | 0.59% | |||||||
Next $3 Billion | 0.56% | |||||||
Next $3 Billion | 0.55% | |||||||
Over $8 Billion | 0.54% | |||||||
Small Cap Growth Insights |
First $1 Billion | 0.85% | 0.85% | |||||
Next $1 Billion | 0.85% | |||||||
Next $3 Billion | 0.77% | |||||||
Next $3 Billion | 0.73% | |||||||
Over $8 Billion | 0.72% | |||||||
Small Cap Value Insights |
First $1 Billion | 0.85% | 0.85% | |||||
Next $1 Billion | 0.85% | |||||||
Next $3 Billion | 0.77% | |||||||
Next $3 Billion | 0.73% | |||||||
Over $8 Billion | 0.72% | |||||||
U.S. Equity Insights |
First $1 Billion | 0.65% | 0.56% | |||||
Next $1 Billion | 0.59% | |||||||
Next $3 Billion | 0.56% | |||||||
Next $3 Billion | 0.55% | |||||||
Over $8 Billion | 0.54% | |||||||
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SERVICE PROVIDERS
Underlying Fund | Management Fee | Total Net Operating Expense Ratio* | ||||||
International Equity Insights |
First $1 Billion | 0.85% | 0.85% | |||||
Next $1 Billion | 0.77% | |||||||
Next $3 Billion | 0.73% | |||||||
Next $3 Billion | 0.72% | |||||||
Over $8 Billion | 0.71% | |||||||
Tactical Tilt Overlay |
First $2 Billion | 0.75% | 0.57% | |||||
Next $3 Billion | 0.68% | |||||||
Next $3 Billion | 0.64% | |||||||
Over $8 Billion | 0.62% | |||||||
* | As disclosed in the Underlying Funds most recent publicly available shareholder report. |
A discussion regarding the basis for the Board of Trustees approval of the Management Agreement for the Portfolios is available in the Portfolios annual report dated August 31, 2016.
The Investment Adviser has agreed to reduce or limit Other Expenses (excluding acquired underlying fund fees and expenses, transfer agency fees and expenses, taxes, interest, brokerage fees, shareholder meeting, litigation, indemnification and extraordinary expenses) equal on an annualized basis to 0.014% of each Portfolios average daily net assets, through at least December 29, 2017, and prior to such date, the Investment Adviser may not terminate the arrangement without the approval of the Board of Trustees. The expense limitations may be modified or terminated by the Investment Adviser at its discretion and without shareholder approval after such date, although the Investment Adviser does not presently intend to do so. The Portfolios Other Expenses may be further reduced by any custody and transfer agency fee credits received by the Portfolios.
PORTFOLIO MANAGERS |
Quantitative Investment Strategies (QIS) Team
The individuals jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Portfolios are listed below. The Portfolios portfolio managers individual responsibilities may differ and may include, among other things, development and maintenance of quantitative models and processes in combination with a qualitative overlay, asset allocation, risk budgeting and general oversight of research, implementation processes and the management of the Portfolios portfolios.
Name and Title | Years Primarily Responsible |
Five Year Employment History | ||
Gary Chropuvka, CFA Managing Director and Head of Quantitative Investment Strategies Customized Beta Strategies |
Since 2013 |
Mr. Chropuvka is the head of Customized Beta Strategies business within GSAMs Quantitative Investment Strategies (QIS) team, overseeing the teams tax-efficient, rules-based and customized beta investment strategies. He also co-heads global client portfolio management for GSAMs Quantitative and Fundamental Equities businesses. Previously, he was a Portfolio Manager for GSAMs Quantitative Equity business, a position he held for seven years. Mr. Chropuvka originally joined GSAM in March 1998 as an analyst in the Private Equity Group and has been a member of the QIS team since 1999. | ||
Monali Vora, CFA Managing Director |
Since 2009 |
Ms. Vora is a member of the Customized Beta Strategies team. Prior to working in the Customized Beta Strategies team, she spent six years as a member of the QIS Equity Portfolio Implementation team. Ms. Vora joined the Investment Adviser in 2000. | ||
Aron Kershner Vice President |
Since 2014 |
Mr. Kershner is a member of the Customized Beta Strategies team. Prior to working in the Customized Beta Strategies team, he spent two years as a member of the QIS Product Strategy team. Mr. Kershner joined the Investment Adviser in 2005. | ||
For information about the portfolio managers compensation, other accounts managed by the portfolio managers and the portfolio managers ownership of securities in the Portfolios, see the SAI.
DISTRIBUTOR AND TRANSFER AGENT |
Goldman Sachs, 200 West Street, New York, NY 10282, serves as the exclusive distributor (the Distributor) of each Portfolios shares. Goldman Sachs, 71 S. Wacker Drive, Chicago, IL 60606, also serves as each Portfolios transfer agent (the Transfer Agent) and, as such, performs various shareholder servicing functions.
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For its transfer agency services, Goldman Sachs is entitled to receive a transfer agency fee equal, on an annualized basis, to 0.04% of average daily net assets with respect to Institutional Shares and 0.19% of average daily net assets with respect to Class A Shares.
From time to time, Goldman Sachs or any of its affiliates may purchase and hold shares of the Underlying Funds or Portfolios. Goldman Sachs reserves the right to redeem at any time some or all of the shares acquired for its own account.
ACTIVITIES OF GOLDMAN SACHS AND ITS AFFILIATES AND OTHER ACCOUNTS MANAGED BY GOLDMAN SACHS |
The involvement of the Investment Adviser, Goldman Sachs and their affiliates in the management of, or their interest in, other accounts and other activities of Goldman Sachs may present conflicts of interest with respect to an Underlying Fund or a Portfolio or limit an Underlying Funds or a Portfolios investment activities. Goldman Sachs is a worldwide, full service investment banking, broker dealer, asset management and financial services organization and a major participant in global financial markets that provides a wide range of financial services to a substantial and diversified client base that includes corporations, financial institutions, governments and high-net-worth individuals. As such, it acts as an investor, investment banker, research provider, investment manager, financier, adviser, market maker, trader, prime broker, lender, agent and principal. In those and other capacities, Goldman Sachs advises clients in all markets and transactions, and purchases, sells, holds and recommends a broad array of investments, including securities, derivatives, loans, commodities, currencies, credit default swaps, indices, baskets and other financial instruments and products for its own account or for the accounts of its customers, and has other direct and indirect interests in the global fixed income, currency, commodity, equities, bank loans and other markets in which the Underlying Funds and Portfolios directly and indirectly invest. Thus, it is likely that the Underlying Funds and Portfolios will have multiple business relationships with and will invest in, engage in transactions with, make voting decisions with respect to, or obtain services from entities for which Goldman Sachs performs or seeks to perform investment banking or other services. The Investment Adviser and/or certain of its affiliates are the managers of the Goldman Sachs Funds. The Investment Adviser and its affiliates earn fees from this and other relationships with the Funds. Although those fees are generally based on asset levels, the fees are not directly contingent on Fund performance, and Goldman Sachs would still receive significant compensation from the Funds even if shareholders lose money. Goldman Sachs and its affiliates engage in proprietary trading and advise accounts and funds which have investment objectives similar to those of the Underlying Funds and Portfolios and/or which engage in and compete for transactions in the same types of securities, currencies and instruments as the Underlying Funds and Portfolios. Goldman Sachs and its affiliates will not have any obligation to make available any information regarding their proprietary activities or strategies, or the activities or strategies used for other accounts managed by them, for the benefit of the management of the Underlying Funds and Portfolios. The results of an Underlying Funds or a Portfolios investment activities, therefore, may differ from those of Goldman Sachs, its affiliates, and other accounts managed by Goldman Sachs, and it is possible that an Underlying Fund or a Portfolio could sustain losses during periods in which Goldman Sachs and its affiliates and other accounts achieve significant profits on their trading for proprietary or other accounts. In addition, the Underlying Funds and Portfolios may enter into transactions in which Goldman Sachs or its other clients have an adverse interest. For example, an Underlying Fund or a Portfolio may take a long position in a security at the same time that Goldman Sachs or other accounts managed by the Investment Adviser take a short position in the same security (or vice versa). These and other transactions undertaken by Goldman Sachs, its affiliates or Goldman Sachs-advised clients may, individually or in the aggregate, adversely impact the Underlying Funds and Portfolios. Transactions by one or more Goldman Sachs-advised clients or the Investment Adviser may have the effect of diluting or otherwise disadvantaging the values, prices or investment strategies of the Underlying Funds and Portfolios. An Underlying Funds or a Portfolios activities may be limited because of regulatory restrictions applicable to Goldman Sachs and its affiliates, and/or their internal policies designed to comply with such restrictions. As a global financial services firm, Goldman Sachs also provides a wide range of investment banking and financial services to issuers of securities and investors in securities. Goldman Sachs, its affiliates and others associated with it may create markets or specialize in, have positions in and affect transactions in, securities of issuers held by the Underlying Funds and Portfolios, and may also perform or seek to perform investment banking and financial services for those issuers. Goldman Sachs and its affiliates may have business relationships with and purchase or distribute or sell services or products from or to distributors, consultants or others who recommend the Underlying Funds and Portfolios or who engage in transactions with or for the Underlying Funds and Portfolios. For more information about conflicts of interest, see the SAI.
An Underlying Funds Board of Trustees may approve a securities lending program where an affiliate of the Investment Adviser or State Street is retained to serve as a securities lending agent for the Underlying Fund to the extent that the Underlying Fund engages in the securities lending program. For these services, the lending agent may receive a fee from the Underlying Fund, including a fee based on the returns earned on the Underlying Funds investment of the cash received as collateral for the loaned
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SERVICE PROVIDERS
securities. The Board of Trustees periodically reviews reports on portfolio securities loan transactions for which an affiliated lending agent has acted as the leading agent. In addition, an Underlying Fund may make brokerage and other payments to Goldman Sachs and its affiliates in connection with the Underlying Funds portfolio investment transactions, in accordance with applicable law.
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Each Portfolio pays distributions from its investment income and from net realized capital gains. You may choose to have distributions paid in:
¢ | Cash |
¢ | Additional shares of the same class of the same Portfolio |
¢ | Shares of the same or an equivalent class of another Goldman Sachs Fund. Special restrictions may apply. See the SAI. |
You may indicate your election on your account application. Any changes may be submitted in writing or via telephone in some instances, to the Transfer Agent (either directly or through your Intermediary) at any time before the record date for a particular distribution. If you do not indicate any choice, your distributions will be reinvested automatically in the applicable Portfolio. If cash distributions are elected with respect to the Portfolios distributions from net investment income, then cash distributions must also be elected with respect to the net short-term capital gains component, if any, of the Portfolios distributions.
The election to reinvest distributions in additional shares will not affect the tax treatment of such distributions, which will be treated as received by you and then used to purchase the shares.
Distributions from net investment income and distributions from net capital gains, if any, are declared and paid as follows:
Investment Income Distributions |
Capital Gains Distributions | |||
Portfolio | Declared and Paid | Declared and Paid | ||
Enhanced Dividend Global Equity |
Quarterly | Annually | ||
Tax-Advantaged Global Equity |
Annually | Annually | ||
In addition to the net investment income dividends declared and paid quarterly, the Enhanced Dividend Global Equity Portfolio may also earn additional net investment income throughout the year. Any additional net investment income will be distributed annually as a declared event and paid to shareholders of record for such events.
From time to time a portion of a Portfolios distributions may constitute a return of capital for tax purposes, and/or may include amounts in excess of the Portfolios net investment income for the period calculated in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP).
When you purchase shares of a Portfolio, part of the NAV per share may be represented by undistributed income and/or undistributed realized gains that have previously been earned by the Portfolio. Therefore, subsequent distributions on such shares from such income and/or realized gains may be taxable to you even if the NAV of the shares is, as a result of the distributions, reduced below the cost of such shares and the distributions (or portions thereof) represent a return of a portion of the purchase price.
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The following section will provide you with answers to some of the most frequently asked questions regarding buying and selling the Portfolios shares.
HOW TO BUY SHARES |
Shares Offering
Shares of the Portfolios are continuously offered through the Distributor. The Portfolios and the Distributor will have the sole right to accept orders to purchase shares and reserve the right to reject any order in whole or in part.
How Can I Purchase Shares Of The Portfolios?
You may purchase shares of the Portfolios through intermediaries that have a relationship with Goldman Sachs, including banks, trust companies, brokers, registered investment advisers and other financial institutions (Intermediaries). Certain Intermediaries have been authorized by Goldman Sachs Trust (the Trust) to accept purchase, redemption or exchange orders on behalf of the Portfolios for their customers (Authorized Institutions), and if approved by the Portfolios, may designate other financial intermediaries to accept such orders. You should contact your Intermediary to learn whether it is authorized to accept orders on behalf of the Portfolios (i.e., an Authorized Institution). In order to make an initial investment in a Portfolio you must furnish to your Intermediary the information in the account application.
The decision as to which class to purchase depends on the amount you invest, the intended length of the investment and your personal situation. You should contact your Intermediary to discuss which share class option is right for you.
Note: Intermediaries may receive different compensation for selling different share classes.
To open an account, contact your Intermediary. Customers of an Intermediary will normally give their order instructions to the Intermediary, and the Intermediary will, in turn, place the order with the Transfer Agent. Intermediaries are responsible for transmitting accepted orders and payments to the Transfer Agent within the time period agreed upon by them and will set times by which orders and payments must be received by them from their customers. The Trust, Transfer Agent, Investment Adviser and their affiliates will not be responsible for any loss in connection with orders that are not transmitted to the Transfer Agent by an Intermediary on a timely basis.
A Portfolio will be deemed to have received an order for purchase, redemption or exchange of Portfolio shares when the order is accepted in proper form by the Transfer Agent (or, if applicable, by an Authorized Institution) on a business day, and the order will be priced at the Portfolios current NAV per share (adjusted for any applicable sales charge) next determined after acceptance by the Transfer Agent (or, if applicable, by an Authorized Institution). For shareholders that place trades directly with a Portfolios Transfer Agent, proper form generally means that specific trade details and customer identifying information must be received by the Transfer Agent at the time an order is submitted. Intermediaries of the Portfolios may have different requirements regarding what constitutes proper form for trade instructions. Please contact your Intermediary for more information.
For purchases by check, the Portfolios will not accept checks drawn on foreign banks, third party checks, temporary checks, or cash or cash equivalents; e.g., cashiers checks, official bank checks, money orders, travelers cheques or credit card checks. In limited situations involving the transfer of retirement assets, a Portfolio may accept cashiers checks or official bank checks.
What Is My Minimum Investment In The Portfolios?
For each of your accounts investing in Class A Shares, the following investment minimums must be met:
Initial | Additional* | |||
Regular Accounts |
$1,000 | $50 | ||
Employee Benefit Plans |
No Minimum | No Minimum | ||
Uniform Gift/Transfer to Minors Accounts |
$250 | $50 | ||
Individual Retirement Accounts and Coverdell ESAs |
$250 | $50 | ||
Automatic Investment Plan Accounts |
$250 | $50 | ||
* | No minimum additional investment requirements are imposed with respect to investors trading through Intermediaries who aggregate shares in omnibus or similar accounts (e.g., employee benefit plan accounts, wrap program accounts or traditional brokerage house accounts). |
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For Institutional Shares, the minimum initial investment is $1,000,000 for individual or Institutional Investors, alone or in combination with other assets under the management of the Investment Adviser and its affiliates, except that no initial minimum will be imposed on (i) Employee Benefit Plans that hold their Institutional Shares through plan-level or omnibus accounts; or (ii) investment advisers investing for accounts for which they receive asset-based fees where the investment adviser or its Intermediary purchases Institutional Shares through an omnibus account. For this purpose, Institutional Investors shall include wrap account sponsors (provided they have an agreement covering the arrangement with the Distributor), corporations, qualified non-profit organizations, charitable trusts, foundations and endowments, state, county, city or any instrumentality, department, authority or agency thereof, and banks, trust companies or other depository institutions investing for their own account or on behalf of their clients.
No minimum amount is required for additional investments in Institutional Shares.
The minimum investment requirement for Class A Shares and Institutional Shares may be waived for: (i) Goldman Sachs, its affiliates (including the Trust) or their respective Trustees, officers, partners, directors or employees (including retired employees and former partners), as well as certain individuals related to such investors, including spouses or domestic partners, minor children including those of their domestic partners, other family members residing in the same household, and/or financial dependents, provided that all of the above are designated as such with an Intermediary or the Portfolios Transfer Agent; (ii) advisory clients of Goldman Sachs Private Wealth Management and accounts for which The Goldman Sachs Trust Company, N.A. acts in a fiduciary capacity (i.e., as agent or trustee); (iii) certain mutual fund wrap programs at the discretion of the Trusts officers; and (iv) other investors at the discretion of the Trusts officers. No minimum amount is required for additional investments in such accounts.
What Should I Know When I Purchase Shares Through An Intermediary?
If shares of a Portfolio are held in an account maintained and serviced by your Intermediary, all recordkeeping, transaction processing and payments of distributions relating to your account will be performed by your Intermediary, and not by a Portfolio and its Transfer Agent. Since the Portfolios will have no record of your transactions, you should contact your Intermediary to purchase, redeem or exchange shares, to make changes in or give instructions concerning your account or to obtain information about your account. The transfer of shares from an account with one Intermediary to an account with another Intermediary involves special procedures and may require you to obtain historical purchase information about the shares in the account from your Intermediary. If your Intermediarys relationship with Goldman Sachs is terminated, and you do not transfer your account to another Intermediary, the Trust reserves the right to redeem your shares. The Trust will not be responsible for any loss in an investors account or tax liability resulting from a redemption.
Intermediaries that invest in shares on behalf of their customers may charge fees directly to their customer accounts in connection with their investments. You should contact your Intermediary for information regarding such charges, as these fees, if any, may affect the return such customers realize with respect to their investments.
The Investment Adviser, Distributor and/or their affiliates may make payments or provide services to Intermediaries to promote the sale, distribution and/or servicing of shares of the Portfolios and other Goldman Sachs Portfolios. These payments are made out of the Investment Advisers, Distributors and/or their affiliates own assets, and are not an additional charge to the Portfolios. The payments are in addition to the distribution and service fees and sales charges described in the Prospectus. Such payments are intended to compensate Intermediaries for, among other things: marketing shares of the Portfolios and other Goldman Sachs Funds, which may consist of payments relating to the Portfolios inclusion on preferred or recommended fund lists or in certain sales programs sponsored by the Intermediaries; access to the Intermediaries registered representatives or salespersons, including at conferences and other meetings; assistance in training and education of personnel; marketing support; and/or other specified services intended to assist in the distribution and marketing of the Portfolios and other Goldman Sachs Funds. The payments may also, to the extent permitted by applicable regulations, contribute to various non-cash and cash incentive arrangements to promote the sale of shares, as well as sponsor various educational programs, sales contests and/or promotions. The payments by the Investment Adviser, Distributor and/or their affiliates, which are in addition to the fees paid for these services by the Portfolios, may also compensate Intermediaries for sub-accounting, sub-transfer agency, administrative and/or shareholder processing services. These additional payments may exceed amounts earned on these assets by the Investment Adviser, Distributor and/or their affiliates for the performance of these or similar services. The amount of these additional payments is normally not expected to exceed 0.50% (annualized) of the amount sold or invested through the Intermediaries. In addition, certain Intermediaries may have access to certain services from the Investment Adviser, Distributor and/or their affiliates, including research reports and economic analysis, and portfolio analysis tools. In certain cases, the Intermediary may not pay for these services. Please refer to the Payments to Intermediaries section of the SAI for more information about these payments and services.
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SHAREHOLDER GUIDE
The payments made by the Investment Adviser, Distributor and/or their affiliates and the services provided by an Intermediary may differ for different Intermediaries. The presence of these payments, receipt of these services and the basis on which an Intermediary compensates its registered representatives or salespersons may create an incentive for a particular Intermediary, registered representative or salesperson to highlight, feature or recommend a Portfolio based, at least in part, on the level of compensation paid. You should contact your Intermediary for more information about the payments it receives and any potential conflicts of interest.
What Else Should I Know About Share Purchases?
The Trust reserves the right to:
¢ | Refuse to open an account or require an Intermediary to refuse to open an account if you fail to (i) provide a taxpayer identification number, a Social Security Number or other government-issued identification (e.g.; for an individual, a drivers license or passport); or (ii) certify that such number or other information is correct (if required to do so under applicable law). |
¢ | Reject or restrict any purchase or exchange order by a particular purchaser (or group of related purchasers) for any reason in its discretion. Without limiting the foregoing, the Trust may reject or restrict purchase and exchange orders by a particular purchaser (or group of related purchasers) when a pattern of frequent purchases, sales or exchanges of shares of a Portfolio is evident, or if purchases, sales or exchanges are, or a subsequent redemption might be, of a size that would disrupt the management of the Portfolio. |
¢ | Close a Portfolio to new investors from time to time and reopen any such Portfolio whenever it is deemed appropriate by the Investment Adviser. |
¢ | Provide for, modify or waive the minimum investment requirements. |
¢ | Modify the manner in which shares are offered. |
¢ | Modify the sales charge rate applicable to future purchases of shares. |
Shares of the Portfolios are only registered for sale in the United States and certain of its territories. Generally, shares of the Portfolios will only be offered or sold to U.S. persons and offerings or other solicitation activities will be conducted within the United States, in accordance with the rules and regulations of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (Securities Act).
A Portfolio may allow you to purchase shares through an Intermediary with securities instead of cash if consistent with the Portfolios investment policies and operations and approved by the Investment Adviser.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Trust and Goldman Sachs reserve the right to reject or restrict purchase or exchange requests from any investor. The Trust and Goldman Sachs will not be liable for any loss resulting from rejected purchase or exchange orders.
Please be advised that abandoned or unclaimed property laws for certain states (to which your account may be subject) require financial organizations to transfer (escheat) unclaimed property (including shares of the Portfolio) to the appropriate state if no activity occurs in an account for a period of time specified by state law.
Customer Identification Program. Federal law requires the Portfolios to obtain, verify and record identifying information for certain investors which will be reviewed solely for customer identification purposes, which may include the name, residential or business street address, date of birth (for an individual), Social Security Number or taxpayer identification number or other information for each investor who opens an account directly with the Portfolios. Applications without the required information may not be accepted by the Portfolios. Throughout the life of your account, the Portfolios may request updated identifying information in accordance with their Customer Identification Program. After accepting an application, to the extent permitted by applicable law or their Customer Identification Program, the Portfolios reserve the right to: (i) place limits on transactions in any account until the identity of the investor is verified; (ii) refuse an investment in the Portfolios; or (iii) involuntarily redeem an investors shares and close an account in the event that the Portfolios are unable to verify an investors identity or are unable to obtain all required information. The Portfolios and their agents will not be responsible for any loss in an investors account or any tax liability resulting from the investors delay in providing all required information or from closing an account and redeeming an investors shares pursuant to their Customer Identification Program.
How Are Shares Priced?
The price you pay when you buy shares is a Portfolios next-determined NAV per share (as adjusted for any applicable sales charge) after the Transfer Agent (or, if applicable, an Authorized Institution) has received and accepted your order in proper form.
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The price you receive when you sell shares is a Portfolios next-determined NAV per share (adjusted for any applicable CDSCs) after the Transfer Agent (or, if applicable, an Authorized Institution) has received and accepted your order in proper form, with the redemption proceeds reduced by any applicable charges (e.g., CDSCs). Each class generally calculates its NAV as follows:
NAV = | (Value of Assets of the Class) (Liabilities of the Class) | |
Number of Outstanding Shares of the Class |
A Portfolios investments for which market quotations are readily available are valued at market value on the basis of quotations furnished by pricing services or provided by securities dealers. If accurate quotations are not readily available, if the Portfolios fund accounting agent is unable for other reasons to facilitate pricing of individual securities or calculate a Portfolios NAV, or if the Investment Adviser believes that such quotations do not accurately reflect fair value, the fair value of the Portfolios investments may be determined in good faith based on yield equivalents, a pricing matrix or other sources, under valuation procedures established by the Board of Trustees. Thus, such pricing may be based on subjective judgments and it is possible that the prices resulting from such valuation procedures may differ materially from the value realized on a sale. Cases where no clear indication of the value of a Portfolios investments include, among others, situations where a security or other asset or liability does not have a price source or a price is unavailable.
To the extent an Underlying Fund invests in foreign equity securities, fair value prices are provided by an independent fair value service in accordance with the fair value procedures approved by the Board of Trustees. Fair value prices are used because many foreign markets operate at times that do not coincide with those of the major U.S. markets. Events that could affect the values of foreign portfolio holdings may occur between the close of the foreign market and the time of determining the NAV, and would not otherwise be reflected in the NAV. If the independent fair value service does not provide a fair value price for a particular security, or if the price provided does not meet the established criteria for the Portfolios, the Portfolios will price that security at the most recent closing price for that security on its principal exchange.
In addition, the Investment Adviser, consistent with its procedures and applicable regulatory guidance, may (but need not) determine to make an adjustment to the previous closing prices of either domestic or foreign securities in light of significant events, to reflect what it believes to be the fair value of the securities at the time of determining a Portfolios NAV. Significant events that could affect a large number of securities in a particular market may include, but are not limited to: situations relating to one or more single issuers in a market sector; significant fluctuations in U.S. or foreign markets; market dislocations; market disruptions or unscheduled market closings; equipment failures; natural or man made disasters or acts of God; armed conflicts; governmental actions or other developments; as well as the same or similar events which may affect specific issuers or the securities markets even though not tied directly to the securities markets. Other significant events that could relate to a single issuer may include, but are not limited to: corporate actions such as reorganizations, mergers and buy-outs; corporate announcements, including those relating to earnings, products and regulatory news; significant litigation; ratings downgrades; bankruptcies; and trading suspensions. In addition, if the third party service providers and/or data sources upon which a Portfolio directly or indirectly relies to calculate its NAV or price individual securities are unavailable or otherwise unable to calculate the NAV correctly, it may be necessary for alternative procedures to be followed to price the securities at the time of determining the Portfolios NAV.
One effect of using an independent fair value service and fair valuation may be to reduce stale pricing arbitrage opportunities presented by the pricing of Portfolio shares. However, it involves the risk that the values used by a Portfolio to price its investments may be different from those used by other investment companies and investors to price the same investments.
Investments in other open-end registered investment companies, such as the Underlying Funds, excluding investments in ETFs (if any), are valued based on the NAV of those open-end registered investment companies (which may use fair value pricing as discussed in their prospectuses).
Please note the following with respect to the price at which your transactions are processed:
¢ | NAV per share of each share class is generally calculated by the Portfolios accounting agent on each business day as of the close of regular trading on the New York Stock Exchange (normally 4:00 p.m. Eastern time) or such other times as the New York Stock Exchange or NASDAQ market may officially close. |
¢ | The Trust reserves the right to reprocess purchase (including dividend reinvestments), redemption and exchange transactions that were processed at a NAV that is subsequently adjusted, and to recover amounts from (or distribute amounts to) shareholders accordingly based on the official closing NAV, as adjusted. |
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SHAREHOLDER GUIDE
¢ | The Trust reserves the right to advance the time by which purchase and redemption orders must be received for same business day credit as otherwise permitted by the SEC. |
Consistent with industry practice, investment transactions not settling on the same day are recorded and factored into a Portfolios NAV on the business day following trade date (T+1). The use of T+1 accounting generally does not, but may, result in a NAV that differs materially from the NAV that would result if all transactions were reflected on their trade dates.
Note: The time at which transactions and shares are priced and the time by which orders must be received may be changed in case of an emergency or if regular trading on the New York Stock Exchange and/or the bond markets are stopped at a time other than its regularly scheduled closing time. In the event the New York Stock Exchange and/or the bond markets do not open for business, the Trust may, but is not required to, open one or more Portfolios for purchase, redemption and exchange transactions if the Federal Reserve wire payment system is open. To learn whether a Portfolio is open for business during this situation, please call the appropriate phone number located on the back cover of the Prospectus.
Foreign securities may trade in their local markets on days a Portfolio is closed. As a result, if a Portfolio holds an Underlying Fund that holds foreign securities, its NAV may be impacted on days when investors may not purchase or redeem Portfolio shares.
Each Portfolio relies on various sources to calculate its NAV. The ability of the Portfolios accounting agent to calculate the NAV per share of each share class of the Portfolios is subject to operational risks associated with processing or human errors, systems or technology failures, and errors caused by third party service providers, data sources, or trading counterparties. Such failures may result in delays in the calculation of a Portfolios NAV and/or the inability to calculate NAV over extended time periods. The Portfolios may be unable to recover any losses associated with such failures, and it may be necessary for alternative procedures to be followed to price portfolio securities when determining a Portfolios NAV.
COMMON QUESTIONS APPLICABLE TO THE PURCHASE OF CLASS A SHARES |
What Is The Offering Price Of Class A Shares?
The offering price of Class A Shares of each Portfolio is the next determined NAV per share plus an initial sales charge paid to Goldman Sachs at the time of purchase of shares. The sales charge varies depending upon the amount you purchase. In some cases, described below, the initial sales charge may be eliminated altogether, and the offering price will be the NAV per share. The current sales charges and commissions paid to Intermediaries for Class A Shares of the Portfolios are as follows:
Amount of Purchase (including sales charge, if any) |
Sales Charge as Percentage of Offering Price |
Sales Charge as Percentage of Net Amount Invested |
Maximum Dealer Allowance as Percentage of Offering Price* |
|||||||||
Less than $50,000 |
5.50 | % | 5.82 | % | 5.00 | % | ||||||
$50,000 up to (but less than) $100,000 |
4.75 | 4.99 | 4.00 | |||||||||
$100,000 up to (but less than) $250,000 |
3.75 | 3.90 | 3.00 | |||||||||
$250,000 up to (but less than) $500,000 |
2.75 | 2.83 | 2.25 | |||||||||
$500,000 up to (but less than) $1 million |
2.00 | 2.04 | 1.75 | |||||||||
$1 million or more |
0.00 | ** | 0.00 | ** | * | ** | ||||||
* | Dealers allowance may be changed periodically. During special promotions, the entire sales charge may be reallowed to Intermediaries. Intermediaries to whom substantially the entire sales charge is reallowed may be deemed to be underwriters under the Securities Act. |
** | No sales charge is payable at the time of purchase of Class A Shares of $1 million or more, but a CDSC of 1% may be imposed in the event of certain redemptions within 18 months. For more information about Class A Shares CDSCs, please see What Else Do I Need To Know About Class A Shares CDSC? below. |
*** | The Distributor may pay a one-time commission to Intermediaries who initiate or are responsible for purchases of $1 million or more of shares of the Portfolios equal to 1.00% of the amount under $3 million, 0.50% of the next $2 million, and 0.25% thereafter. In instances where this one-time commission is not paid to a particular Intermediary (including Goldman Sachs Private Wealth Management Unit) the CDSC on Class A Shares, generally, will be waived. The Distributor may also pay, with respect to all or a portion of the amount purchased, a commission in accordance with the foregoing schedule to Intermediaries who initiate or are responsible for purchases by Employee Benefit Plan investing in the Portfolios which satisfy the criteria set forth below in When Are Class A Shares Not Subject To A Sales Load? or $1 million or more by certain wrap accounts. Purchases by such plans will be made at NAV with no initial sales charge, but if shares are redeemed within 18 months, a CDSC of 1% may be imposed upon the plan, the plan sponsor or the third-party administrator. In addition, Intermediaries will remit to the Distributor such payments received in connection with wrap accounts in the event that shares are redeemed within 18 months. |
You should note that the actual sales charge that appears in your mutual fund transaction confirmation may differ slightly from the rate disclosed above in the Prospectus due to rounding calculations.
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As indicated in the preceding chart, and as discussed in the following section titled How Can The Sales Charge On Class A Shares Be Reduced?, you may, under certain circumstances, be entitled to pay reduced sales charges on your purchases of Class A Shares or have those charges waived entirely. To take advantage of these discounts, your Intermediary must notify the Portfolios Transfer Agent at the time of your purchase order that a discount may apply to your current purchases. You may also be required to provide appropriate documentation to receive these discounts, including:
(i) | Information or records regarding shares of the Portfolios or other Goldman Sachs Funds held in all accounts (e.g., retirement accounts) of the shareholder at all Intermediaries; or |
(ii) | Information or records regarding shares of the Portfolios or other Goldman Sachs Funds held at any Intermediary by related parties of the shareholder, such as members of the same family or household. |
What Else Do I Need To Know About Class A Shares CDSC?
Purchases of $1 million or more of Class A Shares will be made at NAV with no initial sales charge. However, if you redeem shares within 18 months after the beginning of the month in which the purchase was made, a CDSC of 1% may be imposed. The CDSC may not be imposed if your Intermediary agrees with the Distributor to return all or an applicable prorated portion of its commission to the Distributor. The CDSC is waived on redemptions in certain circumstances. See In What Situations May The CDSC On Class A Shares Be Waived Or Reduced? below.
When Are Class A Shares Not Subject To A Sales Load?
Class A Shares of the Portfolios may be sold at NAV without payment of any sales charge to the following individuals and entities:
¢ | Goldman Sachs, its affiliates or their respective officers, partners, directors or employees (including retired employees and former partners), any partnership of which Goldman Sachs is a general partner, any Trustee or officer of the Trust and designated family members of any of these individuals; |
¢ | Qualified employee benefit plans of Goldman Sachs; |
¢ | Trustees or directors of investment companies for which Goldman Sachs or an affiliate acts as sponsor; |
¢ | Any employee or registered representative of any Intermediary (or such Intermediaries affiliates and subsidiaries) or their respective spouses or domestic partners, children and parents; |
¢ | Banks, trust companies or other types of depository institutions; |
¢ | Any state, county or city, or any instrumentality, department, authority or agency thereof, which is prohibited by applicable investment laws from paying a sales charge or commission in connection with the purchase of shares of a Portfolio; |
¢ | Employee Benefit Plans other than Employee Benefit Plans that purchase Class A shares through brokerage relationships in which sales charges are customarily imposed. Under such circumstances, Plans will be assessed sales charges as described further in Shareholder GuideCommon Questions Applicable to the Purchase of Class A Shares; |
¢ | Investors who purchase Class A Shares through an omnibus account sponsored by an Intermediary that has an agreement with the Distributor covering such investors to offer Class A Shares without charging an initial sales charge; |
¢ | Insurance company separate accounts that make the Portfolios available as underlying investments in certain group annuity contracts; |
¢ | Wrap accounts for the benefit of clients of broker-dealers, financial institutions or financial planners, provided they have entered into an agreement with GSAM specifying aggregate minimums and certain operating policies and standards; |
¢ | Investment advisers investing for accounts for which they receive asset-based fees; |
¢ | Accounts over which GSAM or its advisory affiliates have investment discretion; |
¢ | Shareholders who roll over distributions from any tax-qualified Employee Benefit Plan or tax-sheltered annuity to an IRA which invests in the Goldman Sachs Funds if the tax-qualified Employee Benefit Plan or tax-sheltered annuity receives administrative services provided by certain third party administrators that have entered into a special service arrangement with Goldman Sachs relating to such plan or annuity; |
¢ | State sponsored 529 college savings plans; |
¢ | Investors that purchase Class A Shares through the GS Retirement Plan Plus and Goldman Sachs 401(k) Programs; or |
¢ | Former shareholders of certain funds who (i) received shares of a Goldman Sachs Fund in connection with a reorganization of an acquired fund into a Goldman Sachs Fund, (ii) had previously qualified for purchases of Class A Shares of the acquired funds without the imposition of a sales load under the guidelines of the applicable acquired fund family, and (iii) as of August 24, 2012 held their Goldman Sachs Fund shares directly with the Goldman Sachs Funds Transfer Agent, as long as they continue to hold the shares directly at the Transfer Agent. |
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You must certify eligibility for any of the above exemptions on your account application and notify your Intermediary and the Portfolios if you no longer are eligible for the exemption.
A Portfolio will grant you an exemption subject to confirmation of your eligibility by your Intermediary. You may be charged a fee by your Intermediary.
How Can The Sales Charge On Class A Shares Be Reduced?
¢ | Right of Accumulation: When buying Class A Shares in Goldman Sachs Funds, your current aggregate investment determines the initial sales load you pay. You may qualify for reduced sales charges when the current market value of holdings across Class A Shares and/or Class C Shares, plus new purchases, reaches $50,000 or more. Class A Shares and/or Class C Shares of any of the Goldman Sachs Funds may be combined under the Right of Accumulation. If a Portfolios Transfer Agent is properly notified, the Amount of Purchase in the chart in the section What Is The Offering Price Of Class A Shares? will be deemed to include all Class A Shares and/or Class C Shares of the Goldman Sachs Funds that were held at the time of purchase by any of the following persons: (i) you, your spouse or domestic partner, your parents and your children; and (ii) any trustee, guardian or other fiduciary of a single trust estate or a single fiduciary account. This includes, for example, any Class A Shares and/or Class C Shares held at an Intermediary other than the one handling your current purchase. For purposes of applying the Right of Accumulation, shares of the Portfolios and any other Goldman Sachs Funds purchased by an existing client of Goldman Sachs Private Wealth Management or GS Ayco Holding LLC will be combined with Class A Shares and/or Class C Shares and other assets held by all other Goldman Sachs Private Wealth Management accounts or accounts of GS Ayco Holding LLC, respectively. In addition, under some circumstances, Class A Shares and/or Class C Shares of the Portfolios and Class A Shares and/or Class C Shares of any other Goldman Sachs Fund purchased by partners, directors, officers or employees of certain organizations may be combined for the purpose of determining whether a purchase will qualify for the Right of Accumulation and, if qualifying, the applicable sales charge level. To qualify for a reduced sales load, you or your Intermediary must notify the Portfolios Transfer Agent at the time of investment that a quantity discount is applicable. If you do not notify your Intermediary at the time of your current purchase or a future purchase that you qualify for a quantity discount, you may not receive the benefit of a reduced sales charge that might otherwise apply. Use of this option is subject to a check of appropriate records. |
In some circumstances, other Class A Shares and/or Class C Shares may be aggregated with your current purchase under the Right of Accumulation as described in the SAI. For purposes of determining the Amount of Purchase, all Class A Shares and/or Class C Shares currently held will be valued at their current market value.
¢ | Statement of Intention: You may obtain a reduced sales charge by means of a written Statement of Intention which expresses your non-binding commitment to invest (not counting reinvestments of dividends and distributions) in the aggregate $50,000 or more within a period of 13 months in Class A Shares of one or more of the Goldman Sachs Funds. Any investments you make during the period will receive the discounted sales load based on the full amount of your investment commitment. Purchases made during the previous 90 days may be included; however, capital appreciation does not apply toward these combined purchases. If the investment commitment of the Statement of Intention is not met prior to the expiration of the 13-month period, the entire amount will be subject to the higher applicable sales charge unless the failure to meet the investment commitment is due to the death of the investor. By selecting the Statement of Intention, you authorize the Transfer Agent to escrow and redeem Class A Shares in your account to pay this additional charge if the Statement of Intention is not met. You must, however, inform the Transfer Agent (either directly or through your Intermediary) that the Statement of Intention is in effect each time shares are purchased. Each purchase will be made at the public offering price applicable to a single transaction of the dollar amount specified on the Statement of Intention. The SAI has more information about the Statement of Intention, which you should read carefully. |
What Else Do I Need To Know About The CDSC On Class A Shares?
¢ | The CDSC is based on the lesser of the NAV of the shares at the time of redemption or the original offering price (which is the original NAV). |
¢ | No CDSC is charged on shares acquired from reinvested dividends or capital gains distributions. |
¢ | No CDSC is charged on the per share appreciation of your account over the initial purchase price. |
¢ | When counting the number of months since a purchase of Class A Shares was made, all purchases made during a month will be combined and considered to have been made on the first day of that month. |
¢ | To keep your CDSC as low as possible, each time you place a request to sell shares, the Portfolios will first sell any shares in your account that do not carry a CDSC and then the shares in your account that have been held the longest. |
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In What Situations May The CDSC On Class A Shares Be Waived Or Reduced?
The CDSC on Class A Shares that are subject to a CDSC may be waived or reduced if the redemption relates to:
¢ | Mandatory retirement distributions or loans to participants or beneficiaries from Employee Benefit Plans; |
¢ | Hardship withdrawals by a participant or beneficiary in an Employee Benefit Plan; |
¢ | The separation from service by a participant or beneficiary in an Employee Benefit Plan; |
¢ | Excess contributions distributed from an Employee Benefit Plan; |
¢ | Distributions from a qualified Employee Benefit Plan invested in the Goldman Sachs Funds which are being rolled over to an IRA in the same share class of a Goldman Sachs Fund; |
¢ | The death or disability (as defined in Section 72(m)(7) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the Code)) of a shareholder, participant or beneficiary in an Employee Benefit Plan; |
¢ | Satisfying the minimum distribution requirements of the Code; |
¢ | Establishing substantially equal periodic payments as described under Section 72(t)(2) of the Code; |
¢ | Redemption proceeds which are to be reinvested in accounts or non-registered products over which GSAM or its advisory affiliates have investment discretion; |
¢ | A systematic withdrawal plan. The Portfolios reserve the right to limit such redemptions, on an annual basis, to 10% of the value of your Class A Shares; |
¢ | Redemptions or exchanges of Portfolio shares held through an Employee Benefit Plan using the Portfolio as part of a qualified default investment alternative or QDIA; or |
¢ | Other redemptions, at the discretion of the Trusts officers, relating to shares purchased through Employee Benefit Plans. |
HOW TO SELL SHARES |
How Can I Sell Shares Of The Portfolios?
Generally, Shares may be sold (redeemed) only through Intermediaries. Customers of an Intermediary will normally give their redemption instructions to the Intermediary, and the Intermediary will, in turn, place the order with the Transfer Agent. On any business day a Portfolio is open, the Portfolio will generally redeem its Shares upon request at their next-determined NAV per share (subject to any applicable CDSC) after the Transfer Agent (or, if applicable, the Authorized Institution) has received and accepted a redemption order in proper form, as described under How To Buy SharesHow Can I Purchase Shares Of The Portfolios? above. Redemptions may be requested by electronic trading platform (through your Intermediary), in writing or by telephone (unless the Intermediary opts out of the telephone redemption privilege on the account application). You should contact your Intermediary to discuss redemptions and redemption proceeds. A Portfolio may transfer redemption proceeds to an account with your Intermediary. In the alternative, your Intermediary may request that redemption proceeds be sent to you by check or wire (if the wire instructions are designated in the current records of the Transfer Agent).
When Do I Need A Medallion Signature Guarantee To Redeem Shares?
Generally, a redemption request must be in writing and signed by an authorized person with a Medallion signature guarantee if:
¢ | A request is made in writing to redeem Class A Shares in an amount over $50,000 via check; |
¢ | You would like the redemption proceeds sent to an address that is not your address of record; or |
¢ | You would like the redemption proceeds sent to a domestic bank account that is not designated in the current records of the Transfer Agent. |
A Medallion signature guarantee must be obtained from a bank, brokerage firm or other financial intermediary that is a member of an approved Medallion Guarantee Program or that is otherwise approved by the Trust. A notary public cannot provide a Medallion signature guarantee. The written request may be confirmed by telephone with both the requesting party and the designated Intermediary to verify instructions. Additional documentation may be required.
What Do I Need To Know About Telephone Redemption Requests?
The Trust, the Distributor and the Transfer Agent will not be liable for any loss or tax liability you may incur in the event that the Trust accepts unauthorized telephone redemption requests that the Trust reasonably believes to be genuine. The Trust may accept telephone redemption instructions from any person identifying himself or herself as the owner of an account or the owners registered representative where the owner has not declined in writing to use this service. Thus, you risk possible losses if a telephone redemption is not authorized by you.
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In an effort to prevent unauthorized or fraudulent redemption and exchange requests by telephone, Goldman Sachs and Boston Financial Data Services, Inc. (BFDS) each employ reasonable procedures specified by the Trust to confirm that such instructions are genuine. The following general policies are currently in effect:
¢ | Telephone requests are recorded. |
¢ | Proceeds of telephone redemption requests will be sent to your address of record or authorized account designated in the current records of the Transfer Agent (unless you provide written instructions and a Medallion signature guarantee indicating another address or account). |
¢ | For the 30-day period following a change of address, telephone redemptions will only be filled by a wire transfer to the authorized account designated in the current records of the Transfer Agent (see immediately preceding bullet point). In order to receive the redemption by check during this time period, the redemption request must be in the form of a written, Medallion signature guaranteed letter. |
¢ | The telephone redemption option does not apply to Shares held in an account maintained and serviced by your Intermediary. If your Shares are held in an account with an Intermediary, you should contact your registered representative of record, who may make telephone redemptions on your behalf. |
¢ | The telephone redemption option may be modified or terminated at any time without prior notice. |
Note: It may be difficult to make telephone redemptions in times of unusual economic or market conditions.
How Are Redemption Proceeds Paid?
By Wire: You may arrange for your redemption proceeds to be paid as federal funds to an account with your Intermediary or to a domestic bank account designated in the current records of the Transfer Agent. In addition, redemption proceeds may be transmitted through an electronic trading platform to an account with your Intermediary. The following general policies govern wiring redemption proceeds:
¢ | Redemption proceeds will normally be paid in federal funds, between one and three business days following receipt of a properly executed wire transfer redemption request. In certain circumstances, however (such as unusual market conditions or in cases of very large redemptions or excessive trading), it may take up to seven days to pay redemption proceeds. |
¢ | Redemption requests may only be postponed or suspended for longer than seven days as permitted under Section 22(e) of the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the Investment Company Act) if (i) the New York Stock Exchange is closed for trading or trading is restricted; (ii) an emergency exists which makes the disposal of securities owned by a Portfolio or the fair determination of the value of a Portfolios net assets not reasonably practicable; or (iii) the SEC, by order or regulation, permits the suspension of the right of redemption. |
¢ | If you are selling Shares you recently paid for by check or purchased by Automated Clearing House (ACH), the Portfolio will pay you when your check or ACH has cleared, which may take up to 15 days. |
¢ | If the Federal Reserve Bank is closed on the day that the redemption proceeds would ordinarily be wired, wiring the redemption proceeds may be delayed until the Federal Reserve Bank reopens. |
¢ | To change the bank wiring instructions designated in the current records of the Transfer Agent, you must send written instructions signed by an authorized person designated in the current records of the Transfer Agent. A Medallion signature guarantee may be required if you are requesting a redemption in conjunction with the change. |
¢ | None of the Trust, the Investment Adviser or Goldman Sachs assumes any responsibility for the performance of your bank or Intermediary in the transfer process. If a problem with such performance arises, you should deal directly with your bank or Intermediary. |
By Check: You may elect to receive your redemption proceeds by check. Redemption proceeds paid by check will normally be mailed to the address of record within three business days of receipt of a properly executed redemption request except in certain circumstances (such as those set forth above with respect to wire transfer redemption requests). If you are selling shares you recently paid for by check or ACH, the Portfolio will pay you when your check or ACH has cleared, which may take up to 15 days.
What Else Do I Need To Know About Redemptions?
The following generally applies to redemption requests:
¢ | Additional documentation may be required when deemed appropriate by the Transfer Agent. A redemption request will not be in proper form until such additional documentation has been received. |
¢ | Intermediaries are responsible for the timely transmittal of redemption requests by their customers to the Transfer Agent. In order to facilitate the timely transmittal of redemption requests, Intermediaries may set times by which they must receive redemption requests. Intermediaries may also require additional documentation from you. |
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The Trust reserves the right to:
¢ | Redeem your shares in the event your Intermediarys relationship with Goldman Sachs is terminated, and you do not transfer your account to another Intermediary or in the event that a Portfolio is no longer an option in your Employee Benefit Plan or no longer available through your Eligible Fee-Based Program. |
¢ | Redeem your shares if your account balance is below the required Portfolio minimum. The Portfolios will not redeem your shares on this basis if the value of your account falls below the minimum account balance solely as a result of market conditions. A Portfolio will give you 60 days prior written notice to allow you to purchase sufficient additional shares of the Portfolios in order to avoid such redemption. Different rules may apply to investors who have established brokerage accounts with Goldman Sachs in accordance with the terms and conditions of their account agreements. |
¢ | Subject to applicable law, redeem your shares in other circumstances determined by the Board of Trustees to be in the best interest of the Trust. |
¢ | Pay redemptions by a distribution in-kind of securities (instead of cash). If you receive redemption proceeds in-kind, you should expect to incur transaction costs upon the disposition of those securities. In addition, if you receive redemption proceeds in-kind, you will be subject to market gains or losses upon the disposition of those securities. |
¢ | Reinvest any amounts (e.g., dividends, distributions or redemption proceeds) which you have elected to receive by check should your check remain uncashed for more than 180 days. No interest will accrue on amounts represented by uncashed checks. Your check will be reinvested in your account at the NAV on the day of the reinvestment. When reinvested, those amounts are subject to the risk of loss like any Portfolio investment. If you elect to receive distributions in cash and a check remains uncashed for more than 180 days, your cash election may be changed automatically to reinvest and your future dividend and capital gains distributions will be reinvested in the Portfolio at the NAV as of the date of payment of the distribution. This provision may not apply to certain retirement or qualified accounts, accounts with a non-U.S. address or closed accounts. Your participation in a systematic withdrawal program may be terminated if a check remains uncashed. |
¢ | Charge an additional fee in the event a redemption is made via wire transfer. |
None of the Trust, the Investment Adviser or Goldman Sachs will be responsible for any loss in an investors account or tax liability resulting from an involuntary redemption.
Can I Reinvest Redemption Proceeds In The Same Or Another Goldman Sachs Fund?
You may redeem shares of a Portfolio and reinvest a portion or all of the redemption proceeds in the same class of another Goldman Sachs Fund at NAV. To be eligible for this privilege, you must have held the shares you want to redeem for at least 30 days and you must reinvest the share proceeds within 90 days after you redeem. You should obtain and read the applicable prospectus before investing in any other Goldman Sachs Fund.
You may reinvest redemption proceeds as follows:
¢ | If you pay a CDSC upon redemption of Class A Shares and then reinvest in Class A Shares of another Goldman Sachs Fund as described above, your account will be credited with the amount of the CDSC you paid. The reinvested shares will, however, continue to be subject to a CDSC. The holding period of the shares acquired through reinvestment will include the holding period of the redeemed shares for purposes of computing the CDSC payable upon a subsequent redemption. |
¢ | The reinvestment privilege may be exercised at any time in connection with transactions in which the proceeds are reinvested at NAV in a tax-sheltered Employee Benefit Plan. In other cases, the reinvestment privilege may be exercised once per year upon receipt of a written request. |
¢ | You may be subject to tax as a result of a redemption. You should consult your tax adviser concerning the tax consequences of a redemption and reinvestment. |
Can I Exchange My Investment From One Goldman Sachs Portfolio To Another Goldman Sachs Fund?
You may exchange shares of a Goldman Sachs Fund at NAV without the imposition of an initial sales charge or CDSC, if applicable, at the time of exchange for certain shares of another Goldman Sachs Fund. Redemption (including by exchange) of certain Goldman Sachs Funds offered in other prospectuses may, however, be subject to a redemption fee for shares that are held for either 30 or 60 days or less, subject to certain exceptions as described in those Goldman Sachs Funds prospectuses. The exchange privilege may be materially modified or withdrawn at any time upon 60 days written notice. You should contact your Intermediary to arrange for exchanges of shares of a Portfolio for shares of another Goldman Sachs Fund.
You should keep in mind the following factors when making or considering an exchange:
¢ | You should obtain and carefully read the prospectus of the Goldman Sachs Fund you are acquiring before making an exchange. You should be aware that not all Goldman Sachs Funds may offer all share classes. |
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¢ | Currently, the Portfolios do not impose any charge for exchanges, although the Portfolios may impose a charge in the future. |
¢ | The exchanged shares of the new Goldman Sachs Fund may later be exchanged for shares of the same class of the original Portfolio held at the next determined NAV without the imposition of an initial sales charge or CDSC (but subject to any applicable redemption fee). However, if additional shares of the new Goldman Sachs Fund were purchased after the initial exchange, and that Funds shares do not impose a sales charge or CDSC, then the applicable sales charge or CDSC of the original Funds shares will be imposed on the exchange of those shares. |
¢ | When you exchange shares subject to a CDSC, no CDSC will be charged at that time. However, for purposes of determining the amount of CDSC applicable to those shares required in the exchange, the length of time you have owned the shares will be measured from the date you acquired the original shares subject to a CDSC, and the amount and terms of the CDSC will be those applicable to the original shares acquired and will not be affected by a subsequent exchange. |
¢ | Eligible investors may exchange certain classes of shares for another class of shares of the same Portfolio. For further information, contact your Intermediary. |
¢ | All exchanges which represent an initial investment in a Goldman Sachs Fund must satisfy the minimum initial investment requirement of that Portfolio. This requirement may be waived at the discretion of the Trust. Exchanges into a Fund need not meet the traditional minimum investment requirements for that Fund if the entire balance of the original Portfolio account is exchanged. |
¢ | Exchanges are available only in states where exchanges may be legally made. |
¢ | It may be difficult to make telephone exchanges in times of unusual economic or market conditions. |
¢ | Goldman Sachs and BFDS may use reasonable procedures described above in How to Sell SharesWhat Do I Need To Know About Telephone Redemption Requests? in an effort to prevent unauthorized or fraudulent telephone exchange requests. |
¢ | Normally, a telephone exchange will be made only to an identically registered account. |
¢ | Exchanges into Goldman Sachs Funds or certain share classes of Goldman Sachs Funds that are closed to new investors may be restricted. |
¢ | Exchanges into a Portfolio from another Goldman Sachs Fund may be subject to any redemption fee imposed by the other Goldman Sachs Fund. |
¢ | Exchanges into the Fund from another Goldman Sachs Fund received by the close of regular trading on the New York Stock Exchange will normally begin to accrue dividends on the next business day. |
For federal income tax purposes, an exchange from one Goldman Sachs Fund to another is treated as a redemption of the shares surrendered in the exchange, on which you may be subject to tax, followed by a purchase of shares received in the exchange. Exchanges within Employee Benefit Plan accounts will not result in capital gains or loss for federal or state income tax purposes. You should consult your tax adviser concerning the tax consequences of an exchange.
SHAREHOLDER SERVICES |
Can I Arrange To Have Automatic Investments Made On A Regular Basis?
You may be able to make automatic investments in Class A Shares through your bank via ACH transfer or via bank draft each month. The minimum dollar amount for this service is $250 for the initial investment and $50 per month for additional investments. Forms for this option are available online at www.gsamfunds.com and from your Intermediary, or you may check the appropriate box on the account application.
Can My Distributions From A Portfolio Be Invested In Other Goldman Sachs Funds?
You may elect to cross-reinvest distributions paid by a Goldman Sachs Fund in shares of the same class of other Goldman Sachs Funds.
¢ | Shares will be purchased at NAV. |
¢ | You may elect cross-reinvestment into an identically registered account or a similarly registered account provided that at least one name on the account is registered identically. |
¢ | You cannot make cross-reinvestments into a Goldman Sachs Fund unless that Funds minimum initial investment requirement is met. |
¢ | You should obtain and read the prospectus of the Goldman Sachs Fund into which distributions are invested. |
Can I Arrange To Have Automatic Exchanges Made On A Regular Basis?
You may elect to exchange automatically a specified dollar amount of Class A Shares of a Portfolio for shares of the same class of other Goldman Sachs Funds.
¢ | Shares will be purchased at NAV if a sales charge had been imposed on the initial purchase. |
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¢ | You may elect to exchange into an identically registered account or a similarly registered account provided that at least one name on the account is registered identically. |
¢ | Shares subject to a CDSC acquired under this program may be subject to a CDSC at the time of redemption from the Goldman Sachs Fund into which the exchange is made depending upon the date and value of your original purchase. |
¢ | Automatic exchanges are made monthly on the 15th day of each month or the first business day thereafter. |
¢ | Minimum dollar amount: $50 per month. |
¢ | You cannot make automatic exchanges into a Goldman Sachs Fund unless that Funds minimum initial investment requirement is met. |
¢ | You should obtain and read the prospectus of the Goldman Sachs Fund into which automatic exchanges are made. |
¢ | An exchange is considered a redemption and a purchase and therefore may be a taxable transaction. |
Can I Have Systematic Withdrawals Made On A Regular Basis?
You may redeem from your Class A Share account systematically via check or ACH transfer in any amount of $50 or more.
¢ | It is normally undesirable to maintain a systematic withdrawal plan at the same time that you are purchasing additional Class A Shares because of the sales charges that are imposed on certain purchases of Class A Shares and because of the CDSCs that are imposed on certain redemptions of Class A Shares. |
¢ | Checks are normally mailed within two business days after your selected systematic withdrawal date of either the 15th or 25th of the month. ACH payments may take up to three business days to post to your account after your selected systematic withdrawal date between, and including, the 3rd and 26th of the month. |
¢ | Each systematic withdrawal is a redemption and therefore may be a taxable transaction. |
¢ | The CDSC applicable to Class A Shares redeemed under the systematic withdrawal plan may be waived. The Portfolio reserves the right to limit such redemptions, on an annual basis, to 10% of the value of your Class A Shares. |
What Types Of Reports Will I Be Sent Regarding My Investment?
Intermediaries are responsible for providing any communication from a Portfolio to shareholders, including but not limited to, prospectuses, prospectus supplements, proxy materials and notices regarding the source of dividend payments under Section 19 of the Investment Company Act. They may charge additional fees not described in the Prospectus to their customers for such services.
You will be provided with a printed confirmation of each transaction in your account and a quarterly account statement if you invest in Class A Shares and a monthly account statement if you invest in Institutional Shares. If your account is maintained and serviced by your Intermediary, you will receive this information from your Intermediary.
You will also receive an annual shareholder report containing audited financial statements and a semi-annual shareholder report. If you have consented to the delivery of a single copy of shareholder reports, prospectuses and other information to all shareholders who share the same mailing address with your account, you may revoke your consent at any time by contacting your Intermediary or Goldman Sachs Funds at the appropriate phone number or address found on the back cover of the Prospectus. Each Portfolio will begin sending individual copies to you within 30 days after receipt of your revocation. If your account is held through an Intermediary, please contact the Intermediary to revoke your consent.
DISTRIBUTION AND SERVICE FEES |
What Are The Distribution And Service Fees Paid By The Portfolios Class A Shares?
The Trust has adopted a distribution and service plan (a Plan) under which Class A Shares bear distribution and service fees paid to Goldman Sachs, some of which Goldman Sachs may pay to Intermediaries. These Intermediaries seek distribution and/or servicing fee revenues to, among other things, offset the cost of servicing small and medium sized plan investors and providing information about the Portfolios. If the fees received by Goldman Sachs pursuant to the Plan exceed its expenses, Goldman Sachs may realize a profit from these arrangements. Goldman Sachs generally receives and pays the distribution and service fees on a quarterly basis.
Under the Plan, Goldman Sachs is entitled to a monthly fee from each Portfolio for distribution services equal, on an annual basis, to 0.25%, of a Portfolios average daily net assets attributed to Class A Shares. Because these fees are paid out of a Portfolios 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 such charges.
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The distribution fees are subject to the requirements of Rule 12b-1 under the Investment Company Act, and may be used (among other things) for:
¢ | Compensation paid to and expenses incurred by Intermediaries, Goldman Sachs and their respective officers, employees and sales representatives; |
¢ | Commissions paid to Intermediaries; |
¢ | Allocable overhead; |
¢ | Telephone and travel expenses; |
¢ | Interest and other costs associated with the financing of such compensation and expenses; |
¢ | Printing of prospectuses for prospective shareholders; |
¢ | Preparation and distribution of sales literature or advertising of any type; and |
¢ | All other expenses incurred in connection with activities primarily intended to result in the sale of Class A Shares. |
Goldman Sachs normally begins paying the annual 0.25% distribution fee for the Class A Shares as an ongoing commission to Intermediaries immediately. Goldman Sachs generally pays the distribution fee on a quarterly basis.
RESTRICTIONS ON EXCESSIVE TRADING PRACTICES |
Policies and Procedures on Excessive Trading Practices. In accordance with the policy adopted by the Board of Trustees, the Trust discourages frequent purchases and redemptions of Portfolio shares and does not permit market timing or other excessive trading practices. Purchases and exchanges should be made with a view to longer-term investment purposes only that are consistent with the investment policies and practices of the respective Portfolio. Excessive, short-term (market timing) trading practices may disrupt portfolio management strategies, increase brokerage and administrative costs, harm Portfolio performance and result in dilution in the value of Portfolio shares held by longer-term shareholders. The Trust and Goldman Sachs reserve the right to reject or restrict purchase or exchange requests from any investor. The Trust and Goldman Sachs will not be liable for any loss resulting from rejected purchase or exchange orders. To minimize harm to the Trust and its shareholders (or Goldman Sachs), the Trust (or Goldman Sachs) will exercise this right if, in the Trusts (or Goldman Sachs) judgment, an investor has a history of excessive trading or if an investors trading, in the judgment of the Trust (or Goldman Sachs), has been or may be disruptive to a Portfolio. In making this judgment, trades executed in multiple accounts under common ownership or control may be considered together to the extent they can be identified. No waivers of the provisions of the policy established to detect and deter market timing and other excessive trading activity are permitted that would harm the Trust or its shareholders or would subordinate the interests of the Trust or its shareholders to those of Goldman Sachs or any affiliated person or associated person of Goldman Sachs.
To deter excessive shareholder trading, certain other Goldman Sachs Funds offered in other prospectuses impose a redemption fee on redemptions made within 30 or 60 days of purchase, subject to certain exceptions as described in these Goldman Sachs Funds prospectuses. As a further deterrent to excessive trading, many foreign equity securities held by the Underlying Funds are priced by an independent pricing service using fair valuation. For more information on fair valuation, please see How to Buy SharesHow Are Shares Priced?
Pursuant to the policy adopted by the Board of Trustees of the Trust, Goldman Sachs has developed criteria that it uses to identify trading activity that may be excessive. Excessive trading activity in a Portfolio is measured by the number of round trip transactions in a shareholders account. A round trip includes a purchase or exchange into a Portfolio followed or preceded by a redemption or exchange out of the same Portfolio. If a Portfolio detects that a shareholder has completed two or more round trip transactions in a single Portfolio within a rolling 90-day period, the Portfolio may reject or restrict subsequent purchase or exchange orders by that shareholder permanently. In addition, a Portfolio may, in its sole discretion, permanently reject or restrict purchase or exchange orders by a shareholder if the Portfolio detects other trading activity that is deemed to be disruptive to the management of the Portfolio or otherwise harmful to the Portfolio. For purposes of these transaction surveillance procedures, the Portfolios may consider trading activity in multiple accounts under common ownership, control, or influence. A shareholder that has been restricted from participation in a Portfolio pursuant to this policy will be allowed to apply for re-entry after one year. A shareholder applying for re-entry must provide assurances acceptable to the Portfolio that the shareholder will not engage in excessive trading activities in the future.
Goldman Sachs may modify its surveillance procedures and criteria from time to time without prior notice regarding the detection of excessive trading or to address specific circumstances. Goldman Sachs will apply the criteria in a manner that, in Goldman Sachs judgment, will be uniform.
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Portfolio shares may be held through omnibus arrangements maintained by Intermediaries, such as broker-dealers, investment advisers and insurance companies. In addition, Portfolio shares may be held in omnibus Employee Benefit Plans, Eligible Fee-Based Programs and other group accounts. Omnibus accounts include multiple investors and such accounts typically provide the Portfolios with a net purchase or redemption request on any given day where the purchases and redemptions of Portfolio shares by the investors are netted against one another. The identity of individual investors whose purchase and redemption orders are aggregated are ordinarily not tracked by the Portfolios on a regular basis. A number of these Intermediaries may not have the capability or may not be willing to apply the Portfolios market timing policies or any applicable redemption fee. While Goldman Sachs may monitor share turnover at the omnibus account level, a Portfolios ability to monitor and detect market timing by shareholders or apply any applicable redemption fee in these Intermediaries may be limited in certain circumstances, and certain of these financial intermediaries may charge the Portfolio a fee for providing certain shareholder financial information requested as part of the Portfolios surveillance process. The netting effect makes it more difficult to identify, locate and eliminate market timing activities. In addition, those investors who engage in market timing and other excessive trading activities may employ a variety of techniques to avoid detection. There can be no assurance that the Portfolios and Goldman Sachs will be able to identify all those who trade excessively or employ a market timing strategy, and curtail their trading in every instance. If necessary, the Trust may prohibit additional purchases of Portfolio shares by an Intermediary or by certain customers of the Intermediary. Intermediaries may also monitor their customers trading activities in the Portfolios. The criteria used by Intermediaries to monitor for excessive trading may differ from the criteria used by the Portfolios. If an Intermediary fails to cooperate in the implementation or enforcement of the Trusts excessive trading policies, the Trust may take certain actions including terminating the relationship.
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As with any investment, you should consider how your investment in the Portfolios will be taxed. The tax information below is provided as general information. More tax information is available in the SAI. You should consult your tax adviser about the federal, state, local or foreign tax consequences of your investment in the Portfolios. Except as otherwise noted, the tax information provided assumes that you are a U.S. citizen or resident.
Unless your investment is through a Retirement Plan or other tax-advantaged account, you should carefully consider the possible tax consequences of Portfolio distributions and the sale of your Portfolio shares.
DISTRIBUTIONS |
Each Portfolio contemplates declaring as dividends each year all or substantially all of its taxable income. Distributions you receive from the Portfolios are generally subject to federal income tax, and may also be subject to state or local taxes. This is true whether you reinvest your distributions in additional Portfolio shares or receive them in cash. For federal tax purposes, the Portfolios distributions attributable to net investment income and short-term capital gains of the Portfolios or the Underlying Funds are taxable to you as ordinary income, while distributions of long-term capital gains are taxable to you as long-term capital gains, no matter how long you have owned your Portfolio shares.
Under current provisions of the Code, the maximum individual rate applicable to long-term capital gains is generally either 15% or 20%, depending on whether the individuals income exceeds certain threshold amounts. Portfolio distributions to noncorporate shareholders attributable to dividends received by the Underlying Funds from U.S. and certain foreign corporations will generally be taxed at the long-term capital gain rate, as long as certain other requirements are met. For these lower rates to apply, noncorporate shareholders must own their Portfolio shares for at least 61 days during the 121-day period beginning 60 days before the Portfolios ex-dividend date. The amount of distributions that would otherwise qualify for this favorable tax treatment may be reduced as a result of a Portfolios or an Underlying Funds securities lending activities or high portfolio turnover rate.
Distributions in excess of a Portfolios current and accumulated earnings and profits are treated as a tax-free return of your investment to the extent of your basis in the shares, and generally as capital gain thereafter. A return of capital, which for tax purposes is treated as a return of your investment, reduces your basis in shares, thus reducing any loss or increasing any gain on a subsequent taxable disposition of shares. A distribution will reduce a Portfolios NAV per share and may be taxable to you as ordinary income or capital gain even though, from an economic standpoint, the distribution may constitute a return of capital.
An additional 3.8% Medicare tax is imposed on certain net investment income (including ordinary dividends and capital gain distributions received from a Portfolio and net gains from redemptions or other taxable dispositions of Portfolio shares) of U.S. individuals, estates and trusts to the extent that such persons modified adjusted gross income (in the case of an individual) or adjusted gross income (in the case of an estate or trust) exceeds certain threshold amounts.
A Portfolios (or Underlying Funds) transactions in derivatives (such as futures contracts and swaps) will be subject to special tax rules, the effect of which may be to accelerate income to the Portfolio (or Underlying Fund), defer losses to the Portfolio (or Underlying Fund), cause adjustments in the holding periods of the Portfolios (or Underlying Funds) securities and convert short-term capital losses into long-term capital losses. These rules could therefore affect the amount, timing and character of distributions to you. A Portfolios (or Underlying Funds) use of derivatives may result in the Portfolio realizing more short-term capital gains and ordinary income subject to tax at ordinary income tax rates than it would if the Portfolio (or Underlying Fund) did not use derivatives.
Although distributions are generally treated as taxable to you in the year they are paid, distributions declared in October, November or December but paid in January are taxable as if they were paid in December.
A percentage of the Portfolios dividends paid to corporate shareholders may be eligible for the corporate dividends received deduction. This percentage may, however, be reduced as a result of a Portfolios securities lending activities or high portfolio turnover rate. The character and tax status of all distributions will be available to shareholders after the close of each calendar year.
The REIT investments of certain Underlying Funds often do not provide complete tax information to the Funds until after the calendar year-end. Consequently, because of the delay, it may be necessary for the Portfolios to request permission to extend the deadline for issuance of Forms 1099-DIV.
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Each Underlying Fund may be subject to foreign withholding or other foreign taxes on income or gain from certain foreign securities. If more than 50% of the value of Underlying Funds total assets at the end of its taxable year is invested in foreign stocks or securities, the Underlying Fund may elect to pass through to a Portfolio the foreign taxes paid by such Underlying Fund. In general, each Portfolio may deduct these taxes in computing its taxable income. Rather than deducting these foreign taxes if at least 50% of the value of the Portfolios assets at the close of each quarter of its taxable year consists of interests in Underlying Funds that are regulated investment companies, the Portfolios may make an election to treat a proportionate amount of those taxes as constituting a distribution to each shareholder, which would generally allow you, subject to certain limitations, either (i) to credit that proportionate amount of taxes against U.S. Federal income tax liability as a foreign tax credit or (ii) to take that amount as an itemized deduction.
The Portfolios investments in Underlying Funds could affect the amount, timing and character of distributions to shareholders, as compared to a fund that only invests directly in stocks, securities or other investments.
If you buy shares of the Portfolios before they makes a distribution, the distribution will be taxable to you even though it may actually be a return of a portion of your investment. This is known as buying into a dividend.
SALES AND EXCHANGES |
Your sale of Portfolio shares is a taxable transaction for federal income tax purposes, and may also be subject to state and local taxes. For tax purposes, the exchange of your Portfolio shares for shares of a different Goldman Sachs Fund is the same as a sale. When you sell your shares, you will generally recognize a capital gain or loss in an amount equal to the difference between your adjusted tax basis in the shares and the amount received. Generally, this capital gain or loss is long-term or short-term depending on whether your holding period for the shares exceeds one year, except that any loss realized on shares held for six months or less will be treated as a long-term capital loss to the extent of any long-term capital gain dividends that were received on the shares. Additionally, any loss realized on a sale, exchange or redemption of shares of a Portfolio may be disallowed under wash sale rules to the extent the shares disposed of are replaced with other shares of that Portfolio within a period of 61 days beginning 30 days before and ending 30 days after the date of disposition (such as pursuant to a dividend reinvestment in shares of that Portfolio). If disallowed, the loss will be reflected in an adjustment to the basis of the shares acquired.
OTHER INFORMATION |
When you open your account, you should provide your Social Security or Tax Identification Number on your account application. By law, each Portfolio must withhold 28% of your taxable distributions and any redemption proceeds if you do not provide your correct taxpayer identification number, or certify that it is correct, or if the IRS instructs the Portfolio to do so.
The Portfolios are required to report to you and the IRS annually on Form 1099-B not only the gross proceeds of Portfolio shares you sell or redeem but also, for shares purchased on or after January 1, 2012, their cost basis. Cost basis will be calculated using the Portfolios default method of average cost, unless you instruct the Portfolio to use a different methodology. If you would like to use the average cost method of calculation, no action is required. To elect an alternative method, you should contact Goldman Sachs Funds at the address or phone number on the back cover of the Prospectus. If your account is held with an Intermediary, contact your representative with respect to reporting of cost basis and available elections for your account.
You should carefully review the cost basis information provided by the Portfolios and make any additional basis, holding period or other adjustments that are required when reporting these amounts on your federal income tax returns.
Non-U.S. investors are generally subject to U.S. withholding tax and may be subject to estate tax with respect to their Portfolio Shares. However, withholding is generally not required on properly designated distributions to non-U.S. investors of long-term capital gains. Under a provision recently made permanent by Congress, non-U.S. investors generally are not subject to U.S. federal income tax withholding on certain distributions of interest income and/or short-term capital gains that are designated by a Portfolio. It is expected that the Portfolios will generally make designations of short-term gains, to the extent permitted, but the Portfolios do not intend to make designations of any distributions attributable to interest income. Therefore, all distributions of interest income will be subject to withholding when paid to non-U.S. investors.
The Portfolios are required to withhold U.S. tax (at a 30% rate) on payments of taxable dividends and (effective January 1, 2019) redemption proceeds and certain capital gain dividends made to certain non-U.S. entities that fail to comply (or be deemed compliant) with extensive new reporting and withholding requirements designed to inform the U.S. Department of the Treasury of U.S.-owned foreign investment accounts. Shareholders may be requested to provide additional information to the Portfolios to enable the Portfolios to determine whether withholding is required.
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Additional Information on the Portfolios and
Underlying Funds
This Appendix provides further information on certain types of investments and techniques that may be used by the Portfolios and Underlying Funds, including their associated risks. The following description applies generally to the Underlying Funds and to the Portfolios, to the extent that the Portfolios invest in securities and other financial instruments, including derivative instruments (such as swaps, forward currency contracts and futures contracts), other than the Underlying Funds. Additional information is provided in the SAI, which is available upon request, and in the prospectuses of the Underlying Funds.
The Underlying Equity Funds invest primarily in common stocks and other equity investments, including preferred stocks, interests in REITs, convertible debt obligations, convertible preferred stocks, equity interests in trusts, partnerships, joint ventures, limited liability companies and similar enterprises, master limited partnerships (MLPs), other investment companies (including ETFs), warrants, stock purchase rights and synthetic and derivative instruments (such as swaps and futures contracts) that have economic characteristics similar to equity securities (equity investments). The Underlying Fixed Income Fund invests primarily in fixed income securities, including senior and subordinated corporate debt obligations (such as bonds, debentures, notes and commercial paper), convertible and non-convertible corporate debt obligations, loan participations and preferred stock. The Underlying Fixed Income Fund can also make substantial investments in futures contracts, swaps and other derivatives.
A. General Risks of the Underlying Funds and Securities |
The Underlying Equity Funds will be subject to the risks associated with common stocks and other equity investments. In general, the values of equity investments fluctuate in response to the activities of individual companies and in response to general market and economic conditions. Accordingly, the values of the equity investments that an Underlying Fund holds may decline over short or extended periods. The stock markets tend to be cyclical, with periods when stock prices generally rise and periods when prices generally decline. In recent years, stock markets have experienced substantial price volatility.
The Underlying Fixed Income Fund will be subject to the risks associated with fixed income securities. These risks include interest rate risk, credit/default risk and call/extension risk. In general, interest rate risk involves the risk that when interest rates decline, the market value of fixed income securities tends to increase (although many mortgage-related securities will have less potential than other debt securities for capital appreciation during periods of declining rates). Conversely, when interest rates increase, the market value of fixed income securities tends to decline. Credit/default risk involves the risk that the issuer or guarantor could default on its obligations, and an Underlying Fund will not recover its investment. Call risk and extension risk are normally present in adjustable rate mortgage loans (ARMs), mortgage-backed securities and asset-backed securities. For example, homeowners have the option to prepay their mortgages. Therefore, the duration of a security backed by home mortgages can either shorten (call risk) or lengthen (extension risk). In general, if interest rates on new mortgage loans fall sufficiently below the interest rates on existing outstanding mortgage loans, the rate of prepayment would be expected to increase. Conversely, if mortgage loan interest rates rise above the interest rates on existing outstanding mortgage loans, the rate of prepayment would be expected to decrease. In either case, a change in the prepayment rate can result in losses to investors. The same would be true of asset-backed securities, such as securities backed by car loans.
A rising interest rate environment could cause the value of an Underlying Funds fixed income securities to decrease, and fixed income markets to experience increased volatility in addition to heightened levels of liquidity risk. Additionally, decreases in the value of fixed income securities could lead to increased shareholder redemptions, which could impair an Underlying Funds ability to achieve its investment objective. The risks associated with increasing interest rates are heightened given that interest rates are near historic lows, but may be expected to increase in the future with unpredictable effects on the markets and an Underlying Funds investments.
To the extent an Underlying Fund invests in pooled investment vehicles (including investment companies and ETFs) and partnerships, the Underlying Fund will be affected by the investment policies, practices and performance of such entities in direct proportion to the amount of assets the Underlying Fund invests therein.
Certain of the Underlying Funds will invest in non-investment grade fixed income securities (commonly referred to as junk bonds), which are rated below investment grade (or determined to be of comparable credit quality, if not rated) at the time of
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purchase and are therefore considered speculative. Because non-investment grade fixed income securities are issued by issuers with low credit ratings, they pose a greater risk of default than investment grade securities.
An Underlying Funds investment adviser will not consider the portfolio turnover rate a limiting factor in making investment decisions for an Underlying Fund. A high rate of portfolio turnover (100% or more) involves correspondingly greater expenses which must be borne by an Underlying Fund and its shareholders and is also likely to result in higher short-term capital gains taxable to certain shareholders. The portfolio turnover rate is calculated by dividing the lesser of the dollar amount of sales or purchases of portfolio securities by the average monthly value of an Underlying Funds portfolio securities, excluding securities having a maturity at the date of purchase of one year or less.
The Portfolios or Underlying Funds may, from time to time, enter into arrangements with certain brokers or other counterparties that require the segregation of collateral. For operational, cost or other reasons, when setting up arrangements relating to the execution/clearing of trades, a Portfolio or an Underlying Fund may choose to select a segregation model which may not be the most protective option available in the case of a default by a broker or counterparty.
The following sections provide further information on certain types of securities and investment techniques that may be used by the Portfolios and/or Underlying Funds, including their associated risks. Additional information is provided in the SAI, which is available upon request. Among other things, the SAI describes certain fundamental investment restrictions that cannot be changed without shareholder approval. You should note, however, that all investment objectives and all investment policies not specifically designated as fundamental are non-fundamental, and may be changed without shareholder approval. If there is a change in a Portfolios investment objective, you should consider whether that Portfolio remains an appropriate investment in light of your then current financial position and needs.
B. Other Risks of the Portfolios and the Underlying Funds |
Risks of Investing in Small- and Mid-Capitalization Companies and REITs. Certain Underlying Funds may, to the extent consistent with their investment policies, invest in small- and mid-capitalization companies and REITs. Investments in small- and mid-capitalization companies and REITs involve greater risk and portfolio price volatility than investments in larger capitalization stocks. Among the reasons for the greater price volatility of these investments are the less certain growth prospects of smaller firms and the lower degree of liquidity in the markets for such securities. Small- and mid-capitalization companies may be thinly traded and may have to be sold at a discount from current market prices or in small lots over an extended period of time. In addition, these securities are subject to the risk that during certain periods the liquidity of particular issuers or industries, or all securities in particular investment categories, will shrink or disappear suddenly and without warning as a result of adverse economic or market conditions, or adverse investor perceptions, whether or not accurate. Because of the lack of sufficient market liquidity, an Underlying Fund may incur losses because it will be required to effect sales at a disadvantageous time and only then at a substantial drop in price. Small- and mid-capitalization companies and REITs include unseasoned issuers that do not have an established financial history; often have limited product lines, markets or financial resources; may depend on or use a few key personnel for management; and may be susceptible to losses and risks of bankruptcy. Small- and mid-capitalization companies may be operating at a loss or have significant variations in operating results; may be engaged in a rapidly changing business with products subject to a substantial risk of obsolescence; may require substantial additional capital to support their operations, to finance expansion or to maintain their competitive position; and may have substantial borrowings or may otherwise have a weak financial condition. In addition, these companies may face intense competition, including competition from companies with greater financial resources, more extensive development, manufacturing, marketing, and other capabilities, and a larger number of qualified managerial and technical personnel. Transaction costs for these investments are often higher than those for larger capitalization companies. Investments in small- and mid-capitalization companies and REITs may be more difficult to price precisely than other types of securities because of their characteristics and lower trading volumes.
Downgraded Securities. After its purchase, a portfolio security may be assigned a lower rating or cease to be rated which may affect the market value and liquidity of the security. If this occurs, an Underlying Fund may continue to hold the security if its investment advisor believes it is in the best interest of the Underlying Fund and its shareholders.
Credit/Default Risks. Debt securities purchased by the Underlying Funds may include securities (including zero coupon bonds) issued by the U.S. government (and its agencies, instrumentalities and sponsored enterprises), foreign governments, domestic and foreign corporations, banks and other issuers. Some of these fixed income securities are described in the next section below. Further information is provided in the SAI, which is available upon request.
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APPENDIX A
Certain Underlying Funds also have credit rating requirements for the securities they buy, which are applied at the time of purchase. For the purpose of determining compliance with any credit rating requirement, an Underlying Fund assigns a security, at the time of purchase, the highest rating by an NRSRO if the security is rated by more than one NRSRO. For this purpose, an Underlying Fund relies only on the ratings of the following NRSROs: Standard & Poors, Moodys and Fitch, Inc. Unrated securities may be purchased by an Underlying Fund if they are determined by the Investment Adviser to be of a credit quality consistent with the Underlying Funds credit rating requirements.
A security satisfies an Underlying Funds minimum rating requirement regardless of its relative ranking (for example, plus or minus) within a designated major rating category (for example, BBB- or Baa3). If a security satisfies an Underlying Funds minimum rating requirement at the time of purchase and is subsequently downgraded below such rating, the Underlying Fund will not be required to dispose of the security. If a downgrade occurs, the Underlying Funds investment adviser will consider what action, including the sale of the security, is in the best interest of the Underlying Fund and its shareholders.
Debt securities rated BBB- or higher by Standard & Poors or Baa3 or higher by Moodys or having a comparable credit rating by another NRSRO (or, if unrated, determined by the Underlying Funds investment adviser to be of comparable credit quality) are considered investment grade. Securities rated BBB- or Baa3 are considered medium-grade obligations with speculative characteristics, and adverse economic conditions or changing circumstances may weaken their issuers capacity to pay interest and repay principal.
Certain Underlying Funds may invest in fixed income securities rated BB+ or Ba1 or below (or comparable unrated securities) which are commonly known as junk bonds. Junk bonds are considered speculative and may be questionable as to principal and interest payments.
In some cases, junk bonds may be highly speculative, have poor prospects for reaching investment grade standing and be in default. As a result, investment in such bonds will present greater speculative risks than those associated with investment in investment grade bonds. Also, to the extent that the rating assigned to a security in an Underlying Funds portfolio is downgraded by a rating organization, the market price and liquidity of such security may be adversely affected.
Risks of Foreign Investments. Certain of the Underlying Funds and the Portfolios may make foreign investments. Foreign investments involve special risks that are not typically associated with U.S. dollar denominated or quoted securities of U.S. issuers. Foreign investments may be affected by changes in currency rates, changes in foreign or U.S. laws or restrictions applicable to such investments and changes in exchange control regulations (e.g., currency blockage). A decline in the exchange rate of the currency (i.e., weakening of the currency against the U.S. dollar) in which a portfolio security is quoted or denominated relative to the U.S. dollar would reduce the value of the portfolio security. In addition, if the currency in which an Underlying Fund or a Portfolio receives dividends, interest or other payments declines in value against the U.S. dollar before such income is distributed as dividends to shareholders or converted to U.S. dollars, the Underlying Fund or Portfolio may have to sell portfolio securities to obtain sufficient cash to pay such dividends.
Certain foreign markets may rely heavily on particular industries or foreign capital and are more vulnerable to diplomatic developments, the imposition of economic sanctions against a particular country or countries, organizations, entities and/or individuals, changes in international trading patterns, trade barriers, and other protectionist or retaliatory measures. International trade barriers or economic sanctions against foreign countries, organizations, entities and/or individuals may adversely affect an Underlying Funds foreign holdings or exposures.
Brokerage commissions, custodial services and other costs relating to investment in international securities markets generally are more expensive than in the United States. In addition, clearance and settlement procedures may be different in foreign countries and, in certain markets, such procedures have been unable to keep pace with the volume of securities transactions, thus making it difficult to conduct such transactions.
Foreign issuers are not generally subject to uniform accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards comparable to those applicable to U.S. issuers. There may be less publicly available information about a foreign issuer than about a U.S. issuer. In addition, there is generally less government regulation of foreign markets, companies and securities dealers than in the United States, and the legal remedies for investors may be more limited than the remedies available in the United States. Foreign securities markets may have substantially less volume than U.S. securities markets and securities of many foreign issuers are less liquid and more volatile than securities of comparable domestic issuers. Furthermore, with respect to certain foreign countries, there is a possibility of nationalization, expropriation or confiscatory taxation, imposition of withholding or other taxes on dividend or interest payments (or, in some cases, capital gains distributions), limitations on the removal of funds or other assets from such
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countries, and risks of political or social instability or diplomatic developments which could adversely affect investments in those countries.
Certain foreign investments may become less liquid in response to social, political or market developments or adverse investor perceptions, or become illiquid after purchase by an Underlying Fund, particularly during periods of market turmoil. Certain foreign investments may become illiquid when, for instance, there are few, if any, interested buyers and sellers or when dealers are unwilling to make a market for certain securities. When an Underlying Fund holds illiquid investments, its portfolio may be harder to value, especially in changing markets.
If an Underlying Fund focuses its investments in one or a few countries and currencies, it will subject the Underlying Fund to greater risks than if the Underlying Funds assets were not geographically focused.
Investments in foreign securities may take the form of sponsored and unsponsored American Depositary Receipts (ADRs) and Global Depositary Receipts (GDRs). Certain Underlying Funds may also invest in European Depositary Receipts (EDRs) or other similar instruments representing securities of foreign issuers. ADRs, GDRs and EDRs represent the right to receive securities of foreign issuers deposited in a bank or other depository. ADRs and certain GDRs are traded in the United States. GDRs may be traded in either the United States or in foreign markets. EDRs are traded primarily outside the United States. Prices of ADRs are quoted in U.S. dollars. EDRs and GDRs are not necessarily quoted in the same currency as the underlying security.
Foreign Custody Risk. An Underlying Fund or a Portfolio that invests in foreign securities may hold such securities and cash with foreign banks, agents, and securities depositories appointed by the Underlying Funds or Portfolios custodian (each a Foreign Custodian). Some Foreign Custodians may be recently organized or new to the foreign custody business. In some countries, Foreign Custodians may be subject to little or no regulatory oversight over or independent evaluation of their operations. Further, the laws of certain countries may place limitations on an Underlying Funds or a Portfolios ability to recover its assets if a Foreign Custodian enters bankruptcy. Investments in emerging markets may be subject to even greater custody risks than investments in more developed markets. Custody services in emerging market countries are very often undeveloped and may be considerably less well regulated than in more developed countries, and thus may not afford the same level of investor protection as would apply in developed countries.
Risks of Sovereign Debt. Investment in sovereign debt obligations by an Underlying Fund involves risks not present in debt obligations of corporate issuers. The issuer of the debt or the governmental authorities that control the repayment of the debt may be unable or unwilling to repay principal or interest when due in accordance with the terms of such debt, and the Underlying Fund may have limited recourse to compel payment in the event of a default. Periods of economic uncertainty may result in the volatility of market prices of sovereign debt, and in turn the Underlying Funds NAV, to a greater extent than the volatility inherent in debt obligations of U.S. issuers.
A sovereign debtors willingness or ability to repay principal and pay interest in a timely manner may be affected by, among other factors, its cash flow situation, the extent of its foreign currency reserves, the availability of sufficient foreign exchange on the date a payment is due, the relative size of the debt service burden to the economy as a whole, the sovereign debtors policy toward international lenders, and the political constraint to which a sovereign debtor may be subject.
Risks of Emerging Countries. Certain Underlying Funds may invest in securities of issuers located in emerging countries. The risks of foreign investment are heightened when the issuer is located in an emerging country. Emerging countries are generally located in Africa, Asia, the Middle East, Eastern and Central Europe and Central and South America. A Funds purchase and sale of portfolio securities in certain emerging countries may be constrained by limitations relating to daily changes in the prices of listed securities, periodic trading or settlement volume and/or limitations on aggregate holdings of foreign investors. Such limitations may be computed based on the aggregate trading volume by or holdings of an Underlying Fund, the Underlying Funds investment adviser, its affiliates and their respective clients and other service providers. An Underlying Fund may not be able to sell securities in circumstances where price, trading or settlement volume limitations have been reached.
Foreign investment in the securities markets of certain emerging countries is restricted or controlled to varying degrees which may limit investment in such countries or increase the administrative costs of such investments. For example, certain Asian countries require governmental approval prior to investments by foreign persons or limit investment by foreign persons to only a specified percentage of an issuers outstanding securities or a specific class of securities which may have less advantageous terms (including price) than securities of the issuer available for purchase by nationals. In addition, certain countries may restrict or prohibit investment opportunities in issuers or industries deemed important to national interests. Such restrictions may affect the market price, liquidity and rights of securities that may be purchased by an Underlying Fund. The repatriation of both investment income and
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APPENDIX A
capital from certain emerging countries is subject to restrictions such as the need for governmental consents. In situations where a country restricts direct investment in securities (which may occur in certain Asian and other countries), an Underlying Fund may invest in such countries through other investment funds in such countries.
Many emerging countries have experienced currency devaluations and substantial (and, in some cases, extremely high) rates of inflation. Other emerging countries have experienced economic recessions. These circumstances have had a negative effect on the economies and securities markets of such emerging countries. Economies in emerging countries generally are dependent heavily upon commodity prices and international trade and, accordingly, have been and may continue to be affected adversely by the economies of their trading partners, trade barriers, exchange controls, managed adjustments in relative currency values and other protectionist measures imposed or negotiated by the countries with which they trade.
Many emerging countries are subject to a substantial degree of economic, political and social instability. Governments of some emerging countries are authoritarian in nature or have been installed or removed as a result of military coups, while governments in other emerging countries have periodically used force to suppress civil dissent. Disparities of wealth, the pace and success of
democratization, and ethnic, religious and racial disaffection, among other factors, have also led to social unrest, violence and/or labor unrest in some emerging countries. Unanticipated political or social developments may result in sudden and significant investment losses. Investing in emerging countries involves greater risk of loss due to expropriation, nationalization, confiscation of assets and property or the imposition of restrictions on foreign investments and on repatriation of capital invested. As an example, in the past some Eastern European governments have expropriated substantial amounts of private property, and many claims of the property owners have never been fully settled. There is no assurance that similar expropriations will not occur in other countries.
An Underlying Funds investment in emerging countries may also be subject to withholding or other taxes, which may be significant and may reduce the return to the Underlying Fund from an investment in issuers in such countries.
Settlement procedures in emerging countries are frequently less developed and reliable than those in the United States and may involve an Underlying Funds delivery of securities before receipt of payment for their sale. In addition, significant delays may occur in certain markets in registering the transfer of securities. Settlement or registration problems may make it more difficult for an Underlying Fund to value its portfolio securities and could cause the Underlying Fund to miss attractive investment opportunities, to have a portion of its assets uninvested or to incur losses due to the failure of a counterparty to pay for securities the Underlying Fund has delivered or the Underlying Funds inability to complete its contractual obligations because of theft or other reasons.
The creditworthiness of the local securities firms used by an Underlying Fund in emerging countries may not be as sound as the creditworthiness of firms used in more developed countries. As a result, the Underlying Fund may be subject to a greater risk of loss if a securities firm defaults in the performance of its responsibilities.
The small size and inexperience of the securities markets in certain emerging countries and the limited volume of trading in securities in those countries may make an Underlying Funds investments in such countries less liquid and more volatile than investments in countries with more developed securities markets (such as the United States, Japan and most Western European countries). An Underlying Funds investments in emerging countries are subject to the risk that the liquidity of a particular investment, or investments generally, in such countries will shrink or disappear suddenly and without warning as a result of adverse economic, market or political conditions, or adverse investor perceptions, whether or not accurate. Because of the lack of sufficient market liquidity, an Underlying Fund may incur losses because it will be required to effect sales at a disadvantageous time and then only at a substantial drop in price. Investments in emerging countries may be more difficult to value precisely because of the characteristics discussed above and lower trading volumes.
An Underlying Funds use of foreign currency management techniques in emerging countries may be limited. The Underlying Funds investment advisers anticipate that a significant portion of the Underlying Funds currency exposure in emerging countries may not be covered by those techniques.
Risks of Writing Index and Related ETF Call Options. When the U.S. Equity Dividend and Premium and International Equity Dividend and Premium Funds, both Underlying Funds, write (sell) S&P 500 Index and MSCI EAFE Index options, respectively, or related ETF call options, they forego the opportunity to benefit from an increase in the value of the respective Index or related ETF above the exercise price (plus the premium received) of the option, but they continue to bear the risk of a decline in the value of the respective Index or related ETF. As the seller of the respective Indexes or related EFT call options, the Underlying Funds receive cash (the premium) from the purchaser. Depending upon the type of call option, the purchaser of an index or related ETF call
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option either (i) has the right to any appreciation in the value of the index or related ETF over a fixed price (the exercise price) on a certain date in the future (the expiration date) or (ii) has the right to any appreciation in the value of the index or related ETF over the exercise price at any time prior to the expiration of the option. If the purchaser does not exercise the option, the Underlying Fund retains the premium. If the purchaser exercises the option, the Underlying Fund pays the purchaser the difference between the price of the index or related ETF and the exercise price of the option. The premium, the exercise price and the market value of the index or related ETF determine the gain or loss realized by the Underlying Fund as the seller of the index or related ETF call option. The Underlying Fund can also repurchase the call option prior to the expiration date, ending its obligation. In this case, the cost of entering into closing purchase transactions will determine the gain or loss realized by the Underlying Fund.
There is no assurance that a liquid market will be available at all times for the Underlying Funds to write call options or to enter into closing purchase transactions. In addition, the premiums the Underlying Funds receive for writing call options may decrease as a result of a number of factors, including a reduction in interest rates generally, a decline in stock market volumes or a decrease in the price volatility of the underlying securities. For more information see Portfolio Securities and TechniquesOptions on Securities, Securities Indices and Foreign Currencies.
Risks of Derivative Investments. The Portfolios and certain of the Underlying Funds may invest in derivative instruments including without limitation, options, futures, options on futures, swaps, interest rate caps, floors and collars, structured securities and forward contracts and other derivatives relating to foreign currency transactions. Derivatives may be used for both hedging and nonhedging purposes (that is, to seek to increase total return), although suitable derivative instruments may not always be available to an investment adviser for these purposes. Losses from derivative instruments can result from a lack of correlation between changes in the value of derivative instruments and the portfolio assets (if any) being hedged, the potential illiquidity of the markets for derivative instruments, the failure of the counterparty to perform its contractual obligations, or the risks related to leverage factors associated with such transactions. Derivatives are also subject to risks arising from margin requirements, which include the risk that a Portfolio or an Underlying Fund will be required to pay additional margin or set aside additional collateral to maintain open derivative positions and the risk of loss by a Portfolio or an Underlying Fund of margin deposits in the event of the bankruptcy or other similar insolvency with respect to a broker with whom a Portfolio or an Underlying Fund has an open derivative position. Losses may also arise if the Portfolios or Underlying Funds receive cash collateral under the transactions and some or all of that collateral is invested in the market. To the extent that cash collateral is so invested, such collateral will be subject to market depreciation or appreciation, and a Portfolio or Underlying Fund may be responsible for any loss that might result from its investment of the counterpartys cash collateral. The use of these management techniques also involves the risk of loss if the investment adviser is incorrect in its expectation of the timing or level of fluctuations in securities prices, interest rates, currency prices or other variables. Derivative instruments may be harder to value, subject to greater volatility and more likely subject to changes in tax treatment than other investments. For these reasons, an investment advisers attempts to hedge portfolio risks through the use of derivative instruments may not be successful, and the investment adviser may choose not to hedge portfolio risks. Using derivatives for nonhedging purposes presents greater risk of loss than derivatives used for hedging purposes.
Derivative mortgage-backed securities (such as principal-only (POs), interest-only (IOs) or inverse floating rate securities) are particularly exposed to call and extension risks. Small changes in mortgage prepayments can significantly impact the cash flow and the market value of these securities. In general, the risk of faster than anticipated prepayments adversely affects IOs, super floaters and premium priced mortgage-backed securities. The risk of slower than anticipated prepayments generally adversely affects POs, floating-rate securities subject to interest rate caps, support tranches and discount priced mortgage-backed securities. In addition, particular derivative instruments may be leveraged such that their exposure (i.e., price sensitivity) to interest rate and/or prepayment risk is magnified.
Some floating-rate derivative debt securities can present more complex types of derivative and interest rate risks. For example, range floaters are subject to the risk that the coupon will be reduced below market rates if a designated interest rate floats outside of a specified interest rate band or collar. Dual index or yield curve floaters are subject to lower prices in the event of an unfavorable change in the spread between two designated interest rates.
Risks of Structured Investment Vehicles. Certain Underlying Funds may invest in structured investment vehicles (SIVs). SIVs are legal entities that are sponsored by banks, broker-dealers or other financial firms specifically created for the purpose of issuing particular securities or instruments. SIVs are often leveraged and securities issued by SIVs may have differing credit preferences. Investments in SIVs present counterparty risks, although they may be subject to a guarantee or other financial support by the sponsoring entity. Investments in SIVs may be more volatile, less liquid and more difficult to price accurately than other types of investments.
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Risks of Equity Swap Transactions. Certain Underlying Funds participate in equity swap transactions. In a standard swap transaction, two parties agree to exchange the returns, differentials in rates of return or some other amount earned or realized on a particular predetermined asset (or group of assets) which may be adjusted for transaction costs, interest payments, dividends paid on the reference asset or other factors. The gross returns to be exchanged or swapped between the parties are generally calculated with respect to a notional amount, for example, the increase or decrease in value of a particular dollar amount invested in the asset.
Equity swaps may be structured in different ways. For example, when an Underlying Fund takes a long position, a counterparty may agree to pay the Underlying Fund the amount, if any, by which the notional amount of the equity swap would have increased in value had it been invested in a particular stock (or group of stocks), plus the dividends that would have been received on the stock. In these cases, the Underlying Fund may agree to pay to the counterparty interest on the notional amount of the equity swap plus the amount, if any, by which that notional amount would have decreased in value had it been invested in such stock (or group of stocks). Therefore, in this case the return to the Underlying Fund on the equity swap should be the gain or loss on the notional amount plus dividends on the stock less the interest paid by the Underlying Fund on the notional amount. In other cases, when an Underlying Fund takes a short position, a counterparty may agree to pay the Underlying Fund the amount, if any, by which the notional amount of the equity swap would have decreased in value had the Underlying Fund sold a particular stock (or group of stocks) short, less the dividend expense that the Portfolio or Underlying Fund would have paid on the stock (or group of stocks), as adjusted for interest payments or other economic factors.
Under an equity swap, payments may be made at the conclusion of the equity swap or periodically during its term. Sometimes, however, the investment adviser of the Underlying Fund may be able to terminate a swap contract prior to its term, subject to any potential termination fee that is in addition to the Underlying Funds accrued obligations under the swap.
Equity swaps are derivatives and their value can be very volatile. To the extent that the investment adviser of an Underlying Fund does not accurately analyze and predict future market trends, the values of assets or economic factors, or the creditworthiness of the counterparty, the Underlying Fund may suffer a loss, which may be substantial.
Risks of Short Positions. The Portfolios may use derivatives, including futures and swaps to implement short positions. If the Portfolios use a derivative to implement a short position and the value of the instrument or market in which a Portfolio has taken a short position increases, then the Portfolio will incur a loss equal to the increase in value from the time that the short position was entered into plus any premium and interest paid to a counterparty. Therefore, taking short positions involves the risk that losses may be exaggerated, potentially losing more money than the actual cost of the investment.
The Portfolios may also engage in short selling. In these transactions, a Portfolio sells a security it does not own in anticipation of a decline in the market value of the security, then must borrow the security to make delivery to the buyer. A Portfolio is obligated to replace the security borrowed by purchasing it at the market price at the time of replacement. The price at such time may be more or less than the price at which the security was sold by a Portfolio, which may result in a loss or gain, respectively. Unlike purchasing a security, where potential losses are limited to the purchase price and there is no upside limit on potential gain, short sales involve no cap on maximum losses, while gains are limited to the price of the security at the time of the short sale.
A Portfolio may, during the term of any short sale, withdraw the cash proceeds of such short sale and use these cash proceeds to purchase additional securities or for any other Portfolio purposes. Because cash proceeds are Portfolio assets which are typically used to satisfy the collateral requirements for the short sale, the reinvestment of these cash proceeds may require a Portfolio to post as collateral other securities that it owns. If a Portfolio reinvests the cash proceeds, a Portfolio might be required to post an amount greater than its net assets (but less than its total assets) as collateral. For these or other reasons, a Portfolio might be required to liquidate long and short positions at times that may be disadvantageous to a Portfolio.
Each Portfolio and certain of the Underlying Funds may make short sales against the box, in which a Portfolio or an Underlying Fund enters into a short sale of a security which it owns or has the right to obtain at no additional cost.
The SEC and financial industry regulatory authorities in other countries have imposed temporary prohibitions and restrictions on certain types of short sale transactions. These prohibitions and restrictions, or the imposition of other regulatory requirements on short selling in the future, could inhibit the ability of the Investment Adviser to sell securities short on behalf of a Portfolio or an Underlying Fund.
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Risks of Illiquid Securities. The Portfolios and the Underlying Funds may invest up to 15% of their net assets in illiquid securities which cannot be disposed of in seven days in the ordinary course of business at approximately the price at which the Portfolios and the Underlying Funds value the investment. Illiquid securities in which some or all of the Underlying Funds may invest include:
⬛ | Both domestic and foreign securities that are not readily marketable |
⬛ | Certain municipal leases and participation interests |
⬛ | Certain stripped mortgage-backed securities |
⬛ | Repurchase agreements and time deposits with a notice or demand period of more than seven days |
⬛ | Certain over-the-counter options |
⬛ | Certain structured securities and swap transactions |
⬛ | Certain restricted securities, unless it is determined, based upon a review of the trading markets for a specific restricted security, that such restricted security is liquid because it is so-called 4(2) commercial paper or is otherwise eligible for resale pursuant to Rule 144A under the Securities Act (144A Securities). |
Investing in 144A Securities may decrease the liquidity of a Portfolio or an Underlying Funds portfolio to the extent that qualified institutional buyers become for a time uninterested in purchasing these restricted securities. The purchase price and subsequent valuation of restricted and illiquid securities normally reflect a discount, which may be significant, from the market price of comparable securities for which a liquid market exists.
Investments purchased by a Portfolio or an Underlying Fund, particularly debt securities and over-the-counter traded instruments, that are liquid at the time of purchase may subsequently become illiquid due to events relating to the issuer of the securities, market events, economic conditions or investor perceptions. Domestic and foreign markets are becoming more and more complex and interrelated, so that events in one sector of the market or the economy, or in one geographical region, can reverberate and have negative consequences for other market, economic or regional sectors in a manner that may not be reasonably foreseen. With respect to over-the-counter traded securities, the continued viability of any over-the-counter secondary market depends on the continued willingness of dealers and other participants to purchase the instruments.
If one or more securities in a Portfolios or an Underlying Funds portfolio become illiquid, the Portfolio or Underlying Fund may exceed its 15% limitation in illiquid instruments. In the event that changes in the portfolio or other external events cause the investments in illiquid instruments to exceed 15% of a Portfolios or an Underlying Funds net assets, the Portfolio or an Underlying Fund must take steps to bring the aggregate amount of illiquid instruments back within the prescribed limitations as soon as reasonably practicable. This requirement would not force a Portfolio or Underlying Fund to liquidate any portfolio instrument where the Portfolio or an Underlying Fund would suffer a loss on the sale of that instrument.
In cases where no clear indication of the value of a Portfolio or an Underlying Funds portfolio instruments is available, the portfolio securities will be valued at their fair value according to the valuation procedures approved by the Board of Trustees. These cases include, among others, situations where a security or other asset or liability does not have a price source, or the secondary markets on which an investment has previously been traded are no longer viable, due to its lack of liquidity. For more information on fair valuation, please see How To Buy SharesHow Are Shares Priced?
In October 2016, the SEC adopted a new rule that regulates the management of liquidity risk by certain investment companies registered under the 1940 Act, such as a Portfolio or an Underlying Fund. The new rule may potentially impact a Portfolio or an Underlying Funds performance and ability to achieve their respective investment objectives. The Investment Adviser continues to evaluate the potential impact of this new rule, which has a compliance date of December 1, 2018.
Risks of Investing in Master Limited Partnerships (MLPs). Investments in securities of an MLP involve risks that differ from investments in common stock, including risks related to limited control and limited rights to vote on matters affecting the MLP, risks related to potential conflicts of interest between the MLP and the MLPs general partner, cash flow risks, dilution risks and risks related to the general partners right to require unit-holders to sell their common units at an undesirable time or price. Many of the Underlying MLP Funds investments in MLPs will be subject to legal and other restrictions on resale or will otherwise be less liquid than publicly traded securities. Certain MLP securities may trade in lower volumes due to their smaller capitalizations. Accordingly, those MLPs may be subject to more abrupt or erratic price movements and may lack sufficient market liquidity to enable the Underlying MLP Fund to effect sales at an advantageous time or without a substantial drop in price. Investment in those MLPs may restrict the Underlying MLP Funds ability to take advantage of other investment opportunities. If the Underlying MLP Fund is one of the largest investors in certain MLPs, it may be more difficult for the Underlying MLP Fund to buy and sell significant amounts of such investments without an unfavorable impact on prevailing market prices. Larger purchases or sales of MLP investments by the Underlying MLP Fund in a short period of time may cause abnormal movements in the market price of
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these investments. As a result, these investments may be difficult to dispose of at a fair price at the times when the Underlying MLP Fund believes it is desirable to do so. MLPs are generally considered interest-rate sensitive investments. During periods of interest rate volatility, these investments may not provide attractive returns. Depending on the state of interest rates in general, the use of MLPs could enhance or harm the overall performance of the Underlying MLP Fund.
The Underlying MLP Funds ability to meet its investment objective will depend largely on the amount of the distributions it receives from the MLPs (in relation to the taxable income, gains, losses, and deductions allocated to it). The amount and tax characterization of cash available for distribution by an MLP depends upon the amount of cash generated by such entitys operations. Cash available for distribution by MLPs will vary widely from quarter to quarter and is affected by various factors affecting the entitys operations. In addition to the risks described herein, operating costs, capital expenditures, acquisition costs, construction costs, exploration costs and borrowing costs may reduce the amount of cash that an MLP has available for distribution in a given period. MLPs have the ability to modify their distribution policies from time to time without input from or approval of the Underlying MLP Fund.
Conflicts of interest may arise from incentive distribution payments paid to the general partner, or referral of business opportunities by the general partner or one of its affiliates to an entity other than the MLP. Holders of general partner or managing member interests typically receive incentive distribution rights, which provide them with an increasing share of the entitys aggregate cash distributions upon the payment of per common unit distributions that exceed specified threshold levels above the minimum quarterly distribution. Due to the incentive distribution rights, general partners of MLPs have higher distribution growth prospects than their underlying MLPs, but quarterly incentive distribution payments would also decline at a greater rate than the decline rate in quarterly distributions to common and subordinated unit holders in the event of a reduction in the MLPs quarterly distribution. The ability of the limited partners or members to remove the general partner or managing member without cause is typically very limited. In addition, some MLPs permit the holder of incentive distribution rights to reset, under specified circumstances, the incentive distribution levels and receive compensation in exchange for the distribution rights given up in the reset.
MLPs are subject to various risks related to the underlying operating companies they control, including dependence upon specialized management skills and the risk that those operating companies may lack or have limited operating histories. The success of the Underlying MLP Funds investments in an MLP will vary depending on the underlying industry represented by the MLPs portfolio. Certain MLPs in which the Underlying MLP Fund may invest depend upon their parent or sponsor entities for the majority of their revenues. If the parent or sponsor entities fail to make payments or satisfy their obligations to an MLP, the revenues and cash flows of that MLP and ability of that MLP to make distributions to unit holders such as the Underlying MLP Fund would be adversely affected.
Certain MLPs in which the Underlying MLP Fund may invest depend upon a limited number of customers for substantially all of their revenue. Similarly, certain MLPs in which the Underlying MLP Fund may invest depend upon a limited number of suppliers of goods or services to continue their operations. The loss of those customers or suppliers could have a material adverse effect on an MLPs results of operations and cash flow, and on its ability to make distributions to unit holders such as the Underlying MLP Fund.
The Underlying MLP Fund is not responsible for operating MLPs and similar entities and cannot control or monitor their compliance with applicable tax, securities and other laws and regulations necessary for the profitability of such investments. Furthermore, the structures and terms of the MLPs and other entities described in the Prospectus may not be indicative of the structure and terms of every entity in which the Underlying MLP Fund invests. Although the MLP sector has grown significantly in recent years, such market trends may not continue due to economic conditions, which are not predictable, or other factors.
Market prices generally will be unavailable for some of the Underlying MLP Funds investments, including MLP subordinated units, direct ownership of general partner or managing member interests and restricted or unregistered securities of certain MLPs and private companies. The value of such securities will be determined by fair valuations determined by the Board of Directors or its designee in accordance with procedures governing the valuation of portfolio securities adopted by the Board of Directors. Proper valuation of such securities may require more reliance on the judgment of GSAM than for valuation of securities for which an active trading market exists.
MLP Tax Risk. Much of the benefit that the Underlying MLP Fund may derive from its investment in equity securities of MLPs is a result of MLPs generally being treated as partnerships for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Partnerships do not pay U.S. federal income tax at the partnership level. Rather, each partner is allocated a share of the partnerships income, gains, losses, deductions and expenses. A change in current tax law, or a change in the underlying business mix of a given MLP, could result in an MLP being treated as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes, which would result in the MLP being required to pay U.S. federal
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income tax (as well as state and local income taxes) on its taxable income. The classification of an MLP as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes would have the effect of reducing the amount of cash available for distribution by the MLP. If any MLP in which the Underlying MLP Fund invests were treated as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes, it could result in a reduction of the value of the Underlying MLP Funds investment in the MLP and lower income to the Underlying MLP Fund.
Fund Structure Risk. Unlike traditional mutual funds that are structured as regulated investment companies for U.S. federal income tax purposes, the Underlying MLP Fund will be taxable as a regular corporation, or C corporation, for U.S. federal income tax purposes. This means the Underlying MLP Fund generally will be subject to U.S. federal income tax on its taxable income at the rates applicable to corporations (currently a maximum rate of 35%), and will also be subject to state and local income taxes.
Changes in tax laws or regulations, or future interpretations of such laws or regulations, could adversely affect the Underlying MLP Fund or the MLPs in which the Underlying MLP Fund invests. Legislation could also negatively impact the amount and tax characterization of dividends received by the Underlying MLP Funds shareholders. Congress could significantly change the tax regime in the United States and impose a flat tax on gross income or take other actions which would eliminate the tax benefits of depreciation, depletion and amortization deductions realized by MLPs. Alternatively, Congress could impose a tax on pass-through entities such as MLPs or eliminate the use of pass-through taxation entirely. The tax benefits of depreciation, depletion and amortization deductions realized by MLPs effectively defer the income of the MLPs and, in turn, the taxable income of the Underlying MLP Fund. Without these benefits the Underlying MLP Fund would be subject to current U.S. federal, state and local corporate income taxes on a greater proportion of its allocable share of the income and gains of MLPs in which it invests, and the Underlying MLP Funds ability to pay distributions treated as return-of-capital distributions or as capital gains would be reduced. Imposing a tax on pass-through entities and/or eliminating the use of pass-through taxation entirely could result in three levels of taxat the MLP level, the Underlying MLP Fund level and at the level of shareholders of the Underlying MLP Fund.
Tax Estimation/NAV Risk. Because the Underlying MLP Fund is treated as a regular corporation, or a C corporation, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, the Underlying MLP Fund will incur tax expenses. In calculating the Underlying MLP Funds daily net asset value, the Underlying MLP Fund will account for its current taxes and deferred tax liability and/or asset balances.
The Underlying MLP Fund may accrue a deferred income tax liability balance at the rates applicable to corporations, plus an estimated state and local income tax rate, for its future tax liability associated with the capital appreciation of its investments and the distributions received by the Underlying MLP Fund on equity securities of MLPs considered to be return of capital and for any net operating gains. Any deferred tax liability balance will reduce the Underlying MLP Funds NAV. Upon the Underlying MLP Funds sale of its interest in an MLP, the Underlying MLP Fund may be liable for previously deferred taxes. The Underlying MLP Fund may also accrue a deferred tax asset balance, which reflects an estimate of the Underlying MLP Funds future tax benefit associated with net operating losses and unrealized losses. Any deferred tax asset balance will increase the Underlying MLP Funds NAV. To the extent the Underlying MLP Fund has a deferred tax asset balance, the Underlying MLP Fund will assess whether a valuation allowance, which would offset the value of some or all of the Underlying MLP Funds deferred tax asset balance, is required, considering all positive and negative evidence related to the realization of the Underlying MLP Funds deferred tax asset. To the extent a valuation allowance differs from the estimates of the Underlying MLP Fund used in calculating the Underlying MLP Funds daily NAV, the application of such valuation allowance could have a material impact on the Underlying MLP Funds NAV.
An estimate of current taxes and deferred tax liability and/or asset balances is dependent upon the Underlying MLP Funds net investment income and unrealized gains on investments and such expenses may vary greatly from year to year depending on the nature of the Underlying MLP Funds investments, the performance of those investments and general market conditions. Therefore, any estimate of current taxes and deferred income tax liability and/or asset balances cannot be reliably predicted from year to year.
The Underlying MLP Funds deferred tax liability and/or asset balances are estimated using estimates of effective tax rates expected to apply to taxable income in the years such balances are realized. The Underlying MLP Fund will rely to some extent on information provided by MLPs regarding the tax characterization of the distributions made by such MLPs, which may not be provided to the Underlying MLP Fund on a timely basis, to estimate the Underlying MLP Funds current taxes and deferred tax liability and/or asset balances for purposes of financial statement reporting and determining its NAV. The Underlying MLP Funds estimates regarding its current taxes and deferred tax liability and/or asset balances are made in good faith; however, the daily estimate of the Underlying MLP Funds current taxes and deferred tax liability and/or asset balances used to calculate the Underlying MLP Funds NAV could vary dramatically from the Underlying MLP Funds actual tax liability or benefit, and, as a result,
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the determination of the Underlying MLP Funds actual tax liability or benefit may have a material impact on the Underlying MLP Funds NAV. From time to time, the Underlying MLP Fund may modify its estimates or assumptions regarding its current taxes and deferred tax liability and/or asset balances as new information becomes available. Modifications of the Underlying MLP Funds estimates or assumptions regarding its current taxes and deferred tax liability and/ or asset balances and any applicable valuation allowance, changes in generally accepted accounting principles or related guidance or interpretations thereof, limitations imposed on net operating losses (if any) and changes in applicable tax law could result in increases or decreases in the Underlying MLP Funds NAV, which could be material. Unexpected significant decreases in cash distributions from the Underlying MLP Funds MLP investments or significant declines in the fair value of its investments may change the Underlying MLP Funds assessment regarding the recoverability of its deferred tax assets and may result in a valuation allowance. If a valuation allowance is required to reduce any deferred tax asset in the future, it could have a material impact on the Underlying MLP Funds NAV and results of operations with respect to the Underlying MLP Funds shareholders in the period it is recorded, even though the shareholders at such time might not have held shares in the Underlying MLP Fund at the time the deferred tax asset had been established.
Risks of Investing in the Energy Sector. Many MLPs in which the Underlying MLP Fund may invest operate oil, gas or petroleum facilities, or other facilities within the energy sector. As a result, the Underlying MLP Fund will be concentrated in the energy sector, and will therefore be susceptible to adverse economic, environmental or regulatory occurrences affecting that sector. A downturn in the energy sector could have a larger impact on the Underlying MLP Fund than on funds that are broadly diversified across many sectors and industries. At times, the performance of securities of companies in the energy sector may lag behind the performance of other sectors or industries or the broader market as a whole. MLPs and other companies operating in the energy sector are subject to specific risks, including, but not limited to, the risk that MLPs and other companies operating in the energy sector may be affected by fluctuations in prices of energy commodities; supply and demand risk; the risk that energy reserves naturally deplete as they are consumed over time; environmental and regulatory risk; the risk associated with catastrophic events including leaks, fires, explosions, damage to facilities and equipment resulting from natural disasters, inadvertent damage to facilities and equipment and terrorist acts; risks associated with MLPs ability to make future acquisitions including their ability to identify suitable targets, negotiate favorable purchase contracts, obtain acceptable financing and outbid competing potential acquirers; interest rate risk; and risks that are specific to the industry in which the MLPs operate.
Temporary Investment Risks. Each Portfolio and each Underlying Fund may, for temporary defensive purposes (and to the extent it is permitted to invest in the following), invest a certain percentage of its total assets in:
⬛ | U.S. Government Securities Commercial paper rated at least A-2 by Standard & Poors, P-2 by Moodys or having a comparable credit rating by another NRSRO (or, if unrated, determined by the Investment Adviser to be of comparable credit quality) |
⬛ | Certificates of deposit Bankers acceptances |
⬛ | Repurchase agreements |
⬛ | Non-convertible preferred stocks and non-convertible corporate bonds with a remaining maturity of less than one year |
⬛ | ETFs |
⬛ | Other investment companies |
⬛ | Cash items |
When a Portfolios or an Underlying Funds assets are invested in such instruments, the Portfolio or Underlying Fund may not be achieving its investment objective.
Risks of Private Investments in Public Equities. The Underlying MLP Fund may make private investments in public equities (PIPE). PIPE transactions typically involve the purchase of securities directly from a publicly traded company or its affiliates in a private placement transaction, typically at a discount to the market price of the companys common stock. In a PIPE transaction, the Underlying MLP Fund may bear the price risk from the time of pricing until the time of closing. Equity issued in this manner is often subject to transfer restrictions and is therefore less liquid than equity issued through a registered public offering. The Underlying MLP Fund may be subject to lock-up agreements that prohibit transfers for a fixed period of time. In addition, because the sale of the securities in a PIPE transaction is not registered under the Securities Act, the securities are restricted and cannot be immediately resold into the public markets. The Underlying MLP Fund may enter into a registration rights agreement with the issuer pursuant to which the issuer commits to file a resale registration statement allowing the Underlying MLP Fund to publicly resell its securities. However, the ability of the Underlying MLP Fund to freely transfer the shares is conditioned upon, among other things, the SECs preparedness to declare the resale registration statement effective and the issuers right to suspend the
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Underlying MLP Funds use of the resale registration statement if the issuer is pursuing a transaction or some other material non-public event is occurring. Accordingly, PIPE securities may be subject to risks associated with illiquid securities.
Risks of Pre-IPO Investments. Privately held companies typically have limited operating histories, narrower, less established product lines and smaller market shares than larger businesses, which tend to render them more vulnerable to competitors actions, market conditions and consumer sentiment in respect of their products or services, as well as general economic downturns. Such companies may experience operating losses, which may be substantial, and there can be no assurance when or if such companies will operate at a profit. At the time of an Underlying Funds investment, there is generally little publicly available information about these companies since they are primarily privately owned and an Underlying Fund may only have access to the companys actual financial results as of and for the most recent quarter end or, in certain cases, the quarter end preceding the most recent quarter end. There can be no assurance that the information that an Underlying Fund does obtain with respect to any investment is reliable. Privately held companies may have limited financial resources and may be unable to meet their obligations under their existing credit facilities (to the extent that such facilities exist), which may lead to equity financings, possibly at discounted valuations, in which an Underlying Fund could be substantially diluted if an Underlying Fund does not or cannot participate, bankruptcy or liquidation and the corresponding reduction in value or loss of an Underlying Funds investment. Privately held companies are more likely to depend on the management talents and efforts of a small group of persons; therefore, the death, disability, resignation or termination of one or more of these persons could have a material adverse impact on the company and, in turn, on an Underlying Fund. Continued global economic uncertainty could also result in investors becoming more risk-averse, which in turn could reduce the amount of growth capital available to the companies from both existing and new investors, could adversely affect their operating performance, and could delay liquidity paths (for example, an IPO or strategic sale/merger) for the companies. It may be difficult for an Underlying Fund to sell these investments, subjecting an Underlying Fund to liquidity risk. Shares of privately held companies are less liquid (and may be illiquid) and difficult to value, and the inability of these portfolio companies to complete an IPO within the targeted time frame will extend the holding period of an Underlying Funds investments and may adversely affect the value of these investments.
Risks of Initial Public Offerings (IPOs). Certain Underlying Funds may invest in IPOs. An IPO is a companys first offering of stock to the public. IPO risk is the risk that the market value of IPO shares will fluctuate considerably due to factors such as the absence of a prior public market, unseasoned trading, the small number of shares available for trading and limited information about a companys business model, quality of management, earnings growth potential and other criteria used to evaluate its investment prospects. The purchase of IPO shares may involve high transaction costs. Investments in IPO shares, which are subject to market risk and liquidity risk, involve greater risks than investments in shares of companies that have traded publicly on an exchange for extended periods of time. When an Underlying Funds asset base is small, a significant portion of an Underlying Funds performance could be attributable to investments in IPOs, because such investments would have a magnified impact on an Underlying Fund. As an Underlying Funds assets grow, the effect of an Underlying Funds investments in IPOs on an Underlying Funds performance probably will decline, which could reduce an Underlying Funds performance. Because of the price volatility of IPO shares, an Underlying Fund may choose to hold IPO shares for a very short period of time. This may increase the turnover of an Underlying Funds portfolio and may lead to increased expenses to an Underlying Fund, such as commissions and transaction costs. An Underlying Fund will generally be subject to tax on the sale of IPO shares at a gain. In addition, the market for IPO shares can be speculative and/or inactive for extended periods of time. There is no assurance that an Underlying Fund will be able to obtain allocable portions of IPO shares. The limited number of shares available for trading in some IPOs may make it more difficult for an Underlying Fund to buy or sell significant amounts of shares without an unfavorable impact on prevailing prices. Investors in IPO shares can be affected by substantial dilution in the value of their shares, by sales of additional shares and by concentration of control in existing management and principal shareholders.
Risks of Exchange-Traded Notes. ETNs are senior, unsecured, unsubordinated debt securities issued by a sponsoring financial institution. The returns on an ETN are linked to the performance of particular securities, market indices, or strategies, minus applicable fees. ETNs are traded on an exchange (e.g., the New York Stock Exchange) during normal trading hours; however, investors may also hold an ETN until maturity. At maturity, the issuer of an ETN pays to the investor a cash amount equal to the principal amount, subject to application of the relevant securities, index or strategy factor. Similar to other debt securities, ETNs have a maturity date and are backed only by the credit of the sponsoring institution. ETNs are subject to credit risk. The value of an ETN may be influenced by time to maturity, level of supply and demand for the ETN, volatility and lack of liquidity in underlying assets, changes in the applicable interest rates, changes in the issuers credit rating, and economic, legal, political or geographic events that affect the underlying assets. When an Underlying Fund invests in ETNs, it will bear its proportionate share of any fees and expenses borne by the ETN. Although an ETN is a debt security, it is unlike a typical bond, in that there are no periodic
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interest payments and principal is not protected. The timing and character of income and gains from ETNs may be affected by future legislation.
C. Investment Securities and Techniques |
This section provides further information on certain types of securities and investment techniques that may be used by the Underlying Funds or the Portfolios, including their associated risks.
An Underlying Fund or a Portfolio may purchase other types of securities or instruments similar to those described in this section if otherwise consistent with the Underlying Funds investment objective and policies. Further information is provided in the SAI, which is available upon request.
U.S. Government Securities. Each Portfolio and Underlying Fund may invest in U.S. Government Securities. U.S. Government Securities include U.S. Treasury obligations and obligations issued or guaranteed by U.S. government agencies, instrumentalities or sponsored enterprises. U.S. Government Securities may be supported by (i) the full faith and credit of the U.S. Treasury; (ii) the right of the issuer to borrow from the U.S. Treasury; (iii) the discretionary authority of the U.S. government to purchase certain obligations of the issuer; or (iv) only the credit of the issuer. U.S. Government Securities also include Treasury receipts, zero coupon bonds and other stripped U.S. Government Securities, where the interest and principal components are traded independently. U.S. Government Securities may also include Treasury inflation-protected securities whose principal value is periodically adjusted according to the rate of inflation.
U.S. Treasury Obligations include, among other things, the separately traded principal and interest components of securities guaranteed or issued by the U.S. Treasury if such components are traded independently under the Separate Trading of Registered Interest and Principal of Securities program (STRIPS).
U.S. Government Securities are deemed to include (i) securities for which the payment of principal and interest is backed by an irrevocable letter of credit issued by the U.S. government, its agencies, authorities or instrumentalities; and (ii) participations in loans made to foreign governments or their agencies that are so guaranteed. Certain of these participations may be regarded as illiquid.
U.S. Government Securities have historically involved little risk of loss of principal if held to maturity. However, no assurance can be given that the U.S. government will be able or willing to repay the principal or interest when due, or provide financial support to U.S. government agencies, authorities, instrumentalities or sponsored enterprises if it is not obligated to do so by law.
Custodial Receipts and Trust Certificates. Each Underlying Fund may invest in custodial receipts and trust certificates representing interests in securities held by a custodian or trustee. The securities so held may include U.S. Government Securities, Municipal Securities or other types of securities in which an Underlying Fund may invest. The custodial receipts or trust certificates may evidence ownership of future interest payments, principal payments or both on the underlying securities, or, in some cases, the payment obligation of a third party that has entered into an interest rate swap or other arrangement with the custodian or trustee. For certain securities laws purposes, custodial receipts and trust certificates may not be considered obligations of the U.S. government or other issuer of the securities held by the custodian or trustee. If for tax purposes an Underlying Fund is not considered to be the owner of the underlying securities held in the custodial or trust account, the Underlying Fund may suffer adverse tax consequences. As a holder of custodial receipts and trust certificates, an Underlying Fund will bear its proportionate share of the fees and expenses charged to the custodial account or trust. Each Underlying Fund may also invest in separately issued interests in custodial receipts and trust certificates.
Mortgage-Backed Securities. Certain of the Underlying Funds may invest in securities that represent direct or indirect participations in, or are collateralized by and payable from, mortgage loans secured by real property (Mortgage-Backed Securities). Mortgage-Backed Securities can be backed by either fixed rate mortgage loans or adjustable rate mortgage loans, and may be issued by either a governmental or non-governmental entity. The value of some Mortgage-Backed Securities may be particularly sensitive to changes in prevailing interest rates. The value of these securities may also fluctuate in response to the markets perception of the creditworthiness of the issuers. Early repayment of principal on Mortgage-Backed or asset-backed Securities may expose an Underlying Fund to the risk of earning a lower rate of return upon reinvestment of principal.
Certain Underlying Funds may invest in privately-issued mortgage pass-through securities that represent interests in pools of mortgage loans that are issued by trusts formed by originators of and institutional investors in mortgage loans (or represent interests in custodial arrangements administered by such institutions). These originators and institutions include commercial banks,
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savings and loans associations, credit unions, savings banks, mortgage bankers, insurance companies, investment banks or special purpose subsidiaries of the foregoing. The pools underlying privately-issued mortgage pass-through securities consist of mortgage loans secured by mortgages or deeds of trust creating a first lien on commercial, residential, residential multi-family and mixed residential/commercial properties. These mortgage-backed securities typically do not have the same credit standing as U.S. government guaranteed mortgage-backed securities.
Privately-issued mortgage pass-through securities generally offer a higher yield than similar securities issued by a government entity because of the absence of any direct or indirect government or agency payment guarantees. However, timely payment of interest and principal on mortgage loans in these pools may be supported by various other forms of insurance or guarantees, including individual loan, pool and hazard insurance, subordination and letters of credit. Such insurance and guarantees may be issued by private insurers, banks and mortgage poolers. There is no guarantee that private guarantors or insurers, if any, will meet their obligations. Mortgage-backed securities without insurance or guarantees may also be purchased by the Underlying Fund if they have the required rating from an NRSRO. Mortgage-backed securities issued by private organizations may not be readily marketable, may be more difficult to value accurately, and may be more volatile than similar securities issued by a government entity.
Mortgage-backed securities may include multiple class securities, including collateralized mortgage obligations (CMOs) and Real Estate Mortgage Investment Conduit (REMIC) pass-through or participation certificates. A REMIC is a CMO that qualifies for special tax treatment under the Code and invests in certain mortgages principally secured by interests in real property and other permitted investments. CMOs provide an investor with a specified interest in the cash flow from a pool of underlying mortgages or of other Mortgage-Backed Securities. CMOs are issued in multiple classes each with a specified fixed or floating interest rate and a final scheduled distribution date. In many cases, payments of principal are applied to the CMO classes in the order of their respective stated maturities, so that no principal payments will be made on a CMO class until all other classes having an earlier stated maturity date are paid in full.
Sometimes, however, CMO classes are parallel pay, i.e., payments of principal are made to two or more classes concurrently. In some cases, CMOs may have the characteristics of a stripped mortgage-backed security whose price can be highly volatile. CMOs may exhibit more or less price volatility and interest rate risk than other types of Mortgage-Backed Securities, and under certain interest rate and payment scenarios, the Underlying Fund may fail to recoup fully its investment in certain of these securities regardless of their credit quality.
Mortgage-Backed Securities also include stripped Mortgage-Backed Securities (SMBS), which are derivative multiple class Mortgage-Backed Securities. SMBS are usually structured with two different classes: one that receives substantially all of the interest payments and the other that receives substantially all of the principal payments from a pool of mortgage loans. The market value of SMBS consisting entirely of principal payments generally is unusually volatile in response to changes in interest rates. The yields on SMBS that receive all or most of the interest from mortgage loans are generally higher than prevailing market yields on other Mortgage-Backed Securities because their cash flow patterns are more volatile and there is a greater risk that the initial investment will not be fully recouped. Throughout 2008, the market for mortgage-backed securities began experiencing substantially, often dramatically, lower valuations and greatly reduced liquidity. Markets for other asset-backed securities have also been affected. These instruments are increasingly subject to liquidity constraints, price volatility, credit downgrades and unexpected increases in default rates and, therefore, may be more difficult to value and more difficult to dispose of than previously. These events may have an adverse effect on the Funds to the extent they invest in mortgage-backed or other fixed income securities or instruments affected by the volatility in the fixed income markets.
Asset-Backed and Receivables-Backed Securities. Certain Underlying Funds may invest in asset-backed and receivables-backed securities whose principal and interest payments are collateralized by pools of assets such as auto loans, credit card receivables, leases, mortgages, installment contracts and personal property. Asset-backed securities may also include home equity line of credit loans and other second-lien mortgages. Asset-backed and receivables-backed securities are often subject to more rapid repayment than their stated maturity date would indicate as a result of the pass-through of prepayments of principal on the underlying loans. During periods of declining interest rates, prepayment of loans underlying asset-backed and receivables-backed securities can be expected to accelerate. Accordingly, an Underlying Funds ability to maintain positions in such securities will be affected by reductions in the principal amount of such securities resulting from prepayments, and its ability to reinvest the returns of principal at comparable yields is subject to generally prevailing interest rates at that time. In addition, securities that are backed by credit card, automobile and similar types of receivables generally do not have the benefit of a security interest in collateral that is comparable in quality to mortgage assets. Some asset-backed securities have only a subordinated claim or security interest in collateral. If the issuer of an asset-backed security defaults on its payment obligation, there is the possibility that, in some cases, an
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Underlying Fund will be unable to possess and sell the underlying collateral and that the Underlying Funds recoveries on repossessed collateral may not be available to support payments on the securities. In the event of a default, an Underlying Fund may suffer a loss if it cannot sell collateral quickly and receive the amount it is owed. The value of some asset-backed securities may be particularly sensitive to changes in the prevailing interest rates. There is no guarantee that private guarantors or insurers of an asset-backed security, if any, will meet their obligation. Asset-backed securities may also be subject to increased volatility and may become illiquid and more difficult to value even where there is no default or threat of default due to the markets perception of the creditworthiness of the issuer and market conditions impacting asset-backed securities more generally.
Municipal Securities. Certain Underlying Funds may invest in securities and instruments issued by state and local government issuers (Municipal Securities). Municipal Securities in which an Underlying Fund may invest consist of bonds, notes, commercial paper and other instruments (including participation interests in such securities) issued by or on behalf of the states, territories and possessions of the United States (including the District of Columbia) and their political subdivisions, agencies or instrumentalities. Such securities may pay fixed, variable or floating rates of interest.
Municipal Securities include both general and revenue bonds and may be issued to obtain funds for various purposes. General obligations are secured by the issuers pledge of its full faith, credit and taxing power. Revenue obligations are payable only from the revenues derived from a particular facility or class of facilities. Such securities may pay fixed, variable or floating rates of interest.
Municipal Securities are often issued to obtain funds for various public purposes, including the construction of a wide range of public facilities such as bridges, highways, housing, hospitals, mass transportation, schools, streets and water and sewer works. Other purposes for which Municipal Securities may be issued include refunding outstanding obligations, obtaining funds for general operating expenses, and obtaining funds to lend to other public institutions and facilities. Municipal Securities in which the Underlying Funds may invest include private activity bonds, pre-refunded Municipal Securities and auction rate securities. Dividends paid by an Underlying Fund based on investments in private activity bonds will be subject to alternative minimum tax.
The obligations of the issuer to pay the principal of and interest on a Municipal Security are subject to the provisions of bankruptcy, insolvency and other laws affecting the rights and remedies of creditors, such as the Federal Bankruptcy Act, and laws, if any, that may be enacted by Congress or state legislatures extending the time for payment of principal or interest or imposing other constraints upon the enforcement of such obligations. There is also the possibility that, as a result of litigation or other conditions, the power or ability of the issuer to pay when due the principal of or interest on a municipal security may be materially affected.
In addition, Municipal Securities include municipal leases, certificates of participation and moral obligation bonds. A municipal lease is an obligation issued by a state or local government to acquire equipment or facilities. Certificates of participation represent interests in municipal leases or other instruments, such as installment purchase agreements. Moral obligation bonds are supported by a moral commitment but not a legal obligation of a state or local government. Municipal leases, certificates of participation and moral obligation bonds frequently involve special risks not normally associated with general obligation or revenue bonds. In particular, these instruments permit governmental issuers to acquire property and equipment without meeting constitutional and statutory requirements for the issuance of debt. If, however, the governmental issuer does not periodically appropriate money to enable it to meet its payment obligations under these instruments, it cannot be legally compelled to do so. If a default occurs, it is likely that an Underlying Fund would be unable to obtain another acceptable source of payment. Some municipal leases, certificates of participation and moral obligation bonds may be illiquid. Generally, municipalities continue to experience difficulties in the current economic and political environment.
Municipal Securities may also be in the form of a tender option bond, which is a Municipal Security (generally held pursuant to a custodial arrangement) having a relatively long maturity and bearing interest at a fixed rate substantially higher than prevailing short-term, tax-exempt rates. The bond is typically issued with the agreement of a third party, such as a bank, broker-dealer or other financial institution, which grants the security holders the option, at periodic intervals, to tender their securities to the institution. After payment of a fee to the financial institution that provides this option, the security holder effectively holds a demand obligation that bears interest at the prevailing short-term, tax-exempt rate. An institution may not be obligated to accept tendered bonds in the event of certain defaults or a significant downgrading in the credit rating assigned to the issuer of the bond. The tender option will be taken into account in determining the maturity of the tender option bonds and an Underlying Funds duration. There is risk that an Underlying Fund will not be considered the owner of a tender option bond for federal income tax purposes, and thus will not be entitled to treat such interest as exempt from federal income tax. Certain tender option bonds may be illiquid.
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Municipal Securities may be backed by letters of credit or other forms of credit enhancement issued by domestic or foreign banks or by other financial institutions. The deterioration of the credit quality of these banks and financial institutions could, therefore, cause a loss to an Underlying Fund that invests in such Municipal Securities. Letters of credit and other obligations of foreign banks and financial institutions may involve risks in addition to those of domestic obligations because of less publicly available financial and other information, less securities regulation, potential imposition of foreign withholding and other taxes, war, expropriation or other adverse governmental actions. Foreign banks and their foreign branches are not regulated by U.S. banking authorities, and are generally not bound by the accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards applicable to U.S. banks.
Certain Underlying Funds may invest in Municipal Securities issued by municipalities, including U.S. territories, commonwealths and possessions, that may be, or may become, subject to significant financial difficulties. Factors contributing to such difficulties may include: lower property tax collections as a result of lower home values, lower sales tax revenue as a result of reduced consumer spending, lower income tax revenue as a result of higher unemployment rates, and budgetary constraints of local, state and federal governments upon which issuers of municipal securities may be relying for funding. Such securities may be considered below investment grade or may be subject to future credit downgrades due to concerns over potential default, insolvency or bankruptcy on the part of their issuers or any credit support provider. During the recent economic downturn, several municipalities have, in fact, filed for bankruptcy protection or have indicated that they may seek bankruptcy protection in the future. A credit downgrade or other adverse news about an issuer or any credit support provider could impact the market value and liquidity of the securities and consequently could negatively affect the performance of the Underlying Fund that holds such securities.
Brady Bonds and Similar Instruments. Certain Underlying Funds may invest in debt obligations commonly referred to as Brady Bonds. Brady Bonds are created through the exchange of existing commercial bank loans to foreign borrowers for new obligations in connection with debt restructurings under a plan introduced by former U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, Nicholas F. Brady (the Brady Plan).
Brady Bonds involve various risk factors including the history of defaults with respect to commercial bank loans by public and private entities of countries issuing Brady Bonds. There can be no assurance that Brady Bonds in which an Underlying Fund may invest will not be subject to restructuring arrangements or to requests for new credit, which may cause an Underlying Fund to suffer a loss of interest or principal on its holdings.
In addition, an Underlying Fund may invest in other interests issued by entities organized and operated for the purpose of restructuring the investment characteristics of instruments issued by emerging country issuers. These types of restructuring involve the deposit with or purchase by an entity of specific instruments and the issuance by that entity of one or more classes of securities backed by, or representing interests in, the underlying instruments. Certain issuers of such structured securities may be deemed to be investment companies as defined in the Investment Company Act. As a result, an Underlying Funds investment in such securities may be limited by certain investment restrictions contained in the Investment Company Act.
Corporate Debt Obligations; Bank Obligations; Trust Preferred Securities; Convertible Securities. Certain Underlying Funds may invest in corporate debt obligations, trust preferred securities and convertible securities. Corporate debt obligations include bonds, notes, debentures, commercial paper and other obligations of U.S. or foreign corporations to pay interest and repay principal. In addition, certain Underlying Funds may invest in obligations issued or guaranteed by U.S. or foreign banks. Bank obligations, including without limitation, time deposits, bankers acceptances and certificates of deposit, may be general obligations of the parent bank or may be limited to the issuing branch by the terms of the specific obligations or by governmental regulations. Banks are subject to extensive but different governmental regulations which may limit both the amount and types of loans which may be made and interest rates which may be charged. In addition, the profitability of the banking industry is largely dependent upon the availability and cost of funds for the purpose of financing lending operations under prevailing money market conditions. General economic conditions as well as exposure to credit losses arising from possible financial difficulties of borrowers play an important part in the operation of this industry. A trust preferred security is a long dated bond (for example, 30 years) with preferred features. The preferred features are that payment of interest can be deferred for a specified period without initiating a default event. The securities are generally senior in claim to standard preferred stock but junior to other bondholders. Certain Underlying Funds may also invest in other short-term obligations issued or guaranteed by U.S. corporations, non-U.S. corporations or other entities.
Convertible securities are preferred stock or debt obligations that are convertible into common stock. Convertible securities generally offer lower interest or dividend yields than non-convertible securities of similar quality. Convertible securities have both equity and fixed income risk characteristics. Like all fixed income securities, the value of convertible securities is susceptible to the risk of market losses attributable to changes in interest rates. Generally, the market value of convertible securities tends to decline
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as interest rates increase and, conversely, to increase as interest rates decline. However, when the market price of the common stock underlying a convertible security exceeds the conversion price of the convertible security, the convertible security tends to reflect the market price of the underlying common stock. As the market price of the underlying common stock declines, the convertible security, like a fixed income security, tends to trade increasingly on a yield basis, and thus may not decline in price to the same extent as the underlying common stock.
Zero Coupon, Deferred Interest, Pay-In-Kind and Capital Appreciation Bonds. Certain Underlying Funds may invest in zero coupon, deferred interest, pay-in-kind and capital appreciation bonds. These bonds are issued at a discount from their face value because interest payments are typically postponed until maturity. Pay-in-kind securities are securities that have interest payable by the delivery of additional securities. The market prices of these securities generally are more volatile than the market prices of interest-bearing securities and are likely to respond to a greater degree to changes in interest rates than interest-bearing securities having similar maturities and credit quality.
Duration. The duration of an Underlying Fixed Income Fund approximates its price sensitivity to changes in interest rates. For example, suppose that interest rates in one day fall by one percent which, in turn, causes yields on every bond in the market to fall by the same amount. In this example, the price of a bond with a duration of three years may be expected to rise approximately three percent and the price of a bond with a five year duration may be expected to rise approximately five percent. The converse is also true. Suppose interest rates in one day rise by one percent which, in turn, causes yields on every bond in the market to rise by the same amount. In this second example, the price of a bond with a duration of three years may be expected to fall approximately three percent and the price of a bond with a five year duration may be expected to fall approximately five percent. The longer the duration of a bond, the more sensitive the bonds price is to changes in interest rates. Maturity measures the time until final payment is due; it takes no account of the pattern of a securitys cash flows over time. In calculating maturity, an Underlying Fund may determine the maturity of a variable or floating rate obligation according to its interest rate reset date, or the date principal can be recovered on demand, rather than the date of ultimate maturity. Similarly, to the extent that a fixed income obligation has a call, refunding, or redemption provision, the date on which the instrument is expected to be called, refunded or redeemed may be considered to be its maturity date. There is no guarantee that the expected call, refund or redemption will occur, and an Underlying Funds average maturity may lengthen beyond the investment advisers expectations should the expected call, refund or redemption not occur. In computing portfolio duration, an Underlying Fund will estimate the duration of obligations that are subject to prepayment or redemption by the issuer, taking into account the influence of interest rates on prepayments and coupon flows. This method of computing duration is known as option-adjusted duration. The investment adviser of an Underlying Fund may use futures contracts, options on futures contracts and swaps to manage the Underlying Funds target duration. An Underlying Fund will not be limited as to its maximum weighted average portfolio maturity or the maximum stated maturity with respect to individual securities unless otherwise noted. The Investment Adviser may use derivative instruments to manage the duration of an Underlying Funds investment portfolio. These derivative instruments may include futures contracts, options on futures contracts and swap transactions, as well as other types of derivatives, and can be used to shorten or lengthen the duration of an Underlying Fund.
The investment adviser of an Underlying Fund may use derivative instruments, among other things, to manage the duration of the Underlying Funds investment portfolio. These derivative instruments include financial futures contracts and swap transactions, as well as other types of derivatives, and can be used to shorten and lengthen the duration of an Underlying Fund. An Underlying Funds investments in derivative instruments, including financial futures contracts and swaps, can be significant. These transactions can result in sizeable realized and unrealized capital gains and losses relative to the gains and losses from an Underlying Funds investments in bonds and other securities. Short-term and long-term realized capital gains distributions paid by an Underlying Fund are taxable to its shareholders.
Interest rates, fixed income securities prices, the prices of futures and other derivatives, and currency exchange rates can be volatile, and a variance in the degree of volatility or in the direction of the market from an Underlying Funds investment advisers expectations may produce significant losses in the Underlying Funds investments in derivatives. In addition, a perfect correlation between a derivatives position and a fixed income security position is generally impossible to achieve. As a result, an Underlying Funds investment advisers use of derivatives may not be effective in fulfilling the Underlying Funds investment advisers investment strategies and may contribute to losses that would not have been incurred otherwise.
Financial futures contracts used by an Underlying Fund include may interest rate futures contracts including, among others, Eurodollar futures contracts. Eurodollar futures contracts are U.S. dollar-denominated futures contracts that are based on the implied forward London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) of a three-month deposit. Further information is included in the
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Prospectus regarding futures contracts, swaps and other derivative instruments used by an Underlying Fund, including information on the risks presented by these instruments and other purposes for which they may be used by an Underlying Fund.
Loan-Related Investments. The Underlying Funds may invest in loan-related investments such as loan participations and assignments. A loan participation is an interest in a loan to a U.S. or foreign company or other borrower (the borrower) which is administered and sold by a financial intermediary. An Underlying Fund may only invest in loans to issuers in whose obligations it may otherwise invest. Loan interests may take the form of a direct or co-lending relationship with the borrower, an assignment of an interest in the loan by a co-lender or another participant, or a participation in the sellers share of the loan. When an Underlying Fund acts as co-lender in connection with a loan interest or when it acquires certain interests, the Underlying Fund will have direct recourse against the borrower if the borrower fails to pay scheduled principal and interest. In cases where an Underlying Fund lacks direct recourse, it will look to an agent for the lenders (the agent lender) to enforce appropriate credit remedies against the borrower. In these cases, an Underlying Fund may be subject to delays, expenses and risks that are greater than those that would have been involved if the Underlying Fund had purchased a direct obligation (such as commercial paper) of such borrower.
An assignment typically succeeds to all the rights and obligations of the assigning institution and becomes a lender under the credit agreement with respect to the debt obligation; however, the purchasers rights can be more restricted than those of the assigning institution, and, in any event, an Underlying Fund may not be able to unilaterally enforce all rights and remedies under the loan and with regard to any associated collateral. A participation typically results in a contractual relationship only with the institution participating out the interest, not with the borrower. In purchasing participations, an Underlying Fund generally will have no right to enforce compliance by the borrower with the terms of the loan agreement against the borrower, and the Underlying Fund may not directly benefit from the collateral supporting the debt obligation in which it has purchased the participation. As a result, the Underlying Fund will be exposed to the credit risk of both the borrower and the institution selling the participation. Investors in loans, such as the Underlying Fund, may not be entitled to rely on the anti-fraud protections of the federal securities laws, although they may be entitled to certain contractual remedies.
The market for loan obligations may be subject to irregular trading activity, wide bid/ask spreads and extended trade settlement periods. Because transactions in many loans are subject to extended trade settlement periods, an Underlying Fund may not receive the proceeds from the sale of a loan for a period after the sale. As a result, sale proceeds related to the sale of loans may not be available to make additional investments or to meet an Underlying Funds redemption obligations for a period after the sale of the loans, and, as a result, an Underlying Fund may have to sell other investments or engage in borrowing transactions, such as borrowing from its credit facility, if necessary to raise cash to meet its obligations.
Senior loans hold the most senior position in the capital structure of a borrower, are typically secured with specific collateral and have a claim on the assets and/or stock of the borrower that is senior to that held by subordinated debt holders and stockholders of the borrower. The proceeds of senior loans primarily are used to finance leveraged buyouts, recapitalizations, mergers, acquisitions, stock repurchases, refinancings and to finance internal growth and for other corporate purposes. Senior loans typically have a stated term of between five and nine years, and have rates of interest which typically are redetermined daily, monthly, quarterly or semi-annually by reference to a base lending rate, plus a premium or credit spread. Longer interest rate reset periods generally increase fluctuations in an Underlying Funds net asset value as a result of changes in market interest rates. As a result, as short-term interest rates increase, interest payable to the Underlying Fund from its investments in senior loans should increase, and as short-term interest rates decrease, interest payable to the Underlying Fund from its investments in senior loans should decrease. Second lien loans have the same characteristics as senior loans except that such loans are subordinated or unsecured and thus lower in priority of payment to senior loans. Accordingly, the risks associated with second lien loans are higher than the risk of loans with first priority over the collateral. In the event of default on a second lien loan, the first priority lien holder has first claim to the underlying collateral of the loan. It is possible that no collateral value would remain for the second priority lien holder and therefore result in a loss of investment to the Underlying Fund. Second lien loans typically have adjustable floating rate interest payments.
Floating and Variable Rate Obligations. Certain Underlying Funds may purchase floating and variable rate obligations. The value of these obligations is generally more stable than that of a fixed rate obligation in response to changes in interest rate levels. The issuers or financial intermediaries providing demand features may support their ability to purchase the obligations by obtaining credit with liquidity supports. These may include lines of credit, which are conditional commitments to lend, and letters of credit, which will ordinarily be irrevocable both of which may be issued by domestic banks or foreign banks. An Underlying Fund may purchase variable or floating rate obligations from the issuers or may purchase certificates of participation, a type of floating or variable rate obligation, which are interests in a pool of debt obligations held by a bank or other financial institutions.
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For floating and variable rate obligations, there may be a lag between an actual change in the underlying interest rate benchmark and the reset time for an interest payment of such an obligation, which could harm or benefit the Underlying Funds, depending on the interest rate environment or other circumstances. In a rising interest rate environment, for example, a floating or variable rate obligation that does not reset immediately would prevent the Underlying Funds from taking full advantage of rising interest rates in a timely manner. However, in a declining interest rate environment, an Underlying Fund may benefit from a lag due to an obligations interest rate payment not being immediately impacted by a decline in interest rates.
Certain floating and variable rate obligations have an interest rate floor feature, which prevents the interest rate payable by the security from dropping below a specified level as compared to a reference interest rate (the reference rate), such as LIBOR. Such a floor protects an Underlying Fund from losses resulting from a decrease in the reference rate below the specified level. However, if the reference rate is below the floor, there will be a lag between a rise in the reference rate and a rise in the interest rate payable by the obligation, and the Underlying Fund may not benefit from increasing interest rates for a significant amount of time.
Foreign Currency Transactions. Certain Underlying Funds and the Portfolios may, to the extent consistent with their investment policies, purchase or sell foreign currencies on a cash basis or through forward contracts. A forward contract involves an obligation to purchase or sell a specific currency at a future date at a price set at the time of the contract. Certain Underlying Funds and the Portfolios may engage in foreign currency transactions for hedging purposes and to seek to protect against anticipated changes in future foreign currency exchange rates. In addition, certain Underlying Funds and the Portfolios may enter into foreign currency transactions to seek a closer correlation between the Underlying Funds or Portfolios overall currency exposures and the currency exposures of the Underlying Funds or Portfolios performance benchmark. Certain Underlying Funds and the Portfolios may also enter into such transactions to seek to increase total return, which presents additional risk.
Certain Underlying Funds and the Portfolios may also engage in cross-hedging by using forward contracts in a currency different from that in which the hedged security is denominated or quoted. An Underlying Fund or a Portfolio may hold foreign currency received in connection with investments in foreign securities when, in the judgment of the investment adviser, it would be beneficial to convert such currency into U.S. dollars at a later date (e.g., the investment adviser may anticipate the foreign currency to appreciate against the U.S. dollar).
An Underlying Fund may, from time to time, engage in non-deliverable forward transactions to manage currency risk or to gain exposure to a currency without purchasing securities denominated in that currency. A non-deliverable forward is a transaction that represents an agreement between an Underlying Fund and a counterparty (usually a commercial bank) to buy or sell a specified (notional) amount of a particular currency at an agreed upon foreign exchange rate on an agreed upon future date. If the counterparty defaults, the Underlying Fund will have contractual remedies pursuant to the agreement related to the transaction, but the Underlying Fund may be delayed or prevented from obtaining payments owed to it pursuant to non-deliverable forward transactions. Such non-deliverable forward transactions will be settled in cash.
Currency exchange rates may fluctuate significantly over short periods of time, causing, along with other factors, an Underlying Funds or a Portfolios NAV to fluctuate. Currency exchange rates also can be affected unpredictably by the intervention of U.S. or foreign governments or central banks, or the failure to intervene, or by currency controls or political developments in the United States or abroad.
The market in forward foreign currency exchange contracts, currency swaps and other privately negotiated currency instruments offers less protection against defaults by the other party to such instruments than is available for currency instruments traded on an exchange. Such contracts are subject to the risk that the counterparty to the contract will default on its obligations. Because these contracts are not guaranteed by an exchange or clearinghouse, a default on a contract would deprive an Underlying Fund or a Portfolio of unrealized profits, transaction costs, or the benefits of a currency hedge, or could force the Underlying Fund or Portfolio to cover its purchase or sale commitments, if any, at the current market price.
Certain Underlying Funds are not required to post cash collateral with its non-U.S. counterparties in certain foreign currency transactions. Accordingly, an Underlying Fund may remain more fully invested (and more of the Underlying Funds assets may be subject to investment and market risk) than if it were required to post cash collateral with its counterparties (which is the case with U.S. counterparties). Because an Underlying Funds non-U.S. counterparties are not required to post cash collateral with the Underlying Fund, the Fund will be subject to additional counterparty risk.
As an investment company registered with the SEC, an Underlying Fund must identify on its books (often referred to as asset segregation) liquid assets, or engage in other appropriate measures, to cover open positions with respect to its transactions in forward contracts. In the case of forward contracts that are not required to cash settle, for example, an Underlying Fund must
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identify on its books liquid assets equal to the full notional amount of the forward contracts while the positions are open. With respect to forward contracts that are required to cash settle, however, an Underlying Fund is permitted to identify liquid assets in an amount equal to the Underlying Funds daily marked-to-market net obligations (i.e., the Underlying Funds daily net liability) under the forward contracts, if any, rather than their full notional amount. Each Underlying Fund reserves the right to modify its asset segregation policies in the future in its discretion. By identifying assets equal to only its net obligations under cash-settled forward contracts, an Underlying Fund will have the ability to employ leverage to a greater extent than if the Underlying Fund were required to identify assets equal to the full notional amount of the forward contracts.
Non-Investment Grade Fixed Income Securities. Non-investment grade fixed income securities and unrated securities of comparable credit quality (commonly referred to as junk bonds) are considered speculative. In some cases, these obligations may be highly speculative and have poor prospects for reaching investment grade standing. Non-investment grade fixed income securities are subject to the increased risk of an issuers inability to meet principal and interest obligations. These securities, also referred to as high yield securities, may be subject to greater price volatility due to such factors as specific issuer developments, interest rate sensitivity, negative perceptions of the junk bond markets generally and less liquidity.
Non-investment grade fixed income securities are often issued in connection with a corporate reorganization or restructuring or as part of a merger, acquisition, takeover or similar event. They are also issued by less established companies seeking to expand. Such issuers are often highly leveraged and generally less able than more established or less leveraged entities to make scheduled payments of principal and interest in the event of adverse developments or business conditions. Non-investment grade securities are also issued by governmental bodies that may have difficulty in making all scheduled interest and principal payments.
The market value of non-investment grade fixed income securities tends to reflect individual issuer developments to a greater extent than that of higher rated securities which react primarily to fluctuations in the general level of interest rates. As a result, an Underlying Funds ability to achieve its investment objectives may depend to a greater extent on the investment advisers judgment concerning the creditworthiness of issuers than funds which invest in higher-rated securities. Issuers of non-investment grade fixed income securities may not be able to make use of other methods of financing and their ability to service debt obligations may be affected more adversely than issuers of higher-rated securities by economic downturns, specific corporate or financial developments or the issuers inability to meet specific projected business forecasts. Negative publicity about the junk bond market and investor perceptions regarding lower rated securities, whether or not based on fundamental analysis, may depress the prices for such securities.
A holders risk of loss from default is significantly greater for non-investment grade fixed income securities than is the case for holders of other debt securities because such non-investment grade securities are generally unsecured and are often subordinated to the rights of other creditors of the issuers of such securities. Investment by an Underlying Fund in defaulted securities poses additional risk of loss should nonpayment of principal and interest continue in respect of such securities. Even if such securities are held to maturity, recovery by an Underlying Fund of its initial investment and any anticipated income or appreciation is uncertain.
The secondary market for non-investment grade fixed income securities is concentrated in relatively few market makers and is dominated by institutional investors, including mutual funds, insurance companies and other financial institutions. Accordingly, the secondary market for such securities is not as liquid as, and is more volatile than, the secondary market for higher-rated securities. In addition, market trading volume for high yield fixed income securities is generally lower and the secondary market for such securities could shrink or disappear suddenly and without warning as a result of adverse market or economic conditions, independent of any specific adverse changes in the condition of a particular issuer. The lack of sufficient market liquidity may cause an Underlying Fund to incur losses because it will be required to effect sales at a disadvantageous time and then only at a substantial drop in price. These factors may have an adverse effect on the market price and an Underlying Funds ability to dispose of particular portfolio investments. A less liquid secondary market also may make it more difficult for an Underlying Fund to obtain precise valuations of the high yield securities in its portfolio.
Credit ratings issued by credit rating agencies are designed to evaluate the safety of principal and interest payments of rated securities. They do not, however, evaluate the market value risk of non-investment grade securities and, therefore, may not fully reflect the true risks of an investment. In addition, credit rating agencies may or may not make timely changes in a rating to reflect changes in the economy or in the conditions of the issuer that affect the market value of the security. Consequently, credit ratings are used only as a preliminary indicator of investment quality.
Preferred Stock, Warrants and Stock Purchase Rights. Certain Underlying Funds may invest in preferred stock, warrants and stock purchase rights (or rights). Preferred stocks are securities that represent an ownership interest providing the holder with claims on the issuers earnings and assets before common stock owners but after bond owners. Unlike debt securities, the
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obligations of an issuer of preferred stock, including dividend and other payment obligations, may not typically be accelerated by the holders of such preferred stock on the occurrence of an event of default or other non-compliance by the issuer of the preferred stock.
Warrants and other rights are options to buy a stated number of shares of common stock at a specified price at any time during the life of the warrant or right. The holders of warrants and rights have no voting rights, receive no dividends and have no rights with respect to the assets of the issuer.
REITs. Certain of the Underlying Equity Funds may invest in REITs from time to time. REITs are pooled investment vehicles that invest primarily in either real estate or real estate related loans. The value of a REIT is affected by changes in the value of the properties owned by the REIT or securing mortgage loans held by the REIT. REITs are dependent upon the ability of the REITs managers, and are subject to heavy cash flow dependency, default by borrowers and the qualification of the REITs under applicable regulatory requirements for favorable federal income tax treatment. REITs are also subject to risks generally associated with investments in real estate including possible declines in the value of real estate, general and local economic conditions, environmental problems and changes in interest rates. To the extent that assets underlying a REIT are concentrated geographically, by property type or in certain other respects, these risks may be heightened. An investment in REITs by an Underlying Equity Fund involves certain unique risks in addition to those risks associated with investing in the real estate industry in general. REITs whose underlying properties are concentrated in a particular industry or geographic region are also subject to risks affecting such industries and regions. The securities of REITs involve greater risks than those associated with larger, more established companies and may be subject to more abrupt or erratic price movements because of interest rate changes, economic conditions and other factors. Securities of such issuers may lack sufficient market liquidity to enable the Underlying Fund to effect sales at an advantageous time or without a substantial drop in price. Each Underlying Fund will indirectly bear its proportionate share of any expenses, including management fees, paid by a REIT in which it invests.
Other Investment Companies. Certain Underlying Funds and the Portfolios may invest in securities of other investment companies, including ETFs subject to statutory limitations prescribed by the Investment Company Act. These limitations include in certain circumstances a prohibition on any Underlying Fund acquiring more than 3% of the voting shares of any other investment company, and a prohibition on investing more than 5% of an Underlying Funds total assets in securities of any one investment company or more than 10% of their total assets in securities of all investment companies. Many ETFs, however, have obtained exemptive relief from the SEC to permit unaffiliated funds to invest in the ETFs shares beyond these statutory limitations, subject to certain conditions and pursuant to a contractual arrangement between the ETFs and the investing funds. An Underlying Fund or a Portfolio may rely on these exemptive orders to invest in unaffiliated ETFs.
The use of ETFs is intended to help an Underlying Fund or a Portfolio match the total return of the particular market segments or indices represented by those ETFs, although that may not be the result. Most ETFs are passively managed investment companies whose shares are purchased and sold on a securities exchange. An ETF represents a portfolio of securities designed to track a particular market segment or index. 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 objectives, strategies and policies. In addition, an ETF may fail to accurately track the market segment or index that underlies its investment objective. The price of an ETF can fluctuate, and an Underlying Fund or a Portfolio could lose money investing in an ETF. Moreover, ETFs are subject to the following risks that do not apply to conventional funds: (i) the market price of the ETFs shares may trade at a premium or a discount to their net asset value; (ii) an active trading market for an ETFs shares may not develop or be maintained; and (iii) there is no assurance that the requirements of the exchange necessary to maintain the listing of an ETF will continue to be met or remain unchanged.
Subject to applicable law and/or pursuant to an exemptive order obtained from the SEC or under an exemptive rule adopted by the SEC, an Underlying Fund may invest in certain other investment companies, including ETFs and money market funds, beyond the statutory limits described above or otherwise. Some of those investment companies may be funds for which the Investment Adviser or any of its affiliates serves as investment adviser, administrator or distributor.
An Underlying Fund or a Portfolio will indirectly bear its proportionate share of any management fees and other expenses paid by such other investment companies, in addition to the fees and expenses regularly borne by the Underlying Fund or a Portfolio. Although the Underlying Funds do not expect to do so in the foreseeable future, each Underlying Fund is authorized to invest substantially all of its assets in a single open-end investment company or series thereof that has substantially the same investment objective, policies and fundamental restrictions as the Underlying Fund.
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Unseasoned Companies. Certain Underlying Funds may invest in companies which (together with their predecessors) have operated less than three years. The securities of such companies may have limited liquidity, which can result in their being priced higher or lower than might otherwise be the case. In addition, investments in unseasoned companies are more speculative and entail greater risk than do investments in companies with an established operating record.
Options on Securities, Securities Indices and Foreign Currencies. A put option gives the purchaser of the option the right to sell, and the writer (seller) of the option the obligation to buy, the underlying instrument during the option period. A call option gives the purchaser of the option the right to buy, and the writer (seller) of the option the obligation to sell, the underlying instrument during the option period. Each Underlying Fund and Portfolio may write (sell) call and put options and purchase put and call options on any securities in which the Underlying Fund or Portfolio may invest or on any securities index consisting of securities in which it may invest. Certain Underlying Funds and the Portfolios may also, to the extent consistent with their investment policies, purchase and sell (write) put and call options on foreign currencies.
The writing and purchase of options is a highly specialized activity which involves special investment risks. Options may be used for either hedging or cross-hedging purposes, or to seek to increase total return (which presents additional risk). The successful use of options depends in part on the ability of an investment adviser to anticipate future price fluctuations and the degree of correlation between the options and securities (or currency) markets. If an investment adviser is incorrect in its expectation of changes in market prices or determination of the correlation between the instruments or indices on which options are written and purchased and the instruments in an Underlying Funds or Portfolios investment portfolio, the Underlying Fund or Portfolio may incur losses that it would not otherwise incur. The use of options can also increase an Underlying Funds or Portfolios transaction costs. Options written or purchased by the Underlying Funds or Portfolios may be traded on either U.S. or foreign exchanges or over-the-counter. Foreign and over-the-counter options will present greater possibility of loss because of their greater illiquidity and credit risks.
Yield Curve Options. Certain Underlying Funds may enter into options on the yield spread or differential between two securities. Such transactions are referred to as yield curve options. In contrast to other types of options, a yield curve option is based on the difference between the yields of designated securities rather than the prices of the individual securities, and is settled through cash payments. Accordingly, a yield curve option is profitable to the holder if this differential widens (in the case of a call) or narrows (in the case of a put), regardless of whether the yields of the underlying securities increase or decrease.
The trading of yield curve options is subject to all of the risks associated with the trading of other types of options. In addition, however, such options present a risk of loss even if the yield of one of the underlying securities remains constant, or if the spread moves in a direction or to an extent which was not anticipated.
Futures Contracts and Options and Swaps on Futures Contracts. Futures contracts are standardized, exchange-traded contracts that provide for the sale or purchase of a specified financial instrument or currency at a future time at a specified price. An option on a futures contract gives the purchaser the right (and the writer of the option the obligation) to assume a position in a futures contract at a specified exercise price within a specified period of time. A swap on a futures contract provides an investor with the ability to gain economic exposure to a particular futures market. A futures contract may be based on particular securities, foreign currencies, securities indices and other financial instruments and indices. Certain Underlying Funds and the Portfolios may engage in futures transactions on U.S. and (in the case of certain Underlying Funds and the Portfolios) foreign exchanges.
Certain Underlying Funds and the Portfolios may, to the extent consistent with their investment policies, purchase and sell futures contracts, purchase and write call and put options on futures contracts and enter into swaps on futures contracts, in order to seek to increase total return or to hedge against changes in interest rates, securities prices or currency exchange rates, or to otherwise manage its term structure, sector selection and duration in accordance with its investment objective and policies. An Underlying Fund or Portfolio may also enter into closing purchase and sale transactions with respect to such contracts and options.
Futures contracts and related options and swaps present the following risks:
⬛ | While an Underlying Fund or a Portfolio may benefit from the use of futures and options and swaps on futures, unanticipated changes in interest rates, securities prices or currency exchange rates may result in a poorer overall performance than if the Underlying Fund or Portfolio had not entered into any futures contracts, options transactions or swaps. |
⬛ | Because perfect correlation between a futures position and a portfolio position that is intended to be protected is impossible to achieve, the desired protection may not be obtained and an Underlying Fund or a Portfolio may be exposed to additional risk of loss. |
⬛ | The loss incurred by an Underlying Fund or a Portfolio in entering into futures contracts and in writing call options and entering into swaps on futures is potentially unlimited and may exceed the amount of the premium received. |
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⬛ | Futures markets are highly volatile and the use of futures may increase the volatility of an Underlying Funds or Portfolios NAV. |
⬛ | As a result of the low margin deposits normally required in futures trading, a relatively small price movement in a futures contract may result in substantial losses to an Underlying Fund or a Portfolio. |
⬛ | Futures contracts and options and swaps on futures may be illiquid, and exchanges may limit fluctuations in futures contract prices during a single day. |
⬛ | Foreign exchanges may not provide the same protection as U.S. exchanges. |
Equity Swaps and Index Swaps. Each Underlying Equity Fund may invest in equity swaps and index swaps. Equity swaps allow the parties to a swap agreement to exchange dividend income or other components of return on an equity investment (for example, a group of equity securities or an index) for another payment stream. An equity swap may be used by an Underlying Fund or a Portfolio to invest in a market without owning or taking physical custody of securities in circumstances in which direct investment may be restricted for legal reasons or is otherwise deemed impractical or disadvantageous. Index swaps allow one party or both parties to a swap agreement to receive one or more payments based off of the return, performance or volatility of an index or of certain securities which comprise the index.
The value of swaps can be very volatile. To the extent that an Underlying Funds investment adviser does not accurately analyze and predict the potential relative fluctuation of the components swapped with another party, or the creditworthiness of the counterparty, an Underlying Fund or a Portfolio may suffer a loss, which may be substantial. The value of some components of a swap (such as the dividends on a common stock) may also be sensitive to changes in interest rates. Furthermore, swaps may be illiquid, and an Underlying Fund or a Portfolio may be unable to terminate its obligations when desired.
Currently, certain standardized swap transactions are subject to mandatory central clearing. Although central clearing is expected to decrease counterparty risk and increase liquidity compared to bilaterally negotiated swaps, central clearing does not eliminate counterparty risk or illiquidity risk entirely.
Interest Rate Swaps, Mortgage Swaps, Credit Swaps, Currency Swaps, Total Return Swaps, Options on Swaps and Interest Rate Caps, Floors and Collars. To the extent consistent with their investment policies, certain Underlying Funds may enter into some or all of the following swap transactions and option agreements, including interest rate swaps, mortgage swaps, credit swaps, currency swaps, total return swaps, options on swaps and interest rate caps, floors and collars. Interest rate swaps involve the exchange by an Underlying Fund with another party of their respective commitments to pay or receive interest, such as an exchange of fixed-rate payments for floating rate payments. Mortgage swaps are similar to interest rate swaps in that they represent commitments to pay and receive interest. The notional principal amount, however, is tied to a reference pool or pools of mortgages. Credit swaps involve the receipt of floating or fixed rate payments in exchange for assuming potential credit losses on an underlying security. Credit swaps give one party to a transaction (the buyer of the credit swap) the right to dispose of or acquire an asset (or group of assets or exposure to the performance of an index), or the right to receive a payment from the other party, upon the occurrence of specified credit events. Currency swaps involve the exchange of the parties respective rights to make or receive payments in specified currencies. Total return swaps give an Underlying Fund the right to receive the appreciation in the value of a specified security, index or other instrument in return for a fee paid to the counterparty, which will typically be based on agreed upon interest rate. If the underlying asset in a total return swap declines in value over the term of the swap, the Underlying Fund may also be required to pay the dollar value of that decline to the counterparty.
The Underlying Funds may also purchase and write (sell) options contracts on swaps, commonly referred to as swaptions. A swaption is an option to enter into a swap agreement. Like other types of options, the buyer of a swaption pays a non-refundable premium for the option and obtains the right, but not the obligation, to enter into an underlying swap or to modify the terms of an existing swap on agreed-upon terms. The seller of a swaption, in exchange for the premium, becomes obligated (if the option is exercised) to enter into or modify an underlying swap on agreed-upon terms, which generally entails a greater risk of loss than the Underlying Fund incurs in buying a swaption. The purchase of an interest rate cap entitles the purchaser, to the extent that a specified index exceeds a predetermined interest rate, to receive payment of interest on a notional principal amount from the party selling such interest rate cap. The purchase of an interest rate floor entitles the purchaser, to the extent that a specified index falls below a predetermined interest rate, to receive payments of interest on a notional principal amount from the party selling the interest rate floor. An interest rate collar is the combination of a cap and a floor that preserves a certain return within a predetermined range of interest rates.
Certain Underlying Funds may enter into the transactions described above for hedging purposes or to seek to increase total return. As an example, when an Underlying Fund is the buyer of a credit default swap (commonly known as buying protection), it may
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make periodic payments to the seller of the credit default swap to obtain protection against a credit default on a specified underlying asset (or group of assets). If a default occurs, the seller of the credit default swap may be required to pay the Underlying Fund the notional amount of the credit default swap on a specified security (or group of securities). On the other hand, when an Underlying Fund is a seller of a credit default swap, in addition to the credit exposure the Underlying Fund has on the other assets held in its portfolio, the Underlying Fund is also subject to the credit exposure on the notional amount of the swap since, in the event of a credit default, the Underlying Fund may be required to pay the notional amount of the credit default swap on a specified security (or group of securities) to the buyer of the credit default swap. An Underlying Fund will be the seller of a credit default swap only when the credit of the underlying asset is deemed by its investment adviser to meet the Underlying Funds minimum credit criteria at the time the swap is first entered into.
When an Underlying Fund writes (sells) credit default swaps on individual securities or instruments, the Underlying Fund must identify on its books liquid assets equal to the full notional amount of the swaps while the positions are open.
The use of interest rate, mortgage, credit, currency and total return swaps, options on swaps, and interest rate caps, floors and collars, is a highly specialized activity which involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. If an investment adviser is incorrect in its forecasts of market values, interest rates and currency exchange rates or in its evaluation of the creditworthiness of swap counterparties and issuers of the underlying assets, the investment performance of an Underlying Fund would be less favorable than it would have been if these investment techniques were not used.
Currently, certain standardized swap transactions are subject to mandatory central clearing. Although central clearing is expected to decrease counterparty risk and increase liquidity compared to bilaterally negotiated swaps, central clearing does not eliminate counterparty risk or illiquidity risk entirely.
Structured Securities and Inverse Floaters. Certain Underlying Funds may invest in structured securities. Structured securities are securities whose value is determined by reference to changes in the value of specific currencies, securities, interest rates, commodities, indices or other financial indicators (the Reference) or the relative change in two or more References. Investments in structured securities may provide exposure to certain securities or markets in situations where regulatory or other restrictions prevent direct investments in such issuers or markets.
The interest rate or the principal amount payable upon maturity or redemption may be increased or decreased depending upon changes in the applicable Reference. Structured securities may be positively or negatively indexed, so that appreciation of the Reference may produce an increase or decrease in the interest rate or value of the security at maturity. In addition, changes in the interest rates or the value of the security at maturity may be a multiple of changes in the value of the Reference, effectively leveraging the Funds investments so that small changes in the value of the Reference may result in disproportionate gains or losses to the Fund. Consequently, structured securities may present a greater degree of market risk than many types of securities and may be more volatile, less liquid and more difficult to price accurately than less complex securities. Structured securities are also subject to the risk that the issuer of the structured securities may fail to perform its contractual obligations. Certain issuers of structured products may be deemed to be investment companies as defined in the Investment Company Act. As a result, an Underlying Funds investments in structured securities may be subject to the limits applicable to investments in other investment companies.
Structured securities are considered hybrid instruments because they are derivative instruments the value of which depends on, or is derived from or linked to, the value of an underlying asset, interest rate index or commodity. Commodity-linked notes are hybrid instruments because the principal and/or interest payments on those notes is linked to the value of the individual commodities, futures contracts or the performance of one or more commodity indices.
Structured securities include, but are not limited to, equity linked notes. An equity linked note is a note whose performance is tied to a single stock, a stock index or a basket of stocks. Equity linked notes combine the principal protection normally associated with fixed income investments with the potential for capital appreciation normally associated with equity investments. Upon the maturity of the note, the holder generally receives a return of principal based on the capital appreciation of the linked securities. Depending on the terms of the note, equity linked notes may also have a cap or floor on the maximum principal amount to be repaid to holders, irrespective of the performance of the underlying linked securities. For example, a note may guarantee the repayment of the original principal amount invested (even if the underlying linked securities have negative performance during the notes term), but may cap the maximum payment at maturity at a certain percentage of the issuance price or the return of the underlying linked securities. Alternatively, the note may not guarantee a full return on the original principal, but may offer a greater participation in any capital appreciation of the underlying linked securities. The terms of an equity linked note may also
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provide for periodic interest payments to holders at either a fixed or floating rate. The secondary market for equity linked notes may be limited, and the lack of liquidity in the secondary market may make these securities difficult to dispose of and to value. Equity linked notes will be considered equity securities for purposes of an Underlying Funds investment objective and policies.
Structured securities may also include inverse floating rate debt securities (inverse floaters). The interest rate on inverse floaters resets in the opposite direction from the market rate of interest to which the inverse floater is indexed. An inverse floater may be considered to be leveraged to the extent that its interest rate varies by a magnitude that exceeds the magnitude of the change in the index rate of interest. The higher the degree of leverage of an inverse floater, the greater the volatility of its market value.
Structured securities may also include credit linked notes. Credit linked notes are securities with embedded credit default swaps. An investor holding a credit linked note generally receives a fixed or floating coupon and the notes par value upon maturity, unless the referred credit defaults or declares bankruptcy, in which case the investor receives the amount recovered. In effect, investors holding credit linked notes receive a higher yield in exchange for assuming the risk of a specified credit event.
When-Issued Securities and Forward Commitments. Each Underlying Fund may purchase when-issued securities and make contracts to purchase or sell securities for a fixed price at a future date beyond customary settlement time. When-issued securities are securities that have been authorized, but not yet issued. When-issued securities are purchased in order to secure what is considered to be an advantageous price or yield to the Underlying Fund at the time of entering into the transaction. A forward commitment involves the entering into a contract to purchase or sell securities for a fixed price at a future date beyond the customary settlement period.
The purchase of securities on a when-issued or forward commitment basis involves a risk of loss if the value of the security to be purchased declines before the settlement date. Conversely, the sale of securities on a forward commitment basis involves the risk that the value of the securities sold may increase before the settlement date. Although an Underlying Fund will generally purchase securities on a when-issued or forward commitment basis with the intention of acquiring the securities for its portfolio, an Underlying Fund may dispose of when-issued securities or forward commitments prior to settlement if its investment adviser deems it appropriate. When purchasing a security on a when-issued basis or entering a forward commitment, an Underlying Fund must identify on its books liquid assets, or engage in other appropriate measures, to cover its obligations.
Repurchase Agreements. Repurchase agreements involve the purchase of securities subject to the sellers agreement to repurchase them at a mutually agreed upon date and price. Certain Underlying Funds may enter into repurchase agreements with counterparties approved by the Investment Adviser pursuant to procedures approved by the Board of Trustees whether or not the obligation of the seller to repurchase the securities from the Underlying Fund is collateralized fully. The collateral may consist of any type of security (government or corporate) of any or no credit rating. Repurchase agreements involving obligations other than U.S. Government Securities may be subject to additional risks.
If the other party or seller defaults, an Underlying Fund might suffer a loss to the extent that the proceeds from the sale of the underlying securities and other collateral held by the Underlying Fund are less than the repurchase price and the Underlying Funds costs associated with delay and enforcement of the repurchase agreement. In addition, in the event of bankruptcy of the seller, an Underlying Fund could suffer additional losses if a court determines that the Funds interest in the collateral is not enforceable.
Certain Underlying Funds, together with other registered investment companies having advisory agreements with the Investment Adviser or any of its affiliates, may transfer uninvested cash balances into a single joint account, the daily aggregate balance of which will be invested in one or more repurchase agreements.
Lending of Portfolio Securities. Certain Underlying Funds may engage in securities lending. Securities lending involves the lending of securities owned by an Underlying Fund to financial institutions such as certain broker-dealers, including, as permitted by the SEC, Goldman Sachs. The borrowers are required to secure their loans continuously with cash, cash equivalents, U.S. Government Securities or letters of credit in an amount at least equal to the market value of the securities loaned. Cash collateral may be invested by an Underlying Fund in short-term investments, including registered and unregistered investment pools managed by the Investment Adviser or its affiliates and from which the Investment Adviser or its affiliates may receive fees. To the extent that cash collateral is so invested, such collateral will be subject to market depreciation or appreciation, and an Underlying Fund will be responsible for any loss that might result from its investment of the borrowers collateral. If an investment adviser determines to make securities loans, the value of the securities loaned may not exceed 33 1⁄3% of the value of the total assets of an Underlying Fund (including the loan collateral). Loan collateral (including any investment of the collateral) is not subject to the percentage limitations or non-fundamental investment policies applicable to the Underlying Fund regarding investments in fixed income securities and cash equivalents.
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An Underlying Fund may lend its securities to increase its income. An Underlying Fund may, however, experience delay in the recovery of its securities or incur a loss if the institution with which it has engaged in a portfolio loan transaction breaches its agreement with the Underlying Fund or becomes insolvent.
Short Sales Against-the-Box. The Portfolios and certain Underlying Funds may make short sales against-the-box. A short sale against-the-box means that at all times when a short position is open the Portfolio or the Underlying Fund will own an equal amount of securities sold short, or securities convertible into or exchangeable for, without the payment of any further consideration, an equal amount of the securities of the same issuer as the securities sold short.
Mortgage Dollar Rolls. Certain Underlying Funds may enter into mortgage dollar rolls. In mortgage dollar rolls, an Underlying Fund sells securities for delivery in the current month and simultaneously contracts with the same counterparty to repurchase substantially similar (same type, coupon and maturity) but not identical securities on a specified future date. During the roll period, the Underlying Fund loses the right to receive principal and interest paid on the securities sold. However, the Underlying Fund benefits to the extent of any difference between (i) the price received for the securities sold and (ii) the lower forward price for the future purchase and/or fee income plus the interest earned on the cash proceeds of the securities sold. Unless the benefits of a mortgage dollar roll exceed the income, capital appreciation and gain or loss due to mortgage prepayments that would have been realized on the securities sold as part of the roll, the use of this technique will diminish the Underlying Funds performance.
Successful use of mortgage dollar rolls depends upon an investment advisers ability to predict correctly interest rates and mortgage prepayments. If the investment adviser is incorrect in its prediction, an Underlying Fund may experience a loss. The Underlying Funds do not currently intend to enter into mortgage dollar rolls for financing and do not treat them as borrowings.
Borrowings and Reverse Repurchase Agreements. Each Underlying Fund can borrow money from banks and other financial institutions, and certain Underlying Funds may enter into reverse repurchase agreements, in amounts not exceeding one-third of its total assets (including the amount borrowed). Investments in reverse repurchase agreements are not subject to this percentage limitation if they are covered in accordance with the Investment Company Act. An Underlying Fund generally may not make additional investments if borrowings exceed 5% of its net assets.
Reverse repurchase agreements involve the sale of securities held by an Underlying Fund subject to the Underlying Funds agreement to repurchase them at a mutually agreed upon date and price (including interest). These transactions may be entered into as a temporary measure for emergency purposes or to meet redemption requests. Reverse repurchase agreements may also be entered into when the investment adviser expects that the interest income to be earned from the investment of the transaction proceeds will be greater than the related interest expense, or to permit the Underlying Fund to borrow for investment (leveraging) purposes.
Borrowings and reverse repurchase agreements involve leveraging. If the securities held by an Underlying Fund decline in value while these transactions are outstanding, the NAV of the Underlying Funds outstanding shares will decline in value by proportionately more than the decline in value of the securities. In addition, reverse repurchase agreements involve the risk that the investment return earned by an Underlying Fund (from the investment of the proceeds) will be less than the interest expense of the transaction, that the market value of the securities sold by an Underlying Fund will decline below the price the Underlying Fund is obligated to pay to repurchase the securities, and that the securities may not be returned to the Underlying Fund. An Underlying Fund must identify on its books liquid assets, or engage in other appropriate measures, to cover open positions with respect to its transactions in reverse repurchase agreements.
Asset Segregation. As investment companies registered with the SEC, the Underlying Funds and Portfolios must identify on their books (often referred to as asset segregation) liquid assets, or engage in other SEC or SEC-staff approved or other appropriate measures, to cover open positions with respect to certain kinds of derivative instruments. In the case of swaps, futures contracts, options, forward contracts and other derivative instruments that do not cash settle, for example, an Underlying Fund and a Portfolio must identify on its books liquid assets equal to the full notional amount of the instrument while the positions are open, to the extent there is not an offsetting position. However, with respect to certain swaps, futures contracts, options, forward contracts and other derivative instruments that are required to cash settle, an Underlying Fund and a Portfolio may identify liquid assets in an amount equal to the Underlying Funds and/or Portfolios daily marked-to-market net obligations (i.e., the Underlying Funds and/or Portfolios daily net liability) under the instrument, if any, rather than its full notional amount. Instruments that do not cash settle may be treated as cash settled for asset segregation purposes when an Underlying Fund or a Portfolio has entered into a contractual arrangement with a third party futures commission merchant (FCM) or other counterparty to off-set the Underlying Fund or Portfolios exposure under the contract and, failing that, to assign its delivery obligation under the contract to the counterparty. Each Underlying Fund and Portfolio reserves the right to modify its asset segregation policies in the future in its discretion,
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consistent with the Investment Company Act and SEC or SEC-staff guidance. By identifying assets equal to only its net obligations under certain instruments, an Underlying Fund and a Portfolio will have the ability to employ leverage to a greater extent than if the Underlying Fund and/or Portfolio were required to identify assets equal to the full notional amount of the instrument.
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Financial Highlights
The financial highlights tables are intended to help you understand a Portfolios financial performance for the past five years. Certain information reflects financial results for a single Portfolio share. The total returns in the table represent the rate that an investor would have earned or lost on an investment in a Portfolio (assuming reinvestment of all dividends and distributions). The information has been audited by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, whose report, along with a Portfolios financial statements, is included in the Portfolios annual report (available upon request).
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GOLDMAN SACHS ENHANCED DIVIDEND GLOBAL EQUITY PORTFOLIO
Income (loss) from investment operations |
Distributions to shareholders |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Year - Share Class | Net asset |
Net investment income(a)(b) |
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) |
Total from investment operations |
From net investment income |
From net realized gains |
Total distributions |
|||||||||||||||||||||||
FOR THE FISCAL YEARS ENDED AUGUST 31, | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2016 - A | $ | 10.69 | $ | 0.11 | $ | 0.52 | $ | 0.63 | $ | (0.31 | ) | $ | (0.33 | ) | $ | (0.64 | ) | |||||||||||||
2016 - Institutional | 10.76 | 0.16 | 0.51 | 0.67 | (0.34 | ) | (0.33 | ) | (0.67 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||
2015 - A | 11.83 | 0.16 | (0.73 | ) | (0.57 | ) | (0.21 | ) | (0.36 | ) | (0.57 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||
2015 - Institutional | 11.89 | 0.22 | (0.74 | ) | (0.52 | ) | (0.25 | ) | (0.36 | ) | (0.61 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||
2014 - A | 10.64 | 0.23 | 1.62 | 1.85 | (0.24 | ) | (0.42 | ) | (0.66 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||
2014 - Institutional | 10.69 | 0.28 | 1.62 | 1.90 | (0.28 | ) | (0.42 | ) | (0.70 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||
2013 - A | 9.73 | 0.21 | 1.08 | 1.29 | (0.27 | ) | (0.11 | ) | (0.38 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||
2013 - Institutional | 9.76 | 0.26 | 1.09 | 1.35 | (0.31 | ) | (0.11 | ) | (0.42 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||
2012 - A | 9.23 | 0.19 | 0.58 | 0.77 | (0.26 | ) | (0.01 | ) | (0.27 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||
2012 - Institutional | 9.27 | 0.23 | 0.57 | 0.80 | (0.30 | ) | (0.01 | ) | (0.31 | ) |
(a) | Calculated based on the average shares outstanding methodology. |
(b) | Recognition of net investment income by the Portfolio is affected by the timing of declaration of dividends by the Underlying Funds in which the Portfolio invests. |
(c) | Assumes investment at the net asset value at the beginning of the year, reinvestment of all distributions, a complete redemption of the investment at the net asset value at the end of the year and no sales or redemption charges. Total returns would be reduced if a sales or redemption charge was taken into account. Returns do not reflect the impact of taxes to shareholders relating to Portfolio distributions or the redemption of Portfolio shares. |
(d) | Expense ratios exclude the expenses of the Underlying Funds in which the Portfolio invests. |
(e) | The portfolio turnover rate is calculated in accordance with regulatory requirements, without regard to transactions involving short term investments and certain derivatives. If such transactions were included, the portfolio turnover rate may be higher. |
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APPENDIX B
Net asset value, end of year |
Total return(c) |
Net assets, (in 000s) |
Ratio of net expenses to average net assets(d) |
Ratio of total expenses to average net assets(d) |
Ratio of to average net assets(b) |
Portfolio turnover rate(e) |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
$ | 10.68 | 6.32 | % | $ | 4,993 | 0.53 | % | 0.64 | % | 1.09 | % | 19 | % | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
10.76 | 6.67 | 507,845 | 0.13 | 0.24 | 1.58 | 19 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
10.69 | (4.82 | ) | 1,729 | 0.55 | 0.66 | 1.40 | 25 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
10.76 | (4.29 | ) | 424,196 | 0.17 | 0.26 | 1.95 | 25 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
11.83 | 17.92 | 220 | 0.60 | 0.66 | 2.02 | 14 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
11.89 | 18.29 | 373,665 | 0.20 | 0.26 | 2.43 | 14 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
10.64 | 13.61 | 133 | 0.60 | 0.68 | 2.13 | 40 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
10.69 | 14.21 | 284,539 | 0.20 | 0.29 | 2.49 | 40 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
9.73 | 8.51 | 127,290 | 0.60 | 0.70 | 2.02 | 32 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
9.76 | 8.79 | 75,735 | 0.20 | 0.30 | 2.42 | 32 |
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GOLDMAN SACHS TAX-ADVANTAGED GLOBAL EQUITY PORTFOLIO
Income (loss) from investment operations |
Distributions to shareholders |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Year - Share Class | Net asset |
Net investment income(a)(b) |
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) |
Total from investment operations |
From net investment income |
From net realized gains |
Total distributions |
|||||||||||||||||||||||
FOR THE FISCAL YEARS ENDED AUGUST 31, | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2016 - A | $ | 12.58 | $ | 0.08 | $ | 0.52 | $ | 0.60 | $ | (0.18 | ) | $ | (0.09 | ) | $ | (0.27 | ) | |||||||||||||
2016 - Institutional | 12.53 | 0.11 | 0.53 | 0.64 | (0.22 | ) | (0.09 | ) | (0.31 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||
2015 - A | 13.51 | 0.09 | (0.69 | ) | (0.60 | ) | (0.10 | ) | (0.23 | ) | (0.33 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||
2015 - Institutional | 13.48 | 0.17 | (0.71 | ) | (0.54 | ) | (0.18 | ) | (0.23 | ) | (0.41 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||
2014 - A | 11.31 | 0.20 | 2.31 | 2.51 | | (0.31 | ) | (0.31 | ) | |||||||||||||||||||||
2014 - Institutional | 11.38 | 0.18 | 2.39 | 2.57 | (0.16 | ) | (0.31 | ) | (0.47 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||
2013 - A | 9.78 | 0.32 | 1.41 | 1.73 | (0.17 | ) | (0.03 | ) | (0.20 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||
2013 - Institutional | 9.84 | 0.15 | 1.63 | 1.78 | (0.21 | ) | (0.03 | ) | (0.24 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||
2012 - A | 8.98 | 0.15 | 0.79 | 0.94 | (0.13 | ) | (0.01 | ) | (0.14 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||
2012 - Institutional | 9.04 | 0.17 | 0.81 | 0.98 | (0.17 | ) | (0.01 | ) | (0.18 | ) |
(a) | Calculated based on the average shares outstanding methodology. |
(b) | Recognition of net investment income by the Portfolio is affected by the timing of declaration of dividends by the Underlying Funds in which the Portfolio invests. |
(c) | Assumes investment at the net asset value at the beginning of the year, reinvestment of all distributions, a complete redemption of the investment at the net asset value at the end of the year and no sales or redemption charges. Total returns would be reduced if a sales or redemption charge was taken into account. Returns do not reflect the impact of taxes to shareholders relating to Portfolio distributions or the redemption of Portfolio shares. |
(d) | Expense ratios exclude the expenses of the Underlying Funds in which the Portfolio invests. |
(e) | The portfolio turnover rate is calculated in accordance with regulatory requirements, without regard to transactions involving short term investments and certain derivatives. If such transactions were included, the portfolio turnover rate may be higher. |
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APPENDIX B
Net asset value, end of year |
Total return(c) |
Net assets, end of year (in 000s) |
Ratio of net expenses to average net assets(d) |
Ratio of total expenses to average net assets(d) |
Ratio of net investment income to average net assets(b) |
Portfolio turnover rate(e) |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
$ | 12.91 | 4.88 | % | $ | 591 | 0.53 | % | 0.61 | % | 0.64 | % | 19 | % | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
12.86 | 5.22 | 1,816,911 | 0.13 | 0.21 | 0.92 | 19 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
12.58 | (4.39 | ) | 543 | 0.56 | 0.61 | 0.66 | 22 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
12.53 | (3.96 | ) | 1,701,226 | 0.17 | 0.21 | 1.31 | 22 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
13.51 | 22.55 | 235 | 0.60 | 0.62 | 1.56 | 9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
13.48 | 23.05 | 1,233,566 | 0.20 | 0.22 | 1.43 | 9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
11.31 | 18.12 | 636 | 0.60 | 0.64 | 3.16 | 36 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
11.38 | 18.45 | 739,859 | 0.20 | 0.24 | 1.34 | 36 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
9.78 | 10.52 | 243,892 | 0.60 | 0.65 | 1.62 | 24 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
9.84 | 11.02 | 207,103 | 0.20 | 0.25 | 1.88 | 24 |
105
Global Tax-Aware Equity Portfolios Prospectus
FOR MORE INFORMATION |
Annual/Semi-annual Report
Additional information about the Portfolios investments is available in the Portfolios annual and semi-annual reports to shareholders. In the Portfolios annual reports, you will find a discussion of the market conditions and investment strategies that significantly affected the Portfolios performance during the last fiscal year.
Statement of Additional Information
Additional information about the Portfolios and their policies is also available in the Portfolios SAI. The SAI is incorporated by reference into the Prospectus (is legally considered part of the Prospectus).
The Portfolios annual and semi-annual reports and the SAI are available free upon request by calling Goldman Sachs at 1-800-621-2550. You can also access and download the annual and semi-annual reports and the SAI at the Portfolios website: http://www.gsamfunds.com.
From time to time, certain announcements and other information regarding the Portfolios may be found at http://www.gsamfunds.com/announcements-ind for individual investors, or
http://www.gsamfunds.com/announcements for advisors.
To obtain other information and for shareholder inquiries:
Institutional | Class A | |||
¢ By telephone: |
1-800-621-2550 | 1-800-526-7384 | ||
¢ By mail: |
Goldman Sachs Funds P.O. Box 06050 Chicago, IL 60606-6306 |
Goldman Sachs Funds P.O. Box 219711 Kansas City, MO 64121 | ||
¢ On the Internet: |
SEC EDGAR database http://www.sec.gov |
You may review and obtain copies of Portfolio documents (including the SAI) by visiting the SECs public reference room in Washington, D.C. You may also obtain copies of Portfolio documents, after paying a duplicating fee, by writing to the SECs Public Reference Section, Washington, D.C. 20549-1520 or by electronic request to: publicinfo@sec.gov. Information on the operation of the public reference room may be obtained by calling the SEC at (202) 551-8090.
TAGEDGPRO-16 | The Portfolios investment company registration number is 811-05349. GSAM® is a registered service mark of Goldman, Sachs & Co. |
PART B
STATEMENT OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
DATED DECEMBER 29, 2016
Class A Shares
Institutional Shares
PORTFOLIO |
CLASS A SHARES | INSTITUTIONAL SHARES | ||
GOLDMAN SACHS TAX-ADVANTAGED GLOBAL EQUITY PORTFOLIO (TAG) | TAGGX | TIGGX | ||
GOLDMAN SACHS ENHANCED DIVIDEND GLOBAL EQUITY PORTFOLIO (EDGE) | GADGX | GIDGX |
(Global Tax-Aware Equity Portfolios of Goldman Sachs Trust)
Goldman Sachs Trust
71 South Wacker Drive
Chicago, Illinois 60606
This Statement of Additional Information (the SAI) is not a Prospectus. This SAI should be read in conjunction with the Prospectus for the Class A Shares and Institutional Shares of Goldman Sachs Tax-Advantaged Global Equity Portfolio and Goldman Sachs Enhanced Dividend Global Equity Portfolio dated December 29, 2016, as it may be further amended and/or supplemented from time to time (the Prospectus). The Prospectus may be obtained without charge from Goldman, Sachs & Co. by calling the telephone numbers, or writing to one of the addresses, listed below or from institutions acting on behalf of their customers.
The audited financial statements and related report of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, independent registered public accounting firm, for each Portfolio contained in each Portfolios 2016 Annual Report are incorporated herein by reference in the section FINANCIAL STATEMENTS. No other portions of each Portfolios Annual Report are incorporated by reference herein. A Portfolios Annual Report may be obtained upon request and without charge by calling Goldman, Sachs & Co. toll-free at 800-526-7384 (for Class A Shareholders) or 800-621-2550 (for Institutional Shareholders).
GSAM® is a registered service mark of Goldman, Sachs & Co.
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OTHER INFORMATION REGARDING MAXIMUM SALES CHARGE, PURCHASES, REDEMPTIONS, EXCHANGES AND DIVIDENDS |
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1-A | ||||
1-B | ||||
1-C |
The date of this SAI is December 29, 2016.
ii
GOLDMAN SACHS ASSET MANAGEMENT, L.P.
Investment Adviser
200 West Street
New York, New York 10282
GOLDMAN, SACHS & CO.
Distributor
200 West Street
New York, New York 10282
GOLDMAN, SACHS & CO.
Transfer Agent
71 South Wacker Drive
Chicago, Illinois 60606
Toll-free (in U.S.)
800-526-7384 (for Class A Shareholders)
800-621-2550 (for Institutional Shareholders)
iii
Goldman Sachs Trust (the Trust) is an open-end management investment company. The Trust is organized as a Delaware statutory trust and was established by a Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997. The following series of the Trust are described in this SAI: Goldman Sachs Tax-Advantaged Global Equity Portfolio (TAG) and Goldman Sachs Enhanced Dividend Global Equity Portfolio (EDGE) (each also a Portfolio, and collectively referred to herein as the Portfolios).
The Trustees of the Trust have authority under the Declaration of Trust to create and classify shares into separate series and to classify and reclassify any series or portfolio of shares into one or more classes without further action by shareholders. The Trustees have created the Portfolios and other series pursuant to the Declaration of Trust. Additional series and classes may be added in the future from time to time. Each Portfolio currently offers two classes of shares: Class A Shares and Institutional Shares. See SHARES OF THE TRUST.
Each Portfolio is a separately managed, diversified open-end management investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the Act), with its own investment objective and policies. Each Portfolio has been constructed as a fund of funds, which means that it pursues its investment objective primarily by allocating its investments among other investment portfolios of the Trust. Each Portfolio also retains the right to directly invest up to 20% of its net assets plus any borrowings for investment purposes (measured at the time of purchase) (Net Assets) in other securities and other instruments, including derivative instruments (such as swaps and futures contracts) and unaffiliated exchange-traded funds (ETFs).
Goldman Sachs Asset Management, L.P. (GSAM or the Investment Adviser), an affiliate of Goldman, Sachs & Co. (Goldman Sachs), serves as the Investment Adviser to the Portfolios. In addition, Goldman Sachs serves as each Portfolios distributor and transfer agent. The Portfolios custodian is JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. (JPMorgan Chase).
The following information relates to and supplements the description of each Portfolios investment policies contained in the Prospectus. See the Prospectus for a more complete description of each Portfolios investment objective and policies. Investing in the Portfolios entails certain risks, and there is no assurance that a Portfolio will achieve its objective. Capitalized terms used but not defined herein have the same meaning as in the Prospectus.
INVESTMENT OBJECTIVES AND POLICIES
Each Portfolio has a distinct investment objective and policies. There can be no assurance that a Portfolios objective will be achieved. The investment objective and policies of each Portfolio, and the associated risks of each Portfolio are discussed in the Portfolios Prospectus, which should be read carefully before an investment is made. All investment objectives and investment policies not specifically designated as fundamental may be changed without shareholder approval. However, to the extent required by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) regulations including Rule 35d-1 of the Act and the SECs interpretive positions thereunder, shareholders will be provided with sixty days notice in the manner prescribed by the SEC before any change in a Portfolios policy to invest at least 80% of its net assets plus any borrowings for investment purposes (measured at the time of purchase) (Net Assets) in the particular type of investment suggested by its name. Additional information about the Portfolios, their policies, and the investment instruments they may hold, is provided below.
Each of the Portfolios seeks to achieve its objective by investing in a combination of underlying funds that currently exist or that may become available for investment in the future for which GSAM or an affiliate now or in the future acts as investment adviser (the Underlying Funds). These Underlying Funds currently include: Goldman Sachs Large Cap Value Insights Fund, Goldman Sachs Large Cap Growth Insights Fund, Goldman Sachs Small Cap Growth Insights Fund, Goldman Sachs Small Cap Value Insights Fund, Goldman Sachs Small Cap Equity Insights Fund, Goldman Sachs International Tax-Managed Equity Fund, Goldman Sachs U.S. Tax-Managed Equity Fund, Goldman Sachs U.S. Equity Insights Fund, Goldman Sachs Emerging Markets Equity Insights Fund, Goldman Sachs International Small Cap Insights Fund, Goldman Sachs International Equity Insights Fund, Goldman Sachs U.S. Equity Dividend and Premium Fund, Goldman Sachs International Equity Dividend and Premium Fund and the Goldman Sachs MLP Energy Infrastructure Fund (the Underlying Equity Funds); and Goldman Sachs Core Fixed
B-4
Income Fund, Goldman Sachs High Yield Fund, Goldman Sachs High Yield Floating Rate Fund, Goldman Sachs Local Emerging Markets Debt Fund (the Underlying Fixed Income Funds) and Goldman Sachs Tactical Tilt Overlay Fund (the Underlying Tactical Fund). The Investment Adviser also implements a tactical view by investing a portion of each Portfolios assets in the Underlying Tactical Fund. The value of the Underlying Funds investments and the net asset value of the shares of both the Underlying Funds and the Portfolios will fluctuate with market, economic and, to the extent applicable, foreign exchange conditions, so that an investment in a Portfolio may be worth more or less when redeemed than when purchased.
The Portfolios may also invest directly in other securities and other instruments, including derivative instruments (such as swaps and futures contracts) and unaffiliated ETFs. In addition, to better express the Investment Advisers negative views, the Portfolios may use derivatives, including futures and swaps, to implement short positions. The Portfolios may also take short positions in equity securities (including ETFs) directly. One way a Portfolio may take a short position is by selling a security short. See Short Sales below. A Portfolios short positions may range between 0% and 20% of the value of the Portfolios Net Assets.
The Investment Adviser is subject to registration and regulation as a commodity pool operator under the Commodity Exchange Act with respect to its service as investment adviser to the Portfolios.
Asset Allocation Process:
The asset allocation process for the Portfolios begins with setting strategic target weights to each of the Underlying Funds selected by the Investment Adviser. The strategic weights are set with the goal of achieving an attractive ratio of expected return to expected risk. The analysis behind these weights is based upon assumptions regarding long-term expected returns, expected volatilities and expected correlations, as well as the views of the Investment Strategy Group of Goldman Sachs.
The Investment Adviser may seek to temporarily change the allocations in a Portfolio in an attempt to improve short-term return. The Investment Adviser may implement such temporary tactical views by selling and buying among the various Underlying Funds or by purchasing securities or other instruments, including ETFs. When the Investment Adviser implements a tactical view in a Portfolio the strategic allocations will change. Although these tactical views generally are developed by the Investment Strategy Group, the Investment Adviser will have complete discretion as to whether any such view will be implemented within the Portfolio and will evaluate each view and determine whether it should be implemented by the Portfolio.
From time to time, the Investment Adviser will monitor, and may make changes to, the selection or weight of Underlying Funds, individual or groups of securities, currencies or markets in the Portfolios. Such changes (which may be the result of changes in the asset allocation techniques, the manner of applying the asset allocation techniques or the judgment of the Investment Adviser) may include: (i) evolutionary changes to the structure of the asset allocation techniques (e.g., changing the calculation of the algorithm, increasing or decreasing investment in certain Underlying Funds); (ii) changes in trading procedures (e.g., trading frequency or the manner in which a Portfolio uses futures); or (iii) changes to the weight of Underlying Funds, individual or groups of securities, currencies or markets based on the Investment Advisers judgment. Any such changes will preserve a Portfolios basic investment philosophy of selecting investments using a disciplined investment process. Similarly, with respect to those Underlying Funds that are managed pursuant to a quantitative methodology, those Underlying Funds investment advisers will monitor and may make changes to the selection or weight of individual or groups of securities, currencies, or markets in those Underlying Funds, including changes resulting from changes in the quantitative methodology, the manner of applying the quantitative methodology, changes in trading procedure, or the judgment of the Investment Adviser.
Descriptions of Underlying Funds
The following descriptions provide additional information regarding the Underlying Funds and the types of investments that the Underlying Funds may make, and supplement the information in the Portfolios Prospectus.
B-5
Small Cap Growth Insights Fund
Objective. The Small Cap Growth Insights Fund seeks long-term growth of capital.
Primary Investment Focus. The Small Cap Growth Insights Fund invests, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its Net Assets in a broadly diversified portfolio of equity investments in small-cap U.S. issuers, including foreign issuers that are traded in the United States. For the purposes of this restriction, small-cap U.S. issuers have public stock market capitalizations of companies constituting the Russell 2000® Index, which as of February 1, 2016 was between $1.38 million and $5.95 billion. However, the Underlying Fund may invest in securities outside the Russell 2000® Index capitalization range.
The Underlying Fund uses a quantitative style of management, in combination with a qualitative overlay, that emphasizes fundamentally-based stock selection, careful portfolio construction and efficient implementation. The Underlying Funds investments are selected using fundamental research and a variety of quantitative techniques based on certain investment themes, including, among others, Momentum, Valuation and Profitability. The Momentum theme seeks to predict drifts in stock prices caused by delayed investor reaction to company-specific information and information about related companies. The Valuation theme attempts to capture potential mispricings of securities, typically by comparing a measure of the companys intrinsic value to its market value. The Profitability theme seeks to assess whether a company is earning more than its cost of capital. The Underlying Funds investment adviser may, in its discretion, make changes to its quantitative techniques, or use other quantitative techniques that are based on the Underlying Funds investment advisers proprietary research.
The Underlying Fund maintains risk, style, and capitalization characteristics similar to the Russell 2000® Growth Index, which is an index designed to represent an investable universe of small-cap companies with above average price to book ratios and earnings growth expectations. The Underlying Fund seeks to maximize expected return while maintaining these and other characteristics similar to the benchmark.
Other. The Small Cap Growth Insights Fund may also invest in fixed income securities considered to be cash equivalents.
The Underlying Funds benchmark index is the Russell 2000® Growth Index.
Small Cap Value Insights Fund
Objective. The Small Cap Value Insights Fund seeks long-term growth of capital.
Primary Investment Focus. The Small Cap Value Insights Fund invests, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its Net Assets in a broadly diversified portfolio of equity investments in small-cap U.S. issuers, including foreign issuers that are traded in the United States. For the purposes of this restriction, small-cap U.S. issuers have public stock market capitalizations of companies constituting the Russell 2000® Index, which as of February 1, 2016 was between $1.38 million and $5.95 billion. However, the Underlying Fund may invest in securities outside the Russell 2000® Index capitalization range.
The Underlying Fund uses a quantitative style of management, in combination with a qualitative overlay, that emphasizes fundamentally-based stock selection, careful portfolio construction and efficient implementation. The Underlying Funds investments are selected using fundamental research and a variety of quantitative techniques based on certain investment themes, including, among others, Momentum, Valuation and Profitability. The Momentum theme seeks to predict drifts in stock prices caused by delayed investor reaction to company-specific information and information about related companies. The Valuation theme attempts to capture potential mispricings of securities, typically by comparing a measure of the companys intrinsic value to its market value. The Profitability theme seeks to assess whether a company is earning more than its cost of capital. The Underlying Funds investment adviser may, in its discretion, make changes to its quantitative techniques, or use other quantitative techniques that are based on the Underlying Funds investment advisers proprietary research.
B-6
The Underlying Fund maintains risk, style, and capitalization characteristics similar to the Russell 2000® Value Index, which is designed to represent an investable universe of small-cap companies with above average price to book ratios and earnings growth expectations. The Underlying Fund seeks to maximize expected return while maintaining these and other characteristics similar to the benchmark.
Other. The Small Cap Value Insights Fund may also invest in fixed income securities that are considered to be cash equivalents.
The Underlying Funds benchmark index is the Russell 2000® Value Index.
U.S. Equity Insights Fund
Objective. The U.S. Equity Insights Fund seeks long-term growth of capital and dividend income.
Primary Investment Focus. The U.S. Equity Insights Fund invests, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its Net Assets in a diversified portfolio of equity investments in U.S. issuers, including foreign companies that are traded in the United States.
The Underlying Fund uses a quantitative style of management, in combination with a qualitative overlay, that emphasizes fundamentally-based stock selection, careful portfolio construction and efficient implementation. The Underlying Funds investments are selected using fundamental research and a variety of quantitative techniques based on certain investment themes, including, among others, Momentum, Valuation and Profitability. The Momentum theme seeks to predict drifts in stock prices caused by delayed investor reaction to company-specific information and information about related companies. The Valuation theme attempts to capture potential mispricings of securities, typically by comparing a measure of the companys intrinsic value to its market value. The Profitability theme seeks to assess whether a company is earning more than its cost of capital. The Underlying Funds investment adviser may, in its discretion, make changes to its quantitative techniques, or use other quantitative techniques that are based on the Underlying Funds investment advisers proprietary research.
The Underlying Fund maintains risk, style, and capitalization characteristics similar to the S&P 500® Index, which is an index of large-cap stocks designed to reflect a broad representation of the U.S. economy. As of February 1, 2016, the market capitalization range for the S&P 500® Index was between $1.92 billion and $537.63 billion. The Underlying Fund seeks to maximize expected return while maintaining these and other characteristics similar to the benchmark. However, the Underlying Fund may invest in securities outside the S&P 500® Index capitalization range.
Other. The U.S. Equity Insights Fund may also invest in fixed income securities that are limited to securities that are considered to be cash equivalents.
The Underlying Funds benchmark index is the S&P 500® Index.
International Equity Insights Fund
Objective. The International Equity Insights Fund seeks long-term growth of capital.
Primary Investment Focus. The International Equity Insights Fund invests, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its Net Assets in a broadly diversified portfolio of equity investments in companies that are organized outside the United States or whose securities are principally traded outside the United States.
The portfolio management team uses two distinct strategiesa bottom-up stock selection strategy and a top-down country/currency selection strategyto manage the Underlying Fund. The Underlying Fund invests in at least three foreign countries and may invest in the securities of issuers in countries with emerging markets or economies (emerging countries).
B-7
The Underlying Fund seeks broad representation of large-cap and mid-cap issuers across major countries and sectors of the international economy, with some exposure to small -cap issuers. The Underlying Fund uses a quantitative style of management, in combination with a qualitative overlay, that emphasizes fundamentally-based stock and country/currency selection, careful portfolio construction and efficient implementation. The Underlying Funds investments are selected using fundamental research and a variety of quantitative techniques based on certain investment themes, including, among others, Momentum, Valuation and Profitability. The Momentum theme seeks to predict drifts in stock prices caused by delayed investor reaction to company-specific information and information about related companies. The Valuation theme attempts to capture potential mispricings of securities, typically by comparing a measure of the companys intrinsic value to its market value. The Profitability theme seeks to assess whether a company is earning more than its cost of capital. The Underlying Funds investment adviser may, in its discretion, make changes to its quantitative techniques, or use other quantitative techniques that are based on the Underlying Funds investment advisers proprietary research.
The Underlying Fund seeks to maximize its expected return, while maintaining risk, style and capitalization characteristics similar to the Morgan Stanley Capital International (MSCI) Europe, Australasia, Far East (EAFE) Standard Index (Net, USD, Unhedged), adjusted for the Underlying Funds Investment Advisers country views. Additionally, the portfolio management teams views of the relative attractiveness of countries and currencies are considered in allocating the Underlying Funds assets among countries. The MSCI EAFE Standard Index (Net, USD, Unhedged) is designed to measure equity market performance of the large and mid capitalization segments of developed markets, excluding the U.S. and Canada.
Other. The International Equity Insights Fund may also invest in fixed income securities that are considered to be cash equivalents.
The Underlying Funds benchmark index is the MSCI EAFE Standard Index (Net, USD, Unhedged).
Large Cap Value Insights Fund
Objective. The Large Cap Value Insights Fund seeks long-term growth of capital and dividend income.
Primary Investment Focus. The Large Cap Value Insights Fund invests, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its Net Assets in a diversified portfolio of equity investments in large-cap U.S. issuers, including foreign issuers that are traded in the United States. These issuers have public stock market capitalizations similar to those of companies constituting the Russell 1000® Index at the time of investment, which as of February 1, 2016 was between $122.46 million and $555.54 billion. However, the Underlying Fund may invest in securities outside the Russell 1000® Index capitalization range.
The Underlying Fund uses a quantitative style of management, in combination with a qualitative overlay, that emphasizes fundamentally-based stock selection, careful portfolio construction and efficient implementation. The Underlying Funds investments are selected using fundamental research and a variety of quantitative techniques based on certain investment themes, including, among others, Momentum, Valuation and Profitability. The Momentum theme seeks to predict drifts in stock prices caused by delayed investor reaction to company-specific information and information about related companies. The Valuation theme attempts to capture potential mispricings of securities, typically by comparing a measure of the companys intrinsic value to its market value. The Profitability theme seeks to assess whether a company is earning more than its cost of capital. The Underlying Funds investment adviser may, in its discretion, make changes to its quantitative techniques, or use other quantitative techniques that are based on the Underlying Funds investment advisers proprietary research.
The Underlying Fund maintains risk, style, and capitalization characteristics similar to the Russell 1000® Value Index, which generally consists of companies with above average capitalizations, low earnings growth expectations and above average dividend yields. The Underlying Fund seeks to maximize expected return while maintaining these and other characteristics similar to the benchmark.
Other. The Large Cap Value Insights Fund may also invest in fixed income securities that are considered to be cash equivalents.
B-8
The Underlying Funds benchmark index is the Russell 1000® Value Index.
Large Cap Growth Insights Fund
Objective. The Large Cap Growth Insights Fund seeks long-term growth of capital, with dividend income as a secondary consideration.
Primary Investment Focus. The Large Cap Growth Insights Fund invests, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its Net Assets in a broadly diversified portfolio of equity investments in large-cap U.S. issuers, including foreign issuers that are traded in the United States. These issuers have public stock market capitalizations similar to those of companies constituting the Russell 1000® Index, which as of February 1, 2016 was between $122.46 million and $555.54 billion. However, the Underlying Fund may invest in securities outside the Russell 1000® Index capitalization range.
The Underlying Fund uses a quantitative style of management, in combination with a qualitative overlay, that emphasizes fundamentally-based stock selection, careful portfolio construction and efficient implementation. The Underlying Funds investments are selected using fundamental research and a variety of quantitative techniques based on certain investment themes, including, among others, Momentum, Valuation and Profitability. The Momentum theme seeks to predict drifts in stock prices caused by delayed investor reaction to company-specific information and information about related companies. The Valuation theme attempts to capture potential mispricings of securities, typically by comparing a measure of the companys intrinsic value to its market value. The Profitability theme seeks to assess whether a company is earning more than its cost of capital. The Underlying Funds investment adviser may, in its discretion, make changes to its quantitative techniques, or use other quantitative techniques that are based on the Underlying Funds investment advisers proprietary research.
The Underlying Fund maintains risk, style, and capitalization characteristics similar to the Russell 1000® Growth Index, which generally consists of companies with above average capitalization and earnings growth expectations and below average dividend yields. The Underlying Fund seeks to maximize expected return while maintaining these and other characteristics similar to the benchmark.
Other. The Large Cap Growth Insights Fund may also invest in fixed income securities that are considered to be cash equivalents.
The Underlying Funds benchmark index is the Russell 1000® Growth Index.
Small Cap Equity Insights Fund
Objective. The Small Cap Equity Insights Fund seeks long-term growth of capital.
Primary Investment Focus. The Small Cap Equity Insights Fund invests, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its Net Assets in a broadly diversified portfolio of equity investments in small-cap U.S. issuers, including foreign issuers that are traded in the United States. These issuers will have public stock market capitalizations similar to that of the range of the market capitalizations of companies constituting the Russell 2000® Index at the time of investment, which as of February 1, 2016 was between $1.38 million and $5.95 billion. However, the Underlying Fund may invest in securities outside the Russell 2000® Index capitalization range.
The Underlying Fund uses a quantitative style of management, in combination with a qualitative overlay, that emphasizes fundamentally-based stock selection, careful portfolio construction and efficient implementation. The Underlying Funds investments are selected using fundamental research and a variety of quantitative techniques based on certain investment themes, including, among others, Momentum, Valuation and Profitability. The Momentum theme seeks to predict drifts in stock prices caused by delayed investor reaction to company-specific information and information about related companies. The Valuation theme attempts to capture potential mispricings of securities, typically by comparing a measure of the companys intrinsic value to its market value. The Profitability theme seeks to assess whether a company is earning more than its cost of capital. The Underlying Funds investment adviser may, in its discretion, make changes to its quantitative techniques, or use other quantitative techniques that are based on the Underlying Funds investment advisers proprietary research.
B-9
The Underlying Fund maintains risk, style, and capitalization characteristics similar to the Russell 2000® Index, which is an index designed to represent an investable universe of small-cap companies. The Underlying Fund seeks to maximize expected return while maintaining these and other characteristics similar to the benchmark.
Other. The Small Cap Equity Insights Fund may also invest in fixed income securities that are considered to be cash equivalents.
The Underlying Funds benchmark index is the Russell 2000® Index.
International Tax-Managed Equity Fund
Objective. The International Tax-Managed Equity Fund seeks to provide long-term after-tax growth of capital through tax-sensitive participation in a broadly diversified portfolio of international equity securities.
Primary Investment Focus. The International Tax-Managed Equity Fund invests, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its Net Assets in equity investments in companies that are organized outside the United States or whose securities are principally traded outside the United States.
The Underlying Fund uses a variety of quantitative techniques, in combination with a qualitative overlay, when selecting investments that have the potential to maximize the Funds after-tax return and minimize capital gains and income distributions. These quantitative techniques, which are derived from fundamental research and based on certain investment themes, including, among others, Momentum, Valuation and Profitability, seek to maximize the Underlying Funds expected return. The Momentum theme seeks to predict drifts in stock prices caused by delayed investor reaction to company-specific information and information about related companies. The Valuation theme attempts to capture potential mispricings of securities, typically by comparing a measure of the companys intrinsic value to its market value. The Profitability theme seeks to assess whether a company is earning more than its cost of capital. The Underlying Funds investment adviser may, in its discretion, make changes to its quantitative techniques, or use other quantitative techniques that are based on the Underlying Funds investment advisers proprietary research.
The Underlying Fund expects to maintain risk, style, capitalization and industry characteristics similar to the Morgan Stanley Capital International (MSCI) Europe, Australasia, Far East (EAFE) Index (Net, USD, Unhedged) (MSCI EAFE Index). The Underlying Fund may allocate its assets among countries as determined by the Investment Adviser from time to time, provided the Underlying Funds assets are invested in at least three foreign countries.
In managing the Underlying Fund, the Investment Adviser balances investment considerations and tax considerations. The Underlying Fund seeks to achieve returns primarily in the form of price appreciation (which is not subject to current tax), and may use different strategies in seeking tax-efficiency.
These strategies include:
| Offsetting long-term and short-term capital gains with long-term and short-term capital losses and creating loss carry-forward positions |
| Managing portfolio turnover that may result in capital gains and losses |
| Selling tax lots of securities that have a higher tax basis before selling tax lots of securities that have a lower tax basis |
Other. The International Tax-Managed Equity Funds investments in fixed income securities are limited to cash equivalents.
The Underlying Funds benchmark index is the MSCI EAFE Index.
B-10
U.S. Tax-Managed Equity Fund
Objective. The U.S. Tax-Managed Equity Fund seeks to provide long-term after-tax growth of capital through tax-sensitive participation in a broadly diversified portfolio of U.S. equity securities.
Primary Investment Focus. The Underlying Fund invests, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its Net Assets in equity investments in U.S. issuers, including foreign issuers that are traded in the United States. The Underlying Fund will seek to maintain risk, style, capitalization and industry characteristics similar to the Russell 3000® Index.
The Underlying Fund uses a variety of quantitative techniques, in combination with a qualitative overlay, when selecting investments that have the potential to maximize the Underlying Funds after-tax return and minimize capital gains and income distributions. These quantitative techniques, which are derived from fundamental research and based on certain investment themes, including, among others, Momentum, Valuation and Profitability, seek to maximize the Underlying Funds expected return. The Momentum theme seeks to predict drifts in stock prices caused by delayed investor reaction to company-specific information and information about related companies. The Valuation theme attempts to capture potential mispricings of securities, typically by comparing a measure of the companys intrinsic value to its market value. The Profitability theme seeks to assess whether a company is earning more than its cost of capital. The Underlying Funds investment adviser may, in its discretion, make changes to its quantitative techniques, or use other quantitative techniques that are based on the Underlying Funds investment advisers proprietary research.
In managing the Underlying Fund, the Underlying Funds investment adviser balances investment considerations and tax considerations. The Underlying Fund seeks to achieve returns primarily in the form of price appreciation (which is not subject to current tax), and may use different strategies in seeking tax-efficiency.
These strategies include:
| Offsetting long-term and short-term capital gains with long-term and short-term capital losses and creating loss carry-forward positions |
| Managing portfolio turnover that may result in capital gains and losses |
| Selling tax lots of securities that have a higher tax basis before selling tax lots of securities that have a lower tax basis |
Other. The U.S. Tax-Managed Equity Funds investments in fixed income securities are limited to cash equivalents.
The Underlying Funds benchmark index is the Russell 3000® Index.
Emerging Markets Equity Insights Fund
Objective. The Emerging Markets Equity Insights Fund seeks long-term growth of capital.
Primary Investment Focus. The Emerging Markets Equity Insights Fund invests, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its Net Assets in a diversified portfolio of equity investments in emerging country issuers. Currently, emerging countries include, among others, Central and South American, African, Asian and Eastern European countries. Under normal circumstances, the Underlying Fund will not invest more than 35% of its Net Assets in securities of issuers in any one emerging country.
The Underlying Funds portfolio management team uses two distinct strategiesa bottom-up stock selection strategy and a top-down country/currency selection strategyto manage the Underlying Fund.
B-11
The Underlying Fund uses a quantitative style of management, in combination with a qualitative overlay, that emphasizes fundamentally-based stock and country/currency selection, careful portfolio construction and efficient implementation. The Underlying Funds investments are selected using fundamental research and a variety of quantitative techniques based on certain investment themes, including, among others, Momentum, Valuation and Profitability. The Momentum theme seeks to predict drifts in stock prices caused by delayed investor reaction to company-specific information and information about related companies. The Valuation theme attempts to capture potential mispricings of securities, typically by comparing a measure of the companys intrinsic value to its market value. The Profitability theme seeks to assess whether a company is earning more than its cost of capital. The Underlying Funds investment adviser may, in its discretion, make changes to its quantitative techniques, or use other quantitative techniques that are based on the Underlying Funds investment advisers proprietary research.
The Underlying Fund seeks to maximize its expected return, while maintaining risk, style and capitalization characteristics similar to the Morgan Stanley Capital International (MSCI) Emerging Markets Standard Index (Net, USD, Unhedged), adjusted for the Investment Advisers country views. Additionally, the portfolio management teams views of the relative attractiveness of emerging countries and currencies are considered in allocating the Funds assets among emerging countries. The MSCI Emerging Markets Standard Index (Net, USD, Unhedged) is designed to measure equity market performance of the large and mid market capitalization segments of emerging markets.
Other. The Emerging Markets Equity Insights Fund may also invest in fixed income securities that are considered to be cash equivalents.
The Underlying Funds benchmark index is the MSCI Emerging Markets Standard Index (Net, USD, Unhedged).
International Small Cap Insights Fund
Objective. The International Small Cap Insights Fund seeks long-term growth of capital.
Primary Investment Focus. The Underlying Fund invests, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its Net Assets in a broadly diversified portfolio of equity investments in small -cap non-U.S. issuers.
The Underlying Fund uses a quantitative style of management, in combination with a qualitative overlay, that emphasizes fundamentally-based stock selection, careful portfolio construction and efficient implementation. The Underlying Funds investments are selected using fundamental research and a variety of quantitative techniques based on certain investment themes, including, among others, Momentum, Valuation and Profitability. The Momentum theme seeks to predict drifts in stock prices caused by delayed investor reaction to company-specific information and information about related companies. The Valuation theme attempts to capture potential mispricings of securities, typically by comparing a measure of the companys intrinsic value to its market value. The Profitability theme seeks to assess whether a company is earning more than its cost of capital. The Underlying Funds investment adviser may, in its discretion, make changes to its quantitative techniques, or use other quantitative techniques that are based on the Underlying Funds investment advisers proprietary research.
The Underlying Fund seeks to maximize its expected return, while maintaining risk, style, and capitalization characteristics similar to the Morgan Stanley Capital International (MSCI) Europe, Australasia, Far East (EAFE) Small Cap Index (Net, USD, Unhedged). The MSCI EAFE Small Cap Index (Net, USD, Unhedged) is designed to measure equity market performance of the small capitalization segments of developed markets, excluding the United States and Canada. The Underlying Fund seeks to maximize its expected return while maintaining these and other characteristics similar to the benchmark.
Other. The International Small Cap Insights Fund may also invest in the securities of issuers in emerging countries, and fixed income securities that are considered to be cash equivalents.
The Underlying Funds benchmark index is the MSCI EAFE Small Cap Index (Net, USD, Unhedged).
B-12
U.S. Equity Dividend and Premium Fund
Objective. The U.S. Equity Dividend and Premium Fund seeks to maximize income and total return.
Primary Investment Focus. The U.S. Equity Dividend and Premium Fund invests, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its Net Assets in dividend-paying equity investments in large-cap U.S. issuers (including foreign issuers that are traded in the United States) with public stock market capitalizations within the range of the market capitalization of the S&P 500® Index at the time of investment. The Underlying Fund will seek to maintain risk, style, capitalization and industry characteristics similar to the S&P 500® Index. The Underlying Fund invests primarily in a diversified portfolio of common stocks of large-cap U.S. issuers represented in the S&P 500® Index.
The Underlying Fund uses a variety of quantitative techniques, in combination with a qualitative overlay, when selecting investments. The Underlying Funds investment adviser may, in its discretion, make changes to its quantitative techniques, or use other quantitative techniques that are based on the Underlying Funds investment advisers proprietary research.
The Underlying Fund seeks to generate additional cash flow and may reduce volatility by the sale of call options on the S&P 500® Index or other national or regional stock market indices (or related exchange-traded funds (ETFs)).
The Underlying Fund expects that, under normal circumstances, it will sell call options in an amount that is between 20% and 75% of the value of the Underlying Funds portfolio. As the seller of the call options, the Underlying Fund will receive cash (the premium) from the purchaser. If the purchaser exercises the option, the Underlying Fund pays the purchaser the difference between the price of the index and the exercise price of the option. The premium, the exercise price and the market price of the index determine the gain or loss realized by the Underlying Fund as the seller of the call option.
During periods in which the U.S. equity markets are generally unchanged or falling, or in a modestly rising market where the income from premiums exceeds the aggregate appreciation of the underlying index over its exercise price, a diversified portfolio receiving premiums from its call option writing strategy may outperform the same portfolio without such an options strategy. However, in rising markets where the aggregate appreciation of the underlying index over its exercise price exceeds the income from premiums, a portfolio with a call writing strategy could significantly underperform the same portfolio without the options.
The Underlying Fund uses a tax-advantaged style and seeks to balance investment and tax considerations, primarily by seeking to avoid or minimize any net short-term capital gains.
Other. The U.S. Equity Dividend and Premium Funds investments in fixed income securities are limited to cash equivalents.
The Underlying Funds primary benchmark index is the S&P 500® Index and the Underlying Funds secondary benchmark is the Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index.
International Equity Dividend and Premium Fund
Objective. The International Equity Dividend and Premium Fund seeks to maximize total return with an emphasis on income.
Primary Investment Focus. The International Equity Dividend and Premium Fund invests, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its Net Assets in dividend-paying equity investments in companies that are organized outside the United States or whose securities are principally traded outside the United States with public stock market capitalizations within the range of the market capitalization of the Morgan Stanley Capital International (MSCI) Europe, Australasia, Far East (EAFE) Index (Net, USD, Unhedged) (MSCI EAFE Index) at the time of investment. The Underlying Fund may allocate its assets among countries as determined by the Investment Adviser from time to time, provided the Underlying Funds assets are invested in at least three foreign countries. The Underlying Fund may invest in the securities of issuers in emerging countries. The Underlying Fund will seek to maintain risk, style, capitalization and industry characteristics similar to the MSCI EAFE Index.
The Underlying Fund uses a variety of quantitative techniques, in combination with a qualitative overlay, when selecting investments. The Underlying Funds investment adviser may, in its discretion, make changes to its quantitative techniques, or use other quantitative techniques that are based on the Underlying Funds investment advisers proprietary research.
B-13
The Underlying Fund seeks to generate additional cash flow and may reduce volatility by the sale of call options on the MSCI EAFE Index or other national or regional stock market indices (or related ETFs).
The Underlying Fund expects that, under normal circumstances, it will sell call options in an amount that is between 20% and 75% of the value of the Underlying Funds portfolio. As the seller of the call options, the Underlying Fund will receive cash (the premium) from the purchaser. If the purchaser exercises the option, the Underlying Fund pays the purchaser the difference between the price of the index and the exercise price of the option. The premium, the exercise price and the market price of the index determine the gain or loss realized by the Underlying Fund as the seller of the call option.
During periods in which the international equity markets are generally unchanged or falling, or in a modestly rising market where the income from premiums exceeds the aggregate appreciation of the underlying index over its exercise price, a diversified portfolio receiving premiums from its call option writing strategy may outperform the same portfolio without such an options strategy. However, in rising markets where the aggregate appreciation of the underlying index over its exercise price exceeds the income from premiums, a portfolio with a call writing strategy could significantly underperform the same portfolio without the options.
The Underlying Fund uses a tax-advantaged style and seeks to balance investment and tax considerations, primarily by seeking to avoid or minimize any net short-term capital gains.
Other. The International Equity Dividend and Premium Funds investments in fixed income securities are limited to cash equivalents.
The Underlying Funds primary benchmark index is the MSCI EAFE Index and the Underlying Funds secondary benchmark is the Bloomberg Barclays Global Aggregate Bond Index (Gross, USD, Unhedged).
Core Fixed Income Fund
Objective. The Core Fixed Income Fund seeks a total return consisting of capital appreciation and income that exceeds the total return of the Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index.
Primary Investment Focus. The Core Fixed Income Fund invests, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its Net Assets in fixed income securities, including securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government, its agencies, instrumentalities or sponsored enterprises (U.S. Government Securities), corporate debt securities, privately issued adjustable rate and fixed rate mortgage loans or other mortgage-related securities (Mortgage-Backed Securities) and asset-backed securities. The Underlying Fund may also invest in custodial receipts, fixed income securities issued by or on behalf of states, territories, and possessions of the United States (including the District of Columbia) (Municipal Securities) and convertible securities.
The Underlying Fund may also engage in forward foreign currency transactions for both hedging and non-hedging purposes. The Underlying Fund also intends to invest in derivatives, including (but not limited to) interest rate futures, interest rate swaps and credit default swaps, which are used primarily to hedge the Underlying Funds portfolio risks, manage the Underlying Funds duration and/or gain exposure to certain fixed income securities or indices.
B-14
The Underlying Funds investments in non-U.S. dollar denominated obligations (hedged or unhedged against currency risk) will not exceed 25% of its total assets (not including securities lending collateral and any investment of that collateral) measured at the time of purchase (Total Assets), and 10% of the Underlying Funds Total Assets may be invested in sovereign and corporate debt securities and other instruments of issuers in emerging market countries. Additionally, exposure to non-U.S. currencies (unhedged against currency risk) will not exceed 25% of the Underlying Funds Total Assets. In pursuing its investment objective, the Underlying Fund uses the Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index (Index) as its performance benchmark, but the Underlying Fund will not attempt to replicate the Index. The Underlying Fund may, therefore, invest in securities that are not included in the Index.
The Underlying Fund may invest in fixed income securities rated at least BBB or Baa3 at the time of purchase. Securities will either be rated by a nationally recognized statistical rating organization (NRSRO) or, if unrated, determined by the Underlying Funds investment adviser to be of comparable credit quality.
The Underlying Funds target duration range under normal interest rate conditions is expected to approximate that of the Index plus or minus one year, and over the last five years ended June 30, 2016, the duration of the Index has ranged between 4.81 and 5.78 years. Duration is a measure of a debt securitys price sensitivity to changes in interest rates. The longer the duration of the Underlying Fund (or an individual debt security), the more sensitive its market price to changes in interest rates. For example, if market interest rates increase by 1%, the market price of a debt security with a positive duration of 3 will generally decrease by approximately 3%. Conversely, a 1% decline in market interest rates will generally result in an increase of approximately 3% of that securitys market price.
Core in the Underlying Funds name means that the Underlying Fund focuses its investments in intermediate and long-term investment grade bonds.
High Yield Fund
Objective. The High Yield Fund seeks a high level of current income and may also consider the potential for capital appreciation.
Primary Investment Focus. The High Yield Fund invests, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its Net Assets in high-yield, fixed income securities that, at the time of purchase, are non-investment grade securities. Non-investment grade securities are securities rated BB+, Ba1 or below by a nationally recognized statistical rating organization (NRSRO), or, if unrated, determined by the Investment Adviser to be of comparable credit quality, and are commonly referred to as junk bonds. The Underlying Fund may invest in all types of fixed income securities, including loan participations.
The Underlying Fund may invest up to 25% of its total assets in obligations of domestic and foreign issuers which are denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar and in securities of issuers located in emerging countries denominated in any currency. However, to the extent that the Underlying Funds Investment Adviser has entered into transactions that are intended to hedge the Underlying Funds position in a non-dollar denominated obligation against currency risk, such obligation will not be counted when calculating compliance with the 25% limitation on obligations in non-U.S. currency.
Under normal market conditions, the Underlying Fund may invest up to 20% of its Net Assets in investment grade fixed income securities, including securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government, its agencies, instrumentalities or sponsored enterprises (U.S. Government Securities).
The Underlying Fund may invest in derivatives, including (i) credit default swap indices (or CDX) for hedging purposes or to seek to increase total return, and (ii) interest rate futures, forwards and swaps to manage the portfolios duration.
The Underlying Funds target duration range under normal interest rate conditions is expected to approximate that of the Bloomberg Barclays U.S. High-Yield 2% Issuer Capped Bond Index, plus or minus 2.5 years, and over the last five years ended June 30, 2016, the duration of this Index has ranged between 3.84 and 4.35 years.
B-15
The Underlying Funds portfolio managers seek to build a portfolio consisting of their best ideas across the high yield securities market consistent with the Underlying Funds overall risk budget and the views of the Underlying Funds Investment Advisers Global Fixed Income top-down teams. As market conditions change, the volatility and attractiveness of sectors, securities and strategies can change as well. To optimize the Underlying Funds risk/return potential within its long-term risk budget, the portfolio managers may dynamically adjust the mix of top-down and bottom-up strategies in the Underlying Funds portfolio.
The Underlying Funds benchmark index is the Bloomberg Barclays U.S. High-Yield 2% Issuer Capped Bond Index.
High Yield Floating Rate Fund
Objective. The High Yield Floating Rate Fund seeks a high level of current income.
Primary Investment Focus. The High Yield Floating Rate Fund invests, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its Net Assets in domestic or foreign floating rate loans and other floating or variable rate obligations rated below investment grade. Non-investment grade obligations are those rated BB+, Ba1 or below by a NRSRO, or, if unrated, determined by the Investment Adviser to be of comparable credit quality, and are commonly referred to as junk bonds.
The Underlying Funds investments in floating and variable rate obligations may include, without limitation, senior secured loans (including assignments and participations), second lien loans, senior unsecured and subordinated loans, senior and subordinated corporate debt obligations (such as bonds, debentures, notes and commercial paper), debt issued by governments, their agencies and instrumentalities, and debt issued by central banks. The Underlying Fund may invest indirectly in loans by purchasing participations or sub-participations from financial institutions. Participations and sub-participations represent the right to receive a portion of the principal of, and all of the interest relating to such portion of, the applicable loan. The Underlying Fund expects to invest principally in the U.S. loan market and, to a lesser extent, in the European loan market. The Underlying Fund may also invest in other loan markets, although it does not currently intend to do so.
Under normal conditions, the Underlying Fund may invest up to 20% of its Net Assets in fixed income instruments, regardless of rating, including fixed rate corporate bonds, government bonds, convertible debt obligations, and mezzanine fixed income instruments. The Underlying Fund may also invest in floating or variable rate instruments that are rated investment grade and in preferred stock, repurchase agreements and cash securities.
The Underlying Fund may also invest in derivative instruments. Derivatives are instruments that have a value based on another instrument, exchange rate or index. The Underlying Funds investments in derivatives may include credit default swaps on credit and loan indices, forward contracts and total return swaps, among others. The Underlying Fund may use currency management techniques, such as forward foreign currency contracts, for hedging or non-hedging purposes. The Underlying Fund may invest in interest rate futures and swaps to manage the portfolios duration. Derivatives that provide exposure to floating or variable rate loans or obligations rated below investment grade are counted towards the Underlying Funds 80% policy.
The Underlying Funds target duration range under normal interest rate conditions is expected to approximate that of the Credit Suisse Leveraged Loan Index, plus or minus one year, and over the last five years ended June 30, 2016, the duration of the Index has ranged between 0.001 and 1.925 years. The Underlying Funds investments in floating rate obligations will generally have short to intermediate maturities (approximately 4-7 years).
The Underlying Funds investments are selected using a bottom-up analysis that incorporates fundamental research, a focus on market conditions and pricing trends, quantitative research, and news or market events. The selection of individual investments is based on the overall risk and return profile of the investment taking into account liquidity, structural complexity, cash flow uncertainty and downside potential. Research analysts and portfolio managers systematically assess portfolio positions, taking into consideration, among other factors, broader macroeconomic conditions and industry and company specific financial performance and outlook. Based upon this analysis, the Investment Adviser will sell positions determined to be overvalued and reposition the portfolio in more attractive investment opportunities on a relative basis given the current climate.
B-16
The Underlying Funds benchmark index is the Credit Suisse Leveraged Loan Index.
Local Emerging Markets Debt Fund
Objective. The Local Emerging Markets Debt Fund seeks a high level of total return consisting of income and capital appreciation.
Primary Investment Focus.
The Underlying Fund invests, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its Net Assets in (i) sovereign and corporate debt securities and other instruments of issuers in emerging market countries, denominated in the local currency of such emerging market countries, and/or (ii) currencies of such emerging market countries, which may be represented by forwards or other derivatives that may have interest rate exposure. Such instruments referred to in (i) above may include credit linked notes and other investments with similar economic exposures.
The Underlying Funds portfolio managers seek to build a portfolio across the emerging markets debt market consistent with the Underlying Funds overall risk budget and the views of the Underlying Funds Investment Advisers Global Fixed Income top-down teams. As market conditions change, the volatility and attractiveness of sectors, securities and strategies can change as well. To optimize the Underlying Funds risk/return potential within its long-term risk budget, the portfolio managers may dynamically adjust the mix of top-down and bottom-up strategies in the Underlying Funds portfolio.
The Underlying Fund may invest in all types of foreign and emerging country fixed income securities, including the following:
| Debt issued by governments, their agencies and instrumentalities, or by their central banks, including Brady Bonds; |
| Interests in structured securities; |
| Fixed and floating rate, senior and subordinated corporate debt obligations (such as bonds, debentures, notes and commercial paper); |
| Loan participations; and |
| Repurchase agreements with respect to the foregoing. |
Foreign securities include securities of issuers located outside the U.S. or securities quoted or denominated in a currency other than the U.S. Dollar.
Currency investments, particularly longer-dated forward contracts, provide the Underlying Fund with economic exposure similar to investments in sovereign and corporate debt with respect to currency and interest rate exposure. The Underlying Funds Investment Adviser intends to use structured securities and derivative instruments to attempt to improve the performance of the Underlying Fund or to gain exposure to certain countries or currencies in the Underlying Funds investment portfolio in accordance with its investment objective, and the Underlying Funds investments in these instruments may be significant. These transactions may result in substantial realized and unrealized capital gains and losses relative to the gains and losses from the Underlying Funds investments in bonds and other securities.
The Underlying Fund may invest in securities without regard to credit rating. The countries in which the Underlying Fund invests may have sovereign ratings that are below investment grade or are unrated. Moreover, to the extent the Underlying Fund invests in corporate or other privately issued debt obligations, many of the issuers of such obligations will be smaller companies with stock market capitalizations of $1 billion or less at the time of investment. Securities of these issuers may be rated below investment grade (so-called high yield or junk bonds) or unrated. Although a majority of the Underlying Funds assets will be denominated in non-U.S. Dollars, the Underlying Fund may invest in securities denominated in the U.S. Dollar.
B-17
For purposes of the Underlying Funds policy to invest at least 80% of its Net Assets in securities and instruments of issuers in, and/or currencies of, emerging market countries, such countries include but are not limited to those considered to be developing by the World Bank. Generally, the Underlying Funds Investment Adviser has broad discretion to identify other countries that it considers to qualify as emerging market countries. The majority of these countries are likely to be located in Africa, Asia, the Middle East, Eastern and Central Europe and Central and South America. Sovereign debt consists of debt securities issued by governments or any of their agencies, political subdivisions or instrumentalities, denominated in the local currency. Sovereign debt may also include nominal and real inflation-linked securities. In determining whether an issuer of corporate debt is in an emerging market country, the Underlying Funds Investment Adviser will ordinarily do so by identifying the issuers country of risk. The issuers country of risk is determined based on a number of criteria, including its country of domicile, the primary stock exchange on which it trades, the location from which the majority of its revenue comes, and its reporting currency. Although the Underlying Funds Investment Adviser will generally rely on an issuers country of risk as determined by Bloomberg, it is not required to do so.
The Underlying Funds target duration range under normal interest rate conditions is expected to approximate that of the J.P. Morgan Government Bond IndexEmerging Markets (GBI-EMSM) Global Diversified (Gross, USD, Unhedged) Index (Index) plus or minus 2 years, and over the last ten years ended June 30, 2016, the duration of this Index has ranged between 3.25 and 5.02 years.
The Underlying Fund may invest in the aggregate up to 20% of its Net Assets in investments other than emerging country fixed income securities, currency investments and related derivatives, including (without limitation) equity securities and fixed income securities, such as government, corporate and bank debt obligations, of developed country issuers.
Other. The Underlying Fund is non-diversified under the Act, and may invest more of its assets in fewer issuers than diversified mutual funds. The Underlying Funds benchmark index is the J.P. Morgan Government Bond IndexEmerging Markets (GBI-EMSM) Global Diversified Index (Gross, USD, Unhedged).
MLP Energy Infrastructure Fund
Objective. The MLP Energy Infrastructure Fund seeks total return through current income and capital appreciation.
Primary Investment Focus. The Underlying Fund invests, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its net assets plus any borrowings for investment purposes (measured at the time of purchase) (Net Assets) in energy infrastructure master limited partnership (MLP) investments. The Underlying Funds MLP investments may include, but are not limited to: MLPs structured as limited partnerships (LPs) or limited liability companies (LLCs); MLPs that are taxed as C corporations; institutional units (I-Units) issued by MLP affiliates; C corporations that hold significant interests in MLPs; private investments in public equities (PIPEs) issued by MLPs; and other U.S. and non-U.S. equity and fixed income securities and derivative instruments, including pooled investment vehicles and exchange-traded notes (ETNs), that provide exposure to MLPs. Energy infrastructure MLPs own and operate assets that are used in the energy sector, including assets used in exploring, developing, producing, generating, transporting (including marine), transmitting, terminal operation, storing, gathering, processing, refining, distributing, mining or marketing of natural gas, natural gas liquids, crude oil, refined products, coal or electricity, or that provide energy-related equipment or services. The Underlying Funds MLP investments may be of any capitalization size.
MLPs formed as LPs or LLCs are generally treated as partnerships for U.S. federal income tax purposes. To be treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes, an MLP must derive at least 90% of its gross income for each taxable year from qualifying sources, including activities such as the exploration, development, mining, production, processing, refining, transportation, storage and certain marketing of mineral or natural resources. MLPs are generally publicly traded, are regulated by the SEC and must make public filings like any publicly traded corporation.
B-18
Many of the MLPs in which the Underlying Fund invests operate oil, gas or petroleum facilities, or other facilities within the energy sector. The Underlying Fund intends to concentrate its investments in the energy sector, with a focus on midstream energy infrastructure MLPs. Midstream MLPs are generally engaged in the treatment, gathering, compression, processing, transportation, transmission, fractionation, storage and terminalling of natural gas, natural gas liquids, crude oil, refined products or coal. Midstream MLPs may also operate ancillary businesses including marketing of energy products and logistical services. The Underlying Fund may also invest in upstream and downstream MLPs. Upstream MLPs are primarily engaged in the exploration, recovery, development and production of crude oil, natural gas and natural gas liquids. Downstream MLPs are primarily engaged in the processing, treatment, and refining of natural gas liquids and crude oil. The MLPs in which the Underlying Fund invests may also engage in owning, managing and transporting alternative energy assets, including alternative fuels such as ethanol, hydrogen and biodiesel.
Other. The Underlying Fund may also invest up to 20% of its Net Assets in non-MLP investments, including, without limitation, securities of U.S. and non-U.S. corporations that operate in the energy sector or that hold energy assets. The Underlying Fund is non-diversified under the Act, and may invest more of its assets in fewer issuers than diversified mutual funds.
The Underlying Fund is treated as a regular corporation, or C corporation, for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Accordingly, unlike traditional open-end mutual funds, the Underlying Fund is subject to U.S. federal income tax on its taxable income at the graduated rates applicable to corporations (currently a maximum rate of 35%) as well as state and local income taxes.
The Underlying Funds benchmark index is the Alerian MLP Index.
Tactical Tilt Overlay Fund
Objective. The Goldman Sachs Tactical Tilt Overlay Fund seeks long-term total return.
Primary Investment Focus. The Goldman Sachs Tactical Tilt Overlay Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective through the implementation of investment ideas that are generally derived from short-term or medium-term market views on a variety of asset classes and instruments (Tactical Tilts) generated by the Goldman Sachs Investment Strategy Group (Investment Strategy Group). Investment Strategy Group Tactical Tilt recommendations are recommendations to overweight or underweight exposures to certain asset classes, with such overweighting and underweighting to be funded from a funding source from which assets should be reallocated. The Investment Strategy Group will consider, among other things, the stand-alone risk/reward of each investment idea that may become a Tactical Tilt recommendation, how it fits with the Investment Strategy Groups broader global economic and market views, and its merits compared to other ideas. The Investment Adviser determines in its sole discretion how to implement Tactical Tilt recommendations in the Underlying Fund.
Tactical Tilts are generally implemented by investing in any one or in any combination of the following securities and instruments: (i) U.S. and foreign equity securities, including common and preferred stocks; (ii) pooled investment vehicles including, but not limited to, (a) unaffiliated investment companies, ETFs and exchange-traded notes (ETNs) and (b) affiliated investment companies that currently exist or that may become available for investment in the future for which GSAM or an affiliate now or in the future acts as investment adviser or principal underwriter (the Underlying Funds); (iii) fixed income instruments, which include, among others, debt issued by governments (including the U.S. and foreign governments), their agencies, instrumentalities, sponsored entities, and political subdivisions, notes, debt participations and non-investment grade securities (commonly known as junk bonds); (iv) derivatives and (v) commodity investments, primarily through a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Underlying Fund organized as a company under the laws of the Cayman Islands (the Subsidiary). The Underlying Funds investments may be publicly traded or privately issued or negotiated. The Underlying Fund may invest without restriction as to issuer capitalization, country, currency, maturity or credit rating. The Underlying Fund may implement short positions for hedging purposes or to seek to enhance absolute return, and may do so by using swaps or futures, or through short sales of any instrument that the Underlying Fund may purchase for investment.
The Investment Adviser expects that the Underlying Fund may invest in one or more of the following Underlying Funds in order to implement Tactical Tilts: Goldman Sachs Core Fixed Income Fund, Goldman Sachs Dynamic Municipal Income Fund, Goldman Sachs Emerging Markets Debt Fund, Goldman Sachs Enhanced Income Fund, Goldman Sachs Global Real Estate Securities Fund, Goldman Sachs Government Income Fund,
B-19
Goldman Sachs High Quality Floating Rate Fund, Goldman Sachs High Yield Fund, Goldman Sachs High Yield Floating Rate Fund, Goldman Sachs High Yield Municipal Fund, Goldman Sachs Inflation Protected Securities Fund, Goldman Sachs International Real Estate Securities Fund, Goldman Sachs Investment Grade Credit Fund, Goldman Sachs Local Emerging Markets Debt Fund, Goldman Sachs MLP Energy Infrastructure Fund, Goldman Sachs Short Duration Income Fund, and Goldman Sachs Short Duration Tax-Free Fund as may be determined by the Investment Adviser from time to time without considering or canvassing the universe of unaffiliated investment companies available.
The Underlying Fund may invest in derivatives for both hedging and non-hedging purposes. Derivative positions may be listed or over the counter (OTC) and may or may not be centrally cleared. The Underlying Funds derivative investments may include but are not limited to (i) futures contracts, including futures based on equity or fixed income securities and/or equity or fixed income indices, interest rate futures, currency futures and swap futures; (ii) swaps, including equity, currency, interest rate, total return, excess return, variance and credit default swaps, and swaps on futures contracts; (iii) options, including long and short positions in call options and put options on indices, individual securities or currencies, swaptions and options on futures contracts; (iv) forward contracts, including forwards based on equity or fixed income securities and/or equity or fixed income indices, currency forwards, interest rate forwards, swap forwards and non-deliverable forwards; and (v) other instruments, including structured securities and exchange-traded notes. As a result of the Underlying Funds use of derivatives, the Underlying Fund may also hold significant amounts of U.S. Treasuries or short-term investments, including money market funds, repurchase agreements, cash and time deposits.
The Underlying Fund seeks to gain exposure to the commodities markets by investing in the Subsidiary. The Underlying Fund may invest up to 25% of its total assets in the Subsidiary. The Subsidiary primarily obtains its commodity exposure by investing in commodity-linked derivative instruments, which may include but are not limited to total return swaps and excess return swaps on commodity indexes, sub-indexes and single commodities, as well as commodity (U.S. or foreign) futures, commodity options and commodity-linked notes. Commodity-linked swaps are derivative instruments whereby the cash flows agreed upon between counterparties are dependent upon the price of the underlying commodity or commodity index over the life of the swap. Commodity futures contracts are standardized, exchange-traded contracts that provide for the sale or purchase of, or economic exposure to the price of, a commodity or a specified basket of commodities at a future time. An option on commodities gives the purchaser the right (and the writer of the option the obligation) to assume a position in a commodity or a specified basket of commodities at a specified exercise price within a specified period of time. The value of these commodity-linked derivatives will rise and fall in response to changes in the underlying commodity or commodity index. Commodity-linked derivatives expose the Subsidiary and the Underlying Fund economically to movements in commodity prices. Such instruments may be leveraged so that small changes in the underlying commodity prices would result in disproportionate changes in the value of the instrument. Neither the Underlying Fund nor the Subsidiary invests directly in physical commodities. The Subsidiary may also invest in other instruments, including fixed income securities, either as investments or to serve as margin or collateral for its swap positions, and foreign currency transactions (including forward contracts).
The Underlying Fund may also gain exposure to commodities by investing in commodity index-linked structured notes, publicly traded partnerships (PTPs) and pooled investment vehicles (including ETFs, ETNs and affiliated or unaffiliated investment companies). PTPs are limited partnerships, the interests (or units) in which are traded on public exchanges. The Underlying Fund may invest in PTPs that are commodity pools.
The investments and positions that the Investment Adviser determines to use to implement the Tactical Tilt recommendations will constitute the Underlying Funds only investments, other than its investments in investment-grade fixed income instruments, cash or cash equivalents or other short-term instruments. At any time, and from time to time, a material portion of the Underlying Funds assets may be invested in such instruments, and not for the purpose of implementing Tactical Tilts.
The Underlying Fund is designed to provide investors with an efficient means of implementing the Tactical Tilts strategy, which is intended to complement an investors broader, diversified investment portfolio. A Tactical Tilt strategy should be an appropriately sized portion of an investors overall investment portfolio. It is important that investors view an allocation to the Underlying Fund as a long-term addition to a broader, diversified portfolio and not look to opportunistically time their investments in or redemptions from the Underlying Fund.
B-20
Other. The Fund is non-diversified under the Act and may invest more of its assets in fewer issuers than diversified mutual funds.
The Underling Funds benchmark index is the Bank of America Merrill Lynch U.S. Dollar Three-Month LIBOR Constant Maturity Index. References in the Underlying Funds prospectus to the Underlying Funds benchmark are for informational purposes only and are not an indication of how the Portfolio is managed.
DESCRIPTION OF INVESTMENT SECURITIES AND PRACTICES
The following description applies generally to the Underlying Funds and to the Portfolios, to the extent that the Portfolios invest directly in securities and other financial instruments, including derivative instruments (such as swaps and futures contracts) and unaffiliated ETFs, other than the Underlying Funds.
The Underlying Fixed Income Funds investment adviser uses derivative instruments to manage the duration of each Underlying Fixed Income Funds investment portfolio in accordance with its respective target duration. These derivative instruments include financial futures contracts and swap transactions, as well as other types of derivatives. The Underlying Funds investments in derivative instruments, including financial futures contracts and swaps, can be significant. These transactions can result in sizeable realized and unrealized capital gains and losses relative to the gains and losses from the Underlying Funds investments in bonds and other securities. Short-term and long-term realized capital gains distributions paid by the Underlying Fund are taxable to their shareholders. Financial futures contracts used by the Underlying Fixed Income Fund includes interest rate futures contracts including, among others, Eurodollar futures contracts. Eurodollar futures contracts are U.S. dollar-denominated futures contracts that are based on the implied forward London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) of a three-month deposit. Further information is included below regarding futures contracts, swaps and other derivative instruments used by the Underlying Fixed Income Funds, including information on the risks presented by these instruments and other purposes for which they may be used by the Underlying Fixed Income Funds.
Interest rates, fixed income securities prices, the prices of futures and other derivatives, and currency exchange rates can be volatile, and a variance in the degree of volatility or in the direction of the market from the Investment Advisers expectations may produce significant losses in an Underlying Fixed Income Funds investments in derivatives. In addition, a perfect correlation between a derivatives position and a fixed income security position is generally impossible to achieve. As a result, the Investment Advisers use of derivatives may not be effective in fulfilling the Investment Advisers investment strategies and may contribute to losses that would not have been incurred otherwise.
As stated in the Prospectus, the Portfolios may also invest a portion of their assets in high quality, short-term debt obligations and engage in certain other investment practices. Further information about the Underlying Funds and their respective investment objectives and policies is included in their respective prospectuses and Statements of Additional Information. There is no assurance that any Portfolio or any Underlying Fund will achieve its objective.
Asset-Backed Securities
Certain of the Underlying Funds may invest in asset-backed securities. Asset-backed securities represent participations in, or are secured by and payable from, assets such as motor vehicle installment sales, installment loan contracts, leases of various types of real and personal property, receivables from revolving credit (credit card) agreements and other categories of receivables. Such assets are securitized through the use of trusts and special purpose corporations. Payments or distributions of principal and interest may be guaranteed up to certain amounts and for a certain time period by a letter of credit or a pool insurance policy issued by a financial institution unaffiliated with the trust or corporation, or other credit enhancements may be present.
Such securities are often subject to more rapid repayment than their stated maturity date would indicate as a result of the pass-through of prepayments of principal on the underlying loans. During periods of declining interest rates, prepayment of loans underlying asset-backed securities can be expected to accelerate. Accordingly, an Underlying Funds ability to maintain positions in such securities will be affected by reductions in the principal amount of such securities resulting from prepayments, and its ability to reinvest the returns of principal at comparable yields is subject to generally prevailing interest rates at that time. To the extent that certain of the Underlying Funds invest in asset-backed securities, the values of the Underlying Funds portfolio securities will vary with changes in market interest rates generally and the differentials in yields among various kinds of asset-backed securities.
B-21
Asset-backed securities present certain additional risks because asset-backed securities generally do not have the benefit of a security interest in collateral that is comparable to mortgage assets. Credit card receivables are generally unsecured and the debtors on such receivables are entitled to the protection of a number of state and federal consumer credit laws, many of which give such debtors the right to set-off certain amounts owed on the credit cards, thereby reducing the balance due. Automobile receivables generally are secured, but by automobiles rather than residential real property. Most issuers of automobile receivables permit the loan servicers to retain possession of the underlying obligations. If the servicer were to sell these obligations to another party, there is a risk that the purchaser would acquire an interest superior to that of the holders of the asset-backed securities. In addition, because of the large number of vehicles involved in a typical issuance and technical requirements under state laws, the trustee for the holders of the automobile receivables may not have a proper security interest in the underlying automobiles. Therefore, if the issuer of an asset-backed security defaults on its payment obligations, there is the possibility that, in some cases, the Fund will be unable to possess and sell the underlying collateral and that the Funds recoveries on repossessed collateral may not be available to support payments on these securities.
Mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities are subject to certain additional risks. Generally, rising interest rates tend to extend the duration of fixed rate mortgage-backed securities, making them more sensitive to changes in interest rates. As a result, in a period of rising interest rates, if an Underlying Fund or Portfolio holds mortgage-backed securities, it may exhibit additional volatility. This is known as extension risk. In addition, adjustable and fixed rate mortgage-backed securities are subject to prepayment risk. When interest rates decline, borrowers may pay off their mortgages sooner than expected. This can reduce the returns of an Underlying Fund or Portfolio because the Underlying Fund or Portfolio may have to reinvest that money at the lower prevailing interest rates. An Underlying Funds or Portfolios investments in other asset-backed securities are subject to risks similar to those associated with mortgage-backed securities, as well as additional risks associated with the nature of the assets and the servicing of those assets. Certain Underlying Funds or Portfolios may invest in mortgage-backed securities issued by the U.S. Government (see U.S. Government securities Risk). To the extent that an Underlying Fund or Portfolio invests in mortgage-backed securities offered by non-governmental issuers, such as commercial banks, savings and loan institutions, private mortgage insurance companies, mortgage bankers and other secondary market issuers, the Underlying Fund or Portfolio may be subject to additional risks. Timely payment of interest and principal of non-governmental issuers are supported by various forms of private insurance or guarantees, including individual loan, title, pool and hazard insurance purchased by the issuer. There can be no assurance that the private insurers can meet their obligations under the policies. An unexpectedly high rate of defaults on the mortgages held by a mortgage pool may adversely affect the value of a mortgage-backed security and could result in losses to an Underlying Fund or Portfolio. The risk of such defaults is generally higher in the case of mortgage pools that include subprime mortgages. Subprime mortgages refer to loans made to borrowers with weakened credit histories or with a lower capacity to make timely payments on their mortgages.
Asset Segregation
As investment companies registered with the SEC, the Underlying Funds must identify on their books (often referred to as asset segregation) liquid assets, or engage in other SEC or SEC-staff approved or other appropriate measures, to cover open positions with respect to certain kinds of derivative instruments. In the case of swaps, futures contracts, options, forward contracts and other derivative instruments that do not cash settle, for example, an Underlying Fund must identify on its books liquid assets equal to the full notional amount of the instrument while the positions are open, to the extent there is not an offsetting position. However, with respect to certain swaps, futures contracts, options, forward contracts and other derivative instruments that are required to cash settle, an Underlying Fund may identify liquid assets in an amount equal to the Underlying Funds daily marked-to-market net obligations (i.e., the Underlying Funds daily net liability) under the instrument, if any, rather than its full notional amount. Instruments that do not cash settle may be treated as cash settled for asset segregation purposes when an Underlying Fund has entered into a contractual arrangement with a third party futures commission merchant (FCM) or other counterparty to off-set the Underlying Funds exposure under the contract and, failing that, to assign its delivery obligation under the contract to the counterparty. The Underlying Funds reserve the right to modify their asset segregation policies in the future in their discretion, consistent with the Act and SEC or SEC-staff guidance. By identifying assets equal to only its net obligations under certain instruments, an Underlying Fund will have the ability to employ leverage to a greater extent than if the Underlying Fund were required to identify assets equal to the full notional amount of the instrument.
B-22
Bank Obligations
Certain of the Underlying Funds may invest in obligations issued or guaranteed by U.S. or foreign banks. Bank obligations, including without limitation, time deposits, bankers acceptances and certificates of deposit, may be general obligations of the parent bank or may be limited to the issuing branch by the terms of the specific obligations or by government regulation.
Banks are subject to extensive but different governmental regulations which may limit both the amount and types of loans which may be made and interest rates which may be charged. In addition, the profitability of the banking industry is largely dependent upon the availability and cost of funds for the purpose of financing lending operations under prevailing money market conditions. General economic conditions as well as exposure to credit losses arising from possible financial difficulties of borrowers play an important part in the operation of this industry.
Certificates of deposit are certificates evidencing the obligation of a bank to repay funds deposited with it for a specified period of time at a specified rate. Certificates of deposit are negotiable instruments and are similar to saving deposits but have a definite maturity and are evidenced by a certificate instead of a passbook entry. Banks are required to keep reserves against all certificates of deposit. Fixed time deposits are bank obligations payable at a stated maturity date and bearing interest at a fixed rate. Fixed time deposits may be withdrawn on the demand by the investor, but may be subject to early withdrawal penalties which vary depending upon market conditions and the remaining maturity of the obligation. Certain of the Underlying Funds may invest in deposits in U.S. and European banks satisfying the standards set forth above.
Collateralized Debt Obligations
Certain of the Underlying Funds may invest in collateralized debt obligations (CDOs), which include collateralized loan obligations (CLOs), collateralized bond obligations (CBOs), and other similarly structured securities. A CLO is a trust typically collateralized by a pool of loans, which may include, among others, domestic and foreign senior secured loans, senior unsecured loans, and subordinate corporate loans, including loans that may be rated below investment grade or equivalent unrated loans. CDOs may charge management and other administrative fees.
The cash flows from the trust are split into two or more portions, called tranches, varying in risk and yield. The riskiest portion is the equity tranche which bears the bulk of defaults from the bonds or loans in the trust and serves to protect the other, more senior tranches from default in all but the most severe circumstances. Because it is partially protected from defaults, a senior tranche from a CLO trust typically has higher ratings and lower yields than its underlying securities, and can be rated investment grade. Despite the protection from the equity tranche, CLO tranches can experience substantial losses due to actual defaults, increased sensitivity to defaults due to collateral default and disappearance of protecting tranches, market anticipation of defaults, as well as aversion to CLO securities as a class.
The risks of an investment in a CDO depend largely on the type of the collateral securities and the class of the CDO in which a fund invests. Normally, CLOs and other CDOs are privately offered and sold, and thus, are not registered under the securities laws. As a result, investments in CDOs may be characterized by the Underlying Funds as illiquid securities, however an active dealer market may exist for CDOs, allowing a CDO to qualify under the Rule 144A safe harbor from the registration requirements of the 1933 Act for resales of certain securities to qualified institutional buyers. In addition to the normal risks associated with fixed income securities discussed elsewhere in this SAI and the Portfolios and Underlying Funds Prospectuses (e.g., interest rate risk and default risk), CDOs carry additional risks including, but are not limited to, the risk that: (i) distributions from collateral securities may not be adequate to make interest or other payments; (ii) the quality of the collateral may decline in value or default; (iii) an Underlying Fund may invest in CDOs that are subordinate to other classes; and (iv) the complex structure of the security may not be fully understood at the time of investment and may produce disputes with the issuer or unexpected investment results.
B-23
Combined Transactions
Certain of the Underlying Funds may enter into multiple transactions, including multiple options transactions, multiple futures transactions, multiple currency transactions (as applicable) (including forward currency contracts) and multiple interest rate and other swap transactions and any combination of futures, options, currency and swap transactions (component transactions) as part of a single or combined strategy when, in the opinion of an Underlying Funds investment adviser, it is in the best interests of an Underlying Fund to do so. A combined transaction will usually contain elements of risk that are present in each of its component transactions. Although combined transactions are normally entered into based on an Underlying Funds investment advisers judgment that the combined strategies will reduce risk or otherwise more effectively achieve the desired portfolio management goal, it is possible that the combination will instead increase such risks or hinder achievement of the portfolio management objective.
Commercial Paper and Other Short-Term Corporate Obligations
Certain of the Underlying Funds may invest in commercial paper and other short-term obligations issued or guaranteed by U.S. corporations, non-U.S. corporations or other entities. Commercial paper represents short-term unsecured promissory notes issued in bearer form by banks or bank holding companies, corporations and finance companies.
Commodity-Linked Investments
Certain of the Underlying Funds may invest in commodities through investments in PTPs, ETFs, other investment companies, or other pooled investment vehicles. An Underlying Fund may also seek to provide exposure to the investment returns of real assets that trade in the commodity markets through investments in commodity-linked derivative securities, such as structured notes, discussed below, which are designed to provide this exposure without direct investment in physical commodities or commodities futures contracts. An Underlying Fund may also seek to provide exposure to the investment returns of real assets that trade in the commodity markets through investments in the Subsidiary. Real assets are assets such as oil, gas, industrial and precious metals, livestock, and agricultural or meat products, or other items that have tangible properties, as compared to stocks or bonds, which are financial instruments. In choosing investments, the Investment Adviser seeks to provide exposure to various commodities and commodity sectors. The value of commodity-linked derivative securities held by an Underlying Fund and/or a Subsidiary may be affected by a variety of factors, including, but not limited to, overall market movements and other factors affecting the value of particular industries or commodities, such as weather, disease, embargoes, acts of war or terrorism, or political and regulatory developments.
The prices of commodity-linked derivative instruments may move in different directions than investments in traditional equity and debt securities when the value of those traditional securities is declining due to adverse economic conditions. As an example, during periods of rising inflation, debt securities have historically tended to decline in value due to the general increase in prevailing interest rates. Conversely, during those same periods of rising inflation, the prices of certain commodities, such as oil and metals, have historically tended to increase. Of course, there cannot be any guarantee that these investments will perform in that manner in the future, and at certain times the price movements of commodity-linked instruments have been parallel to those of debt and equity securities. Commodities have historically tended to increase and decrease in value during different parts of the business cycle than financial assets. Nevertheless, at various times, commodities prices may move in tandem with the prices of financial assets and thus may not provide overall portfolio diversification benefits. Under favorable economic conditions, an Underlying Funds investments may be expected to underperform an investment in traditional securities. Over the long term, the returns on an Underlying Funds investments are expected to exhibit low or negative correlation with stocks and bonds.
Because commodity-linked investments are available from a relatively small number of issuers, the Portfolios investments will be particularly subject to counterparty risk, which is the risk that the issuer of the commodity-linked derivative (which issuer may also serve as counterparty to a substantial number of an Underlying Funds commodity-linked and other derivative investments) will not fulfill its contractual obligations.
B-24
Commodity-Linked Notes
Certain of the Underlying Funds may invest in commodity-linked notes. Commodity-linked notes are a type of structured note. Commodity-linked notes are privately negotiated structured debt securities indexed to the return of an index such as the Dow Jones-UBS Commodity Index Total Return, which is representative of the commodities market. They are available from a limited number of approved counterparties, and all invested amounts are exposed to the dealers credit risk. Commodity-linked notes may be leveraged. For example, if an Underlying Fund invests $100 in a three-times leveraged commodity-linked note, it will exchange $100 principal with the dealer to obtain $300 exposure to the commodities market because the value of the note will change by a magnitude of three for every percentage change (positive or negative) in the value of the underlying index. This means a $100 note would be worth $70 if the commodity index decreased by 10 percent. Structured notes also are subject to counterparty risk.
Convertible Securities
Certain of the Underlying Funds may invest in convertible securities. Convertible securities are bonds, debentures, notes, preferred stocks or other securities that may be converted into or exchanged for a specified amount of common stock (or other securities) of the same or different issuer within a particular period of time at a specified price or formula. A convertible security entitles the holder to receive interest that is generally paid or accrued on debt or a dividend that is paid or accrued on preferred stock until the convertible security matures or is redeemed, converted or exchanged. Convertible securities have unique investment characteristics, in that they generally (i) have higher yields than common stocks, but lower yields than comparable non-convertible securities, (ii) are less subject to fluctuation in value than the underlying common stock due to their fixed income characteristics and (iii) provide the potential for capital appreciation if the market price of the underlying common stock increases.
The value of a convertible security is a function of its investment value (determined by its yield in comparison with the yields of other securities of comparable maturity and quality that do not have a conversion privilege) and its conversion value (the securitys worth, at market value, if converted into the underlying common stock). The investment value of a convertible security is influenced by changes in interest rates, with investment value normally declining as interest rates increase and increasing as interest rates decline. The credit standing of the issuer and other factors may also have an effect on the convertible securitys investment value. The conversion value of a convertible security is determined by the market price of the underlying common stock. If the conversion value is low relative to the investment value, the price of the convertible security is governed principally by its investment value. To the extent the market price of the underlying common stock approaches or exceeds the conversion price, the price of the convertible security will be increasingly influenced by its conversion value. A convertible security generally will sell at a premium over its conversion value by the extent to which investors place value on the right to acquire the underlying common stock while holding a fixed income security.
A convertible security may be subject to redemption at the option of the issuer at a price established in the convertible securitys governing instrument. If a convertible security held by an Underlying Fund is called for redemption, the Underlying 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. Any of these actions could have an adverse effect on an Underlying Funds ability to achieve its investment objective, which, in turn, could result in losses to the Underlying Fund.
Corporate Debt Obligations
Each Underlying Fund may, under normal market conditions, invest in corporate debt obligations, including obligations of industrial, utility and financial issuers. Certain of the Underlying Funds may only invest in debt securities that are cash equivalents. Corporate debt obligations include bonds, notes, debentures and other obligations of corporations to pay interest and repay principal. Corporate debt obligations are subject to the risk of an issuers inability to meet principal and interest payments on the obligations and may also be subject to price volatility due to such factors as market interest rates, market perception of the creditworthiness of the issuer and general market liquidity.
B-25
An economic downturn could severely affect the ability of highly leveraged issuers of junk bond securities to service their debt obligations or to repay their obligations upon maturity. Factors having an adverse impact on the market value of junk bonds will have an adverse effect on an Underlying Funds net asset value to the extent it invests in such securities. In addition, an Underlying Fund may incur additional expenses to the extent it is required to seek recovery upon a default in payment of principal or interest on its portfolio holdings.
The secondary market for junk bonds, which is concentrated in relatively few market makers, may not be as liquid as the secondary market for more highly rated securities. This reduced liquidity may have an adverse effect on the ability of an Underlying Fund to dispose of a particular security when necessary to meet its redemption requests or other liquidity needs. Under adverse market or economic conditions, the secondary market for junk bonds could contract further, independent of any specific adverse changes in the condition of a particular issuer. As a result, the investment adviser for an Underlying Fund could find it difficult to sell these securities or may be able to sell the securities only at prices lower than if such securities were widely traded. Prices realized upon the sale of such lower rated or unrated securities, under such circumstances, may be less than the prices used in calculating an Underlying Funds net asset value.
Because investors generally perceive that there are greater risks associated with the medium to lower rated securities of the type in which an Underlying Fund may invest, the yields and prices of such securities may tend to fluctuate more than those for higher rated securities. In the lower quality segments of the fixed income securities market, changes in perceptions of issuers creditworthiness tend to occur more frequently and in a more pronounced manner than do changes in higher quality segments of the fixed income securities market, resulting in greater yield and price volatility.
Another factor which causes fluctuations in the prices of fixed income securities is the supply and demand for similarly rated securities. In addition, the prices of fixed income securities fluctuate in response to the general level of interest rates. Fluctuations in the prices of portfolio securities subsequent to their acquisition will not affect cash income from such securities but will be reflected in an Underlying Funds net asset value.
Corporate debt obligations rated BBB or Baa are considered medium-grade obligations with speculative characteristics, and adverse economic conditions or changing circumstances may weaken their issuers capacity to pay interest and repay principal. Medium to lower rated and comparable non-rated securities tend to offer higher yields than higher rated securities with the same maturities because the historical financial condition of the issuers of such securities may not have been as strong as that of other issuers. The price of corporate debt obligations will generally fluctuate in response to fluctuations in supply and demand for similarly rated securities. In addition, the price of corporate debt obligations will generally fluctuate in response to interest rate levels. Fluctuations in the prices of portfolio securities subsequent to their acquisition will not affect cash income from such securities but will be reflected in each Portfolios net asset value (NAV). Because medium to lower rated securities generally involve greater risks of loss of income and principal than higher rated securities, investors should consider carefully the relative risks associated with investment in securities which carry medium to lower ratings and in comparable unrated securities. In addition to the risk of default, there are the related costs of recovery on defaulted issues. The investment advisers of the Underlying Funds will attempt to reduce these risks through portfolio diversification and by analysis of each issuer and its ability to make timely payments of income and principal, as well as broad economic trends and corporate developments.
The Underlying Funds investment adviser employs its own credit research and analysis, which includes a study of existing debt, capital structure, ability to service debt and pay dividends, sensitivity to economic conditions, operating history and current earnings trend. The investment adviser for each Underlying Fund continually monitors the investments in the Underlying Funds portfolio and evaluates whether to dispose of or to retain corporate debt obligations whose credit ratings or credit quality may have changed. If after its purchase, a portfolio security is assigned a lower rating or ceases to be rated, an Underlying Fund may continue to hold the security if the Underlying Funds investment adviser believes it is in the best interest of the Underlying Fund and its shareholders.
Currency-Linked Notes
Certain of the Underlying Funds may invest in currency-linked notes. Currency-linked notes are short- or intermediate-term debt securities whose value at maturity or interest payments are linked to the change in value of the U.S. dollar against the performance of a currency index or one or more foreign currencies. In some cases, these securities pay an amount at maturity based on a multiple of the amount of a currencys change against the dollar. If they are sold prior to their maturity, their price may be higher or lower than their purchase price as a result of market conditions or changes in the credit quality of the issuer.
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Custodial Receipts and Trust Certificates
Each Underlying Fund may invest in custodial receipts and trust certificates (which may be underwritten by securities dealers or banks), representing interests in securities held by a custodian or trustee. The securities so held may include U.S. Government Securities, Municipal Securities (as defined below) or other types of securities in which an Underlying Fund may invest. The custodial receipts or trust certificates are underwritten by securities dealers or banks and may evidence ownership of future interest payments, principal payments or both on the underlying securities, or, in some cases, the payment obligation of a third party that has entered into an interest rate swap or other arrangement with the custodian or trustee. For certain securities law purposes, custodial receipts and trust certificates may not be considered obligations of the U.S. Government or other issuer of the securities held by the custodian or trustee. As a holder of custodial receipts and trust certificates, an Underlying Fund will bear its proportionate share of the fees and expenses charged to the custodial account or trust. The Underlying Funds may also invest in separately issued interests in custodial receipts and trust certificates.
Although under the terms of a custodial receipt or trust certificate an Underlying Fund would typically be authorized to assert its rights directly against the issuer of the underlying obligation, the Underlying Fund could be required to assert through the custodian bank or trustee those rights as may exist against the underlying issuers. Thus, in the event an underlying issuer fails to pay principal and/or interest when due, an Underlying Fund may be subject to delays, expenses and risks that are greater than those that would have been involved if the Underlying Fund had purchased a direct obligation of the issuer. In addition, in the event that the trust or custodial account in which the underlying securities have been deposited is determined to be an association taxable as a corporation, instead of a non-taxable entity, the yield on the underlying securities would be reduced in recognition of any taxes paid.
Certain custodial receipts and trust certificates may be synthetic or derivative instruments that have interest rates that reset inversely to changing short-term rates and/or have embedded interest rate floors and caps that require the issuer to pay an adjusted interest rate if market rates fall below or rise above a specified rate. Because some of these instruments represent relatively recent innovations, and the trading market for these instruments is less developed than the markets for traditional types of instruments, it is uncertain how these instruments will perform under different economic and interest-rate scenarios. Also, because these instruments may be leveraged, their market values may be more volatile than other types of fixed income instruments and may present greater potential for capital gain or loss. The possibility of default by an issuer or the issuers credit provider may be greater for these derivative instruments than for other types of instruments. In some cases, it may be difficult to determine the fair value of a derivative instrument because of a lack of reliable objective information and an established secondary market for some instruments may not exist. In many cases, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has not ruled on the tax treatment of the interest or payments received on the derivative instruments and, accordingly, purchases of such instruments are based on the opinion of counsel to the sponsors of the instruments.
Deferred Interest, Pay-in-Kind and Capital Appreciation Bonds
Certain of the Underlying Funds may invest in deferred interest and capital appreciation bonds and pay-in-kind (PIK) securities. Deferred interest and capital appreciation bonds are debt securities issued or sold at a discount from their face value and which do not entitle the holder to any periodic payment of interest prior to maturity or a specified date. The original issue discount varies depending on the time remaining until maturity or cash payment date, prevailing interest rates, the liquidity of the security and the perceived credit quality of the issuer. These securities also may take the form of debt securities that have been stripped of their unmatured interest coupons, the coupons themselves or receipts or certificates representing interests in such stripped debt obligations or coupons.
PIK securities may be debt obligations or preferred shares that provide the issuer with the option of paying interest or dividends on such obligations in cash or in the form of additional securities rather than cash. Similar to zero coupon bonds and deferred interest bonds, PIK securities are designed to give an issuer flexibility in managing cash flow. PIK securities that are debt securities can either be senior or subordinated debt and generally trade flat (i.e., without accrued interest). The trading price of PIK debt securities generally reflects the market value of the underlying debt plus an amount representing accrued interest since the last interest payment.
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The market prices of deferred interest, capital appreciation bonds and PIK securities generally are more volatile than the market prices of interest bearing securities and are likely to respond to a greater degree to changes in interest rates than interest bearing securities having similar maturities and credit quality. Moreover, deferred interest, capital appreciation and PIK securities involve the additional risk that, unlike securities that periodically pay interest to maturity, an Underlying Fund will realize no cash until a specified future payment date unless a portion of such securities is sold and, if the issuer of such securities defaults, an Underlying Fund may obtain no return at all on its investment. The valuation of such investments requires judgment regarding the collection of future payments. In addition, even though such securities do not provide for the payment of current interest in cash, an Underlying Fund is nonetheless required to accrue income on such investments for each taxable year and generally are required to distribute such accrued amounts (net of deductible expenses, if any) to avoid being subject to tax. Because no cash is generally received at the time of the accrual, an Underlying Fund may be required to liquidate other portfolio securities to obtain sufficient cash to satisfy federal tax distribution requirements applicable to an Underlying Fund. A portion of the discount with respect to stripped tax-exempt securities or their coupons may be taxable. See Taxation.
Distressed Debt
When an Underlying Fund or a Portfolio invests invest in the securities and other obligations of financially troubled companies, including stressed, distressed and bankrupt issuers and debt obligations that are in covenant or payment default. In addition, investments of an Underlying Fund may become distressed or bankrupt following the Underlying Funds initial acquisition of the security. Historically, economic downturns or increases in interest rates have, under certain circumstances, resulted in a higher occurrence of default by the issuers of these instruments. Such investments generally trade significantly below par and are considered speculative. The repayment of defaulted obligations is subject to significant uncertainties. Defaulted obligations might be repaid only after lengthy workout or bankruptcy proceedings, during which the issuer might not make any interest or other payments. Typically such workout or bankruptcy proceedings result in only partial recovery of cash payments or an exchange of the defaulted obligation for other debt or equity securities of the issuer or its affiliates, which may in turn be illiquid or speculative.
In any investment involving stressed and distressed debt obligations, there exists the risk that the transaction involving such debt obligations will be unsuccessful, take considerable time or will result in a distribution of cash or a new security or obligation in exchange for the stressed and distressed debt obligations, the value of which may be less than an Underlying Funds purchase price of such debt obligations. Furthermore, if an anticipated transaction does not occur, an Underlying Fund may be required to sell its investment at a loss. Distressed investments may require active participation by the Investment Adviser in the restructuring of an Underlying Funds investment or other actions intended to protect the Underlying Funds investment; however, there may be situations where the Investment Adviser may determine to not so participate due to regulatory, tax or other considerations. In addition, an Underlying Fund may participate on creditors committees to negotiate with the management of financially troubled issuers of securities held by the Underlying Fund. Such participation may subject a Fund to additional expenses (including legal fees) and may make an Underlying Fund an insider of the issuer for purposes of the federal securities laws. This may result in increased litigation risks to a Fund or may restrict the Investment Advisers ability to dispose of the security.
There are a number of significant risks inherent in the bankruptcy process. Many events in a bankruptcy are the product of contested matters and adversary proceedings and are beyond the control of the creditors. A bankruptcy filing by an issuer may adversely and permanently affect the issuer, and if the proceeding is converted to a liquidation, the value of the issuer may not equal the liquidation value that was believed to exist at the time of the investment. The duration of a bankruptcy proceeding is difficult to predict, and a creditors return on investment can be adversely affected by delays until the plan of reorganization ultimately becomes effective. The administrative costs in connection with a bankruptcy proceeding are frequently high and would be paid out of the debtors estate prior to any return to creditors. Because the standards for classification of claims under bankruptcy law are vague, there exists the risk that an Underlying Funds influence with respect to the class of securities or other obligations it owns can be lost by increases in the number and amount of claims in the same class or by different classification and treatment. In the early stages of the bankruptcy process it is often difficult to estimate the extent of, or even to identify, any contingent claims that might be made. In addition, certain claims that have priority by law (for example, claims for taxes) may be substantial.
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Equity Swaps
Certain of the Underlying Funds may enter into equity swap contracts to invest in a market without owning or taking physical custody of securities in various circumstances, including circumstances where direct investment in the securities is restricted for legal reasons or is otherwise impracticable. Equity swaps may also be used for hedging purposes or to seek to increase total return. Equity swap contracts may be structured in different ways. For example, a counterparty may agree to pay the Underlying Fund the amount, if any, by which the notional amount of the equity swap contract would have increased in value had it been invested in particular stocks (or a group of stocks), plus the dividends that would have been received on those stocks. In these cases, an Underlying Fund may agree to pay to the counterparty a floating rate of interest on the notional amount of the equity swap contract plus the amount, if any, by which that notional amount would have decreased in value had it been invested in such stocks. Therefore, the return to an Underlying Fund on the equity swap contract should be the gain or loss on the notional amount plus dividends on the stocks less the interest paid by the Underlying Fund on the notional amount. In other cases, the counterparty and the Underlying Fund may each agree to pay the other the difference between the relative investment performances that would have been achieved if the notional amount of the equity swap contract had been invested in different stocks (or a group of stocks).
An Underlying Fund will generally enter into equity swaps on a net basis, which means that the two payment streams are netted out, with the Underlying Fund receiving or paying, as the case may be, only the net amount of the two payments. Payments may be made at the conclusion of an equity swap contract or periodically during its term. Equity swaps normally do not involve the delivery of securities or other underlying assets. Accordingly, the risk of loss with respect to equity swaps is normally limited to the net amount of payments that an Underlying Fund is contractually obligated to make. If the other party to an equity swap defaults, an Underlying Funds risk of loss consists of the net amount of payments that the Underlying Fund is contractually entitled to receive, if any. Inasmuch as these transactions are entered into for hedging purposes or are offset by the cash or liquid assets identified on the Underlying Funds books to cover the Underlying Funds exposure, the Underlying Funds and their investment advisers believe that transactions do not constitute senior securities under the Act and, accordingly, will not treat them as being subject to an Underlying Funds borrowing restrictions.
An Underlying Funds ability to enter into certain swap transactions may be limited by tax considerations.
Events Relating to the Mortgage- and Asset-Backed Securities Markets and the Overall Economy
The unprecedented disruption in the residential mortgage-backed securities market (and in particular, the subprime residential mortgage market), the broader mortgage-backed securities market and the asset-backed securities market in 2008 and 2009 resulted in downward price pressures and increasing foreclosures and defaults in residential and commercial real estate. Concerns over inflation, energy costs, geopolitical issues, the availability and cost of credit, the mortgage market and a depressed real estate market contributed to increased volatility and diminished expectations for the economy and markets going forward, and contributed to dramatic declines in the housing market, with falling home prices and increasing foreclosures and unemployment, and significant asset write-downs by financial institutions. These conditions prompted a number of financial institutions to seek additional capital, to merge with other institutions and, in some cases, to fail or seek bankruptcy protection. Between 2008-2009, the market for Mortgage-Backed Securities (as well as other asset-backed securities) was particularly adversely impacted by, among other factors, the failure and subsequent sale of Bear, Stearns & Co. Inc. to J.P. Morgan Chase, the merger of Bank of America Corporation and Merrill Lynch & Co., the insolvency of Washington Mutual Inc., the failure and subsequent bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers Holdings, Inc., the extension of approximately $152 billion in emergency credit by the U.S. Department of the Treasury to American International Group Inc., and, as described above, the conservatorship and the control by the U.S. Government of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. The global markets also saw an increase in volatility due to uncertainty surrounding the level and sustainability of sovereign debt of certain countries that are part of the European Union (EU), including Greece, Spain, Portugal, Ireland and Italy, as well as the sustainability of the EU itself. Concerns over the level and sustainability of the sovereign debt of the United States have aggravated this volatility. No assurance can be made that this uncertainty will not lead to further disruption of the credit markets in the United States or around the globe. These events, coupled with the general global economic downturn, have resulted in a substantial level of uncertainty in the financial markets, particularly with respect to mortgage-related investments.
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These events may lead to further declines in income from, or the value of, real estate, including the real estate which secures the Mortgage-Backed Securities held by certain of the Underlying Funds. Additionally, a lack of credit liquidity, adjustments of mortgages to higher rates and decreases in the value of real property have occurred and may reoccur, and potentially prevent borrowers from refinancing their mortgages, which may increase the likelihood of default on their mortgage loans. These economic conditions, coupled with high levels of real estate inventory and elevated incidence of underwater mortgages, may also adversely affect the amount of proceeds the holder of a mortgage loan or mortgage-backed securities (including the Mortgage-Backed Securities in which certain Underlying Funds may invest) would realize in the event of a foreclosure or other exercise of remedies. Moreover, even if such Mortgage-Backed Securities are performing as anticipated, the value of such securities in the secondary market may nevertheless fall or continue to fall as a result of deterioration in general market conditions for such Mortgage-Backed Securities or other asset-backed or structured products. Trading activity associated with market indices may also drive spreads on those indices wider than spreads on Mortgage-Backed Securities, thereby resulting in a decrease in value of such Mortgage-Backed Securities, including the Mortgage-Backed Securities owned by certain of the Underlying Funds.
The U.S. Government, the Federal Reserve, the Treasury, the SEC, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (the FDIC) and other governmental and regulatory bodies have taken or are considering taking actions to address the financial crisis. These actions include, but are not limited to, the enactment by the U.S. Congress of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (Dodd-Frank Act) which was signed into law on July 21, 2010 and imposes a new regulatory framework over the U.S. financial services industry and the consumer credit markets in general, and the promulgation of additional regulations in this area which could affect these securities. Given the broad scope, sweeping nature, and relatively recent enactment of some of these regulatory measures, the potential impact they could have on any of the asset-backed or Mortgage-Backed Securities held by certain of the Underlying Funds is unknown. There can be no assurance that these measures will not have an adverse effect on the value or marketability of any asset-backed or Mortgage-Backed Securities held by certain of the Underlying Funds. Furthermore, no assurance can be made that the U.S. Government or any U.S. regulatory body (or other authority or regulatory body) will not continue to take further legislative or regulatory action in response to the economic crisis or otherwise, and the effect of such actions, if taken, cannot be known.
Among its other provisions, the Dodd-Frank Act creates a liquidation framework under which the FDIC, may be appointed as receiver following a systemic risk determination by the Secretary of Treasury (in consultation with the President) for the resolution of certain nonbank financial companies and other entities, defined as covered financial companies, and commonly referred to as systemically important entities, in the event such a company is in default or in danger of default and the resolution of such a company under other applicable law would have serious adverse effects on financial stability in the United States, and also for the resolution of certain of their subsidiaries. No assurances can be given that this new liquidation framework would not apply to the originators of asset-backed securities, including Mortgage-Backed Securities, or their respective subsidiaries, including the issuers and depositors of such securities, although the expectation embedded in the Dodd-Frank Act is that the framework will be invoked only very rarely. Guidance from the FDIC indicates that such new framework will largely be exercised in a manner consistent with the existing bankruptcy laws, which is the insolvency regime that would otherwise apply to the sponsors, depositors and issuing entities with respect to asset-backed securities, including Mortgage-Backed Securities. The application of such liquidation framework to such entities could result in decreases or delays in amounts paid on, and hence the market value of, the Mortgage-Backed or asset-backed securities that are owned by an Underlying Fund.
Delinquencies, defaults and losses on residential mortgage loans may increase substantially over certain periods, which may affect the performance of the Mortgage-Backed Securities in which certain of the Underlying Funds may invest. Mortgage loans backing non-agency Mortgage-Backed Securities are more sensitive to economic factors that could affect the ability of borrowers to pay their obligations under the mortgage loans backing these securities. In addition, housing prices and appraisal values in many states and localities over certain periods have declined or stopped appreciating. A continued decline or an extended flattening of those values may result in additional increases in delinquencies and losses on Mortgage-Backed Securities generally (including the Mortgage-Backed Securities that certain of the Underlying Funds may invest in as described above).
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The foregoing adverse changes in market conditions and regulatory climate may reduce the cash flow which an Underlying Fund, to the extent it invests in Mortgage-Backed Securities or other asset-backed securities, receives from such securities and increase the incidence and severity of credit events and losses in respect of such securities. In addition, interest rate spreads for Mortgage-Backed Securities and other asset-backed securities are subject to widening and increased volatility due to these adverse changes in market conditions. In the event that interest rate spreads for Mortgage-Backed Securities and other asset-backed securities widen following the purchase of such assets by an Underlying Fund, the market value of such securities is likely to decline and, in the case of a substantial spread widening, could decline by a substantial amount. Furthermore, adverse changes in market conditions may result in reduced liquidity in the market for Mortgage-Backed Securities and other asset-backed securities (including the Mortgage-Backed Securities and other asset-backed securities in which certain of the Underlying Funds may invest) and increased unwillingness by banks, financial institutions and investors to extend credit to servicers, originators and other participants in the market for Mortgage-Backed and other asset-backed securities. As a result, the liquidity and/or the market value of any Mortgage-Backed or asset-backed securities that are owned by certain of the Underlying Funds may experience further declines after they are purchased the Underlying Funds.
Extended Trade Settlement Periods
Because transactions in many floating rate loans are subject to extended trade settlement periods, an Underlying Fund may not receive the proceeds from the sale of a loan for a period after the sale. As a result, sale proceeds related to the sale of floating rate loans may not be available to make additional investments or to meet an Underlying Funds redemption obligations for a period after the sale of the loans, and, as a result, the Underlying Fund may have to sell other investments or engage in borrowing transactions, such as borrowing from its credit facility, if necessary to raise cash to meet its obligations.
Foreign Securities
Certain of the other Underlying Funds invest primarily in foreign securities under normal circumstances, or in equity securities of foreign issuers that are traded in the United States. Investments in foreign securities may offer potential benefits not available from investments solely in U.S. dollar-denominated or quoted securities of domestic issuers. Such benefits may include the opportunity to invest in foreign issuers that appear, in the opinion of an Underlying Funds investment adviser, to offer the potential for better long-term growth of capital and income than investments in U.S. securities, the opportunity to invest in foreign countries with economic policies or business cycles different from those of the United States and the opportunity to reduce fluctuations in portfolio value by taking advantage of foreign securities markets that do not necessarily move in a manner parallel to U.S. markets. Investing in the securities of foreign issuers also involves, however, certain special risks, including those discussed in the Underlying Funds Prospectuses and those set forth below, which are not typically associated with investing in U.S. dollar-denominated securities or quoted securities of U.S. issuers. Many of these risks are more pronounced for investments in emerging economies.
With respect to investments in certain foreign countries, there exist certain economic, political and social risks, including the risk of adverse political developments, nationalization, military unrest, social instability, war and terrorism, confiscation without fair compensation, expropriation or confiscatory taxation, limitations on the movement of funds and other assets between countries, or diplomatic developments, any of which could adversely affect an Underlying Funds investment in those countries. Governments in certain foreign countries continue to participate to a significant degree, through ownership interest or regulation, in their respective economies. Action by these governments could have a significant effect on market prices of securities and dividend payments.
Many countries throughout the world are dependent on a healthy U.S. economy and are adversely affected when the U.S. economy weakens or its markets decline. Additionally, many foreign country economies are heavily dependent on international trade and are adversely affected by protective trade barriers and economic conditions of their trading partners. Protectionist trade legislation enacted by those trading partners could have a significant adverse effect on the securities markets of those countries. Individual foreign 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.
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From time to time, certain of the companies in which an Underlying Fund may invest may operate in, or have dealings with, countries subject to sanctions or embargos imposed by the U.S. Government and the United Nations and/or countries identified by the U.S. Government as state sponsors of terrorism. A company may suffer damage to its reputation if it is identified as a company which operates in, or has dealings with, countries subject to sanctions or embargoes imposed by the U.S. Government as state sponsors of terrorism. For example, the United Nations Security Council has imposed certain sanctions relating to Iran and Sudan and both countries are embargoed countries by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of the US Department of the Treasury.
In addition, from time to time, certain of the companies in which an Underlying Fund may invest may engage in, or have dealings with countries or companies that engage in, activities that may not be considered socially and/or environmentally responsible. Such activities may relate to human rights issues (such as patterns of human rights abuses or violations, persecution or discrimination), impacts to local communities in which companies operate and environmental sustainability. For a description of the Investment Advisers approach to responsible and sustainable investing, please see GSAMs Statement on Responsible and Sustainable Investing at https://assetmanagement.gs.com/content/gsam/us/en/advisors/our-firm/citizenship.html.
As a result, a company may suffer damage to its reputation if it is identified as a company which engages in, or has dealings with countries or companies that engage in, the above referenced activities. As an investor in such companies, an Underlying Fund would be indirectly subject to those risks.
The Investment Adviser is committed to complying fully with sanctions in effect as of the date of this Statement of Additional Information and any other applicable sanctions that may be enacted in the future with respect to Sudan or any other country.
Investments in foreign securities often involve currencies of foreign countries. Accordingly, an Underlying Fund that invests in foreign securities may be affected favorably or unfavorably by changes in currency rates and in exchange control regulations and may incur costs in connection with conversions between various currencies. An Underlying Fund may be subject to currency exposure independent of its securities positions. To the extent that an Underlying Fund is fully invested in foreign securities while also maintaining net currency positions, it may be exposed to greater combined risk.
Currency exchange rates may fluctuate significantly over short periods of time. They generally are determined by the forces of supply and demand in the foreign exchange markets and the relative merits of investments in different countries, actual or anticipated changes in interest rates and other complex factors, as seen from an international perspective. Currency exchange rates also can be affected unpredictably by intervention (or the failure to intervene) by U.S. or foreign governments or central banks or by currency controls or political developments in the United States or abroad. To the extent that a substantial portion of an Underlying Funds total assets, adjusted to reflect the Underlying Funds net position after giving effect to currency transactions, is denominated or quoted in the currencies of foreign countries, the Underlying Fund will be more susceptible to the risk of adverse economic and political developments within those countries. An Underlying Funds net currency position may expose it to risks independent of its securities positions.
Because foreign issuers generally are not subject to uniform accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards, practices and requirements comparable to those applicable to U.S. companies, there may be less publicly available information about a foreign company than about a U.S. company. Volume and liquidity in most foreign securities markets are less than in the United States and securities of many foreign companies are less liquid and more volatile than securities of comparable U.S. companies. The securities of foreign issuers may be listed on foreign securities exchanges or traded in foreign over-the-counter markets. Fixed commissions on foreign securities exchanges are generally higher than negotiated commissions on U.S. exchanges, although each Underlying Fund endeavors to achieve the most favorable net results on its portfolio transactions. There is generally less government supervision and regulation of foreign securities exchanges, brokers, dealers and listed and unlisted companies than in the United States, and the legal remedies for investors may be more limited than the remedies available in the United States. For example, there may be no comparable provisions under certain foreign laws to insider trading and similar investor protections that apply with respect to securities transactions consummated in the U.S. Mail service between the U.S. and foreign countries may be slower or less reliable than within the U.S., thus increasing the risk of delayed settlement of portfolio transactions or loss of certificates for portfolio securities.
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Foreign markets also have different clearance and settlement procedures, and 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. Such delays in settlement could result in temporary periods when some of an Underlying Funds assets are uninvested and no return is earned on such assets. The inability of an Underlying Fund to make intended security purchases due to settlement problems could cause the Underlying Fund to miss attractive investment opportunities. Inability to dispose of portfolio securities due to settlement problems could result either in losses to an Underlying Fund due to subsequent declines in value of the portfolio securities or, if the Underlying Fund has entered into a contract to sell the securities, could result in possible liability to the purchaser.
In the case of certain Underlying Funds, investments in foreign securities may take the form of sponsored and unsponsored American Depositary Receipts (ADRs), Global Depositary Receipts (GDRs), European Depositary Receipts (EDRs) or other similar instruments representing securities of foreign issuers (together, Depositary Receipts). ADRs represent the right to receive securities of foreign issuers deposited in a domestic bank or a correspondent bank. ADRs are traded on domestic exchanges or in the U.S. over-the-counter market and, generally, are in registered form. EDRs and GDRs are receipts evidencing an arrangement with a non-U.S. bank similar to that for ADRs and are designed for use in the non-U.S. securities markets. EDRs and GDRs are not necessarily quoted in the same currency as the underlying security.
To the extent an Underlying Fund acquires Depositary Receipts through banks which do not have a contractual relationship with the foreign issuer of the security underlying the Depositary Receipts to issue and service such unsponsored Depositary Receipts, there is an increased possibility that the Underlying Fund will not become aware of and be able to respond to corporate actions such as stock splits or rights offerings involving the foreign issuer in a timely manner. In addition, the lack of information may result in inefficiencies in the valuation of such instruments. Investment in Depositary Receipts does not eliminate all the risks inherent in investing in securities of non-U.S. issuers. The market value of Depositary Receipts is dependent upon the market value of the underlying securities and fluctuations in the relative value of the currencies in which the Depositary Receipts and the underlying securities are quoted. However, by investing in Depositary Receipts, such as ADRs, which are quoted in U.S. dollars, an Underlying Fund may avoid currency risks during the settlement period for purchases and sales.
As described more fully below, certain of the Underlying Funds may invest in countries with emerging economies or securities markets. Political and economic structures in many of such countries may be undergoing significant evolution and rapid development, and such countries may lack the social, political and economic stability characteristic of more developed countries. Certain of such countries have in the past failed to recognize private property rights and have at times nationalized or expropriated the assets of, or ignored internationally accepted standards of due process against, private companies. In addition, a country may take these and other retaliatory actions against a specific private company, including a Portfolio, an Underlying Fund or the Investment Adviser. There may not be legal recourse against these actions, which could arise in connection with the commercial activities of Goldman Sachs or its affiliates or otherwise, and a Portfolio could be subject to substantial losses. As a result, the risks described above, including the risks of nationalization or expropriation of assets, may be heightened. See Investing in Emerging Countries below.
Brady Bonds. Certain foreign debt obligations, customarily referred to as Brady Bonds, are created through the exchange of existing commercial bank loans to foreign entities for new obligations in connection with debt restructuring under a plan introduced by former U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, Nicholas F. Brady. Brady Bonds may be fully or partially collateralized or uncollateralized and issued in various currencies (although most are U.S. dollar denominated). In the event of a default on collateralized Brady Bonds for which obligations are accelerated, the collateral for the payment of principal will not be distributed to investors, nor will such obligations be sold and the proceeds distributed. The collateral will be held by the collateral agent to the scheduled maturity of the defaulted Brady Bonds, which will continue to be outstanding, at which time the face amount of the collateral will equal the principal payments which would have then been due on the Brady Bonds in the normal course. In light of the residual risk of the Brady Bonds and, among other factors, the history of default with respect to commercial bank loans by public and private entities of countries issuing Brady Bonds, investments in Brady Bonds may be speculative.
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Foreign Government Obligations. Foreign government obligations include securities, instruments and obligations issued or guaranteed by a foreign government, its agencies, instrumentalities or sponsored enterprises. Investment in foreign government obligations can involve a high degree of risk. The governmental entity that controls the repayment of foreign government obligations may not be able or willing to repay the principal and/or interest when due in accordance with the terms of such debt. A governmental entitys willingness or ability to repay principal and interest due in a timely manner may be affected by, among other factors, its cash flow situation, the extent of its foreign reserves, the availability of sufficient foreign exchange on the date a payment is due, the relative size of the debt service burden to the economy as a whole, the governmental entitys policy towards the International Monetary Fund and the political constraints to which a governmental entity may be subject. Governmental entities may also be dependent on expected disbursements from foreign governments, multilateral agencies and others abroad to reduce principal and interest on their debt. The commitment on the part of these governments, agencies and others to make such disbursements may be conditioned on a governmental entitys implementation of economic reforms and/or economic performance and the timely service of such debtors obligations. Failure to implement such reforms, achieve such levels of economic performance or repay principal or interest when due may result in the cancellation of such third parties commitments to lend funds to the governmental entity, which may further impair such debtors ability or willingness to service its debts in a timely manner. Consequently, governmental entities may default on their debt. Holders of foreign government obligations (including certain of the Underlying Funds) may be requested to participate in the rescheduling of such debt and to extend further loans to governmental agencies.
Investing in Asia. Although many countries in Asia have experienced a relatively stable political environment over the last decade, there is no guarantee that such stability will be maintained in the future. As an emerging region, many factors may affect such stability on a country-by-country as well as on a regional basis increasing gaps between the rich and poor, agrarian unrest, instability of existing coalitions in politically-fractionated countries, hostile relations with neighboring countries, and ethnic, religious and racial disaffection and may result in adverse consequences to certain Underlying Funds.
The legal infrastructure in each of the countries in Asia is unique and often undeveloped. In most cases, securities laws are evolving and far from adequate for the protection of the public from serious fraud. Investment in Asian securities involves considerations and possible risks not typically involved with investment in other issuers, including changes in governmental administration or economic or monetary policy or changed circumstances in dealings between nations. The application of tax laws (e.g., the imposition of withholding taxes on dividend or interest payments) or confiscatory taxation may also affect investment in Asian securities. Higher expenses may result from investments in Asian securities than would from investments in other securities because of the costs that must be incurred in connection with conversions between various currencies and brokerage commissions that may be higher than more established markets. Asian securities markets also may be less liquid, more volatile and less subject to governmental supervision than elsewhere. Investments in countries in the region could be affected by other factors not present elsewhere, including lack of uniform accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards, inadequate settlement procedures and potential difficulties in enforcing contractual obligations.
Some Asian economies have limited natural resources, resulting in dependence on foreign sources for energy and raw materials and economic vulnerability to global fluctuations of price and supply. Certain countries in Asia are especially prone to natural disasters, such as flooding, drought and earthquakes. Combined with the possibility of man-made disasters, the occurrence of such disasters may adversely affect companies in which an Underlying Fund is invested and, as a result, may result in adverse consequences to such Underlying Fund.
Many of the countries in Asia have experienced rising inflation. Should the governments and central banks of the countries in Asia fail to control inflation, this may have an adverse effect on the performance of an Underlying Funds investments in Asian securities.
Several of the countries in Asia remain dependent on the U.S. economy as their largest export customer, and future barriers to entry into the U.S. market could adversely affect an Underlying Funds performance. Intraregional trade is becoming an increasingly significant percentage of total trade for the countries in Asia. Consequently, the intertwined economies are becoming increasingly dependent on each other, and any barriers to entry to markets in Asia in the future may adversely affect an Underlying Funds performance.
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Although an Underlying Fund will generally attempt to invest in those markets which provide the greatest freedom of movement of foreign capital, there is no assurance that this will be possible or that certain countries in Asia will not restrict the movement of foreign capital in the future. Changes in securities laws and foreign ownership laws may have an adverse effect on such Underlying Fund.
Investing in Australia. The Australian economy is heavily dependent on the economies of Asia, Europe and the U.S. as key trading partners, and in particular, on the price and demand for agricultural products and natural resources. By total market capitalization, the Australian stock market is small relative to the U.S. stock market and issues may trade with lesser liquidity. Australian reporting, accounting and auditing standards differ substantially from U.S. standards. In general, Australian corporations do not provide all of the disclosure required by U.S. law and accounting practice, and such disclosure may be less timely and less frequent than that required of U.S. companies.
Investing in Central and South American Countries. A significant portion of certain Underlying Funds portfolios may be invested in securities of issuers located in Central and South American countries. The economies of Central and South American countries have experienced considerable difficulties in the past decade, including high inflation rates, high interest rates and currency devaluations. As a result, Central and South American securities markets have experienced great volatility. In addition, many of the regions economies have become highly dependent upon foreign credit and loans from external sources to fuel their state-sponsored economic plans. A number of Central and South American countries are among the largest emerging country debtors. There have been moratoria on, and reschedulings of, repayment with respect to these debts. Such events can restrict the flexibility of these debtor nations in the international markets and result in the imposition of onerous conditions on their economies.
In the past, many Central and South American countries have experienced substantial, and in some periods extremely high, rates of inflation for many years. High inflation rates have also led to high interest rates. Inflation and rapid fluctuations in inflation rates have had, and could, in the future, have very negative effects on the economies and securities markets of certain Central and South American countries. Many of the currencies of Central and South American countries have experienced steady devaluation relative to the U.S. dollar, and major devaluations have historically occurred in certain countries. Any devaluations in the currencies in which an Underlying Funds portfolio securities are denominated may have a detrimental impact on the Underlying Fund. There is also a risk that certain Central and South American countries may restrict the free conversion of their currencies into other currencies. Some Central and South American countries may have managed currencies which are not free floating against the U.S. dollar. This type of system can lead to sudden and large adjustments in the currency that, in turn, can have a disruptive and negative effect on foreign investors. Certain Central and South American currencies may not be internationally traded and it would be difficult for an Underlying Fund to engage in foreign currency transactions designed to protect the value of the Underlying Funds interests in securities denominated in such currencies.
In addition, substantial limitations may exist in certain countries with respect to an Underlying Funds ability to repatriate investment income, capital or the proceeds of sales of securities by foreign investors. An Underlying Fund could be adversely affected by delays in, or a refusal to grant, any required governmental approval for repatriation of capital, as well as by the application to the Underlying Fund of any restrictions on investments.
The emergence of the Central and South American economies and securities markets will require continued economic and fiscal discipline that has been lacking at times in the past, as well as stable political and social conditions. Governments of many Central and South American countries have exercised and continue to exercise substantial influence over many aspects of the private sector. The political history of certain Central and South American countries has been characterized by political uncertainty, intervention by the military in civilian and economic spheres and political corruption. Now democracy is beginning to become well established in some countries. Domestic economies have been deregulated, state-owned companies privatized, and foreign trade restrictions relaxed. Such developments, if they do not continue, could reverse favorable trends toward market and economic reform, privatization and removal of trade barriers. Social inequality and poverty may contribute to political and economic instability in this region.
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International economic conditions, particularly those in the United States, as well as world prices for oil and other commodities may also influence the recovery of the Central and South American economies. Because commodities such as oil, gas, minerals and metals represent a significant percentage of the regions exports, the economies of Central and South American countries are particularly sensitive to fluctuations in commodity prices. As a result, the economies in many of these countries can experience significant volatility.
Certain Central and South American countries have entered into regional trade agreements that would, among other things, reduce barriers among countries, increase competition among companies and reduce government subsidies in certain industries. No assurance can be given that these changes will result in the economic stability intended. There is a possibility that these trade arrangements will not be implemented, will be implemented but not completed or will be completed but then partially or completely unwound. It is also possible that a significant participant could choose to abandon a trade agreement, which could diminish its credibility and influence. Any of these occurrences could have adverse effects on the markets of both participating and non-participating countries, including share appreciation or depreciation of participants national currencies and a significant increase in exchange rate volatility, a resurgence in economic protectionism, an undermining of confidence in the Central and South American markets, an undermining of Central and South American economic stability, the collapse or slowdown of the drive toward Central and South American economic unity, and/or reversion of the attempts to lower government debt and inflation rates that were introduced in anticipation of such trade agreements. Such developments could have an adverse impact on an Underlying Funds investments in Central and South America generally or in specific countries participating in such trade agreements.
Investing in Eastern Europe. Certain of the Underlying Funds may seek investment opportunities within Eastern Europe. Most Eastern European countries had a centrally planned, socialist economy for a substantial period of time. The governments of many Eastern European countries have more recently been implementing reforms directed at political and economic liberalization, including efforts to decentralize the economic decision-making process and move towards a market economy. However, business entities in many Eastern European countries do not have an extended history of operating in a market-oriented economy, and the ultimate impact of Eastern European countries attempts to move toward more market-oriented economies is currently unclear. Any change in the leadership or policies of Eastern European countries may halt the expansion of or reverse the liberalization of foreign investment policies now occurring and adversely affect existing investment opportunities. In addition, Eastern European markets are particularly sensitive to social, economic and currency events in Western Europe and Russia. Russia may attempt to assert its influence in the region through military measures.
Where an Underlying Fund invests in securities issued by companies incorporated in or whose principal operations are located in Eastern Europe, other risks may also be encountered. Legal, political, economic and fiscal uncertainties in Eastern European markets may affect the value of an Underlying Funds investment in such securities. The currencies in which these investments may be denominated may be unstable, may be subject to significant depreciation and may not be freely convertible. Existing laws and regulations may not be consistently applied. The markets of the countries of Eastern Europe are still in the early stages of their development, have less volume, are less highly regulated, are less liquid and experience greater volatility than more established markets. Settlement of transactions may be subject to delay and administrative uncertainties. Custodians are not able to offer the level of service and safekeeping, settlement and administration services that is customary in more developed markets, and there is a risk that an Underlying Fund will not be recognized as the owner of securities held on its behalf by a sub-custodian.
Investing in Emerging Countries. The securities markets of emerging countries are less liquid and subject to greater price volatility, and have a smaller market capitalization, than the U.S. securities markets. In certain countries, there may be fewer publicly traded securities, and the market may be dominated by a few issuers or sectors. Issuers and securities markets in such countries are not subject to as extensive and frequent accounting, financial and other reporting requirements or as comprehensive government regulations as are issuers and securities markets in the U.S. In particular, the assets and profits appearing on the financial statements of emerging country issuers may not reflect their financial position or results of operations in the same manner as financial statements for U.S. issuers. Substantially less information may be publicly available about emerging country issuers than is available about issuers in the United States.
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Emerging country securities markets are typically marked by a high concentration of market capitalization and trading volume in a small number of issuers representing a limited number of industries, as well as a high concentration of ownership of such securities by a limited number of investors. The markets for securities in certain emerging countries are in the earliest stages of their development. Even the markets for relatively widely traded securities in emerging countries may not be able to absorb, without price disruptions, a significant increase in trading volume or trades of a size customarily undertaken by institutional investors in the securities markets of developed countries. The limited size of many of the securities markets can cause prices to be erratic for reasons apart from factors that affect the soundness and competitiveness of these securities issuers. For example, prices may be unduly influenced by traders who control large positions in these markets. Additionally, market making and arbitrage activities are generally less extensive in such markets, which may contribute to increased volatility and reduced liquidity of such markets. The limited liquidity of emerging country securities may also affect an Underlying Funds ability to accurately value its portfolio securities or to acquire or dispose of securities at the price and time it wishes to do so or in order to meet redemption requests.
With respect to investments in certain emerging market countries, antiquated legal systems may have an adverse impact on the Underlying Funds. For example, while the potential liability of a shareholder of a U.S. corporation with respect to acts of the corporation is generally limited to the amount of the shareholders investment, the notion of limited liability is less clear in certain emerging market countries. Similarly, the rights of investors in emerging market companies may be more limited than those of shareholders of U.S. corporations.
Transaction costs, including brokerage commissions or dealer mark-ups, in emerging countries may be higher than in the United States and other developed securities markets. In addition, existing laws and regulations are often inconsistently applied. As legal systems in emerging countries develop, foreign investors may be adversely affected by new or amended laws and regulations. In circumstances where adequate laws exist, it may not be possible to obtain swift and equitable enforcement of the law.
Custodial and/or settlement systems in emerging markets countries may not be fully developed. To the extent that an Underlying Fund invests in emerging markets, an Underlying Funds assets that are traded in such markets and which have been entrusted to such sub-custodians in those markets may be exposed to risks for which the sub-custodian will have no liability.
Foreign investment in the securities markets of certain emerging countries is restricted or controlled to varying degrees. These restrictions may limit an Underlying Funds investment in certain emerging countries and may increase the expenses of the Underlying Fund. Certain emerging countries require governmental approval prior to investments by foreign persons or limit investment by foreign persons to only a specified percentage of an issuers outstanding securities or a specific class of securities which may have less advantageous terms (including price) than securities of the company available for purchase by nationals. In addition, the repatriation of both investment income and capital from emerging countries may be subject to restrictions which require governmental consents or prohibit repatriation entirely for a period of time. Even where there is no outright restriction on repatriation of capital, the mechanics of repatriation may affect certain aspects of the operation of an Underlying Fund. An Underlying Fund may be required to establish special custodial or other arrangements before investing in certain emerging countries.
Emerging countries may be subject to a substantially greater degree of economic, political and social instability and disruption than is the case in the United States, Japan and most Western European countries. This instability may result from, among other things, the following: (i) authoritarian governments or military involvement in political and economic decision making, including changes or attempted changes in governments through extra-constitutional means; (ii) popular unrest associated with demands for improved political, economic or social conditions; (iii) internal insurgencies; (iv) hostile relations with neighboring countries; (v) ethnic, religious and racial disaffection or conflict; and (vi) the absence of developed legal structures governing foreign private investments and private property. Such economic, political and social instability could disrupt the principal financial markets in which the Underlying Funds may invest and adversely affect the value of the Underlying Funds assets. An Underlying Funds investments can also be adversely affected by any increase in taxes or by political, economic or diplomatic developments.
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The economies of emerging countries may differ unfavorably from the U.S. economy in such respects as growth of gross domestic product, rate of inflation, capital reinvestment, resources, self-sufficiency and balance of payments. Many emerging countries have experienced in the past, and continue to experience, high rates of inflation. In certain countries inflation has at times accelerated rapidly to hyperinflationary levels, creating a negative interest rate environment and sharply eroding the value of outstanding financial assets in those countries. Other emerging countries, on the other hand, have recently experienced deflationary pressures and are in economic recessions. The economies of many emerging countries are heavily dependent upon international trade and are accordingly affected by protective trade barriers and the economic conditions of their trading partners. In addition, the economies of some emerging countries are vulnerable to weakness in world prices for their commodity exports.
An Underlying Funds income and, in some cases, capital gains from foreign stocks and securities will be subject to applicable taxation in certain of the countries in which it invests, and treaties between the U.S. and such countries may not be available in some cases to reduce the otherwise applicable tax rates. See TAXATION.
Foreign markets also have different clearance and settlement procedures and 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. Such delays in settlement could result in temporary periods when a portion of the assets of an Underlying Fund remain uninvested and no return is earned on such assets. The inability of an Underlying Fund to make intended security purchases or sales due to settlement problems could result either in losses to the Underlying Fund due to subsequent declines in value of the portfolio securities or, if the Underlying Fund has entered into a contract to sell the securities, could result in possible liability of the Underlying Fund to the purchaser. The creditworthiness of the local securities firms used by an Underlying Fund in emerging countries may not be as sound as the creditworthiness of firms used in more developed countries, thus subjecting Underlying Fund to a greater risk if a securities firm defaults in the performance of its responsibilities.
From time to time, certain of the companies in which an Underlying Fund may invest may operate in, or have dealings with, countries subject to sanctions or embargos imposed by the U.S. Government and the United Nations and/or countries identified by the U.S. Government as state sponsors of terrorism. A company may suffer damage to its reputation if it is identified as a company which operates in, or has dealings with, countries subject to sanctions or embargoes imposed by the U.S. Government as state sponsors of terrorism. As an investor in such companies, an Underlying Fund will be indirectly subject to those risks.
Investing in Europe. Certain of the Underlying Funds may operate in euros and/or may hold euros and/or euro-denominated bonds and other obligations. The euro requires participation of multiple sovereign states forming the Eurozone and is therefore sensitive to the credit, general economic and political position of each such state, including each states actual and intended ongoing engagement with and/or support for the other sovereign states then forming the EU, in particular those within the Eurozone. Changes in these factors might materially adversely impact the value of securities that an Underlying Fund has invested in.
European countries can be significantly affected by the tight fiscal and monetary controls that the European Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) imposes for membership. Europes economies are diverse, its governments are decentralized, and its cultures vary widely. Several EU countries, including Greece, Ireland, Italy, Spain and Portugal, have faced budget issues, some of which may have negative long-term effects for the economies of those countries and other EU countries. There is continued concern about national-level support for the euro and the accompanying coordination of fiscal and wage policy among EMU member countries. Member countries are required to maintain tight control over inflation, public debt, and budget deficit to qualify for membership in the EMU. These requirements can severely limit the ability of EMU member countries to implement monetary policy to address regional economic conditions.
In a June 2016 referendum, citizens of the United Kingdom voted to leave the EU. It is expected that the United Kingdom will formally withdraw from the EU (commonly known as Brexit), a process that may take up to two years once formally initiated. During this period and beyond, the impact on the United Kingdom and European economies and the broader global economy could be significant and could, among other outcomes, result in
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increased volatility and illiquidity, potentially lower economic growth and decreased asset valuations. Brexit may have a negative impact on the economy and currency of the United Kingdom as a result of anticipated or actual changes to the United Kingdoms economic and political relations with the EU. Brexit may also have a destabilizing impact on the EU to the extent other member states similarly seek to withdraw from the union. Any further exits from the EU, or the possibility of such exits, would likely cause additional market disruption globally and introduce new legal and regulatory uncertainties. Any or all of these challenges may affect the value of a Portfolios or an Underlying Funds investments economically tied to the United Kingdom or the EU.
Economic challenges facing the region include high levels of public debt, significant rates of unemployment, aging populations, and heavy regulation in certain economic sectors. European policy makers have taken unprecedented steps to respond to the economic crisis and to boost growth in the region, which has increased the risk that regulatory uncertainty could negatively affect the value of an Underlying Funds investments.
As the EU continues to grow in size with the addition of new member countries, the candidate countries accessions may become more controversial to the existing EU members. Some member states may repudiate certain candidate countries joining the EU upon concerns about the possible economic, immigration and cultural implications. Also, Russia may be opposed to the expansion of the EU to members of the former Soviet bloc and may, at times, take actions that could negatively impact EU economic activity.
Investing in Greater China. Investing in Greater China (the Peoples Republic of China, Hong Kong and Taiwan) involves a high degree of risk and special considerations not typically associated with investing in other more established economies or securities markets. Such risks may include: (a) greater social, economic and political uncertainty (including the risk of armed conflict); (b) the risk of nationalization or expropriation of assets or confiscatory taxation; (c) dependency on exports and the corresponding importance of international trade; (d) increasing competition from Asias other low-cost emerging economies; (e) greater price volatility and significantly smaller market capitalization of securities markets; (f) substantially less liquidity, particularly of certain share classes of Chinese securities; (g) currency exchange rate fluctuations and the lack of available currency hedging instruments; (h) higher rates of inflation; (i) controls on foreign investment and limitations on repatriation of invested capital and on an Underlying Funds ability to exchange local currencies for U.S. dollars; (j) greater governmental involvement in and control over the economy; (k) uncertainty regarding the Peoples Republic of Chinas commitment to economic reforms; (l) the fact that Chinese companies may be smaller, less seasoned and newly-organized companies; (m) the differences in, or lack of, auditing and financial reporting standards which may result in unavailability of material information about issuers; (n) the fact that statistical information regarding the economy of Greater China may be inaccurate or not comparable to statistical information regarding the U.S. or other economies; (o) less extensive, and still developing, legal systems and regulatory frameworks regarding the securities markets, business entities and commercial transactions; (p) the fact that the settlement period of securities transactions in foreign markets may be longer; (q) the fact that it may be more difficult, or impossible, to obtain and/or enforce a judgment than in other countries; and (r) the rapid and erratic nature of growth, particularly in the Peoples Republic of China, resulting in inefficiencies and dislocations.
The Peoples Republic of China is dominated by the one-party rule of the Communist Party. Investments in China involve the risk of greater control over the economy, political and legal uncertainties and currency fluctuations or blockage. The government of the Peoples Republic of China exercises significant control over economic growth through the allocation of resources, controlling payment of foreign currency denominated obligations, setting monetary policy and providing preferential treatment to particular industries or companies. For over three decades, the government of the Peoples Republic of China has been reforming economic and market practices and providing a larger sphere for private ownership of property. While currently contributing to growth and prosperity, the government may decide not to continue to support these economic reform programs and could possibly return to the completely centrally planned economy that existed prior to 1978. Chinas ability to develop and sustain a credible legal, regulatory, monetary and socioeconomic system could influence the course of outside investment.
Since the global economic crisis in 2008, the Chinese government has taken unprecedented steps to shore up economic growth. However, the results of these measures are unpredictable. Over the long term, the countrys major challenges include worsening environmental conditions and widening urban and rural income gap.
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The willingness and ability of the government of the Peoples Republic of China to support Greater China markets is uncertain. Taiwan and Hong Kong do not exercise the same level of control over their economies as does the Peoples Republic of China, but changes to their political and economic relationships with the Peoples Republic of China could adversely impact an Underlying Funds investments in Taiwan and Hong Kong. The relationship between the Peoples Republic of China and Taiwan is a highly problematic issue and is unlikely to be settled in the near future. This situation, and the continuing hostility between the Peoples Republic of China and Taiwan, poses a threat to Taiwans economy and may have an adverse impact on the value of an Underlying Funds investments in Greater China.
Greater China has historically been prone to natural disasters such as earthquakes, droughts, floods and tsunamis and is economically sensitive to environmental events. Any such event could cause a significant impact on the economy of, or investments in, Greater China.
Investing in Japan. Japans economy is heavily dependent upon international trade and is especially sensitive to any adverse effects arising from trade tariffs and other protectionist measures, as well as the economic condition of its trading partners. Japans high volume of exports has caused trade tensions with Japans primary trading partners, particularly with the United States. The relaxing of official and de facto barriers to imports, or hardships created by the actions of trading partners, could adversely affect Japans economy. Because the Japanese economy is so dependent on exports, any fall-off in exports may be seen as a sign of economic weakness, which may adversely affect Japanese markets. In addition, Japans export industry, its most important economic sector, depends heavily on imported raw materials and fuels, including iron ore, copper, oil and many forest products. Japan has historically depended on oil for most of its energy requirements. Almost all of its oil is imported, the majority from the Middle East. In the past, oil prices have had a major impact on the domestic economy, but more recently Japan has worked to reduce its dependence on oil by encouraging energy conservation and use of alternative fuels. However, Japan remains sensitive to fluctuations in commodity prices, and a substantial rise in world oil or commodity prices could have a negative effect on its economy.
The Japanese yen has fluctuated widely during recent periods and may be affected by currency volatility elsewhere in Asia, especially Southeast Asia. In addition, the yen has had a history of unpredictable and volatile movements against the U.S. dollar. A weak yen is disadvantageous to U.S. shareholders investing in yen-denominated securities. A strong yen, however, could be an impediment to strong continued exports and economic recovery, because it makes Japanese goods sold in other countries more expensive and reduces the value of foreign earnings repatriated to Japan.
The performance of the global economy could have a major impact upon equity returns in Japan. As a result of the strong correlation with the economy of the U.S., Japans economy and its stock market are vulnerable to any unfavorable economic conditions in the U.S. and poor performance of U.S. stock markets. The growing economic relationship between Japan and its other neighboring countries in the Southeast Asia region, especially China, also exposes Japans economy to changes to the economic climates in those countries.
Like many developed countries, Japan faces challenges to its competitiveness. Growth slowed markedly in the 1990s and Japans economy fell into a long recession. After a few years of mild recovery in the mid-2000s, the Japanese economy fell into another recession in part due to the recent global economic crisis. This economic recession was likely compounded by an unstable financial sector, low domestic consumption, and certain corporate structural weaknesses, which remain some of the major issues facing the Japanese economy. Japan is reforming its political process and deregulating its economy to address this situation. However, there is no guarantee that these efforts will succeed in making the performance of the Japanese economy more competitive.
Japan has experienced natural disasters, such as earthquakes and tidal waves, of varying degrees of severity. The risks of such phenomena, and the resulting damage, continue to exist and could have a severe and negative impact on an Underlying Funds holdings in Japanese securities. Japan also has one of the worlds highest population densities. A significant percentage of the total population of Japan is concentrated in the metropolitan areas of Tokyo, Osaka, and Nagoya. Therefore, a natural disaster centered in or very near to one of these cities could have a particularly devastating effect on Japans financial markets. Japans recovery from the recession has been affected by economic distress resulting from the earthquake and resulting tsunami that struck northeastern Japan in March 2011 causing major damage along the coast, including damage to nuclear power plants in the region. Since
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the earthquake, Japans financial markets have fluctuated dramatically. The disaster caused large personal losses, reduced energy supplies, disrupted manufacturing, resulted in significant declines in stock market prices and resulted in an appreciable decline in Japans economic output. Although production levels are recovering in some industries as work is shifted to factories in areas not directly affected by the disaster, the timing of a full economic recovery is uncertain, and foreign business whose supply chains are dependent on production or manufacturing in Japan may decrease their reliance on Japanese industries in the future.
Emerging Country Government Obligations. Emerging country governmental issuers are among the largest debtors to commercial banks, foreign governments, international financial organizations and other financial institutions. Certain emerging country governmental issuers have not been able to make payments of interest on or principal of debt obligations as those payments have come due. Obligations arising from past restructuring agreements may affect the economic performance and political and social stability of those issuers.
The ability of emerging country governmental issuers to make timely payments on their obligations is likely to be influenced strongly by the issuers balance of payments, including export performance, and its access to international credits and investments. An emerging country whose exports are concentrated in a few commodities could be vulnerable to a decline in the international prices of one or more of those commodities. Increased protectionism on the part of an emerging countrys trading partners could also adversely affect the countrys exports and tarnish its trade account surplus, if any. To the extent that emerging countries receive payment for their exports in currencies other than dollars or non-emerging country currencies, the emerging country issuers ability to make debt payments denominated in dollars or non-emerging market currencies could be affected.
To the extent that an emerging country cannot generate a trade surplus, it must depend on continuing loans from foreign governments, multilateral organizations or private commercial banks, aid payments from foreign governments and on inflows of foreign investment. The access of emerging countries to these forms of external funding may not be certain, and a withdrawal of external funding could adversely affect the capacity of emerging country governmental issuers to make payments on their obligations. In addition, the cost of servicing emerging country debt obligations can be affected by a change in international interest rates because the majority of these obligations carry interest rates that are adjusted periodically based upon international rates.
Another factor bearing on the ability of emerging countries to repay debt obligations is the level of international reserves of a country. Fluctuations in the level of these reserves affect the amount of foreign exchange readily available for external debt payments and thus could have a bearing on the capacity of emerging countries to make payments on these debt obligations.
As a result of the foregoing or other factors, a governmental obligor, especially in an emerging country, may default on its obligations. If such an event occurs, an Underlying Fund may have limited legal recourse against the issuer and/or guarantor. Remedies must, in some cases, be pursued in the courts of the defaulting party itself, and the ability of the holder of foreign sovereign debt securities to obtain recourse may be subject to the political climate in the relevant country. In addition, no assurance can be given that the holders of commercial bank debt will not contest payments to the holders of other foreign sovereign debt obligations in the event of default under the commercial bank loan agreements.
Restructured Investments. Included among the issuers of emerging country debt securities are entities organized and operated solely for the purpose of restructuring the investment characteristics of various securities. These entities are often organized by investment banking firms which receive fees in connection with establishing each entity and arranging for the placement of its securities. This type of restructuring involves the deposit with or purchase by an entity, such as a corporation or trust, or specified instruments, such as Brady Bonds, and the issuance by the entity of one or more classes of securities (Restructured Investments) backed by, or representing interests in, the underlying instruments. The cash flow on the underlying instruments may be apportioned among the newly issued Restructured Investments to create securities with different investment characteristics such as varying maturities, payment priorities or investment rate provisions. Because Restructured Investments of the type in which an Underlying Fund may invest typically involve no credit enhancement, their credit risk will generally be equivalent to that of the underlying instruments.
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Certain of the Underlying Funds are permitted to invest in a class of Restructured Investments that is either subordinated or unsubordinated to the right of payment of another class. Subordinated Restructured Investments typically have higher yields and present greater risks than unsubordinated Restructured Investments. Although an Underlying Funds purchases of subordinated Restructured Investments would have a similar economic effect to that of borrowing against the underlying securities, such purchases will not be deemed to be borrowing for purposes of the limitations placed on the extent of an Underlying Funds assets that may be used for borrowing.
Certain issuers of Restructured Investments may be deemed to be investment companies as defined in the Act. As a result, an Underlying Fund may be limited by the restrictions contained in the Act. Restructured Investments are typically sold in private placement transactions, and there currently is no active trading market for most Restructured Investments.
Sovereign Debt Obligations. Certain of the Underlying Funds may invest in sovereign debt obligations. Investment in sovereign debt can involve a high degree of risk. The governmental entity that controls the repayment of sovereign debt may not be able or willing to repay the principal and/or interest when due in accordance with the terms of such debt. A governmental entitys willingness or ability to repay principal and interest due in a timely manner may be affected by, among other factors, its cash flow situation, the extent of its foreign reserves, the availability of sufficient foreign exchange on the date a payment is due, the relative size of the debt service burden to the economy as a whole, the governmental entitys policy towards the International Monetary Fund and the political constraints to which a governmental entity may be subject. Governmental entities may also be dependent on expected disbursements from foreign governments, multilateral agencies and others abroad to reduce principal and interest on their debt. The commitment on the part of these governments, agencies and others to make such disbursements may be conditioned on a governmental entitys implementation of economic reforms and/or economic performance and the timely service of such debtors obligations. Failure to implement such reforms, achieve such levels of economic performance or repay principal or interest when due may result in the cancellation of such third parties commitments to lend funds to the governmental entity, which may further impair such debtors ability or willingness to service its debts in a timely manner. Consequently, governmental entities may default on their sovereign debt. Holders of sovereign debt (including an Underlying Fund) may be requested to participate in the rescheduling of such debt and to extend further loans to governmental agencies.
Forward Foreign Currency Exchange Contracts
Certain of the Underlying Funds, to the extent consistent with their investment policies, may enter into forward foreign currency exchange contracts for hedging purposes and to seek to protect against anticipated changes in future foreign currency exchange rates. Certain of the Underlying Funds may also enter into forward foreign currency exchange contracts to seek to increase total return. A forward foreign currency exchange contract involves an obligation to purchase or sell a specific 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 between currency traders (usually large commercial banks) and their customers. A forward contract generally has no deposit requirement, and no commissions are generally charged at any stage for trades.
At the maturity of a forward contract an Underlying Fund may either accept or make delivery of the currency specified in the contract or, at or prior to maturity, enter into a closing transaction involving the purchase or sale of an offsetting contract. Closing transactions with respect to forward contracts are often, but not always, effected with the currency trader who is a party to the original forward contract.
An Underlying Fund may enter into forward foreign currency exchange contracts in several circumstances. First, when an Underlying Fund enters into a contract for the purchase or sale of a security denominated or quoted in a foreign currency, or when an Underlying Fund anticipates the receipt in a foreign currency of dividend or interest payments on such a security which it holds, the Underlying Fund may desire to lock in the U.S. dollar price of the security or the U.S. dollar equivalent of such dividend or interest payment, as the case may be. By entering into a forward contract for the purchase or sale, for a fixed amount of U.S. dollars, of the amount of foreign currency involved in the underlying transactions, the Underlying Fund will attempt to protect itself against an adverse change in the relationship between the U.S. dollar and the subject foreign currency during the period between the date on which the security is purchased or sold, or on which the dividend or interest payment is declared, and the date on which such payments are made or received.
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Additionally, when an Underlying Funds investment adviser believes that the currency of a particular foreign country may suffer a substantial decline against the U.S. dollar, it may enter into a forward contract to sell, for a fixed amount of U.S. dollars, the amount of foreign currency approximating the value of some or all of an Underlying Funds portfolio securities quoted or denominated in such foreign currency. The precise matching of the forward contract amounts and the value of the securities involved will not generally be possible because the future value of such securities in foreign currencies will change as a consequence of market movements in the value of those securities between the date on which the contract is entered into and the date it matures. Using forward contracts to protect the value of an Underlying Funds portfolio securities against a decline in the value of a currency does not eliminate fluctuations in the underlying prices of the securities. It simply establishes a rate of exchange which an Underlying Fund can achieve at some future point in time. The precise projection of short-term currency market movements is not possible, and short-term hedging provides a means of fixing the U.S. dollar value of only a portion of an Underlying Funds foreign assets.
Certain of the Underlying Funds may engage in cross-hedging by using forward contracts in one currency to hedge against fluctuations in the value of securities quoted or denominated in a different currency. In addition, certain Underlying Funds may enter into foreign currency transactions to seek a closer correlation between an Underlying Funds overall currency exposure and the currency exposure of the Underlying Funds performance benchmark.
Certain of the Underlying Funds will not enter into a forward contract with a term of greater than one year. Certain Underlying Funds may not be required to post cash collateral with their non-U.S. counterparties in certain foreign currency transactions. Accordingly, such an Underlying Fund may remain more fully invested (and more of the Underlying Funds assets may be subject to investment and market risk) than if it were required to post cash collateral with its counterparties (which is the case with U.S. counterparties). Because such an Underlying Funds non-U.S. counterparties are not required to post cash collateral with the Underlying Fund, the Underlying Fund will be subject to additional counterparty risk.
While an Underlying Fund may enter into forward contracts to reduce currency exchange rate risks, transactions in such contracts involve certain other risks. Thus, while an Underlying Fund may benefit from such transactions, unanticipated changes in currency prices may result in a poorer overall performance for the Underlying Fund than if it had not engaged in any such transactions. Moreover, there may be imperfect correlation between an Underlying Funds portfolio holdings of securities quoted or denominated in a particular currency and forward contracts entered into by such Underlying Fund. Such imperfect correlation may cause an Underlying Fund to sustain losses which will prevent the Underlying Fund from achieving a complete hedge or expose the Underlying Fund to risk of foreign exchange loss.
Markets for trading forward foreign currency contracts offer less protection against defaults than is available when trading in currency instruments on an exchange. Forward contracts are subject to the risk that the counterparty to such contract will default on its obligations. Because a forward foreign currency exchange contract is not guaranteed by an exchange or clearinghouse, a default on the contract would deprive an Underlying Fund of unrealized profits, transaction costs or the benefits of a currency hedge or force the Underlying Fund to cover its purchase or sale commitments, if any, at the current market price. In addition, the institutions that deal in forward foreign currency contracts are not required to continue to make markets in the currencies they trade and these markets can experience periods of illiquidity. To the extent that a portion of an Underlying Funds total assets, adjusted to reflect the Underlying Funds net position after giving effect to currency transactions, is denominated or quoted in the currencies of foreign countries, the Underlying Fund will be more susceptible to the risk of adverse economic and political developments within those countries.
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Futures Contracts and Options on Futures Contracts
Each Underlying Fund may purchase and sell futures contracts and may also purchase and write options on futures contracts. An Underlying Fund may purchase and sell futures contracts based on various securities, securities indices, foreign currencies and other financial instruments and indices. Certain of the Underlying Funds may engage in transactions only with respect to certain equity indices. An Underlying Fund will engage in futures and related options transactions in order to seek to increase total return or to hedge against changes in interest rates, securities prices or, to the extent an Underlying Fund invests in foreign securities, currency exchange rates, or to otherwise manage its term structure, sector selection and duration in accordance with its investment objective and policies. Each Underlying Fund may also enter into closing purchase and sale transactions with respect to such contracts and options. The investment adviser of the Underlying Fixed Income Funds will also use futures contracts and options on futures contracts to manage the Underlying Funds target duration in accordance with their benchmark or benchmarks.
Futures contracts entered into by an Underlying Fund have historically been traded on U.S. exchanges or boards of trade that are licensed and regulated by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) or, with respect to certain Underlying Funds, on foreign exchanges. More recently, certain futures may also be traded either over-the-counter or on trading facilities such as derivatives transaction execution facilities, exempt boards of trade or electronic trading facilities that are licensed and/or regulated to varying degrees by the CFTC. Also, certain single stock futures and narrow based security index futures may be traded over-the-counter or on trading facilities such as contract markets, derivatives transaction execution facilities and electronic trading facilities that are licensed and/or regulated to varying degrees by both the CFTC and the SEC or on foreign exchanges.
Neither the CFTC, National Futures Association (NFA), SEC nor any domestic exchange regulates activities of any foreign exchange or boards of trade, including the execution, delivery and clearing of transactions, or has the power to compel enforcement of the rules of a foreign exchange or board of trade or any applicable foreign law. This is true even if the exchange is formally linked to a domestic market so that a position taken on the market may be liquidated by a transaction on another market. Moreover, such laws or regulations will vary depending on the foreign country in which the foreign futures or foreign options transaction occurs. For these reasons, an Underlying Funds investments in foreign futures or foreign options transactions may not be provided the same protections in respect of transactions on United States exchanges. In particular, persons who trade foreign futures or foreign options contracts may not be afforded certain of the protective measures provided by the Commodity Exchange Act (CEA), the CFTCs regulations and the rules of the NFA and any domestic exchange, including the right to use reparations proceedings before the CFTC and arbitration proceedings provided by the National Futures Association or any domestic futures exchange. Similarly, these persons may not have the protection of the U.S. securities laws.
Futures Contracts. A futures contract may generally be described as an agreement between two parties to buy and sell particular financial instruments for an agreed price during a designated month (or to deliver the final cash settlement price, in the case of a contract relating to an index or otherwise not calling for physical delivery at the end of trading in the contract).
When interest rates are rising or securities prices are falling, an Underlying Fund can seek to offset a decline in the value of its current portfolio securities through the sale of futures contracts. When interest rates are falling or securities prices are rising, an Underlying Fund, through the purchase of futures contracts, can attempt to secure better rates or prices than might later be available in the market when it effects anticipated purchases. Similarly, certain Underlying Funds may purchase and sell futures contracts on a specified currency in order to seek to increase total return or to protect against changes in currency exchange rates. For example, certain Underlying Funds may purchase futures contracts on foreign currency to establish the price in U.S. dollars of a security quoted or denominated in such currency that such Underlying Fund has acquired or expects to acquire. In addition, certain Underlying Funds may enter into futures transactions to seek a closer correlation between the Underlying Funds overall currency exposures and the currency exposures of the Underlying Funds performance benchmark.
Positions taken in the futures market are not normally held to maturity, but are instead liquidated through offsetting transactions which may result in a profit or a loss. While an Underlying Fund will usually liquidate futures contracts on securities or currency in this manner, an Underlying Fund may instead make or take delivery of the underlying securities or currency whenever it appears economically advantageous for the Underlying Fund to do so. A clearing corporation associated with the exchange on which futures are traded guarantees that, if still open, the sale or purchase will be performed on the settlement date.
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Hedging Strategies Using Futures Contracts. When an Underlying Fund uses futures for hedging purposes, the Underlying Fund often seeks to establish with more certainty than would otherwise be possible the effective price or rate of return on portfolio securities (or securities that an Underlying Fund proposes to acquire), or the exchange rate of currencies in which portfolio securities are denominated or quoted. An Underlying Fund may, for example, take a short position in the futures market by selling futures contracts to seek to hedge against an anticipated rise in interest rates or a decline in market prices or foreign currency rates that would adversely affect the U.S. dollar value of the Underlying Funds portfolio securities. Such futures contracts may include contracts for the future delivery securities held by an Underlying Fund or securities with characteristics similar to those of an Underlying Funds portfolio securities. Similarly, certain Underlying Funds may sell futures contracts on any currency in which its portfolio securities are quoted or denominated or sell futures contracts on one currency to seek to hedge against fluctuations in the value of securities quoted or denominated in a different currency if there is an established historical pattern of correlation between the two currencies. If, in the opinion of an Underlying Funds investment adviser, there is a sufficient degree of correlation between price trends for an Underlying Funds portfolio securities and futures contracts based on other financial instruments, securities indices or other indices, the Underlying Fund may also enter into such futures contracts as part of its hedging strategy. Although under some circumstances prices of securities in an Underlying Funds portfolio may be more or less volatile than prices of such futures contracts, its investment adviser will attempt to estimate the extent of this volatility difference based on historical patterns and compensate for any such differential by having the Underlying Fund enter into a greater or lesser number of futures contracts or by attempting to achieve only a partial hedge against price changes affecting the Underlying Funds portfolio securities. When hedging of this character is successful, any depreciation in the value of portfolio securities will be substantially offset by appreciation in the value of the futures position. On the other hand, any unanticipated appreciation in the value of an Underlying Funds portfolio securities would be substantially offset by a decline in the value of the futures position.
On other occasions, an Underlying Fund may take a long position by purchasing such futures contracts. This may be done, for example, when an Underlying Fund anticipates the subsequent purchase of particular securities when it has the necessary cash, but expects the prices or currency exchange rates then available in the applicable market to be less favorable than prices or rates that are currently available.
Options on Futures Contracts. The acquisition of put and call options on futures contracts will give an Underlying Fund the right (but not the obligation), for a specified price, to sell or to purchase, respectively, the underlying futures contract at any time during the option period. As the purchaser of an option on a futures contract, an Underlying Fund obtains the benefit of the futures position if prices move in a favorable direction but limits its risk of loss in the event of an unfavorable price movement to the loss of the premium and transaction costs.
The writing of a call option on a futures contract generates a premium which may partially offset a decline in the value of an Underlying Funds assets. By writing a call option, an Underlying Fund becomes obligated, in exchange for the premium, to sell a futures contract if the option is exercised, which may have a value higher than the exercise price. The writing of a put option on a futures contract generates a premium, which may partially offset an increase in the price of securities that an Underlying Fund intends to purchase. However, an Underlying Fund becomes obligated (upon exercise of the option) to purchase a futures contract if the option is exercised, which may have a value lower than the exercise price. Thus, the loss incurred by an Underlying Fund in writing options on futures is potentially unlimited and may exceed the amount of the premium received. An Underlying Fund will incur transaction costs in connection with the writing of options on futures.
The holder or writer of an option on a futures contract may terminate its position by selling or purchasing an offsetting option on the same financial instrument. There is no guarantee that such closing transactions can be effected. An Underlying Funds ability to establish and close out positions on such options will be subject to the development and maintenance of a liquid market.
Other Considerations. An Underlying Fund will engage in transactions in futures contracts and related options transactions only to the extent such transactions are consistent with the requirements of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the Code) for maintaining its qualification as a regulated investment company for federal income tax purposes. Transactions in futures contracts and options on futures involve brokerage costs, require margin deposits and, in certain cases, require an Underlying Fund to identify on its books cash or liquid assets in an amount equal to the underlying value of such contracts and options. An Underlying Fund may cover its transactions in futures contracts and related options by identifying on its books cash or liquid assets or by other means, in any manner permitted by applicable law. For more information about these practices, see Description of Investment Securities and Practices Asset Segregation.
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While transactions in futures contracts and options on futures may reduce certain risks, such transactions themselves entail certain other risks. Thus, unanticipated changes in interest rates, securities prices or currency exchange rates may result in a poorer overall performance for an Underlying Fund than if it had not entered into any futures contracts or options transactions. When futures contracts and options are used for hedging purposes, perfect correlation between an Underlying Funds futures positions and portfolio positions may be impossible to achieve, particularly where futures contracts based on individual equity or corporate fixed income securities are currently not available. In the event of an imperfect correlation between a futures position and a portfolio position which is intended to be protected, the desired protection may not be obtained and an Underlying Fund may be exposed to risk of loss.
In addition, it is not possible for an Underlying Fund to hedge fully or perfectly against currency fluctuations affecting the value of securities quoted or denominated in foreign currencies because the value of such securities is likely to fluctuate as a result of independent factors unrelated to currency fluctuations. The profitability of an Underlying Funds trading in futures depends upon the ability of its investment adviser to analyze correctly the futures markets.
Greenfield Projects
Greenfield projects are energy-related projects built by private joint ventures formed by energy companies. Greenfield projects may include the creation of a new pipeline, processing plant or storage facility or other energy infrastructure asset that is integrated with the companys existing assets. Certain Underlying Funds, including the MLP Energy Infrastructure Fund, may invest in the equity of greenfield projects and also may invest in the secured debt of greenfield projects. However, an investment also may be structured as pay-in-kind securities with minimal or no cash interest or dividends until construction is completed, at which time interest payments or dividends would be paid in cash. The Investment Adviser believes that this niche leverages the organizational and operating expertise of large, publicly traded companies and provides the MLP Energy Infrastructure Fund with the opportunity to earn higher returns. Greenfield projects involve less investment risk than typical private equity financing arrangements. The primary risk involved with greenfield projects is execution risk or construction risk. Changing project requirements, elevated costs for labor and materials, and unexpected construction hurdles all can increase construction costs. Financing risk exists should changes in construction costs or financial markets occur. Regulatory risk exists should changes in regulation occur during construction or the necessary permits are not secured prior to beginning construction.
High Yield Securities
Certain of the Underlying Funds may invest in bonds rated BB+ or below by Standard & Poors Ratings Group (Standard & Poors) or Ba1 or below by Moodys Investors Service, Inc. (Moodys) (or comparable rated and unrated securities). These bonds are commonly referred to as junk bonds and are considered speculative. The ability of issuers of non-investment grade securities to make principal and interest payments may be questionable. In some cases, such high yield securities may be highly speculative, have poor prospects for reaching investment grade standing and be in default. As a result, investment in such bonds will entail greater risks than those associated with investment grade bonds (i.e., bonds rated AAA, AA, A or BBB by Standard and Poors or Aaa, Aa, A or Baa by Moodys). Analysis of the creditworthiness of issuers of high yield securities may be more complex than for issuers of higher quality debt securities, and the ability of an Underlying Fund to achieve its investment objective may, to the extent of its investments in high yield securities, be more dependent upon such creditworthiness analysis than would be the case if the Underlying Fund were investing in higher quality securities. See Appendix A for a description of the corporate bond and preferred stock ratings by Standard & Poors, Moodys, Fitch, Inc. (Fitch) and Dominion Bond Rating Service Limited (DBRS).
Risks associated with acquiring the securities of such issuers generally are greater than is the case with higher rated securities because such issuers are often less creditworthy companies or are highly leveraged and generally less able than more established or less leveraged entities to make scheduled payments of principal and interest. High yield securities are also issued by governmental issuers that may have difficulty in making all scheduled interest and principal payments.
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The market values of high yield, fixed income securities tend to reflect individual issuer developments to a greater extent than do those of higher rated securities, which react primarily to fluctuations in the general level of interest rates. Issuers of such high yield securities are often highly leveraged, and may not be able to make use of more traditional methods of financing. Their ability to service debt obligations may be more adversely affected by economic downturns or their inability to meet specific projected business forecasts than would be the case for issuers of higher-rated securities. Negative publicity about the junk bond market and investor perceptions regarding lower-rated securities, whether or not based on fundamental analysis, may depress the prices for high yield securities.
In the lower quality segments of the fixed income securities market, changes in perceptions of issuers creditworthiness tend to occur more frequently and in a more pronounced manner than do changes in higher quality segments of the fixed income securities market, resulting in greater yield and price volatility.
Another factor which causes fluctuations in the prices of high yield, fixed income securities is the supply and demand for similarly rated securities. In addition, the prices of fixed income securities fluctuate in response to the general level of interest rates. Fluctuations in the prices of portfolio securities subsequent to their acquisition will not affect cash income from such securities but will be reflected in an Underlying Funds NAV.
The risk of loss from default for the holders of high yield, fixed income securities is significantly greater than is the case for holders of other debt securities because high yield securities are generally unsecured and are often subordinated to the rights of other creditors of the issuers of such securities. Investment by an Underlying Fund in already defaulted securities poses an additional risk of loss should nonpayment of principal and interest continue in respect of such securities. Even if such securities are held to maturity, recovery by an Underlying Fund of its initial investment and any anticipated income or appreciation is uncertain. In addition, an Underlying Fund may incur additional expenses to the extent that it is required to seek recovery relating to the default in the payment of principal or interest on such securities or otherwise protect its interests. An Underlying Fund may be required to liquidate other portfolio securities to satisfy the Underlying Funds annual distribution obligations in respect of accrued interest income on securities which are subsequently written off, even though the Underlying Fund has not received any cash payments of such interest.
The secondary market for fixed income securities is concentrated in relatively few markets and is dominated by institutional investors, including mutual funds, insurance companies and other financial institutions. Accordingly, the secondary market for such securities is not as liquid as and is more volatile than the secondary market for higher-rated securities. In addition, the trading volume for high-yield, fixed income securities is generally lower than that of higher rated securities and the secondary market for high yield, fixed income securities could contract under adverse market or economic conditions independent of any specific adverse changes in the condition of a particular issuer. These factors may have an adverse effect on the ability of an Underlying Fund to dispose of particular portfolio investments. Prices realized upon the sale of such lower rated or unrated securities, under these circumstances, may be less than the prices used in calculating an Underlying Funds NAV. A less liquid secondary market also may make it more difficult for an Underlying Fund to obtain precise valuations of the high yield securities in its portfolio.
The adoption of new legislation could adversely affect the secondary market for high yield securities and the financial condition of issuers of these securities. The form of any future legislation, and the probability of such legislation being enacted, is uncertain.
Non-investment grade or high-yield, fixed income securities also present risks based on payment expectations. High yield, fixed income securities frequently contain call or buy-back features which permit the issuer to call or repurchase the security from its holder. If an issuer exercises such a call option and redeems the security, an Underlying Fund may have to replace such security with a lower-yielding security, resulting in a decreased return for investors. In addition, if an Underlying Fund experiences unexpected net redemptions of its shares, it may be forced to sell its higher-rated securities, resulting in a decline in the overall credit quality of the Underlying Funds portfolio and increasing the exposure of the Underlying Fund to the risks of high-yield securities.
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Credit ratings issued by credit rating agencies are designed to evaluate the safety of principal and interest payments of rated securities. They do not, however, evaluate the market value risk of non-investment grade securities and, therefore, may not fully reflect the true risks of an investment. In addition, credit rating agencies may or may not make timely changes in a rating to reflect changes in the economy or in the conditions of the issuer that affect the market value of the security. Consequently, credit ratings are used only as a preliminary indicator of investment quality. Investments in non-investment grade and comparable unrated obligations will be more dependent on the credit analysis of an Underlying Funds investment adviser than would be the case with investments in investment-grade debt obligations.
Income Trusts
Certain of the Underlying Funds, including the MLP Energy Infrastructure Fund, may invest in income trusts, including business trusts and oil royalty trusts. Income trusts are operating businesses that have been put into a trust. They pay out the bulk of their free cash flow to unit holders. The businesses that are sold into these trusts are usually mature and stable income-producing companies that lend themselves to fixed (monthly or quarterly) distributions. These trusts are regarded as equity investments with fixed-income attributes or high-yield debt with no fixed maturity date. These trusts typically offer regular income payments and a significant premium yield compared to other types of fixed income investments.
Business Trusts. A business trust is an income trust where the principal business of the underlying corporation or other entity is in the manufacturing, service or general industrial sectors. It is anticipated that the number of businesses constituted or reorganized as income trusts will increase significantly in the future. Conversion to the income trust structure is attractive to many existing mature businesses with relatively high, stable cash flows and low capital expenditure requirements, due to tax efficiency and investor demand for high-yielding equity securities. One of the primary attractions of business trusts, in addition to their relatively high yield, is their ability to enhance diversification in the portfolio as they cover a broad range of industries and geographies, including public refrigerated warehousing, mining, coal distribution, sugar distribution, forest products, retail sales, food sales and processing, chemical recovery and processing, data processing, gas marketing and check printing. Each business represented is typically characterized by long life assets or businesses that have exhibited a high degree of stability. Investments in business trusts are subject to various risks, including risks related to the underlying operating companies controlled by such trusts. These risks may include lack of or limited operating histories and increased susceptibility to interest rate risks.
Oil Royalty Trusts. A royalty trust typically controls an operating company which purchases oil and gas properties using the trusts capital. The royalty trust then receives royalties and/or interest payments from its operating company, and distributes them as income to its unit holders. Units of the royalty trust represent an economic interest in the underlying assets of the trust.
An Underlying Fund may invest in oil royalty trusts that are traded on stock exchanges. Oil royalty trusts are income trusts that own or control oil and gas operating companies. Oil royalty trusts pay out substantially all of the cash flow they receive from the production and sale of underlying crude oil and natural gas reserves to shareholders (unitholders) in the form of monthly dividends (distributions). As a result of distributing the bulk of their cash flow to unitholders, royalty trusts are effectively precluded from internally originating new oil and gas prospects. Therefore, these royalty trusts typically grow through acquisition of producing companies or those with proven reserves of oil and gas, funded through the issuance of additional equity or, where the trust is able, additional debt. Consequently, oil royalty trusts are considered less exposed to the uncertainties faced by a traditional exploration and production corporation. However, they are still exposed to commodity risk and reserve risk, as well as operating risk.
The operations and financial condition of oil royalty trusts, and the amount of distributions or dividends paid on their securities is dependent on oil prices. Prices for commodities vary and are determined by supply and demand factors, including weather, and general economic and political conditions. A decline in oil prices could have a substantial adverse effect on the operations and financial conditions of the trusts. Such trusts are also subject to the risk of an adverse change in the regulations of the natural resource industry and other operational risks relating to the energy sector. In addition, the underlying operating companies held or controlled by the trusts are usually involved in oil exploration; however, such companies may not be successful in holding, discovering, or exploiting adequate
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commercial quantities of oil, the failure of which will adversely affect their values. Even if successful, oil and gas prices have fluctuated widely during the most recent years and may continue to do so in the future. The Investment Adviser expects that the combination of global demand growth and depleting reserves, together with current geopolitical instability, will continue to support strong crude oil prices over the long term. However, there is no guarantee that these prices will not decline. Declining crude oil prices may cause an Underlying Fund to incur losses on its investments. In addition, the demand in and supply to the developing markets could be affected by other factors such as restrictions on imports, increased taxation, and creation of government monopolies, as well as social, economic and political uncertainty and instability. Furthermore, there is no guarantee that non-conventional sources of natural gas will not be discovered which would adversely affect the oil industry.
Moreover, as the underlying oil and gas reserves are produced the remaining reserves attributable to the royalty trust are depleted. The ability of a royalty trust to replace reserves is therefore fundamental to its ability to maintain distribution levels and unit prices over time. Certain royalty trusts have demonstrated consistent positive reserve growth year-over-year and, as such, certain royalty trusts have been successful to date in this respect and are thus currently trading at unit prices significantly higher than those of five or ten years ago. Oil royalty trusts manage reserve depletion through reserve additions resulting from internal capital development activities and through acquisitions. When an Underlying Fund invests in foreign oil royalty trusts, it will also be subject to foreign securities risks, which are described below under Foreign Securities.
Index Swaps, Interest Rate Swaps, Mortgage Swaps, Credit Swaps, Currency Swaps, Total Return Swaps, Options on Swaps and Interest Rate Caps, Floors and Collars
Certain of the Underlying Funds may enter into currency swaps for both hedging purposes and to seek to increase total return. In addition, certain of the Underlying Funds may enter into mortgage, credit, index, interest rate, credit, currency and total return swaps and other interest rate swap arrangements such as rate caps, floors and collars, for both hedging purposes and to seek to increase total return. Certain of the Underlying Funds may also purchase and write (sell) options contracts on swaps, commonly referred to as swaptions.
In a standard swap transaction, two parties agree to exchange the returns, differentials in rates of return or some other amount earned or realized on particular predetermined investments or instruments, which may be adjusted for an interest factor. The gross returns to be exchanged or swapped between the parties are generally calculated with respect to a notional amount, i.e., the return on or increase in value of a particular dollar amount invested at a particular interest rate, in a particular foreign currency or security, or in a basket of securities representing a particular index. Bilateral swap agreements are two party contracts entered into primarily by institutional investors. Cleared swaps are transacted through futures commission merchants (FCMs) that are members of central clearinghouses with the clearinghouse serving as a central counterparty similar to transactions in futures contracts. Funds post initial and variation margin by making payments to their clearing member FCMs.
Currency swaps involve the exchange by an Underlying Fund with another party of their respective rights to make or receive payments in specified currencies. Interest rate swaps involve the exchange by an Underlying Fund with another party of commitments to pay or receive payments for floating rate payments based on interest rates at specified intervals in the future. Two types of interest rate swaps include fixed-for-floating rate swaps and basis swaps. Fixed-for-floating rate swaps involve the exchange of payments based on a fixed interest rate for payments based on a floating interest rate index. By contrast, basis swaps involve the exchange of payments based on two different floating interest rate indices. Mortgage swaps are similar to interest rate swaps in that they represent commitments to pay and receive interest. The notional principal amount, however, is tied to a reference pool or pools of mortgages. Index swaps involve the exchange by an Underlying Fund with another party of payments based on a notional principal amount of a specified index or indices. Total return swaps are contracts that obligate a party to pay or receive interest in exchange for payment by the other party of the total return generated by a security, a basket of securities, an index, or an index component. Credit swaps involve the exchange of a floating or fixed rate payment in return for assuming potential credit losses of an underlying security or pool of securities.
A swaption is an option to enter into a swap agreement. Like other types of options, the buyer of a swaption pays a non-refundable premium for the option and obtains the right, but not the obligation, to enter into or modify an underlying swap or to modify the terms of an existing swap on agreed-upon terms. The seller of a swaption, in exchange for the premium, becomes obligated (if the option is exercised) to enter into or modify an underlying swap
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on agreed-upon terms, which generally entails a greater risk of loss than incurred in buying a swaption. The purchase of an interest rate cap entitles the purchaser, to the extent that a specified index exceeds a predetermined interest rate, to receive payment of interest on a notional principal amount from the party selling such interest rate cap. The purchase of an interest rate floor entitles the purchaser, to the extent that a specified index falls below a predetermined interest rate, to receive payments of interest on a notional principal amount from the party selling the interest rate floor. An interest rate collar is the combination of a cap and a floor that preserves a certain return within a predetermined range of interest rates. Because interest rate, mortgage and currency swaps and interest rate caps, floors and collars are individually negotiated, an Underlying Fund expects to achieve an acceptable degree of correlation between its portfolio investments and its swap, cap, floor and collar positions.
A great deal of flexibility may be possible in the way swap transactions are structured. However, generally an Underlying Fund will enter into interest rate, total return, credit, mortgage and index swaps on a net basis, which means that the two payment streams are netted out, with the Underlying Fund receiving or paying, as the case may be, only the net amount of the two payments. Interest rate, total return, credit, index and mortgage swaps do not normally involve the delivery of securities, other underlying assets or principal. Accordingly, the risk of loss with respect to interest rate, total return, credit, index and mortgage swaps is normally limited to the net amount of interest payments that the Underlying Fund is contractually obligated to make. If the other party to an interest rate, total return, credit, index or mortgage swap defaults, the Underlying Funds risk of loss consists of the net amount of interest payments that the Underlying Fund is contractually entitled to receive, if any.
In contrast, currency swaps usually involve the delivery of a gross payment stream in one designated currency in exchange for the gross payment stream in another designated currency. Therefore, the entire payment stream under a currency swap is subject to the risk that the other party to the swap will default on its contractual delivery obligations. A credit swap may have as reference obligations one or more securities that may, or may not, be currently held by an Underlying Fund. The protection buyer in a credit swap is generally obligated to pay the protection seller an upfront or a periodic stream of payments over the term of the swap provided that no credit event, such as a default, on a reference obligation has occurred. If a credit event occurs, the seller generally must pay the buyer the par value (full notional value) of the swap in exchange for an equal face amount of deliverable obligations of the reference entity described in the swap, or the seller may be required to deliver the related net cash amount, if the swap is cash settled. An Underlying Fund may be either the protection buyer or seller in the transaction. If the Underlying Fund is a buyer and no credit event occurs, the Underlying Fund may recover nothing if the swap is held through its termination date. However, if a credit event occurs, the buyer generally may elect to receive the full notional value of the swap in exchange for an equal face amount of deliverable obligations of the reference entity whose value may have significantly decreased. As a seller, an Underlying Fund generally receives an upfront payment or a rate of income throughout the term of the swap provided that there is no credit event. As the seller, an Underlying Fund would effectively add leverage to its portfolio because, in addition to its total net assets, an Underlying Fund would be subject to investment exposure on the notional amount of the swap. If a credit event occurs, the value of any deliverable obligation received by the Underlying Fund as seller, coupled with the upfront or periodic payments previously received, may be less than the full notional value it pays to the buyer, resulting in a loss of value to the Underlying Fund. To the extent that an Underlying Funds exposure in a transaction involving a swap, a swaption or an interest rate floor, cap or collar is covered by the identifying cash or liquid assets on the Funds books or is covered by other means in accordance with SEC or SEC-staff approved guidance or other appropriate measures, the Underlying Funds and their investment advisers believe that the transactions do not constitute senior securities under the Act and, accordingly, will not treat them as being subject to an Underlying Funds borrowing restrictions. For more information about these practices, see Description of Investment Securities and Practices Asset Segregation.
As a result of new rules adopted in 2012, certain standardized swaps are currently subject to mandatory central clearing. Central clearing is expected to decrease counterparty risk and increase liquidity compared to bilateral swaps because central clearing interposes the central clearinghouse as the counterparty to each participants swap. However, central clearing does not eliminate counterparty risk or illiquidity risk entirely. In addition, depending on the size of an Underlying Fund and other factors, the margin required under the rules of a clearinghouse and by a clearing member may be in excess of the collateral required to be posted by the Underlying Fund to support its obligations under a similar bilateral swap. However, regulators are expected to adopt rules imposing certain margin requirements, including minimums, or uncleared swaps in the near future, which could change this comparison.
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The use of swaps and swaptions, as well as interest rate caps, floors and collars, is a highly specialized activity which involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. The use of a swap requires an understanding not only of the referenced asset, reference rate, or index but also of the swap itself, without the benefit of observing the performance of the swap under all possible market conditions. If an Underlying Funds investment adviser is incorrect in its forecasts of market values, credit quality, interest rates and currency exchange rates, the investment performance of an Underlying Fund would be less favorable than it would have been if this investment technique were not used.
In addition, these transactions can involve greater risks than if an Underlying Fund had invested in the reference obligation directly because, in addition to general market risks, swaps are subject to illiquidity risk, counterparty risk, credit risk and pricing risk. Regulators also may impose limits on an entitys or group of entities positions in certain swaps. However, certain risks are reduced (but not eliminated) if the Underlying Fund invests in cleared swaps. Because bilateral swap agreements are two party contracts and because they may have terms of greater than seven days, swap transactions may be considered to be illiquid. Moreover, an Underlying Fund bears the risk of loss of the amount expected to be received under a swap agreement in the event of the default or bankruptcy of a swap counterparty. Many swaps are complex and often valued subjectively. Swaps and other derivatives may also be subject to pricing or basis risk, which exists when the price of a particular derivative diverges from the price of corresponding cash market instruments. Under certain market conditions it may not be economically feasible to imitate a transaction or liquidate a position in time to avoid a loss or take advantage of an opportunity. If a swap transaction is particularly large or if the relevant market is illiquid, it may not be possible to initiate a transaction or liquidate a position at an advantageous time or price, which may result in significant losses.
Regulators are in the process of development rules that would require trading and execution of most liquid swaps on trading facilities. Moving trading to an exchange-type system may increase market transparency and liquidity but may require an Underlying Fund to incur increased expenses to access the same types of swaps.
Rules adopted in 2012 also require centralized reporting of detailed information about many types of cleared and uncleared swaps. This information is available to regulators and, to a more limited extent and on an anonymous basis, to the public. Reporting of swap data may result in greater market transparency, which may be beneficial to funds that use swaps to implement trading strategies. However, these rules place potential additional administrative obligations on these funds, and the safeguards established to protect anonymity may not function as expected.
The swap market has grown substantially in recent years with a large number of banks and investment banking firms acting both as principals and as agents utilizing standardized swap documentation. As a result, the swap market has become relatively liquid in comparison with the markets for other similar instruments which are traded in the interbank market. The investment advisers for the Underlying Funds, under the supervision of the Board of Trustees, are responsible for determining and monitoring the liquidity of the Underlying Funds transactions in swaps, swaptions, caps, floors and collars.
Inverse Floating Rate Securities
Permissible investments for certain of the Underlying Funds include inverse floating rate debt instruments (inverse floaters), including leveraged inverse floaters. The interest rate on an inverse floater resets in the opposite direction from the market rate of interest to which the inverse floater is indexed. An inverse floater may be considered to be leveraged to the extent that its interest rate varies by a magnitude that exceeds the magnitude of the change in the index rate of interest. The higher degree of leverage inherent in inverse floaters is associated with greater volatility in their market values. Accordingly, the duration of an inverse floater may exceed its stated final maturity. Certain inverse floaters may be deemed to be illiquid securities for purposes of an Underlying Funds limitation on illiquid investments.
Investments in the Wholly-Owned Subsidiary
The Underlying Tactical Fund may invest in the Subsidiary. Investments in the Subsidiary are expected to provide a Portfolio with exposure to the commodity markets within the limitations of Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the Code) and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) rulings, as discussed below under Taxation Fund Taxation. Historically, the IRS issued private letter rulings in which the IRS specifically
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concluded that income and gains from investments in commodity index-linked structured notes or a wholly-owned foreign subsidiary that invests in commodity-linked instruments are qualifying income for purposes of compliance with the Code. However, the Underlying Tactical Fund has not received such a private letter ruling, and is not able to rely on private letter rulings issued to other taxpayers. Additionally, the IRS has suspended the granting of such private letter rulings pending review of its position on this matter. The IRS also recently issued proposed regulations that, if finalized, would generally treat the Underlying Tactical Funds income inclusion with respect to the Subsidiary as qualifying income only if there is a distribution out of the earnings and profits of a subsidiary that are attributable to such income inclusion. The proposed regulations, if adopted, would apply to taxable years beginning on or after 90 days after the regulations are published as final.
The IRS also recently issued a revenue procedure, which states that the IRS will not in the future issue private letter rulings that would require a determination of whether an asset (such as a commodity index-linked note) is a security under the Act. The tax treatment of the Underlying Tactical Funds investments in the Subsidiary or commodity index-linked structured notes may be adversely affected by future legislation, court decisions, Treasury Regulations and/or guidance issued by the IRS (which may be retroactive) that could affect whether income derived from such investments is qualifying income under Subchapter M of Code, or otherwise affect the character, timing and/or amount of the Underlying Tactical Funds taxable income or any gains and distributions made by the Underlying Tactical Fund. In connection with investments in the Subsidiary and commodity index-linked structured notes, the Underlying Tactical Fund has obtained an opinion of counsel that its income from such investments should constitute qualifying income. However, no assurances can be provided that the IRS would not be able to successfully assert that the Underlying Tactical Funds income from such investments was not qualifying income, in which the Underlying Tactical Fund would fail to qualify as a regulated investment company (RIC) under Subchapter M of the Code if over 10% of its gross income was derived from these investments. If the Underlying Tactical Fund failed to qualify as a RIC, it would be subject to federal and state income tax on all of its taxable income at regular corporate tax rates with no deduction for any distributions paid to shareholders, which would significantly adversely affect the returns to, and could cause substantial loss for, the Underlying Tactical Fund shareholders.
The Subsidiary is a company organized under the laws of the Cayman Islands and is overseen by its own board of directors. The Underlying Tactical Fund is currently the sole shareholder of the Subsidiary. The Subsidiary may invest without limitation in commodity index-linked securities (including leveraged and unleveraged structured notes) and other commodity-linked securities and derivative instruments that provide exposure to the performance of the commodity markets. Although the Underlying Tactical Fund may invest in commodity-linked derivative instruments directly, it could also gain exposure to these derivative instruments indirectly by investing in the Subsidiary. The Subsidiary also invests in fixed income securities, which are intended to serve as margin or collateral for the Subsidiarys derivative positions. To the extent that the Underlying Tactical Fund invests in the Subsidiary, it may be subject to the risks associated with those derivative instruments and other securities, which are discussed elsewhere in the Underlying Tactical Funds Prospectus and SAI.
The Subsidiary is not an investment company registered under the Act and, unless otherwise noted in the applicable Prospectus and this SAI, is not subject to all of the investor protections of the Act and other U.S. regulations. Changes in the laws of the United States and/or the Cayman Islands could result in the inability of the Underlying Tactical Fund and/or the Subsidiary to operate as described in the Prospectus and this SAI and could negatively affect the Underlying Tactical Fund and the Portfolios.
Investment in Unseasoned Companies
Certain of the Underlying Funds may invest in companies (including predecessors) which have operated less than three years. The securities of such companies may have limited liquidity, which can result in their being priced higher or lower than might otherwise be the case. In addition, investments in unseasoned companies are more speculative and entail greater risk than do investments in companies with an established operating record.
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Lending of Portfolio Securities
Certain of the Underlying Funds may lend their portfolio securities to brokers, dealers and other institutions, including Goldman Sachs. By lending its securities, an Underlying Fund attempts to increase its net investment income.
Securities loans are required to be secured continuously by collateral in cash, cash equivalents, letters of credit or U.S. Government Securities equal to at least 100% of the value of the loaned securities. This collateral must be valued, or marked to market, daily. Borrowers are required to furnish additional collateral to the Underlying Fund as necessary to fully cover their obligations.
With respect to loans that are collateralized by cash, the Underlying Fund may reinvest that cash in short-term investments and pay the borrower a pre-negotiated fee or rebate from any return earned on the investment. Investing the collateral subjects it to market depreciation or appreciation, and the Underlying Fund is responsible for any loss that may result from its investment of the borrowed collateral. Cash collateral may be invested in, among other things, other registered or unregistered funds, including private investing funds or money market funds that are managed by the Underlying Funds investment adviser or its affiliates, and which pay the Underlying Funds investment adviser or its affiliates for their services. If the Underlying Fund would receive non-cash collateral, the Underlying Fund receives a fee from the borrower equal to a negotiated percentage of the market value of the loaned securities.
For the duration of any securities loan, the Underlying Fund will continue to receive the equivalent of the interest, dividends or other distributions paid by the issuer on the loaned securities. The Underlying Fund will not have the right to vote its loaned securities during the period of the loan, but the Underlying Fund may attempt to recall a loaned security in anticipation of a material vote if it desires to do so. An Underlying Fund will have the right to terminate a loan at any time and recall the loaned securities within the normal and customary settlement time for securities transactions.
Securities lending involves certain risks. The Underlying Fund may lose money on its investment of cash collateral, resulting in a loss of principal, or may fail to earn sufficient income on its investment to cover the fee or rebate it has agreed to pay the borrower. An Underlying Fund may incur losses in connection with its securities lending activities that exceed the value of the interest income and fees received in connection with such transactions. Securities lending subjects an Underlying Fund to the risk of loss resulting from problems in the settlement and accounting process, and to additional credit, counterparty and market risk. These risks could be greater with respect to non-U.S. securities. Engaging in securities lending could have a leveraging effect, which may intensify the other risks associated with investments in the Underlying Fund. In addition, an Underlying Fund bears the risk that the price of the securities on loan will increase while they are on loan, or that the price of the collateral will decline in value during the period of the loan, and that the counterparty will not provide, or will delay in providing, additional collateral. An Underlying Fund also bears the risk that a borrower may fail to return securities in a timely manner or at all, either because the borrower fails financially or for other reasons. If a borrower of securities fails financially, an Underlying Fund may also lose its rights in the collateral. An Underlying Fund could experience delays and costs in recovering the loaned securities or in gaining access to and liquidating the collateral, which could result in actual financial loss and which could interfere with portfolio management decisions or the exercise of ownership rights in the loaned securities. If an Underlying Fund is not able to recover the securities lent, the Underlying Fund may sell the collateral and purchase replacement securities in the market. However, the Underlying Fund will incur transaction costs on the purchase of replacement securities. These events could trigger adverse tax consequences for the Underlying Fund. In determining whether to lend securities to a particular borrower, and throughout the period of the loan, the creditworthiness of the borrower will be considered and monitored. Loans will only be made to firms deemed to be of good standing, and where the consideration that can be earned currently from securities loans of this type is deemed to justify the attendant risk. It is intended that the value of securities loaned by an Underlying Fund will not exceed one-third of the value of an Underlying Funds total assets (including the loan collateral).
An Underlying Fund will consider the loaned securities as assets of the Underlying Fund, but will not consider any collateral as an Underlying Fund asset except when determining total assets for the purpose of the above one-third limitation. Loan collateral (including any investment of the collateral) is not subject to the percentage limitations stated elsewhere in this SAI, the Prospectus or the Underlying Funds Prospectuses or SAIs regarding investing in fixed income securities and cash equivalents.
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The Underlying Funds Board of Trustees has approved each Underlying Funds participation in a securities lending program and has adopted policies and procedures relating thereto. Under the current securities lending program, each Underlying Fund has retained either an affiliate of its investment adviser or State Street Bank and Trust Company to serve as its securities lending agent.
For its services, the securities lending agent may receive a fee from an Underlying Fund, including a fee based on the returns earned on the Underlying Funds investment of cash received as collateral for the loaned securities. In addition, an Underlying Fund may make brokerage and other payments to Goldman Sachs and its affiliates in connection with the Underlying Funds portfolio investment transactions. An Underlying Funds Board of Trustees periodically reviews reports on securities loan transactions for which a Goldman Sachs affiliate has acted as lending agent for compliance with the Underlying Funds securities lending procedures. Goldman Sachs also has been approved as a borrower under an Underlying Funds securities lending program, subject to certain conditions.
Limited Liability Company Common Units
Some energy companies in which certain Underlying Funds, including the MLP Energy Infrastructure Fund, may invest have been organized as limited liability companies (MLP LLCs). Such MLP LLCs are treated in the same manner as MLPs for federal income tax purposes. Consistent with its investment objective and policies, an Underlying Fund may invest in common units or other securities of such MLP LLCs. MLP LLC common units represent an equity ownership interest in an MLP LLC, entitling the holders to a share of the MLP LLCs success through distributions and/or capital appreciation. Similar to MLPs, MLP LLCs typically do not pay federal income tax at the entity level and are required by their operating agreements to distribute a large percentage of their current operating earnings. MLP LLC common unitholders generally have first right to an MQD prior to distributions to subordinated unitholders and typically have arrearage rights if the MQD is not met. In the event of liquidation, MLP LLC common unitholders have first right to the MLP LLCs remaining assets after bondholders, other debt holders and preferred unitholders, if any, have been paid in full. MLP LLC common units trade on a national securities exchange or OTC. In contrast to MLPs, MLP LLCs have no general partner and there are generally no incentives that entitle management or other unitholders to increased percentages of cash distributions as distributions reach higher target levels. In addition, MLP LLC common unitholders typically have voting rights with respect to the MLP LLC, whereas MLP common units have limited voting rights.
Loans and Loan Participations
An Underlying Fund or a Portfolio may invest in loans and loan participations. A loan participation is an interest in a loan to a U.S. or foreign company or other borrower which is administered and sold by a financial intermediary. The Underlying Funds and Portfolios may only invest in loans to issuers in whose obligations it may otherwise invest. Loan participation interests may take the form of a direct or co-lending relationship with the corporate borrower, an assignment of an interest in the loan by a co-lender or another participant, or a participation in the sellers share of the loan. When acting as co-lender in connection with a participation interest or when acquiring certain participation interests, a Portfolio or Underlying Fund will have direct recourse against the borrower if the borrower fails to pay scheduled principal and interest. In cases where direct recourse is lacking, an Underlying Fund or Portfolio will look to an agent for the lenders (the agent lender) to enforce appropriate credit remedies against the borrower. In these cases, the Portfolio or Underlying Fund may be subject to delays, expenses and risks that are greater than those that would have been involved in purchasing a direct obligation (such as commercial paper) of such borrower. Moreover, under the terms of the loan participation, the Underlying Fund or Portfolio may be regarded as a creditor of the agent lender (rather than of the underlying corporate borrower), so that the Underlying Fund or Portfolio may also be subject to the risk that the agent lender may become insolvent.
Loan obligations are subject to the credit risk of nonpayment of principal or interest. Substantial increases in interest rates may cause an increase in loan obligation defaults. Although a loan obligation may be fully collateralized at the time of acquisition, the collateral may decline in value, be relatively illiquid, or lose all or substantially all of its value subsequent to investment, leaving all or part of a loan obligation unsecured. Unsecured loan obligations or unsecured portions of loan obligations are subject to greater risk of loss in the event of default by
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the borrower than secured loans. Many loan obligations are subject to legal or contractual restrictions on resale and are relatively illiquid and may be difficult to value. The purchase and sale of a loan obligation are subject to the requirements of the credit agreement governing the loan obligation. Loan obligations are not traded on an exchange and purchasers and sellers rely on certain market makers, such as the administrative agent for the particular loan obligation, to trade that loan obligation. These factors will also have an adverse impact on an Underlying Funds or Portfolios ability to dispose of particular loan obligations or loan participations when necessary to meet the Underlying Funds or Portfolios liquidity needs or when necessary in response to a specific economic event, such as a decline in the credit quality of the borrower. Underlying Funds or Portfolios investing in loan participations may have limited recourse against a borrower who fails to pay scheduled principal and interest.
Master Limited Partnerships
Certain of the Underlying Funds, including the MLP Energy Infrastructure Fund, may invest in MLPs. An MLP is an entity receiving partnership taxation treatment under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the Code), and whose interests or units are traded on securities exchanges like shares of corporate stock. A typical MLP consists of a general partner and limited partners; however, some entities receiving partnership taxation treatment under the Code are established as limited liability companies. The general partner manages the partnership; has an ownership stake in the partnership; and is typically eligible to receive an incentive distribution. The limited partners provide capital to the partnership, have a limited (if any) role in the operation and management of the partnership, and receive cash distributions. Due to their partnership structure, MLPs generally do not pay income taxes.
Holders of MLP units could potentially become subject to liability for all of the obligations of an MLP, if a court determines that the rights of the unitholders to take certain action under the limited partnership agreement would constitute control of the business of that MLP, or if a court or governmental agency determines that the MLP is conducting business in a state without complying with the limited partnership statute of that state.
To be treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes, an MLP must derive at least 90% of its gross income for each taxable year from qualifying sources, including activities such as the exploration, development, mining, production, processing, refining, transportation, storage and certain marketing of mineral or natural resources. Many of the MLPs in which an Underlying Fund may invest operate oil, gas or petroleum facilities, or other facilities within the energy sector. The MLP Energy Infrastructure Fund intends to concentrate its investments in the energy sector, with a focus on midstream energy infrastructure MLPs. The MLP Energy Infrastructure Fund may, however, invest in MLP entities in any sector of the economy.
Midstream MLPs are generally engaged in the treatment, gathering, compression, processing, transportation, transmission, fractionation, storage and terminalling of natural gas, natural gas liquids, crude oil, refined products or coal. Midstream MLPs may also operate ancillary businesses including marketing of energy products and logistical services. An Underlying Fund may also invest in upstream and downstream MLPs. Upstream MLPs are primarily engaged in the exploration, recovery, development and production of crude oil, natural gas and natural gas liquids. Downstream MLPs are primarily engaged in the processing, treatment, and refining of natural gas liquids and crude oil. The MLPs in which an Underlying Fund invests may also engage in owning, managing and transporting alternative energy assets, including alternative fuels such as ethanol, hydrogen and biodiesel.
MLP Equity Securities. Equity securities issued by MLPs generally consist of common units, subordinated units and preferred units, as described more fully below.
MLP Common Units. The common units of many MLPs are listed and traded on U.S. securities exchanges, including the New York Stock Exchange, Inc. (NYSE) and the National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations System (NASDAQ). An Underlying Fund may purchase such common units through open market transactions and underwritten offerings, but may also acquire common units through direct placements and privately negotiated transactions. Holders of MLP common units typically have very limited control and voting rights. Holders of such common units are typically entitled to receive a minimum quarterly distribution (MQD) from the issuer, and typically have a right, to the extent that an MLP fails to make a previous MQD, to recover in future distributions the amount by which the MQD was short (arrearage rights). Generally, an MLP must pay (or set aside for payment) the MQD to holders of common units before any distributions may be paid to subordinated
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unit holders. In addition, incentive distributions are typically not paid to the general partner or managing member unless the quarterly distributions on the common units exceed specified threshold levels above the MQD. In the event of a liquidation, common unit holders are intended to have a preference with respect to the remaining assets of the issuer over holders of subordinated units. MLPs issue different classes of common units that may have different voting, trading, and distribution rights. An Underlying Fund may invest in different classes of common units.
MLP Subordinated Units. Subordinated units, which, like common units, represent limited partner or member interests, are not typically listed or traded on an exchange. An Underlying Fund may purchase outstanding subordinated units through negotiated transactions directly with holders of such units or newly issued subordinated units directly from the issuer. Holders of such subordinated units are generally entitled to receive a distribution only after the MQD and any arrearages from prior quarters have been paid to holders of common units. Holders of subordinated units typically have the right to receive distributions before any incentive distributions are payable to the general partner or managing member. Subordinated units generally do not provide arrearage rights. Most MLP subordinated units are convertible into common units after the passage of a specified period of time or upon the achievement by the issuer of specified financial goals. MLPs issue different classes of subordinated units that may have different voting, trading, and distribution rights. An Underlying Fund may invest in different classes of subordinated units.
MLP Convertible Subordinated Units. MLP convertible subordinated units are typically issued by MLPs to founders, corporate general partners of MLPs, entities that sell assets to MLPs, and institutional investors. Convertible subordinated units increase the likelihood that, during the subordination period, there will be available cash to be distributed to common unitholders. MLP convertible subordinated units generally are not entitled to distributions until holders of common units have received their specified MQD, plus any arrearages, and may receive less than common unitholders in distributions upon liquidation. Convertible subordinated unitholders generally are entitled to MQD prior to the payment of incentive distributions to the general partner, but are not entitled to arrearage rights. Therefore, MLP convertible subordinated units generally entail greater risk than MLP common units. Convertible subordinated units are generally convertible automatically into senior common units of the same issuer at a one-to-one ratio upon the passage of time or the satisfaction of certain financial tests. Convertible subordinated units do not trade on a national exchange or over-the-counter (OTC), and there is no active market for them. The value of a convertible subordinated unit is a function of its worth if converted into the underlying common units. Convertible subordinated units generally have similar voting rights as do MLP common units. Distributions may be paid in cash or in-kind.
MLP Preferred Units. MLP preferred units are not typically listed or traded on an exchange. An Underlying Fund may purchase MLP preferred units through negotiated transactions directly with MLPs, affiliates of MLPs and institutional holders of such units. Holders of MLP preferred units can be entitled to a wide range of voting and other rights, depending on the structure of each separate security.
MLP General Partner or Managing Member Interests. The general partner or managing member interest in an MLP is typically retained by the original sponsors of an MLP, such as its founders, corporate partners and entities that sell assets to the MLP. The holder of the general partner or managing member interest can be liable in certain circumstances for amounts greater than the amount of the holders investment in the general partner or managing member. General partner or managing member interests often confer direct board participation rights in, and in many cases control over the operations of, the MLP. General partner or managing member interests can be privately held or owned by publicly traded entities. General partner or managing member interests receive cash distributions, typically in an amount of up to 2% of available cash, which is contractually defined in the partnership or limited liability company agreement. In addition, holders of general partner or managing member interests typically receive incentive distribution rights (IDRs), which provide them with an increasing share of the entitys aggregate cash distributions upon the payment of per common unit distributions that exceed specified threshold levels above the MQD. Incentive distributions to a general partner are designed to encourage the general partner, who controls and operates the partnership, to maximize the partnerships cash flow and increase distributions to the limited partners. Due to the IDRs, general partners of MLPs have higher distribution growth prospects than their underlying MLPs, but quarterly incentive distribution payments would also decline at a greater rate than the decline rate in quarterly distributions to common and subordinated unit holders in the event of a reduction in the MLPs quarterly distribution. The ability of the limited partners or members to remove the general partner or managing member without cause is typically very limited. In addition, some MLPs permit the holder of IDRs to reset, under specified circumstances, the incentive distribution levels and receive compensation in exchange for the distribution rights given up in the reset.
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MLP Debt Securities. Debt securities issued by MLPs may include those rated below investment grade. An Underlying Fund may invest in MLP debt securities without regard to credit quality or maturity. Investments in such securities may not offer the tax characteristics of equity securities of MLPs.
MLP Affiliates and I-Units
Other MLP Equity and Debt Securities. Certain Underlying Funds, including the MLP Energy Infrastructure Fund, may invest in equity and debt securities issued by affiliates of MLPs, including the general partners or managing members of MLPs and companies that own MLP general partner interests and are energy companies. Such issuers may be organized and/or taxed as corporations and therefore may not offer the advantageous tax characteristics of MLP units. An Underlying Fund may purchase such other MLP equity securities through market transactions, but may also do so through direct placements.
I-Units. I-Units represent an indirect ownership interest in an MLP and are issued by an MLP affiliate. The MLP affiliate uses the proceeds from the sale of I-Units to purchase limited partnership interests in its affiliated MLP. Thus, I-Units represent an indirect interest in an MLP. I-Units have limited voting rights and are similar in that respect to MLP common units. I-Units differ from MLP common units primarily in that instead of receiving cash distributions, holders of I-Units will receive distributions of additional I-Units in an amount equal to the cash distributions received by common unit holders. I-Units are traded on the NYSE. Issuers of MLP I-Units are treated as corporations and not partnerships for tax purposes.
Mortgage Dollar Rolls
Certain of the Underlying Funds may enter into mortgage dollar rolls in which an Underlying Fund sells securities for delivery in the current month and simultaneously contracts with the same counterparty to repurchase similar, but not identical securities on a specified future date. During the roll period, an Underlying Fund loses the right to receive principal and interest paid on the securities sold. However, an Underlying Fund would benefit to the extent of any difference between the price received for the securities sold and the lower forward price for the future purchase or fee income plus the interest earned on the cash proceeds of the securities sold until the settlement date of the forward purchase. All cash proceeds will be invested in instruments that are permissible investments for the applicable Underlying Fund. An Underlying Fund will, until the settlement date, identify cash or liquid assets on its books, as permitted by applicable law, in an amount equal to its forward purchase price.
For financial reporting and tax purposes, the Underlying Funds treat mortgage dollar rolls as two separate transactions: one involving the purchase of a security and a separate transaction involving a sale. The Underlying Funds do not currently intend to enter into mortgage dollar rolls for financing and do not treat them as borrowings.
Mortgage dollar rolls involve certain risks including the following: if the broker-dealer to whom an Underlying Fund sells the security becomes insolvent, an Underlying Funds right to purchase or repurchase the mortgage-related securities subject to the mortgage dollar roll may be restricted. Also the instrument which an Underlying Fund is required to repurchase may be worth less than an instrument which an Underlying Fund originally held. Successful use of mortgage dollar rolls will depend upon the ability of an Underlying Funds investment adviser to manage an Underlying Funds interest rate and mortgage prepayments exposure. For these reasons, there is no assurance that mortgage dollar rolls can be successfully employed. The use of this technique may diminish the investment performance of an Underlying Fund compared to what such performance would have been without the use of mortgage dollar rolls.
Mortgage Loans and Mortgage-Backed Securities
Certain of the Underlying Funds may invest in mortgage loans and mortgage pass-through securities and other securities representing an interest in or collateralized by adjustable and fixed rate mortgage loans (Mortgage-Backed Securities).
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Mortgage-Backed Securities (including collateralized mortgage obligations, real estate mortgage investment conduits (REMICs) and stripped mortgage-backed securities as described below) are subject to both call risk and extension risk. Because of these risks, these securities can have significantly greater price and yield volatility than traditional fixed income securities.
General Characteristics of Mortgage Backed Securities.
In general, each mortgage pool underlying Mortgage-Backed Securities consists of mortgage loans evidenced by promissory notes secured by first mortgages or first deeds of trust or other similar security instruments creating a first lien on owner occupied and non-owner occupied one-unit to four-unit residential properties, multi-family (i.e., five-units or more) properties, agricultural properties, commercial properties and mixed use properties (the Mortgaged Properties). The Mortgaged Properties may consist of detached individual dwelling units, multi-family dwelling units, individual condominiums, townhouses, duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes, row houses, individual units in planned unit developments, other attached dwelling units (Residential Mortgaged Properties) or commercial properties, such as office properties, retail properties, hospitality properties, industrial properties, healthcare related properties or other types of income producing real property (Commercial Mortgaged Properties). Residential Mortgaged Properties may also include residential investment properties and second homes. In addition, the Mortgage-Backed Securities which are residential mortgage-backed securities may also consist of mortgage loans evidenced by promissory notes secured entirely or in part by second priority mortgage liens on Residential Mortgaged Properties.
The investment characteristics of adjustable and fixed rate Mortgage-Backed Securities differ from those of traditional fixed income securities. The major differences include the payment of interest and principal on Mortgage-Backed Securities on a more frequent (usually monthly) schedule, and the possibility that principal may be prepaid at any time due to prepayments on the underlying mortgage loans or other assets. These differences can result in significantly greater price and yield volatility than is the case with traditional fixed income securities. As a result, if an Underlying Fund purchases Mortgage-Backed Securities at a premium, a faster than expected prepayment rate will reduce both the market value and the yield to maturity from their anticipated levels. A prepayment rate that is slower than expected will have the opposite effect, increasing yield to maturity and market value. Conversely, if an Underlying Fund purchases Mortgage-Backed Securities at a discount, faster than expected prepayments will increase, while slower than expected prepayments will reduce yield to maturity and market value. To the extent that an Underlying Fund invests in Mortgage-Backed Securities, its investment adviser may seek to manage these potential risks by investing in a variety of Mortgage-Backed Securities and by using certain hedging techniques.
Prepayments on a pool of mortgage loans are influenced by changes in current interest rates and a variety of economic, geographic, social and other factors (such as changes in mortgagor housing needs, job transfers, unemployment, mortgagor equity in the mortgage properties and servicing decisions). The timing and level of prepayments cannot be predicted. A predominant factor affecting the prepayment rate on a pool of mortgage loans is the difference between the interest rates on outstanding mortgage loans and prevailing mortgage loan interest rates (giving consideration to the cost of any refinancing). Generally, prepayments on mortgage loans will increase during a period of falling mortgage interest rates and decrease during a period of rising mortgage interest rates. Accordingly, the amounts of prepayments available for reinvestment by an Underlying Fund are likely to be greater during a period of declining mortgage interest rates. If general interest rates decline, such prepayments are likely to be reinvested at lower interest rates than an Underlying Fund was earning on the mortgage-backed securities that were prepaid. Due to these factors, mortgage-backed securities may be less effective than U.S. Treasury and other types of debt securities of similar maturity at maintaining yields during periods of declining interest rates. Because an Underlying Funds investments in Mortgage-Backed Securities are interest-rate sensitive, an Underlying Funds performance will depend in part upon the ability of the Underlying Fund to anticipate and respond to fluctuations in market interest rates and to utilize appropriate strategies to maximize returns to the Underlying Fund, while attempting to minimize the associated risks to its investment capital. Prepayments may have a disproportionate effect on certain mortgage-backed securities and other multiple class pass-through securities, which are discussed below.
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The rate of interest paid on mortgage-backed securities is normally lower than the rate of interest paid on the mortgages included in the underlying pool due to (among other things) the fees paid to any servicer, special servicer and trustee for the trust fund which holds the mortgage pool, other costs and expenses of such trust fund, fees paid to any guarantor, such as Ginnie Mae (as defined below) or to any credit enhancers, mortgage pool insurers, bond insurers and/or hedge providers, and due to any yield retained by the issuer. Actual yield to the holder may vary from the coupon rate, even if adjustable, if the mortgage-backed securities are purchased or traded in the secondary market at a premium or discount. In addition, there is normally some delay between the time the issuer receives mortgage payments from the servicer and the time the issuer (or the trustee of the trust fund which holds the mortgage pool) makes the payments on the mortgage-backed securities, and this delay reduces the effective yield to the holder of such securities.
The issuers of certain mortgage-backed obligations may elect to have the pool of mortgage loans (or indirect interests in mortgage loans) underlying the securities treated as a REMIC, which is subject to special federal income tax rules. A description of the types of mortgage loans and mortgage-backed securities in which certain of the Underlying Funds may invest is provided below. The descriptions are general and summary in nature, and do not detail every possible variation of the types of securities that are permissible investments for these Underlying Funds.
Certain General Characteristics of Mortgage Loans
Adjustable Rate Mortgage Loans (ARMs). Certain of the Underlying Funds may invest in ARMs. ARMs generally provide for a fixed initial mortgage interest rate for a specified period of time. Thereafter, the interest rates (the Mortgage Interest Rates) may be subject to periodic adjustment based on changes in the applicable index rate (the Index Rate). The adjusted rate would be equal to the Index Rate plus a fixed percentage spread over the Index Rate established for each ARM at the time of its origination. ARMs allow an Underlying Fund to participate in increases in interest rates through periodic increases in the securities coupon rates. During periods of declining interest rates, coupon rates may readjust downward resulting in lower yields to an Underlying Fund.
Adjustable interest rates can cause payment increases that some mortgagors may find difficult to make. However, certain ARMs may provide that the Mortgage Interest Rate may not be adjusted to a rate above an applicable lifetime maximum rate or below an applicable lifetime minimum rate for such ARM. Certain ARMs may also be subject to limitations on the maximum amount by which the Mortgage Interest Rate may adjust for any single adjustment period (the Maximum Adjustment). Other ARMs (Negatively Amortizing ARMs) may provide instead or as well for limitations on changes in the monthly payment on such ARMs. Limitations on monthly payments can result in monthly payments which are greater or less than the amount necessary to amortize a Negatively Amortizing ARM by its maturity at the Mortgage Interest Rate in effect in any particular month. In the event that a monthly payment is not sufficient to pay the interest accruing on a Negatively Amortizing ARM, any such excess interest is added to the principal balance of the loan, causing negative amortization, and will be repaid through future monthly payments. It may take borrowers under Negatively Amortizing ARMs longer periods of time to build up equity and may increase the likelihood of default by such borrowers. In the event that a monthly payment exceeds the sum of the interest accrued at the applicable Mortgage Interest Rate and the principal payment which would have been necessary to amortize the outstanding principal balance over the remaining term of the loan, the excess (or accelerated amortization) further reduces the principal balance of the ARM. Negatively Amortizing ARMs do not provide for the extension of their original maturity to accommodate changes in their Mortgage Interest Rate. As a result, unless there is a periodic recalculation of the payment amount (which there generally is), the final payment may be substantially larger than the other payments. After the expiration of the initial fixed rate period and upon the periodic recalculation of the payment to cause timely amortization of the related mortgage loan, the monthly payment on such mortgage loan may increase substantially which may, in turn, increase the risk of the borrower defaulting in respect of such mortgage loan. These limitations on periodic increases in interest rates and on changes in monthly payments protect borrowers from unlimited interest rate and payment increases, but may result in increased credit exposure and prepayment risks for lenders. When interest due on a mortgage loan is added to the principal balance of such mortgage loan, the related mortgaged property provides proportionately less security for the repayment of such mortgage loan. Therefore, if the related borrower defaults on such mortgage loan, there is a greater likelihood that a loss will be incurred upon any liquidation of the mortgaged property which secures such mortgage loan.
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ARMs also have the risk of prepayment. The rate of principal prepayments with respect to ARMs has fluctuated in recent years. The value of Mortgage-Backed Securities collateralized by ARMs is less likely to rise during periods of declining interest rates than the value of fixed-rate securities during such periods. Accordingly, ARMs may be subject to a greater rate of principal repayments in a declining interest rate environment resulting in lower yields to an Underlying Fund. For example, if prevailing interest rates fall significantly, ARMs could be subject to higher prepayment rates (than if prevailing interest rates remain constant or increase) because the availability of low fixed-rate mortgages may encourage mortgagors to refinance their ARMs to lock-in a fixed-rate mortgage. On the other hand, during periods of rising interest rates, the value of ARMs will lag behind changes in the market rate. ARMs are also typically subject to maximum increases and decreases in the interest rate adjustment which can be made on any one adjustment date, in any one year, or during the life of the security. In the event of dramatic increases or decreases in prevailing market interest rates, the value of an Underlying Funds investment in ARMs may fluctuate more substantially because these limits may prevent the security from fully adjusting its interest rate to the prevailing market rates. As with fixed-rate mortgages, ARM prepayment rates vary in both stable and changing interest rate environments.
There are two main categories of indices which provide the basis for rate adjustments on ARMs: those based on U.S. Treasury securities and those derived from a calculated measure, such as a cost of funds index or a moving average of mortgage rates. Indices commonly used for this purpose include the one-year, three-year and five-year constant maturity Treasury rates, the three-month Treasury bill rate, the 180-day Treasury bill rate, rates on longer-term Treasury securities, the 11th District Federal Home Loan Bank Cost of Funds, the National Median Cost of Funds, the one-month, three-month, six-month or one-year London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR), the prime rate of a specific bank, or commercial paper rates. Some indices, such as the one-year constant maturity Treasury rate, closely mirror changes in market interest rate levels. Others, such as the 11th District Federal Home Loan Bank Cost of Funds index, tend to lag behind changes in market rate levels and tend to be somewhat less volatile. The degree of volatility in the market value of ARMs in an Underlying Funds portfolio and, therefore, in the net asset value of the Underlying Funds shares, will be a function of the length of the interest rate reset periods and the degree of volatility in the applicable indices.
Fixed-Rate Mortgage Loans. Generally, fixed-rate mortgage loans included in mortgage pools (the Fixed-Rate Mortgage Loans) will bear simple interest at fixed annual rates and have original terms to maturity ranging from 5 to 40 years. Fixed-Rate Mortgage Loans generally provide for monthly payments of principal and interest in substantially equal installments for the term of the mortgage note in sufficient amounts to fully amortize principal by maturity, although certain Fixed-Rate Mortgage Loans provide for a large final balloon payment upon maturity.
Certain Legal Considerations of Mortgage Loans. The following is a discussion of certain legal and regulatory aspects of the mortgage loans in which certain of the Underlying Funds may invest. This discussion is not exhaustive, and does not address all of the legal or regulatory aspects affecting mortgage loans. These regulations may impair the ability of a mortgage lender to enforce its rights under the mortgage documents. These regulations may also adversely affect an Underlying Funds investments in Mortgage-Backed Securities (including those issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government, its agencies or instrumentalities) by delaying the Underlying Funds receipt of payments derived from principal or interest on mortgage loans affected by such regulations.
1. | Foreclosure. A foreclosure of a defaulted mortgage loan may be delayed due to compliance with statutory notice or service of process provisions, difficulties in locating necessary parties or legal challenges to the mortgagees right to foreclose. Depending upon market conditions, the ultimate proceeds of the sale of foreclosed property may not equal the amounts owed on the Mortgage-Backed Securities. Furthermore, courts in some cases have imposed general equitable principles upon foreclosure generally designed to relieve the borrower from the legal effect of default and have required lenders to undertake affirmative and expensive actions to determine the causes for the default and the likelihood of loan reinstatement. |
2. | Rights of Redemption. In some states, after foreclosure of a mortgage loan, the borrower and foreclosed junior lienors are given a statutory period in which to redeem the property, which right may diminish the mortgagees ability to sell the property. |
3. | Legislative Limitations. In addition to anti-deficiency and related legislation, numerous other federal and state statutory provisions, including the federal bankruptcy laws and state laws affording relief to debtors, may interfere with or affect the ability of a secured mortgage lender to enforce its security interest. For example, a bankruptcy court may grant the debtor a reasonable time to cure a default on a mortgage loan, including a payment default. The court in certain instances may also reduce the monthly payments due |
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under such mortgage loan, change the rate of interest, reduce the principal balance of the loan to the then-current appraised value of the related mortgaged property, alter the mortgage loan repayment schedule and grant priority of certain liens over the lien of the mortgage loan. If a court relieves a borrowers obligation to repay amounts otherwise due on a mortgage loan, the mortgage loan servicer will not be required to advance such amounts, and any loss may be borne by the holders of securities backed by such loans. In addition, numerous federal and state consumer protection laws impose penalties for failure to comply with specific requirements in connection with origination and servicing of mortgage loans.
4. | Due-on-Sale Provisions. Fixed-rate mortgage loans may contain a so-called due-on-sale clause permitting acceleration of the maturity of the mortgage loan if the borrower transfers the property. The Garn-St. Germain Depository Institutions Act of 1982 sets forth nine specific instances in which no mortgage lender covered by that Act may exercise a due-on-sale clause upon a transfer of property. The inability to enforce a due-on-sale clause or the lack of such a clause in mortgage loan documents may result in a mortgage loan being assumed by a purchaser of the property that bears an interest rate below the current market rate. |
5. | Usury Laws. Some states prohibit charging interest on mortgage loans in excess of statutory limits. If such limits are exceeded, substantial penalties may be incurred and, in some cases, enforceability of the obligation to pay principal and interest may be affected. |
6. | Recent Governmental Action, Legislation and Regulation. The rise in the rate of foreclosures of properties in certain states or localities has resulted in legislative, regulatory and enforcement action in such states or localities seeking to prevent or restrict foreclosures, particularly in respect of residential mortgage loans. Actions have also been brought against issuers and underwriters of residential Mortgage-Backed Securities collateralized by such residential mortgage loans and investors in such residential Mortgage-Backed Securities. Legislative or regulatory initiatives by federal, state or local legislative bodies or administrative agencies, if enacted or adopted, could delay foreclosure or the exercise of other remedies, provide new defenses to foreclosure, or otherwise impair the ability of the loan servicer to foreclose or realize on a defaulted residential mortgage loan included in a pool of residential mortgage loans backing such residential Mortgage-Backed Securities. While the nature or extent of limitations on foreclosure or exercise of other remedies that may be enacted cannot be predicted, any such governmental actions that interfere with the foreclosure process could increase the costs of such foreclosures or exercise of other remedies in respect of residential mortgage loans which collateralize Mortgage-Backed Securities held by an Underlying Fund, delay the timing or reduce the amount of recoveries on defaulted residential mortgage loans which collateralize Mortgage-Backed Securities held by an Underlying Fund, and consequently, could adversely impact the yields and distributions an Underlying Fund may receive in respect of its ownership of Mortgage-Backed Securities collateralized by residential mortgage loans. For example, the Helping Families Save Their Homes Act of 2009 authorized bankruptcy courts to assist bankrupt borrowers by restructuring residential mortgage loans secured by a lien on the borrowers primary residence. Bankruptcy judges are permitted to reduce the interest rate of the bankrupt borrowers residential mortgage loan, extend its term to maturity to up to 40 years or take other actions to reduce the borrowers monthly payment. As a result, the value of, and the cash flows in respect of, the Mortgage-Backed Securities collateralized by these residential mortgage loans may be adversely impacted, and, as a consequence, an Underlying Funds investment in such Mortgage-Backed Securities could be adversely impacted. Other federal legislation, including the Home Affordability Modification Program (HAMP), encourages servicers to modify residential mortgage loans that are either already in default or are at risk of imminent default. Furthermore, HAMP provides incentives for servicers to modify residential mortgage loans that are contractually current. This program, as well other legislation and/or governmental intervention designed to protect consumers, may have an adverse impact on servicers of residential mortgage loans by increasing costs and expenses of these servicers while at the same time decreasing servicing cash flows. Such increased financial pressures may have a negative effect on the ability of servicers to pursue collection on residential mortgage loans that are experiencing increased delinquencies and defaults and to maximize recoveries on the sale of underlying residential mortgaged properties following foreclosure. Other legislative or regulatory actions include insulation of servicers from liability for modification of residential mortgage loans without regard to the terms of the applicable servicing agreements. The foregoing legislation and current and future governmental regulation activities may have the effect of reducing returns to an Underlying Fund to the extent it has invested in Mortgage-Backed Securities collateralized by these residential mortgage loans. |
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Mortgage Pass-Through Securities
To the extent consistent with their investment policies, certain of the Underlying Funds may invest in both government guaranteed and privately issued mortgage pass-through securities (Mortgage Pass-Throughs) that are fixed or adjustable rate Mortgage-Backed Securities which provide for monthly payments that are a pass-through of the monthly interest and principal payments (including any prepayments) made by the individual borrowers on the pooled mortgage loans, net of any fees or other amounts paid to any guarantor, administrator and/or servicer of the underlying mortgage loans. The seller or servicer of the underlying mortgage obligations will generally make representations and warranties to certificate-holders as to certain characteristics of the mortgage loans and as to the accuracy of certain information furnished to the trustee in respect of each such mortgage loan. Upon a breach of any representation or warranty that materially and adversely affects the interests of the related certificate-holders in a mortgage loan, the seller or servicer generally may be obligated either to cure the breach in all material respects, to repurchase the mortgage loan or, if the related agreement so provides, to substitute in its place a mortgage loan pursuant to the conditions set forth therein. Such a repurchase or substitution obligation may constitute the sole remedy available to the related certificate-holders or the trustee for the material breach of any such representation or warranty by the seller or servicer.
The following discussion describes certain aspects of only a few of the wide variety of structures of Mortgage Pass-Throughs that are available or may be issued.
General Description of Certificates. Mortgage Pass-Throughs may be issued in one or more classes of senior certificates and one or more classes of subordinate certificates. Each such class may bear a different pass-through rate. Generally, each certificate will evidence the specified interest of the holder thereof in the payments of principal or interest or both in respect of the mortgage pool comprising part of the trust fund for such certificates.
Any class of certificates may also be divided into subclasses entitled to varying amounts of principal and interest. If a REMIC election has been made, certificates of such subclasses may be entitled to payments on the basis of a stated principal balance and stated interest rate, and payments among different subclasses may be made on a sequential, concurrent, pro rata or disproportionate basis, or any combination thereof. The stated interest rate on any such subclass of certificates may be a fixed rate or one which varies in direct or inverse relationship to an objective interest index.
Generally, each registered holder of a certificate will be entitled to receive its pro rata share of monthly distributions of all or a portion of principal of the underlying mortgage loans or of interest on the principal balances thereof, which accrues at the applicable mortgage pass-through rate, or both. The difference between the mortgage interest rate and the related mortgage pass-through rate (less the amount, if any, of retained yield) with respect to each mortgage loan will generally be paid to the servicer as a servicing fee. Because certain adjustable rate mortgage loans included in a mortgage pool may provide for deferred interest (i.e., negative amortization), the amount of interest actually paid by a mortgagor in any month may be less than the amount of interest accrued on the outstanding principal balance of the related mortgage loan during the relevant period at the applicable mortgage interest rate. In such event, the amount of interest that is treated as deferred interest will generally be added to the principal balance of the related mortgage loan and will be distributed pro rata to certificate-holders as principal of such mortgage loan when paid by the mortgagor in subsequent monthly payments or at maturity.
Government Guaranteed Mortgage-Backed Securities. There are several types of government guaranteed Mortgage-Backed Securities currently available, including guaranteed mortgage pass-through certificates and multiple class securities, which include guaranteed Real Estate Mortgage Investment Conduit Certificates (REMIC Certificates), other collateralized mortgage obligations and stripped Mortgage-Backed Securities. An Underlying Fund is permitted to invest in other types of Mortgage-Backed Securities that may be available in the future to the extent consistent with its investment policies and objective.
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An Underlying Funds investments in Mortgage-Backed Securities may include securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government or one of its agencies, authorities, instrumentalities or sponsored enterprises, such as the Government National Mortgage Association (Ginnie Mae), the Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae) and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac). Ginnie Mae securities are backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government, which means that the U.S. Government guarantees that the interest and principal will be paid when due. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac securities are not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have the ability to borrow from the U.S. Treasury, and as a result, they have historically been viewed by the market as high quality securities with low credit risks. From time to time, proposals have been introduced before Congress for the purpose of restricting or eliminating federal sponsorship of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The Trust cannot predict what legislation, if any, may be proposed in the future in Congress as regards such sponsorship or which proposals, if any, might be enacted. Such proposals, if enacted, might materially and adversely affect the availability of government guaranteed Mortgage-Backed Securities and the liquidity and value of an Underlying Funds portfolio.
There is risk that the U.S. Government will not provide financial support to its agencies, authorities, instrumentalities or sponsored enterprises. An Underlying Fund may purchase U.S. Government securities that are not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government, such as those issued by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The maximum potential liability of the issuers of some U.S. Government securities held by an Underlying Fund may greatly exceed such issuers current resources, including such issuers legal right to support from the U.S. Treasury. It is possible that issuers of U.S. Government securities will not have the funds to meet their payment obligations in the future.
Below is a general discussion of certain types of guaranteed Mortgage-Backed Securities in which certain of the Underlying Funds may invest.
| Ginnie Mae Certificates. Ginnie Mae is a wholly-owned corporate instrumentality of the United States. Ginnie Mae is authorized to guarantee the timely payment of the principal of and interest on certificates that are based on and backed by a pool of mortgage loans insured by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA), or guaranteed by the Veterans Administration (VA), or by pools of other eligible mortgage loans. In order to meet its obligations under any guaranty, Ginnie Mae is authorized to borrow from the United States Treasury in an unlimited amount. The National Housing Act provides that the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government is pledged to the timely payment of principal and interest by Ginnie Mae of amounts due on Ginnie Mae certificates. |
| Fannie Mae Certificates. Fannie Mae is a stockholder-owned corporation chartered under an act of the United States Congress. Generally, Fannie Mae Certificates are issued and guaranteed by Fannie Mae and represent an undivided interest in a pool of mortgage loans (a Pool) formed by Fannie Mae. A Pool consists of residential mortgage loans either previously owned by Fannie Mae or purchased by it in connection with the formation of the Pool. The mortgage loans may be either conventional mortgage loans (i.e., not insured or guaranteed by any U.S. Government agency) or mortgage loans that are either insured by the FHA or guaranteed by the VA. However, the mortgage loans in Fannie Mae Pools are primarily conventional mortgage loans. The lenders originating and servicing the mortgage loans are subject to certain eligibility requirements established by Fannie Mae. Fannie Mae has certain contractual responsibilities. With respect to each Pool, Fannie Mae is obligated to distribute scheduled installments of principal and interest after Fannie Maes servicing and guaranty fee, whether or not received, to Certificate holders. Fannie Mae also is obligated to distribute to holders of Certificates an amount equal to the full principal balance of any foreclosed mortgage loan, whether or not such principal balance is actually recovered. The obligations of Fannie Mae under its guaranty of the Fannie Mae Certificates are obligations solely of Fannie Mae. See Certain Additional Information with Respect to Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae below. |
The mortgage loans underlying the Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae Certificates consist of adjustable rate or fixed-rate mortgage loans with original terms to maturity of up to forty years. These mortgage loans are usually secured by first liens on one-to-four-family residential properties or multi-family projects. Each mortgage loan must meet the applicable standards set forth in the law creating Freddie Mac or Fannie Mae. A Freddie Mac Certificate group may include whole loans, participation interests in whole loans, undivided interests in whole loans and participations comprising another Freddie Mac Certificate group.
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| Freddie Mac Certificates. Freddie Mac is a publicly held U.S. Government sponsored enterprise. A principal activity of Freddie Mac currently is the purchase of first lien, conventional, residential and multifamily mortgage loans and participation interests in such mortgage loans and their resale in the form of mortgage securities, primarily Freddie Mac Certificates. A Freddie Mac Certificate represents a pro rata interest in a group of mortgage loans or participations in mortgage loans (a Freddie Mac Certificate group) purchased by Freddie Mac. Freddie Mac guarantees to each registered holder of a Freddie Mac Certificate the timely payment of interest at the rate provided for by such Freddie Mac Certificate (whether or not received on the underlying loans). Freddie Mac also guarantees to each registered Certificate holder ultimate collection of all principal of the related mortgage loans, without any offset or deduction, but does not, generally, guarantee the timely payment of scheduled principal. The obligations of Freddie Mac under its guaranty of Freddie Mac Certificates are obligations solely of Freddie Mac. See Certain Additional Information with Respect to Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae below. |
The mortgage loans underlying the Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae Certificates consist of adjustable rate or fixed-rate mortgage loans with original terms to maturity of up to forty years. These mortgage loans are usually secured by first liens on one-to-four-family residential properties or multi-family projects. Each mortgage loan must meet the applicable standards set forth in the law creating Freddie Mac or Fannie Mae. A Freddie Mac Certificate group may include whole loans, participation interests in whole loans, undivided interests in whole loans and participations comprising another Freddie Mac Certificate group.
Conventional Mortgage Loans. The conventional mortgage loans underlying the Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae Certificates consist of adjustable rate or fixed-rate mortgage loans normally with original terms to maturity of between five and thirty years. Substantially all of these mortgage loans are secured by first liens on one- to four-family residential properties or multi-family projects. Each mortgage loan must meet the applicable standards set forth in the law creating Freddie Mac or Fannie Mae. A Freddie Mac Certificate group may include whole loans, participation interests in whole loans, undivided interests in whole loans and participations comprising another Freddie Mac Certificate group.
Certain Additional Information with Respect to Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. The volatility and disruption that impacted the capital and credit markets during late 2008 and into 2009 have led to increased market concerns about Freddie Macs and Fannie Maes ability to withstand future credit losses associated with securities held in their investment portfolios, and on which they provide guarantees, without the direct support of the federal government. On September 6, 2008, both Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae were placed under the conservatorship of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA). Under the plan of conservatorship, the FHFA has assumed control of, and generally has the power to direct, the operations of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, and is empowered to exercise all powers collectively held by their respective shareholders, directors and officers, including the power to (1) take over the assets of and operate Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae with all the powers of the shareholders, the directors, and the officers of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae and conduct all business of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae; (2) collect all obligations and money due to Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae; (3) perform all functions of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae which are consistent with the conservators appointment; (4) preserve and conserve the assets and property of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae; and (5) contract for assistance in fulfilling any function, activity, action or duty of the conservator. In addition, in connection with the actions taken by the FHFA, the U.S. Treasury has entered into certain preferred stock purchase agreements with each of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae which established the U.S. Treasury as the holder of a new class of senior preferred stock in each of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, which stock was issued in connection with financial contributions from the Treasury to Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. The conditions attached to the financial contribution made by the U.S. Treasury to Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae and the issuance of this senior preferred stock place significant restrictions on the activities of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae must obtain the consent of the U.S. Treasury to, among other things, (i) make any payment to purchase or redeem its capital stock or pay any dividend other than in respect of the senior preferred stock issued to the U.S. Treasury, (ii) issue capital stock of any kind, (iii) terminate the conservatorship of the FHFA except in connection with a receivership, or (iv) increase its debt beyond certain specified levels. In addition, significant restrictions were placed on the maximum size of each of Freddie Macs and Fannie Maes respective portfolios of mortgages and Mortgage-Backed Securities, and the purchase agreements entered into by Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae provide that the maximum size of their portfolios of these assets must decrease by a specified percentage each year. The future status and role of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae could be impacted by (among other
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things) the actions taken and restrictions placed on Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae by the FHFA in its role as conservator, the restrictions placed on Freddie Macs and Fannie Maes operations and activities as a result of the senior preferred stock investment made by the U.S. Treasury, market responses to developments at Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, and future legislative and regulatory action that alters the operations, ownership, structure and/or mission of these institutions, each of which may, in turn, impact the value of, and cash flows on, any Mortgage-Backed Securities guaranteed by Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, including any such Mortgage-Backed Securities held by an Underlying Fund. On June 16, 2010, FHFA ordered Fannie Mae and Freddie Macs stock de-listed from the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) after the price of common stock in Fannie Mae fell below the NYSE minimum average closing price of $1 for more than 30 days.
Privately Issued Mortgage-Backed Securities. Certain of the Underlying Funds may invest in privately issued Mortgage-Backed Securities. Privately issued Mortgage-Backed Securities are generally backed by pools of conventional (i.e., non-government guaranteed or insured) mortgage loans. The seller or servicer of the underlying mortgage obligations will generally make representations and warranties to certificate-holders as to certain characteristics of the mortgage loans and as to the accuracy of certain information furnished to the trustee in respect of each such mortgage loan. Upon a breach of any representation or warranty that materially and adversely affects the interests of the related certificate-holders in a mortgage loan, the seller or servicer generally will be obligated either to cure the breach in all material respects, to repurchase the mortgage loan or, if the related agreement so provides, to substitute in its place a mortgage loan pursuant to the conditions set forth therein. Such a repurchase or substitution obligation may constitute the sole remedy available to the related certificate-holders or the trustee for the material breach of any such representation or warranty by the seller or servicer.
Ratings. The ratings assigned by a rating organization to Mortgage Pass-Throughs generally address the likelihood of the receipt of distributions on the underlying mortgage loans by the related certificate-holders under the agreements pursuant to which such certificates are issued. A rating organizations ratings normally take into consideration the credit quality of the related mortgage pool, including any credit support providers, structural and legal aspects associated with such certificates, and the extent to which the payment stream on such mortgage pool is adequate to make payments required by such certificates. A rating organizations ratings on such certificates do not, however, constitute a statement regarding frequency of prepayments on the related mortgage loans. In addition, the rating assigned by a rating organization to a certificate may not address the possibility that, in the event of the insolvency of the issuer of certificates where a subordinated interest was retained, the issuance and sale of the senior certificates may be recharacterized as a financing and, as a result of such recharacterization, payments on such certificates may be affected. A rating organization may downgrade or withdraw a rating assigned by it to any Mortgage Pass-Through at any time, and no assurance can be made that any ratings on any Mortgage Pass-Throughs included in an Underlying Fund will be maintained, or that if such ratings are assigned, they will not be downgraded or withdrawn by the assigning rating organization.
In the past, rating agencies have placed on credit watch or downgraded the ratings previously assigned to a large number of mortgage-backed securities (which may include certain of the Mortgage-Backed Securities in which certain of the Underlying Funds may have invested or may in the future be invested), and may continue to do so in the future. In the event that any Mortgage-Backed Security held by an Underlying Fund is placed on credit watch or downgraded, the value of such Mortgage-Backed Security may decline and the Underlying Fund may consequently experience losses in respect of such Mortgage-Backed Security.
Credit Enhancement. Mortgage pools created by non-governmental issuers generally offer a higher yield than government and government-related pools because of the absence of direct or indirect government or agency payment guarantees. To lessen the effect of failures by obligors on underlying assets to make payments, Mortgage Pass-Throughs may contain elements of credit support. Credit support falls generally into two categories: (i) liquidity protection and (ii) protection against losses resulting from default by an obligor on the underlying assets. Liquidity protection refers to the provision of advances, generally by the entity administering the pools of mortgages, the provision of a reserve fund, or a combination thereof, to ensure, subject to certain limitations, that scheduled payments on the underlying pool are made in a timely fashion. Protection against losses resulting from default ensures ultimate payment of the obligations on at least a portion of the assets in the pool. Such credit support can be provided by, among other things, payment guarantees, letters of credit, pool insurance, subordination, or any combination thereof.
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Subordination; Shifting of Interest; Reserve Fund. In order to achieve ratings on one or more classes of Mortgage Pass-Throughs, one or more classes of certificates may be subordinate certificates which provide that the rights of the subordinate certificate-holders to receive any or a specified portion of distributions with respect to the underlying mortgage loans may be subordinated to the rights of the senior certificate holders. If so structured, the subordination feature may be enhanced by distributing to the senior certificate-holders on certain distribution dates, as payment of principal, a specified percentage (which generally declines over time) of all principal payments received during the preceding prepayment period (shifting interest credit enhancement). This will have the effect of accelerating the amortization of the senior certificates while increasing the interest in the trust fund evidenced by the subordinate certificates. Increasing the interest of the subordinate certificates relative to that of the senior certificates is intended to preserve the availability of the subordination provided by the subordinate certificates. In addition, because the senior certificate-holders in a shifting interest credit enhancement structure are entitled to receive a percentage of principal prepayments which is greater than their proportionate interest in the trust fund, the rate of principal prepayments on the mortgage loans may have an even greater effect on the rate of principal payments and the amount of interest payments on, and the yield to maturity of, the senior certificates.
In addition to providing for a preferential right of the senior certificate-holders to receive current distributions from the mortgage pool, a reserve fund may be established relating to such certificates (the Reserve Fund). The Reserve Fund may be created with an initial cash deposit by the originator or servicer and augmented by the retention of distributions otherwise available to the subordinate certificate-holders or by excess servicing fees until the Reserve Fund reaches a specified amount.
The subordination feature, and any Reserve Fund, are intended to enhance the likelihood of timely receipt by senior certificate-holders of the full amount of scheduled monthly payments of principal and interest due to them and will protect the senior certificate-holders against certain losses; however, in certain circumstances the Reserve Fund could be depleted and temporary shortfalls could result. In the event that the Reserve Fund is depleted before the subordinated amount is reduced to zero, senior certificate-holders will nevertheless have a preferential right to receive current distributions from the mortgage pool to the extent of the then outstanding subordinated amount. Unless otherwise specified, until the subordinated amount is reduced to zero, on any distribution date any amount otherwise distributable to the subordinate certificates or, to the extent specified, in the Reserve Fund will generally be used to offset the amount of any losses realized with respect to the mortgage loans (Realized Losses). Realized Losses remaining after application of such amounts will generally be applied to reduce the ownership interest of the subordinate certificates in the mortgage pool. If the subordinated amount has been reduced to zero, Realized Losses generally will be allocated pro rata among all certificate-holders in proportion to their respective outstanding interests in the mortgage pool.
Alternative Credit Enhancement. As an alternative, or in addition to the credit enhancement afforded by subordination, credit enhancement for Mortgage Pass-Throughs may be provided through bond insurers, or at the mortgage loan-level through mortgage insurance, hazard insurance, or through the deposit of cash, certificates of deposit, letters of credit, a limited guaranty or by such other methods as are acceptable to a rating agency. In certain circumstances, such as where credit enhancement is provided by bond insurers, guarantees or letters of credit, the security is subject to credit risk because of its exposure to the credit risk of an external credit enhancement provider.
Voluntary Advances. Generally, in the event of delinquencies in payments on the mortgage loans underlying the Mortgage Pass-Throughs, the servicer may agree to make advances of cash for the benefit of certificate-holders, but generally will do so only to the extent that it determines such voluntary advances will be recoverable from future payments and collections on the mortgage loans or otherwise.
Optional Termination. Generally, the servicer may, at its option with respect to any certificates, repurchase all of the underlying mortgage loans remaining outstanding at such time if the aggregate outstanding principal balance of such mortgage loans is less than a specified percentage (generally 5-10%) of the aggregate outstanding principal balance of the mortgage loans as of the cut-off date specified with respect to such series.
Multiple Class Mortgage-Backed Securities and Collateralized Mortgage Obligations. Certain of the Underlying Funds may invest in multiple class securities including collateralized mortgage obligations (CMOs) and REMIC Certificates. These securities may be issued by U.S. Government agencies, instrumentalities or sponsored enterprises such as Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac or by trusts formed by private originators of, or investors in, mortgage loans,
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including savings and loan associations, mortgage bankers, commercial banks, insurance companies, investment banks and special purpose subsidiaries of the foregoing. In general, CMOs are debt obligations of a legal entity that are collateralized by, and multiple class Mortgage-Backed Securities represent direct ownership interests in, a pool of mortgage loans or Mortgage-Backed Securities the payments on which are used to make payments on the CMOs or multiple class Mortgage-Backed Securities.
Fannie Mae REMIC Certificates are issued and guaranteed as to timely distribution of principal and interest by Fannie Mae. In addition, Fannie Mae will be obligated to distribute the principal balance of each class of REMIC Certificates in full, whether or not sufficient funds are otherwise available.
Freddie Mac guarantees the timely payment of interest on Freddie Mac REMIC Certificates and also guarantees the payment of principal as payments are required to be made on the underlying mortgage participation certificates (PCs). PCs represent undivided interests in specified level payment, residential mortgages or participations therein purchased by Freddie Mac and placed in a PC pool. With respect to principal payments on PCs, Freddie Mac generally guarantees ultimate collection of all principal of the related mortgage loans without offset or deduction but the receipt of the required payments may be delayed. Freddie Mac also guarantees timely payment of principal of certain PCs.
CMOs and guaranteed REMIC Certificates issued by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are types of multiple class Mortgage-Backed Securities. The REMIC Certificates represent beneficial ownership interests in a REMIC trust, generally consisting of mortgage loans or Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac or Ginnie Mae guaranteed Mortgage-Backed Securities (the Mortgage Assets). The obligations of Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac under their respective guaranty of the REMIC Certificates are obligations solely of Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac, respectively. See Certain Additional Information with Respect to Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae.
CMOs and REMIC Certificates are issued in multiple classes. Each class of CMOs or REMIC Certificates, often referred to as a tranche, is issued at a specific adjustable or fixed interest rate and must be fully retired no later than its final distribution date. Principal prepayments on the mortgage loans or the Mortgage Assets underlying the CMOs or REMIC Certificates may cause some or all of the classes of CMOs or REMIC Certificates to be retired substantially earlier than their final distribution dates. Generally, interest is paid or accrues on all classes of CMOs or REMIC Certificates on a monthly basis.
The principal of and interest on the Mortgage Assets may be allocated among the several classes of CMOs or REMIC Certificates in various ways. In certain structures (known as sequential pay CMOs or REMIC Certificates), payments of principal, including any principal prepayments, on the Mortgage Assets generally are applied to the classes of CMOs or REMIC Certificates in the order of their respective final distribution dates. Thus, no payment of principal will be made on any class of sequential pay CMOs or REMIC Certificates until all other classes having an earlier final distribution date have been paid in full.
Additional structures of CMOs and REMIC Certificates include, among others, parallel pay CMOs and REMIC Certificates. Parallel pay CMOs or REMIC Certificates are those which are structured to apply principal payments and prepayments of the Mortgage Assets to two or more classes concurrently on a proportionate or disproportionate basis. These simultaneous payments are taken into account in calculating the final distribution date of each class.
A wide variety of REMIC Certificates may be issued in parallel pay or sequential pay structures. These securities include accrual certificates (also known as Z-Bonds), which only accrue interest at a specified rate until all other certificates having an earlier final distribution date have been retired and are converted thereafter to an interest-paying security, and planned amortization class (PAC) certificates, which are parallel pay REMIC Certificates that generally require that specified amounts of principal be applied on each payment date to one or more classes or REMIC Certificates (the PAC Certificates), even though all other principal payments and prepayments of the Mortgage Assets are then required to be applied to one or more other classes of the PAC Certificates. The scheduled principal payments for the PAC Certificates generally have the highest priority on each payment date after interest due has been paid to all classes entitled to receive interest currently. Shortfalls, if any, are added to the amount payable on the next payment date. The PAC Certificate payment schedule is taken into account in calculating the final distribution date of each class of PAC. In order to create PAC tranches, one or more tranches generally must be created that absorb most of the volatility in the underlying mortgage assets. These tranches tend to have market prices and yields that are much more volatile than other PAC classes.
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Commercial Mortgage-Backed Securities. Commercial mortgage-backed securities (CMBS) are a type of Mortgage Pass-Through that are primarily backed by a pool of commercial mortgage loans. The commercial mortgage loans are, in turn, generally secured by commercial mortgaged properties (such as office properties, retail properties, hospitality properties, industrial properties, healthcare related properties or other types of income producing real property). CMBS generally entitle the holders thereof to receive payments that depend primarily on the cash flow from a specified pool of commercial or multifamily mortgage loans. CMBS will be affected by payments, defaults, delinquencies and losses on the underlying mortgage loans. The underlying mortgage loans generally are secured by income producing properties such as office properties, retail properties, multifamily properties, manufactured housing, hospitality properties, industrial properties and self storage properties. Because issuers of CMBS have no significant assets other than the underlying commercial real estate loans and because of the significant credit risks inherent in the underlying collateral, credit risk is a correspondingly important consideration with respect to the related CMBS. Certain of the mortgage loans underlying CMBS constituting part of the collateral interests may be delinquent, in default or in foreclosure.
Commercial real estate lending may expose a lender (and the related Mortgage-Backed Security) to a greater risk of loss than certain other forms of lending because it typically involves making larger loans to single borrowers or groups of related borrowers. In addition, in the case of certain commercial mortgage loans, repayment of loans secured by commercial and multifamily properties depends upon the ability of the related real estate project to generate income sufficient to pay debt service, operating expenses and leasing commissions and to make necessary repairs, tenant improvements and capital improvements, and in the case of loans that do not fully amortize over their terms, to retain sufficient value to permit the borrower to pay off the loan at maturity through a sale or refinancing of the mortgaged property. The net operating income from and value of any commercial property is subject to various risks, including changes in general or local economic conditions and/or specific industry segments; declines in real estate values; declines in rental or occupancy rates; increases in interest rates, real estate tax rates and other operating expenses; changes in governmental rules, regulations and fiscal policies; acts of God; terrorist threats and attacks and social unrest and civil disturbances. In addition, certain of the mortgaged properties securing the pools of commercial mortgage loans underlying CMBS may have a higher degree of geographic concentration in a few states or regions. Any deterioration in the real estate market or economy or adverse events in such states or regions, may increase the rate of delinquency and default experience (and as a consequence, losses) with respect to mortgage loans related to properties in such state or region. Pools of mortgaged properties securing the commercial mortgage loans underlying CMBS may also have a higher degree of concentration in certain types of commercial properties. Accordingly, such pools of mortgage loans represent higher exposure to risks particular to those types of commercial properties. Certain pools of commercial mortgage loans underlying CMBS consist of a fewer number of mortgage loans with outstanding balances that are larger than average. If a mortgage pool includes mortgage loans with larger than average balances, any realized losses on such mortgage loans could be more severe, relative to the size of the pool, than would be the case if the aggregate balance of the pool were distributed among a larger number of mortgage loans. Certain borrowers or affiliates thereof relating to certain of the commercial mortgage loans underlying CMBS may have had a history of bankruptcy. Certain mortgaged properties securing the commercial mortgage loans underlying CMBS may have been exposed to environmental conditions or circumstances. The ratings in respect of certain of the CMBS comprising the Mortgage-Backed Securities may have been withdrawn, reduced or placed on credit watch since issuance. In addition, losses and/or appraisal reductions may be allocated to certain of such CMBS and certain of the collateral or the assets underlying such collateral may be delinquent and/or may default from time to time.
CMBS held by an Underlying Fund may be subordinated to one or more other classes of securities of the same series for purposes of, among other things, establishing payment priorities and offsetting losses and other shortfalls with respect to the related underlying mortgage loans. Realized losses in respect of the mortgage loans included in the CMBS pool and trust expenses generally will be allocated to the most subordinated class of securities of the related series. Accordingly, to the extent any CMBS is or becomes the most subordinated class of securities of the related series, any delinquency or default on any underlying mortgage loan may result in shortfalls, realized loss allocations or extensions of its weighted average life and will have a more immediate and disproportionate effect on the related CMBS than on a related more senior class of CMBS of the same series. Further, even if a class is not the most subordinate class of securities, there can be no assurance that the subordination offered to such class will be sufficient on any date to offset all losses or expenses incurred by the underlying trust. CMBS are typically not guaranteed or insured, and distributions on such CMBS generally will depend solely upon the amount and timing of payments and other collections on the related underlying commercial mortgage loans.
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Stripped Mortgage-Backed Securities. Certain of the Underlying Funds may invest in stripped mortgage-backed securities (SMBS), which are derivative multiclass mortgage securities, issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government, its agencies or instrumentalities or non-governmental originators. SMBS are usually structured with two different classes: one that receives substantially all of the interest payments (the interest-only, or IO and/or the high coupon rate with relatively low principal amount, or IOette), and the other that receives substantially all of the principal payments (the principal-only, or PO), from a pool of mortgage loans.
Certain SMBS may not be readily marketable and will be considered illiquid for purposes of an Underlying Funds limitation on investments in illiquid securities. An Underlying Funds investment adviser may determine that SMBS which are U.S. Government securities are liquid for purposes of an Underlying Funds limitation on investments in illiquid securities. The market value of POs generally is unusually volatile in response to changes in interest rates. The yields on IOs and IOettes are generally higher than prevailing market yields on other Mortgage-Backed Securities because their cash flow patterns are more volatile and there is a greater risk that the initial investment will not be fully recouped. An Underlying Funds investments in SMBS may require the Underlying Fund to sell certain of its portfolio securities to generate sufficient cash to satisfy certain income distribution requirements.
Municipal Securities
Certain of the Underlying Funds may invest in bonds, notes and other instruments issued by or on behalf of states, territories and possessions of the United States (including the District of Columbia) and their political subdivisions, agencies or instrumentalities (Municipal Securities). Dividends paid by the Underlying Funds that are derived from interest paid on both tax-exempt and taxable Municipal Securities will be taxable to the Underlying Funds shareholders.
Municipal Securities are often issued to obtain funds for various public purposes including refunding outstanding obligations, obtaining funds for general operating expenses, and obtaining funds to lend to other public institutions and facilities. Municipal Securities also include certain private activity bonds or industrial development bonds, which are issued by or on behalf of public authorities to provide financing aid to acquire sites or construct or equip facilities within a municipality for privately or publicly owned corporations.
Investments in municipal securities are subject to the risk that the issuer could default on its obligations. Such a default could result from the inadequacy of the sources or revenues from which interest and principal payments are to be made or the assets collateralizing such obligations. Revenue bonds (as described further below), including private activity bonds, are backed only by specific assets or revenue sources and not by the full faith and credit of the governmental issuer.
The two principal classifications of Municipal Securities are general obligations and revenue obligations. General obligations are secured by the issuers pledge of its full faith and credit for the payment of principal and interest, although the characteristics and enforcement of general obligations may vary according to the law applicable to the particular issuer. Revenue obligations, which include, but are not limited to, private activity bonds, resource recovery bonds, certificates of participation and certain municipal notes, are not backed by the credit and taxing authority of the issuer, and are payable solely from the revenues derived from a particular facility or class of facilities or, in some cases, from the proceeds of a special excise or other specific revenue source. Nevertheless, the obligations of the issuer of a revenue obligation may be backed by a letter of credit, guarantee or insurance. General obligations and revenue obligations may be issued in a variety of forms, including commercial paper, fixed, variable and floating rate securities, tender option bonds, auction rate bonds, zero coupon bonds, deferred interest bonds and capital appreciation bonds.
In addition to general obligations and revenue obligations, there are a variety of hybrid and special types of Municipal Securities. There are also numerous differences in the security of Municipal Securities both within and between these two principal classifications.
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An entire issue of Municipal Securities may be purchased by one or a small number of institutional investors, including one or more Underlying Funds. Thus, the issue may not be said to be publicly offered. Unlike some securities that are not publicly offered, a secondary market exists for many Municipal Securities that were not publicly offered initially and such securities may be readily marketable.
The credit rating assigned to Municipal Securities may reflect the existence of guarantees, letters of credit or other credit enhancement features available to the issuers or holders of such Municipal Securities.
The obligations of the issuer to pay the principal of and interest on a Municipal Security are subject to the provisions of bankruptcy, insolvency and other laws affecting the rights and remedies of creditors, such as the Federal Bankruptcy Code, and laws, if any, that may be enacted by Congress or state legislatures extending the time for payment of principal or interest or imposing other constraints upon the enforcement of such obligations. There is also the possibility that, as a result of litigation or other conditions, the power or ability of the issuer to pay when due principal of or interest on a Municipal Security may be materially affected.
From time to time, proposals have been introduced before Congress for the purpose of restricting or eliminating the federal income tax exemption for interest on Municipal Securities. For example, under the Tax Reform Act of 1986, interest on certain private activity bonds must be included in an investors federal alternative minimum taxable income, and corporate investors must include all tax-exempt interest in their federal alternative minimum taxable income. The Trust cannot predict what legislation, if any, may be proposed in the future in Congress as regards the federal income tax status of interest on Municipal Securities or which proposals, if any, might be enacted. Such proposals, if enacted, might materially and adversely affect the liquidity and value of the Municipal Securities in an Underlying Funds portfolio.
Municipal Leases, Certificates of Participation and Other Participation Interests. Municipal Securities include leases, certificates of participation and other participation interests. A municipal lease is an obligation in the form of a lease or installment purchase which is issued by a state or local government to acquire equipment and facilities. Income from such obligations is generally exempt from state and local taxes in the state of issuance. Municipal leases frequently involve special risks not normally associated with general obligations or revenue bonds. Leases and installment purchase or conditional sale contracts (which normally provide for title to the leased asset to pass eventually to the governmental issuer) have evolved as a means for governmental issuers to acquire property and equipment without meeting the constitutional and statutory requirements for the issuance of debt. The debt issuance limitations are deemed to be inapplicable because of the inclusion in many leases or contracts of non-appropriation clauses that relieve the governmental issuer of any obligation to make future payments under the lease or contract unless money is appropriated for such purpose by the appropriate legislative body on a yearly or other periodic basis. In addition, such leases or contracts may be subject to the temporary abatement of payments in the event the issuer is prevented from maintaining occupancy of the leased premises or utilizing the leased equipment. Although the obligations may be secured by the leased equipment or facilities, the disposition of the property in the event of non-appropriation or foreclosure might prove difficult, time consuming and costly, and result in a delay in recovering or the failure to fully recover an Underlying Funds original investment. To the extent that an Underlying Fund invests in unrated municipal leases or participates in such leases, the credit quality rating and risk of cancellation of such unrated leases will be monitored on an ongoing basis.
Certificates of participation represent undivided interests in municipal leases, installment purchase agreements or other instruments. The certificates are typically issued by a trust or other entity which has received an assignment of the payments to be made by the state or political subdivision under such leases or installment purchase agreements.
Certain municipal lease obligations and certificates of participation may be deemed to be illiquid for the purpose of an Underlying Funds limitation on investments in illiquid securities. Other municipal lease obligations and certificates of participation acquired by an Underlying Fund may be determined by its investment adviser, pursuant to guidelines adopted by the Trustees of the Trust, to be liquid securities for the purpose of such limitation. In determining the liquidity of municipal lease obligations and certificates of participation, the investment adviser will consider a variety of factors including: (i) the willingness of dealers to bid for the security; (ii) the number of dealers willing to purchase or sell the obligation and the number of other potential buyers; (iii) the frequency of trades or quotes for the obligation; and (iv) the nature of the marketplace trades. In addition, the investment adviser will consider factors unique to particular lease obligations and certificates of participation affecting the marketability thereof. These include the general creditworthiness of the issuer, the importance to the issuer of the property covered by the lease and the likelihood that the marketability of the obligation will be maintained throughout the time the obligation is held by an Underlying Fund.
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Certain of the Underlying Funds may purchase participations in Municipal Securities held by a commercial bank or other financial institution. Such participations provide an Underlying Fund with the right to a pro rata undivided interest in the underlying Municipal Securities. In addition, such participations generally provide an Underlying Fund with the right to demand payment, on not more than seven days notice, of all or any part of such Underlying Funds participation interest in the underlying Municipal Securities, plus accrued interest. An Underlying Fund will only invest in such participations if, in the opinion of bond counsel, counsel for the issuers of such participations or counsel selected by the investment advisors, the interest from such participation is exempt from regular federal income tax.
Auction Rate Securities. Municipal Securities also include auction rate Municipal Securities and auction rate preferred securities issued by closed-end investment companies that invest primarily in Municipal Securities (collectively, auction rate securities). Provided that the auction mechanism is successful, auction rate securities usually permit the holder to sell the securities in an auction at par value at specified intervals. The dividend is reset by Dutch auction in which bids are made by broker-dealers and other institutions for a certain amount of securities at a specified minimum yield. The dividend rate set by the auction is the lowest interest or dividend rate that covers all securities offered for sale. While this process is designed to permit auction rate securities to be traded at par value, there is some risk that an auction will fail due to insufficient demand for the securities. In certain recent market environments, auction failures have been more prevalent, which may adversely affect the liquidity and price of auction rate securities. Moreover, between auctions, there may be no secondary market for these securities, and sales conducted on a secondary market may not be on terms favorable to the seller. Thus, with respect to liquidity and price stability, auction rate securities may differ substantially from cash equivalents, notwithstanding the frequency of auctions and the credit quality of the security.
An Underlying Funds investments in auction rate securities of closed-end funds are subject to the limitations prescribed by the Act. An Underlying Fund will indirectly bear its proportionate share of any management and other fees paid by such closed-end funds in addition to the advisory fees payable directly by the Underlying Funds.
Other Types of Municipal Securities. Other types of Municipal Securities in which certain of the Underlying Funds may invest include municipal notes, tax-exempt commercial paper, pre-refunded municipal bonds, industrial development bonds, tender option bonds and insured municipal obligations.
Call Risk and Reinvestment Risk. Municipal Securities may include call provisions which permit the issuers of such securities, at any time or after a specified period, to redeem the securities prior to their stated maturity. In the event that Municipal Securities held in an Underlying Funds portfolio are called prior to the maturity, the Underlying Fund will be required to reinvest the proceeds on such securities at an earlier date and may be able to do so only at lower yields, thereby reducing the Underlying Funds return on its portfolio securities.
Options on Securities and Securities Indices and Foreign Currencies
Writing and Purchasing Call and Put Options on Securities and Securities Indices. Certain of the Underlying Funds may write (sell) call and put options on any securities in which they may invest or on any securities index consisting of securities in which it may invest. An Underlying Fund may purchase and write such options on securities that are listed on national domestic securities exchanges or foreign securities exchanges or traded in the over-the-counter market. A call option written by an Underlying Fund obligates such Underlying Fund to sell specified securities to the holder of the option at a specified price if the option is exercised on or before the expiration date. Depending upon the type of call option, the purchaser of a call option either (i) has the right to any appreciation in the value of the security over a fixed price (the exercise price) on a certain date in the future (the expiration date) or (ii) has the right to any appreciation in the value of the security over the exercise price at any time prior to the expiration of the option. If the purchaser exercises the option, an Underlying Fund pays the purchaser the difference between the price of the security and the exercise price of the option. The premium, the exercise price and the market value of the security determine the gain or loss realized by an Underlying Fund as the
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seller of the call option. An Underlying Fund can also repurchase the call option prior to the expiration date, ending its obligation. In this case, the cost of entering into closing purchase transactions will determine the gain or loss realized by the Underlying Fund. All call options written by an Underlying Fund are covered, which means that such Underlying Fund will own the securities subject to the option as long as the option is outstanding or such Underlying Fund will use the other methods described below. An Underlying Funds purpose in writing call options is to realize greater income than would be realized on portfolio securities transactions alone. However, an Underlying Fund may forego the opportunity to profit from an increase in the market price of the underlying security.
A put option written by an Underlying Fund would obligate such Underlying Fund to purchase specified securities from the option holder at a specified price if, depending upon the type of put option, either (i) the option is exercised at any time on or before the expiration date or (ii) the option is exercised on the expiration date. All put options written by an Underlying Fund would be covered, which means that such Underlying Fund will identify on its books cash or liquid assets with a value at least equal to the exercise price of the put option (less any margin on deposit) or will use the other methods described below. The purpose of writing such options is to generate additional income for the Underlying Fund. However, in return for the option premium, an Underlying Fund accepts the risk that it may be required to purchase the underlying securities at a price in excess of the securities market value at the time of purchase. For more information about these practices, see Description of Investment Securities and Practices Asset Segregation.
In the case of a call option, the option may be covered if an Underlying Fund owns the instrument underlying the call or has an absolute and immediate right to acquire that instrument without additional cash consideration (or, if additional cash consideration is required, liquid assets in such amount are identified on the Underlying Funds books) upon conversion or exchange of other instruments held by it. A call option is also covered if an Underlying Fund holds a call on the same instrument as the option written where the exercise price of the option held is (i) equal to or less than the exercise price of the option written, or (ii) greater than the exercise price of the option written provided the Underlying Fund identifies liquid assets in the amount of the difference. A put option may also be covered if an Underlying Fund holds a put on the same instrument as the option written where the exercise price of the option held is (i) equal to or higher than the exercise price of the option written, or (ii) less than the exercise price of the option written provided the Underlying Fund identifies on its books liquid assets in the amount of the difference. An Underlying Fund may also cover options on securities by identifying cash or liquid assets, as permitted by applicable law, with a value, when added to any margin on deposit that is equal to the market value of the securities in the case of a call option. Identified cash or liquid assets may be quoted or denominated in any currency. An Underlying Fund may also cover call options on securities by identifying cash or liquid assets, as permitted by applicable law, with a value, when added to any margin on deposit, which is equal to the market value of the securities in the case of a call option. Identified cash or liquid assets may be quoted or denominated in any currency.
An Underlying Fund may also write (sell) call and put options on any securities index comprised of securities in which it may invest. Options on securities indices are similar to options on securities, except that the exercise of securities index options requires cash payments and does not involve the actual purchase or sale of securities. In addition, securities index options are designed to reflect price fluctuations in a group of securities or segment of the securities market rather than price fluctuations in a single security.
An Underlying Fund may cover call options on a securities index by owning securities whose price changes are expected to be similar to those of the underlying index, or by having an absolute and immediate right to acquire such securities without additional cash consideration (or for additional consideration which has been identified by the Underlying Fund on its books) upon conversion or exchange of other securities in its portfolio. An Underlying Fund may also cover call and put options by identifying cash or liquid assets, as permitted by applicable law, with a value, when added to any margin on deposit, that is equal to the market value of the underlying securities in the case of a call option or the exercise price in the case of a put option, or by owning offsetting options as described above.
An Underlying Fund may terminate its obligations under an exchange-traded call or put option by purchasing an option identical to the one it has written. Obligations under over-the-counter options may be terminated only by entering into an offsetting transaction with the counterparty to such option. Such purchases are referred to as closing purchase transactions.
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Certain of the Underlying Funds may also purchase put and call options on securities in which they may invest or any securities index comprised of securities in which they may invest. An Underlying Fund may also, to the extent that it invests in foreign securities, purchase put and call options on foreign currencies. An Underlying Fund may also enter into closing sale transactions in order to realize gains or minimize losses on options it had purchased.
An Underlying Fund may purchase call options in anticipation of an increase, or put options in anticipation of a decrease (protective puts), in the market value of securities of the type in which it may invest. The purchase of a call option would entitle an Underlying Fund, in return for the premium paid, to purchase specified securities or other instruments at a specified price during the option period. An Underlying Fund would ordinarily realize a gain on the purchase of a call option if, during the option period, the value of such securities exceeded the sum of the exercise price, the premium paid and transaction costs; otherwise such an Underlying Fund would realize either no gain or a loss on the purchase of the call option.
The purchase of a put option would entitle an Underlying Fund, in exchange for the premium paid, to sell specified securities or other instruments at a specified price during the option period. The purchase of protective puts is designed to offset or hedge against a decline in the market value of an Underlying Funds securities or other instruments. Put options may also be purchased by an Underlying Fund for the purpose of affirmatively benefiting from a decline in the price of securities or other instruments which it does not own. An Underlying Fund would ordinarily realize a gain if, during the option period, the value of the underlying securities or other instruments decreased below the exercise price sufficiently to cover the premium and transaction costs; otherwise the Underlying Fund would realize either no gain or a loss on the purchase of the put option. Gains and losses on the purchase of put options may be offset by countervailing changes in the value of the underlying portfolio securities or other instruments.
An Underlying Fund would purchase put and call options on securities indices for the same purposes as it would purchase options on individual securities. For a description of options on securities indices, see Writing Covered Options above.
Yield Curve Options. Certain of the Underlying Funds may enter into options on the yield spread or differential between two securities. Such transactions are referred to as yield curve options. In contrast to other types of options, a yield curve option is based on the difference between the yields of designated securities, rather than the prices of the individual securities, and is settled through cash payments. Accordingly, a yield curve option is profitable to the holder if this differential widens (in the case of a call) or narrows (in the case of a put), regardless of whether the yields of the underlying securities increase or decrease.
An Underlying Fund may purchase or write yield curve options for the same purposes as other options on securities. For example, an Underlying Fund may purchase a call option on the yield spread between two securities if the Underlying Fund owns one of the securities and anticipates purchasing the other security and wants to hedge against an adverse change in the yield spread between the two securities. An Underlying Fund may also purchase or write yield curve options in an effort to increase current income if, in the judgment of its investment adviser, the Underlying Fund will be able to profit from movements in the spread between the yields of the underlying securities. The trading of yield curve options is subject to all of the risks associated with the trading of other types of options. In addition, however, such options present risk of loss even if the yield of one of the underlying securities remains constant, or if the spread moves in a direction or to an extent which was not anticipated.
Yield curve options written by an Underlying Fund will be covered. A call (or put) option is covered if an Underlying Fund holds another call (or put) option on the spread between the same two securities and identifies on its books cash or liquid assets sufficient to cover the Underlying Funds net liability under the two options. Therefore, an Underlying Funds liability for such a covered option is generally limited to the difference between the amount of the Underlying Funds liability under the option written by the Underlying Fund less the value of the option held by the Underlying Fund. Yield curve options may also be covered in such other manner as may be in accordance with the requirements of the counterparty with which the option is traded and applicable laws and regulations. Yield curve options are traded over-the-counter, and established trading markets for these options may not exist.
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Risks Associated with Options Transactions. There is no assurance that a liquid secondary market on an options exchange will exist for any particular exchange-traded option or at any particular time. If an Underlying Fund is unable to effect a closing purchase transaction with respect to options it has written, the Underlying Fund will not be able to sell the underlying securities or dispose of the assets identified on its books to cover the position until the options expire or are exercised. Similarly, if an Underlying Fund is unable to effect a closing sale transaction with respect to options it has purchased, it will have to exercise the options in order to realize any profit and will incur transaction costs upon the purchase or sale of underlying securities.
Reasons for the absence of a liquid secondary market on an exchange include the following: (i) there may be insufficient trading interest in certain options; (ii) restrictions may be imposed by an exchange on opening or closing transactions or both; (iii) trading halts, suspensions or other restrictions may be imposed with respect to particular classes or series of options; (iv) unusual or unforeseen circumstances may interrupt normal operations on an exchange; (v) the facilities of an exchange or the Options Clearing Corporation may not at all times be adequate to handle current trading volume; or (vi) one or more exchanges could, for economic or other reasons, decide or be compelled at some future date to discontinue the trading of options (or a particular class or series of options), in which event the secondary market on that exchange (or in that class or series of options) would cease to exist, although outstanding options on that exchange that had been issued by the Options Clearing Corporation as a result of trades on that exchange would continue to be exercisable in accordance with their terms.
There can be no assurance that higher trading activity, order flow or other unforeseen events will not, at times, render certain of the facilities of the Options Clearing Corporation or various exchanges inadequate. Such events have, in the past, resulted in the institution by an exchange of special procedures, such as trading rotations, restrictions on certain types of order or trading halts or suspensions with respect to one or more options. These special procedures may limit liquidity.
An Underlying Fund may purchase and sell both options that are traded on U.S. and foreign exchanges and options traded over-the-counter with broker-dealers who make markets in these options. The ability to terminate over-the-counter options is more limited than with exchange traded options and may involve the risk that broker-dealers participating in such transactions will not fulfill their obligations.
Transactions by an Underlying Fund in options on securities and indices will be subject to limitations established by each of the exchanges, boards of trade or other trading facilities on which such options are traded governing the maximum number of options in each class which may be written or purchased by a single investor or group of investors acting in concert regardless of whether the options are written or purchased on the same or different exchanges, boards of trade or other trading facilities or are held in one or more accounts or through one or more brokers. Thus, the number of options which an Underlying Fund may write or purchase may be affected by options written or purchased by other investment advisory clients of the Underlying Funds investment advisers. An exchange, board of trade or other trading facility may order the liquidation of positions found to be in excess of these limits, and it may impose certain other sanctions.
The writing and purchase of options is a highly specialized activity which involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. The use of options to seek to increase total return involves the risk of loss if an investment adviser is incorrect in its expectation of fluctuations in securities prices or interest rates. The successful use of options for hedging purposes also depends in part on the ability of an investment adviser to manage future price fluctuations and the degree of correlation between the options and securities markets. If an investment adviser is incorrect in its expectation of changes in securities prices or determination of the correlation between the securities or securities indices on which options are written and purchased and the securities in an Underlying Funds investment portfolio, the Underlying Fund may incur losses that it would not otherwise incur. The writing of options could increase an Underlying Funds portfolio turnover rate and, therefore, associated brokerage commissions or spreads.
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Participation Notes
Certain of the Underlying Funds may invest in participation notes. Some countries, especially emerging markets countries, do not permit foreigners to participate directly in their securities markets or otherwise present difficulties for efficient foreign investment. An Underlying Fund may use participation notes to establish a position in such markets as a substitute for direct investment. Participation notes are issued by banks or broker-dealers and are designed to track the return of a particular underlying equity or debt security, currency or market. When a participation note matures, the issuer of the participation note will pay to, or receive from, an Underlying Fund the difference between the nominal value of the underlying instrument at the time of purchase and that instruments value at maturity. Investments in participation notes involve the same risks associated with a direct investment in the underlying security, currency or market that they seek to replicate. In addition, participation notes are generally traded over-the-counter and are subject to counterparty risk. Counterparty risk is the risk that the broker-dealer or bank that issues them will not fulfill its contractual obligation to complete the transaction with an Underlying Fund. Participation notes constitute general unsecured contractual obligations of the banks or broker-dealers that issue them, and an Underlying Fund would be relying on the creditworthiness of such banks or broker-dealers and would have no rights under a participation note against the issuer of the underlying assets. In addition, participation notes may trade at a discount to the value of the underlying securities or markets that they seek to replicate.
Pooled Investment Vehicles
Certain of the Underlying Funds may invest in securities of pooled investment vehicles, including other investment companies ETFs. An Underlying Fund will indirectly bear its proportionate share of any management fees and other expenses paid by pooled investment vehicles in which it invests, in addition to the management fees (and other expenses) paid by the Underlying Fund. An Underlying Funds investments in pooled investment vehicles are subject to statutory limitations prescribed by the Act, including in certain circumstances a prohibition on the Underlying Fund acquiring more than 3% of the voting shares of any other investment company, and a prohibition on investing more than 5% of the Underlying Funds total assets in securities of any one investment company or more than 10% of its total assets in the securities of all investment companies. Many ETFs, however, have obtained exemptive relief from the SEC to permit unaffiliated funds (such as the Underlying Funds) to invest in their shares beyond these statutory limits, subject to certain conditions and pursuant to contractual arrangements between the ETFs and the investing funds. An Underlying Fund may rely on these exemptive orders in investing in ETFs. Moreover, subject to applicable law and/or pursuant to an exemptive order obtained from the SEC or under an exemptive rule adopted by the SEC, certain Underlying Funds may invest in investment companies, including ETFs and money market funds for which the Investment Adviser, or any of its affiliates, serves as investment adviser, administrator and/or distributor. With respect to an Underlying Funds investments in money market funds, to the extent that an Underlying Fund invests in a money market fund for which the Investment Adviser or any of its affiliates acts as investment adviser, the management fees payable by the Underlying Fund to the Investment Adviser will, to the extent required by the SEC, be reduced by an amount equal to the Underlying Funds proportionate share of the management fees paid by such money market fund to its investment adviser. Although the Underlying Funds do not expect to do so in the foreseeable future, each Underlying Fund is authorized to invest substantially all of its assets in a single open-end investment company or series thereof that has substantially the same investment policies and fundamental restrictions as the Underlying Fund. Additionally, for so long as any Underlying Fund serves as an underlying fund to another Goldman Sachs Fund, including the Portfolios, that Underlying Fund may invest a percentage of its assets in other investment companies only if those instruments are consistent with applicable law and/or exemptive relief obtained from the SEC.
Certain of the Underlying Funds may purchase shares of investment companies investing primarily in foreign securities, including country funds. Country funds have portfolios consisting primarily of securities of issuers located in specified foreign countries or regions.
ETFs are shares of pooled investment vehicles issuing shares which are traded like traditional equity securities on a stock exchange. An ETF represents a portfolio of securities or other assets, which is often designed to track a particular market segment or index. An investment in an ETF, like one in any pooled investment vehicle, carries risks of its underlying securities. An ETF may fail to accurately track the returns of the market segment or index that it is designed to track, and the price of an ETFs shares may fluctuate or lose money. In addition, because they, unlike other pooled investment vehicles, are traded on an exchange, ETFs are subject to the following risks: (i) the market price of the ETFs shares may trade at a premium or discount to the ETFs NAV; (ii) an active trading market for an ETF may not develop or be maintained; and (iii) there is no assurance that the requirements of the exchange necessary to maintain the listing of the ETF will continue to be met or remain unchanged. In the event substantial market or other disruptions affecting ETFs should occur in the future, the liquidity and value of an Underlying Funds shares could also be substantially and adversely affected.
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Portfolio Maturity
Dollar-weighted average maturity is derived by multiplying the value of each investment by the time remaining to its maturity, adding these calculations, and then dividing the total by the value of an Underlying Fixed Income Funds portfolio. An obligations maturity is typically determined on a stated final maturity basis, although there are some exceptions. For example, if an issuer of an instrument takes advantage of a maturity-shortening device, such as a call, refunding, or redemption provision, the date on which the instrument is expected to be called, refunded, or redeemed may be considered to be its maturity date. There is no guarantee that the expected call, refund or redemption will occur, and an Underlying Fixed Income Funds average maturity may lengthen beyond the investment advisers expectations should the expected call refund or redemption not occur. Similarly, in calculating its dollar-weighted average maturity, an Underlying Fixed Income Fund may determine the maturity of a variable or floating rate obligation according to the interest rate reset date, or the date principal can be recovered on demand, rather than the date of ultimate maturity.
Portfolio Turnover
Each Underlying Fund may engage in active short-term trading to benefit from price disparities among different issues of securities or among the markets for equity or fixed income securities, or for other reasons. As a result of active management, it is anticipated that the portfolio turnover rate of each Underlying Fund may vary greatly from year to year as well as within a particular year, and may be affected by changes in the holdings of specific issuers, changes in country and currency weightings, cash requirements for redemption of shares and by requirements which enable the Underlying Funds to receive favorable tax treatment. An Underlying Fund is not restricted by policy with regard to portfolio turnover and will make changes in its investment portfolio from time to time as business and economic conditions as well as market prices may dictate.
Preferred Stock, Warrants and Stock Purchase Rights
Certain of the Underlying Funds may invest in preferred stock, warrants or stock purchase rights (rights) (in addition to those acquired in units or attached to other securities). Preferred stocks are securities that represent an ownership interest providing the holder with claims on the issuers earnings and assets before common stock owners but after bond owners. Unlike debt securities, the obligations of an issuer of preferred stock, including dividend and other payment obligations, may not typically be accelerated by the holders of such preferred stock on the occurrence of an event of default (such as a covenant default or filing of a bankruptcy petition) or other non-compliance by the issuer with the terms of the preferred stock. Often, however, on the occurrence of any such event of default or non-compliance by the issuer, preferred stockholders will be entitled to gain representation on the issuers board of directors or increase their existing board representation. In addition, preferred stockholders may be granted voting rights with respect to certain issues on the occurrence of any event of default. Warrants and other rights and options that entitle the holder to buy equity securities at a specific price for a specific period of time. An Underlying Fund will invest in warrants and rights only if such equity securities are deemed appropriate by its investment adviser for investment by the Underlying Fund. Warrants and rights have no voting rights, receive no dividends and have no rights with respect to the assets of the issuer.
Private Investment in Public Equities (PIPEs)
Certain of the Underlying Funds may elect to invest in PIPEs and other unregistered or otherwise restricted securities issued by public MLPs and similar entities, including unregistered MLP preferred units. The Investment Adviser expects most such private securities to be liquid within six to nine months of funding, but may also invest in other private securities with significantly longer or shorter restricted periods. PIPEs involve the direct placement of equity securities to a purchaser such as an Underlying Fund. Equity issued in this manner is often unregistered and therefore less liquid than equity issued through a public offering. Such private equity offerings provide issuers greater flexibility in structure and timing as compared to public offerings. The following highlights some of the reasons MLPs choose to issue equity through private placements:
Effective Acquisition Funding Vehicle. MLPs typically distribute all of their available cash at the end of each quarter, and therefore generally finance acquisitions through the issuance of additional equity and debt securities. PIPEs allow MLPs to structure the equity funding to close concurrently with an acquisition, thereby eliminating or reducing the equity funding risk. This avoids equity overhang issues (discussed below) and can ease rating agency concerns over interim excessive leverage associated with an acquisition.
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Eliminates or Reduces Equity Overhang Issues. Generally an MLP unit price declines when investors know the MLP will be issuing public equity in the near term. An example of this is when an MLP closes a sizeable acquisition funded under its credit facility or with another form of debt financing. In this situation, equity investors will typically wait for the public offering to provide additional liquidity, and therefore the demand for units is reduced, and the unit price falls. Issuing units through a PIPE in conjunction with the acquisition eliminates this equity overhang.
Broadens Investor Base. Public equity offerings for MLPs are typically allocated primarily to retail investors. Private placements allow issuers to access new pools of equity capital. In addition, institutional investors, such as an Underlying Fund, that participate in PIPEs are potential investors for future equity financings.
Greater Structural Flexibility. Certain acquisitions and organic development projects require a more structured form of equity. For example, organic projects that require significant capital expenditures that do not generate near-term cash flow may require a class of equity that does not pay a distribution for a certain period. The public equity market is generally not an efficient venue to raise this type of specialized equity. Given the significant number of organic projects that have been announced by MLPs, the private placement of PIPEs are believed by the Investment Adviser to be likely to remain an important funding component in the MLP sector.
Avoided Cost and Uncertainty of Public Equity Issuance. Some issuers prefer the certainty of a private placement at a specified fixed discount, compared to the uncertainty of a public offering. The underwriting costs of a public equity issuance in the MLP space can significantly reduce gross equity proceeds, and the unit price of the issuance can decline during the marketing of a public deal, resulting in increased cost to an issuer. The cost of a PIPE can be competitive with that of a public issuance while providing greater certainty of funding.
More Expedient Process with Limited Marketing Requirements. Unlike public equity offerings, private placements are typically more time efficient for management teams, with negotiations, due diligence and marketing required only for a small targeted group of sophisticated institutional investors.
Monetizations. Financial sponsors, founding partners and/or parent companies typically own significant stakes in MLPs in the form of subordinated units. As these units are not registered, monetization alternatives are limited. PIPEs provide liquidity in these situations.
Many MLPs rely on the private placement market as a source of equity capital. Given the limitations in raising equity from a predominantly retail investor base and the tax and administrative constraints to significant institutional participation, PIPEs have been a popular financing alternative with many MLPs.
Real Estate Investment Trusts
Certain of the Underlying Funds may invest in shares of REITs. REITs are pooled investment vehicles which invest primarily in real estate or real estate related loans. REITs are generally classified as equity REITs, mortgage REITs or a combination of equity and mortgage REITs. Equity REITs invest the majority of their assets directly in real property and derive income primarily from the collection of rents. Equity REITs can also realize capital gains by selling properties that have appreciated in value. Mortgage REITs invest the majority of their assets in real estate mortgages and derive income from the collection of interest payments. Like regulated investment companies such as the Underlying Funds, REITs are not taxed on income distributed to shareholders provided they comply with certain requirements under the Code. An Underlying Fund will indirectly bear its proportionate share of any expenses paid by REITs in which it invests in addition to the expenses paid by an Underlying Fund.
Investing in REITs involves certain unique risks. Equity REITs may be affected by changes in the value of the underlying property owned by such REITs, while mortgage REITs may be affected by the quality of any credit extended. REITs are dependent upon management skills, are not diversified (except to the extent the Code requires), and are subject to the risks of financing projects. REITs are subject to heavy cash flow dependency, default by borrowers, self-liquidation, and the possibilities of failing to qualify for the exemption from tax for distributed income under the Code and failing to maintain their exemptions from the Act. REITs (especially mortgage REITs) are also subject to interest rate risks.
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Repurchase Agreements
Each Underlying Fund may enter into repurchase agreements with eligible counterparties approved by the Investment Adviser pursuant to procedures approved by the Board of Trustees that furnish collateral at least equal in value or market price to the amount of the repurchase obligation. The collateral may consist of any type of security in which an Underlying Fund is eligible to invest. Certain Underlying Funds may also enter into repurchase agreements involving obligations other than U.S. Government securities (such as foreign government securities, commercial paper, corporate bonds, mortgage loans and equities) which may be subject to special risks and may not have the benefit of certain protections in the event of the counterpartys insolvency. A repurchase agreement is an arrangement under which an Underlying Fund purchases securities and the seller agrees to repurchase the securities within a particular time and at a specified price. Custody of the securities is maintained by an Underlying Funds custodian (or sub-custodian). The repurchase price may be higher than the purchase price, the difference being income to an Underlying Fund, or the purchase and repurchase prices may be the same, with interest at a stated rate due to an Underlying Fund together with the repurchase price on repurchase. In either case, the income to an Underlying Fund is unrelated to the interest rate on the security subject to the repurchase agreement.
For purposes of the Act, and generally, for tax purposes, a repurchase agreement is deemed to be a loan from the Underlying Fund to the seller of the underlying security. For other purposes, it is not always clear whether a court would consider the security purchased by the Underlying Fund subject to a repurchase agreement as being owned by the Underlying Fund or as being collateral for a loan by the Underlying Fund to the seller. In the event of commencement of bankruptcy or insolvency proceedings with respect to the seller of the security before repurchase of the security under a repurchase agreement, an Underlying Fund may encounter delay and incur costs before being able to sell the security. Such a delay may involve loss of interest or a decline in the price of the security. If the court characterizes the transaction as a loan and the Underlying Fund has not perfected a security interest in the security, the Underlying Fund may be required to return the security to the sellers estate and be treated as an unsecured creditor of the seller. As an unsecured creditor, an Underlying Fund would be at risk of losing some or all of the principal and interest involved in the transaction.
Apart from the risk of bankruptcy or insolvency proceedings, there is also the risk that the seller may fail to repurchase the security. However, if the market value of the security subject to the repurchase agreement becomes less than the repurchase price (including accrued interest), an Underlying Fund will direct the seller of the security to deliver additional securities so that the market value of all securities subject to the repurchase agreement equals or exceeds the repurchase price. Certain repurchase agreements which provide for settlement in more than seven days can be liquidated before the nominal fixed term on seven days or less notice. Such repurchase agreements will be regarded as liquid instruments.
The Underlying Funds, together with other registered investment companies having advisory agreements with the Investment Adviser or its affiliates, may transfer uninvested cash balances into a single joint account, the daily aggregate balance of which will be invested in one or more repurchase agreements.
Restricted and Illiquid Securities
Certain of the Underlying Funds may purchase securities and other financial instruments that are not registered or that are offered in an exempt non-public offering (Restricted Securities) under the Securities Act of 1933 (the 1933 Act), including, for example, restricted securities eligible for resale to pursuant to an exemption from registration under the 1933 Act. However, an Underlying Fund will not invest more than 15% of its net assets in illiquid investments, which may include repurchase agreements with a notice or demand period of more than seven days, certain SMBS, certain municipal leases, certain over-the-counter options, securities and other financial instruments that are not readily marketable, certain Senior Loans and Second Lien Loans, certain CDOs, CLOs, CBOs, certain bank obligations, certain non-investment grade securities and other credit instruments and Restricted Securities unless, based upon a review of the trading markets for specific investments, those investments are determined to be liquid. Those investment practices could have the effect of increasing the level of illiquidity in the Underlying Fund to the extent that market demand for securities held by the Underlying Fund decreases such that previously liquid securities become illiquid. The Trustees have adopted guidelines and delegated to the Investment Adviser the function of determining and monitoring the liquidity of the Underlying Funds portfolio securities.
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The purchase price and subsequent valuation of restricted securities may reflect a discount from the price at which such securities trade when they are not restricted, because the restriction may make them less liquid. The amount of the discount from the prevailing market price is expected to vary depending upon the type of security, the character of the issuer, the party who will bear the expenses of registering the restricted securities and prevailing supply and demand conditions.
Reverse Repurchase Agreements
Certain of the Underlying Funds may borrow money by entering into transactions called reverse repurchase agreements. Under these arrangements, an Underlying Fund may sell portfolio securities to banks and other financial institutions, with an agreement to repurchase the security on an agreed date, price and interest payment. For certain Underlying Funds, these reverse repurchase agreements may involve certain foreign government securities. Reverse repurchase agreements involve the possible risk that the value of portfolio securities an Underlying Fund relinquishes may decline below the price the Underlying Fund must pay when the transaction closes. Borrowings may magnify the potential for gain or loss on amounts invested resulting in an increase in the speculative character of an Underlying Funds outstanding shares.
When an Underlying Fund enters into a reverse repurchase agreement, it identifies on its books cash or liquid assets that have a value equal to or greater than the repurchase price. The amount of cash or liquid assets so identified is then monitored continuously by its investment adviser to make sure that an appropriate value is maintained. Reverse repurchase agreements are considered to be borrowings under the Act.
Second Lien Loans
Certain Underlying Funds or Portfolios may invest in Second Lien Loans, which have the same characteristics as Senior Loans except that such loans are second in lien property rather than first. Second Lien Loans typically have adjustable floating rate interest payments. Accordingly, the risks associated with Second Lien Loans are higher than the risk of loans with first priority over the collateral. In the event of default on a Second Lien Loan, the first priority lien holder has first claim to the underlying collateral of the loan. It is possible that no collateral value would remain for the second priority lien holder and therefore result in a loss of investment to the Underlying Fund or Portfolio.
Senior Loans
Certain Underlying Funds or Portfolios may invest in Senior Loans. Senior Loans hold the most senior position in the capital structure of a business entity (the Borrower), are typically secured with specific collateral and have a claim on the assets and/or stock of the Borrower that is senior to that held by subordinated debt holders and stockholders of the Borrower. The proceeds of Senior Loans primarily are used to finance leveraged buyouts, recapitalizations, mergers, acquisitions, stock repurchases, refinancings and to finance internal growth and for other corporate purposes. Senior Loans typically have a stated term of between five and nine years, and have rates of interest which typically are redetermined daily, monthly, quarterly or semi-annually by reference to a base lending rate, plus a premium or credit spread. Longer interest rate reset periods would generally increase fluctuations in the net asset value as a result of changes in market interest rates. As a result, as short-term interest rates increase, interest payable to the Underlying Fund or Portfolio from its investments in Senior Loans should increase, and as short-term interest rates decrease, interest payable to the Underlying Fund or Portfolio from its investments in Senior Loans should decrease. An Underlying Fund or Portfolio may acquire Senior Loan assignments or participations. The purchaser of an assignment typically succeeds to all the rights and obligations of the assigning institution and becomes a lender under the credit agreement with respect to the debt obligation; however, the purchasers rights can be more restricted than those of the assigning institution, and, in any event, an Underlying Fund or Portfolio may not be able to unilaterally enforce all rights and remedies under the loan and with regard to any associated collateral. A participation typically results in a contractual relationship only with the institution participating out the interest, not with the Borrower. In purchasing participations, an Underlying Fund or Portfolio generally will have no right to enforce compliance by the Borrower with the terms of the loan agreement against the Borrower, and an Underlying Fund or Portfolio may not directly benefit from the collateral supporting the debt obligation in which it has purchased the participation. As a result, the Underlying Fund or Portfolio will be exposed the credit risk of both the Borrower and the institution selling the participation.
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No active trading market may exist for some Senior Loans, and some loans may be subject to restrictions on resale. A secondary market may be subject to irregular trading activity, wide bid/ask spreads and extended trade settlement periods, which may impair the ability to realize full value and thus cause a material decline in the net asset value of an Underlying Fund. Because transactions in many Senior Loans are subject to extended trade settlement periods, an Underlying Fund may not receive the proceeds from the sale of Senior Loans for a period after the sale of the Senior Loans. In addition, an Underlying Fund may not be able to readily dispose of its Senior Loans at prices that approximate those at which the Underlying Fund could sell such loans if they were more widely-traded and, as a result of such illiquidity, an Underlying Fund may have to sell other investments or engage in borrowing transactions, such as borrowing from its credit facility, if necessary to raise cash to meet its obligations, including redemption obligations. During periods of limited supply and liquidity of Senior Loans, an Underlying Funds yield may be lower.
Short Sales
The Portfolios and certain of the Underlying Funds may engage in short sales. Short sales are transactions in which a Portfolio or Underlying Fund sells a security it does not own in anticipation of a decline in the market value of that security. To complete such a transaction, the Portfolio or Underlying Fund must borrow the security to make delivery to the buyer. The Portfolio or Underlying Fund then is obligated to replace the security borrowed by purchasing it at the market price at the time of replacement. The price at such time may be more or less than the price at which the security was sold by the Portfolio or Underlying Fund. Until the security is replaced, the Portfolio or Underlying Fund is required to pay to the lender amounts equal to any dividend which accrues during the period of the loan. To borrow the security, the Portfolio or Underlying Fund also may be required to pay a premium, which would increase the cost of the security sold. There will also be other costs associated with short sales.
A Portfolio or Underlying Fund will incur a loss as a result of the short sale if the price of the security increases between the date of the short sale and the date on which the Portfolio or Underlying Fund replaces the borrowed security. The Underlying Fund will realize a gain if the security declines in price between those dates. This result is the opposite of what one would expect from a cash purchase of a long position in a security. The amount of any gain will be decreased, and the amount of any loss increased, by the amount of any premium or amounts in lieu of interest the Portfolio or Underlying Fund may be required to pay in connection with a short sale, and will be also decreased by any transaction or other costs.
Until a Portfolio or Underlying Fund replaces a borrowed security in connection with a short sale, the Portfolio or Underlying Fund will (a) identify on its books cash or liquid assets at such a level that the identified assets plus any amount deposited as collateral will equal the current value of the security sold short or (b) otherwise cover its short position in accordance with applicable law.
There is no guarantee that a Portfolio or Underlying Fund will be able to close out a short position at any particular time or at an acceptable price. During the time that a Portfolio or Underlying Fund is short a security, it is subject to the risk that the lender of the security will terminate the loan at a time when the Portfolio or Underlying Fund is unable to borrow the same security from another lender. If that occurs, the Portfolio or Underlying Fund may be bought in at the price required to purchase the security needed to close out the short position, which may be a disadvantageous price.
The Portfolios and certain of the Underlying Funds may engage in short sales against the box. As noted above, a short sale is made by selling a security the seller does not own. A short sale is against the box to the extent that the seller contemporaneously owns or has the right to obtain, at no added cost, securities identical to those sold short. It may be entered into by a Portfolio or an Underlying Fund, for example, to lock in a sales price for a security the Portfolio or Underlying Fund does not wish to sell immediately. If a Portfolio or an Underlying Fund sells securities short against the box, it may protect itself from loss if the price of the securities declines in the future, but will lose the opportunity to profit on such securities if the price rises.
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If a Portfolio or an Underlying Fund effects a short sale of securities at a time when it has an unrealized gain on the securities, it may be required to recognize that gain as if it had actually sold the securities (as a constructive sale) on the date it effects the short sale. However, such constructive sale treatment may not apply if a Portfolio or an Underlying Fund closes out the short sale with securities other than the appreciated securities held at the time of the short sale and if certain other conditions are satisfied. Uncertainty regarding the tax consequences of effecting short sales may limit the extent to which a Portfolio or an Underlying Fund may effect short sales.
Structured Notes
Certain Underlying Funds may invest in structured notes. In one type of structured note in which an Underlying Fund may invest, the issuer of the note will be a highly creditworthy party. The terms of such notes will be in accordance with applicable IRS guidelines. The note will be issued at par value. The amount payable at maturity, early redemption or knockout (as defined below) of the note will depend directly on the performance of the S&P GSCI Index. As described more precisely below, the amount payable at maturity will be computed using a formula under which the issue price paid for the note is adjusted to reflect the percentage appreciation or depreciation of the index over the term of the note in excess of a specified interest factor, and an agreed-upon multiple (the leverage factor) of three. The note will also bear interest at a floating rate that is pegged to LIBOR. The interest rate will be based generally on the issuers funding spread and prevailing interest rates. The interest will be payable at maturity. The issuer of the note will be entitled to an annual fee for issuing the note, which will be payable at maturity, and which may be netted against payments otherwise due under the note. The amount payable at maturity, early redemption or knockout of each note will be calculated by starting with an amount equal to the face amount of the note plus any remaining unpaid interest on the note and minus any accumulated fee amount, and then adding (or subtracting, in the case of a negative number) the amount equal to the product of (i) the percentage increase (or decrease) of the S&P GSCI Index over the applicable period, less a specified interest percentage, multiplied by (ii) the face amount of the note, and by (iii) the leverage factor of three. The holder of the note will have a right to put the note to the issuer for redemption at any time before maturity. The note will become automatically payable (i.e., will knockout) if the relevant index declines by 15%. In the event that the index has declined to the knockout level (or below) during any day, the redemption price of the note will be based on the closing index value of the next day. The issuer of the note will receive payment in full of the purchase price of the note substantially contemporaneously with the delivery of the note. An Underlying Fund, while holding the note, will not be required to make any payment to the issuer of the note in addition to the purchase price paid for the note, whether as margin, settlement payment, or otherwise, during the life of the note or at maturity. The issuer of the note will not be subject by the terms of the instrument to mark-to-market margining requirements of the Commodity Exchange Act, as amended (the CEA). The note will not be marketed as a contract of sale of a commodity for future delivery (or option on such a contract) subject to the CEA.
With respect to a second type of structured note in which an Underlying Fund intends to invest, the issuer of the note will be a highly creditworthy party. The term of the note will be for six months. The note will be issued at par value. The amount payable at maturity or early redemption of the note will depend directly on the performance of a specified basket of 6-month futures contracts with respect to all of the commodities in the S&P GSCI Index, with weightings of the different commodities similar to the weightings in the S&P GSCI Index. As described more precisely below, the amount payable at maturity will be computed using a formula under which the issue price paid for the note is adjusted to reflect the percentage appreciation or depreciation of the value of the specified basket of commodities futures over the term of the note in excess of a specified interest factor, and the leverage factor of three, but in no event will the amount payable at maturity be less than 51% of the issue price of the note. The note will also bear interest at a floating rate that is pegged to LIBOR. The interest rate will be based generally on the issuers funding spread and prevailing interest rates. The interest will be payable at maturity. The issuer of the note will be entitled to a fee for issuing the note, which will be payable at maturity, and which may be netted against payments otherwise due under the note. The amount payable at maturity or early redemption of each note will be the greater of (i) 51% of the issue price of the note and (ii) the amount calculated by starting with an amount equal to the face amount of the note plus any remaining unpaid interest on the note and minus any accumulated fee amount, and then adding (or subtracting, in the case of a negative number) the amount equal to the product of (A) the percentage increase (or decrease) of the specified basket of commodities futures over the applicable period, less a specified interest percentage, multiplied by (B) the face amount of the note, and by (C) the leverage factor of three. The holder of the note will have a right to put the note to the issuer for redemption at any time before maturity. The issuer of the note will receive payment in full of the purchase price of the note
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substantially contemporaneously with the delivery of the note. An Underlying Fund, while holding the note, will not be required to make any payment to the issuer of the note in addition to the purchase price paid for the note, whether as margin, settlement payment, or otherwise, during the life of the note or at maturity. The issuer of the note will not be subject by the terms of the instrument to mark-to-market margining requirements of the CEA. The note will not be marketed as a contract of sale of a commodity for future delivery (or option on such a contract) subject to the CEA.
Temporary Investments
The Portfolios and Underlying Funds may, for temporary defensive purposes, invest a certain percentage of their total assets in some or all of the following: U.S. Government Securities; commercial paper rated at least A-2 by Standard & Poors, P-2 by Moodys or having a comparable credit rating by another NRSRO (or, if unrated, determined by an Underlying Funds investment adviser to be of comparable credit quality); certificates of deposit; bankers acceptances; repurchase agreements; non-convertible preferred stocks and non-convertible corporate bonds with a remaining maturity of less than one year; cash items; and exchange-traded funds and other investment companies. When an Underlying Funds assets are invested in such instruments, the Underlying Fund may not be achieving its investment objective.
Trust Preferred Securities
Certain of the Underlying Funds may invest in trust preferred securities. A trust preferred or capital security is a long dated bond (for example 30 years) with preferred features. The preferred features are that payment of interest can be deferred for a specified period without initiating a default event. From a bondholders viewpoint, the securities are senior in claim to standard preferred but are junior to other bondholders. From the issuers viewpoint, the securities are attractive because their interest is deductible for tax purposes like other types of debt instruments.
U.S. Government Securities
Certain of the Underlying Funds and each Portfolio may invest in U.S. Government securities, which are obligations issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government, its agencies, instrumentalities or sponsored enterprises (U.S. Government Securities). Some U.S. Government Securities (such as Treasury bills, notes and bonds, which differ only in their interest rates, maturities and times of issuance) are supported by the full faith and credit of the United States. Others, such as obligations issued or guaranteed by U.S. Government agencies, instrumentalities or sponsored enterprises, are supported either by (i) the right of the issuer to borrow from the U.S. Treasury, (ii) the discretionary authority of the U.S. Government to purchase certain obligations of the issuer or (iii) only the credit of the issuer. The U.S. Government is under no legal obligation, in general, to purchase the obligations of its agencies, instrumentalities or sponsored enterprises. No assurance can be given that the U.S. Government will provide financial support to the U.S. Government agencies, instrumentalities or sponsored enterprises in the future, and the U.S. Government may be unable to pay debts when due.
U.S. Government Securities include (to the extent consistent with the Act) securities for which the payment of principal and interest is backed by an irrevocable letter of credit issued by the U.S. Government, or its agencies, instrumentalities or sponsored enterprises. U.S. Government Securities may also include (to the extent consistent with the Act) participations in loans made to foreign governments or their agencies that are guaranteed as to principal and interest by the U.S. Government or its agencies, instrumentalities or sponsored enterprises. The secondary market for certain of these participations is extremely limited. In the absence of a suitable secondary market, such participations are regarded as illiquid.
Certain of the Underlying Funds and each Portfolio may also purchase U.S. Government Securities in private placements, subject to the Underlying Funds limitation on investment in illiquid securities. The Underlying Funds may also invest in separately traded principal and interest components of securities guaranteed or issued by the U.S. Treasury that are traded independently under the separate trading of registered interest and principal of securities program (STRIPS). Certain of the Underlying Funds may also invest in zero coupon U.S. Treasury securities and in zero coupon securities issued by financial institutions which represent a proportionate interest in underlying U.S. Treasury securities. A zero coupon security pays no interest to its holder during its life and its value consists of the difference between its face value at maturity and its cost. The market prices of zero coupon securities generally are more volatile than the market prices of securities that pay interest periodically.
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Inflation-Protected Securities. Certain of the Underlying Funds may invest in inflation-protected securities (IPS) of varying maturities issued by the U.S. Treasury and other U.S. and non-U.S. Government agencies and corporations. IPS are fixed income securities whose principal value is periodically adjusted according to the rate of inflation. The interest rate on IPS is fixed at issuance, but over the life of the bond this interest may be paid on an increasing or decreasing principal value that has been adjusted for inflation. Although repayment of the original bond principal upon maturity is guaranteed, the market value of IPS is not guaranteed, and will fluctuate.
The values of IPS generally fluctuate in response to changes in real interest rates, which are in turn tied to the relationship between nominal interest rates and the rate of inflation. If inflation were to rise at a faster rate than nominal interest rates, real interest rates might decline, leading to an increase in the value of IPS. In contrast, if nominal interest rates were to increase at a faster rate than inflation, real interest rates might rise, leading to a decrease in the value of IPS. If inflation is lower than expected during the period an Underlying Fund holds IPS, an Underlying Fund may earn less on the IPS than on a conventional bond. If interest rates rise due to reasons other than inflation (for example, due to changes in the currency exchange rates), investors in IPS may not be protected to the extent that the increase is not reflected in the bonds inflation measure. There can be no assurance that the inflation index for IPS will accurately measure the real rate of inflation in the prices of goods and services.
The U.S. Treasury utilizes the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) as the measurement of inflation, while other issuers of IPS may use different indices as the measure of inflation. Any increase in principal value of IPS caused by an increase in the consumer price index is taxable in the year the increase occurs, even though an Underlying Fund holding IPS will not receive cash representing the increase at that time. As a result, an Underlying Fund could be required at times to liquidate other investments, including when it is not advantageous to do so, in order to satisfy its distribution requirements as a regulated investment company.
If an Underlying Fund invests in IPS, it will be required to treat as original issue discount any increase in the principal amount of the securities that occurs during the course of its taxable year. If an Underlying Fund purchases such inflation protected securities that are issued in stripped form either as stripped bonds or coupons, it will be treated as if it had purchased a newly issued debt instrument having original issue discount.
Because an Underlying Fund is required to distribute substantially all of its net investment income (including accrued original issue discount), an Underlying Funds investment in either zero coupon bonds or IPS may require an Underlying Fund to distribute to shareholders an amount greater than the total cash income it actually receives. Accordingly, in order to make the required distributions, an Underlying Fund may be required to borrow or liquidate securities.
Variable and Floating Rate Securities
The interest rates payable on certain fixed income securities in which certain of the Underlying Funds may invest are not fixed and may fluctuate based upon changes in market rates. Variable and floating rate obligations are debt instruments issued by companies or other entities with interest rates that reset periodically (typically daily, monthly, quarterly or semi-annually) in response to changes in the market rate of interest on which the interest rate is based. Moreover, such obligations may fluctuate in value in response to interest rate changes if there is a delay between changes in market interest rates and the interest reset date for the obligation, or for other reasons. The value of these obligations is generally more stable than that of a fixed rate obligation in response to changes in interest rate levels, but they may decline in value if their interest rates do not rise as much, or as quickly, as interest rates in general. Conversely, floating rate securities will not generally increase in value if interest rates decline.
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When-Issued Securities and Forward Commitments
Certain of the Underlying Funds may purchase securities on a when-issued basis, including TBA (To Be Announced) securities, or purchase or sell securities on a forward commitment basis beyond the customary settlement time. TBA securities, which are usually mortgage-backed securities, are purchased on a forward commitment basis with an approximate principal amount and no defined maturity date. These transactions involve a commitment by an Underlying Fund to purchase or sell securities at a future date. The price of the underlying securities (usually expressed in terms of yield) and the date when the securities will be delivered and paid for (the settlement date) are fixed at the time the transaction is negotiated. When-issued purchases and forward commitment transactions are negotiated directly with the other party, and such commitments are not traded on exchanges. An Underlying Fund will generally purchase securities on a when-issued basis or purchase or sell securities on a forward commitment basis only with the intention of completing the transaction and actually purchasing or selling the securities. If deemed advisable as a matter of investment strategy, however, an Underlying Fund may dispose of or negotiate a commitment after entering into it. An Underlying Fund may also sell securities it has committed to purchase before those securities are delivered to the Underlying Fund on the settlement date. An Underlying Fund may realize a capital gain or loss in connection with these transactions. For purposes of determining an Underlying Funds duration, the maturity of when-issued or forward commitment securities will be calculated from the commitment date. An Underlying Fund is generally required to identify on its books, until three days prior to the settlement date, cash and liquid assets in an amount sufficient to meet the purchase price unless the Underlying Funds obligations are otherwise covered. Alternatively, an Underlying Fund may enter into offsetting contracts for the forward sale of other securities that it owns. Securities purchased or sold on a when-issued or forward commitment basis 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.
Writing and Purchasing Call and Put Options on Currency
Certain of the Underlying Funds may, to the extent they invest in foreign securities, write and purchase put and call options on foreign currencies for the purpose of protecting against declines in the U.S. dollar value of foreign portfolio securities and against increases in the U.S. dollar cost of foreign securities to be acquired. As with other kinds of option transactions, however, the writing of an option on foreign currency will constitute only a partial hedge, up to the amount of the premium received. If and when an Underlying Fund seeks to close out an option, the Underlying Fund could be required to purchase or sell foreign currencies at disadvantageous exchange rates, thereby incurring losses. The purchase of an option on foreign currency may constitute an effective hedge against exchange rate fluctuations; however, in the event of exchange rate movements adverse to an Underlying Funds position, the Underlying Fund may forfeit the entire amount of the premium plus related transaction costs. Options on foreign currencies may be traded on U.S. and foreign exchanges or over-the-counter. Certain of the Underlying Funds may purchase call options on currency to seek to increase total return.
Options on currency may also be used for cross-hedging purposes, which involves writing or purchasing options on one currency to seek to hedge against changes in exchange rates for a different currency with a pattern of correlation, or to seek to increase total return when an Underlying Funds investment adviser anticipates that the currency will appreciate or depreciate in value, but the securities quoted or denominated in that currency do not present attractive investment opportunities and are not included in the Underlying Funds portfolio.
A call option written by an Underlying Fund obligates an Underlying Fund to sell a specified currency to the holder of the option at a specified price if the option is exercised before the expiration date. A put option written by an Underlying Fund obligates the Underlying Fund to purchase a specified currency from the option holder at a specified price if the option is exercised before the expiration date. The writing of currency options involves a risk that an Underlying Fund will, upon exercise of the option, be required to sell currency subject to a call at a price that is less than the currencys market value or be required to purchase currency subject to a put at a price that exceeds the currencys market value. Written put and call options on foreign currencies may be covered in a manner similar to written put and call options on securities and securities indices described under Writing Covered Options above.
An Underlying Fund may terminate its obligations under a written call or put option by purchasing an option identical to the one it has written. Such purchases are referred to as closing purchase transactions. An Underlying Fund may enter into closing sale transactions in order to realize gains or minimize losses on options purchased by the Underlying Fund.
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An Underlying Fund may purchase call options on foreign currency in anticipation of an increase in the U.S. dollar value of currency in which securities to be acquired by an Underlying Fund are quoted or denominated. The purchase of a call option would entitle the Underlying Fund, in return for the premium paid, to purchase specified currency at a specified price during the option period. An Underlying Fund would ordinarily realize a gain if, during the option period, the value of such currency exceeded the sum of the exercise price, the premium paid and transaction costs; otherwise the Underlying Fund would realize either no gain or a loss on the purchase of the call option.
An Underlying Fund may purchase put options in anticipation of a decline in the U.S. dollar value of the currency in which securities in its portfolio are quoted or denominated (protective puts). The purchase of a put option would entitle an Underlying Fund, in exchange for the premium paid, to sell specified currency at a specified price during the option period. The purchase of protective puts is usually designed to offset or hedge against a decline in the U.S. dollar value of an Underlying Funds portfolio securities due to currency exchange rate fluctuations. An Underlying Fund would ordinarily realize a gain if, during the option period, the value of the underlying currency decreased below the exercise price sufficiently to more than cover the premium and transaction costs; otherwise the Underlying Fund would realize either no gain or a loss on the purchase of the put option. Gains and losses on the purchase of protective put options would tend to be offset by countervailing changes in the value of underlying currency or portfolio securities.
In addition to using options for the hedging purposes described above, certain Underlying Funds may use options on currency to seek to increase total return. These Underlying Funds may write (sell) put and call options on any currency in order to realize greater income than would be realized on portfolio securities transactions alone. However, in writing call options for additional income, an Underlying Fund may forego the opportunity to profit from an increase in the market value of the underlying currency. Also, when writing put options, an Underlying Fund accepts, in return for the option premium, the risk that it may be required to purchase the underlying currency at a price in excess of the currencys market value at the time of purchase.
Special Risks Associated With Options on Currency. An exchange traded options position may be closed out only on an options exchange that provides a secondary market for an option of the same series. Although an Underlying Fund will generally purchase or write only those options for which there appears to be an active secondary market, there is no assurance that a liquid secondary market on an exchange will exist for any particular option, or at any particular time. For some options, no secondary market on an exchange may exist. In such event, it might not be possible to effect closing transactions in particular options, with the result that an Underlying Fund would have to exercise its options in order to realize any profit and would incur transaction costs upon the sale of underlying securities pursuant to the exercise of put options. If an Underlying Fund as an option writer is unable to effect a closing purchase transaction in a secondary market, it may not be able to sell the underlying currency (or security quoted or denominated in that currency) or dispose of the identified assets, until the option expires or it delivers the underlying currency upon exercise.
There is no assurance that higher than anticipated trading activity or other unforeseen events might not, at times, render certain of the facilities of the Options Clearing Corporation inadequate, and thereby result in the institution by an exchange of special procedures which may interfere with the timely execution of customers orders.
An Underlying Fund may purchase and write over-the-counter options to the extent consistent with its limitation on investments in illiquid securities. Trading in over-the-counter options is subject to the risk that the other party will be unable or unwilling to close out options purchased or written by an Underlying Fund.
The amount of the premiums which an Underlying Fund may pay or receive may be adversely affected as new or existing institutions, including other investment companies, engage in or increase their option purchasing and writing activities.
Zero Coupon Bonds
Certain of the Underlying Funds investments in fixed income securities may include zero coupon bonds. Zero coupon bonds are debt obligations issued or purchased at a discount from face value. The discount approximates the total amount of interest the bonds would have accrued and compounded over the period until maturity. A zero coupon bond pays no interest to its holder during its life and its value consists of the difference between its face value at maturity and its cost. Such investments benefit the issuer by mitigating its need for cash to meet debt service
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but also require a higher rate of return to attract investors who are willing to defer receipt of such cash. Such investments may experience greater volatility in market value than debt obligations which provide for regular payments of interest. Moreover, zero coupon bonds involve the additional risk that, unlike securities that periodically pay interest to maturity, an Underlying Fund will realize no cash until a specified future payment date unless a portion of such securities is sold and, if the issuer of such securities defaults, the Underlying Fund may obtain no return at all on its investment. The valuation of such investments requires judgment regarding the collection of futures payments. An Underlying Fund will accrue income on such investments for each taxable year which (net of deductible expenses, if any) is distributable to shareholders and which, because no cash is generally received at the time of accrual, may require the liquidation of other portfolio securities to obtain sufficient cash to satisfy the Underlying Funds distribution obligations.
Special Note Regarding Market Events
Events in the financial sector over the past several years have resulted in reduced liquidity in credit and fixed income markets and in an unusually high degree of volatility in the financial markets, both domestically and internationally. While entire markets have been impacted, issuers that have exposure to the real estate, mortgage and credit markets have been particularly affected. These events and the potential for continuing market turbulence may have an adverse effect on the Portfolios and the Underlying Funds investments. It is uncertain how long these conditions will continue.
The instability in the financial markets led the U.S. Government to take a number of unprecedented actions designed to support certain financial institutions and certain segments of the financial markets. Federal, state, and foreign governments, regulatory agencies, and self -regulatory organizations may take actions that affect the regulation of the instruments in which the Portfolios and the Underlying Funds invest, or the issuers of such instruments, in ways that are unforeseeable. Such legislation or regulation could limit or preclude the Portfolios and/or the Underlying Funds ability to achieve their investment objectives.
Governments or their agencies may also acquire distressed assets from financial institutions and acquire ownership interests in those institutions. The implications of government ownership and disposition of these assets are unclear, and such ownership or disposition may have positive or negative effects on the liquidity, valuation and performance of the Portfolios and the Underlying Funds portfolio holdings.
Special Note Regarding Operational, Cyber Security and Litigation Risks
An investment in the Portfolios and/or an Underlying Fund may be negatively impacted because of the operational risks arising from factors such as processing errors and human errors, inadequate or failed internal or external processes, failures in systems and technology, changes in personnel, and errors caused by third-party service providers or trading counterparties. The use of certain investment strategies that involve manual or additional processing, such as over-the-counter derivatives, increases these risks. Although the Portfolios and/or an Underlying Fund attempts to minimize such failures through controls and oversight, it is not possible to identify all of the operational risks that may affect the Portfolios and/or an Underlying Fund or to develop processes and controls that completely eliminate or mitigate the occurrence of such failures. The Portfolios and/or an Underlying Fund and its shareholders could be negatively impacted as a result.
The Portfolios and/or an Underlying Fund is also susceptible to operational and information security risks resulting from cyber-attacks. In general, cyber-attacks result from deliberate attacks, but other events may have effects similar to those caused by cyber-attacks. Cyber-attacks include, among others, stealing or corrupting confidential information and other data that is maintained online or digitally for financial gain, denial-of-service attacks on websites causing operational disruption, and the unauthorized release of confidential information and other data. Cyber-attacks affecting the Portfolios and/or an Underlying Fund or its investment adviser, sub-adviser, custodian, transfer agent, intermediary or other third-party service provider may adversely impact the Portfolios and/or an Underlying Fund and its shareholders. These cyber-attacks have the ability to cause significant disruptions and impact business operations; to result in financial losses; to prevent shareholders from transacting business; to interfere with the Portfolios and/or an Underlying Funds calculation of NAV and to lead to violations of applicable privacy and other laws, regulatory fines, penalties, reputational damage, reimbursement or other compensation costs and/or additional compliance costs. Similar to operational risk in general, the Portfolios and/or an Underlying Fund
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and its service providers, including GSAM, have instituted risk management systems designed to minimize the risks associated with cyber security. However, there is a risk that these systems will not succeed (or that any remediation efforts will not be successful), especially because the Portfolios and/or an Underlying Fund does not directly control the risk management systems of the service providers to the Portfolios and/or an Underlying Fund, its trading counterparties or the issuers in which the Portfolios and/or an Underlying Fund may invest. Moreover, there is a risk that cyber-attacks will not be detected.
The Portfolios and/or an Underlying Fund may be subject to third-party litigation, which could give rise to legal liability. These matters involving the Portfolios and/or an Underlying Fund may arise from their activities and investments and could have a materially adverse effect on the Portfolios and/or an Underlying Fund, including the expense of defending against claims and paying any amounts pursuant to settlements or judgments. There can be no guarantee that these matters will not arise in the normal course of business. If the Portfolios and/or an Underlying Fund were to be found liable in any suit or proceeding, any associated damages and/or penalties could have a materially adverse effect on the Portfolios and/or an Underlying Funds finances, in addition to being materially damaging to their reputation.
The investment restrictions set forth below have been adopted by the Trust as fundamental policies that cannot be changed with respect to a Portfolio without the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority (as defined in the Act) of the outstanding voting securities of the affected Portfolio. The investment objective of each Portfolio and all other investment policies or practices of each Portfolio are considered by the Trust not to be fundamental and accordingly may be changed without shareholder approval. For purposes of the Act, a majority of the outstanding voting securities means the lesser of the vote of (i) 67% or more of the shares of a Portfolio present at a meeting, if the holders of more than 50% of the outstanding shares of the Portfolio are present or represented by proxy, or (ii) more than 50% of the shares of a Portfolio. For purposes of the following limitations (except for the asset coverage requirement with respect to borrowings, which is subject to different requirements under the Act), any limitation which involves a maximum percentage will not be considered violated unless an excess over the percentage occurs immediately after, and is caused by, an acquisition or encumbrance of securities or assets of, or borrowings by, a Portfolio. With respect to the Portfolios fundamental investment restriction number (3) below, asset coverage of at least 300% (as defined in the Act), inclusive of any amounts borrowed, must be maintained at all times.
As a matter of fundamental policy, each Portfolio may not:
(1) | Make any investment inconsistent with the Portfolios classification as a diversified company under the Act; |
(2) | Invest 25% or more of its total assets in the securities of one or more issuers conducting their principal business activities in the same industry (excluding investment companies and the U.S. government or any of its agencies or instrumentalities). (For the purposes of this restriction, state and municipal governments and their agencies, authorities and instrumentalities are not deemed to be industries; telephone companies are considered to be a separate industry from water, gas or electric utilities; personal credit finance companies and business credit finance companies are deemed to be separate industries; and wholly-owned finance companies are considered to be in the industry of their parents if their activities are primarily related to financing the activities of their parents.) This restriction does not apply to investments in Municipal Securities which have been pre-refunded by the use of obligations of the U.S. Government or any of its agencies or instrumentalities; |
(3) | Borrow money, except (a) the Portfolio may borrow from banks (as defined in the Act), other affiliated investment companies and other persons or through reverse repurchase agreements in amounts up to 33-1/3% of its total assets (including the amount borrowed), (b) the Portfolio may, to the extent permitted by applicable law, borrow up to an additional 5% of its total assets for temporary purposes, (c) the Portfolio may obtain such short-term credits as may be necessary for the clearance of purchases and sales of portfolio securities, (d) the Portfolio may purchase securities on margin to the extent permitted by applicable law and (e) the Portfolio may engage in transactions in mortgage dollar rolls which are accounted for as financings; |
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The following interpretation applies to, but is not part of, this fundamental policy: In determining whether a particular investment in portfolio instruments or participation in portfolio transactions is subject to this borrowing policy, the accounting treatment of such instrument or participation shall be considered, but shall not by itself be determinative. Whether a particular instrument or transaction constitutes a borrowing shall be determined by the Board, after consideration of all of the relevant circumstances.
(4) | Make loans, except through (a) the purchase of debt obligations in accordance with the Portfolios investment objective and policies, (b) repurchase agreements with banks, brokers, dealers and other financial institutions; (c) loans of securities as permitted by applicable law and (d) loans to affiliates of the Portfolio to the extent permitted by law; |
(5) | Underwrite securities issued by others, except to the extent that the sale of portfolio securities by the Portfolio may be deemed to be an underwriting; |
(6) | Purchase, hold or deal in real estate, although the Portfolio may purchase and sell securities that are secured by real estate or interests therein, securities of real estate investment trusts and mortgage-related securities and may hold and sell real estate acquired by the Portfolio as a result of the ownership of securities; |
(7) | Invest in commodities or commodity contracts, except that the Portfolio may invest in currency and financial instruments and contracts that are commodities or commodity contracts; and |
(8) | Issue senior securities to the extent such issuance would violate applicable law. |
Notwithstanding any other fundamental investment restriction or policy, each Portfolio may invest some or all of its assets in a single open end investment company or series thereof with substantially the same fundamental investment restrictions and policies as the Portfolio.
For purposes of each Portfolios industry concentration policy, the Investment Adviser may analyze the characteristics of a particular issuer and instrument and may assign an industry classification consistent with those characteristics. The Investment Adviser may, but need not, consider industry classifications provided by third parties, and the classifications applied to Portfolio investments will be informed by applicable law.
In addition to the fundamental policies mentioned above, the Trustees have adopted the following non-fundamental policies which can be changed or amended by action of the Trustees without approval of shareholders. Again, for the purposes of the following limitations, any limitation which involves a maximum percentage shall not be considered violated unless an excess over the percentage occurs immediately after, and is caused by, an acquisition of securities by a Portfolio.
Each Portfolio may not:
(a) | Invest in companies for the purpose of exercising control or management (but this does not prevent a Portfolio from purchasing a controlling interest in one or more of the Underlying Funds consistent with its investment objective and policies). |
(b) | Invest more than 15% of the Portfolios net assets in illiquid investments, including illiquid repurchase agreements with a notice or demand period of more than seven days, securities which are not readily marketable and restricted securities not eligible for resale pursuant to Rule 144A under the 1933 Act. |
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(c) | Purchase additional securities if the Portfolios borrowings (excluding covered mortgage dollar rolls) exceed 5% of its net assets. |
The Underlying Funds in which the Portfolios may invest have adopted certain investment restrictions which may be more or less restrictive than those listed above, thereby allowing the Portfolios to participate in certain investment strategies indirectly that are prohibited under the fundamental and non-fundamental investment restrictions and policies listed above. The investment restrictions of these Underlying Funds are set forth in their respective SAIs.
The Trusts Leadership Structure
The business and affairs of the Portfolios are managed under the direction of the Board of Trustees (the Board), subject to the laws of the State of Delaware and the Trusts Declaration of Trust. The Trustees are responsible for deciding matters of overall policy and reviewing the actions of the Trusts service providers. The officers of the Trust conduct and supervise each Portfolios daily business operations.
Trustees who are not deemed to be interested persons of the Trust as defined in the Act are referred to as Independent Trustees. Trustees who are deemed to be interested persons of the Trust are referred to as Interested Trustees. The Board is currently composed of seven Independent Trustees and two Interested Trustees. The Board has selected an Independent Trustee to act as Chairman, whose duties include presiding at meetings of the Board and acting as a focal point to address significant issues that may arise between regularly scheduled Board and Committee meetings. In the performance of the Chairmans duties, the Chairman will consult with the other Independent Trustees and the Portfolios officers and legal counsel, as appropriate. The Chairman may perform other functions as requested by the Board from time to time.
The Board meets as often as necessary to discharge its responsibilities. Currently, the Board conducts regular, in-person meetings at least six times a year, and holds special in-person or telephonic meetings as necessary to address specific issues that require attention prior to the next regularly scheduled meeting. In addition, the Independent Trustees meet at least annually to review, among other things, investment management agreements, distribution (Rule 12b-1) and/or service plans and related agreements, transfer agency agreements and certain other agreements providing for the compensation of Goldman Sachs and/or its affiliates by the Portfolios, and to consider such other matters as they deem appropriate.
The Board has established five standing committees Audit, Governance and Nominating, Compliance, Valuation and Contract Review Committees. The Board may establish other committees, or nominate one or more Trustees to examine particular issues related to the Boards oversight responsibilities, from time to time. Each Committee meets periodically to perform its delegated oversight functions and reports its findings and recommendations to the Board. For more information on the Committees, see the section STANDING BOARD COMMITTEES, below.
The Trustees have determined that the Trusts leadership structure is appropriate because it allows the Trustees to effectively perform their oversight responsibilities.
Trustees of the Trust
Information pertaining to the Trustees of the Trust as of December 29, 2016 is set forth below.
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Independent Trustees
Name, Address and Age1 |
Position(s) Held with the Trust |
Term of Office and Length of Time Served2 |
Principal Occupation(s) During Past 5 Years |
Number of Portfolios in Fund Complex Overseen by Trustee3 |
Other Directorships Held by Trustee4 | |||||
Ashok N. Bakhru Age: 74 |
Chairman of the Board of Trustees | Since 1996 (Trustee since 1991) | Mr. Bakhru is retired. He was formerly Director, Apollo Investment Corporation (a business development company) (20082013); President, ABN Associates (a management and financial consulting firm) (19941996 and 19982012); Trustee, Scholarship America (19982005); Trustee, Institute for Higher Education Policy (20032008); Director, Private Equity InvestorsIII and IV (19982007), and Equity-Linked Investors II (April 20022007).
Chairman of the Board of TrusteesGoldman Sachs Trust; Goldman Sachs Variable Insurance Trust; Goldman Sachs Trust II; Goldman Sachs BDC, Inc.; Goldman Sachs Private Middle Market Credit LLC; Goldman Sachs MLP Income Opportunities Fund; Goldman Sachs MLP and Energy Renaissance Fund; and Goldman Sachs ETF Trust. |
142 | None | |||||
Kathryn A. Cassidy Age: 62 |
Trustee | Since 2015 | Ms. Cassidy is retired. Formerly, she was Advisor to the Chairman (May 2014December 2014); and Senior Vice President and Treasurer (20082014), General Electric Company & General Electric Capital Corporation (technology and financial services companies).
TrusteeGoldman Sachs Trust and Goldman Sachs Variable Insurance Trust. |
106 | None |
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Name, Address and Age1 |
Position(s) Held with the Trust |
Term of Office and Length of Time Served2 |
Principal Occupation(s) During Past 5 Years |
Number of Portfolios in Fund Complex Overseen by Trustee3 |
Other Directorships Held by Trustee4 | |||||
Diana M. Daniels Age: 67 |
Trustee | Since 2007 | Ms. Daniels is retired. Formerly, she was Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary, The Washington Post Company (19912006). Ms. Daniels is a Trustee Emeritus and serves as a Presidential Councillor of Cornell University (2013Present); former Member of the Legal Advisory Board, New York Stock Exchange (20032006) and of the Corporate Advisory Board, Standish Mellon Management Advisors (20062007).
TrusteeGoldman Sachs Trust and Goldman Sachs Variable Insurance Trust. |
106 | None | |||||
Herbert J. Markley Age: 66 |
Trustee | Since 2013 | Mr. Markley is retired. Formerly, he was Executive Vice President, Deere & Company (an agricultural and construction equipment manufacturer) (20072009); and President, Agricultural Division, Deere & Company (20012007). Previously, Mr. Markley served as an Advisory Board Member of Goldman Sachs Trust and Goldman Sachs Variable Insurance Trust (June 2013 October 2013).
TrusteeGoldman Sachs Trust and Goldman Sachs Variable Insurance Trust. |
106 | None |
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Name, Address and Age1 |
Position(s) Held with the Trust |
Term of Office and Length of Time Served2 |
Principal Occupation(s) During Past 5 Years |
Number of Portfolios in Fund Complex Overseen by Trustee3 |
Other Directorships Held by Trustee4 | |||||
Jessica Palmer Age: 67 |
Trustee | Since 2007 | Ms. Palmer is retired. She is Director, Emerson Center for the Arts and Culture (2011Present); and was formerly a Consultant, Citigroup Human Resources Department (20072008); Managing Director, Citigroup Corporate and Investment Banking (previously, Salomon Smith Barney/Salomon Brothers) (19842006). Ms. Palmer was a Member of the Board of Trustees of Indian Mountain School (private elementary and secondary school) (20042009).
TrusteeGoldman Sachs Trust and Goldman Sachs Variable Insurance Trust. |
106 | None | |||||
Roy W. Templin Age: 56 |
Trustee | Since 2013 | Mr. Templin is retired. He recently served as Chairman of the Board of Directors, Con-Way Incorporated (a transportation, logistics and supply chain management service company) (20142015); and was formerly Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Whirlpool Corporation (an appliance manufacturer and marketer) (20042012). Previously, Mr. Templin served as an Advisory Board Member of Goldman Sachs Trust and Goldman Sachs Variable Insurance Trust (June 2013 October 2013).
TrusteeGoldman Sachs Trust and Goldman Sachs Variable Insurance Trust. |
106 | None |
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Name, Address and Age1 |
Position(s) Held with the Trust |
Term of Office and Length of Time Served2 |
Principal Occupation(s) During Past 5 Years |
Number of Portfolios in Fund Complex Overseen by Trustee3 |
Other Directorships Held by Trustee4 | |||||
Gregory G. Weaver Age: 65 |
Trustee | Since 2015 | Mr. Weaver is retired. He is Director, Verizon Communications Inc. (2015Present); and was formerly Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Deloitte & Touche LLP (a professional services firm) (20012005 and 20122014); and Member of the Board of Directors, Deloitte & Touche LLP (20062012).
TrusteeGoldman Sachs Trust and Goldman Sachs Variable Insurance Trust. |
106 | Verizon Communications Inc. | |||||
Interested Trustees | ||||||||||
Name, Address and Age1 |
Position(s) Held with the Trust |
Term of Office and Length of Time Served2 |
Principal Occupation(s) During Past 5 Years |
Number of Portfolios in Fund Complex Overseen by Trustee3 |
Other Directorships Held by Trustee4 | |||||
James A. McNamara* Age: 54 |
President and Trustee | Since 2007 | Managing Director, Goldman Sachs (December 1998Present); Director of Institutional Fund Sales, GSAM (April 1998December 2000); and Senior Vice President and Manager, Dreyfus Institutional Service Corporation (January 1993April 1998).
President and TrusteeGoldman Sachs Trust; Goldman Sachs Variable Insurance Trust; Goldman Sachs Trust II; Goldman Sachs MLP Income Opportunities Fund; Goldman Sachs MLP and Energy Renaissance Fund; and Goldman Sachs ETF Trust. |
140 | None | |||||
Alan A. Shuch* Age: 67 |
Trustee | Since 1990 | Advisory DirectorGSAM (May 1999Present); Consultant to GSAM (December 1994May 1999); and Limited Partner, Goldman Sachs (December 1994May 1999).
TrusteeGoldman Sachs Trust and Goldman Sachs Variable Insurance Trust. |
106 | None |
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* | These persons are considered to be Interested Trustees because they hold positions with Goldman Sachs and own securities issued by The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. Each Interested Trustee holds comparable positions with certain other companies of which Goldman Sachs, GSAM or an affiliate thereof is the investment adviser, administrator and/or distributor. |
1 | Each Trustee may be contacted by writing to the Trustee, c/o Goldman Sachs, 200 West Street, New York, New York, 10282, Attn: Caroline Kraus. |
2 | Subject to such policies as may be adopted by the Board from time-to-time, each Trustee holds office for an indefinite term, until the earliest of: (a) the election of his or her successor; (b) the date the Trustee resigns or is removed by the Board or shareholders, in accordance with the Trusts Declaration of Trust; or (c) the termination of the Trust. The Board has adopted policies which provide that (a) no Trustee shall hold office for more than 15 years and (b) a Trustee shall retire as of December 31st of the calendar year in which he or she reaches his or her 74th birthday, unless a waiver of such requirement shall have been adopted by a majority of the other Trustees. These policies may be changed by the Trustees without shareholder vote. One Trustee has been granted a waiver from the foregoing policies which permits him to serve until December 31, 2017. |
3 | The Goldman Sachs Fund Complex includes certain other companies listed above for each respective Trustee. As of December 29, 2016, Goldman Sachs Trust consisted of 92 portfolios (89 of which offered shares to the public); Goldman Sachs Variable Insurance Trust consisted of 14 portfolios; Goldman Sachs Trust II consisted of 17 portfolios (16 of which offered shares to the public); Goldman Sachs BDC, Inc., Goldman Sachs Private Middle Market Credit LLC, Goldman Sachs MLP Income Opportunities Fund, and Goldman Sachs MLP and Energy Renaissance Fund each consisted of one portfolio; and Goldman Sachs ETF Trust consisted of 15 portfolios (eight of which offered shares to the public). Goldman Sachs Private Middle Market Credit LLC does not offer shares to the public. |
4 | This column includes only directorships of companies required to report to the SEC under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (i.e., public companies) or other investment companies registered under the Act. |
The significance or relevance of a Trustees particular experience, qualifications, attributes and/or skills is considered by the Board on an individual basis. Experience, qualifications, attributes and/or skills common to all Trustees include the ability to critically review, evaluate and discuss information provided to them and to interact effectively with the other Trustees and with representatives of the Investment Adviser and its affiliates, other service providers, legal counsel and the Portfolios independent registered public accounting firm, the capacity to address financial and legal issues and exercise reasonable business judgment, and a commitment to the representation of the interests of the Portfolios and their shareholders. The Governance and Nominating Committees charter contains certain other factors that are considered by the Governance and Nominating Committee in identifying and evaluating potential nominees to serve as Independent Trustees. Based on each Trustees experience, qualifications, attributes and/or skills, considered individually and with respect to the experience, qualifications, attributes and/or skills of other Trustees, the Board has concluded that each Trustee should serve as a Trustee. Below is a brief discussion of the experience, qualifications, attributes and/or skills of each individual Trustee as of December 29, 2016 that led the Board to conclude that such individual should serve as a Trustee.
Ashok N. Bakhru. Mr. Bakhru has served as a Trustee since 1991 and Chairman of the Board since 1996. Previously, Mr. Bakhru served as Director, Apollo Investment Corporation (a business development company) (20082013), and President of ABN Associates, a management and financial consulting firm, and was the Chief Financial Officer, Chief Administrative Officer and Director of Coty Inc., a multinational cosmetics, fragrance and personal care company. In addition, Mr. Bakhru formerly held several senior management positions at Scott Paper Company, a major manufacturer of paper products, including Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Bakhru also serves on the Governing Council of the Independent Directors Council, the Board of Governors of the Investment Company Institute, and the Board of Directors of the Mutual Fund Directors Forum. He also serves on the Advisory Board of BoardIQ, an investment publication. In addition, Mr. Bakhru has served as Director of Equity-Linked Investments II and Private Equity Investors III and IV, which are private equity partnerships based in New York City. Mr. Bakhru was also a Director of Arkwright Mutual Insurance Company. Based on the foregoing, Mr. Bakhru is experienced with financial and investment matters.
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Kathryn A. Cassidy. Ms. Cassidy became a Trustee in 2015. Previously, Ms. Cassidy held several senior management positions at General Electric Company (GE) and General Electric Capital Corporation (GECapital) and its subsidiaries, where she worked for 35 years, most recently as Advisor to the Chairman of GECapital and Senior Vice President and Treasurer of GE and GECapital. As Senior Vice President and Treasurer, Ms. Cassidy led capital markets and treasury matters of multiple initial public offerings. Ms. Cassidy was responsible for managing global treasury operations, including global funding, hedging, derivative accounting and execution, cash and liquidity management, cash operations and treasury services, and global regulatory compliance and reporting for liquidity, derivatives, market risk and counterparty credit risk. Ms. Cassidy also serves as a Director of buildOn, a not-for-profit organization. Based on the foregoing, Ms. Cassidy is experienced with financial and investment matters.
Diana M. Daniels. Ms. Daniels has served as Trustee since 2007. Ms. Daniels also serves as a Trustee Emeritus and Presidential Councillor of Cornell University. Ms. Daniels held several senior management positions at The Washington Post Company and its subsidiaries, where she worked for 29 years. While at The Washington Post Company, Ms. Daniels served as Vice President, General Counsel, Secretary to the Board of Directors and Secretary to the Audit Committee. Previously, Ms. Daniels served as Vice President and General Counsel of Newsweek, Inc. Ms. Daniels also serves on the Governing Council of the Independent Directors Council of the Investment Company Institute. Ms. Daniels has also served as Vice Chair and Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees of Cornell University and as a member of the Corporate Advisory Board of Standish Mellon Management Advisors and of the Legal Advisory Board of New York Stock Exchange. Ms. Daniels is also a member of the American Law Institute and of the Advisory Council of the Inter-American Press Association. Based on the foregoing, Ms. Daniels is experienced with legal, financial and investment matters.
Herbert J. (H.J.) Markley. Mr. Markley has served as a Trustee since 2013. Previously, Mr. Markley held several senior management positions at Deere & Company, where he worked for 35 years, including Executive Vice President of Worldwide Parts Service, Global Supply Management and Logistics, Enterprise Information Technology and Corporate Communications. Mr. Markleys experience at Deere included managing manufacturing and engineering facilities, including the two largest manufacturing facilities and a joint venture with Hitachi. He later served as Senior Vice President of Worldwide Human Resources where he helped to lay the foundation for a new human resources system, and as a President of the Agricultural Division, Deeres largest business unit. In addition to his work with Deere, Mr. Markley has served on the Boards of Directors of the Dubuque Chamber of Commerce, the First National Bank of Dubuque, the University of Dubuque and the Iowa Public Television Foundation as well as the Board of Overseers of the Amos Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College. Based on the foregoing, Mr. Markley is experienced with financial and investment matters.
Jessica Palmer. Ms. Palmer has served as Trustee since 2007. Ms. Palmer serves as a Director of Emerson Center for the Arts and Culture, a not-for-profit organization. Ms. Palmer worked at Citigroup Corporate and Investment Banking (previously, Salomon Smith Barney/Salomon Brothers) for over 20 years, where she was a Managing Director. While at Citigroup Corporate and Investment Banking, Ms. Palmer was Head of Global Risk Management, Chair of the Global Commitment Committee, Co-Chair of International Investment Banking (New York) and Head of Fixed Income Capital Markets. Ms. Palmer was also a member of the Management Committee and Risk Management Operating Committee of Citigroup, Inc. Prior to that, Ms. Palmer was a Vice President at Goldman Sachs in its international corporate finance department. Ms. Palmer was also Assistant Vice President of the International Division at Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. Ms. Palmer was also a member of the Board of Trustees of a private elementary and secondary school. Based on the foregoing, Ms. Palmer is experienced with financial and investment matters.
Roy W. Templin. Mr. Templin has served as a Trustee since 2013. Mr. Templin recently served as Chairman of the Board of Directors of Con-Way Incorporated, a transportation, logistics and supply chain management services company, prior to its sale to XPO Logistics, Inc. Mr. Templin held a number of senior management positions at Whirlpool Corporation, an appliance manufacturer and marketer, including Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Vice President and Corporate Controller there. At Whirlpool, Mr. Templin served on the Executive Committee and was responsible for all aspects of finance globally, including treasury, accounting, risk management, investor relations, internal auditing, tax and facilities. Prior to joining Whirlpool, Mr. Templin served in several roles at Kimball International, a furniture and electronic assemblies manufacturer, including Vice President of Finance and Chief Accounting Officer. Mr. Templin was also a Director of Corporate Finance for Cummins, Inc., a diesel engine manufacturer, a Director of Financial Development at NCR Corporation, a computer hardware and electronics company, and a member of the audit staff of Price Waterhouse (now PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP). Mr. Templin is a certified public accountant, a certified management accountant and a member of the Institute of Management Accountants Accounting Honor Society Advisory Board. Based on the foregoing, Mr. Templin is experienced with accounting, financial and investment matters.
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Gregory G. Weaver. Mr. Weaver became a Trustee in 2015. Mr. Weaver also serves as a Director of Verizon Communications Inc. Previously, Mr. Weaver was a partner with Deloitte & Touche LLP for 30 years. He was the firms first chairman and chief executive officer from 20012005, and was elected to serve a second term (20122014). While serving as chairman at Deloitte & Touche LLP, Mr. Weaver led the audit and enterprise risk services practice, overseeing all operations, strategic positioning, audit quality, and talent matters. Mr. Weaver also served as a member of the firms Board of Directors for six years where he served on the Governance Committee and Partner Earnings and Benefits Committee and was chairman of the Elected Leaders Committee and Strategic Investment Committee. Mr. Weaver is also a Board member and Finance Committee chair of the National Council for Minorities in Engineering. Mr. Weaver has also served as President of the Council of Boy Scouts of America in Long Rivers, Connecticut, President of A Better Chance in Glastonbury, Connecticut, as a member of the Financial Accounting Standards Advisory Council and as a board member of the Stan Ross Department of Accountancy, Baruch College. Based on the foregoing, Mr. Weaver is experienced with accounting, financial and investment matters.
James A. McNamara. Mr. McNamara has served as Trustee and President of the Trust since 2007 and has served as an officer of the Trust since 2001. Mr. McNamara is a Managing Director at Goldman Sachs. Mr. McNamara is currently head of Global Third Party Distribution at GSAM, where he was previously head of U.S. Third Party Distribution. Prior to that role, Mr. McNamara served as Director of Institutional Fund Sales. Prior to joining Goldman Sachs, Mr. McNamara was Vice President and Manager at Dreyfus Institutional Service Corporation. Based on the foregoing, Mr. McNamara is experienced with financial and investment matters.
Alan A. Shuch. Mr. Shuch has served as a Trustee since 1990. Mr. Shuch is an Advisory Director to Goldman Sachs. Mr. Shuch serves on the Board of Trustees of a number of Cayman funds managed by GSAM and previously served on the Board of Trustees of a number of Luxembourg and Dublin funds managed by GSAM. He serves on GSAMs Valuation Committees. Prior to retiring as a general partner of Goldman Sachs in 1995, Mr. Shuch was president and chief operating officer of GSAM which he founded in 1988. Mr. Shuch joined the Goldman Sachs Fixed Income Division in 1976. He was instrumental in building Goldman Sachs Corporate Bond Department and served as co-head of the Global Fixed Income Sales and the High Yield Bond and Preferred Stock Departments. He headed the Portfolio Restructuring and Fixed Income Quantitative and Credit Research Departments. Mr. Shuch also served on a variety of firm-wide committees including the International Executive, New Product and Strategic Planning Committees and was a member of the Stone Street/Bridge Street Private Equity Board. Mr. Shuch also served on Whartons Graduate Executive Board. Based on the foregoing, Mr. Shuch is experienced with financial and investment matters.
Officers of the Trust
Information pertaining to the officers of the Trust as of December 29, 2016 is set forth below.
Name, Age and Address |
Position(s) Held with the Trust |
Term of Office and Length of Time Served1 |
Principal Occupation(s) During Past 5 Years | |||
James A. McNamara 200 West Street New York, NY 10282 Age: 54 |
Trustee and President |
Since 2007 | Managing Director, Goldman Sachs (December 1998 Present); Director of Institutional Fund Sales, GSAM (April 1998 December 2000); and Senior Vice President and Manager, Dreyfus Institutional Service Corporation (January 1993 April 1998).
President and TrusteeGoldman Sachs Trust; Goldman Sachs Variable Insurance Trust; Goldman Sachs Trust II; Goldman Sachs MLP Income Opportunities Fund; Goldman Sachs MLP and Energy Renaissance Fund; and Goldman Sachs ETF Trust. |
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Name, Age and Address |
Position(s) Held with the Trust |
Term of Office and Length of Time Served1 |
Principal Occupation(s) During Past 5 Years | |||
Scott M. McHugh 200 West Street New York, NY 10282 Age: 45 |
Treasurer, Senior Vice President and Principal Financial Officer | Since 2009 (Principal Financial Officer since 2013) | Managing Director, Goldman Sachs (January 2016 Present); Vice President, Goldman Sachs (February 2007 December 2015); Assistant Treasurer of certain mutual funds administered by DWS Scudder (2005 2007); and Director (2005 2007), Vice President (2000 2005), and Assistant Vice President (1998 2000), Deutsche Asset Management or its predecessor (1998 2007).
Treasurer, Senior Vice President and Principal Financial OfficerGoldman Sachs Trust; Goldman Sachs Variable Insurance Trust; Goldman Sachs Trust II; Goldman Sachs MLP Income Opportunities Fund; Goldman Sachs MLP and Energy Renaissance Fund; and Goldman Sachs ETF Trust. | |||
Gazala Khan 200 West Street New York, NY 10282 Age: 47 |
Chief Compliance Officer | Since 2009 | Vice President, GSAM Compliance (June 2009 Present).
Chief Compliance OfficerGoldman Sachs Trust and Goldman Sachs Variable Insurance Trust. | |||
Philip V. Giuca, Jr. 30 Hudson Street Jersey City, NJ 07302 Age: 54 |
Assistant Treasurer | Since 1997 | Managing Director, Goldman Sachs (January 2014 Present); and Vice President, Goldman Sachs (May 1992 December 2013).
Assistant TreasurerGoldman Sachs Trust; Goldman Sachs Variable Insurance Trust; Goldman Sachs Trust II; Goldman Sachs BDC, Inc.; Goldman Sachs Private Middle Market Credit LLC; Goldman Sachs Middle Market Lending LLC; Goldman Sachs MLP Income Opportunities Fund; Goldman Sachs MLP and Energy Renaissance Fund; and Goldman Sachs ETF Trust. | |||
Peter W. Fortner 30 Hudson Street Jersey City, NJ 07302 Age: 58 |
Assistant Treasurer | Since 2000 | Vice President, Goldman Sachs (July 2000 Present); and Principal Financial Officer, Commerce Bank Mutual Fund Complex (2008 Present).
Assistant TreasurerGoldman Sachs Trust; Goldman Sachs Variable Insurance Trust; Goldman Sachs Trust II; Goldman Sachs MLP Income Opportunities Fund; Goldman Sachs MLP and Energy Renaissance Fund; and Goldman Sachs ETF Trust. | |||
Kenneth G. Curran 30 Hudson Street Jersey City, NJ 07302 Age: 52 |
Assistant Treasurer | Since 2001 | Vice President, Goldman Sachs (November 1998 Present); and Senior Tax Manager, KPMG Peat Marwick (accountants) (August 1995 October 1998).
Assistant TreasurerGoldman Sachs Trust; Goldman Sachs Variable Insurance Trust; Goldman Sachs Trust II; Goldman Sachs BDC, Inc.; Goldman Sachs Private Middle Market Credit LLC; Goldman Sachs Middle Market Lending LLC; Goldman Sachs MLP Income Opportunities Fund; Goldman Sachs MLP and Energy Renaissance Fund; and Goldman Sachs ETF Trust. |
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Name, Age and Address |
Position(s) Held with the Trust |
Term of Office and Length of Time Served1 |
Principal Occupation(s) During Past 5 Years | |||
Robert McCormack 30 Hudson Street Jersey City, NJ 07302 Age: 43 |
Assistant Treasurer | Since 2015 | Vice President, Goldman Sachs (December 2008 Present); and Associate, Goldman Sachs (September 2005 December 2008).
Assistant TreasurerGoldman Sachs Trust (previously Vice President (2012 2015)); Goldman Sachs Variable Insurance Trust (previously Vice President (2012 2015)); Goldman Sachs Trust II (previously Vice President (2012 2015)); and Goldman Sachs ETF Trust (previously Vice President (2014 2015)). | |||
Allison Fracchiolla 30 Hudson Street Jersey City, NJ 07302 Age: 33 |
Assistant Treasurer | Since 2014 | Vice President, Goldman Sachs (January 2013 Present); and Associate, Goldman Sachs (December 2008 December 2012).
Assistant TreasurerGoldman Sachs Trust; Goldman Sachs Variable Insurance Trust; Goldman Sachs Trust II; and Goldman Sachs ETF Trust. | |||
Joseph DiMaria 30 Hudson Street Jersey City, NJ 07302 Age: 48 |
Assistant Treasurer | Since 2016 | Managing Director, Goldman Sachs (November 2015 Present) and Vice President Mutual Fund Administration, Columbia Management Investment Advisers, LLC (May 2010 October 2015).
Assistant TreasurerGoldman Sachs Trust and Goldman Sachs Variable Insurance Trust. | |||
Jesse Cole 71 South Wacker Drive Chicago, IL 60606 Age: 53 |
Vice President | Since 1998 | Managing Director, Goldman Sachs (December 2006 Present); Vice President, GSAM (June 1998 Present); and Vice President, AIM Management Group, Inc. (investment adviser) (April 1996 June 1998).
Vice PresidentGoldman Sachs Trust; Goldman Sachs Variable Insurance Trust; and Goldman Sachs Trust II. | |||
Miriam L. Cytryn 200 West Street New York, NY 10282 Age: 58 |
Vice President | Since 2008 | Vice President, GSAM (2008 Present); Vice President of Divisional Management, Investment Management Division (2007 2008); Vice President and Chief of Staff, GSAM US Distribution (2003 2007); and Vice President of Employee Relations, Goldman Sachs (1996 2003).
Vice PresidentGoldman Sachs Trust; Goldman Sachs Variable Insurance Trust; and Goldman Sachs Trust II. |
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Name, Age and Address |
Position(s) Held with the Trust |
Term of Office and Length of Time Served1 |
Principal Occupation(s) During Past 5 Years | |||
Kathryn Quirk 200 West Street New York, NY 10282 Age: 64 |
Vice President | Since 2013 | Vice President, Goldman Sachs (September 2013 Present); Vice President and Corporate Counsel, Prudential Insurance Company of America (September 2004 December 2012); Deputy Chief Legal Officer, Asset Management, Prudential Insurance Company of America (September 2010 December 2012); Co-Chief Legal Officer, Prudential Investment Management, Inc. (July 2008 June 2012); Chief Legal Officer, Prudential Investments LLC (July 2005 June 2012); and Chief Legal Officer, Prudential Mutual Funds (September 2004 June 2012).
Vice PresidentGoldman Sachs Trust; Goldman Sachs Variable Insurance Trust; Goldman Sachs MLP Income Opportunities Fund; Goldman Sachs MLP and Energy Renaissance Fund; and Goldman Sachs ETF Trust.
Chief Compliance OfficerGoldman Sachs BDC, Inc.; Goldman Sachs Private Middle Market Credit LLC; and Goldman Sachs Middle Market Lending LLC. | |||
Lawrence J. Restieri 200 West Street New York, NY 10282 Age: 48 |
Vice President | Since 2013 | Managing Director, Goldman Sachs (2006 Present).
Vice PresidentGoldman Sachs Trust and Goldman Sachs Variable Insurance Trust. | |||
Rachel Schnoll 200 West Street New York, NY 10282 Age: 47 |
Vice President | Since 2013 | Managing Director, Goldman Sachs (2014 Present); Vice President, Goldman Sachs (2003 2013); and Associate, Goldman Sachs (1999 2002).
Vice PresidentGoldman Sachs Trust and Goldman Sachs Variable Insurance Trust. | |||
Thomas J. Davis 200 West Street New York, NY 10282 Age: 53 |
Vice President | Since 2015 | Managing Director, Goldman Sachs (2008 Present); and Analyst, Goldman Sachs (1990 2008).
Vice PresidentGoldman Sachs Trust; Goldman Sachs Variable Insurance Trust; Goldman Sachs Trust II; Goldman Sachs MLP Income Opportunities Fund; Goldman Sachs MLP and Energy Renaissance Fund; and Goldman Sachs ETF Trust. |
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Name, Age and Address |
Position(s) Held with the Trust |
Term of Office and Length of Time Served1 |
Principal Occupation(s) During Past 5 Years | |||
Caroline L. Kraus 200 West Street New York, NY 10282 Age: 39 |
Secretary | Since 2012 | Managing Director, Goldman Sachs (January 2016 Present); Vice President, Goldman Sachs (August 2006 December 2015); Associate General Counsel, Goldman Sachs (2012 Present); Assistant General Counsel, Goldman Sachs (August 2006 December 2011); and Associate, Weil, Gotshal & Manges, LLP (2002 2006).
SecretaryGoldman Sachs Trust (previously Assistant Secretary (2012)); Goldman Sachs Variable Insurance Trust (previously Assistant Secretary (2012)); Goldman Sachs Trust II; Goldman Sachs BDC, Inc.; Goldman Sachs Private Middle Market Credit LLC; Goldman Sachs Middle Market Lending LLC; Goldman Sachs MLP Income Opportunities Fund; Goldman Sachs MLP and Energy Renaissance Fund; and Goldman Sachs ETF Trust. | |||
David A. Fishman 200 West Street New York, NY 10282 Age: 52 |
Assistant Secretary | Since 2001 | Managing Director, Goldman Sachs (December 2001 Present); and Vice President, Goldman Sachs (1997 December 2001).
Assistant SecretaryGoldman Sachs Trust; Goldman Sachs Variable Insurance Trust; and Goldman Sachs Trust II. | |||
Danny Burke 200 West Street New York, NY 10282 Age: 54 |
Assistant Secretary | Since 2001 | Vice President, Goldman Sachs (1987 Present).
Assistant SecretaryGoldman Sachs Trust; Goldman Sachs Variable Insurance Trust; and Goldman Sachs Trust II. | |||
Patrick L. OCallaghan 200 West Street New York, NY 10282 Age: 44 |
Assistant Secretary | Since 2009 | Vice President, Goldman Sachs (2000 Present); Associate, Goldman Sachs (1998 2000); and Analyst, Goldman Sachs (1995 1998).
Assistant SecretaryGoldman Sachs Trust; Goldman Sachs Variable Insurance Trust; and Goldman Sachs Trust II. | |||
Andrew Murphy 200 West Street New York, NY 10282 Age: 44 |
Assistant Secretary | Since 2010 | Vice President, Goldman Sachs (April 2009 Present); Associate General Counsel, Goldman Sachs (December 2010 Present); Assistant General Counsel, Goldman Sachs (April 2009 December 2010); Attorney, Axiom Legal (2007 2009); and Vice President and Counsel, AllianceBernstein, L.P. (2001 2007).
Assistant SecretaryGoldman Sachs Trust; Goldman Sachs Variable Insurance Trust; Goldman Sachs Trust II; and Goldman Sachs ETF Trust. |
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Name, Age and Address |
Position(s) Held with the Trust |
Term of Office and Length of Time Served1 |
Principal Occupation(s) During Past 5 Years | |||
Robert Griffith 200 West Street New York, NY 10282 Age: 42 |
Assistant Secretary | Since 2011 | Vice President, Goldman Sachs (August 2011 Present); Associate General Counsel, Goldman Sachs (December 2014 Present); Assistant General Counsel, Goldman Sachs (August 2011 December 2014); Vice President and Counsel, Nomura Holding America, Inc. (2010 2011); and Associate, Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP (2005 2010).
Assistant SecretaryGoldman Sachs Trust; Goldman Sachs Variable Insurance Trust; Goldman Sachs Trust II; Goldman Sachs MLP Income Opportunities Fund; and Goldman Sachs MLP and Energy Renaissance Fund. |
1 | Officers hold office at the pleasure of the Board of Trustees or until their successors are duly elected and qualified. Each officer holds comparable positions with certain other companies of which Goldman Sachs, GSAM or an affiliate thereof is the investment adviser, administrator and/or distributor. |
Standing Board Committees
The Audit Committee oversees the audit process and provides assistance to the Board with respect to fund accounting, tax compliance and financial statement matters. In performing its responsibilities, the Audit Committee selects and recommends annually to the Board, an independent registered public accounting firm to audit the books and records of the Trust for the ensuing year, and reviews with the firm the scope and results of each audit. All of the Independent Trustees serve on the Audit Committee. The Audit Committee held six meetings during the fiscal year ended August 31, 2016.
The Governance and Nominating Committee has been established to: (i) assist the Board in matters involving mutual fund governance, which includes making recommendations to the Board with respect to the effectiveness of the Board in carrying out its responsibilities in governing the Portfolios and overseeing their management; (ii) select and nominate candidates for appointment or election to serve as Independent Trustees; and (iii) advise the Board of Trustees on ways to improve its effectiveness. All of the Independent Trustees serve on the Governance and Nominating Committee. The Governance and Nominating Committee held three meetings during the fiscal year ended August 31, 2016. As stated above, each Trustee holds office for an indefinite term until the occurrence of certain events. In filling Board vacancies, the Governance and Nominating Committee will consider nominees recommended by shareholders. Nominee recommendations should be submitted to the Trust at its mailing address stated in the Portfolios Prospectus and should be directed to the attention of the Goldman Sachs Trust Governance and Nominating Committee.
The Compliance Committee has been established for the purpose of overseeing the compliance processes: (i) of the Portfolios; and (ii) insofar as they relate to services provided to the Portfolios, of the Portfolios investment adviser, distributor, administrator (if any), and transfer agent, except that compliance processes relating to the accounting and financial reporting processes, and certain related matters, are overseen by the Audit Committee. In addition, the Compliance Committee provides assistance to the full Board with respect to compliance matters. The Compliance Committee met three times during the fiscal year ended August 31, 2016. All of the Independent Trustees serve on the Compliance Committee.
The Valuation Committee is authorized to act for the Board in connection with the valuation of portfolio securities held by the Portfolios in accordance with the Trusts Valuation Procedures. Messrs. McNamara and Shuch serve on the Valuation Committee, together with certain employees of GSAM who are not Trustees. The Valuation Committee met twelve times during the fiscal year ended August 31, 2016. The Valuation Committee reports periodically to the Board.
B-101
The Contract Review Committee has been established for the purpose of overseeing the processes of the Board for reviewing and monitoring performance under the Portfolios investment management, distribution, transfer agency and certain other agreements with the Portfolios Investment Adviser and its affiliates. The Contract Review Committee is also responsible for overseeing the Boards processes for considering and reviewing performance under the operation of the Portfolios distribution, service, shareholder administration and other plans, and any agreements related to the plans, whether or not such plans and agreements are adopted pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the Act. The Contract Review Committee also provides appropriate assistance to the Board in connection with the Boards approval, oversight and review of the Portfolios other service providers including, without limitation, the Portfolios custodian/accounting agent, sub-transfer agents, professional (legal and accounting) firms and printing firms. The Contract Review Committee met three times during the fiscal year ended August 31, 2016. All of the Independent Trustees serve on the Contract Review Committee.
Risk Oversight
The Board is responsible for the oversight of the activities of the Portfolios and the Underlying Funds, including oversight of risk management. Day-to-day risk management with respect to the Portfolios and the Underlying Funds is the responsibility of GSAM or other service providers (depending on the nature of the risk), subject to supervision by GSAM. The risks of the Portfolios and the Underlying Funds include, but are not limited to, investment risk, compliance risk, operational risk, reputational risk, credit risk and counterparty risk. Each of GSAM and the other service providers have their own independent interest in risk management and their policies and methods of risk management may differ from the Portfolios, the Underlying Funds and each others in the setting of priorities, the resources available or the effectiveness of relevant controls. As a result, the Board recognizes that it is not possible to identify all of the risks that may affect the Portfolios or the Underlying Funds or to develop processes and controls to eliminate or mitigate their occurrence or effects, and that some risks are simply beyond the control of the Portfolios or GSAM, its affiliates or other service providers.
The Board effectuates its oversight role primarily through regular and special meetings of the Board and Board committees. In certain cases, risk management issues are specifically addressed in presentations and discussions. For example, GSAM has an independent dedicated Market Risk Group that assists GSAM in managing investment risk. Representatives from the Market Risk Group regularly meet with the Board to discuss their analysis and methodologies. In addition, investment risk is discussed in the context of regular presentations to the Board on Portfolio and Underlying Fund strategy and performance. Other types of risk are addressed as part of presentations on related topics (e.g. compliance policies) or in the context of presentations focused specifically on one or more risks. The Board also receives reports from GSAM management on operational risks, reputational risks and counterparty risks relating to the Portfolios and the Underlying Funds.
Board oversight of risk management is also performed by various Board committees. For example, the Audit Committee meets with both the Portfolios independent registered public accounting firm and GSAMs internal audit group to review risk controls in place that support the Portfolios as well as test results, and the Compliance Committee meets with the CCO and representatives of GSAMs compliance group to review testing results of the Portfolios compliance policies and procedures and other compliance issues. Board oversight of risk is also performed as needed between meetings through communications between GSAM and the Board. The Board may, at any time and in its discretion, change the manner in which it conducts risk oversight. The Boards oversight role does not make the Board a guarantor of the Portfolios investments or activities.
Trustee Ownership of Fund Shares
The following table shows the dollar range of shares beneficially owned by each Trustee in the Portfolios and other portfolios of the Goldman Sachs Fund Complex as of December 31, 2015 unless otherwise noted.
Name of Trustee |
Dollar Range of Equity Securities in the Portfolios1 |
Aggregate Dollar Range of Equity Securities in All Portfolios in Fund Complex Overseen by Trustee | ||
Ashok N. Bakhru |
None | Over $100,000 | ||
Kathryn A. Cassidy |
None | Over $100,000 | ||
Diana M. Daniels |
None | Over $100,000 | ||
James A. McNamara |
Enhanced Dividend Global Equity Portfolio: None Tax-Advantaged Global Equity Portfolio: Over $100,000 |
Over $100,000 | ||
Herbert J. Markley |
None | Over $100,000 | ||
Jessica Palmer |
None | Over $100,000 | ||
Alan A. Shuch |
None | Over $100,000 | ||
Roy Templin |
None | Over $100,000 | ||
Gregory G. Weaver |
None | None |
1 | Includes the value of shares beneficially owned by each Trustee in each Portfolio described in this SAI. |
B-102
As of November 30, 2016, the Trustees and Officers of the Trust as a group owned less than 1% of the outstanding shares of beneficial interest of each Portfolio.
Independent Trustee Ownership of Securities
The following table shows securities owned beneficially or of record, as of December 31, 2015, by any Trustee who is not an interested person of the Trust, or by any member of his or her immediate family, in (i) an investment adviser or principal underwriter of the Trust; or (ii) a person (other than a registered investment company) directly or indirectly controlling, controlled by, or under common control with an investment adviser or principal underwriter of the Trust.
Trustee |
Company |
Title of Securities |
Value of Securities |
Percent of Class | ||||
Roy W. Templin | The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. | 2.375% Corporate Bonds due 1/22/2018 |
$5,000 | Less than one percent |
The foregoing securities were purchased during 2015, in error, by an investment adviser acting pursuant to discretionary authority. The transaction was subsequently cancelled by the adviser retroactively to the original date of purchase.
Board Compensation
Each Independent Trustee is compensated with a unitary annual fee for his or her services as a Trustee of the Trust and as a member of the Governance and Nominating Committee, Compliance Committee, Contract Review Committee, and Audit Committee. The Chairman and audit committee financial expert receive additional compensation for their services. The Independent Trustees are also reimbursed for reasonable travel expenses incurred in connection with attending meetings. The Trust may also pay the reasonable incidental costs of a Trustee to attend training or other types of conferences relating to the investment company industry.
B-103
The following table sets forth certain information with respect to the compensation of each Trustee of the Trust (then serving) for the fiscal year ended August 31, 2016:
Name of Trustee |
TAG | EDGE | Pension or Retirement Benefits Accrued as Part of the Trusts Expenses |
Total Compensation From the Series (including the Portfolios) |
||||||||||||
Ashok N. Bakhru(1) |
$ | 4,032 | $ | 3,495 | $ | 0 | $ | 910,607 | ||||||||
Kathryn A. Cassidy |
2,682 | 2,325 | 0 | 306,000 | ||||||||||||
Diana M. Daniels |
2,682 | 2,325 | 0 | 306,000 | ||||||||||||
James A. McNamara(2) |
| | 0 | | ||||||||||||
Herbert J. Markley |
2,682 | 2,325 | 0 | 306,000 | ||||||||||||
Jessica Palmer |
2,682 | 2,325 | 0 | 306,000 | ||||||||||||
Alan A. Shuch(2) |
| | 0 | | ||||||||||||
Roy Templin |
2,682 | 2,325 | 0 | 306,000 | ||||||||||||
Gregory G. Weaver |
2,956 | 2,563 | 0 | 337,333 |
| Represents fees paid to each Trustee during the fiscal year ended August 31, 2016 from the Goldman Sachs Fund Complex. |
(1) | Includes compensation as Board Chairman. |
(2) | Messrs. McNamara and Shuch are Interested Trustees, and as such, receive no compensation from the Portfolios or the Goldman Sachs Fund Complex. |
The Trust, its investment advisers and principal underwriter have adopted codes of ethics under Rule 17j-1 of the Act that permit personnel subject to their particular codes of ethics to invest in securities, including securities that may be purchased or held by the Portfolios or the Underlying Funds.
As stated in the Portfolios Prospectus, GSAM, 200 West Street, New York, New York 10282, serves as Investment Adviser to the Portfolios and to the Underlying Funds. GSAM is a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. and an affiliate of Goldman Sachs. See Service Providers in the Portfolios Prospectus for a description of the Investment Advisers duties to the Portfolios.
Founded in 1869, The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. is a publicly-held financial holding company and a leading investment banking, securities and investment management firm. Goldman Sachs is a leader in developing portfolio strategies and in many fields of investing and financing, participating in financial markets worldwide and serving individuals, institutions, corporations and governments. Goldman Sachs is also among the principal market sources for current and thorough information on companies, industrial sectors, markets, economies and currencies, and trades and makes markets in a wide range of equity and debt securities 24 hours a day. The firm is headquartered in New York with offices in countries throughout the world. It has trading professionals throughout the United States, as well as in London, Frankfurt, Tokyo, Sao Paulo, Seoul and other major financial centers around the world. The active participation of Goldman Sachs in the worlds financial markets enhances its ability to identify attractive investments. Goldman Sachs has agreed to permit the Portfolios and the Underlying Funds to use the name Goldman Sachs or a derivative thereof as part of each Portfolios and Underlying Funds names for as long as a Portfolios and Underlying Funds respective Management Agreements (as described below) are in effect.
The Management Agreements for the Portfolios and the Underlying Funds provide that their investment advisers (and their affiliates) may render similar services to others so long as the services provided by them under the Management Agreements are not impaired thereby. The Portfolios Management Agreement was most recently approved by the Trustees of the Trust, including a majority of the Trustees of the Trust who are not parties to the Management Agreement or interested persons (as such term is defined in the Act) of any party thereto (the non-interested Trustees), at a meeting held on June 16, 2016. A discussion regarding the Board of Trustees basis for approving the Management Agreement on behalf of each Portfolio is available in the Portfolios Annual Report dated August 31, 2016.
B-104
The Portfolios Management Agreement will remain in effect until June 30, 2017 and will continue in effect with respect to the Portfolios from year to year thereafter provided such continuance is specifically approved at least annually by (i) the vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of such Portfolio or a majority of the Trustees of the Trust, and (ii) the vote of a majority of the non-interested Trustees of the Trust, cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on such approval.
The Management Agreements for the Underlying Funds then in existence on April 21, 1997 were last approved by the shareholders of such Underlying Funds on that date. The Management Agreements for the Portfolios and those Underlying Funds that commenced investment operations after April 21, 1997 were last approved by the initial sole shareholder of each Portfolio and each such Underlying Fund, prior to the Portfolios or Underlying Funds commencement of operations.
The Portfolios Management Agreement will terminate automatically with respect to a Portfolio if assigned (as defined in the Act). The Management Agreement is also terminable at any time without penalty by the Trustees of the Trust or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the applicable Portfolio on 60 days written notice to the Investment Adviser or by the Investment Adviser on 60 days written notice to the Trust.
Pursuant to the Portfolios Management Agreement, the Investment Adviser is entitled to receive the fees set forth below, payable monthly, based on each Portfolios average daily net assets. Also included below are the actual rates paid by each Portfolio (after reflection of any voluntary management fee waivers, as indicated) for the fiscal year ended August 31, 2016.
Portfolio |
Contractual Rate | Actual Rate for the fiscal year ended August 31, 2016 |
||||||
Tax-Advantaged Global Equity Portfolio |
0.15 | % | 0.08 | %1 | ||||
Enhanced Dividend Global Equity Portfolio |
0.15 | % | 0.08 | %1 |
1 | The Investment Adviser has agreed to waive a portion of its management fee in order to achieve an effective rate of 0.08% as an annual percentage rate of average daily net assets of each Portfolio through at least December 29, 2017, and prior to such date, the Investment Adviser may not terminate the arrangements without the approval of the Board of Trustees. In addition, the Investment Adviser has agreed to reduce or limit Other Expenses (excluding acquired (underlying) fund fees and expenses, transfer agency fees and expenses, taxes, interest, brokerage fees, shareholder meeting, litigation, indemnification and extraordinary expenses) to 0.014% of each Portfolios average daily net assets through at least December 29, 2017, and prior to such date, the Investment Adviser may not terminate the arrangement without the approval of the Board of Trustees. |
For the fiscal years ended August 31, 2016, August 31, 2015 and August 31, 2014, the amounts of the fees (net of fee waivers, as applicable) incurred by each Portfolio under the Management Agreement were as follows.
Fiscal Year Ended August 31, 2016 |
Fiscal Year Ended August 31, 2015 |
Fiscal Year Ended August 31, 2014 |
||||||||||||||||||
Portfolio |
With Fee Waiver |
Without Fee Waiver |
With Fee Waiver |
Without Fee Waiver |
||||||||||||||||
Tax-Advantaged Global Equity Portfolio |
$ | 1,383,742 | $ | 2,594,521 | $ | 1,752,825 | $ | 2,263,106 | $ | 1,487,057 | ||||||||||
Enhanced Dividend Global Equity Portfolio |
$ | 368,556 | $ | 691,044 | $ | 466,174 | $ | 589,502 | $ | 503,899 |
B-105
Unless required to be performed by others pursuant to agreements with the Portfolios, the Investment Adviser also performs certain administrative services for each Portfolio under the Management Agreement. Such administrative services include, subject to the general supervision of the Trustees of the Trust, (i) providing supervision of all aspects of the Portfolios non-investment operations; (ii) providing the Portfolio with personnel to perform such executive, administrative and clerical services as are reasonably necessary to provide effective administration of the Portfolio; (iii) arranging for, at the Portfolios expense, the preparation of all of the Portfolios required tax returns, the preparation and submission of reports to existing shareholders, the periodic updating of the Portfolios prospectus and statement of additional information, and the preparation of reports filed with the SEC and other regulatory authorities; (iv) maintaining all of the Portfolios records; and (v) providing the Portfolio with adequate office space and all necessary office equipment and services.
Portfolio Managers Accounts Managed by the Portfolio Managers
The following tables disclose other accounts within each type of category listed below for which the portfolio managers are jointly and primarily responsible for day to day portfolio management as of August 31, 2016.
For each portfolio manager listed below, the total number of accounts managed is a reflection of accounts within the strategy they oversee or manage, as well as accounts which participate in the sector in which they manage. There are multiple portfolio managers involved with each account.
Number of Other Accounts Managed and Total Assets by Account Type** | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Registered Investment Companies |
Other Pooled Investment Vehicles |
Other Accounts | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Name of Portfolio Manager* |
Number of Accounts |
Assets Managed ($ millions) |
Number of Accounts |
Assets Managed ($ millions) |
Number of Accounts |
Assets Managed ($ millions) |
||||||||||||||||||
Gary Chropuvka |
15 | $ | 10,069 | 25 | $ | 3,489 | 5156 | $ | 43,087 | |||||||||||||||
Monali Vora |
9 | 7,296 | 12 | 2,408 | 5156 | 43,087 | ||||||||||||||||||
Aron Kershner |
9 | 7,296 | 12 | 2,408 | 5156 | 43,087 | ||||||||||||||||||
Number of Accounts and Total Assets for Which Advisory Fee is Performance Based** | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Registered Investment Companies |
Other Pooled Investment Vehicles |
Other Accounts | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Name of Portfolio Manager* |
Number of Accounts |
Assets Managed ($ millions) |
Number of Accounts |
Assets Managed ($ millions) |
Number of Accounts |
Assets Managed ($ millions) |
||||||||||||||||||
Gary Chropuvka |
| | | | | | ||||||||||||||||||
Monali Vora |
| | | | | | ||||||||||||||||||
Aron Kershner |
| | | | | |
* | Gary Chropuvka, Monali Vora and Aron Kershner are all members of the Quantitative Investment Strategies Team and are the portfolio managers for each of the Portfolios. |
** | Includes wrap accounts as a single account. |
Conflicts of Interest. The Investment Advisers portfolio managers are often responsible for managing one or more Portfolios as well as other registered funds, accounts, including proprietary accounts, separate accounts and other pooled investment vehicles, such as unregistered hedge funds. A portfolio manager may manage a separate account or other pooled investment vehicle which may have materially higher fee arrangements than the Portfolios and may also have a performance-based fee. The side-by-side management of these funds may raise potential conflicts of interest relating to cross trading, the allocation of investment opportunities and the aggregation and allocation of trades.
B-106
The Investment Adviser has a fiduciary responsibility to manage all client accounts in a fair and equitable manner. It seeks to provide best execution of all securities transactions and aggregate and then allocate securities to client accounts in a fair and timely manner. To this end, the Investment Adviser has developed policies and procedures designed to mitigate and manage the potential conflicts of interest that may arise from side-by-side management. In addition, the Investment Adviser and the Portfolios have adopted policies limiting the circumstances under which cross-trades may be effected between the Portfolios and another client account. The Investment Adviser conducts periodic reviews of trades for consistency with these policies. For more information about conflicts of interests that may arise in connection with the portfolio managers management of the Portfolios investments and the investments of other accounts, see POTENTIAL CONFLICTS OF INTEREST Potential Conflicts Relating to the Allocation of Investment Opportunities Among the Portfolios and Other Goldman Sachs Accounts and Potential Conflicts Relating to Goldman Sachs and the Investment Advisers Proprietary Activities and Activities on Behalf of Other Accounts.
Portfolio Managers Compensation
Compensation for portfolio managers of the Investment Adviser is comprised of a base salary and discretionary variable compensation. The base salary is fixed from year to year. Year-end discretionary variable compensation is primarily a function of each portfolio managers individual performance and his or her contribution to overall team performance; the performance of the Investment Adviser and Goldman Sachs; the teams net revenues for the past year which in part is derived from advisory fees, and for certain accounts, performance-based fees; and anticipated compensation levels among competitor firms. Portfolio managers may be rewarded, in part, for their delivery of investment performance, measured on a pre-tax basis, which is reasonably expected to meet or exceed the expectations of clients and fund shareholders in terms of: peer group ranking, risk management and factors specific to certain funds such as yield or regional focus. Performance is judged over 1-, 3-, and 5-year time horizons.
The benchmark for each Portfolio is a composite benchmark comprised of: the Morgan Stanley Capital International All Country World Index Investable Market Index (90%) and the Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index (10%).
The discretionary variable compensation for portfolio managers is also significantly influenced by: (1) effective participation in team research discussions and process; and (2) management of risk in alignment with the targeted risk parameter and investment objective of the fund. Other factors may also be considered, including: (1) general client/shareholder orientation and (2) teamwork and leadership. Portfolio managers may receive equity-based awards as part of their discretionary variable compensation.
Other Compensation. In addition to base salary and discretionary variable compensation, the Investment Adviser has a number of additional benefits in place including: (1) a 401k program that enables employees to direct a percentage of their pretax salary and bonus income into a tax-qualified retirement plan; and (2) investment opportunity programs in which certain professionals may participate subject to certain eligibility requirements.
Portfolio Managers Portfolio Managers Ownership of Securities in the Portfolios
The following table shows the portfolio managers ownership of securities in the Portfolios as of August 31, 2016:
Name of Portfolio Manager |
Dollar Range of Equity Securities Beneficially Owned by the Portfolio Manager |
|||
Enhanced Dividend Global Equity Portfolio |
||||
Gary Chropuvka |
$50,001-$100,000 | |||
Monali Vora |
$10,001-$50,000 | |||
Aron Kershner |
$10,001-$50,000 | |||
Tax-Advantaged Global Equity Portfolio |
||||
Gary Chropuvka |
$50,001-$100,000 | |||
Monali Vora |
$10,001-$50,000 | |||
Aron Kershner |
$10,001-$50,000 |
B-107
Distributor and Transfer Agent
Distributor. Goldman Sachs, 200 West Street, New York, New York 10282, serves as the exclusive distributor of shares of the Portfolios pursuant to a best efforts arrangement as provided by a distribution agreement with the Trust on behalf of each Portfolio. Shares of the Portfolios are offered and sold on a continuous basis by Goldman Sachs, acting as agent. Pursuant to the distribution agreement, after the Portfolios Prospectus and periodic reports have been prepared, set in type and mailed to shareholders, Goldman Sachs will pay for the printing and distribution of copies thereof used in connection with the offering to prospective investors. Goldman Sachs will also pay for other supplementary sales literature and advertising costs. Goldman Sachs may enter into sales agreements with certain investment dealers and other financial service firms (the Intermediaries) to solicit subscriptions for Class A Shares of the Portfolios. Goldman Sachs receives a portion of the sales charge imposed on the sale, and in certain cases, redemption, of Class A Shares of the Portfolios. Goldman Sachs retained approximately the following commissions on sales of Class A Shares during the following periods:
Fiscal Year Ended August 31, 2016 |
Fiscal Year Ended August 31, 2015 |
Fiscal Year Ended August 31, 2014 |
||||||||||
Portfolio |
||||||||||||
Tax-Advantaged Global Equity Portfolio |
$ | 219 | $ | 177 | $ | 15,586 | ||||||
Enhanced Dividend Global Equity Portfolio |
3,970 | 2,157 | 5,546 |
Dealer Reallowances. Class A Shares of the Portfolios are sold subject to a front-end sales charge, as described in the Prospectus and in this SAI in the section SHARES OF THE TRUST. Goldman Sachs may pay commissions to Intermediaries who sell Class A shares of the Portfolios in the form of a reallowance of all or a portion of the sales charge paid on the purchase of those shares. Goldman Sachs reallows the following amounts, expressed as a percentage of each Funds offering price with respect to purchases under $50,000:
Portfolios |
% of sales charge re-allowed to broker/dealers |
|||
Tax-Advantaged Global Equity Portfolio |
4.76 | % | ||
Enhanced Dividend Global Equity Portfolio |
4.94 | % |
Dealer allowances may be changed periodically. During special promotions, the entire sales charge may be reallowed to Intermediaries. Intermediaries to whom substantially the entire sales charge is reallowed may be deemed to be underwriters under the 1933 Act.
Transfer Agent. Goldman Sachs, 71 South Wacker Drive, Chicago, IL 60606 serves as the Trusts transfer and dividend disbursing agent. Under its transfer agency agreement with the Trust, Goldman Sachs has undertaken with the Trust with respect to each Portfolio to: (i) record the issuance, transfer and redemption of shares, (ii) provide purchase and redemption confirmations and quarterly statements, as well as certain other statements, (iii) provide certain information to the Trusts custodian and the relevant sub-custodian in connection with redemptions, (iv) provide dividend crediting and certain disbursing agent services, (v) maintain shareholder accounts, (vi) provide certain state Blue Sky and other information, (vii) provide shareholders and certain regulatory authorities with tax-related information, (viii) respond to shareholder inquiries, and (ix) render certain other miscellaneous services. For its transfer agency services, Goldman Sachs is entitled to receive a transfer agency fee equal, on an annualized basis, to 0.04% of average daily net assets with respect to each Portfolios Institutional Shares and 0.19% of average daily net assets with respect to each Portfolios Class A Shares. Goldman Sachs may pay to certain intermediaries who perform transfer agent services to shareholders a networking or sub-transfer agent fee. These payments will be made from the transfer agency fees noted above and in the Portfolios Prospectus.
B-108
As compensation for services rendered to the Trust by Goldman Sachs as transfer and dividend disbursing agent and the assumption by Goldman Sachs of the expenses related thereto, Goldman Sachs received fees for the fiscal years ended August 31, 2016, August 31, 2015 and August 31, 2014 from each Portfolio as follows under the fee schedules then in effect:
Fiscal Year Ended August 31, 2016 |
Fiscal Year Ended August 31, 2015 |
Fiscal Year Ended August 31, 2014 |
||||||||||||||||||||||
Portfolio |
Class A | Institutional | Class A | Institutional | Class A | Institutional | ||||||||||||||||||
Tax-Advantaged Global Equity Portfolio |
$ | 1,105 | $ | 691,638 | $ | 699 | $ | 603,351 | $ | 986 | $ | 396,343 | ||||||||||||
Enhanced Dividend Global Equity Portfolio |
5,228 | 183,177 | 1,811 | 156,820 | 358 | 134,299 |
The Trusts distribution and transfer agency agreements each provide that Goldman Sachs may render similar services to others so long as the services Goldman Sachs provides thereunder are not impaired thereby. Such agreements also provide that the Trust will indemnify Goldman Sachs against certain liabilities.
Expenses
The Trust, on behalf of each Portfolio, is responsible for the payment of each Portfolios respective expenses. The expenses include, without limitation, the fees payable to the Investment Adviser, service fees and shareholder administration fees paid to Intermediaries, the fees and expenses of the Trusts custodian and sub-custodians, transfer agent fees and expenses, pricing service fees and expenses, brokerage fees and commissions, filing fees for the registration or qualification of the Trusts shares under federal or state securities laws, expenses of the organization of the Portfolios, fees and expenses incurred by the Trust in connection with membership in investment company organizations including, but not limited to, the Investment Company Institute, taxes, interest, costs of liability insurance, fidelity bonds or indemnification, any costs, expenses or losses arising out of any liability of, or claim for damages or other relief asserted against, the Trust for violation of any law, legal, tax and auditing fees and expenses (including the cost of legal and certain accounting services rendered by employees of Goldman Sachs and its affiliates with respect to the Trust), expenses of preparing and setting in type Prospectuses, SAIs, proxy material, reports and notices and the printing and distributing of the same to the Trusts shareholders and regulatory authorities, any expenses assumed by a Portfolio pursuant to its distribution and service plans, compensation and expenses of its non-interested Trustees, the fees and expenses of pricing services, dividend expenses on short sales and extraordinary expenses, if any, incurred by the Trust. Except for fees and expenses under any service plan, shareholder distribution and service plan applicable to a particular class and transfer agency fees and expenses, all Portfolio expenses are borne on a non-class specific basis.
The imposition of the Investment Advisers fees, as well as other operating expenses, will have the effect of reducing the total return to investors. From time to time, the Investment Adviser may waive receipt of its fees and/or voluntarily assume certain expenses of a Portfolio or Underlying Fund, which would have the effect of lowering the Portfolios or Underlying Funds overall expense ratio and increasing total return to investors at the time such amounts are waived or assumed, as the case may be.
As of December 29, 2016, the Investment Adviser has agreed to reduce or limit certain Other Expenses (excluding acquired (underlying) fund fees and expenses, transfer agency fees and expenses, taxes, interest, brokerage fees, shareholder meeting, litigation, indemnification and other extraordinary expenses) for the Portfolios to the extent that such expenses exceed, on an annual basis, 0.014% of each Portfolios average daily net assets through at least December 29, 2016. This expense limitation undertaking does not apply to the Underlying Fund expenses. After December 29, 2016, such reductions or limits, if any, may be discontinued or modified by the Investment Adviser in its discretion at any time and without shareholder approval, although the Investment Adviser currently has no intention of doing so. A Portfolios Other Expenses may be further reduced by a custody and transfer agency fee credit received by the Portfolios.
Fees and expenses borne by the Portfolios relating to legal counsel, registering shares of a Portfolio, holding meetings and communicating with shareholders may include an allocable portion of the cost of maintaining an internal legal and compliance department. Each Portfolio may also bear an allocable portion of the Investment Advisers costs of performing certain accounting services not being provided by a Portfolios custodian.
B-109
Reimbursement and Other Expense Reductions
For the fiscal years ended August 31, 2016, August 31, 2015 and August 31, 2014, the amounts of Other Expenses of TAG and EDGE that were reduced or otherwise limited were as follows:
Fiscal Year Ended August 31, 2016 |
Fiscal Year Ended August 31, 2015 |
Fiscal Year Ended August 31, 2014 |
||||||||||
Portfolio |
||||||||||||
Tax-Advantaged Global Equity Portfolio |
$ | 155,007 | $ | 151,698 | $ | 171,283 | ||||||
Enhanced Dividend Global Equity Portfolio |
172,671 | 216,661 | 200,761 |
Custodian and Sub-Custodians
JPMorgan Chase, 270 Park Avenue, New York, New York 10017, is the custodian of the Trusts portfolio securities and cash. JPMorgan Chase also maintains the Trusts accounting records. JPMorgan Chase may appoint domestic and foreign sub-custodians and use depositories from time to time to hold certain securities and other instruments purchased by the Trust in foreign countries and to hold cash and currencies for the Trust.
Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, 101 Seaport Boulevard, Suite 500, Boston, Massachusetts, 02210, is the Portfolios independent registered public accounting firm. In addition to audit services, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP prepares the Portfolios federal and state tax returns, and provides assistance on certain non-audit matters.
B-110
POTENTIAL CONFLICTS OF INTEREST
General Categories of Conflicts Associated with the Funds
Goldman Sachs (which, for purposes of this POTENTIAL CONFLICTS OF INTEREST section, shall mean, collectively, The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc., the Investment Adviser and their affiliates, directors, partners, trustees, managers, members, officers and employees) is a worldwide, full-service investment banking, broker-dealer, asset management and financial services organization and a major participant in global financial markets. As such, Goldman Sachs provides a wide range of financial services to a substantial and diversified client base. In those and other capacities, Goldman Sachs advises clients in all markets and transactions and purchases, sells, holds and recommends a broad array of investments for its own accounts and for the accounts of clients and of its personnel, through client accounts and the relationships and products it sponsors, manages and advises (such Goldman Sachs or other client accounts (including the Funds), relationships and products collectively, the Accounts). Goldman Sachs has direct and indirect interests in the global fixed income, currency, commodity, equities, bank loan and other markets, and the securities and issuers, in which the Funds may directly and indirectly invest. As a result, Goldman Sachs activities and dealings may affect the Funds in ways that may disadvantage or restrict the Funds and/or benefit Goldman Sachs or other Accounts. For purposes of this POTENTIAL CONFLICTS OF INTEREST section, Funds shall mean, collectively, the Portfolios and any of the other Goldman Sachs Funds.
The following are descriptions of certain conflicts of interest and potential conflicts of interest that may be associated with the financial or other interests that the Investment Adviser and Goldman Sachs may have in transactions effected by, with, and on behalf of the Funds. They are not, and are not intended to be, a complete enumeration or explanation of all of the potential conflicts of interest that may arise. Additional information about potential conflicts of interest regarding the Investment Adviser and Goldman Sachs is set forth in the Investment Advisers Form ADV, which prospective shareholders should review prior to purchasing Fund shares. A copy of Part 1 and Part 2A of the Investment Advisers Form ADV is available on the SECs website (www.adviserinfo.sec.gov).
The Sale of Fund Shares and the Allocation of Investment Opportunities
Sales Incentives and Related Conflicts Arising from Goldman Sachs Financial and Other Relationships with Intermediaries
Goldman Sachs and its personnel, including employees of the Investment Adviser, may have relationships (both involving and not involving the Funds, and including without limitation placement, brokerage, advisory and board relationships) with distributors, consultants and others who recommend, or engage in transactions with or for, the Funds. Such distributors, consultants and other parties may receive compensation from Goldman Sachs or the Funds in connection with such relationships. As a result of these relationships, distributors, consultants and other parties may have conflicts that create incentives for them to promote the Funds.
To the extent permitted by applicable law, Goldman Sachs and the Funds may make payments to authorized dealers and other financial intermediaries and to salespersons to promote the Funds. These payments may be made out of Goldman Sachs assets or amounts payable to Goldman Sachs. These payments may create an incentive for such persons to highlight, feature or recommend the Funds.
Allocation of Investment Opportunities Among the Funds and Other Accounts
The Investment Adviser may manage or advise multiple Accounts (including Accounts in which Goldman Sachs and its personnel have an interest) that have investment objectives that are similar to the Funds and that may seek to make investments or sell investments in the same securities or other instruments, sectors or strategies as the Funds. This creates potential conflicts, particularly in circumstances where the availability of such investment opportunities is limited (e.g., in local and emerging markets, high yield securities, fixed income securities, regulated industries, small capitalization, investments in MLPs in the oil and gas industry and initial public offerings/new issues) or where the liquidity of such investment opportunities is limited.
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The Investment Adviser does not receive performance-based compensation in respect of its investment management activities on behalf of the Funds, but may simultaneously manage Accounts for which the Investment Adviser receives greater fees or other compensation (including performance-based fees or allocations) than it receives in respect of the Funds. The simultaneous management of Accounts that pay greater fees or other compensation and the Funds creates a conflict of interest as the Investment Adviser may have an incentive to favor Accounts with the potential to receive greater fees. For instance, the Investment Adviser may be faced with a conflict of interest when allocating scarce investment opportunities given the possibly greater fees from Accounts that pay performance-based fees. To address these types of conflicts, the Investment Adviser has adopted policies and procedures under which it will allocate investment opportunities in a manner that it believes is consistent with its obligations as an investment adviser. However, the amount, timing, structuring or terms of an investment by the Funds may differ from, and performance may be lower than, the investments and performance of other Accounts.
To address these potential conflicts, the Investment Adviser has developed allocation policies and procedures that provide that Goldman Sachs personnel making portfolio decisions for Accounts will make purchase and sale decisions for, and allocate investment opportunities among, Accounts consistent with the Investment Advisers fiduciary obligations. These policies and procedures may result in the pro rata allocation (on a basis determined by the Investment Adviser) of limited opportunities across eligible Accounts managed by a particular portfolio management team, but in many other cases the allocations reflect numerous other factors as described below. Accounts managed by different portfolio management teams are generally viewed separately for allocation purposes, including for purposes of allocations of private equity or IPO/new issue opportunities. There will be cases where certain Accounts (including Accounts in which Goldman Sachs and Goldman Sachs personnel have an interest) receive an allocation of an investment opportunity when the Funds do not.
Allocation-related decisions for the Funds and other Accounts may be made by reference to one or more factors, including without limitation: the Accounts portfolio and its investment horizons, objectives, guidelines and restrictions (including legal and regulatory restrictions affecting certain Accounts or affecting holdings across Accounts); strategic fit and other portfolio management considerations, including different desired levels of exposure to certain strategies; the expected future capacity of the applicable Accounts; limits on the Investment Advisers brokerage discretion; cash and liquidity considerations; and the availability of other appropriate investment opportunities. Suitability considerations, reputational matters and other considerations may also be considered. The application of these considerations may cause differences in the performance of Accounts that have strategies similar to those of the Fund. In addition, in some cases the Investment Adviser may make investment recommendations to Accounts where the Accounts make investments independently of the Investment Adviser. In circumstances in which there is limited availability of an investment opportunity, if such Accounts invest in the investment opportunity at the same time as or prior to a Fund, the availability of the investment opportunity for the Fund will be reduced irrespective of the Investment Advisers policies regarding allocation of investments. Additional information about the Investment Advisers allocation policies is set forth in Item 6 (PERFORMANCE-BASED FEES AND SIDE-BY-SIDE MANAGEMENT Side-by-Side Management) of the Investment Advisers Form ADV.
The Investment Adviser may, from time to time, develop and implement new trading strategies or seek to participate in new trading strategies and investment opportunities. These strategies and opportunities may not be employed in all Accounts or employed pro rata among Accounts where they are used, even if the strategy or opportunity is consistent with the objectives of such Accounts. Further, a trading strategy employed for a Fund that is similar to, or the same as that of, another Account may be implemented differently, sometimes to a material extent, depending on a variety of factors, including the portfolio managers involved in managing the trading strategy for the Account, and the time difference associated with the location of different portfolio management teams.
During periods of unusual market conditions, the Investment Adviser may deviate from its normal trade allocation practices. For example, this may occur with respect to the management of unlevered and/or long-only Accounts that are typically managed on a side-by-side basis with levered and/or long-short Accounts.
The Investment Adviser and the Funds may receive notice of, or offers to participate in, investment opportunities. The Investment Adviser in its sole discretion will determine whether a Fund will participate in any such investment opportunities and investors should not expect that the Fund will participate in any such investment opportunities. Notwithstanding anything in the foregoing, the Funds may or may not receive, but in any event will
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have no rights with respect to, opportunities sourced by Goldman Sachs businesses and affiliates other than the Investment Adviser. Opportunities or any portion thereof that the Funds do not participate in may be offered to other Accounts, Goldman Sachs (including the Investment Adviser), all or certain investors in the Funds, or such other persons or entities as determined by Goldman Sachs in its sole discretion, and the Funds will not receive any compensation related to such opportunities.
Goldman Sachs Financial and Other Interests May Incentivize Goldman Sachs to Promote the Sale of Fund Shares
Goldman Sachs and its personnel have interests in promoting sales of Fund shares, and the compensation from such sales may be greater than the compensation relating to sales of interests in other Accounts. Therefore, Goldman Sachs and its personnel may have a financial interest in promoting Fund shares over interests in other Accounts.
Management of the Funds by the Investment Adviser
Potential Restrictions and Issues Relating to Information Held by Goldman Sachs
Goldman Sachs has established certain information barriers and other policies to address the sharing of information between different businesses within Goldman Sachs. As a result of information barriers, the Investment Adviser generally will not have access, or will have limited access, to information and personnel in other areas of Goldman Sachs, and generally will not be able to manage the Funds with the benefit of information held by such other areas. Such other areas, including without limitation, Goldman Sachs prime brokerage and administration businesses, will have broad access to detailed information that is not available to the Investment Adviser, including information in respect of markets and investments, which, if known to the Investment Adviser, might cause the Investment Adviser to seek to dispose of, retain or increase interests in investments held by the Funds or acquire certain positions on behalf of the Funds, or take other actions. Goldman Sachs will be under no obligation or fiduciary or other duty to make any such information available to the Investment Adviser or personnel of the Investment Adviser involved in decision-making for the Funds. There may be circumstances in which, as a result of information held by certain of the Investment Advisers portfolio management teams, the Investment Adviser limits an activity or transaction for a Fund, including if the team holding such information is not managing the Fund. In addition, Goldman Sachs will not have any obligation to make available any information regarding its trading activities, strategies or views, or the activities, strategies or views used for other Accounts, for the benefit of the Funds. Different portfolio management teams within the Investment Adviser may make decisions based on information or take (or refrain from taking) actions with respect to Accounts they advise in a manner that may be adverse to the Funds. Such teams may not share information with the Funds portfolio management teams, including as a result of certain information barriers and other policies, and will not have any obligation to do so.
Valuation of the Funds Investments
The Investment Adviser, while not the primary valuation agent of the Funds, performs certain valuation services related to securities and assets in the Funds. The Investment Adviser values securities and assets in the Funds according to its valuation policies. The Investment Adviser may value an identical asset differently than another division or unit within Goldman Sachs values the asset, including because such other division or unit has information regarding valuation techniques and models or other information that it does not share with the Investment Adviser. This is particularly the case in respect of difficult-to-value assets. The Investment Adviser may also value an identical asset differently in different Accounts (e.g., because different Accounts are subject to different valuation guidelines pursuant to their respective governing agreements, different third party vendors are hired to perform valuation functions for the Accounts or the Accounts are managed or advised by different portfolio management teams within the Investment Adviser). The Investment Adviser will face a conflict with respect to such valuations as they affect the Investment Advisers compensation.
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Goldman Sachs and the Investment Advisers Activities on Behalf of Other Accounts
Goldman Sachs engages in various activities in the global financial markets. Goldman Sachs, acting in various capacities (including investment banker, market maker, lender, investor, broker, advisor and research provider), may take actions or advise on transactions in respect of Accounts (including the Funds) or companies or affiliated or unaffiliated investment funds in which one or more Funds have an interest that may have potential adverse effects on the Funds.
The Investment Adviser provides advisory services to the Funds. The Investment Advisers decisions and actions on behalf of the Funds may differ from those on behalf of other Accounts. Advice given to, or investment or voting decisions made for, one or more Accounts may compete with, affect, differ from, conflict with, or involve timing different from, advice given to or investment decisions made for the Funds.
Goldman Sachs (including the Investment Adviser), the clients it advises, and its personnel have interests in and advise Accounts that have investment objectives or portfolios similar to or opposed to those of the Funds, and/or which engage in and compete for transactions in the same types of securities and other instruments as the Funds. Transactions by such Accounts may involve the same or related securities or other instruments as those in which the Funds invest, and may negatively affect the Funds or the prices or terms at which the Funds transactions may be effected. For example, Accounts may engage in a strategy while the Funds are undertaking the same or a differing strategy, any of which could directly or indirectly disadvantage the Funds. The Funds on one hand and Goldman Sachs or Accounts on the other hand may also vote differently on or take or refrain from taking different actions with respect to the same security, which may be disadvantageous to the Funds. Goldman Sachs or Accounts, on the one hand, and a Fund, on the other hand, may also invest in or extend credit to different classes of securities or different parts of the capital structure of the same issuer and as a result Goldman Sachs or Accounts may take actions that adversely affect the Fund. In addition, Goldman Sachs (including the Investment Adviser) may advise Accounts with respect to different parts of the capital structure of the same issuer, or classes of securities that are subordinate or senior to securities, in which a Fund invests. As a result, Goldman Sachs may pursue or enforce rights or activities, or refrain from pursuing or enforcing rights or activities, on behalf of Accounts with respect to a particular issuer in which one or more Funds have invested. The Funds could sustain losses during periods in which Goldman Sachs and other Accounts achieve profits. The negative effects described above may be more pronounced in connection with transactions in, or the Funds use of, small capitalization, emerging market, distressed or less liquid strategies.
Goldman Sachs (including the Investment Adviser) and its personnel may advise on transactions, make investment decisions or recommendations, provide differing investment views or have views with respect to research or valuations that are inconsistent with, or adverse to, the interests and activities of the Funds. Shareholders may be offered access to advisory services through several different Goldman Sachs advisory businesses (including Goldman, Sachs & Co. and the Investment Adviser). Different advisory businesses within Goldman Sachs manage Accounts according to different strategies and may also apply different criteria to the same or similar strategies and may have differing investment views in respect of an issuer or a security. Similarly, within the Investment Adviser, certain investment teams or portfolio managers may have differing or opposite investment views in respect of an issuer or a security, and the positions a Funds investment team or portfolio managers take in respect of the Fund may be inconsistent with, or adversely affected by, the interests and activities of the Accounts advised by other investment teams or portfolio managers of the Investment Adviser. Research, analyses or viewpoints may be available to clients or potential clients at different times. Goldman Sachs will not have any obligation to make available to the Funds any research or analysis prior to its public dissemination. The Investment Adviser is responsible for making investment decisions on behalf of the Funds and such investment decisions can differ from investment decisions or recommendations by Goldman Sachs on behalf of other Accounts. Goldman Sachs, on behalf of one or more Accounts and in accordance with its management of such Accounts, may implement an investment decision or strategy ahead of, or contemporaneously with, or behind similar investment decisions or strategies made for the Funds. The relative timing for the implementation of investment decisions or strategies for Accounts, on the one hand, and the Funds, on the other hand, may disadvantage the Funds. Certain factors, for example, market impact, liquidity constraints, or other circumstances, could result in the Funds receiving less favorable trading results or incurring increased costs associated with implementing such investment decisions or strategies, or being otherwise disadvantaged.
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Subject to applicable law, the Investment Adviser may cause the Funds to invest in securities, bank loans or other obligations of companies affiliated with or advised by Goldman Sachs or in which Goldman Sachs or Accounts have an equity, debt or other interest, or to engage in investment transactions that may result in other Accounts being relieved of obligations or otherwise divested of investments, which may enhance the profitability of Goldman Sachs or other Accounts investment in and activities with respect to such companies.
When the Investment Adviser wishes to place an order for different types of Accounts (including the Funds) for which aggregation is not practicable, the Investment Adviser may use a trade sequencing and rotation policy to determine which type of Account is to be traded first. Under this policy, each portfolio management team may determine the length of its trade rotation period and the sequencing schedule for different categories of clients within this period provided that the trading periods and these sequencing schedules are designed to be fair and equitable over time. The portfolio management teams currently base their trading periods and rotation schedules on the relative amounts of assets managed for different client categories (e.g., unconstrained client accounts, wrap program accounts, etc.) and, as a result, the Funds may trade behind other Accounts. Within a given trading period, the sequencing schedule establishes when and how frequently a given client category will trade first in the order of rotation. The Investment Adviser may deviate from the predetermined sequencing schedule under certain circumstances, and the Investment Advisers trade sequencing and rotation policy may be amended, modified or supplemented at any time without prior notice to clients.
Investments in Goldman Sachs Funds
To the extent permitted by applicable law, the Funds may invest in money market and other funds sponsored, managed or advised by Goldman Sachs. In connection with any such investments, a Fund, to the extent permitted by the Act, will pay all advisory, administrative or Rule 12b-1 fees applicable to the investment, and fees to the Investment Adviser in its capacity as manager of the Funds will not be reduced thereby (i.e., there could be double fees involved in making any such investment because Goldman Sachs could receive fees with respect to both the management of the Funds and such money market fund). In such circumstances, as well as in all other circumstances in which Goldman Sachs receives any fees or other compensation in any form relating to the provision of services, no accounting or repayment to the Funds will be required.
Goldman Sachs May In-Source or Outsource
Subject to applicable law, Goldman Sachs, including the Investment Adviser, may from time to time and without notice to investors in-source or outsource certain processes or functions in connection with a variety of services that it provides to the Funds in its administrative or other capacities. Such in-sourcing or outsourcing may give rise to additional conflicts of interest.
Distributions of Assets Other Than Cash
With respect to redemptions from the Funds, the Funds may, in certain circumstances, have discretion to decide whether to permit or limit redemptions and whether to make distributions in connection with redemptions in the form of securities or other assets, and in such case, the composition of such distributions. In making such decisions, the Investment Adviser may have a potentially conflicting division of loyalties and responsibilities with respect to redeeming investors and remaining investors.
Goldman Sachs May Act in a Capacity Other Than Investment Adviser to the Funds
Principal and Cross Transactions
When permitted by applicable law and the Investment Advisers policies, the Investment Adviser, acting on behalf of the Funds, may enter into transactions in securities and other instruments with or through Goldman Sachs or in Accounts managed by the Investment Adviser, and may cause the Funds to engage in transactions in which the Investment Adviser acts as principal on its own behalf (principal transactions), advises both sides of a transaction (cross transactions) and acts as broker for, and receives a commission from, the Funds on one side of a transaction and a brokerage account on the other side of the transaction (agency cross transactions). There may be potential
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conflicts of interest or regulatory issues relating to these transactions which could limit the Investment Advisers decision to engage in these transactions for the Funds. Goldman Sachs may have a potentially conflicting division of loyalties and responsibilities to the parties in such transactions, and has developed policies and procedures in relation to such transactions and conflicts. Cross transactions may disproportionately benefit some Accounts relative to other Accounts due to the relative amount of market savings obtained by the Accounts. Any principal, cross or agency cross transactions will be effected in accordance with fiduciary requirements and applicable law.
Goldman Sachs May Act in Multiple Commercial Capacities
To the extent permitted by applicable law, Goldman Sachs may act as broker, dealer, agent, lender or advisor or in other commercial capacities for the Funds or issuers of securities held by the Funds. Goldman Sachs may be entitled to compensation in connection with the provision of such services, and the Funds will not be entitled to any such compensation. Goldman Sachs will have an interest in obtaining fees and other compensation in connection with such services that are favorable to Goldman Sachs, and in connection with providing such services may take commercial steps in its own interests, or may advise the parties to which it is providing services to take actions or engage in transactions, that negatively affect the Funds. For example, Goldman Sachs may advise a company to make changes to its capital structure the result of which would be a reduction in the value or priority of a security held by one or more Funds. Actions taken or advised to be taken by Goldman Sachs in connection with other types of transactions may also result in adverse consequences for the Funds. In addition, due to its access to and knowledge of funds, markets and securities based on its other businesses, Goldman Sachs may make decisions based on information or take (or refrain from taking) actions with respect to interests in investments of the kind held directly or indirectly by the Funds in a manner that may be adverse to the Funds. Goldman Sachs may also provide various services to the Funds or to issuers of securities in which the Funds invest, which may result in fees, compensation and remuneration as well as other benefits to Goldman Sachs, enhance Goldman Sachs relationships with various parties, facilitate additional business development and enable Goldman Sachs to obtain additional business and generate additional revenue.
To the extent permitted by applicable law, Goldman Sachs (including the Investment Adviser) may create, write, sell, issue, invest in or act as placement agent or distributor of derivative instruments related to the Funds, or with respect to underlying securities or assets of the Funds, or which may be otherwise based on or seek to replicate or hedge the performance of the Funds. Such derivative transactions, and any associated hedging activity, may differ from and be adverse to the interests of the Funds.
Goldman Sachs may make loans to shareholders or enter into similar transactions that are secured by a pledge of, or mortgage over, a shareholders Fund shares, which would provide Goldman Sachs with the right to redeem such Fund shares in the event that such shareholder defaults on its obligations. These transactions and related redemptions may be significant and may be made without notice to the shareholders.
Goldman Sachs may make loans to clients or enter into asset-based or other credit facilities or similar transactions with clients that are secured by a clients assets or interests other than Fund shares. In connection with its rights as lender, Goldman Sachs may act to protect its own commercial interest and may take actions that adversely affect the borrower. The borrowers actions may in turn adversely affect the Funds (e.g., if the borrower rapidly liquidates a large position in a security that is held by one or more Funds, the value of such security may decline and the value of the Funds may in turn decline in value or may be unable to liquidate their positions in such security at an advantageous price).
Code of Ethics and Personal Trading
Each of the Funds and Goldman Sachs, as each Funds Investment Adviser and distributor, has adopted a Code of Ethics (the Code of Ethics) in compliance with Section 17(j) of the Act designed to provide that personnel of the Investment Adviser, and certain additional Goldman Sachs personnel who support the Investment Adviser, comply with applicable federal securities laws and place the interests of clients first in conducting personal securities transactions. The Code of Ethics imposes certain restrictions on securities transactions in the personal accounts of covered persons to help avoid conflicts of interest, including restrictions on the purchase and sale of publicly traded equity securities. Subject to the limitations of the Code of Ethics, covered persons may buy and sell securities or other investments for their personal accounts, including investments in the Funds, and may also take
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positions that are the same as, different from, or made at different times than, positions taken by the Funds. The Codes of Ethics can be reviewed and copied at the SECs Public Reference Room in Washington, D.C. Information on the operation of the Public Reference Room may be obtained by calling the SEC at 1-202-942-8090. The Codes of Ethics are also available on the EDGAR Database on the SECs Internet site at http://www.sec.gov. Copies may also be obtained after paying a duplicating fee by writing the SECs Public Reference Section, Washington, DC 20549-0102, or by electronic request to publicinfo@sec.gov. Additionally, all Goldman Sachs personnel, including personnel of the Investment Adviser, are subject to firm-wide policies and procedures regarding confidential and proprietary information, information barriers, private investments, outside business activities and personal trading.
Proxy Voting by the Investment Adviser
The Investment Adviser has implemented processes designed to prevent conflicts of interest from influencing proxy voting decisions that it makes on behalf of advisory clients, including the Funds, and to help ensure that such decisions are made in accordance with its fiduciary obligations to its clients. Notwithstanding such processes, proxy voting policies and procedures, proxy voting decisions made by the Investment Adviser in respect of securities held by the Funds may benefit the interests of Goldman Sachs and/or Accounts other than the Funds. For a more detailed discussion of these policies and procedures, see the section of this SAI entitled PROXY VOTING.
Potential Limitations and Restrictions on Investment Opportunities and Activities of Goldman Sachs and the Funds
The Investment Adviser may restrict its investment decisions and activities on behalf of the Funds in various circumstances, including as a result of applicable regulatory requirements, information held by Goldman Sachs, Goldman Sachs internal policies and/or potential reputational risk in connection with Accounts (including the Funds). As a result, the Investment Adviser might not engage in transactions for one or more Funds in consideration of Goldman Sachs activities outside the Funds (e.g., the Investment Adviser may refrain from making investments for the Funds that would cause Goldman Sachs to exceed position limits or cause Goldman Sachs to have additional disclosure obligations and may limit purchases or sales of securities in respect of which Goldman Sachs is engaged in an underwriting or other distribution). The Investment Adviser may also reduce a Funds interest in an investment opportunity that has limited availability so that other Accounts that pursue similar investment strategies may be able to acquire an interest in the investment opportunity. In addition, the Investment Adviser is not permitted to obtain or use material non-public information in effecting purchases and sales in public securities transactions for the Funds. The Investment Adviser may also limit an activity or transaction engaged in by the Funds, including as a result of information held by Goldman Sachs (including information held by a portfolio management team in the Investment Adviser other than the teams managing the Funds), and may limit its exercise of rights on behalf of the Funds for reputational or other reasons, including where Goldman Sachs is providing (or may provide) advice or services to an entity involved in such activity or transaction, where Goldman Sachs or an Account is or may be engaged in the same or a related transaction to that being considered on behalf of the Funds, where Goldman Sachs or an Account has an interest in an entity involved in such activity or transaction, or where such activity or transaction or the exercise of such rights on behalf of or in respect of the Funds could affect Goldman Sachs, the Investment Adviser or their activities. The Investment Adviser may restrict its investment decisions and activities on behalf of one or more Funds and not on behalf of other Accounts.
In order to engage in certain transactions on behalf of a Fund, the Investment Adviser will be subject to (or cause the Fund to become subject to) the rules, terms and/or conditions of any venues through which it trades securities, derivatives or other instruments. This includes, but is not limited to, where the Investment Adviser and/or the Fund may be required to comply with the rules of certain exchanges, execution platforms, trading facilities, clearinghouses and other venues, or may be required to consent to the jurisdiction of any such venues. The rules, terms and/or conditions of any such venue may result in the Investment Adviser (and/or the Fund) being subject to, among other things, margin requirements, additional fees and other charges, disciplinary procedures, reporting and recordkeeping, position limits and other restrictions on trading, settlement risks and other related conditions on trading set out by such venues.
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From time to time, a Fund, the Investment Adviser or its affiliates and/or their service providers or agents may be required, or may determine that it is advisable, to disclose certain information about the Fund, including, but not limited to, investments held by the Fund, and the names and percentage interest of beneficial owners thereof, to third parties, including local governmental authorities, regulatory organizations, taxing authorities, markets, exchanges, clearing facilities, custodians, brokers and trading counterparties of, or service providers to, the Investment Adviser or the Fund. The Investment Adviser generally expects to comply with such requests to disclose such information including through electronic delivery platforms; however, the Investment Adviser may determine to cause the sale of certain assets for the Fund rather than make certain required disclosures, and such sale may be at a time that is inopportune from a pricing standpoint.
Brokerage Transactions
The Investment Adviser may select broker-dealers (including affiliates of the Investment Adviser) that furnish the Investment Adviser, the Funds, their affiliates and other Goldman Sachs personnel with proprietary or third party brokerage and research services (collectively, brokerage and research services) that provide, in the Investment Advisers view, appropriate assistance to the Investment Adviser in the investment decision-making process. As a result, the Investment Adviser may pay for such brokerage and research services with soft or commission dollars.
Brokerage and research services may be used to service the Funds and any or all other Accounts, including Accounts that do not pay commissions to the broker-dealer relating to the brokerage and research service arrangements. As a result, brokerage and research services (including soft dollar benefits) may disproportionately benefit other Accounts relative to the Funds based on the relative amount of commissions paid by the Funds. The Investment Adviser does not attempt to allocate soft dollar benefits proportionately among clients or to track the benefits of brokerage and research services to the commissions associated with a particular Account or group of Accounts.
Aggregation of Trades by the Investment Adviser
The Investment Adviser follows policies and procedures pursuant to which it may combine or aggregate purchase or sale orders for the same security or other instrument for multiple Accounts (including Accounts in which Goldman Sachs has an interest) (sometimes referred to as bunching), so that the orders can be executed at the same time and block trade treatment of any such orders can be elected when available. The Investment Adviser aggregates orders when the Investment Adviser considers doing so appropriate and in the interests of its clients generally and may elect block trade treatment when available. In addition, under certain circumstances trades for the Funds may be aggregated with Accounts that contain Goldman Sachs assets.
When a bunched order or block trade is completely filled, the Investment Adviser generally will allocate the securities or other instruments purchased or the proceeds of any sale pro rata among the participating Accounts, based on the purchase or sale order. If an order is filled at several different prices, through multiple trades (whether at a particular broker-dealer or among multiple broker-dealers), generally all participating Accounts will receive the average price and pay the average commission, however, this may not always be the case (due to, e.g., odd lots, rounding, market practice or constraints applicable to particular Accounts).
Although it may do so in certain circumstances, the Investment Adviser generally does not bunch or aggregate orders for different Funds, elect block trade treatment or net buy and sell orders for the same Fund, if portfolio management decisions relating to the orders are made by separate portfolio management teams, if bunching, aggregating, electing block trade treatment or netting is not appropriate or practicable from the Investment Advisers operational or other perspective, or if doing so would not be appropriate in light of applicable regulatory considerations. The Investment Adviser may be able to negotiate a better price and lower commission rate on aggregated trades than on trades for Funds that are not aggregated, and incur lower transaction costs on netted trades than trades that are not netted. Where transactions for a Fund are not aggregated with other orders, or not netted against orders for the Fund or other Accounts, the Fund may not benefit from a better price and lower commission rate or lower transaction cost. Aggregation and netting of trades may disproportionately benefit some Accounts relative to other Accounts, including a Fund, due to the relative amount of market savings obtained by the Accounts.
PORTFOLIO TRANSACTIONS AND BROKERAGE
The Investment Adviser is responsible with respect to the Portfolios (and the particular investment adviser is responsible with respect to the Underlying Funds (together with the Portfolios in this section, the Funds) for decisions to buy and sell securities, the selection of brokers and dealers to effect the transactions and the negotiation of brokerage commissions, if any. Purchases and sales of securities may be executed internally by a broker-dealer,
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effected on an agency basis in a block transaction, or routed to competing market centers for execution. The compensation paid to the broker for providing execution services generally is negotiated and reflected in either a commission or a net price. Executions provided on a net price basis, with dealers acting as principal for their own accounts without a stated commission, usually include a profit to the dealer. In underwritten offerings, securities are purchased at a fixed price which includes an amount of compensation to the underwriter, generally referred to as the underwriters concession or discount. On occasion, certain money market instruments may be purchased directly from an issuer, in which case no commissions or discounts are paid.
The portfolio transactions for the Underlying Fixed Income Funds are generally effected at a net price without a brokers commission (i.e., a dealer is dealing with an Underlying Fund as principal and receives compensation equal to the spread between the dealers cost for a given security and the resale price of such security). In certain foreign countries, debt securities are traded on exchanges at fixed commission rates.
In placing orders for portfolio securities or other financial instruments, the Investment Adviser is generally required to give primary consideration to obtaining the most favorable execution and net price available. This means that the Investment Adviser will seek to execute each transaction at a price and commission, if any, which provides the most favorable total cost or proceeds reasonably attainable in the circumstances. As permitted by Section 28(e) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (Section 28(e)), a Fund may pay a broker that provides brokerage and research services an amount of disclosed commission in excess of the commission which another broker would have charged for effecting that transaction. Such practice is subject to a good faith determination by the Trustees that such commission is reasonable in light of the services provided and to such policies as the Trustees may adopt from time to time. While the Funds Investment Adviser generally seek reasonably competitive spreads or commissions, a Fund will not necessarily be paying the lowest spread or commission available. Within the framework of this policy, the Investment Adviser will consider research and investment services provided by brokers or dealers who effect or are parties to portfolio transactions of a Fund, the Investment Adviser and its affiliates, or their other clients. Such research and investment services are those which brokerage houses customarily provide to institutional investors and include research reports on particular industries and companies; economic surveys and analyses; recommendations as to specific securities; research products, including quotation equipment and computer related programs; research and advice concerning the value of securities, the advisability of investing in, purchasing or selling securities, and the availability of securities or the purchasers or sellers of securities; analyses and reports concerning issuers, industries, securities, economic factors and trends, portfolio strategy and performance of accounts; services relating to effecting securities transactions and functions incidental thereto (such as clearance and settlement); and other lawful and appropriate assistance to the Investment Adviser in the performance of its decision-making responsibilities.
Such services are used by the Investment Adviser (and the particular investment adviser responsible with respect to the Underlying Funds) in connection with all of its investment activities, and some of such services obtained in connection with the execution of transactions for a Fund may be used in managing other investment accounts. Conversely, brokers furnishing such services may be selected for the execution of transactions of such other accounts, whose aggregate assets may be far larger than those of a Fund, and the services furnished by such brokers may be used by the Investment Adviser in providing management services for the Trust. The Investment Adviser may also participate in so called commission sharing arrangements and client commission arrangements under which an Investment Adviser may execute transactions through a broker-dealer and request that the broker-dealer allocate a portion of the commissions or commission credits to another firm that provides research to the Investment Adviser. The Investment Adviser excludes from use under these arrangements those products and services that are not fully eligible under applicable law and regulatory interpretations- even as to the portion that would be eligible if accounted for separately.
The research services received as part of commission sharing and client commission arrangements will comply with Section 28(e) and may be subject to different legal requirements in the jurisdictions in which the Investment Adviser does business. Participating in commission sharing and client commission arrangements may enable the Investment Adviser to consolidate payments for research through one or more channels using accumulated client commissions or credits from transactions executed through a particular broker-dealer to obtain research provided by other firms. Such arrangements also help to ensure the continued receipt of research services while facilitating best execution in the trading process. The Investment Adviser believes such research services are useful in its investment decision-making process by, among other things, ensuring access to a variety of high quality research, access to individual analysts and availability of resources that the Investment Adviser might not be provided access to absent such arrangements.
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On occasions when a Funds Investment Adviser deems the purchase or sale of a security or other financial instruments to be in the best interest of a Fund as well as its other customers (including any other fund or other investment company or advisory account for which the Investment Adviser acts as investment adviser or sub-investment adviser), the Investment Adviser, to the extent permitted by applicable laws and regulations, may aggregate the securities to be sold or purchased for the Fund with those to be sold or purchased for such other customers in order to obtain the best net price and most favorable execution under the circumstances. In such event, allocation of the securities so purchased or sold, as well as the expenses incurred in the transaction, will be made by the Investment Adviser in the manner it considers to be equitable and consistent with its fiduciary obligations to the Fund and such other customers. In some instances, this procedure may adversely affect the price and size of the position obtainable for a Fund.
Commission rates in the U.S. are established pursuant to negotiations with the broker based on the quality and quantity of execution services provided by the broker in the light of generally prevailing rates. The allocation of orders among brokers and the commission rates paid are reviewed periodically by the Trustees.
Certain Funds may participate in a commission recapture program. Under the program, participating broker-dealers rebate a percentage of commissions earned on Fund portfolio transactions to the particular Fund from which the commissions were generated. The rebated commissions are expected to be treated as realized capital gains of the Funds.
Subject to the above considerations, the Funds Investment Adviser may use Goldman Sachs or an affiliate as a broker for a Fund. In order for Goldman Sachs or an affiliate, acting as agent, to effect any portfolio transactions for a Fund, the commissions, fees or other remuneration received by Goldman Sachs or an affiliate must be reasonable and fair compared to the commissions, fees or other remuneration received by other brokers in connection with comparable transactions involving similar securities or futures contracts. Furthermore, the Trustees, including a majority of the Independent Trustees, have adopted procedures which are reasonably designed to provide that any commissions, fees or other remuneration paid to Goldman Sachs are consistent with the foregoing standard. Brokerage transactions with Goldman Sachs are also subject to such fiduciary standards as may be imposed upon Goldman Sachs by applicable law.
The amount of brokerage commissions paid by a Portfolio may vary substantially from year to year because of differences in shareholder purchase and redemption activity, portfolio turnover rates and other factors. For the fiscal years ended August 31, 2016, August 31, 2015 and August 31, 2014, each Portfolio paid brokerage commissions as follows:
Fiscal Year Ended August 31, 2016 |
Total Brokerage Commissions Paid |
Total Brokerage Commissions Paid to Goldman Sachs1 |
Total Amount of Transactions on which Commissions Paid |
Amount of Transactions Effected through Brokers Providing Proprietary Research |
Total Brokerage Commissions Paid for Proprietary Research |
|||||||||||||||
Tax-Advantaged Global Equity Portfolio |
$ | 1,548 | $ | 620 | $ | 157,309,531 | $ | 0 | $ | 0 | ||||||||||
Enhanced Dividend Global Equity Portfolio |
$ | 386 | $ | 152 | $ | 39,628,838 | $ | 0 | $ | 0 |
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Fiscal Year Ended August 31, 2015 |
Total Brokerage Commissions Paid |
Total Brokerage Commissions Paid to Goldman Sachs1 |
Total Amount of Transactions on which Commissions Paid |
Amount of Transactions Effected through Brokers Providing Proprietary Research2 |
Total Brokerage Commissions Paid for Proprietary Research2 |
|||||||||||||||
Tax-Advantaged Global Equity Portfolio |
$ | 32,070 | $ | 20,514 | $ | 843,593,710 | $ | 0 | $ | 0 | ||||||||||
Enhanced Dividend Global Equity Portfolio |
$ | 9,309 | $ | 5,990 | $ | 244,765,998 | $ | 0 | $ | 0 | ||||||||||
Fiscal Year Ended August 31, 2014 |
Total Brokerage Commissions Paid |
Total Brokerage Commissions Paid to Goldman Sachs1 |
Total Amount of Transactions on which Commissions Paid |
Amount of Transactions Effected through Brokers Providing Proprietary Research2 |
Total Brokerage Commissions Paid for Proprietary Research2 |
|||||||||||||||
Tax-Advantaged Global Equity Portfolio |
$ | 31,903 | $ | 15,586 | $ | 579,769,578 | $ | 0 | $ | 0 | ||||||||||
Enhanced Dividend Global Equity Portfolio |
$ | 10,685 | $ | 5,546 | $ | 197,270,706 | $ | 0 | $ | 0 |
1 | The figures in the table report brokerage commissions from portfolio transactions, including futures transactions. |
2 | The information above reflects the full commission amounts paid to the brokers that provide proprietary research to the Investment Adviser. Only a portion of such commissions pays for research and the remainder of such commissions is to compensate the broker for execution services, commitment of capital and other services related to the execution of brokerage transactions. |
Portfolios Investments in Regular Broker-Dealers
During the fiscal year ended August 31, 2016, the Portfolios regular broker-dealers, as defined in Rule 10b-1 under the Act, were: Citigroup Inc., JPMorgan Chase & Co., Wells Fargo & Co., Credit Suisse First Boston and State Street Corp. The Portfolios did not own any securities issued by their regular broker-dealers (as defined in Rule 10b-1 under the Act) or the parent entities of such broker-dealers as of August 31, 2016.
In accordance with procedures adopted by the Trustees, the net asset value per share of each class of each Portfolio is calculated by determining the value of the net assets attributed to each class of that Portfolio and dividing by the number of outstanding shares of that class. All securities are generally valued on each Business Day as of the close of regular trading on the New York Stock Exchange (normally, but not always, 4:00 p.m. Eastern time) or such other times as the New York Stock Exchange or the National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations System (NASDAQ) market may officially close. The term Business Day means any day the New York Stock Exchange is open for trading which is Monday through Friday except for holidays. The New York Stock Exchange is closed on the following holidays: New Years Day (observed), Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Washingtons Birthday, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas.
The time at which transactions and shares are priced and the time by which orders must be received may be changed in case of an emergency or if regular trading on the New York Stock Exchange is stopped at a time other than 4:00 p.m. Eastern time. The Trust reserves the right to reprocess purchase, redemption and exchange transactions that were initially processed at a net asset value other than the Portfolios official closing net asset value (that is subsequently adjusted), and to recover amounts from (or distribute amounts to) shareholders based on the official closing net asset value. The Trust reserves the right to advance the time by which purchase and redemption orders must be received for same business day credit as otherwise permitted by the SEC. In addition, each Portfolio may compute its net asset value as of any time permitted pursuant to any exemption, order or statement of the SEC or its staff.
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In determining the net asset value of a Portfolio, the net asset value of the Underlying Funds shares held by a Portfolio will be their net asset value at the time of computation. Portfolio securities of the Portfolios and the Underlying Funds for which market quotations are readily available are valued as follows: (i) securities listed on any U.S. or foreign stock exchange or on NASDAQ will be valued at the last sale price, or the official closing price, on the exchange or system in which they are principally traded on the valuation date. If there is no sale on the valuation day, securities traded will be valued at the closing bid price, or if a closing bid price is not available, at either the exchange or system-defined close price on the exchange or system in which such securities are principally traded. If the relevant exchange or system has not closed by the above-mentioned time for determining the Underlying Funds net asset value, the securities will be valued at the last sale price or official closing price or, if not available, at the bid price at the time the net asset value is determined; (ii) over-the-counter securities not quoted on NASDAQ will be valued at the last sale price on the valuation day or, if no sale occurs, at the last bid price at the time net asset value is determined; (iii) equity securities for which no prices are obtained under sections (i) or (ii) hereof, including those for which a pricing service supplies no exchange quotation or a quotation that is believed by the portfolio manager/trader to be inaccurate, will be valued at their fair value in accordance with procedures approved by the Board of Trustees; (iv) fixed income securities, with the exception of short-term securities with remaining maturities of 60 days or less, will be valued using evaluated prices provided by a recognized pricing service (e.g., Interactive Data Corp., Reuters, etc. or dealer supplied bid quotations); (v) fixed income securities for which accurate market quotations are not readily available are valued by the investment adviser based on valuation models that take into account various factors such as spread and daily yield changes on government or other securities in the appropriate market (i.e. matrix pricing); (vi) short term fixed income securities with a remaining maturity of 60 days or less are valued by the particular investment adviser at amortized cost, which the Trustees have determined to approximate fair value; and (vii) all other instruments, including those for which a pricing service supplies no exchange quotation or a quotation that is believed by the portfolio manager/trader to be inaccurate, will be valued in accordance with the valuation procedures approved by the Board of Trustees. Securities may also be valued at fair value in accordance with procedures approved by the Board of Trustees where the Portfolios fund accounting agent is unable for other reasons to facilitate pricing of individual securities or calculate the Portfolios NAV, or if the Investment Adviser believes that such quotations do not accurately reflect fair value. Fair values determined in accordance with the valuation procedures approved by the Board of Trustees may be based on subjective judgments, and it is possible that the prices resulting from such valuation procedures may differ materially from the value realized on a sale.
The value of all assets and liabilities expressed in foreign currencies will be converted into U.S. dollar values at current exchange rates of such currencies against U.S. dollars as of the close of regular trading on the New York Stock Exchange (normally, but not always, 4:00 p.m. Eastern time). If such quotations are not available, the rate of exchange will be determined in good faith by or under procedures established by the Board of Trustees.
Generally, trading in securities on European, Asian and Far Eastern securities exchanges and on over-the-counter markets in these regions is substantially completed at various times prior to the close of business on each Business Day in New York (i.e., a day on which the New York Stock Exchange is open for trading). In addition, European, Asian or Far Eastern securities trading generally or in a particular country or countries may not take place on all Business Days in New York. Furthermore, trading takes place in various foreign markets on days which are not Business Days in New York and days on which the Portfolios and the Underlying Funds net asset values are not calculated. Such calculation does not take place contemporaneously with the determination of the prices of the majority of the portfolio securities used in such calculation. The Portfolios and the Underlying Funds investments are valued based on market quotations which may be furnished by a pricing service or provided by securities dealers or, in the case of foreign equity securities, prices provided by an independent fair value service. For Underlying Funds that invest in foreign equity securities, fair value prices are provided by an independent fair value service (if available), in accordance with the fair value procedures approved by the Trustees, and are intended to reflect more accurately the value of those securities at the time the Portfolios and the Underlying Funds NAVs are calculated. Fair value prices are used because many foreign markets operate at times that do not coincide with those of the major U.S. markets. Events that could affect the values of foreign portfolio holdings may occur between the close of the foreign market and the time of determining the NAV, and would not otherwise be reflected in the NAV. If the independent fair value service does not provide a fair value for a particular security or if the value does not meet the established criteria for the Portfolios or the Underlying Funds, the most recent closing price for such a security on its principal exchange will generally be its fair value on such date.
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The Investment Adviser, consistent with its procedures and applicable regulatory guidance, may (but need not) determine to make an adjustment to the previous closing prices of either domestic or foreign securities in light of significant events, to reflect what it believes to be the fair value of the securities at the time of determining a Portfolios or an Underlying Funds NAV. Significant events that could affect a large number of securities in a particular market may include, but are not limited to: situations relating to one or more single issuers in a market sector; significant fluctuations in U.S. or foreign markets; market dislocations; market disruptions or unscheduled market closings; equipment failures; natural or man-made disasters or acts of God; armed conflicts; governmental actions or other developments; as well as the same or similar events which may affect specific issuers or the securities markets even though not tied directly to the securities markets. Other significant events that could relate to a single issuer may include, but are not limited to: corporate actions such as reorganizations, mergers and buy-outs; corporate announcements, including those relating to earnings, products and regulatory news; significant litigation; ratings downgrades, bankruptcies, low trading volume; trading limits; or suspensions.
Each Portfolio relies on various sources to calculate its NAV. Therefore, each Portfolio is subject to certain operational risks associated with reliance on third party service providers and data sources. NAV calculation may be impacted by operational risks arising from factors such as failures in systems and technology. Such failures may result in delays in the calculation of a Portfolios NAV and/or the inability to calculate NAV over extended time periods. The Portfolios may be unable to recover any losses associated with such failures.
The proceeds received by each Portfolio and each other series of the Trust from the issue or sale of its shares, and all net investment income, realized and unrealized gain and proceeds thereof, subject only to the rights of creditors, will be specifically allocated to such Portfolio or particular series and constitute the underlying assets of that Portfolio or series. The underlying assets of each Portfolio or particular series will be segregated on the books of account, and will be charged with the liabilities in respect of such Portfolio and with a share of the general liabilities of the Trust. Expenses of the Trust with respect to the Portfolios and the other series of the Trust are generally allocated in proportion to the net asset values of the respective Portfolios or series except where allocations of expenses can otherwise be fairly made.
Errors and Corrective Actions
The Investment Adviser will report to the Board of Trustees any material breaches of investment objective, policies or restrictions and any material errors in the calculation of the NAV of a Portfolio or an Underlying Fund or the processing of purchases and redemptions. Depending on the nature and size of an error, corrective action may or may not be required. Corrective action may involve a prospective correction of the NAV only, correction of any erroneous NAV and compensation to a Portfolio or Underlying Fund, or correction of any erroneous NAV, compensation to a Portfolio or Underlying Fund and reprocessing of individual shareholder transactions. The Trusts policies on errors and corrective action limit or restrict when corrective action will be taken or when compensation to a Portfolio or Underlying Fund or its shareholders will be paid, and not all mistakes will result in compensable errors. As a result, neither a Portfolio or Underlying Fund nor its shareholders who purchase or redeem shares during periods in which errors accrue or occur may be compensated in connection with the resolution of an error. Shareholders will generally not be notified of the occurrence of a compensable error or the resolution thereof absent unusual circumstances. As discussed in more detail under NET ASSET VALUE, a Funds portfolio securities may be priced based on quotations for those securities provided by pricing services. There can be no guarantee that a quotation provided by a pricing service will be accurate.
Each Portfolio is a series of Goldman Sachs Trust, a Delaware statutory trust established by an Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997. The fiscal year end for each Portfolio is August 31. The Trustees have authority under the Trusts Declaration of Trust to create and classify shares of beneficial interest in separate series, without further action by shareholders. The Trustees also have authority to classify and reclassify the shares of the Portfolios into one or more classes of shares. As of December 29, 2016, the Trustees have authorized the issuance of two classes of shares in the Portfolios: Institutional Shares and Class A Shares. Additional series and classes may be added in the future.
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Each Institutional Share and Class A Share of a Portfolio represents a proportionate interest in the assets belonging to the applicable class of the Portfolio. All expenses of a Portfolio are borne at the same rate by each class of shares, except that fees under the Distribution and Service Plan are borne exclusively by Class A Shares, and transfer agency fees and expenses may be borne at different rates by different share classes. The Trustees may determine in the future that it is appropriate to allocate other expenses differently among classes of shares and may do so to the extent consistent with the rules of the SEC and positions of the IRS. Each class of shares may have different minimum investment requirements and be entitled to different shareholder services. With limited exceptions, shares of a class may only be exchanged for shares of the same or an equivalent class of another series. See Shareholder Guide in the Prospectus and OTHER INFORMATION REGARDING MAXIMUM SALES CHARGE, PURCHASES, REDEMPTIONS, EXCHANGES AND DIVIDENDS below. In addition, the fees and expenses set forth below for each class may be subject to voluntary fee waivers or reimbursements, as discussed in the Portfolios Prospectus.
Institutional Shares may be purchased at net asset value without a sales charge for accounts in the name of an investor or institution that is not compensated by the Portfolios under a Plan for services provided to the institutions customers.
Class A Shares are sold with an initial sales charge of up to 5.5% through brokers and dealers who are members of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) and certain other financial service firms that have sales agreements with Goldman Sachs. Class A Shares of the Portfolios bear the cost of distribution (Rule 12b-1) fees at the aggregate rate of up to 0.25% of the average daily net assets of such Class A Shares. With respect to Class A Shares, the Distributor at its discretion may use compensation for distribution services paid under the Distribution and Service Plan for personal and account maintenance services and expenses so long as such total compensation under the Plan does not exceed the maximum cap on service fees imposed by FINRA.
It is possible that an institution or its affiliate may offer different classes of shares (i.e., Institutional and Class A Shares) to its customers and thus receive different compensation with respect to different classes of shares of each Portfolio. Dividends paid by each Portfolio, if any, with respect to each class of shares will be calculated in the same manner, at the same time on the same day and will be in the same amount, except for differences caused by the fact that the respective transfer agency and Distribution and Service Plan fees relating to a particular class will be borne exclusively by that class. Similarly, the net asset value per share may differ depending upon the class of shares purchased.
Certain aspects of the shares may be altered after advance notice to shareholders if it is deemed necessary in order to satisfy certain tax regulatory requirements.
When issued for the consideration described in the Portfolios Prospectus, shares are fully paid and non-assessable. The Trustees may, however, cause shareholders, or shareholders of a particular series or class, to pay certain custodian, transfer agency, servicing or similar charges by setting off the same against declared but unpaid dividends or by reducing share ownership (or by both means). In the event of liquidation, shareholders are entitled to share pro rata in the net assets of the applicable class of the relevant Portfolio available for distribution to such shareholders. All shares are freely transferable and have no preemptive, subscription or conversion rights. The Trustees may require Shareholders to redeem Shares for any reason under terms set by the Trustees.
In the interest of economy and convenience, the Trust does not issue certificates representing a Portfolios shares. Instead, the transfer agent maintains a record of each shareholders ownership. Each shareholder receives confirmation of purchase and redemption orders from the transfer agent. Portfolio shares and any distributions paid by a Portfolio are reflected in account statements from the transfer agent.
The Act requires that where more than one series of shares exists, each series must be preferred over all other series in respect of assets specifically allocated to such series. In addition, Rule 18f-2 under the Act provides that any matter required to be submitted by the provisions of the Act or applicable state law, or otherwise, to the holders of the outstanding voting securities of an investment company such as the Trust shall not be deemed to have been effectively acted upon unless approved by the holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of each series affected by such matter. Rule 18f-2 further provides that a series shall be deemed to be affected by a matter unless the interests of each series in the matter are substantially identical or the matter does not affect any interest of such series. However, Rule 18f-2 exempts the selection of independent public accountants, the approval of principal distribution contracts and the election of trustees from the separate voting requirements of Rule 18f-2.
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The Trust is not required to hold annual meetings of shareholders and does not intend to hold such meetings. In the event that a meeting of shareholders is held, each share of the Trust will be entitled, as determined by the Trustees without the vote or consent of the shareholders, either to one vote for each share or to one vote for each dollar of net asset value represented by such share on all matters presented to shareholders including the election of Trustees (this method of voting being referred to as dollar based voting). However, to the extent required by the Act or otherwise determined by the Trustees, series and classes of the Trust will vote separately from each other. Shareholders of the Trust do not have cumulative voting rights in the election of Trustees. Meetings of shareholders of the Trust, or any series or class thereof, may be called by the Trustees, certain officers or upon the written request of holders of 10% or more of the shares entitled to vote at such meetings. The Trustees will call a special meeting of shareholders for the purpose of electing Trustees if, at any time, less than a majority of Trustees holding office at the time were elected by shareholders. The shareholders of the Trust will have voting rights only with respect to the limited number of matters specified in the Declaration of Trust and such other matters as the Trustees may determine or may be required by law.
The Declaration of Trust provides for indemnification of Trustees, officers, employees and agents of the Trust unless the recipient is adjudicated (i) to be liable by reason of willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of the duties involved in the conduct of such persons office or (ii) not to have acted in good faith in the reasonable belief that such persons actions were in the best interest of the Trust. The Declaration of Trust provides that, if any shareholder or former shareholder of any series is held personally liable solely by reason of being or having been a shareholder and not because of the shareholders acts or omissions or for some other reason, the shareholder or former shareholder (or the shareholders heirs, executors, administrators, legal representatives or general successors) shall be held harmless from and indemnified against all loss and expense arising from such liability. The Trust, acting on behalf of any affected series, must, upon request by such shareholder, assume the defense of any claim made against such shareholder for any act or obligation of the series and satisfy any judgment thereon from the assets of the series.
The Declaration of Trust permits the termination of the Trust or of any series or class of the Trust (i) by a majority of the affected shareholders at a meeting of shareholders of the Trust, series or class; or (ii) by a majority of the Trustees without shareholder approval if the Trustees determine, in their sole discretion, that such action is in the best interest of the Trust, such series, such class or their respective shareholders. The Trustees may consider such factors as they, in their sole discretion, deem appropriate in making such determination, including (i) the inability of the Trust or any series or class to maintain its assets at an appropriate size; (ii) changes in laws or regulations governing the Trust, series or class or affecting assets of the type in which it invests; or (iii) economic developments or trends having a significant adverse impact on the business or operations of the Trust or series.
The Declaration of Trust authorizes the Trustees, without shareholder approval, to cause the Trust, or any series thereof, to merge or consolidate with any corporation, association, trust or other organization or sell or exchange all or substantially all of the property belonging to the Trust or any series thereof. In addition, the Trustees, without shareholder approval, may adopt a master-feeder structure by investing all or a portion of the assets of a series of the Trust in the securities of another open-end investment company with substantially the same investment objective, restrictions and policies.
The Declaration of Trust permits the Trustees to amend the Declaration of Trust without a shareholder vote. However, shareholders of the Trust have the right to vote on any amendment (i) that would adversely affect the voting rights of shareholders; (ii) that is required by law to be approved by shareholders; (iii) that would amend the provisions of the Declaration of Trust regarding amendments and supplements thereto; or (iv) that the Trustees determine to submit to shareholders.
The Trustees may appoint separate Trustees with respect to one or more series or classes of the Trusts shares (the Series Trustees). Series Trustees may, but are not required to, serve as Trustees of the Trust or any other series or class of the Trust. To the extent provided by the Trustees in the appointment of Series Trustees, the Series Trustees may have, to the exclusion of any other Trustees of the Trust, all the powers and authorities of Trustees under the Declaration of Trust with respect to such series or class, but may have no power or authority with respect to any other series or class.
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Shareholder and Trustee Liability
Under Delaware law, the shareholders of the Portfolios are not generally subject to liability for the debts or obligations of the Trust. Similarly, Delaware law provides that a series of the Trust will not be liable for the debts or obligations of any other series of the Trust. However, no similar statutory or other authority limiting statutory trust shareholder liability exists in other states. As a result, to the extent that a Delaware statutory trust or a shareholder is subject to the jurisdiction of courts of such other states, the courts may not apply Delaware law and may thereby subject the Delaware statutory trust shareholders to liability. To guard against this risk, the Declaration of Trust contains an express disclaimer of shareholder liability for acts or obligations of a series. Notice of such disclaimer will normally be given in each agreement, obligation or instrument entered into or executed by a series of the Trust. The Declaration of Trust provides for indemnification by the relevant series for all loss suffered by a shareholder as a result of an obligation of the series. The Declaration of Trust also provides that a series shall, upon request, assume the defense of any claim made against any shareholder for any act or obligation of the series and satisfy any judgment thereon. In view of the above, the risk of personal liability of shareholders of a Delaware statutory trust is remote.
In addition to the requirements under Delaware law, the Declaration of Trust provides that shareholders of a series may bring a derivative action on behalf of the series only if the following conditions are met: (i) shareholders eligible to bring such derivative action under Delaware law who hold at least 10% of the outstanding shares of the series, or 10% of the outstanding shares of the class to which such action relates, shall join in the request for the Trustees to commence such action; and (ii) the Trustees must be afforded a reasonable amount of time to consider such shareholder request and to investigate the basis of such claim. The Trustees will be entitled to retain counsel or other advisers in considering the merits of the request and may require an undertaking by the shareholders making such request to reimburse the Portfolios for the expense of any such advisers in the event that the Trustees determine not to bring such action.
The Declaration of Trust further provides that the Trustees will not be liable for errors of judgment or mistakes of fact or law, but nothing in the Declaration of Trust protects a Trustee against 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.
Control Persons and Principal Holders of Securities
As of November 30, 2016, the following shareholders were shown in the Trusts records as owning more than 5% of any class of a Portfolios shares. Except as listed below, the Trust does not know of any other person who owns of record or beneficially 5% or more of any class of a Portfolios shares:
Enhanced Dividend Global Equity Portfolio
Class |
Name/Address |
Percentage of Class |
||||
A |
National Financial Services LLC, FEBO Customers, 499 Washington Boulevard, Jersey City, NJ 07310-2010 | 36.87 | %* | |||
A |
Stifel Nicolaus & Co., Exclusive Benefit of Customers, 501 N. Broadway, Saint Louis, MO 63102-2188 | 5.74 | % | |||
A |
Pershing LLC, 1 Pershing Plaza, Jersey City, NJ 07399-0002 | 23.66 | % | |||
A |
Raymond James & Associates, Omnibus for Mutual Funds, 880 Carillon Parkway, St. Petersburg, FL 33716-1102 | 22.78 | % | |||
I |
Goldman Sachs & Co., c/o Mutual Fund Ops, 295 Chipeta Way, Salt Lake City, UT 84108-1285 | 96.75 | %* |
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Tax-Advantaged Global Equity Portfolio
Class |
Name/Address |
Percentage of Class |
||||
A |
TD Ameritrade Clearing, Inc., Exclusive Benefit of our Clients, P.O. Box 2226, Omaha, NE, 68103-2226 | 6.88 | % | |||
A |
UBS Financial Services, Inc., Omni Account M/F, 1000 Harbor Boulevard, 5th Floor, Weehawken, NJ 07086-6761 | 43.28 | %* | |||
A |
Pershing LLC, 1 Pershing Plaza, Jersey City, NJ 07399-0001 | 18.55 | % | |||
A |
Raymond James & Associates, Omnibus for Mutual Funds, 880 Carillon Parkway, St. Petersburg, FL 33716-1102 | 13.67 | % | |||
A |
Stifel Nicolaus & Co., Exclusive Benefit of Customers, 501 N. Broadway, Saint Louis, MO 63102-2188 | 15.66 | % | |||
I |
Goldman Sachs & Co, c/o Mutual Fund Ops, 295 Chipeta Way, Salt Lake City, UT 84108-1285 | 98.80 | %* |
* | Entity owned more than 25% of the outstanding shares of a Portfolio. A shareholder owning of record or beneficially more than 25% of a Portfolios outstanding shares may be considered a control person and could have a more significant effect on matters presented at a shareholders meeting than votes of other shareholders. |
The following is a summary of certain additional U.S. federal income tax considerations generally affecting the Portfolios, the Underlying Funds and the purchase, ownership and disposition of shares that are not described in the Prospectuses. The discussions below and in the Prospectuses are not intended as substitutes for careful tax planning. This summary does not address special tax rules applicable to certain classes of investors, such as tax-exempt entities, insurance companies and financial institutions. Each prospective shareholder is urged to consult his or her own tax adviser with respect to the specific federal, state, local and foreign tax consequences of investing in the Portfolios. The summary is based on the laws in effect as of December 29, 2016, which are subject to change.
Fund Taxation
Each Portfolio and each Underlying Fund is a separate taxable entity. Each Portfolio and each of the Underlying Funds has elected to be treated and intend to qualify for each taxable year as a regulated investment company under Subchapter M of Subtitle A, Chapter 1 of the Code.
There are certain tax requirements that each Portfolio and each Underlying Fund must follow if it is to avoid federal taxation. In their efforts to adhere to these requirements, the Underlying Funds may have to limit their investment activities in some types of instruments. Qualification as a regulated investment company under the Code requires, among other things, that each Portfolio and each Underlying Fund (i) derive at least 90% of its gross income for each taxable year from dividends, interest, payments with respect to securities loans, gains from the sale or other disposition of stocks or securities or foreign currencies, net income from qualified publicly traded partnerships, or other income (including but not limited to gains from options, futures, and forward contracts) derived with respect to the Portfolio and Underlying Funds business of investing in stocks, securities or currencies (the 90% gross income test); and (ii) diversify its holdings so that in general, at the close of each quarter of its taxable year, (a) at least 50% of the fair market value of the Portfolio and Underlying Funds total (gross) assets is comprised of cash, cash items, U.S. Government securities, securities of other regulated investment companies and other securities limited in respect of any one issuer to an amount not greater in value than 5% of the value of such Portfolio and Underlying Funds total assets and to not more than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of such issuer, and (b) not more than 25% of the value of its total (gross) assets is invested in the securities of any one issuer (other than U.S. Government securities and securities of other regulated investment companies), two or more issuers controlled by the Portfolio and Underlying Fund and engaged in the same, similar or related trades or businesses, or certain publicly traded partnerships.
For purposes of the 90% gross income test, income that a Portfolio or an Underlying Fund earns from equity interests in certain entities that are not treated as corporations or as qualified publicly traded partnerships for U.S. federal income tax purposes (e.g., partnerships or trusts) will generally have the same character for the Portfolio or Underlying Fund as in the hands of such an entity; consequently, a Portfolio or Underlying Fund may be required to limit its equity investments in any such entities that earn fee income, rental income, or other nonqualifying income. In addition, future Treasury regulations could provide that qualifying income under the 90% gross income test will
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not include gains from foreign currency transactions that are not directly related to a Portfolios or Underlying Funds principal business of investing in stock or securities or options and futures with respect to stock or securities. Using foreign currency positions or entering into foreign currency options, futures and forward or swap contracts for purposes other than hedging currency risk with respect to securities held or anticipated to be acquired by a Portfolio or Underlying Fund may not qualify as directly-related under these tests.
If a Portfolio or Underlying Fund complies with the foregoing provisions, then in any taxable year in which the Portfolio or such Underlying Fund distributes, in compliance with the Codes timing and other requirements, an amount at least equal to the sum of 90% of its investment company taxable income (which includes dividends, taxable interest, taxable accrued original issue discount and market discount income, income from securities lending, any net short-term capital gain in excess of net long-term capital loss, certain net realized foreign exchange gains and any other taxable income other than net capital gain, as defined below, and is reduced by deductible expenses), plus 90% of the excess of its gross tax-exempt interest income (if any) over certain disallowed deductions, the Portfolio or such Underlying Fund (but not its shareholders) will be relieved of U.S. federal income tax on any income of the Portfolio or Underlying Fund, including long-term capital gains, distributed to shareholders. If, instead, a Portfolio or Underlying Fund retains any investment company taxable income or net capital gain (the excess of net long-term capital gain over net short-term capital loss), it will be subject to a tax at regular corporate rates on the amount retained. Because there are some uncertainties regarding the computation of the amounts deemed distributed to shareholders for these purposes including, in particular, uncertainties regarding the portion, if any, of amounts paid in redemption of shares that should be treated as such distributions there can be no assurance that each Portfolio and each Underlying Fund will avoid corporate-level tax in each year.
If a Portfolio or Underlying Fund retains any net capital gain, the Portfolio or Underlying Fund may designate the retained amount as undistributed capital gains in a notice to its shareholders who, if subject to U.S. federal income tax on long-term capital gains, (i) will be required to include in income for federal income tax purposes, as long-term capital gain, their shares of that undistributed amount, and (ii) will be entitled to credit their proportionate shares of the tax paid by the Portfolio or Underlying Fund against their U.S. federal income tax liabilities, if any, and to claim refunds to the extent the credit exceeds those liabilities. For U.S. federal income tax purposes, the tax basis of shares owned by a shareholder of the Portfolio or Underlying Fund will be increased by the amount of any such undistributed net capital gain included in the shareholders gross income and decreased by the federal income tax paid by the Portfolio or Underlying Fund (as applicable) on that amount of net capital gain.
Each Portfolio and each Underlying Fund intends to distribute for each taxable year to its shareholders all or substantially all of its investment company taxable income, net capital gain and any net tax-exempt interest. Exchange control or other foreign laws, regulations or practices may restrict repatriation of investment income, capital or the proceeds of securities sales by foreign investors such as certain of the Underlying Funds and may therefore make it more difficult for such an Underlying Fund to satisfy the distribution requirements described above, as well as the excise tax distribution requirements described below. However, each Portfolio and each Underlying Fund generally expects to be able to obtain sufficient cash to satisfy such requirements from new investors, the sale of securities or other sources. If for any taxable year a Portfolio or Underlying Fund does not qualify as a regulated investment company, it will be taxed on all of its investment company taxable income and net capital gain at corporate rates without any deduction for dividends paid, and its distributions to shareholders will generally be taxable as ordinary dividends to the extent of its current and accumulated earnings and profits.
In order to avoid a 4% federal excise tax, each Portfolio and each Underlying Fund must distribute (or be deemed to have distributed) by December 31 of each calendar year at least 98% of its taxable ordinary income (taking into account certain deferrals and elections) for such year, at least 98.2% of the excess of its capital gains over its capital losses (generally computed on the basis of the one-year period ending on October 31 of such year), and all taxable ordinary income and the excess of capital gains over capital losses for all previous years that were not distributed for those years and on which the Portfolio or Underlying Fund paid no federal income tax. Each Portfolio and each Underlying Fund anticipates that it will generally make timely distributions of income and capital gains in compliance with these requirements so that it will generally not be required to pay the excise tax.
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For federal income tax purposes, each Portfolio and each Underlying Fund is permitted to carry forward a net capital loss in any year to offset its own capital gains, if any, during the eight years following the year of the loss. Certain loss carryforwards arising in taxable years of each Portfolio and each Underlying Fund beginning after December 22, 2010 are generally able to be carried forward indefinitely. These amounts are available to be carried forward to offset future capital gains to the extent permitted by the Code and applicable tax regulations.
As of August 31, 2016, the Tax-Advantaged Global Equity Portfolio had $247,758 in capital loss carryforwards, and the Enhanced Dividend Global Equity Portfolio did not have any capital loss carryforwards.
Gains and losses on the sale, lapse, or other termination of options and futures contracts, options thereon and certain forward contracts (except certain foreign currency options, forward contracts and futures contracts) will generally be treated as capital gains and losses. Certain of the futures contracts, forward contracts and options held by an Underlying Fund will be required to be marked-to-market for federal income tax purposes, that is, treated as having been sold at their fair market value on the last day of the Underlying Funds taxable year (or, for excise tax purposes, on the last day of the relevant period). These provisions may require an Underlying Fund to recognize income or gains without a concurrent receipt of cash. Any gain or loss recognized on actual or deemed sales of these futures contracts, forward contracts, or options will (except for certain foreign currency options, forward contracts, and futures contracts) be treated as 60% long-term capital gain or loss and 40% short-term capital gain or loss. As a result of certain hedging transactions entered into by an Underlying Fund, the Underlying Fund may be required to defer the recognition of losses on futures contracts, forward contracts, and options or underlying securities or foreign currencies to the extent of any unrecognized gains on related positions held by such Underlying Fund and the characterization of gains or losses as long-term or short-term may be changed. The tax provisions described in this paragraph may affect the amount, timing and character of an Underlying Funds distributions to shareholders. Application of certain requirements for qualification as a regulated investment company and/or these tax rules to certain investment practices, such as dollar rolls, or certain derivatives such as interest rate swaps, floors, caps and collars and currency, total return, mortgage or index swaps and options on swaps may be unclear in some respects, and an Underlying Fund may therefore be required to limit its participation in those kinds of transactions. Certain tax elections may be available to an Underlying Fund to mitigate some of the unfavorable consequences described in this paragraph.
Section 988 of the Code contains special tax rules applicable to certain foreign currency transactions and instruments that may affect the amount, timing and character of income, gain or loss recognized by an Underlying Fund. Under these rules, foreign exchange gain or loss realized with respect to foreign currencies and certain futures and options thereon, foreign currency-denominated debt instruments, foreign currency forward contracts, and foreign currency-denominated payables and receivables will generally be treated as ordinary income or loss, although in some cases elections may be available that would alter this treatment. If a net foreign exchange loss treated as ordinary loss under Section 988 of the Code were to exceed an Underlying Funds investment company taxable income (computed without regard to such loss) for a taxable year, the resulting loss would not be deductible by the Underlying Fund or its shareholders in future years. Net loss, if any, from certain foreign currency transactions or instruments could exceed net investment income otherwise calculated for accounting purposes with the result being either no dividends being paid or a portion of an Underlying Funds dividends being treated as a return of capital for tax purposes, nontaxable to the extent of a shareholders tax basis in his shares and, once such basis is exhausted, generally giving rise to capital gains.
An Underlying Funds investment in zero coupon securities, deferred interest securities, certain structured securities or other securities bearing original issue discount or, if an Underlying Fund elects to include market discount in income currently, market discount, as well as any marked-to-market gain from certain options, futures or forward contracts, as described above, will in many cases cause it to realize income or gain before the receipt of cash payments with respect to these securities or contracts. In order to obtain cash to enable it to distribute this income or gain, to maintain its qualification as a regulated investment company and to avoid federal income or excise taxes, the Underlying Fund may be required to liquidate portfolio investments sooner than it might otherwise have done.
Investments in lower-rated securities may present special tax issues for an Underlying Fund to the extent actual or anticipated defaults may be more likely with respect to such securities. Tax rules are not entirely clear about issues such as when an Underlying Fund may cease to accrue interest, original issue discount, or market discount; when and to what extent deductions may be taken for bad debts or worthless securities; how payments received on obligations in default should be allocated between principal and income; and whether exchanges of debt obligations in a workout context are taxable. These and other issues will generally need to be addressed by an Underlying Fund, in the event it invests in such securities, so as to seek to eliminate or minimize any adverse tax consequences.
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If an Underlying Fund acquires stock (including, under proposed regulations, an option to acquire stock such as is inherent in a convertible bond) in certain foreign corporations that receive at least 75% of their annual gross income from passive sources (such as interest, dividends, rents, royalties or capital gain) or hold at least 50% of their assets in investments producing such passive income (passive foreign investment companies), the Underlying Fund could be subject to federal income tax and additional interest charges on excess distributions received from such companies or gain from the sale of stock in such companies, even if all income or gain actually received by the Underlying Fund is timely distributed to its shareholders. The Underlying Fund would not be able to pass through to its shareholders any credit or deduction for such a tax. In some cases, elections may be available that would ameliorate these adverse tax consequences, but such elections would require the Underlying Fund to include each year certain amounts as income or gain (subject to the distribution requirements described above) without a concurrent receipt of cash. Each Underlying Fund may attempt to limit and/or to manage its holdings in passive foreign investment companies to minimize its tax liability or maximize its return from these investments.
Foreign Taxes
If, as may occur for certain of the Underlying Funds, more than 50% of an Underlying Funds total assets at the close of any taxable year consists of stock or securities of foreign corporations, the Underlying Fund may file an election with the IRS pursuant to which shareholders of the Underlying Fund would be required to (i) include in ordinary gross income (in addition to taxable dividends actually received) their pro rata shares of foreign income taxes paid by the Underlying Fund that are treated as income taxes under U.S. tax regulations (which excludes, for example, stamp taxes, securities transaction taxes, and similar taxes) even though not actually received by such shareholders, and (ii) treat such respective pro rata portions as foreign income taxes paid by them.
If an Underlying Fund makes this election, its shareholders (including the Portfolios) may then deduct such pro rata portions of qualified foreign taxes in computing their taxable incomes, or, alternatively, use them as foreign tax credits, subject to holding period and other applicable limitations, against their U.S. federal income taxes. Shareholders who do not itemize deductions for federal income tax purposes will not, however, be able to deduct their pro rata portion of foreign taxes paid by an Underlying Fund, although such shareholders will be required to include their shares of such taxes in gross income if the election is made.
While a Portfolio will be able to deduct the foreign taxes that it will be treated as receiving from an Underlying Fund if the election is made, if at least 50% of the value of a Portfolios total assets at the close of each quarter of its taxable year is represented by interests in other regulated investment companies, the Portfolio will itself be able to elect to treat its foreign taxes as paid by its shareholders. If the Portfolio makes this election, the shareholders of the Portfolio will have an option of claiming a foreign tax credit for foreign taxes paid by the Underlying Funds.
If a shareholder chooses to take credit for the foreign taxes deemed paid by such shareholder as a result of any such election by a Portfolio, the amount of the credit that may be claimed in any year may not exceed the same proportion of the U.S. tax against which such credit is taken which the shareholders taxable income from foreign sources (but not in excess of the shareholders entire taxable income) bears to his entire taxable income. For this purpose, distributions from long-term and short-term capital gains or foreign currency gains by a Portfolio will generally not be treated as income from foreign sources. This foreign tax credit limitation may also be applied separately to certain specific categories of foreign-source income and the related foreign taxes. As a result of these rules, which have different effects depending upon each shareholders particular tax situation, certain shareholders of a Portfolio may not be able to claim a credit for the full amount of their proportionate share of the foreign taxes paid by the Fund even if the election is made by the Portfolio.
Shareholders who are not liable for U.S. federal income taxes, including retirement plans, other tax-exempt shareholders and non-U.S. shareholders, will ordinarily not benefit from the foregoing Portfolio election with respect to foreign taxes. Each year, if any, that a Portfolio files the election described above, shareholders will be notified of the amount of (1) each shareholders pro rata share of qualified foreign taxes paid by the Portfolio and (2) the portion of Portfolio dividends that represents income from foreign sources.
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Taxable U.S. Shareholders Distributions
For U.S. federal income tax purposes, distributions by a Portfolio, whether reinvested in additional shares or paid in cash, generally will be taxable to shareholders who are subject to tax. Shareholders receiving a distribution in the form of newly issued shares will be treated for U.S. federal income tax purposes as receiving a distribution in an amount equal to the amount of cash they would have received had they elected to receive cash and will have a cost basis in each share received equal to such amount divided by the number of shares received.
In general, distributions from investment company taxable income for the year will be taxable as ordinary income. However, distributions to noncorporate shareholders attributable to dividends received by the Portfolios or the Underlying Funds from U.S. and certain foreign corporations will generally be taxed at the long-term capital gain rate (described below), as long as certain other requirements are met. For these lower rates to apply, the noncorporate shareholders must have owned their Portfolio or Underlying Fund shares for at least 61 days during the 121-day period beginning 60 days before the Portfolios or Underlying Funds ex-dividend date and the Portfolio or Underlying Fund must also have owned the underlying stock for this same period beginning 60 days before the ex-dividend date for the stock. The amount of a Portfolios or Underlying Funds distributions that otherwise qualify for these lower rates may be reduced as a result of a Portfolios securities lending activities or a high portfolio turnover rate.
Distributions reported to shareholders as derived from a Portfolios or Underlying Funds dividend income, if any, that would be eligible for the dividends received deduction if such Portfolio or Underlying Fund were not a regulated investment company may be eligible for the dividends received deduction for corporate shareholders. The dividends received deduction, if available, is reduced to the extent the shares with respect to which the dividends are received are treated as debt-financed under federal income tax law and is eliminated if the shares are deemed to have been held for less than a minimum period, generally 46 days. The dividends received deduction also may be reduced as a result of a Portfolios or Underlying Funds securities lending activities or a high portfolio turnover rate. The entire dividend, including the deducted amount, is considered in determining the excess, if any, of a corporate shareholders adjusted current earnings over its alternative minimum taxable income, which may increase its liability for the federal alternative minimum tax, and the dividend may, if it is treated as an extraordinary dividend under the Code, reduce such shareholders tax basis in its shares of a Portfolio or Underlying Fund. Capital gain dividends (i.e., dividends from net capital gain), if reported as such to shareholders, will be taxed to shareholders as long-term capital gain regardless of how long shares have been held by shareholders, but are not eligible for the dividends received deduction for corporations. The maximum individual rate applicable to long-term capital gains is generally either 15% or 20%, depending on whether the individuals income exceeds certain threshold amounts. Distributions, if any, that are in excess of a Portfolios or Underlying Funds current and accumulated earnings and profits will first reduce a shareholders tax basis in his shares and, after such basis is reduced to zero, will generally constitute capital gains to a shareholder who holds his shares as capital assets.
If a Portfolio receives dividends from an Underlying Fund that qualifies as a regulated investment company, and the Underlying Fund designates such dividends as qualified dividend income or as eligible for the dividends received deduction, then the Portfolio is permitted in turn to designate a portion of its distributions as qualified dividend income and/or as eligible for the dividends received deduction, provided the Portfolio meets holding period and other requirements with respect to shares of the Underlying Fund.
Different tax treatment, including penalties on certain excess contributions and deferrals, certain pre-retirement and post-retirement distributions and certain prohibited transactions, is accorded to accounts maintained as qualified retirement plans. Shareholders should consult their tax advisers for more information.
Taxable U.S. ShareholdersSale of Shares
When a shareholders shares are sold, redeemed or otherwise disposed of in a transaction that is treated as a sale for tax purposes, the shareholder will generally recognize gain or loss equal to the difference between the shareholders adjusted tax basis in the shares and the cash, or fair market value of any property, received. (To aid in computing that tax basis, a shareholder should generally retain its account statements for the period that it holds shares.) If the shareholder holds the shares as a capital asset at the time of sale, the character of the gain or loss should be capital, and treated as long-term if the shareholders holding period is more than one year and short-term otherwise, subject to the rules below. Shareholders should consult their own tax advisers with reference to their particular circumstances to determine whether a redemption (including an exchange) or other disposition of Portfolio shares is properly treated as a sale for tax purposes, as is assumed in this discussion.
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Certain special tax rules may apply to a shareholders capital gains or losses on Portfolio shares. If a shareholder receives a capital gain dividend with respect to shares and such shares have a tax holding period of six months or less at the time of a sale or redemption of such shares, then any loss the shareholder realizes on the sale or redemption will be treated as a long-term capital loss to the extent of such capital gain dividend. All or a portion of any sales load paid upon the purchase of shares of a Portfolio will generally not be taken into account in determining gain or loss on the redemption or exchange of such shares within 90 days after their purchase to the extent the redemption proceeds are reinvested, or the exchange is effected, in new shares on or before January 31st of the calendar year following the calendar year in which the original shares are disposed of without payment of an additional sales load pursuant to the reinvestment or exchange privilege. The load not taken into account will be added to the tax basis of the newly acquired shares. Additionally, any loss realized on a sale or redemption of shares of a Portfolio may be disallowed under wash sale rules to the extent the shares disposed of are replaced with other shares of the same Portfolio within a period of 61 days beginning 30 days before and ending 30 days after the shares are disposed of, such as pursuant to a dividend reinvestment in shares of such Portfolio. If disallowed, the loss will be reflected in an adjustment to the basis of the shares acquired.
Medicare Tax
An additional 3.8% Medicare tax is imposed on certain net investment income (including ordinary dividends and capital gain distributions received from a Portfolio and net gains from redemptions or other taxable dispositions of Portfolio shares) of U.S. individuals, estates and trusts to the extent that such persons modified adjusted gross income (in the case of an individual) or adjusted gross income (in the case of an estate or trust) exceeds certain threshold amounts.
Backup Withholding
Each Portfolio may be required to withhold, as backup withholding, federal income tax, currently at a 28% rate, from dividends (including capital gain dividends) and share redemption and exchange proceeds to individuals and other non exempt shareholders who fail to furnish the Fund with a correct taxpayer identification number (TIN) certified under penalties of perjury, or if the IRS or a broker notifies the Portfolio that the payee is subject to backup withholding as a result of failing properly to report interest or dividend income to the IRS or that the TIN furnished by the payee to the Portfolio is incorrect, or if (when required to do so) the payee fails to certify under penalties of perjury that it is not subject to backup withholding. A Portfolio may refuse to accept an application that does not contain any required TIN or certification that the TIN provided is correct. If the backup withholding provisions are applicable, any such dividends and proceeds, whether paid in cash or reinvested in additional shares, will be reduced by the amounts required to be withheld. Any amounts withheld may be credited against a shareholders U.S. federal income tax liability. If a shareholder does not have a TIN, it should apply for one immediately by contacting the local office of the Social Security Administration or the IRS. Backup withholding could apply to payments relating to a shareholders account while the shareholder is awaiting receipt of a TIN. Special rules apply for certain entities. For example, for an account established under a Uniform Gifts or Transfer to Minors Act, the TIN of the minor should be furnished.
Non-U.S. Shareholders
The discussion above relates solely to U.S. federal income tax law as it applies to U.S. persons subject to tax under such law.
Except as discussed below, distributions to shareholders who, as to the United States, are not U.S. persons, (i.e., are nonresident aliens, foreign corporations, fiduciaries of foreign trusts or estates, foreign partnerships or other non-U.S. investors) generally will be subject to U.S. federal withholding tax at the rate of 30% on distributions treated as ordinary income unless the tax is reduced or eliminated pursuant to a tax treaty or the distributions are effectively connected with a U.S. trade or business of the shareholder; but distributions of net capital gain (the excess of any net long-term capital gains over any net short-term capital losses) including amounts retained by a
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Portfolio which are designated as undistributed capital gains, to such a non-U.S. shareholder will not be subject to U.S. federal income or withholding tax unless the distributions are effectively connected with the shareholders trade or business in the United States or, in the case of a shareholder who is a nonresident alien individual, the shareholder is present in the United States for 183 days or more during the taxable year and certain other conditions are met.
Under a provision recently made permanent by Congress, non-U.S. shareholders generally are not subject to U.S. federal income tax withholding on certain distributions of interest income and/or short-term capital gains that are designated by a Portfolio. It is expected that the Underlying Funds and the Portfolios will generally make designations of short-term gains, to the extent permitted, but the Portfolios do not intend to make designations of any distributions attributable to interest income. Therefore, all distributions of interest income will be subject to withholding when paid to non-U.S. investors.
Any capital gain realized by a non-U.S. shareholder upon a sale or redemption of shares of a Portfolio will not be subject to U.S. federal income or withholding tax unless the gain is effectively connected with the shareholders trade or business in the U.S., or in the case of a shareholder who is a nonresident alien individual, the shareholder is present in the U.S. for 183 days or more during the taxable year and certain other conditions are met.
Non-U.S. persons who fail to furnish a Portfolio with the proper IRS Form W-8 (i.e., W-8BEN, W-8BEN-E, W-8ECI, W-8IMY or W-8EXP), or an acceptable substitute, may be subject to backup withholding at a 28% rate on dividends (including capital gain dividends) and on the proceeds of redemptions and exchanges.
Also, non-U.S. shareholders may be subject to U.S. estate tax with respect to their Portfolio shares.
The Portfolios are required to withhold U.S. tax (at a 30% rate) on payments of dividends and (effective January 1, 2019) redemption proceeds and certain capital gain dividends made to certain non-U.S. entities that fail to comply (or be deemed compliant) with extensive new reporting and withholding requirements designed to inform the U.S. Department of the Treasury of U.S.-owned foreign investment accounts. Shareholders may be requested to provide additional information to a Portfolio to enable the Portfolio to determine whether withholding is required.
Each shareholder who is not a U.S. person should consult his or her tax adviser regarding the U.S. and non-U.S. tax consequences of ownership of shares of, and receipt of distributions from, a Portfolio.
State and Local Taxes
Each Portfolio and each Underlying Fund may be subject to state or local taxes in jurisdictions in which the Underlying Fund is deemed to be doing business. In addition, in those states or localities that impose income taxes, the treatment of such a Portfolio or such an Underlying Fund and its shareholders under those jurisdictions tax laws may differ from the treatment under federal income tax laws, and investment in a Portfolio or Underlying Fund may have tax consequences for shareholders that are different from those of a direct investment in the securities held by the Portfolio or Underlying Fund. Shareholders should consult their own tax advisers concerning state and local tax matters.
The audited financial statements and related reports of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, independent registered public accounting firm for the Portfolios, contained in the Portfolios 2016 Annual Report are hereby incorporated by reference. The financial statements in the Portfolios Annual Report have been incorporated herein by reference in reliance upon such report given upon the authority of such firm as experts in accounting and auditing. No other parts of any Annual Report are incorporated by reference herein. A copy of the Portfolios Annual Report may be obtained upon request and without charge by writing Goldman, Sachs & Co., P.O. Box 06050, Chicago, Illinois 60606 or by calling Goldman, Sachs & Co., at the telephone number on the back cover of the Portfolios Prospectus.
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The Trust, on behalf of the Portfolios, has delegated the voting of portfolio securities to the Investment Adviser. For client accounts for which the Investment Adviser has voting discretion, the Investment Adviser has adopted policies and procedures (the Proxy Voting Policy) for the voting of proxies. Under the Proxy Voting Policy, the Investment Advisers guiding principles in performing proxy voting are to make decisions that favor proposals that in the Investment Advisers view tend to maximize a companys shareholder value and are not influenced by conflicts of interest. To implement these guiding principles for investments in publicly-traded equities, the Investment Adviser has developed customized proxy voting guidelines (the Guidelines) that it generally applies when voting on behalf of client accounts. Attached as Appendix B is a summary of the Guidelines. These Guidelines address a wide variety of individual topics, including, among other matters, shareholder voting rights, anti-takeover defenses, board structures, the election of directors, executive and director compensation, reorganizations, mergers, issues of corporate social responsibility and various shareholder proposals. The Guidelines embody the positions and factors the Investment Adviser generally considers important in casting proxy votes.
The Proxy Voting Policy, including the Guidelines, is reviewed periodically to ensure that it continues to be consistent with the Investment Advisers guiding principles.
The Investment Adviser has retained a third-party proxy voting service (Proxy Service), currently Institutional Shareholder Services, to assist in the implementation and administration of certain proxy voting-related functions including, without limitation, operational, recordkeeping and reporting services. The Proxy Service also prepares a written analysis and recommendation (a Recommendation) of each proxy vote that reflects the Proxy Services application of the Guidelines to particular proxy issues. While it is the Investment Advisers policy generally to follow the Guidelines and Recommendations from the Proxy Service, the Investment Advisers portfolio management teams (Portfolio Management Teams) may on certain proxy votes seek approval to diverge from the Guidelines or a Recommendation by following an override process. Such decisions are subject to a review and approval process, including a determination that the decision is not influenced by any conflict of interest. A Portfolio Management Team that receives approval through the override process to cast a proxy vote that diverges from the Guidelines and/or a Recommendation may vote differently than other Portfolio Management Teams that did not seek to override that vote. In forming their views on particular matters, the Portfolio Management Teams are also permitted to consider applicable regional rules and practices, including codes of conduct and other guides, regarding proxy voting, in addition to the Guidelines and Recommendations. The Investment Adviser may hire other service providers to replace or supplement the Proxy Service with respect to any of the services the Investment Adviser currently receives from the Proxy Service.
GSAM conducts periodic due diligence meetings with the Proxy Service which include, but are not limited to, a review of the Proxy Services general organizational structure, new developments with respect to research and technology, work flow improvements and internal due diligence with respect to conflicts of interest.
From time to time, the Investment Adviser may face regulatory, compliance, legal or logistical limits with respect to voting securities that it may purchase or hold for client accounts, which can affect the Investment Advisers ability to vote such proxies, as well as the desirability of voting such proxies. Among other limits, federal, state and foreign regulatory restrictions or company specific ownership limits, as well as legal matters related to consolidated groups, may restrict the total percentage of an issuers voting securities that the Investment Adviser can hold for clients and the nature of the Investment Advisers voting in such securities. The Investment Advisers ability to vote proxies may also be affected by, among other things: (i) late receipt of meeting notices; (ii) requirements to vote proxies in person: (iii) restrictions on a foreigners ability to exercise votes; (iv) potential difficulties in translating the proxy; (v) requirements to provide local agents with unrestricted powers of attorney to facilitate voting instructions; and (vi) requirements that investors who exercise their voting rights surrender the right to dispose of their holdings for some specified period in proximity to the shareholder meeting.
The Investment Adviser has adopted policies and procedures designed to prevent conflicts of interest from influencing its proxy voting decisions that the Investment Adviser makes on behalf of a client account. These policies and procedures include the Investment Advisers use of the Guidelines and Recommendations from the Proxy Service, the override approval process previously discussed, and the establishment of information barriers between the Investment Adviser and other businesses within The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. Notwithstanding such proxy voting policies and procedures, actual proxy voting decisions of the Investment Adviser may have the effect of benefitting the interests of other clients or businesses of other divisions or units of Goldman Sachs and/or its affiliates.
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Voting decisions with respect to fixed income securities and the securities of privately held issuers generally will be made by an Underlying Funds managers based on their assessment of the particular transactions or other matters at issue.
Information regarding how the Portfolios and/or the Underlying Funds voted proxies relating to portfolio securities during the most recent 12-month period ended June 30 is available on or through the Portfolios and Underlying Funds website at www.goldmansachsfunds.com and on the SECs website at www.sec.gov.
The Investment Adviser, Distributor and/or their affiliates may make payments to Intermediaries from time to time to promote the sale, distribution and/or servicing of shares of the Portfolios. These payments (Additional Payments) are made out of the Investment Advisers, Distributors and/or their affiliates own assets (which may come directly or indirectly from fees paid by the Portfolios), are not an additional charge to the Portfolios or their shareholders, and do not change the price paid by investors for the purchase of a Portfolios shares or the amount a Portfolio receives as proceeds from such purchases. Although paid by the Investment Adviser, Distributor, and/or their affiliates, the Additional Payments are in addition to the distribution and service fees paid by the Portfolios to the Intermediaries as described in the Portfolios Prospectus and this SAI, and are also in addition to the sales commissions payable to Intermediaries as set forth in the Prospectus. For purposes of this Payments to Intermediaries section, Funds shall mean, collectively, the Portfolios and any of the other Goldman Sachs Funds.
The Additional Payments are intended to compensate Intermediaries for, among other things: marketing shares of the Funds, which may consist of payments relating to funds included on preferred or recommended fund lists or in certain sales programs from time to time sponsored by the Intermediaries; due diligence examination and/or review of the Underlying Funds from time to time; access to the Intermediaries registered representatives or salespersons, including at conferences and other meetings; assistance in training and education of personnel; finders or referral fees for directing investors to the Funds; marketing support fees for providing assistance in promoting the sale of Fund shares (which may include promotions in communications with the Intermediaries customers, registered representatives and salespersons); and/or other specified services intended to assist in the distribution and marketing of the Funds. In addition, the Investment Adviser, Distributor and/or their affiliates may make Additional Payments (including through sub-transfer agency and networking agreements) for subaccounting, administrative and/or shareholder processing services that are in addition to the transfer agent, shareholder administration, servicing and processing fees paid by the Funds. These Additional Payments may exceed amounts earned on these assets by the Investment Adviser, Distributor and/or their affiliates for the performance of these or similar services. The Additional Payments may be a fixed dollar amount; may be based on the number of customer accounts maintained by an Intermediary; may be based on a percentage of the value of shares sold to, or held by, customers of the Intermediary involved; or may be calculated on another basis. The Additional Payments are negotiated with each Intermediary based on a range of factors, including but not limited to the Intermediarys ability to attract and retain assets (including particular classes of Fund shares), target markets, customer relationships, quality of service and industry reputation. Although the individual components may be higher or lower and the total amount of Additional Payments made to any Intermediary in any given year will vary, the amount of these Additional Payments (excluding payments made through sub-transfer agency and networking agreements), on average, is normally not expected to exceed 0.50% (annualized) of the amount sold or invested through an Intermediary.
These Additional Payments may be significant to certain Intermediaries, and may be an important factor in an Intermediarys willingness to support the sale of the Funds through its distribution system.
The Investment Adviser, Distributor and/or their affiliates may be motivated to make Additional Payments since they promote the sale of Fund shares to clients of Intermediaries and the retention of those investments by those clients. To the extent Intermediaries sell more shares of the Funds or retain shares of the Funds in their clients accounts, the Investment Adviser and Distributor benefit from the incremental management and other fees paid by the Funds with respect to those assets.
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In addition, certain Intermediaries may have access to certain research and investment services from the Investment Adviser, Distributor and/or their affiliates. Such research and investment services (Additional Services) may include research reports, economic analysis, portfolio analysis tools, business planning services, certain marketing and investor education materials and strategic asset allocation modeling. The Intermediary may not pay for these products or services. The cost of the Additional Services and the particular services provided may vary from Intermediary to Intermediary.
The Additional Payments made by the Investment Adviser, Distributor and/or their affiliates or the Additional Services received by an Intermediary may vary with respect to the type of fund (e.g., equity, fund, fixed income fund, specialty fund, asset allocation portfolio or money market fund) sold by the Intermediary. In addition, the Additional Payment arrangements may include breakpoints in compensation which provide that the percentage rate of compensation varies as the dollar value of the amount sold or invested through an Intermediary increases.
The presence of these Additional Payments or Additional Services, the varying fee structure and the basis on which an Intermediary compensates its registered representatives or salespersons may create an incentive for a particular Intermediary, registered representative or salesperson to highlight, feature or recommend funds, including the Funds, or other investments based, at least in part, on the level of compensation paid. Additionally, if one mutual fund sponsor makes greater distribution payments than another, an Intermediary may have an incentive to recommend one fund complex over another. Similarly, if an Intermediary receives more distribution assistance for one share class versus another, that Intermediary may have an incentive to recommend that share class. Because Intermediaries may be paid varying amounts per class for sub-transfer agency and related recordkeeping services, the service requirements of which also may vary by class, this may create an additional incentive for financial firms and their financial advisers to favor one fund complex over another, or one fund class over another. You should consider whether such incentives exist when evaluating any recommendations from an Intermediary to purchase or sell Shares of the Funds and when considering which share class is most appropriate for you.
For the year ended December 31, 2015, the Investment Adviser, Distributor and their affiliates made Additional Payments out of their own assets to approximately 177 Intermediaries, totaling approximately $134.5 million (excluding payments made through sub-transfer agency and networking agreements and certain other types of payments described below), with respect to all of the funds of the Trust (including the Funds included in this Statement of Additional Information), all of the funds in an affiliated investment company, Goldman Sachs Variable Insurance Trust, and the Goldman Sachs Trust II. During the year ended December 31, 2015, the Investment Adviser, Distributor and/or their affiliates had contractual arrangements to make Additional Payments to the Intermediaries listed below (or their affiliates or successors), among others. This list will change over time, and any additions, modifications or deletions thereto that have occurred since December 31, 2015 are not reflected. Additional Intermediaries may receive payments in 2016 and in future years. Certain arrangements are still being negotiated, and there is a possibility that payments will be made retroactively to Intermediaries not listed below:
ADP Broker-Dealer, Inc.
ADP, Inc.
Allstate Life Insurance Company
Allstate Life Insurance Company of New York
Amalga Trust Company
Amalgamated Bank of Chicago
American Enterprise Investment Services, Inc. (AEIS)
American National Trust and Investment Management Company dba Old National Trust Company (Oltrust & Co.)
American United Life Insurance Company
Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc.
Ascensus, Inc.
Associated Trust Company, N.A.
Associated Investment Services, Inc.
AXA Equitable Life Insurance Company
Banc of America Securities LLC
BancorpSouth
Bank Hapoalim B.M.
Bank of New York
Bankers Trust
Barclays Capital, Inc.
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BB&T Capital Markets
BMO Harris Bank N.A.
BMO Nesbitt Burns
BOSC, Inc.
Branch Banking & Trust Company
Brown Brothers Harriman & Co.
C.M. Life Insurance Company
Charles Schwab & Co., Inc.
Chicago Mercantile Exchange, Inc.
CME Shareholder Servicing LLC
CIGNA Financial Services, Inc.
Citigroup Private Bank at Citibank N.A.
Citibank N.A.
Citizens Bank Wealth Management, N.A.
Comerica Bank
Comerica Securities, Inc.
Commerce Bank, N.A.
Commerce Trust Co.
Commonwealth Annuity and Life Insurance Company
Commonwealth Equity Services, Inc. dba Commonwealth Financial Network
Companion Life Insurance Company
Compass Bank
Computershare Trust Company, N.A.
Connecticut General Life Insurance Company
Daily Access Corporation
Dain Rauscher Inc.
Deutsche Bank Trust Company Americas
Directed Account Plan Board of Directors
Dubuque Bank & Trust
E*Trade Clearing LLC
Edward D. Jones & Co., L.P.
Farmers New World Life Insurance Company
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
Fidelity Brokerage Services LLC
Fidelity Investments Institutional Operations Company, Inc.
Fifth Third Bank
Fifth Third Securities Inc.
Financial Network Investment Corporation
First Clearing, LLC
First National Bank of Omaha
Forethought Life Insurance Company
Fulton Bank, N.A.
Fulton Financial Advisors, National Association
Genworth Financial Securities Corporation
Genworth Financial Trust Company
Genworth Life and Annuity Insurance Company
Genworth Life Insurance Company of New York
Genworth Life Insurance Company
Great-West Financial Retirement Plan Services, LLC
Great-West Life & Annuity Insurance Company
GWFS Equities, Inc.
Harris Trust & Savings Bank
Hartford Life Insurance Company
Hartford Securities Distribution Company, Inc.
Hewitt Associates LLC
Horace Mann Life Insurance Company
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HSBC Bank USA
Hunt, Dupree & Rhine
ICMA RC-Services, LLC
ICMA Retirement Corporation
Institutional Cash Distributors (division of Merriman Curhan Ford & Co.)
Invesmart, Inc.
J.P. Morgan Clearing Corp.
J.P. Morgan Retirement Plan Services LLC
J.P. Morgan Securities LLC
Jefferson National Life Insurance Company
Jefferson Pilot Financial Insurance Company
JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A.
JPMorgan Securities, Inc (JPMSI)
Kemper Investors Life Insurance Company
Key Bank Capital Markets
LaSalle Bank, N.A.
Law Debenture Trust Company of New York
Lincoln Benefit Life Company
Lincoln Investment Planning, Inc.
Lincoln Life & Annuity Company of New York
Lincoln Retirement Services Company, LLC
LPL Financial Corporation
LPL Financial LLC
M&T Bank
M&T Securities, Inc.
Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company
MassMutual Retirement Services, LLC
McCready and Keene, Inc.
Mellon Bank, N.A.
Mercer HR Services, LLC
Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated
Midland National Life Insurance Company
Minnesota Life Insurance Company
MML Distributors, LLC
Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC
Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC
MSCS Financial Services Division of Broadridge Business Process Outsourcing, LLC
Multi Financial Securities Corporation
MY TREASURY LIMITED
National Financial Services LLC
National Security Life and Annuity Company
Nationwide Financial Services, Inc.
Newport Retirement Services, Inc.
NYLIFE Distribitors Inc.
Oppenheimer & Co. Inc.
Pershing LLC
PNC Bank, N.A.
PNC Capital Markets LLC
PrimeVest Financial Services
Principal Life Insurance Company
Protective Life Insurance Company
PruCo Life Insurance Company
PruCo Life Insurance Company of New Jersey
Raymond James & Associates, Inc.
Raymond James Financial Services
Regions Bank
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Reliance Trust Company
RiverSource Life Insurance Company
RiverSource Life Insurance Co. of New York
Robert W. Baird & Co. Incorporated
Scott & Stringfellow
Security Benefit Life Insurance Company
Security Distributors, Inc.
Signature Bank
Silicon Valley Bank
State Street Global Markets, LLC
State Street Bank and Trust Company
Sun Life Assurance Company of Canada (U.S.)
Sun Life Insurance and Annuity Company of New York
SunGard Institutional Brokerage, Inc.
SunTrust Robinson Humphrey, Inc.
SVB Securities
Synovus Securities
T. Rowe Price Retirement Plan Services, Inc.
TD Ameritrade Clearing, Inc.
Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association of America
The Guardian Insurance & Annuity Company, Inc.
The Lincoln National Life Insurance Company
The Ohio National Life Insurance Company
The Prudential Insurance Company of America
The Travelers Insurance Company
The Travelers Life and Annuity Company
The Vanguard Group, Inc
Transamerica Retirement Solutions Corporation
Treasury Curve, LLC
Trustmark National Bank
U.S. Bank National Association
U.S. Fiduciary Services, Inc.
UBS Financial Services Inc.
Union Bank, N.A.
United of Omaha Life Insurance Company
VALIC Retirement Services Company
Voya Institutional Plan Services, LLC
Voya Retirement Advisors, LLC
Voya Retirement Insurance and Annuity Company
Wachovia Capital Markets, LLC
Wells Fargo Advisors, LLC
Wells Fargo Investment, LLC
Wells Fargo Bank , N.A
Wells Fargo Corporate Trust Services, a division of Wells Fargo Bank N.A.
Wilmington Trust Company
Zions Bank
Your Intermediary may charge you additional fees or commissions other than those disclosed in the Prospectus. Shareholders should contact their Intermediary for more information about the Additional Payments or Additional Services they receive and any potential conflicts of interest, as well as for information regarding any fees and/or commissions it charges. For additional questions, please contact Goldman Sachs Funds at 1-800-621-2550.
Not included on the list above are other subsidiaries of Goldman Sachs who may receive revenue from the Investment Adviser, Distributor and/or their affiliates through intra-company compensation arrangements and for financial, distribution, administrative and operational services.
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Furthermore, the Investment Adviser, Distributor and/or their affiliates may, to the extent permitted by applicable regulations, contribute to various non-cash and cash incentive arrangements to promote the sale of Fund shares, as well as sponsor various educational programs, sales contests and/or promotions. The Investment Adviser, Distributor and their affiliates may also pay for the travel expenses, meals, lodging and entertainment of Intermediaries and their salespersons and guests in connection with educational, sales and promotional programs subject to applicable FINRA regulations. Other compensation may also be offered from time to time to the extent not prohibited by applicable federal or state laws or FINRA regulations. This compensation is not included in, and is made in addition to, the Additional Payments described above.
Selective Disclosure of Portfolio Holdings
The Board of Trustees of the Trust and the Investment Adviser have adopted a policy on selective disclosure of portfolio holdings in accordance with regulations that seek to ensure that disclosure of information about portfolio securities is in the best interest of Portfolio shareholders and to address the conflicts between the interests of Portfolio shareholders and the Portfolios service providers. The policy provides that neither a Portfolio nor its Investment Adviser, distributor or any agent, or any employee thereof (Portfolio Representative) will disclose a Portfolios portfolio holdings information to any person other than in accordance with the policy and as required by applicable law. For purposes of the policy, portfolio holdings information means the Portfolios actual portfolio holdings, as well as nonpublic information about its trading strategies or pending transactions. Under the policy, neither a Portfolio nor any Portfolio Representative may solicit or accept any compensation or other consideration in connection with the disclosure of portfolio holdings information. A Portfolio Representative may provide portfolio holdings information to third parties if such information has been included in the Portfolios public filings with the SEC or is disclosed on the Portfolios publicly accessible website. Information posted on the Portfolios website may be separately provided to any person commencing the day after it is first published on the Portfolios website.
Portfolio holdings information that is not filed with the SEC or posted on the publicly available website may be provided to third parties only if the third party recipients are required to keep all portfolio holdings information confidential and are prohibited from trading on the information they receive. Disclosure to such third parties must be approved in advance by the Investment Advisers legal or compliance department. Disclosure to providers of auditing, custody, and proxy voting services; rating and ranking organizations; lenders and other third-party service providers that may obtain access to such information in the performance of their contractual duties to the Fund will generally be permitted. However, information may be disclosed to other third parties (including, without limitation, individuals, institutional investors, and intermediaries that sell shares of the Portfolio) only upon approval by the Portfolios Chief Compliance Officer, who must first determine that the Portfolio has a legitimate business purpose for doing so. In general, each recipient of non-public portfolio holdings information must sign a confidentiality and non-trading agreement, although this requirement will not apply when the recipient is otherwise subject to a duty of confidentiality. In accordance with the policy, the identity of those recipients who receive non-public portfolio holdings information on an ongoing basis is as follows: the Investment Adviser and its affiliates, the Portfolios independent registered public accounting firm, the Portfolios custodian, the Portfolios legal counselDechert LLP, the Portfolios financial printer RR Donnelley, and the Portfolios proxy voting service ISS. KPMG LLP, an investor in certain of the Underlying Funds, also receives certain non-public holdings information on an ongoing basis in order to facilitate compliance with the auditor independence requirements to which it is subject. In addition, certain fixed income funds of the Trust provide non-public portfolio holdings information to Standard & Poors Rating Services to allow such funds to be rated by it, and certain equity funds provide non-public portfolio holdings information to FactSet, a provider of global financial and economic information. These entities are obligated to keep such information confidential. Third party providers of custodial or accounting services to the Portfolios may release non-public portfolio holdings information of the Portfolios only with the permission of Portfolio Representatives. From time to time portfolio holdings information may be provided to broker-dealers, prime brokers, futures commission merchants or derivatives clearing merchants in connection with the Portfolios portfolio trading activities. In providing this information reasonable precautions, including limitations on the scope of the portfolio holdings information disclosed, are taken to avoid any potential misuse of the disclosed information. All marketing materials prepared by the Trusts principal underwriter are reviewed by Goldman Sachs Compliance department for consistency with the Trusts portfolio holdings disclosure policy.
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Portfolio holdings information of each of the Portfolios may be made available periodically on the Portfolios website (http://www.gsamfunds.com). The portfolio holdings disclosure policies of the Underlying Funds are in the Underlying Funds respective SAIs.
Under the policy, Portfolio Representatives will initially supply the Board of the Trustees with a list of third parties who receive portfolio holdings information pursuant to any ongoing arrangement. In addition, the Board is to receive information, on a quarterly basis, regarding any other disclosures of non-public portfolio holdings information that were permitted during the preceding quarter. In addition, the Board of Trustees is to approve at its meetings a list of Portfolio Representatives who are authorized to disclose portfolio holdings information under the policy. As of December 29, 2016, only certain officers of the Trust as well as certain senior members of the compliance and legal groups of the Investment Adviser have been approved by the Board of Trustees to authorize disclosure of portfolio holdings information.
Disclosure of Current NAV Per Share
Each Portfolios current NAV per share is available through the Portfolios website at www.GSAMFUNDS.com or by contacting the Portfolios at 1-800-526-7384.
Miscellaneous
Each Portfolio will normally redeem shares solely in cash up to the lesser of $250,000 or 1% of the net asset value of the Portfolio during any 90-day period for any one shareholder. Each Portfolio, however, reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to pay redemptions by a distribution in-kind of securities (instead of cash) if (i) the redemption exceeds the lesser of $250,000 or 1% of the net asset value of the Portfolio at the time of redemption; or (ii) with respect to lesser redemption amounts, the redeeming shareholder requests in writing a distribution in-kind of securities instead of cash. The securities distributed in-kind would be valued for this purpose using the same method employed in calculating the Portfolios net asset value per share. See NET ASSET VALUE. If a shareholder receives redemption proceeds in-kind, the shareholder should expect to incur transaction costs upon the disposition of the securities received in the redemption. In addition, if you receive redemption proceeds in-kind, you will be subject to market gains or losses upon the disposition of those securities.
The right of a shareholder to redeem shares and the date of payment by each Portfolio may be suspended for more than seven days for any period during which the New York Stock Exchange is closed, other than the customary weekends or holidays, or when trading on such Exchange is restricted as determined by the SEC; or during any emergency, as determined by the SEC, as a result of which it is not reasonably practicable for such Portfolio to dispose of securities owned by it or fairly to determine the value of its net assets; or for such other period as the SEC may by order permit for the protection of shareholders of such Portfolio. (The Trust may also suspend or postpone the recordation of the transfer of shares upon the occurrence of any of the foregoing conditions.)
The Prospectus and this SAI do not contain all the information included in the Registration Statement filed with the SEC under the 1933 Act with respect to the securities offered by the Prospectus. Certain portions of the Registration Statement have been omitted from the Prospectus and this SAI pursuant to the rules and regulations of the SEC. The Registration Statement including the exhibits filed therewith may be examined at the office of the SEC in Washington, D.C.
Statements contained in the Prospectus or in this SAI as to the contents of any contract or other document referred to are not necessarily complete, and, in each instance, reference is made to the copy of such contract or other document filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement of which the Prospectus and this SAI form a part, each such statement being qualified in all respects by such reference.
As stated in the Prospectus, the Trust may authorize Intermediaries and other institutions that provide recordkeeping, reporting and processing services to their customers to accept on the Trusts behalf purchase, redemption and exchange orders placed by or on behalf of their customers and, if approved by the Trust, to designate other intermediaries to accept such orders. These institutions may receive payments from the Trust or Goldman Sachs for their services. Certain Intermediaries or other institutions may enter into sub-transfer agency agreements with the Trust or Goldman Sachs with respect to their services.
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Line of Credit
As of August 31, 2016, the Portfolios and Certain Underlying Funds each participate in a $1,100,000,000 committed, unsecured revolving line of credit facility (the facility) together with other funds of the Trust and registered investment companies having management or investment advisory agreements with GSAM or its affiliates This facility is to be used for temporary emergency purposes or to allow for an orderly liquidation of securities to meet redemption requests. The interest rate on borrowings is based on the federal funds rate. The facility also requires a fee to be paid by the Funds based on the amount of the commitment that has not been utilized. During the fiscal year ended August 31, 2016, the Portfolios did not have any borrowings under the facility.
Large Trade Notifications
The Transfer Agent may from time to time receive notice that an Intermediary has received an order for a large trade in a Portfolios shares. The Portfolio may determine to enter into portfolio transactions in anticipation of that order, even though the order will not be processed until the following business day. This practice provides for a closer correlation between the time shareholders place trade orders and the time a Portfolio enters into portfolio transactions based on those orders, and permits the Portfolio to be more fully invested in investment securities, in the case of purchase orders, and to more orderly liquidate their investment positions, in the case of redemption orders. On the other hand, the Intermediary or other financial intermediary may not ultimately process the order. In this case, the Portfolio may be required to borrow assets to settle the portfolio transactions entered into in anticipation of that order, and would therefore incur borrowing costs. The Portfolio may also suffer investment losses on those portfolio transactions. Conversely, the Portfolio would benefit from any earnings and investment gains resulting from such portfolio transactions.
Corporate Actions
From time to time, the issuer of a security held in an Underlying Funds portfolio may initiate a corporate action relating to that security. Corporate actions relating to equity securities may include, among others, an offer to purchase new shares, or to tender existing shares, of that security at a certain price. Corporate actions relating to debt securities may include, among others, an offer for early redemption of the debt security, or an offer to convert the debt security into stock. Certain corporate actions are voluntary, meaning that an Underlying Fund may only participate in the corporate action if it elects to do so in a timely fashion. Participation in certain corporate actions may enhance the value of an Underlying Funds investment portfolio.
In cases where an Underlying Fund or its Investment Adviser receives sufficient advance notice of a voluntary corporate action, the Investment Adviser will exercise its discretion, in good faith, to determine whether the Fund will participate in that corporate action. If an Underlying Fund or its Investment Adviser does not receive sufficient advance notice of a voluntary corporate action, the Underlying Fund may not be able to timely elect to participate in that corporate action. Participation or lack of participation in a voluntary corporate action may result in a negative impact on the value of the Underlying Funds investment portfolio.
As described in the Prospectus, the Trust has adopted, on behalf of Class A Shares of each Portfolio, a distribution and service plan (the Plan). See Shareholder GuideDistribution and Service Fees in the Prospectus. The distribution fees payable under the Plan is subject to Rule 12b-l under the Act and finance distribution and other services that are provided to investors in the Portfolios. In addition, the distribution fees payable under the Plan may be used to assist the Portfolios in reaching and maintaining asset levels that are efficient for the Portfolios operations and investments.
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The Plan for the Portfolios was most recently approved on June 16, 2016 by a majority vote of the Trustees of the Trust, including a majority of the Independent Trustees of the Trust who have no direct or indirect financial interest in the Plan, cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of approving the Plan.
The compensation for distribution services payable under the Plan to Goldman Sachs may not exceed 0.25% per annum of a Portfolios average daily net assets attributable to Class A Shares of such Portfolio. With respect to Class A Shares, the distributor at its discretion may use compensation for distribution services paid under the Plan for personal and account maintenance services and expenses so long as such total compensation under the Plan does not exceed the maximum cap on service fees imposed by FINRA.
The Plan is a compensation plan which provides for the payment of a specified fee without regard to the expenses actually incurred by Goldman Sachs. If such fee exceeds Goldman Sachs expenses, Goldman Sachs may realize a profit from these arrangements. The distribution fees received by Goldman Sachs under the Plan and CDSCs on Class A Shares may be sold by Goldman Sachs as distributor to entities which provide financing for payments to Intermediaries in respect of sales of Class A Shares. To the extent such fees are not paid to such institutions, Goldman Sachs may retain such fees as compensation for its services and expenses of distributing the Portfolios Class A Shares.
Under the Plan, Goldman Sachs, as distributor of each Portfolios Class A Shares, will provide to the Trustees of the Trust for their review, and the Trustees of the Trust will review at least quarterly, a written report of the services provided and amounts expended by Goldman Sachs under the Plan and the purposes for which such services were performed and expenditures were made.
The Plan will remain in effect until June 30, 2017 and from year to year thereafter, provided that such continuance is approved annually by a majority vote of the Trustees of the Trust, including a majority of the non-interested Trustees of the Trust who have no direct or indirect financial interest in the Plan. The Plan may not be amended to increase materially the amount of distribution compensation described therein without approval of a majority of the outstanding Class A Shares of the affected Portfolio and affected share class, but may be amended without shareholder approval to increase materially the amount of non-distribution compensation. All material amendments of the Plan must also be approved by the Trustees of the Trust in the manner described above. The Plan may be terminated at any time as to any Portfolio without payment of any penalty by a vote of a majority of the non-interested Trustees of the Trust or by vote of a majority of the outstanding Class A Shares of the affected Portfolio and affected share class. If the Plan were terminated by the Trustees of the Trust and no successor plan were adopted, the Portfolio would cease to make payments to Goldman Sachs under the Plan and Goldman Sachs would be unable to recover the amount of any of its unreimbursed expenditures. So long as the Plan is in effect, the selection and nomination of non-interested Trustees of the Trust will be committed to the discretion of the non-interested Trustees of the Trust. The Trustees of the Trust have determined that in their judgment there is a reasonable likelihood that the Plans will benefit each Portfolio and its Class A Shareholders.
For the fiscal years ended August 31, 2016, August 31, 2015 and August 31, 2014, the distribution and service fees paid by each Portfolio pursuant to the Class A Share Plans were as follows:
For Fiscal Year Ended August 31, 2016 |
For Fiscal Year Ended August 31, 2015 |
For Fiscal Year Ended August 31, 2014 |
||||||||||
Portfolio |
||||||||||||
TAG |
$ | 1,454 | $ | 920 | $ | 1,297 | ||||||
EDGE |
6,879 | 2,383 | 471 |
During the fiscal year ended August 31, 2016, Goldman Sachs incurred the following expenses in connection with distribution under the Class A Plan of the Portfolios:
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Fiscal Year Ended August 31, 2016: |
Compensation to Dealers1 |
Compensation and Expenses of the Distributor & Its Sales Personnel |
Allocable Overhead, Telephone and Travel Expenses |
Printing and Mailing of Prospectuses to Other than Current Shareholders |
Preparation and Distribution of Sales Literature and Advertising |
Total | ||||||||||||||||||
Portfolio: |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
TAG |
$ | 1,458 | $ | 1,126 | $ | 615 | $ | 47 | $ | 99 | $ | 3,346 | ||||||||||||
EDGE |
6,314 | 4,343 | 2,306 | 177 | 372 | 13,511 |
1 | Advance commissions paid to dealers of 1% on Class A Shares are considered deferred assets which are amortized over a period of one year or until redemption; amounts presented above reflect amortization expense recorded during the period presented in addition to payments remitted directly to dealers. |
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OTHER INFORMATION REGARDING MAXIMUM SALES CHARGE, PURCHASES,
REDEMPTIONS, EXCHANGES AND DIVIDENDS
(Class A Shares Only)
The following information supplements the information in the Prospectus under the captions Shareholder Guide and Distributions. Please see the Prospectus for more complete information.
Maximum Sales Charges
Class A Shares of each Portfolio are sold with a maximum sales charge of 5.5%. Using the offering price as of August 31, 2016, the maximum offering price of the Class A Shares of each Portfolios Class A Shares would be as follows:
Portfolio |
Net Asset Value |
Maximum Sales Charge |
Offering Price to Public |
|||||||||
TAG |
$ | 12.91 | 5.50 | % | $ | 13.66 | ||||||
EDGE |
10.68 | 5.50 | 11.30 |
The actual sales charge that is paid by an investor on the purchase of Class A Shares may differ slightly from the sales charge listed above or in a Portfolios Prospectus due to rounding in the calculations. For example, the sales load disclosed above and in the Portfolios Prospectus is only shown to one decimal place (i.e., 5.5%). The actual sales charge that is paid by an investor will be rounded to two decimal places. As a result of such rounding in the calculations, the actual sales load paid by an investor may be somewhat greater (e.g., 5.53%) or somewhat lesser (e.g., 5.48%) than that listed above or in the Prospectus. Contact your financial advisor for further information.
Other Purchase Information/Sales Charge Waivers
The sales charge waivers on the Portfolios shares are due to the nature of the investors involved and/or the reduced sales efforts that are needed to obtain such investments.
If shares of a Portfolio are held in an account with an Intermediary, all recordkeeping, transaction processing and payments of distributions relating to the beneficial owners account will be performed by the Intermediary, and not by the Portfolio and its transfer agent. Because the Portfolios will have no record of the beneficial owners transactions, a beneficial owner should contact the Intermediary to purchase, redeem or exchange shares, to make changes in or give instructions concerning the account or to obtain information about the account. The transfer of shares in a street name account to an account with another dealer or to an account directly with the Portfolio involves special procedures and will require the beneficial owner to obtain historical purchase information about the shares in the account from the Intermediary.
Right of Accumulation (Class A)
A Class A shareholder qualifies for cumulative quantity discounts if the current purchase price of the new investment plus the shareholders current holdings of existing Class A Shares (acquired by purchase or exchange) of a Portfolio and Class A Shares of any other Goldman Sachs Fund total the requisite amount for receiving a discount. For example, if a shareholder owns shares with a current market value of $65,000 and purchases additional Class A Shares of a Portfolio with a purchase price of $45,000, the sales charge for the $45,000 purchase would be 3.75% (the rate applicable to a single purchase of $100,000 but less than $250,000). Class A Shares of the Portfolios and any other Goldman Sachs Fund purchased (i) by an individual, his spouse, his parents and his children, and (ii) by a trustee, guardian or other fiduciary of a single trust estate or a single fiduciary account, will be combined for the purpose of determining whether a purchase will qualify for such right of accumulation and, if qualifying, the applicable sales charge level. For purposes of applying the right of accumulation, shares of the Portfolios and any other Goldman Sachs Fund purchased by an existing client of Goldman Sachs Wealth Management or GS Ayco Holding LLC will be combined with Class A, Class B and/or Class C Shares and other assets held by all other Goldman Sachs Wealth Management accounts or accounts of GS Ayco Holding LLC, respectively. In addition, Class A Shares of the Portfolios and Class A, Class B and/or Class C Shares of any other Goldman Sachs Fund
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purchased by partners, directors, officers or employees of the same business organization, groups of individuals represented by and investing on the recommendation of the same accounting firm, certain affinity groups or other similar organizations (collectively, eligible persons) may be combined for the purpose of determining whether a purchase will qualify for the right of accumulation and, if qualifying, the applicable sales charge level. This right of accumulation is subject to the following conditions: (i) the business organizations, groups or firms agreement to cooperate in the offering of the Portfolios shares to eligible persons; and (ii) notification to the relevant Portfolio at the time of purchase that the investor is eligible for this right of accumulation. In addition, in connection with SIMPLE IRA accounts, cumulative quantity discounts are available on a per plan basis if (i) your employee has been assigned a cumulative discount number by Goldman Sachs; and (ii) your account, alone or in combination with the accounts of other plan participants also invested in Class A, Class B and/or Class C Shares of the Goldman Sachs Funds, totals the requisite aggregate amount as described in the Prospectus.
Statement of Intention (Class A)
If a shareholder anticipates purchasing at least $50,000 or more of Class A Shares of a Portfolio alone or in combination with Class A Shares of any other Goldman Sachs Fund within a 13-month period, the shareholder may purchase shares of the Portfolio at a reduced sales charge by submitting a Statement of Intention (the Statement). Shares purchased pursuant to a Statement will be eligible for the same sales charge discount that would have been available if all of the purchases had been made at the same time. The shareholder or his or her Intermediary must inform Goldman Sachs that the Statement is in effect each time shares are purchased. There is no obligation to purchase the full amount of shares indicated in the Statement. A shareholder may include the value of all Class A Shares on which a sales charge has previously been paid as an accumulation credit toward the completion of the Statement, but a price readjustment will be made only on Class A Shares purchased within ninety (90) days before submitting the Statement. The Statement authorizes the transfer agent to hold in escrow a sufficient number of shares which can be redeemed to make up any difference in the sales charge on the amount actually invested. For purposes of satisfying the amount specified on the Statement, the gross amount of each investment, exclusive of any appreciation on shares previously purchased, will be taken into account. The provisions applicable to the Statement, and the terms of the related escrow agreement, are set forth in Appendix C to this SAI.
Cross-Reinvestment of Distributions
Shareholders may receive distributions in additional shares of the same class of the Portfolio in which they have invested or may elect to receive them in cash or shares of the same class of other Goldman Sachs Funds, or Service Shares of the Goldman Sachs Financial Square Prime Obligations Fund, if they hold Class A Shares of Goldman Sachs Financial Square Prime Obligations Fund.
Portfolio shareholder should obtain and read the prospectus relating to the other Goldman Sachs Fund and its shares and consider its investment objective, policies and applicable fees before electing cross-reinvestment into that Fund. The election to cross-reinvest distributions will not affect the tax treatment of such distributions, which will be treated as received by the shareholder and then used to purchase shares of the acquired fund. Such reinvestment of distributions in shares of other Goldman Sachs Funds is available only in states where such reinvestment may legally be made.
Automatic Exchange Program
A Portfolio shareholder may elect to exchange automatically a specified dollar amount of shares of a Portfolio for shares of the same class or an equivalent class of another Goldman Sachs Fund provided the minimum initial investment requirement has been satisfied. A Portfolio shareholder should obtain and read the prospectus relating to any other Goldman Sachs Fund and its shares and consider its investment objective, policies and applicable fees and expenses before electing an automatic exchange into that Goldman Sachs Fund.
B-146
Exchanges from Collective Investment Trusts to Goldman Sachs Funds
The Investment Adviser manages a number of collective investment trusts that hold assets of 401(k) plans and other retirement plans (each, a Collective Investment Trust). An investor in a Collective Investment Trust (or an Intermediary acting on behalf of the investor) may elect to exchange some or all of the interests it holds in a Collective Investment Trust for shares of one or more of the Goldman Sachs Funds. Generally speaking, Rule 22c-l under the Act requires a purchase order for shares of a Goldman Sachs Fund to be priced based on the current NAV of the Goldman Sachs Fund that is next calculated after receipt of the purchase order. A Goldman Sachs Fund will treat a purchase order component of an exchange from an investor in a Collective Investment Trust as being received in good order at the time it is communicated to an Intermediary or the Transfer Agent, if the amount of shares to be purchased is expressed as a percentage of the value of the investors interest in a designated Collective Investment Trust that it is contemporaneously redeeming (e.g., if the investor communicates a desire to exchange 100% of its interest in a Collective Investment Trust for shares of a Goldman Sachs Fund). The investors purchase price and the number of Goldman Sachs Fund shares it will acquire will therefore be calculated as of the pricing of the Collective Investment Trust on the day of the purchase order. Such an order will be deemed to be irrevocable as of the time the Goldman Sachs Funds NAV is next calculated after receipt of the purchase order. An investor should obtain and read the prospectus relating to any Goldman Sachs Fund and its shares and consider its investment objective, policies and applicable fees and expenses before electing an exchange into that Goldman Sachs Fund. For federal income tax purposes, an exchange of interests in a Collective Investment Trust for shares of a Goldman Sachs Fund may be subject to tax, and you should consult your tax adviser concerning the tax consequences of an exchange.
Systematic Withdrawal Plan
A systematic withdrawal plan (the Systematic Withdrawal Plan) is available to shareholders of a Portfolio whose shares are worth at least $5,000. The Systematic Withdrawal Plan provides for monthly payments to the participating shareholder of any amount not less than $50.
Distributions on shares held under the Systematic Withdrawal Plan are reinvested in additional full and fractional shares of the applicable Portfolio at net asset value. The transfer agent acts as agent for the shareholder in redeeming sufficient full and fractional shares to provide the amount of the systematic withdrawal payment. The Systematic Withdrawal Plan may be terminated at any time. Goldman Sachs reserves the right to initiate a fee of up to $5 per withdrawal, upon thirty (30) days written notice to the shareholder. Withdrawal payments should not be considered to be dividends, yield or income. If periodic withdrawals continuously exceed new purchases and reinvested distributions, the shareholders original investment will be correspondingly reduced and ultimately exhausted. The maintenance of a withdrawal plan concurrently with purchases of additional Class A Shares would be disadvantageous because of the sales charge imposed on purchases of Class A Shares or the imposition of a CDSC on redemptions, of Class A Shares. The CDSC applicable to Class A Shares redeemed under a Systematic Withdrawal Plan may be waived. See Shareholder Guide in the Prospectus. In addition, each withdrawal constitutes a redemption of shares, and any gain or loss realized must be reported for federal and state income tax purposes. A shareholder should consult his or her own tax adviser with regard to the tax consequences of participating in the Systematic Withdrawal Plan. For further information or to request a Systematic Withdrawal Plan, please write or call the transfer agent.
B-147
DESCRIPTION OF SECURITIES RATINGS
Short-Term Credit Ratings
A Standard & Poors 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 & Poors for short-term issues:
A-1 A short-term obligation rated A-1 is rated in the highest category by Standard & Poors. The obligors 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 obligors capacity to meet its financial commitment on these obligations is extremely strong.
A-2 A short-term obligation rated A-2 is somewhat more susceptible to the adverse effects of changes in circumstances and economic conditions than obligations in higher rating categories. However, the obligors capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is satisfactory.
A-3 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.
B 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 obligors inadequate capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.
B-1 A short-term obligation rated B-1 is regarded as having significant speculative characteristics, but the obligor has a relatively stronger capacity to meet its financial commitments over the short-term compared to other speculative-grade obligors.
B-2 A short-term obligation rated B-2 is regarded as having significant speculative characteristics, and the obligor has an average speculative-grade capacity to meet its financial commitments over the short-term compared to other speculative-grade obligors.
B-3 A short-term obligation rated B-3 is regarded as having significant speculative characteristics, and the obligor has a relatively weaker capacity to meet its financial commitments over the short-term compared to other speculative-grade obligors.
C 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.
D 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 & Poors 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 & Poors analysis for credit ratings on any issuer or issue. Currency of repayment is a key factor in this analysis. An obligors capacity to repay foreign currency obligations may be lower than its capacity to repay obligations in its local currency due to the sovereign governments 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.
1-A
Moodys Investors Service (Moodys) 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.
Moodys 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.
Fitch, Inc. / Fitch Ratings Ltd. (Fitch) short-term ratings scale applies to foreign currency and local currency ratings. A short-term rating has a time horizon of less than 13 months for most obligations, or up to three years for U.S. 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. The following summarizes the rating categories used by Fitch for short-term obligations:
F1 Securities possess the highest credit quality. This designation indicates the strongest capacity for timely payment of financial commitments; may have an added + to denote any exceptionally strong credit feature.
F2 Securities possess good credit quality. This designation 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.
F3 Securities possess fair credit quality. This designation indicates that the capacity for timely payment of financial commitments is adequate; however, near term adverse changes could result in a reduction to non investment grade.
B Securities possess speculative credit quality. This designation indicates minimal capacity for timely payment of financial commitments, plus vulnerability to near term adverse changes in financial and economic conditions.
C Securities possess high default risk. Default is a real possibility. This designation indicates a capacity for meeting financial commitments which is solely reliant upon a sustained, favorable business and economic environment.
D Indicates an entity or sovereign that has defaulted on all of its financial obligations.
NR This designation indicates that Fitch does not publicly rate the associated issuer or issue.
WD This designation indicates that the rating has been withdrawn and is no longer maintained by Fitch.
The following summarizes the ratings used by Dominion Bond Rating Service Limited (DBRS) for commercial paper and short-term debt:
R-1 (high) 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.
R-1 (middle) 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.
2-A
R-1 (low) Short-term debt rated R-1 (low) is of satisfactory credit quality. The overall strength and outlook for key liquidity, debt and profitability ratios are 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.
R-2 (high) 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.
R-2 (middle) 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.
R-2 (low) Short-term debt rated R-2 (low) is considered to be at the lower end of adequate credit quality, typically 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 issuers liquidity profile.
R-3 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 the issuers 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.
R-4 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.
R-5 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.
D 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.
Long-Term Credit Ratings
The following summarizes the ratings used by Standard & Poors for long-term issues:
AAA An obligation rated AAA has the highest rating assigned by Standard & Poors. The obligors 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 obligors 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 obligors capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is still strong.
3-A
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 obligors 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 obligors 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 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 instruments 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 & Poors 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 & Poors 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 & Poors analysis for credit ratings on any issuer or issue. Currency of repayment is a key factor in this analysis. An obligors capacity to repay foreign currency obligations may be lower than its capacity to repay obligations in its local currency due to the sovereign governments 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.
The following summarizes the ratings used by Moodys 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.
4-A
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: Moodys 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 following summarizes long-term ratings used by Fitch:
AAA Securities considered 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.
AA Securities considered 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.
A Securities considered to be of high credit quality. A ratings denote 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.
BBB Securities considered to be of good credit quality. BBB ratings indicate that there is 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.
BB Securities considered 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.
B Securities considered 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).
CCC 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).
CC 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).
5-A
C 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).
RD Indicates 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.
D Indicates an entity or sovereign that has defaulted on all of its financial obligations.
Plus (+) or minus (-) may be appended to a rating to denote relative status within major rating categories. Such suffixes are not added to the AAA category or to categories below CCC.
NR Denotes that Fitch does not publicly rate the associated issue or issuer.
WD Indicates that the rating has been withdrawn and is no longer maintained by Fitch.
The following summarizes the ratings used by DBRS for long-term debt:
AAA 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.
AA 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.
A 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.
BBB 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.
BB 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.
B 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.
CCC, CC and C Long-term debt rated in any of these categories 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.
D 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.
6-A
(high, low) Each rating category is denoted by the subcategories high and low. The absence of either a high or low designation indicates the rating is in the middle of the category. The AAA and D categories do not utilize high, middle, and low as differential grades.
Municipal Note Ratings
A Standard & Poors U.S. municipal note rating reflects the liquidity factors and market access risks unique to notes. Notes due in three years or less will likely receive a note rating. Notes maturing beyond three years will most likely receive a long-term debt rating. The following criteria will be used in making that assessment:
| Amortization schedule-the larger the final maturity relative to other maturities, the more likely it will be treated as a note; and |
| Source of payment-the more dependent the issue is on the market for its refinancing, the more likely it will be treated as a note. Note rating symbols are as follows: |
SP-1 The issuers of these municipal notes exhibit a strong capacity to pay principal and interest. Those issues determined to possess a very strong capacity to pay debt service are given a plus (+) designation.
SP-2 The issuers of these municipal notes exhibit a satisfactory capacity to pay principal and interest, with some vulnerability to adverse financial and economic changes over the term of the notes.
SP-3 The issuers of these municipal notes exhibit speculative capacity to pay principal and interest.
Moodys uses three rating categories for short-term municipal obligations that are considered investment grade. These ratings are designated as Municipal Investment Grade (MIG) and are divided into three levels MIG-1 through MIG-3. In addition, those short-term obligations that are of speculative quality are designated SG, or speculative grade. MIG ratings expire at the maturity of the obligation. The following summarizes the ratings used by Moodys for these short-term obligations:
MIG-1 This designation denotes superior credit quality. Excellent protection is afforded by established cash flows, highly reliable liquidity support, or demonstrated broad-based access to the market for refinancing.
MIG-2 This designation denotes strong credit quality. Margins of protection are ample, although not as large as in the preceding group.
MIG-3 This designation denotes acceptable credit quality. Liquidity and cash-flow protection may be narrow, and market access for refinancing is likely to be less well-established.
SG This designation denotes speculative-grade credit quality. Debt instruments in this category may lack sufficient margins of protection.
In the case of variable rate demand obligations (VRDOs), a two-component rating is assigned; a long- or short-term debt rating and a demand obligation rating. The first element represents Moodys evaluation of the degree of risk associated with scheduled principal and interest payments. The second element represents Moodys evaluation of the degree of risk associated with the ability to receive purchase price upon demand (demand feature), using a variation of the MIG rating scale, the Variable Municipal Investment Grade or VMIG rating.
When either the long- or short-term aspect of a VRDO is not rated, that piece is designated NR, e.g., Aaa/NR or NR/VMIG-1.
VMIG rating expirations are a function of each issues specific structural or credit features.
7-A
VMIG-1 This designation denotes superior credit quality. Excellent protection is afforded by the superior short-term credit strength of the liquidity provider and structural and legal protections that ensure the timely payment of purchase price upon demand.
VMIG-2 This designation denotes strong credit quality. Good protection is afforded by the strong short-term credit strength of the liquidity provider and structural and legal protections that ensure the timely payment of purchase price upon demand.
VMIG-3 This designation denotes acceptable credit quality. Adequate protection is afforded by the satisfactory short-term credit strength of the liquidity provider and structural and legal protections that ensure the timely payment of purchase price upon demand.
SG This designation denotes speculative-grade credit quality. Demand features rated in this category may be supported by a liquidity provider that does not have an investment grade short-term rating or may lack the structural and/or legal protections necessary to ensure the timely payment of purchase price upon demand.
Fitch uses the same ratings for municipal securities as described above for other short-term credit ratings.
About Credit Ratings
A Standard & Poors 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 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.
Moodys 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.
Fitchs credit ratings provide an opinion on the relative ability of an entity to meet financial commitments, such as interest, preferred dividends, repayment of principal, insurance claims or counterparty obligations. Fitch credit ratings are used by investors as indications of the likelihood of receiving their money back in accordance with the terms on which they invested. Fitchs credit ratings cover the global spectrum of corporate, sovereign (including supranational and sub-national), financial, bank, insurance, municipal and other public finance entities and the securities or other obligations they issue, as well as structured finance securities backed by receivables or other financial assets.
DBRS credit ratings are not buy, hold or sell recommendations, but rather the result of qualitative and quantitative analysis focusing solely on the credit quality of the issuer and its underlying obligations.
8-A
Effective March 2016
GSAM PROXY VOTING GUIDELINES SUMMARY
The following is a summary of the material GSAM Proxy Voting Guidelines (the Guidelines), which form the substantive basis of GSAMs Policy on Proxy Voting for Investment Advisory Clients (the Policy). As described in the main body of the Policy, one or more GSAM portfolio management teams may diverge from the Guidelines and a related Recommendation on any particular proxy vote or in connection with any individual investment decision in accordance with the Policy.
A. | U.S. proxy items: | |||
1. | Operational Items | page 1-B | ||
2. | Board of Directors | page 2-B | ||
3. | Executive Compensation | page 4-B | ||
4. | Director Nominees and Proxy Access | page 6-B | ||
5. | Shareholder Rights and Defenses | page 7-B | ||
6. | Mergers and Corporate Restructurings | page 7-B | ||
7. | State of Incorporation | page 8-B | ||
8. | Capital Structure | page 8-B | ||
9. | Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)/Environmental, Social, Governance (ESG) Issues | page 8-B | ||
B. | Non-U.S. proxy items: | |||
1. | Operational Items | page 10-B | ||
2. | Board of Directors | page 11-B | ||
3. | Compensation | page 13-B | ||
4. | Board Structure | page 14-B | ||
5. | Capital Structure | page 14-B | ||
6. | Mergers and Corporate Restructurings & Other | page 16-B | ||
7. | Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)/Environmental, Social, Governance (ESG) Issues | page 16-B |
U.S. Proxy Items
The following section is a summary of the Guidelines, which form the substantive basis of the Policy with respect to U.S. public equity investments.
1. | Operational Items |
Auditor Ratification
Vote FOR proposals to ratify auditors, unless any of the following apply within the last year:
| An auditor has a financial interest in or association with the company, and is therefore not independent; |
| There is reason to believe that the independent auditor has rendered an opinion which is neither accurate nor indicative of the companys financial position; |
| Poor accounting practices are identified that rise to a serious level of concern, such as: fraud; misapplication of GAAP; or material weaknesses identified in Section 404 disclosures; or |
| Fees for non-audit services are excessive (generally over 50% or more of the audit fees). |
Vote CASE-BY-CASE on shareholder proposals asking companies to prohibit or limit their auditors from engaging in non-audit services or asking for audit firm rotation.
1-B
2. | Board of Directors |
The board of directors should promote the interests of shareholders by acting in an oversight and/or advisory role; the board should consist of a majority of independent directors and should be held accountable for actions and results related to their responsibilities.
When evaluating board composition, GSAM believes a diversity of ethnicity, gender and experience is an important consideration.
Classification of Directors
Where applicable, the New York Stock Exchange or NASDAQ Listing Standards definition is to be used to classify directors as insiders or affiliated outsiders. General definitions are as follows:
| Inside Director |
| Employee of the company or one of its affiliates |
| Among the five most highly paid individuals (excluding interim CEO) |
| Listed as an officer as defined under Section 16 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 |
| Current interim CEO |
| Beneficial owner of more than 50 % of the companys voting power (this may be aggregated if voting power is distributed among more than one member of a defined group) |
| Affiliated Outside Director |
| Board attestation that an outside director is not independent |
| Former CEO or other executive of the company within the last 3 years |
| Former CEO or other executive of an acquired company within the past three years |
| Independent Outside Director |
| No material connection to the company other than a board seat |
Additionally, GSAM will consider compensation committee interlocking directors to be affiliated (defined as CEOs who sit on each others compensation committees).
Voting on Director Nominees in Uncontested Elections
Vote on director nominees should be determined on a CASE-BY-CASE basis.
Vote AGAINST or WITHHOLD from individual directors who:
| Attend less than 75 % of the board and committee meetings without a disclosed valid excuse for each of the last two years; |
| Sit on more than six public operating and/or holding company boards; |
| Are CEOs of public companies who sit on the boards of more than two public companies besides their ownwithhold only at their outside boards. |
Other items considered for an AGAINST vote include specific concerns about the individual or the company, such as criminal wrongdoing or breach of fiduciary responsibilities, sanctions from government or authority, violations of laws and regulations, or other issues related to improper business practice.
Vote AGAINST or WITHHOLD from Inside Directors and Affiliated Outside Directors (per the Classification of Directors above) in the case of operating and/or holding companies when:
| The Inside Director or Affiliated Outside Director serves on the Audit, Compensation, or Nominating Committees; and |
| The company lacks an Audit, Compensation or Nominating Committee so that the full board functions as such committees and Insider Directors or Affiliated Outside Directors are participating in voting on matters that independent committees should be voting on. |
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Vote AGAINST or WITHHOLD from members of the appropriate committee for the following reasons (or independent chairman or lead director in cases of a classified board and members of appropriate committee are not up for reelection). Extreme cases may warrant a vote against the entire board.
| Material failures of governance, stewardship, or fiduciary responsibilities at the company; |
| Egregious actions related to the director(s) service on other boards that raise substantial doubt about his or her ability to effectively oversee management and serve the best interests of shareholders at any company; |
| At the previous board election, any director received more than 50 % withhold/against votes of the shares cast and the company has failed to address the underlying issue(s) that caused the high withhold/against vote (members of the Nominating or Governance Committees); |
| The board failed to act on a shareholder proposal that received approval of the majority of shares cast for the previous two consecutive years (a management proposal with other than a FOR recommendation by management will not be considered as sufficient action taken); an adopted proposal that is substantially similar to the original shareholder proposal will be deemed sufficient; (vote against members of the committee of the board that is responsible for the issue under consideration). If GSAM did not support the shareholder proposal in both years, GSAM will still vote against the committee member(s). |
Vote AGAINST or WITHHOLD from the members of the Audit Committee if:
| The non-audit fees paid to the auditor are excessive (generally over 50% or more of the audit fees); |
| The company receives an adverse opinion on the companys financial statements from its auditor and there is not clear evidence that the situation has been remedied; or |
| There is persuasive evidence that the Audit Committee entered into an inappropriate indemnification agreement with its auditor that limits the ability of the company, or its shareholders, to pursue legitimate legal recourse against the audit firm. |
Vote CASE-BY-CASE on members of the Audit Committee and/or the full board if poor accounting practices, which rise to a level of serious concern are identified, such as fraud, misapplication of GAAP and material weaknesses identified in Section 404 disclosures.
Examine the severity, breadth, chronological sequence and duration, as well as the companys efforts at remediation or corrective actions, in determining whether negative vote recommendations are warranted against the members of the Audit Committee who are responsible for the poor accounting practices, or the entire board.
See section 3 on executive and director compensation for reasons to withhold from members of the Compensation Committee.
In limited circumstances, GSAM may vote AGAINST or WITHHOLD from all nominees of the board of directors (except from new nominees who should be considered on a CASE-BY-CASE basis and except as discussed below) if:
| The companys poison pill has a dead-hand or modified dead-hand feature for two or more years. Vote against/withhold every year until this feature is removed; however, vote against the poison pill if there is one on the ballot with this feature rather than the director; |
| The board adopts or renews a poison pill without shareholder approval, does not commit to putting it to shareholder vote within 12 months of adoption (or in the case of an newly public company, does not commit to put the pill to a shareholder vote within 12 months following the IPO), or reneges on a commitment to put the pill to a vote, and has not yet received a withhold/against recommendation for this issue; |
| The board failed to act on takeover offers where the majority of the shareholders tendered their shares; |
| If in an extreme situation the board lacks accountability and oversight, coupled with sustained poor performance relative to peers. |
Shareholder proposal regarding Independent Chair (Separate Chair/CEO)
Vote on a CASE-BY-CASE basis.
GSAM will generally recommend a vote AGAINST shareholder proposals requiring that the chairmans position be filled by an independent director, if the company satisfies 3 of the 4 following criteria:
| Designated lead director, elected by and from the independent board members with clearly delineated and comprehensive duties; |
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| Two-thirds independent board; |
| All independent key committees (audit, compensation and nominating committees); or |
| Established, disclosed governance guidelines. |
Shareholder proposal regarding board declassification
GSAM will generally vote FOR proposals requesting that the board adopt a declassified structure in the case of operating and holding companies.
Majority Vote Shareholder Proposals
GSAM will vote FOR proposals requesting that the board adopt majority voting in the election of directors provided it does not conflict with the state law where the company is incorporated.
GSAM also looks for companies to adopt a post-election policy outlining how the company will address the situation of a holdover director.
Cumulative Vote Shareholder Proposals
GSAM will generally support shareholder proposals to restore or provide cumulative voting in the case of operating and holding companies unless:
| The company has adopted (i) majority vote standard with a carve-out for plurality voting in situations where there are more nominees than seats and (ii) a director resignation policy to address failed elections. |
3. | Executive Compensation |
Pay Practices
Good pay practices should align managements interests with long-term shareholder value creation. Detailed disclosure of compensation criteria is preferred; proof that companies follow the criteria should be evident and retroactive performance target changes without proper disclosure is not viewed favorably. Compensation practices should allow a company to attract and retain proven talent. Some examples of poor pay practices include: abnormally large bonus payouts without justifiable performance linkage or proper disclosure, egregious employment contracts, excessive severance and/or change in control provisions, repricing or replacing of underwater stock options/stock appreciation rights without prior shareholder approval, and excessive perquisites. A company should also have an appropriate balance of short-term vs. long-term metrics and the metrics should be aligned with business goals and objectives.
If the company maintains problematic or poor pay practices, generally vote:
| AGAINST Management Say on Pay (MSOP) Proposals; or |
| AGAINST an equity-based incentive plan proposal if excessive non-performance-based equity awards are the major contributor to a pay-for-performance misalignment. |
| If no MSOP or equity-based incentive plan proposal item is on the ballot, vote AGAINST/WITHHOLD from compensation committee members. |
Equity Compensation Plans
Vote CASE-BY-CASE on equity-based compensation plans. Evaluation takes into account potential plan cost, plan features and grant practices. While a negative combination of these factors could cause a vote AGAINST, other reasons to vote AGAINST the equity plan could include the following factors:
| The plan permits the repricing of stock options/stock appreciation rights (SARs) without prior shareholder approval; or |
| There is more than one problematic material feature of the plan, which could include one of the following: unfavorable change-in-control features, presence of gross ups and options reload. |
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Advisory Vote on Executive Compensation (Say-on-Pay, MSOP) Management Proposals
Vote FOR annual frequency and AGAINST shareholder or management proposals asking for any frequency less than annual.
Vote CASE-BY-CASE on management proposals for an advisory vote on executive compensation. For U.S. companies, consider the following factors in the context of each companys specific circumstances and the boards disclosed rationale for its practices. In general more than one factor will need to be present in order to warrant a vote AGAINST.
Pay-for-Performance Disconnect:
| GSAM will consider there to be a disconnect based on a quantitative assessment of the following: CEO pay vs. TSR and peers, CEO pay as a percentage of the median peer group or CEO pay vs. shareholder return over time. |
Additional Factors Considered Include:
| Boards responsiveness if company received 70% or less shareholder support in the previous years MSOP vote; |
| Abnormally large bonus payouts without justifiable performance linkage or proper disclosure; |
| Egregious employment contracts; |
| Excessive perquisites or excessive severance and/or change in control provisions; |
| Repricing or replacing of underwater stock options without prior shareholder approval; |
| Excessive pledging or hedging of stock by executives; |
| Egregious pension/SERP (supplemental executive retirement plan) payouts; |
| Extraordinary relocation benefits; |
| Internal pay disparity; |
| Lack of transparent disclosure of compensation philosophy and goals and targets, including details on short-term and long-term performance incentives; and |
| Long-term equity-based compensation is 100% time-based. |
Other Compensation Proposals and Policies
Employee Stock Purchase Plans Non-Qualified Plans
Vote CASE-BY-CASE on nonqualified employee stock purchase plans taking into account the following factors:
| Broad-based participation; |
| Limits on employee contributions; |
| Company matching contributions; and |
| Presence of a discount on the stock price on the date of purchase. |
Option Exchange Programs/Repricing Options
Vote CASE-BY-CASE on management proposals seeking approval to exchange/reprice options, taking into consideration:
| Historic trading patternsthe stock price should not be so volatile that the options are likely to be back in-the-money over the near term; |
| Rationale for the re-pricing; |
| If it is a value-for-value exchange; |
| If surrendered stock options are added back to the plan reserve; |
| Option vesting; |
| Term of the optionthe term should remain the same as that of the replaced option; |
| Exercise priceshould be set at fair market or a premium to market; |
| Participantsexecutive officers and directors should be excluded. |
Vote FOR shareholder proposals to put option repricings to a shareholder vote.
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Other Shareholder Proposals on Compensation
Advisory Vote on Executive Compensation (Frequency on Pay)
Vote FOR annual frequency.
Stock retention holding period
Vote FOR shareholder proposals asking for a policy requiring that senior executives retain a significant percentage of shares acquired through equity compensation programs if the policy requests retention for two years or less following the termination of their employment (through retirement or otherwise) and a holding threshold percentage of 50% or less.
Also consider:
| Whether the company has any holding period, retention ratio, or officer ownership requirements in place and the terms/provisions of awards already granted. |
Elimination of accelerated vesting in the event of a change in control
Vote AGAINST shareholder proposals seeking a policy eliminating the accelerated vesting of time-based equity awards in the event of a change-in-control.
Performance-based equity awards and pay-for-superior-performance proposals
Generally support unless there is sufficient evidence that the current compensation structure is already substantially performance-based. GSAM considers performance-based awards to include awards that are tied to shareholder return or other metrics that are relevant to the business.
Say on Supplemental Executive Retirement Plans (SERP)
Generally vote AGAINST proposals asking for shareholder votes on SERP.
4. | Director Nominees and Proxy Access |
Voting for Director Nominees (Management or Shareholder)
Vote CASE-BY-CASE on the election of directors of operating and holding companies in contested elections, considering the following factors:
| Long-term financial performance of the target company relative to its industry; |
| Managements track record; |
| Background of the nomination, in cases where there is a shareholder nomination; |
| Qualifications of director nominee(s); |
| Strategic plan related to the nomination and quality of critique against management; and |
| Likelihood that the Board will be productive as a result. |
Proxy Access
Vote CASE-BY-CASE on shareholder or management proposals asking for proxy access.
GSAM may support proxy access as an important right for shareholders of operating and holding companies and as an alternative to costly proxy contests and as a method for GSAM to vote for directors on an individual basis, as appropriate, rather than voting on one slate or the other. While this could be an important shareholder right, the following factors will be taken into account when evaluating the shareholder proposals:
| The ownership thresholds, percentage and duration proposed (GSAM generally will not support if the ownership threshold is less than 3%); |
| The maximum proportion of directors that shareholders may nominate each year (GSAM generally will not support if the proportion of directors is greater than 25%); and |
| Other restricting factors that when taken in combination could serve to materially limit the proxy access provision. |
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When evaluating companies that adopted proxy access either proactively or in response to a shareholder proposal, GSAM will take into account the factors listed above. A vote against governance committee members could result if provisions exist that materially limit the right to proxy access.
Reimbursing Proxy Solicitation Expenses
Vote CASE-BY-CASE on proposals to reimburse proxy solicitation expenses. When voting in conjunction with support of a dissident slate, vote FOR the reimbursement of all appropriate proxy solicitation expenses associated with the election.
5. | Shareholders Rights & Defenses |
Shareholder Ability to Act by Written Consent
In the case of operating and holding companies, generally vote FOR shareholder proposals that provide shareholders with the ability to act by written consent, unless:
| The company already gives shareholders the right to call special meetings at a threshold of 25% or lower; and |
| The company has a history of strong governance practices. |
Shareholder Ability to Call Special Meetings
In the case of operating and holding companies, generally vote FOR management proposals that provide shareholders with the ability to call special meetings.
In the case of operating and holding companies, generally vote FOR shareholder proposals that provide shareholders with the ability to call special meetings at a threshold of 25% or lower if the company currently does not give shareholders the right to call special meetings. However, if a company already gives shareholders the right to call special meetings at a threshold of at least 25%, vote AGAINST shareholder proposals to further reduce the threshold.
Advance Notice Requirements for Shareholder Proposals/Nominations
In the case of operating and holding companies, vote CASE-BY-CASE on advance notice proposals, giving support to proposals that allow shareholders to submit proposals/nominations reasonably close to the meeting date and within the broadest window possible, recognizing the need to allow sufficient notice for company, regulatory and shareholder review.
Poison Pills
Vote FOR shareholder proposals requesting that the company submit its poison pill to a shareholder vote or redeem it UNLESS the company has: (1) A shareholder-approved poison pill in place; or (2) the company has adopted a policy concerning the adoption of a pill in the future specifying certain shareholder friendly provisions.
Vote FOR shareholder proposals calling for poison pills to be put to a vote within a time period of less than one year after adoption.
Vote CASE-BY-CASE on management proposals on poison pill ratification, focusing on the features of the shareholder rights plan.
In addition, the rationale for adopting the pill should be thoroughly explained by the company. In examining the request for the pill, take into consideration the companys existing governance structure, including: board independence, existing takeover defenses, and any problematic governance concerns.
6. | Mergers and Corporate Restructurings |
Vote CASE-BY-CASE on mergers and acquisitions taking into account the following based on publicly available information:
| Valuation; |
| Market reaction; |
| Strategic rationale; |
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| Managements track record of successful integration of historical acquisitions; |
| Presence of conflicts of interest; and |
| Governance profile of the combined company. |
7. | State of Incorporation |
Reincorporation Proposals
GSAM may support management proposals to reincorporate as long as the reincorporation would not substantially diminish shareholder rights. GSAM may not support shareholder proposals for reincorporation unless the current state of incorporation is substantially less shareholder friendly than the proposed reincorporation, there is a strong economic case to reincorporate or the company has a history of making decisions that are not shareholder friendly.
Exclusive venue for shareholder lawsuits
Generally vote FOR on exclusive venue proposals, taking into account:
| Whether the company has been materially harmed by shareholder litigation outside its jurisdiction of incorporation, based on disclosure in the companys proxy statement; |
| Whether the company has the following good governance features: |
| Majority independent board; |
| Independent key committees; |
| An annually elected board; |
| A majority vote standard in uncontested director elections; |
| The absence of a poison pill, unless the pill was approved by shareholders; and/or |
| Separate Chairman CEO role or, if combined, an independent chairman with clearly delineated duties. |
8. | Capital Structure |
Common and Preferred Stock Authorization
Generally vote FOR proposals to increase the number of shares of common stock authorized for issuance.
Generally vote FOR proposals to increase the number of shares of preferred stock, as long as there is a commitment to not use the shares for anti-takeover purposes.
9. | Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)/Environmental, Social, Governance (ESG) Issues |
Overall Approach
GSAM recognizes that Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) factors can affect investment performance, expose potential investment risks and provide an indication of management excellence and leadership. When evaluating ESG proxy issues, GSAM balances the purpose of a proposal with the overall benefit to shareholders.
Shareholder proposals considered under this category could include, among others, reports on:
1) employee labor and safety policies;
2) impact on the environment of the companys production or manufacturing operations;
3) societal impact of products manufactured;
4) risks throughout the supply chain or operations including animal treatment practices within food production and conflict minerals; and
5) board diversity.
When evaluating environmental and social shareholder proposals, the following factors are generally considered:
| The companys current level of publicly-available disclosure, including if the company already discloses similar information through existing reports or policies; |
| If the company has implemented or formally committed to the implementation of a reporting program based on Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) guidelines or a similar standard; |
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| Whether adoption of the proposal is likely to enhance or protect shareholder value; |
| Whether the information requested concerns business issues that relate to a meaningful percentage of the companys business; |
| The degree to which the companys stated position on the issues raised in the proposal could affect its reputation or sales, or leave it vulnerable to a boycott or selective purchasing; |
| Whether the company has already responded in some appropriate manner to the request embodied in the proposal; |
| What other companies in the relevant industry have done in response to the issue addressed in the proposal; |
| Whether the proposal itself is well framed and the cost of preparing the report is reasonable; |
| Whether the subject of the proposal is best left to the discretion of the board; |
| Whether the company has material fines or violations in the area and if so, if appropriate actions have already been taken to remedy going forward; |
| Whether providing this information would reveal proprietary or confidential information that would place the company at a competitive disadvantage. |
Sustainability, climate change reporting
Generally vote FOR proposals requesting the company to report on its policies, initiatives and oversight mechanisms related to environmental sustainability, or how the company may be impacted by climate change. The following factors will be considered:
| The companys current level of publicly-available disclosure including if the company already discloses similar information through existing reports or policies; |
| If the company has formally committed to the implementation of a reporting program based on Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) guidelines or a similar standard within a specified time frame; |
| If the companys current level of disclosure is comparable to that of its industry peers; and |
| If there are significant controversies, fines, penalties, or litigation associated with the companys environmental performance. |
Establishing goals or targets for emissions reduction
Vote CASE-BY-CASE on proposals that call for the adoption of Greenhouse Gas (GHG) reduction goals from products and operations, taking into account:
| Overly prescriptive requests for the reduction in GHG emissions by specific amounts or within a specific time frame; |
| Whether company disclosure lags behind industry peers; |
| Whether the company has been the subject of recent, significant violations, fines, litigation, or controversy related to GHG emissions; |
| The feasibility of reduction of GHGs given the companys product line and current technology and; |
| Whether the company already provides meaningful disclosure on GHG emissions from its products and operations. |
Political Contributions and Trade Association Spending/Lobbying Expenditures and Initiatives
GSAM generally believes that it is the role of boards and management to determine the appropriate level of disclosure of all types of corporate political activity. When evaluating these proposals, GSAM considers the prescriptive nature of the proposal and the overall benefit to shareholders along with a companys current disclosure of policies, practices and oversight.
Generally vote AGAINST proposals asking the company to affirm political nonpartisanship in the workplace so long as:
| There are no recent, significant controversies, fines or litigation regarding the companys political contributions or trade association spending; and |
| The company has procedures in place to ensure that employee contributions to company-sponsored political action committees (PACs) are strictly voluntary and prohibits coercion. |
Vote AGAINST proposals requesting increased disclosure of a companys policies with respect to political contributions, lobbying and trade association spending as long as:
| There is no significant potential threat or actual harm to shareholders interests; |
| There are no recent significant controversies or litigation related to the companys political contributions or governmental affairs; and |
| There is publicly available information to assess the companys oversight related to such expenditures of corporate assets. |
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GSAM generally will vote AGAINST proposals asking for detailed disclosure of political contributions or trade association or lobbying expenditures.
Vote AGAINST proposals barring the company from making political contributions. Businesses are affected by legislation at the federal, state, and local level and barring political contributions can put the company at a competitive disadvantage.
Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation
A company should have a clear, public Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) statement and/or diversity policy. Generally vote FOR proposals seeking to amend a companys EEO statement or diversity policies to additionally prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and/or gender identity.
Labor and Human Rights Standards
Generally vote FOR proposals requesting a report on company or company supplier labor and/or human rights standards and policies, or on the impact of its operations on society, unless such information is already publicly disclosed considering:
| The degree to which existing relevant policies and practices are disclosed; |
| Whether or not existing relevant policies are consistent with internationally recognized standards; |
| Whether company facilities and those of its suppliers are monitored and how; |
| Company participation in fair labor organizations or other internationally recognized human rights initiatives; |
| Scope and nature of business conducted in markets known to have higher risk of workplace labor/human rights abuse; |
| Recent, significant company controversies, fines, or litigation regarding human rights at the company or its suppliers; |
| The scope of the request; and |
| Deviation from industry sector peer company standards and practices. |
Non-U.S. Proxy Items
The following section is a broad summary of the Guidelines, which form the basis of the Policy with respect to non-U.S. public equity investments. Applying these guidelines is subject to certain regional and country-specific exceptions and modifications and is not inclusive of all considerations in each market.
1. | Operational Items |
Financial Results/Director and Auditor Reports
Vote FOR approval of financial statements and director and auditor reports, unless:
| There are concerns about the accounts presented or audit procedures used; or |
| The company is not responsive to shareholder questions about specific items that should be publicly disclosed. |
Appointment of Auditors and Auditor Fees
Vote FOR the re-election of auditors and proposals authorizing the board to fix auditor fees, unless:
| There are serious concerns about the accounts presented, audit procedures used or audit opinion rendered; |
| There is reason to believe that the auditor has rendered an opinion, which is neither accurate nor indicative of the companys financial position; |
| Name of the proposed auditor has not been published; |
| The auditors are being changed without explanation; non-audit-related fees are substantial or are in excess of standard annual audit-related fees; or the appointment of external auditors if they have previously served the company in an executive capacity or can otherwise be considered affiliated with the company. |
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Appointment of Statutory Auditors
Vote FOR the appointment or reelection of statutory auditors, unless:
| There are serious concerns about the statutory reports presented or the audit procedures used; |
| Questions exist concerning any of the statutory auditors being appointed; or |
| The auditors have previously served the company in an executive capacity or can otherwise be considered affiliated with the company. |
Allocation of Income
Vote FOR approval of the allocation of income, unless:
| The dividend payout ratio has been consistently low without adequate explanation; or |
| The payout is excessive given the companys financial position. |
Stock (Scrip) Dividend Alternative
Vote FOR most stock (scrip) dividend proposals.
Vote AGAINST proposals that do not allow for a cash option unless management demonstrates that the cash option is harmful to shareholder value.
Amendments to Articles of Association
Vote amendments to the articles of association on a CASE-BY-CASE basis.
Change in Company Fiscal Term
Vote FOR resolutions to change a companys fiscal term unless a companys motivation for the change is to postpone its AGM.
Lower Disclosure Threshold for Stock Ownership
Vote AGAINST resolutions to lower the stock ownership disclosure threshold below 5 % unless specific reasons exist to implement a lower threshold.
Amend Quorum Requirements
Vote proposals to amend quorum requirements for shareholder meetings on a CASE-BY-CASE basis.
Transact Other Business
Vote AGAINST other business when it appears as a voting item.
2. | Board of Directors |
Director Elections
Vote FOR management nominees taking into consideration the following:
| Adequate disclosure has not been provided in a timely manner; or |
| There are clear concerns over questionable finances or restatements; or |
| There have been questionable transactions or conflicts of interest; or |
| There are any records of abuses against minority shareholder interests; or |
| The board fails to meet minimum corporate governance standards. or |
| There are reservations about: |
| Director terms |
| Bundling of proposals to elect directors |
| Board independence |
| Disclosure of named nominees |
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| Combined Chairman/CEO |
| Election of former CEO as Chairman of the Board |
| Overboarded directors |
| Composition of committees |
| Director independence |
| Specific concerns about the individual or company, such as criminal wrongdoing or breach of fiduciary responsibilities; or |
| Repeated absences at board meetings have not been explained (in countries where this information is disclosed); or |
| Unless there are other considerations which may include sanctions from government or authority, violations of laws and regulations, or other issues related to improper business practice, failure to replace management, or egregious actions related to service on other boards. |
Vote on a CASE-BY-CASE basis in contested elections of directors, e.g., the election of shareholder nominees or the dismissal of incumbent directors, determining which directors are best suited to add value for shareholders.
The analysis will generally be based on, but not limited to, the following major decision factors:
| Company performance relative to its peers; |
| Strategy of the incumbents versus the dissidents; |
| Independence of board candidates; |
| Experience and skills of board candidates; |
| Governance profile of the company; |
| Evidence of management entrenchment; |
| Responsiveness to shareholders; |
| Whether a takeover offer has been rebuffed; |
| Whether minority or majority representation is being sought. |
Vote FOR employee and/or labor representatives if they sit on either the audit or compensation committee and are required by law to be on those committees.
Vote AGAINST employee and/or labor representatives if they sit on either the audit or compensation committee, if they are not required to be on those committees.
Classification of directors
Executive Director
| Employee or executive of the company; |
| Any director who is classified as a non-executive, but receives salary, fees, bonus, and/or other benefits that are in line with the highest-paid executives of the company. |
Non-Independent Non-Executive Director (NED)
| Any director who is attested by the board to be a non-independent NED; |
| Any director specifically designated as a representative of a significant shareholder of the company; |
| Any director who is also an employee or executive of a significant shareholder of the company; |
| Beneficial owner (direct or indirect) of at least 10% of the companys stock, either in economic terms or in voting rights (this may be aggregated if voting power is distributed among more than one member of a defined group, e.g., family members who beneficially own less than 10% individually, but collectively own more than 10%), unless market best practice dictates a lower ownership and/or disclosure threshold (and in other special market-specific circumstances); |
| Government representative; |
| Currently provides (or a relative provides) professional services to the company, to an affiliate of the company, or to an individual officer of the company or of one of its affiliates in excess of $10,000 per year; |
| Represents customer, supplier, creditor, banker, or other entity with which company maintains transactional/commercial relationship (unless company discloses information to apply a materiality test); |
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| Any director who has conflicting or cross-directorships with executive directors or the chairman of the company; |
| Relative of a current employee of the company or its affiliates; |
| Relative of a former executive of the company or its affiliates; |
| A new appointee elected other than by a formal process through the General Meeting (such as a contractual appointment by a substantial shareholder); |
| Founder/co-founder/member of founding family but not currently an employee; |
| Former executive (5 year cooling off period); |
| Years of service is generally not a determining factor unless it is recommended best practice in a market and/or in extreme circumstances, in which case it may be considered; and |
| Any additional relationship or principle considered to compromise independence under local corporate governance best practice guidance. |
Independent NED
| No material connection, either directly or indirectly, to the company other than a board seat. |
Employee Representative
| Represents employees or employee shareholders of the company (classified as employee representative but considered a non-independent NED). |
Discharge of Directors
Generally vote FOR the discharge of directors, including members of the management board and/or supervisory board, unless there is reliable information about significant and compelling controversies that the board is not fulfilling its fiduciary duties warranted by:
| A lack of oversight or actions by board members which invoke shareholder distrust related to malfeasance or poor supervision, such as operating in private or company interest rather than in shareholder interest; or |
| Any legal issues (e.g., civil/criminal) aiming to hold the board responsible for breach of trust in the past or related to currently alleged actions yet to be confirmed (and not only the fiscal year in question), such as price fixing, insider trading, bribery, fraud, and other illegal actions; or |
| Other egregious governance issues where shareholders may bring legal action against the company or its directors; or |
| Vote on a CASE-BY-CASE basis where a vote against other agenda items are deemed inappropriate. |
3. | Compensation |
Good pay practices should align managements interests with long-term shareholder value creation. Detailed disclosure of compensation criteria is preferred; proof that companies follow the criteria should be evident and retroactive performance target changes without proper disclosure is not viewed favorably. Compensation practices should allow a company to attract and retain proven talent. Some examples of poor pay practices include: abnormally large bonus payouts without justifiable performance linkage or proper disclosure, egregious employment contracts, excessive severance and/or change in control provisions, repricing or replacing of underwater stock options/stock appreciation rights without prior shareholder approval, and excessive perquisites. A company should also have an appropriate balance of short-term vs. long-term metrics and the metrics should be aligned with business goals and objectives.
Director Compensation
Vote FOR proposals to award cash fees to non-executive directors unless the amounts are excessive relative to other companies in the country or industry.
Vote non-executive director compensation proposals that include both cash and share-based components on a CASE-BY-CASE basis.
Vote proposals that bundle compensation for both non-executive and executive directors into a single resolution on a CASE-BY-CASE basis.
Vote AGAINST proposals to introduce retirement benefits for non-executive directors.
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Compensation Plans
Vote compensation plans on a CASE-BY-CASE basis.
Director, Officer, and Auditor Indemnification and Liability Provisions
Vote proposals seeking indemnification and liability protection for directors and officers on a CASE-BY-CASE basis.
Vote AGAINST proposals to indemnify auditors.
4. | Board Structure |
Vote AGAINST the introduction of classified boards and mandatory retirement ages for directors.
Vote AGAINST proposals to alter board structure or size in the context of a fight for control of the company or the board.
Chairman CEO combined role (for applicable markets)
GSAM will generally recommend a vote AGAINST shareholder proposals requiring that the chairmans position be filled by an independent director, if the company satisfies 3 of the 4 following criteria:
| Two-thirds independent board, or majority in countries where employee representation is common practice; |
| A designated, or a rotating, lead director, elected by and from the independent board members with clearly delineated and comprehensive duties; |
| Fully independent key committees; and/or |
| Established, publicly disclosed, governance guidelines and director biographies/profiles. |
5. | Capital Structure |
Share Issuance Requests
General Issuances:
Vote FOR issuance requests with preemptive rights to a maximum of 100 % over currently issued capital.
Vote FOR issuance requests without preemptive rights to a maximum of 20 % of currently issued capital.
Specific Issuances:
Vote on a CASE-BY-CASE basis on all requests, with or without preemptive rights.
Increases in Authorized Capital
Vote FOR non-specific proposals to increase authorized capital up to 100 % over the current authorization unless the increase would leave the company with less than 30 % of its new authorization outstanding.
Vote FOR specific proposals to increase authorized capital to any amount, unless:
| The specific purpose of the increase (such as a share-based acquisition or merger) does not meet guidelines for the purpose being proposed; or |
| The increase would leave the company with less than 30 % of its new authorization outstanding after adjusting for all proposed issuances. |
Vote AGAINST proposals to adopt unlimited capital authorizations.
14-B
Reduction of Capital
Vote FOR proposals to reduce capital for routine accounting purposes unless the terms are unfavorable to shareholders.
Vote proposals to reduce capital in connection with corporate restructuring on a CASE-BY-CASE basis.
Capital Structures
Vote FOR resolutions that seek to maintain or convert to a one-share, one-vote capital structure.
Vote AGAINST requests for the creation or continuation of dual-class capital structures or the creation of new or additional super voting shares.
Preferred Stock
Vote FOR the creation of a new class of preferred stock or for issuances of preferred stock up to 50 % of issued capital unless the terms of the preferred stock would adversely affect the rights of existing shareholders.
Vote FOR the creation/issuance of convertible preferred stock as long as the maximum number of common shares that could be issued upon conversion meets guidelines on equity issuance requests.
Vote AGAINST the creation of a new class of preference shares that would carry superior voting rights to the common shares.
Vote AGAINST the creation of blank check preferred stock unless the board clearly states that the authorization will not be used to thwart a takeover bid.
Vote proposals to increase blank check preferred authorizations on a CASE-BY-CASE basis.
Debt Issuance Requests
Vote non-convertible debt issuance requests on a CASE-BY-CASE basis, with or without preemptive rights.
Vote FOR the creation/issuance of convertible debt instruments as long as the maximum number of common shares that could be issued upon conversion meets guidelines on equity issuance requests.
Vote FOR proposals to restructure existing debt arrangements unless the terms of the restructuring would adversely affect the rights of shareholders.
Increase in Borrowing Powers
Vote proposals to approve increases in a companys borrowing powers on a CASE-BY-CASE basis.
Share Repurchase Plans
GSAM will generally recommend FOR share repurchase programs taking into account whether:
| The share repurchase program can be used as a takeover defense; |
| There is clear evidence of historical abuse; |
| There is no safeguard in the share repurchase program against selective buybacks; |
| Pricing provisions and safeguards in the share repurchase program are deemed to be unreasonable in light of market practice. |
Reissuance of Repurchased Shares
Vote FOR requests to reissue any repurchased shares unless there is clear evidence of abuse of this authority in the past.
Capitalization of Reserves for Bonus Issues/Increase in Par Value
Vote FOR requests to capitalize reserves for bonus issues of shares or to increase par value.
15-B
6. | Mergers and Corporate Restructuring & Other |
Reorganizations/Restructurings
Vote reorganizations and restructurings on a CASE-BY-CASE basis.
Mergers and Acquisitions
Vote CASE-BY-CASE on mergers and acquisitions taking into account the following based on publicly available information:
| Valuation; |
| Market reaction; |
| Strategic rationale; |
| Managements track record of successful integration of historical acquisitions; |
| Presence of conflicts of interest; and |
| Governance profile of the combined company. |
Antitakeover Mechanisms
Generally vote AGAINST all antitakeover proposals, unless they are structured in such a way that they give shareholders the ultimate decision on any proposal or offer.
Reincorporation Proposals
Vote reincorporation proposals on a CASE-BY-CASE basis.
Related-Party Transactions
Vote related-party transactions on a CASE-BY-CASE basis, considering factors including, but not limited to, the following:
| The parties on either side of the transaction; |
| The nature of the asset to be transferred/service to be provided; |
| The pricing of the transaction (and any associated professional valuation); |
| The views of independent directors (where provided); |
| The views of an independent financial adviser (where appointed); |
| Whether any entities party to the transaction (including advisers) is conflicted; and |
| The stated rationale for the transaction, including discussions of timing. |
Shareholder Proposals
Vote all shareholder proposals on a CASE-BY-CASE basis.
Vote FOR proposals that would improve the companys corporate governance or business profile at a reasonable cost.
Vote AGAINST proposals that limit the companys business activities or capabilities or result in significant costs being incurred with little or no benefit.
7. | Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)/Environmental, Social, Governance (ESG) Issues |
Please refer to page 8-B for our current approach to these important topics.
16-B
STATEMENT OF INTENTION
(applicable only to Class A Shares)
If a shareholder anticipates purchasing within a 13-month period Class A Shares of a Portfolio alone or in combination with Class A Shares of another Goldman Sachs Fund in the amount of $50,000 or more, the shareholder may obtain shares of the Portfolio at the same reduced sales charge as though the total quantity were invested in one lump sum by checking and filing the Statement of Intention in the Account Application. Income dividends and capital gain distributions taken in additional shares, as well as any appreciation on shares previously purchased, will not apply toward the completion of the Statement of Intention.
To ensure that the reduced price will be received on future purchases, the investor must inform Goldman Sachs that the Statement of Intention is in effect each time shares are purchased. Subject to the conditions mentioned below, each purchase will be made at the public offering price applicable to a single transaction of the dollar amount specified on the Account Application. The investor makes no commitment to purchase additional shares, but if the investors purchases within 13 months plus the value of shares credited toward completion do not total the sum specified, the investor will pay the increased amount of the sales charge prescribed in the Escrow Agreement.
Escrow Agreement
Out of the initial purchase (or subsequent purchases if necessary), 5% of the dollar amount specified on the Account Application will be held in escrow by the Transfer Agent in the form of shares registered in the investors name. All income dividends and capital gains distributions on escrowed shares will be paid to the investor or to his or her order. When the minimum investment so specified is completed (either prior to or by the end of the 13th month), the investor will be notified and the escrowed shares will be released.
If the intended investment is not completed, the investor will be asked to remit to Goldman Sachs any difference between the sales charge on the amount specified and on the amount actually attained. If the investor does not within 20 days after written request by Goldman Sachs pay such difference in the sales charge, the Transfer Agent will redeem, pursuant to the authority given by the investor in the Account Application, an appropriate number of the escrowed shares in order to realize such difference. Shares remaining after any such redemption will be released by the Transfer Agent.
1-C
PART C: OTHER INFORMATION
Item 28. Exhibits
(a) | (1) | Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 29 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed February 14, 1997) | ||
(2) | Amendment No. 1 dated April 24, 1997 to Agreement and Declaration of Trust January 28, 1997 (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 40 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed October 16, 1997) | |||
(3) | Amendment No. 2 dated July 21, 1997 to Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 40 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed October 16, 1997) | |||
(4) | Amendment No. 3 dated October 21, 1997 to the Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 41 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed February 13, 1998) | |||
(5) | Amendment No. 4 dated January 28, 1998 to the Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 41 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed February 13, 1998) | |||
(6) | Amendment No. 5 dated January 28, 1998 to Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 47 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed October 1, 1998) | |||
(7) | Amendment No. 6 dated July 22, 1998 to Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 47 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed October 1, 1998) | |||
(8) | Amendment No. 7 dated November 3, 1998 to Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 50 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed December 29, 1998) | |||
(9) | Amendment No. 8 dated January 22, 1999 to Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 52 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed February 12, 1999) | |||
(10) | Amendment No. 9 dated April 28, 1999 to Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 55 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed July 16, 1999) | |||
(11) | Amendment No. 10 dated July 27, 1999 to Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 56 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed September 16, 1999) | |||
(12) | Amendment No. 11 dated July 27, 1999 to Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 56 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed September 16, 1999) |
(13) | Amendment No. 12 dated October 26, 1999 to Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 58 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed November 22, 1999) | |||
(14) | Amendment No. 13 dated February 3, 2000 to Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 62 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed February 23, 2000) | |||
(15) | Amendment No. 14 dated April 26, 2000 to Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 65 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed May 3, 2000) | |||
(16) | Amendment No. 15 dated August 1, 2000 to Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 68 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed November 22, 2000) | |||
(17) | Amendment No. 16 dated January 30, 2001 to Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 72 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed April 13, 2001) | |||
(18) | Amendment No. 17 dated April 25, 2001 to Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 73 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed December 21, 2001) | |||
(19) | Amendment No. 18 dated July 1, 2002 to Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 79 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed December 11, 2002) | |||
(20) | Amendment No. 19 dated August 1, 2002 to Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 79 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed December 11, 2002) | |||
(21) | Amendment No. 20 dated August 1, 2002 to Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 79 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed December 11, 2002) | |||
(22) | Amendment No. 21 dated January 29, 2003 to the Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 81 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed February 19, 2003) | |||
(23) | Amendment No. 22 dated July 31, 2003 to the Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 85 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed December 12, 2003) | |||
(24) | Amendment No. 23 dated October 30, 2003 to the Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 85 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed December 12, 2003) | |||
(25) | Amendment No. 24 dated May 6, 2004 to the Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 (incorporated by reference from the Registrants Registration Statement on Form N-14 relating to the Registrants acquisition of the Golden Oak® Family of Funds, SEC File No. 333-117561, filed July 22, 2004) |
(26) | Amendment No. 25 dated April 21, 2004 to the Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 93 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed December 23, 2004) | |||
(27) | Amendment No. 26 dated November 4, 2004 to the Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 93 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed December 23, 2004) | |||
(28) | Amendment No. 27 dated February 10, 2005 to the Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 103 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed June 17, 2005) | |||
(29) | Amendment No. 28 dated May 12, 2005 to the Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 112 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed December 7, 2005) | |||
(30) | Amendment No. 29 dated June 16, 2005 to the Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 112 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed December 7, 2005) | |||
(31) | Amendment No. 30 dated August 4, 2005 to the Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1977 (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 112 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed December 7, 2005) | |||
(32) | Amendment No. 31 dated November 2, 2005 to the Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 127 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed May 26, 2006) | |||
(33) | Amendment No. 32 dated December 31, 2005 to the Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 114 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed December 29, 2005) | |||
(34) | Amendment No. 33 dated March 16, 2006 to the Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 127 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed May 26, 2006) | |||
(35) | Amendment No. 34 dated March 16, 2006 to the Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 127 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed May 26, 2006) | |||
(36) | Amendment No. 35 dated May 11, 2006 to the Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 133 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed August 18, 2006) | |||
(37) | Amendment No. 36 dated June 15, 2006 to the Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 129 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed June 23, 2006) |
(38) | Amendment No. 37 dated August 10, 2006 to the Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 143 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed December 21, 2006) | |||
(39) | Amendment No. 38 dated November 9, 2006 to the Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 143 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed December 21, 2006) | |||
(40) | Amendment No. 39 dated December 14, 2006 to the Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 159 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed June 12, 2007) | |||
(41) | Amendment No. 40 dated December 14, 2006 to the Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 159 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed June 12, 2007) | |||
(42) | Amendment No. 41 dated February 8, 2007 to the Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 159 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed June 12, 2007) | |||
(43) | Amendment No. 42 dated March 15, 2007 to the Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 159 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed June 12, 2007) | |||
(44) | Amendment No. 43 dated May 10, 2007 to the Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 159 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed June 12, 2007) | |||
(45) | Amendment No. 44 dated June 13, 2007 to the Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 162 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed August 14, 2007) | |||
(46) | Amendment No. 45 dated June 13, 2007 to the Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 173 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed November 27, 2007) | |||
(47) | Amendment No. 46 dated November 8, 2007 to the Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 173 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed November 27, 2007) | |||
(48) | Amendment No. 47 dated November 8, 2007 to the Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 173 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed November 27, 2007) | |||
(49) | Amendment No. 48 dated December 13, 2007 to the Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. |
183 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed January 18, 2008) | ||||
(50) | Amendment No. 49 dated June 19, 2008 to the Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 205 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed July 29, 2008) | |||
(51) | Amendment No. 50 dated August 14, 2008 to the Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 206 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed August 27, 2008) | |||
(52) | Amendment No. 51 dated August 25, 2008 to the Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 217 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed February 27, 2009) | |||
(53) | Amendment No. 52 dated November 13, 2008 to the Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 217 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed February 27, 2009) | |||
(54) | Amendment No. 53 dated May 21, 2009 to the Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 226 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed November 24, 2009) | |||
(55) | Amendment No. 54 dated November 19, 2009 to the Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 226 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed November 24, 2009) | |||
(56) | Amendment No. 55 dated February 11, 2010 to the Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 242 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed April 30, 2010) | |||
(57) | Amendment No. 56 dated May 20, 2010 to the Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 249 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed June 30, 2010) | |||
(58) | Amendment No. 57 dated June 17, 2010 to the Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 249 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed June 30, 2010) | |||
(59) | Amendment No. 58 dated November 18, 2010 to the Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 261 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed December 3, 2010) | |||
(60) | Amendment No. 59 dated January 5, 2011 to the Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 270 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed February 16, 2011) |
(61) | Amendment No. 60 dated February 10, 2011 to the Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 270 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed February 16, 2011) | |||
(62) | Amendment No. 61 dated February 10, 2011 to the Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 270 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed February 16, 2011) | |||
(63) | Amendment No. 62 dated June 16, 2011 to the Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 285 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed July 29, 2011) | |||
(64) | Amendment No. 63 dated August 18, 2011 to the Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 290 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed December 12, 2011) | |||
(65) | Amendment No. 64 dated September 27, 2011 to the Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 291 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed December 16, 2011) | |||
(66) | Amendment No. 65 dated October 20, 2011 to the Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 291 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed December 16, 2011) | |||
(67) | Amendment No. 66 dated December 15, 2011 to the Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 292 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed December 23, 2011) | |||
(68) | Amendment No. 67 dated April 19, 2012 to the Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 321 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed April 27, 2012) | |||
(69) | Amendment No. 68 dated August 16, 2012 to the Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 333 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed September 24, 2012) | |||
(70) | Amendment No. 69 dated December 13, 2012 to the Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 346 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed January 28, 2013) | |||
(71) | Amendment No. 70 dated February 12, 2013 to the Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. |
348 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed February 28, 2013) | ||||
(72) | Amendment No. 71 dated April 18, 2013 to the Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 355 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed April 30, 2013) | |||
(73) | Amendment No. 72 dated June 13, 2013 to the Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 363 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed July 29, 2013) | |||
(74) | Amendment No. 73 dated August 15, 2013 to the Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 366 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed September 12, 2013) | |||
(75) | Amendment No. 74 dated September 19, 2013 to the Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 368 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed September 26, 2013) | |||
(76) | Amendment No. 75 dated October 17, 2013 to the Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 369 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed October 25, 2013) | |||
(77) | Amendment No. 76 dated November 8, 2013 to the Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 375 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed December 13, 2013) | |||
(78) | Amendment No. 77 dated December 19, 2013 to the Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 376 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File no. 33-17619, filed December 26, 2013) | |||
(79) | Amendment No. 78 dated February 11, 2014 to the Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 393 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed February 21, 2014) | |||
(80) | Amendment No. 79 dated April 10, 2014 to the Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 414 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed April 25, 2014) | |||
(81) | Amendment No. 80 dated August 14, 2014 to the Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 430 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed September 30, 2014) | |||
(82) | Amendment No. 81 dated October 16, 2014 to the Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 432 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed November 17, 2014) | |||
(83) | Amendment No. 82 dated December 17, 2014 to the Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 433 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed December 29, 2014) |
(84) | Amendment No. 83 dated February 12, 2015 to the Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 441 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed February 27, 2015) | |||
(85) | Amendment No. 84 dated April 16, 2015 to the Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 455 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed April 30, 2015) | |||
(86) | Amendment No. 85 dated June 11, 2015 to the Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 464 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed June 17, 2015) | |||
(87) | Amendment No. 86 dated August 13, 2015 to the Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 (incorporated by reference from Registrants Registration Statement on Form N-14, SEC File No. 333-206459, filed August 18, 2015) | |||
(88) | Amendment No. 87 dated October 15, 2015 to the Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 504 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed October 30, 2015) | |||
(89) | Amendment No. 88 dated December 17, 2015 to the Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 511 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed December 17, 2015) | |||
(90) | Amendment No. 89 dated February 11, 2016 to the Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 526 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed February 26, 2016) | |||
(91) | Amendment No. 90 dated April 14, 2016 to the Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 551 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed April 29, 2016) | |||
(92) | Amendment No. 91 dated May 23, 2016 to the Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 573 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed July 29, 2016) | |||
(93) | Amendment No. 92 dated June 16, 2016 to the Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 573 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed July 29, 2016) | |||
(94) | Amendment No. 93 dated August 18, 2016 to the Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 577 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed August 24, 2016) | |||
(95) | Amendment No. 94 dated December 14, 2016 to the Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 582 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed December 22, 2016) |
(b) | Amended and Restated By-laws of Goldman Sachs Trust dated October 16, 2014 (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 432 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed November 17, 2014) | |||
(c) | Instruments defining the rights of holders of Registrants shares of beneficial interest (Article II, Section 10, Article IV, Section 3, Article V, Article VI, Article VII, Article IX, Section 8 and Section 9 of the Registrants Agreement and Declaration of Trust incorporated by reference as Exhibit (a)(1) and Article III of the Registrants Amended and Restated By-Laws incorporated by reference as Exhibit (b)) | |||
(d) | (1) | Management Agreement dated April 30, 1997 between Registrant, on behalf of Goldman Sachs Short Duration Government Fund, and Goldman Sachs Funds Management, L.P. (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 41 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed February 13, 1998) | ||
(2) | Management Agreement dated April 30, 1997 between Registrant, on behalf of Goldman Sachs High Quality Floating Rate Fund (formerly, Goldman Sachs Adjustable Rate Government Fund), and Goldman Sachs Funds Management, L.P. (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 41 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed February 13, 1998) | |||
(3) | Management Agreement dated April 30, 1997 between Registrant, on behalf of Goldman Sachs Short Duration Tax-Free Fund, and Goldman Sachs Asset Management, L.P. (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 41 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed February 13, 1998) | |||
(4) | Management Agreement dated April 30, 1997 between Registrant, on behalf of Goldman Sachs Core Fixed Income Fund, and Goldman Sachs Asset Management, L.P. (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 41 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed February 13, 1998) | |||
(5) | Management Agreement dated April 30, 1997 between Registrant, Goldman Sachs Asset Management, L.P., Goldman Sachs Funds Management L.P. and Goldman Sachs Asset Management International (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 48 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed November 25, 1998) | |||
(6) | Management Agreement dated January 1, 1998 between Registrant, on behalf of the Goldman Sachs Asset Allocation Portfolios, and Goldman Sachs Asset Management, L.P. (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 41 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed February 13, 1998) | |||
(7) | Amended Annex A dated September 25, 2007 to the Management Agreement dated January 1, 1998 on behalf of the Goldman Sachs Asset Allocation Portfolios, and Goldman Sachs Asset Management, L.P. (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 195 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed February 29, 2008) | |||
(8) | Amended Annex A dated April 14, 2016 to the Management Agreement dated April 30, 1997 between Registrant, Goldman Sachs Asset Management, L.P., Goldman Sachs Funds Management L.P. and Goldman Sachs Asset Management International (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 554 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed May 13, 2016) | |||
(9) | Sub-Advisory Agreement effective October 1, 2014 between Goldman Sachs Asset Management, L.P. and Dividend Assets Capital, LLC, on behalf of the Goldman Sachs Rising Dividend Growth Fund (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective |
Amendment No. 441 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed February 27, 2015) | ||||
(10) | Assumption Agreement dated April 26, 2003 between Goldman, Sachs & Co. and Goldman Sachs Asset Management, L.P. (with respect to the Goldman Sachs Short-Duration Tax-Free Fund) (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 83 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed June 13, 2003) | |||
(11) | Assumption Agreement dated April 26, 2003 between Goldman, Sachs & Co. and Goldman Sachs Asset Management, L.P. (with respect to certain of the Goldman Sachs Fixed Income, Equity, Specialty and Money Market Funds) (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 83 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed June 13, 2003) | |||
(12) | Assumption Agreement dated April 26, 2003 between Goldman, Sachs & Co. and Goldman Sachs Asset Management, L.P. (with respect to the Goldman Sachs Core Fixed Income Fund) (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 83 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed June 13, 2003) | |||
(13) | Assumption Agreement dated April 26, 2003 between Goldman, Sachs & Co. and Goldman Sachs Asset Management, L.P. (with respect to the Goldman Sachs Asset Allocation Funds) (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 83 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed June 13, 2003) | |||
(14) | Fee Reduction Commitment dated April 29, 2005 between Goldman Sachs Asset Management, L.P. and Goldman Sachs Trust relating to the Goldman Sachs Equity Growth Strategy (formerly, Goldman Sachs Aggressive Growth Strategy), Goldman Sachs Balanced Strategy, Goldman Sachs Growth and Income Strategy and Goldman Sachs Growth Strategy Portfolios (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 103 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed June 17, 2005) | |||
(15) | Fee Reduction Commitment dated July 1, 2008 between Goldman Sachs Asset Management, L.P. and Goldman Sachs Trust relating to the Short Duration Tax-Free Fund (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 217 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed February 27, 2009) | |||
(16) | Fee Reduction Commitment dated July 1, 2008 between Goldman Sachs Asset Management, L.P. and Goldman Sachs Trust relating to the Goldman Sachs High Quality Floating Rate Fund (formerly, Goldman Sachs Ultra-Short Duration Government Fund and Goldman Sachs Adjustable Rate Government Fund) (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 217 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed February 27, 2009) | |||
(17) | Fee Reduction Commitment dated July 1, 2008 between Goldman Sachs Asset Management, L.P. and Goldman Sachs Trust relating to the Short Duration Government Fund (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 217 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed February 27, 2009) | |||
(18) | Fee Reduction Commitment dated July 1, 2008 between Goldman Sachs Asset Management, L.P. and Goldman Sachs Trust relating to the Core Fixed Income Fund (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 217 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed February 27, 2009) | |||
(19) | Management Agreement dated August 14, 2014 between Registrant, on behalf of Goldman Sachs Long Short Fund, and GS Investment Strategies, LLC (incorporated by |
reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 430 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed September 30, 2014) | ||||
(e) | (1) | Distribution Agreement dated April 30, 1997 (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 85 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed December 12, 2003) | ||
(2) | Amended Exhibit A dated April 14, 2016 to the Distribution Agreement dated April 30, 1997 (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 554 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed May 13, 2016) | |||
(f) | Not applicable | |||
(g) | (1) | Custodian Contract dated July 15, 1991, between Registrant and State Street Bank and Trust Company (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 26 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed December 29, 1995) | ||
(2) | Fee schedule relating to the Custodian Agreement between Registrant on behalf of the Goldman Sachs Asset Allocation Portfolios and State Street Bank and Trust Company (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 40 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed October 16, 1997) | |||
(3) | Custodian Contract dated April 6, 1990 between Registrant and State Street Bank and Trust Company on behalf of Goldman Sachs Capital Growth Fund (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 50 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed December 29, 1998) | |||
(4) | Fee schedule dated April 12, 1999 relating to Custodian Contract dated April 6, 1990 between Registrant and State Street Bank and Trust Company (Goldman Sachs Strategic Growth and Goldman Sachs Growth Opportunities Funds) (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 55 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed July 16, 1999) | |||
(5) | Fee schedule dated October 1, 1999 relating to the Custodian Contract dated April 6, 1990 between Registrant and State Street Bank and Trust Company (Goldman Sachs Large Cap Value Fund) (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 59 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed December 1, 1999) | |||
(6) | Fee schedule dated January 12, 2000 relating to Custodian Contract dated April 6, 1990 between Registrant and State Street Bank and Trust Company (Goldman Sachs U.S. Tax-Managed Equity Fund (formerly, CORE Tax-Managed Equity Fund)) (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 62 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed February 23, 2000) | |||
(7) | Fee schedule dated January 6, 2000 relating to Custodian Contract dated July 15, 1991 between Registrant and State Street Bank and Trust Company (Goldman Sachs High Yield Municipal Fund) (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 62 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed February 23, 2000) | |||
(8) | Fee schedule dated April 14, 2000 relating to Custodian Contract dated July 15, 1991 between Registrant and State Street Bank and Trust Company (Goldman Sachs Enhanced Income Fund) (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 65 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed May 3, 2000) |
(9) | Additional Portfolio Agreement dated September 27, 1999 between Registrant and State Street Bank and Trust Company (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 62 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed February 23, 2000) | |||
(10) | Letter Agreement dated September 27, 1999 between Registrant and State Street Bank and Trust Company relating to Custodian Contract dated April 6, 1990 (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 62 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed February 23, 2000) | |||
(11) | Letter Agreement dated September 27, 1999 between Registrant and State Street Bank and Trust Company relating to Custodian Contract dated July 15, 1991 (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 62 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed February 23, 2000) | |||
(12) | Amendment dated July 2, 2001 to the Custodian Contract dated April 6, 1990 between Registrant and State Street Bank and Trust Company (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 73 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed December 21, 2001) | |||
(13) | Amendment dated July 2, 2001 to the Custodian Contract dated July 15, 1991 between Registrant and State Street Bank and Trust Company (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 73 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed December 21, 2001) | |||
(14) | Amendment dated August 1, 2001 to the Custodian Contract dated April 6, 1990 between Registrant and State Street Bank and Trust Company (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 75 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed April 15, 2002) | |||
(15) | Amendment dated August 1, 2001 to the Custodian Contract dated July 15, 1991 between Registrant and State Street Bank and Trust Company (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 75 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed April 15, 2002) | |||
(16) | Letter Amendment dated May 15, 2002 to the Custodian Contract dated April 6, 1990 between Registrant and State Street Bank and Trust Company (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 79 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed December 11, 2002) | |||
(17) | Global Custody Agreement dated June 30, 2006 between Registrant and JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 149 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed January 19, 2007) | |||
(18) | Letter Amendment dated August 26, 2003 to the Custodian Contract dated July 15, 1991 between Registrant and State Street Bank and Trust Company (Goldman Sachs Emerging Markets Debt Fund) (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 218 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed April 29, 2009) | |||
(19) | Letter Amendment dated October 28, 2003 to the Custodian Contract dated July 15, 1991 between Registrant and State Street Bank and Trust Company (Goldman Sachs U.S. Mortgages Fund) (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 218 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed April 29, 2009) | |||
(20) | Letter Amendment dated February 8, 2007 to the Global Custody Agreement dated June 30, 2006 between Registrant and JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. (Goldman Sachs Commodity Strategy Fund) (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment |
No. 218 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed April 29, 2009) | ||||
(21) | Letter Amendment dated March 14, 2007 to Custodian Contract dated July 15, 1991 between Registrant and State Street Bank and Trust Company (Goldman Sachs Satellite Strategies Portfolio) (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 218 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed April 29, 2009) | |||
(22) | Letter Amendment dated April 23, 2007 to the Global Custody Agreement dated June 30, 2006 between Registrant and JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. (Goldman Sachs Strategic International Equity Fund) (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 218 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed April 29, 2009) | |||
(23) | Letter Amendment dated May 2, 2007 to the Custodian Contract dated July 15, 1991 between Registrant and State Street Bank and Trust Company (Goldman Sachs Small Cap Growth Insights Fund and Goldman Sachs Small Cap Value Insights Fund (formerly, Goldman Sachs Structured Small Cap Growth Fund and Goldman Sachs Structured Small Cap Value Fund, respectively)) (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 218 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed April 29, 2009) | |||
(24) | Letter Amendment dated August 10, 2007 to the Custodian Contract dated July 15, 1991 between Registrant and State Street Bank and Trust Company (Goldman Sachs Inflation Protected Securities Fund) (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 218 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed April 29, 2009) | |||
(25) | Letter Amendment dated September 12, 2007 to the Global Custody Agreement dated June 30, 2006 between Registrant and JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. (Goldman Sachs International Small Cap Insights Fund (formerly, Goldman Sachs Structured International Small Cap Fund)) (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 218 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed April 29, 2009) | |||
(26) | Letter Amendment dated September 12, 2007 to the Global Custody Agreement dated June 30, 2006 between Registrant and JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. (Goldman Sachs Emerging Markets Equity Insights Fund (formerly, Goldman Sachs Structured Emerging Markets Equity Fund)) (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 218 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed April 29, 2009) | |||
(27) | Letter Amendment dated September 18, 2007 to the Global Custody Agreement dated June 30, 2006 between Registrant and JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. (Goldman Sachs Enhanced Dividend Global Equity Portfolio) (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 218 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed April 29, 2009) | |||
(28) | Letter Amendment dated September 18, 2007 to the Global Custody Agreement dated June 30, 2006 between Registrant and JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. (Goldman Sachs Tax-Advantaged Global Equity Portfolio) (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 218 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed April 29, 2009) | |||
(29) | Letter Amendment dated September 18, 2007 to the Global Custody Agreement dated June 30, 2006 between Registrant and JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. (Goldman Sachs International Tax-Managed Equity Fund (formerly, Goldman Sachs Structured International Tax-Managed Equity Fund)) (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective |
Amendment No. 218 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed April 29, 2009) | ||||
(30) | Letter Amendment dated September 18, 2007 to the Global Custody Agreement dated June 30, 2006 between Registrant and JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. (Goldman Sachs International Equity Dividend and Premium Fund) (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 218 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed April 29, 2009) | |||
(31) | Letter Amendment dated October 4, 2007 to the Custodian Contract dated July 15, 1991 between Registrant and State Street Bank and Trust Company (Goldman Sachs Local Emerging Markets Debt Fund) (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 218 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed April 29, 2009) | |||
(32) | Letter Amendment dated November 28, 2007 to the Global Custody Agreement dated June 30, 2006 between Registrant and JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. (Goldman Sachs Absolute Return Tracker Fund) (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 218 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed April 29, 2009) | |||
(33) | Letter Amendment dated September 17, 2009 to the Global Custody Agreement dated June 30, 2006 between Registrant and JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. (Goldman Sachs International Equity Insights Fund (formerly, Goldman Sachs Structured International Equity Fund)) (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 226 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed November 24, 2009) | |||
(34) | Letter Amendment dated November 19, 2009 to the Custodian Contract dated July 15, 1991 between Registrant and State Street Bank and Trust Company (Goldman Sachs Dynamic U.S. Equity Fund (formerly, Goldman Sachs U.S. Equity Fund)) (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 226 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed November 24, 2009) | |||
(35) | Letter Amendment dated November 19, 2009 to the Global Custody Agreement dated June 30, 2006 between Registrant and JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. (Goldman Sachs Dynamic Allocation Fund) (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 233 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed December 28, 2009) | |||
(36) | Letter Amendment dated August 11, 2009 to the Custodian Contract dated July 15, 1991 between Registrant and State Street Bank and Trust Company (Goldman Sachs Technology Opportunities Fund (formerly, Goldman Sachs Technology Tollkeeper Fund)) (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 229 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed December 24, 2009) | |||
(37) | Letter Amendment dated June 30, 2010 to the Custodian Contract dated July 15, 1991 between Registrant and State Street Bank and Trust Company (Goldman Sachs Strategic Income Fund) (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 249 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed June 30, 2010) | |||
(38) | Letter Amendment dated December 31, 2010 to the Global Custody Agreement dated June 30, 2006 between Registrant and JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A (Goldman Sachs N-11 Equity Fund) (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 270 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed February 16, 2011) | |||
(39) | Letter Amendment dated February 14, 2011 to the Custodian Contract dated July 15, 1991 between Registrant and State Street Bank and Trust Company (Goldman Sachs |
High Yield Floating Rate Fund) (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 277 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed April 5, 2011) | ||||
(40) | Custody Agreement dated April 5, 2011 between Registrant, Goldman Sachs Variable Insurance Trust and The Bank of New York Mellon on behalf of the Goldman Sachs Money Market Funds (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 279 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed April 28, 2011) | |||
(41) | Letter Amendment dated January 9, 2012 to the Custodian Contract dated July 15, 1991 between Registrant and State Street Bank and Trust Company (Goldman Sachs Focused Growth Fund) (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 304 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed January 26, 2012) | |||
(42) | Letter Amendment dated January 31, 2012 to the Custodian Contract dated July 15, 1991 between Registrant and State Street Bank and Trust Company (Goldman Sachs Rising Dividend Growth Fund) (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 311 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed February 27, 2012) | |||
(43) | Letter Amendment dated December 14, 2011 to the Global Custody Agreement dated June 30, 2006 between Registrant and JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. (Goldman Sachs Managed Futures Strategy Fund) (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 312 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed February 27, 2012) | |||
(44) | Letter Amendment dated February 2, 2012 to the Custodian Contract dated July 15, 1991 between Registrant and State Street Bank and Trust Company (Goldman Sachs Short Duration Income Fund) (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 313 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed February 28, 2012) | |||
(45) | Letter Amendment dated March 6, 2013 to the Custodian Contract dated July 15, 1991 between Registrant and State Street Bank and Trust Company (Goldman Sachs MLP Energy Infrastructure Fund) (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 353 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17618, filed March 25, 2013) | |||
(46) | Letter Amendment dated May 6, 2013 to the Custodian Contract dated July 15, 1991 between Registrant and State Street Bank and Trust Company (Goldman Sachs Dynamic Emerging Markets Debt Fund) (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 360 to the Registrants registration statement. SEC File No. 33-17619, filed May 29, 2013) | |||
(47) | Letter Amendment dated October 1, 2013 to the Custodian Contract dated July 15, 1991 between Registrant and State Street Bank and Trust Company (Goldman Sachs MLP Income Opportunities Fund) (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 2 to Goldman Sachs MLP Income Opportunities Funds registration statement, SEC File No. 333-189529, filed October 25, 2013) | |||
(48) | Letter Amendment dated November 4, 2013 to the Custodian Contract dated July 15, 1991 between Registrant and State Street Bank and Trust Company (Goldman Sachs Fixed Income Macro Strategies Fund) (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 375 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed December 13, 2013) |
(49) | Letter Amendment dated December 11, 2013 to the Custodian Contract dated July 15, 1991 between Registrant and State Street Bank and Trust Company (Goldman Sachs Small/Mid Cap Value Fund) (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 387 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed January 30, 2014) | |||
(50) | Letter Amendment dated December 5, 2013 to the Custodian Contract dated July 15, 1991 between Registrant and State Street Bank and Trust Company (Goldman Sachs Short-Term Conservative Income Fund (formerly, Goldman Sachs Limited Maturity Obligations Fund)) (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 395 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed February 28, 2014) | |||
(51) | Letter Amendment dated January 8, 2014 to the Custodian Contract dated July 15, 1991 between Registrant and State Street Bank and Trust Company (Goldman Sachs Long Short Credit Strategies Fund) (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 408 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed March 21, 2014) | |||
(52) | Letter Amendment dated June 16, 2014 to the Custodian Contract dated July 15, 1991 between Registrant and State Street Bank and Trust Company (Goldman Sachs Tactical Tilt Overlay Fund (formerly, Goldman Sachs Tactical Tilt Implementation Fund)) (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 424 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed July 24, 2014) | |||
(53) | Letter Amendment to the Custodian Contract dated July 15, 1991 between Registrant and State Street Bank and Trust Company (Goldman Sachs MLP and Energy Renaissance Fund) (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 1 to Goldman Sachs MLP and Energy Renaissance Funds registration statement, SEC File No. 333-197328, filed August 26, 2014) | |||
(54) | Letter Amendment dated August 14, 2014 to the Custodian Contract dated July 15, 1991 between Registrant and State Street Bank and Trust Company (Goldman Sachs Long Short Fund) (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 430 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed September 30, 2014) | |||
(55) | Letter Amendment dated December 17, 2014 to the Custodian Contract dated July 15, 1991 between Registrant and State Street Bank and Trust Company (Goldman Sachs Global Managed Beta Fund) (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 440 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed February 18, 2015) | |||
(56) | Letter Amendment dated August 13, 2015 to the Custodian Contract dated July 15, 1991 between Registrant and State Street Bank and Trust Company (Goldman Sachs Absolute Return Multi-Asset Fund (formerly, Goldman Sachs Global Absolute Return Fund) and Goldman Sachs Focused Value Fund) (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 494 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed August 31, 2015) | |||
(57) | Letter Amendment dated September 8, 2015 to the Custodian Contract dated July 15, 1991 between Registrant and State Street Bank and Trust Company (Cayman Commodity-MMA, Ltd.) (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 24 to Goldman Sachs Trust IIs registration statement, SEC File No. 333-185659, filed November 25, 2015) | |||
(58) | Letter Amendment dated June 10, 2015 to the Custodian Contract dated July 15, 1991 between Registrant and State Street Bank and Trust Company (Cayman Commodity- |
MMRA, Ltd.) (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 24 to Goldman Sachs Trust IIs registration statement, SEC File No. 333-185659, filed November 25, 2015) | ||||
(59) | Letter Amendment dated June 10, 2015 to the Custodian Contract dated July 15, 1991 between Registrant and State Street Bank and Trust Company (Goldman Sachs Multi-Manager Global Equity Fund, Goldman Sachs Multi-Manager Real Assets Strategy Fund, Multi-Manager International Equity Fund and Multi-Manager U.S. Dynamic Equity Fund) (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 24 to Goldman Sachs Trust IIs registration statement, SEC File No. 333-185659, filed November 25, 2015) | |||
(60) | Letter Amendment dated December 2, 2013 to the Custodian Contract dated July 15, 1991 between Registrant and State Street Bank and Trust Company (Cayman Commodity-FIMS, Ltd.) (formerly, Goldman Sachs Cayman Commodity-FIMS Fund Ltd.) (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 514 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed December 23, 2015) | |||
(61) | Letter Amendment dated June 17, 2014 to the Custodian Contract dated July 15, 1991 between Registrant and State Street Bank and Trust Company (Cayman Commodity-TTIF, Ltd.) (formerly, Goldman Sachs Cayman Commodity TTIF Fund Ltd.) (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 514 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed December 23, 2015) | |||
(62) | Letter Amendment dated June 11, 2015 to the Custodian Contract dated July 15, 1991 between Registrant and State Street Bank and Trust Company (Cayman Commodity-ARM, Ltd.) (formerly, Cayman Commodity-GARF, Ltd.) (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 514 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed December 23, 2015) | |||
(63) | Letter Amendment dated April 22, 2015 to the Custodian Agreement dated April 5, 2011 between Registrant, Goldman Sachs ETF Trust, Goldman Sachs Variable Insurance Trust and The Bank of New York Mellon (incorporated by reference from Pre-Effective Amendment No. 2 to the Goldman Sachs ETF Trusts registration statement, SEC File No. 333-200933, filed August 7, 2015) | |||
(64) | Letter Amendment dated October 20, 2015 to the Custodian Agreement dated April 5, 2011 between Registrant, Goldman Sachs ETF Trust, Goldman Sachs Variable Insurance Trust and The Bank of New York Mellon (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 518 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed January 15, 2016) | |||
(65) | Amendment dated January 6, 2016 to the Custodian Agreement dated April 5, 2011 between Registrant, Goldman Sachs ETF Trust, Goldman Sachs Variable Insurance Trust and The Bank of New York Mellon (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 523 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed January 29, 2016) | |||
(66) | Amendment dated March 1, 2016 to the Custodian Agreement dated April 5, 2011 between Registrant, Goldman Sachs ETF Trust, Goldman Sachs Variable Insurance Trust and The Bank of New York Mellon (Goldman Sachs Financial Square Tax-Exempt Money Market Fund and Goldman Sachs Investor Tax-Exempt Money Market Fund) (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 559 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed May 20, 2016) |
(67) | Letter Amendment dated May 31, 2016 to the Custodian Contract dated July 15, 1991 between Registrant and State Street Bank and Trust Company (Goldman Sachs Strategic Factor Allocation Fund), (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 568 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed June 27, 2016) | |||
(h) | (1) | First Amendment dated July 18, 1994 to Amended and Restated Wiring Agreement dated January 25, 1994 among Goldman, Sachs & Co., State Street Bank and Trust Company and The Northern Trust Company (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 222 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File. No. 33-17619, filed July 28, 2009) | ||
(2) | Amended and Restated Wiring Agreement dated January 25, 1994 among Goldman, Sachs & Co., State Street Bank and Trust Company and The Northern Trust Company (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 222 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File. No. 33-17619, filed July 28, 2009) | |||
(3) | Letter Agreement dated June 20, 1987 regarding use of checking account between Registrant and The Northern Trust Company (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 43 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed March 2, 1998) | |||
(4) | Amended and Restated Transfer Agency Agreement dated August 9, 2007 between Registrant and Goldman, Sachs & Co. (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 175 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed December 10, 2007) | |||
(5) | Amended and Restated Transfer Agency Agreement Fee Schedule dated October 20, 2016, to the Transfer Agency Agreement dated August 9, 2007 between Registrant and Goldman, Sachs & Co. (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 580 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed October 24, 2016) | |||
(6) | Form of Retail Service Agreement on behalf of Goldman Sachs Trust relating to Class A Shares of Goldman Sachs Asset Allocation Portfolios, Goldman Sachs Fixed Income Funds, Goldman Sachs Domestic Equity Funds and Goldman Sachs International Equity Funds (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 50 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed December 29, 1998) | |||
(7) | Form of Retail Service Agreement on behalf of Goldman Sachs Trust TPA Assistance Version relating to the Class A Shares of Goldman Sachs Asset Allocation Portfolios, Goldman Sachs Fixed Income Funds, Goldman Sachs Domestic Equity Funds and Goldman Sachs International Equity Funds (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 198 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed April 28, 2008) | |||
(8) | Form of Supplemental Service Agreement on behalf of Goldman Sachs Trust relating to the Administrative Class, Service Class and Cash Management Class of Goldman Sachs Financial Square Funds (formerly, Goldman Sachs Institutional Liquid Assets Portfolios) (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 50 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed December 29, 1998) | |||
(9) | Form of Supplemental Service Agreement on behalf of Goldman Sachs Trust relating to the Institutional Shares, Select Shares, Preferred Shares, Capital Shares, Administration Shares and Service Shares of the Goldman Sachs Financial Square Funds (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 50 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed December 29, 1998) |
(10) | Form of Supplemental Service Agreement on behalf of Goldman Sachs Trust relating to the Class A Shares and Service Shares of Goldman Sachs Equity and Fixed Income Funds (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 198 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed April 28, 2008) | |||
(11) | Form of Service Agreement on behalf of Goldman Sachs Trust relating to the Institutional Class, Select Class, Preferred Class, Capital Class, Administration Class, Premier Class, Service Class, Resource Class and Cash Management Class, as applicable, of Goldman Sachs Financial Square Funds, Goldman Sachs Fixed Income Funds, Goldman Sachs Domestic Equity Funds, Goldman Sachs International Equity Funds and Goldman Sachs Fund of Funds Portfolios (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 252 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed July 29, 2010) | |||
(12) | Goldman Sachs Trust Select Class Select Plan amended and restated as of February 4, 2004 (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 86 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed February 24, 2004) | |||
(13) | Goldman Sachs Trust Administration Shares Administration Plan amended and restated as of December 16, 2010 (on behalf of the Goldman Sachs Financial Square Funds) (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 263 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed December 29, 2010) | |||
(14) | Goldman Sachs Trust Preferred Class Preferred Administration Plan amended and restated as of February 4, 2004 (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 86 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed February 24, 2004) | |||
(15) | Goldman Sachs Trust Administration Class Administration Plan amended and restated as of February 4, 2004 (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 86 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed February 24, 2004) | |||
(16) | Goldman Sachs Trust Service Class Service Plan and Shareholder Administration Plan amended and restated as of February 4, 2004 (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 86 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed February 24, 2004) | |||
(17) | Goldman Sachs Trust Capital Administration Class Capital Administration Plan amended and restated as of February 4, 2004 (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 86 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed February 24, 2004) | |||
(18) | Goldman Sachs Trust Service Shares Service Plan and Shareholder Administration Plan amended and restated as of December 16, 2010 (on behalf of the Goldman Sachs Financial Square Funds) (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 263 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed December 29, 2010) | |||
(19) | Mutual Funds Service Agreement dated June 30, 2006 between Registrant and J.P. Morgan Investor Services Co. (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 149 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed January 19, 2007) |
(20) | Goldman Sachs Trust Cash Management Shares Service Plan dated February 11, 2010 (on behalf of the Goldman Sachs Financial Square Funds) (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 245 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed May 14, 2010) | |||
(21) | Goldman Sachs Trust Premier Shares Service Plan and Administration Plan dated February 11, 2010 (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 245 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed May 14, 2010) | |||
(22) | Goldman Sachs Trust Resource Shares Service Plan dated February 11, 2010 (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 245 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed May 14, 2010) | |||
(23) | Fund Administration and Accounting Agreement dated April 5, 2011 between Registrant, Goldman Sachs Variable Insurance Trust and The Bank of New York Mellon on behalf of the Goldman Sachs Money Market Funds (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 279 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed April 28, 2011) | |||
(24) | Fee Waiver Agreement between Goldman Sachs Asset Management, L.P. and Goldman Sachs Trust relating to Goldman Sachs Fixed Income Macro Strategies Fund (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 430 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed September 30, 2014) | |||
(25) | Appointment of Agent for Service of Process relating to Cayman Commodity-FIMS, Ltd. (formerly, Goldman Sachs Cayman Commodity-FIMS Fund Ltd.) (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 375 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed December 13, 2013) | |||
(26) | Appointment of Agent for Service of Process relating to Cayman Commodity-DCS, Ltd. (formerly, Goldman Sachs DCS Cayman Commodity Fund Ltd.) (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 414 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed April 25, 2014) | |||
(27) | Fee Waiver Agreement dated April 30, 2014 between Goldman Sachs Asset Management, L.P. and Goldman Sachs Trust relating to Goldman Sachs Commodity Strategy Fund (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 416 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed April 30, 2014) | |||
(28) | Appointment of Agent for Service of Process relating to Cayman Commodity-CSF, Ltd. (formerly, Goldman Sachs Cayman Commodity Fund, Ltd.) (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 416 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed April 30, 2014) | |||
(29) | Fee Waiver Agreement dated April 30, 2014 between Goldman Sachs Asset Management, L.P. and Goldman Sachs Trust relating to Goldman Sachs Absolute Return Tracker Fund (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 416 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed April 30, 2014) | |||
(30) | Appointment of Agent for Service of Process relating to Cayman Commodity-ART, Ltd. (formerly, Goldman Sachs Cayman Commodity-ART Fund Ltd.) (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 416 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed April 30, 2014) | |||
(31) | Fee Waiver Agreement between Goldman Sachs Asset Management, L.P. and Goldman Sachs Trust relating to Goldman Sachs Tactical Tilt Overlay Fund (formerly, Goldman Sachs Tactical Tilt Implementation Fund) (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective |
Amendment No. 430 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed September 30, 2014) | ||||
(32) | Appointment of Agent for Service of Process relating to Cayman Commodity-TTIF, Ltd. (formerly, Goldman Sachs Cayman Commodity TTIF Fund Ltd.) (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 424 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed July 24, 2014) | |||
(33) | Securities Lending and Services Agreement between State Street Bank and Trust Company and Goldman Sachs Trust relating to Goldman Sachs Long Short Fund (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 430 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed September 30, 2014) | |||
(34) | Fee Waiver Agreement between Goldman Sachs Asset Management, L.P. and Goldman Sachs Trust relating to Goldman Sachs Dynamic Allocation Fund (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 440 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed February 18, 2015) | |||
(35) | Appointment of Agent for Service of Process relating to Cayman Commodity-DAF, Ltd. (formerly, Goldman Sachs Cayman Commodity-DAF Fund Ltd.) (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 440 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed February 18, 2015) | |||
(36) | Fee Waiver Agreement between Goldman Sachs Asset Management, L.P. and Goldman Sachs Trust relating to Goldman Sachs Absolute Return Multi-Asset Fund (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 495 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed September 1, 2015) | |||
(37) | Appointment of Agent for Service of Process relating to Cayman Commodity-ARM, Ltd. (formerly, Cayman Commodity-GARF, Ltd.) (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 495 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed September 1, 2015) | |||
(38) | Letter Amendment dated October 20, 2015 to the Fund Administration and Accounting Agreement dated April 5, 2011 between Registrant, Goldman Sachs Variable Insurance Trust, Goldman Sachs ETF Trust and The Bank of New York Mellon (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 3 to the Goldman Sachs ETF Trusts registration statement, SEC File No. 333-200933, filed February 8, 2016) | |||
(39) | Amendment dated January 6, 2016 to the Fund Administration and Accounting Agreement dated April 5, 2011 between Registrant, Goldman Sachs ETF Trust, Goldman Sachs Variable Insurance Trust and The Bank of New York Mellon (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 523 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed January 29, 2016) | |||
(40) | Amendment dated March 1, 2016 to the Fund Administration and Accounting Agreement dated April 5, 2011 between Registrant, Goldman Sachs ETF Trust, Goldman Sachs Variable Insurance Trust and The Bank of New York Mellon (Goldman Sachs Financial Square Tax-Exempt Money Market Fund and Goldman Sachs Investor Tax-Exempt Money Market Fund) (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 559 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed May 20, 2016) | |||
(41) | Fee Waiver Agreement between Goldman Sachs Asset Management, L.P. and Goldman Sachs Trust relating to Goldman Sachs Managed Futures Strategy Fund (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 573 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed July 29, 2016) |
(42) | Appointment of Agent for Service of Process relating to Cayman Commodity-MFS, Ltd. (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 573 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed July 29, 2016) | |||
(i) | Opinion and Consent of Dechert LLP (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 580 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed October 24, 2016) | |||
(j) | Consent of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, filed herewith | |||
(k) | Not applicable | |||
(l) | Not applicable | |||
(m) | (1) | Class A Distribution and Service Plan amended and restated as of May 5, 2004 (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 93 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed December 23, 2004) | ||
(2) | Class C Distribution and Service Plan amended and restated as of February 4, 2004 (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 86 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed February 24, 2004) | |||
(3) | Class R Distribution and Service Plan dated November 8, 2007 (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 173 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed November 27, 2007) | |||
(4) | Cash Management Shares Plan of Distribution pursuant to Rule 12b-1 dated February 11, 2010 (on behalf of the Goldman Sachs Financial Square Funds) (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 245 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed May 14, 2010) | |||
(5) | Resource Shares Plan of Distribution pursuant to Rule 12b-1 dated February 11, 2010 (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 245 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed May 14, 2010) | |||
(n) | Plan in Accordance with Rule 18f-3, amended and restated as of June 11, 2015 (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 481 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed July 31, 2015) | |||
(p) | (1) | Code of Ethics Goldman Sachs Trust, Goldman Sachs Variable Insurance Trust and Goldman Sachs Credit Strategies Fund dated April 23, 1997, as amended effective June 1, 2012 (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 363 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed July 29, 2013) | ||
(2) | Code of Ethics Goldman, Sachs & Co., Goldman Sachs Asset Management, L.P., Goldman Sachs Asset Management International, Goldman Sachs Hedge Fund Strategies LLC and GS Investment Strategies, LLC dated January 23, 1991, effective February 6, 2012 (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 355 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed April 30, 2013) | |||
(3) | Code of Ethics Dividend Assets Capital, LLC (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 424 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed July 24, 2014) | |||
(q) | (1) | Powers of Attorney for James A. McNamara, Scott M. McHugh, Ashok N. Bakhru, Kathryn A. Cassidy, Diana M. Daniels, Herbert J. Markley, Jessica Palmer, Alan A. |
Shuch, Roy W. Templin and Gregory G. Weaver (incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 573 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed July 29, 2016) |
Item 29. Persons Controlled by or Under Common Control with the Fund
Goldman Sachs Tactical Tilt Overlay Fund, a series of the Registrant, wholly owns and controls Cayman Commodity-TTIF, Ltd. (the TTIF Subsidiary), a company organized under the laws of the Cayman Islands. The TTIF Subsidiarys financial statements will be included on a consolidated basis in the Tactical Tilt Implementation Funds annual and semi-annual reports to shareholders.
Goldman Sachs Absolute Return Tracker Fund, a series of the Registrant, wholly owns and controls Cayman Commodity-ART, Ltd. (the ART Subsidiary), a company organized under the laws of the Cayman Islands. The ART Subsidiarys financial statements will be included on a consolidated basis in the Absolute Return Tracker Funds annual and semi-annual reports to shareholders.
Goldman Sachs Commodity Strategy Fund, a series of the Registrant, wholly owns and controls Cayman Commodity-CSF, Ltd. (the CSF Subsidiary), a company organized under the laws of the Cayman Islands. The Commodity Subsidiarys financial statements will be included on a consolidated basis in the Commodity Strategy Funds annual and semi-annual reports to shareholders.
Goldman Sachs Fixed Income Macro Strategies Fund, a series of the Registrant, wholly owns and controls Cayman Commodity-FIMS, Ltd. (the FIMS Subsidiary), a company organized under the laws of the Cayman Islands. The FIMS Subsidiarys financial statements will be included on a consolidated basis in the Fixed Income Macro Strategies Funds annual and semi-annual reports to shareholders.
Goldman Sachs Dynamic Allocation Fund, a series of the Registrant, wholly owns and controls Cayman Commodity-DAF, Ltd. (the DAF Subsidiary), a company organized under the laws of the Cayman Islands. The DAF Subsidiarys financial statements will be included on a consolidated basis in the Dynamic Allocation Funds annual and semi-annual reports to shareholders.
Goldman Sachs Absolute Return Multi-Asset Fund, a series of the Registrant, wholly owns and controls Cayman Commodity-ARM, Ltd. (the ARM Subsidiary), a company organized under the laws of the Cayman Islands. The ARM Subsidiarys financial statements will be included on a consolidated basis in the Absolute Return Multi-Asset Funds annual and semi-annual reports to shareholders.
Goldman Sachs Managed Futures Strategy Fund, a series of the Registrant, wholly owns and controls Cayman Commodity-MFS, Ltd. (the MFS Subsidiary), a company organized under the laws of the Cayman Islands. The MFS Subsidiarys financial statements will be included on a consolidated basis in the Managed Futures Strategy Funds annual and semi-annual reports to shareholders.
Item 30. Indemnification
Article IV of the Declaration of Trust of Goldman Sachs Trust, a Delaware statutory trust, provides for indemnification of the Trustees, officers and agents of the Trust, subject to certain limitations. The Declaration of Trust is incorporated by reference to Exhibit (a)(1).
The Management Agreements provide that the applicable Investment Adviser will not be liable for any error of judgment or mistake of law or for any loss suffered by a Fund, except a loss resulting from willful misfeasance, bad faith or gross negligence on the part of the Investment Adviser or from reckless disregard by the Investment Adviser of its obligations or duties under the Management Agreements. Section 7 of the Management Agreements on behalf of Goldman Sachs Short Duration Government Fund provides that Goldman Sachs Short Duration Government Fund will indemnify the Adviser against certain liabilities; provided, however, that such indemnification does not apply to any loss by reason of its willful misfeasance, bad faith or gross negligence or the Advisers reckless disregard of its obligation under the Management Agreements. The Management Agreements are incorporated by reference as Exhibits (d)(1) through (d)(6) and (d)(19).
Section 8 of the Sub-Advisory Agreement between Goldman Sachs Asset Management, L.P. (the Investment Adviser) and Dividend Assets Capital, LLC (the Sub-Adviser) with respect to Goldman Sachs Rising Dividend Growth Fund (the Fund) provides that the Sub-Adviser will not be liable for any losses, claims, damages, liabilities or litigation (including legal and other expenses) suffered by the Investment Adviser or the Trust as a result of any error of judgment by the Sub-Adviser with respect to the Fund, except that the Sub-Adviser will remain liable for, and will indemnify the Trust, the Investment Adviser and their affiliated persons against, any losses suffered (a) as a result of the willful misconduct, bad faith, or negligence by the Sub-Adviser; (b) as a result of any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the registration statement, proxy materials, reports, advertisements, sales literature or other materials pertaining to the Fund, or any material fact omitted therefrom, if such a statement or omission was made in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished by the Sub-Adviser; or (c) as a result of the failure of the Sub-Adviser to execute portfolio transactions according to the requirements of applicable law. The Sub-Advisory Agreement is incorporated by reference as Exhibit (d)(9).
Section 9 of the Distribution Agreement between the Registrant and Goldman Sachs dated April 30, 1997, as amended, and Section 7 of the Transfer Agency Agreement between the Registrant and Goldman, Sachs & Co. dated August 9, 2007 provides that the Registrant will indemnify Goldman, Sachs & Co. against certain liabilities. Copies of the Distribution Agreement and the Transfer Agency Agreement are incorporated by reference as Exhibits (e)(1) and (h)(4) respectively, to the Registrants Registration Statement.
Mutual fund and trustees and officers liability policies purchased jointly by the Registrant and Goldman Sachs Variable Insurance Trust insure such persons and their respective trustees, partners, officers and employees, subject to the policies coverage limits and exclusions and varying deductibles, against loss resulting from claims by reason of any act, error, omission, misstatement, misleading statement, neglect or breach of duty.
Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act of 1933 may be permitted to directors, officers or persons controlling the registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, the Registrant has been informed 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.
Item 31. Business and Other Connections of Investment Advisers
Goldman Sachs Asset Management, L.P. (GSAM), Goldman Sachs Asset Management International (GSAMI) and GS Investment Strategies, LLC (GSIS) are wholly-owned subsidiaries of The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. and serve as investment advisers to the Registrant. GSAM, GSAMI and GSIS are engaged in the investment advisory business. GSAM, GSAMI and GSIS are part of The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc., a public company that is a bank holding company, financial holding company and a worldwide, full-service financial services organization. The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. is the general partner and principal owner of GSAM and the sole member and principal owner of GSIS. Information about the officers and partners of GSAM, officers and directors of GSAMI and officers and sole member of GSIS, is included in their Forms ADV filed with the Commission (registration numbers 801-37591, 801-38157 and 801-67433, respectively) and is incorporated herein by reference.
Dividend Assets Capital, LLC (DAC) serves as sub-adviser to Goldman Sachs Rising Dividend Growth Fund. DAC is primarily engaged in the investment management business. Information about the officers and directors of DAC is included in its Form ADV filed with the Commission (registration number 801-62643) and is incorporated herein by reference.
Item 32. Principal Underwriters
(a) | Goldman, Sachs & Co. or an affiliate or a division thereof currently serves as distributor for shares of Goldman Sachs Trust, Goldman Sachs Variable Insurance Trust and Goldman Sachs Trust II. Goldman, Sachs & Co., or a division thereof currently serves as administrator and distributor of the units or shares of The Commerce Funds. |
(b) | Set forth below is certain information pertaining to the Managing Directors of Goldman, Sachs & Co., the Registrants principal underwriter, who are members of The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc.s |
Management Committee. None of the members of the management committee holds a position or office with the Registrant. |
GOLDMAN SACHS MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE
Name and Principal | ||
Business Address |
Position with Goldman, Sachs & Co. | |
Lloyd C. Blankfein (1) |
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer | |
Gary D. Cohn (1) |
President and Chief Operating Officer, Managing Director | |
Alan M. Cohen (1) |
Global Head of Compliance, Managing Director | |
Edith Cooper (1) |
Global Head of Human Capital Management, Managing Director | |
Isabelle Ealet (3) |
Global Co-Head of Securities Division, Managing Director | |
Richard A. Friedman (1) |
Head of Merchant Banking Division, Managing Director | |
Richard J. Gnodde (2) |
Co-Chief Executive Officer of Goldman Sachs International and Co-Head of Investment Banking Division, Managing Director | |
Gwen R. Libstag (1) |
Head of the Conflicts Resolution Group, Managing Director | |
Masanori Mochida (4) |
President and Representative Director of Goldman Sachs Japan Co., Ltd., Managing Director | |
Timothy J. ONeill (1) |
Global Co-Head of Investment Management Division, Managing Director | |
Gregory K. Palm (1) |
General Counsel and Managing Director | |
John F.W. Rogers (1) |
Executive Vice President, Chief of Staff, Secretary to Board of Directors, Managing Director | |
Pablo J. Salame (1) |
Global Co-Head of Securities Division, Managing Director | |
Jeffrey W. Schroeder (1) |
Chief Administrative Officer, Managing Director | |
Harvey M. Schwartz (1) |
Chief Financial Officer, Managing Director | |
Michael S. Sherwood (2) |
Vice Chairman, Co-Chief Executive Officer of Goldman Sachs International, Managing Director | |
David M. Solomon (1) |
Co-Head of Investment Banking Division, Managing Director | |
Esta Stecher (1) |
Chair of the Board of Directors of Goldman Sachs Bank USA, Board of Directors of Goldman Sachs International Bank, Managing Director | |
Steven H. Strongin (1) |
Head of Global Investment Research Division, Managing Director | |
Eric S. Lane (1) |
Co-Head of Investment Management Division, Managing Director | |
Stephen M. Scherr (1) |
Chief Strategy Officer, Chief Executive Officer of Goldman Sachs Bank USA, Managing Director | |
Ashok Varadhan (1) |
Co-Head of Securities Division, Managing Director | |
Mark Schwartz (5) |
Vice Chairman of Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. and Chairman of Goldman Sachs Asia Pacific, Managing Director | |
R. Martin Chavez (1) |
Chief Information Officer, Managing Director | |
Ken W. Hitchner (6) |
President of Goldman Sachs in Asia Pacific Ex-Japan, Managing Director | |
Craig W. Broderick (1) |
Chief Risk Officer, Managing Director | |
Paul M. Russo (1) |
Global Co-Chief Operating Officer of Equities Franchise, Managing Director | |
Michael D. Daffey (3) |
Global Co-Chief Operating Officer of Equities Franchise, Managing Director | |
Sarah E. Smith (1) |
Controller and Chief Accounting Officer, Managing Director | |
Justin G. Gmelich (1) |
Global Head of Credit Trading, Managing Director | |
John E. Waldron (1) |
Co-Head of Investment Banking Division, Managing Director | |
Gregg R. Lemkau (1) |
Co-Head of Global Mergers & Acquisitions, Managing Director | |
Marc Nachmann (1) |
Co-Head of Global Financing Group, Managing Director | |
James P. Esposito (3) |
Chief Strategy Officer of Securities Division, Managing Director |
(1) | 200 West Street, New York, NY 10282 |
(2) | Peterborough Court, 133 Fleet Street, London EC4A 2BB, England |
(3) | River Court, 120 Fleet Street, London EC4A 2QQ, England |
(4) | 10-1, Roppongi 6-chome, Minato-Ku, Tokyo106-6147, Japan |
(5) | 7 Finance Street, Xicheng District, Beijing, China 100033 |
(6) | Cheung Kong Center, 2 Queens Road Central, Hong Kong, China |
(c) | Not Applicable. |
Item 33. | Location of Accounts and Records |
The Agreement and Declaration of Trust, Amended and Restated By-laws and minute books of the Registrant and certain investment adviser records are in the physical possession of Goldman Sachs Asset Management, L.P., 200 West Street, New York, New York 10282. All other accounts, books and other documents required to be maintained under Section 31(a) of the Investment Company Act of 1940 and the rules promulgated thereunder are in the physical possession of State Street Bank and Trust Company, State Street Financial Center, One Lincoln Street, Boston, MA 02111, Bank of New York Mellon, One Wall Street, New York, New York 10286 and JP Morgan Chase Bank, N.A., 270 Park Avenue, New York, New York 10017, except for certain transfer agency records which are maintained by Goldman, Sachs & Co., 71 South Wacker Drive, Chicago, Illinois 60606.
Item 34. | Management Services |
Not applicable
Item 35. | Undertakings |
Not applicable
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933 and the Investment Company Act of 1940, the Registrant certifies that it meets all the requirements for effectiveness of this Post-Effective Amendment No. 585 under Rule 485(b) under the Securities Act of 1933 and has duly caused this Post-Effective Amendment No. 585 to its Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, duly authorized, in the City and State of New York on the 23rd day of December, 2016.
GOLDMAN SACHS TRUST | ||
(A Delaware statutory trust) | ||
By: | /s/ Caroline L. Kraus | |
Caroline L. Kraus, | ||
Secretary |
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this Post-Effective Amendment to said Registration Statement has been signed below by the following persons in the capacities and on the date indicated.
Name |
Title |
Date | ||
1James A. McNamara |
President (Chief Executive Officer) and Trustee |
December 23, 2016 | ||
James A. McNamara | ||||
1Scott M. McHugh |
Treasurer, Senior Vice President and Principal Financial Officer | December 23, 2016 | ||
Scott M. McHugh | ||||
1Ashok N. Bakhru |
Chairman and Trustee | December 23, 2016 | ||
Ashok N. Bakhru | ||||
1Kathryn A. Cassidy |
Trustee | December 23, 2016 | ||
Kathryn A. Cassidy | ||||
1Diana M. Daniels |
Trustee | December 23, 2016 | ||
Diana M. Daniels | ||||
1Herbert J. Markley |
Trustee | December 23, 2016 | ||
Herbert J. Markley | ||||
1Jessica Palmer |
Trustee | December 23, 2016 | ||
Jessica Palmer | ||||
1Alan A. Shuch |
Trustee | December 23, 2016 | ||
Alan A. Shuch | ||||
1Roy W. Templin |
Trustee | December 23, 2016 | ||
Roy W. Templin | ||||
1Gregory G. Weaver |
Trustee | December 23, 2016 | ||
Gregory G. Weaver |
By: | /s/ Caroline L. Kraus Caroline L. Kraus, | |
Attorney-In-Fact |
1 | Pursuant to powers of attorney previously filed. |
CERTIFICATE
The undersigned Secretary for Goldman Sachs Trust (the Trust) hereby certifies that the Board of Trustees of the Trust duly adopted the following resolution at a meeting of the Board held on June 15-16, 2016.
RESOLVED, that the Trustees and Officers of the Trust who may be required to execute any amendments to the Trusts Registration Statement be, and each hereby is, authorized to execute a power of attorney appointing James A. McNamara, Caroline L. Kraus, Andrew Murphy and Robert Griffith, jointly and severally, their attorneys-in-fact, each with power of substitution, for said Trustees and Officers in any and all capacities to sign the Registration Statement under the Securities Act of 1933 and the Investment Company Act of 1940 of the Trust and any and all amendments to such Registration Statement, and to file the same, with exhibits thereto, and other documents in connection therewith, with the SEC, the Trustees and Officers hereby ratifying and confirming all that each of said attorneys-in-fact, or his or her substitute or substitutes, may do or may have caused to be done by virtue hereof.
Dated December 23, 2016
/s/ Caroline L. Kraus |
Caroline L. Kraus |
Secretary |
EXHIBIT INDEX
(j) | Consent of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP |
EX-99.(j)
CONSENT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
We hereby consent to the incorporation by reference in this Registration Statement on Form N-1A of our reports dated October 21, 2016, relating to the financial statements and financial highlights which appear in the August 31, 2016 Annual Reports to Shareholders of the Goldman Sachs Financial Square Prime Obligations Fund, the Goldman Sachs Financial Square Money Market Fund, the Goldman Sachs Financial Square Treasury Obligations Fund, the Goldman Sachs Financial Square Treasury Instruments Fund, the Goldman Sachs Financial Square Treasury Solutions Fund, the Goldman Sachs Financial Square Government Fund, the Goldman Sachs Financial Square Federal Instruments Fund, the Goldman Sachs Financial Square Tax-Exempt Money Market Fund, the Goldman Sachs Investor Money Market Fund, the Goldman Sachs Investor Tax-Exempt Money Market Fund (formerly, the Goldman Sachs Financial Square Tax-Free Money Market Fund), the Goldman Sachs Capital Growth Fund, the Goldman Sachs Concentrated Growth Fund, the Goldman Sachs Dynamic U.S. Equity Fund, the Goldman Sachs Flexible Cap Growth Fund, the Goldman Sachs Focused Growth Fund, the Goldman Sachs Growth Opportunities Fund, the Goldman Sachs Small/Mid Cap Growth Fund, the Goldman Sachs Strategic Growth Fund, the Goldman Sachs Technology Opportunities Fund, the Goldman Sachs Focused Value Fund, the Goldman Sachs Growth and Income Fund, the Goldman Sachs Large Cap Value Fund, the Goldman Sachs Mid Cap Value Fund, the Goldman Sachs Small Cap Value Fund, the Goldman Sachs Small/Mid Cap Value Fund, the Goldman Sachs Strategic Factor Allocation Fund, the Goldman Sachs Enhanced Dividend Global Equity Portfolio, and the Goldman Sachs Tax-Advantaged Global Equity Portfolio. We also consent to the references to us under the headings Financial Highlights in the Prospectuses, and under the headings Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm and Financial Statements in the Statement of Additional Information.
/s/ PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
Boston, Massachusetts
December 22, 2016
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