Filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on January 19, 2018
1933 Act Registration File No. 033-20827
1940 Act File No. 811- 05518
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549
FORM N-1A
REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933 | [X] | ||
Pre-Effective Amendment No. | [ ] | ||
Post-Effective Amendment No. | 235 | [X] |
and/or
REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE INVESTMENT COMPANY ACT OF 1940 | [X] | ||
Amendment No. | 237 | [X] | |
(Check Appropriate Box or Boxes)
THE RBB FUND, INC.
(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Charter)
615 East Michigan Street, |
Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53202 |
(Address of Principal Executive Offices, including Zip Code)
Registrant’s Telephone Number, including Area Code: (302) 791-1851
Copies to:
SALVATORE FAIA | MICHAEL P. MALLOY, ESQUIRE | |
The RBB Fund, Inc. | Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP | |
615 East Michigan Street, | One Logan Square, Suite 2000 | |
Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53202 | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19103-6996 |
Approximate Date of Proposed Public Offering: As soon as practicable after the Registration Statement becomes effective.
[ ] | immediately upon filing pursuant to paragraph (b) |
[X] | on January 22, 2018 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. |
PROSPECTUS
dated January 22, 2018
Motley Fool 100 Index ETF
(Cboe BZX: TMFC)
A series of The RBB Fund, Inc.
_______________________________
2000
Duke Street, Suite 275
Alexandria, VA 22314
_______________________________
The Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) has not approved or disapproved the Fund’s shares or determined whether this prospectus is accurate or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Motley Fool 100 Index ETF | 1 |
Summary Section | 1 |
Additional Information about the Fund | 5 |
Management of the Fund | 8 |
How to Buy and Sell Shares | 9 |
Dividends, Distributions, and Taxes | 11 |
Distribution | 13 |
Additional Considerations | 13 |
Financial Highlights | 15 |
No securities dealer, sales representative, or any other person has been authorized to give any information or to make any representations, other than those contained in this prospectus or in approved sales literature in connection with the offer contained herein, and if given or made, such other information or representations must not be relied upon as having been authorized by the Fund or The RBB Fund, Inc. This prospectus does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of the securities offered hereby in any jurisdiction or to any person to whom it is unlawful to make such offer.
What’s New?
This Fund! This is Motley Fool Asset Management, LLC’s first ETF, our first passively managed product. What else is new? The index that we’re tracking. The Motley Fool 100 Index harnesses the recommendations and rankings of our Affiliate, The Motley Fool, LLC’s newsletters and analyst opinion database. Read on for more details! |
Motley Fool 100 Index ETF
Summary Section
Investment Objective
The Motley Fool 100 Index ETF (the “Fund”) seeks investment results that correspond (before fees and expenses) generally to the total return performance of the Motley Fool 100 Index (the “Index” – for more on this, see the “Principal Investment Strategies” section).
Fees and Expenses
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund. This table and the Example below do not include the brokerage commissions that investors may pay on their purchases and sales of Shares.
Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment): | |
Management Fees | 0.50% |
Distribution (12b-1) Fees | 0.00% |
Other Expenses(1) | 0.00% |
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses | 0.50% |
(1) | “Other Expenses” have been estimated to reflect expenses expected to be incurred during the current fiscal year. |
Example
This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that: (1) your investment has a 5% return each year, and (2) the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
1 Year | 3 Years |
$51 | $160 |
Portfolio Turnover
The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance. Information on fund portfolio turnover will be noted once the fund has an operating history.
Principal Investment Strategies
The Fund is an exchange-traded fund (“ETF”) and employs a “passive management” – or indexing – investment approach designed to track the total return performance, before fees and expenses, of the Index. Motley Fool Asset Management, LLC, serves as the investment adviser to the Fund (the “Adviser”). The Index was developed by The Motley Fool, LLC (“The Motley Fool”), an affiliate of the Adviser.
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The Motley Fool 100 Index
The Index was established by The Motley Fool in 2017 and is a proprietary, rules-based index designed to track the performance of the 100 largest, most liquid U.S. companies that have been recommended by The Motley Fool’s analysts and newsletters.
To be eligible for inclusion in the Index, a company must be among the 100 largest domestic firms by market capitalization in The Motley Fool’s “recommendation universe.” That recommendation universe includes all companies domiciled in the United States that are either active recommendations of a newsletter published by The Motley Fool or are among the 150 highest rated U.S. companies in The Motley Fool’s analyst opinion database.
Each of the 100 largest company’s share of the index (or “weighting”) is set to equal the company’s share of all Index companies’ aggregate market value. The Index is reconstituted and rebalanced quarterly. From time to time, the Index may include more or less than 100 companies as a result of events such as acquisitions, spin-offs and other corporate actions.
The Index is calculated and administered by Solactive AG (the “Index Calculation Agent”), which is not affiliated with the Fund, the Adviser or The Motley Fool. Additional information regarding the Index, including its value, is available on the websites of the Fund at www.fool100etf.com and the Index Calculation Agent, at www.solactive.com.
The Fund’s Investment Strategy
Under normal circumstances, at least 80% of the Fund’s total assets (exclusive of any collateral held from securities lending) will be invested in the component securities of the Index. The Adviser expects that, over time, if it has sufficient assets, the correlation between the Fund’s performance and that of the Index, before fees and expenses, will be 95% or better.
The Fund will generally use a “replication” strategy to achieve its investment objective, meaning it generally will invest in all of the component securities of the Index. However, the Fund may use a “representative sampling” strategy, meaning it may invest in a sample of the securities in the Index whose risk, return and other characteristics closely resemble the risk, return and other characteristics of the Index as a whole, when the Adviser believes it is in the best interests of the Fund (e.g., when replicating the Index involves practical difficulties or substantial costs, an Index constituent becomes temporarily illiquid, unavailable or less liquid, or as a result of legal restrictions or limitations that apply to the Fund but not to the Index).
The Fund generally may invest up to 20% of its total assets (exclusive of any collateral held from securities lending) in securities or other investments not included in the Index, but which the Adviser believes will help the Fund track the Index. For example, the Fund may invest in securities that are not components of the Index to reflect various corporate actions and other changes to the Index (such as reconstitutions, additions and deletions).
The Fund is non-diversified for the purposes of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (“1940 Act”), which means that the Fund may invest in fewer securities at any one time than a diversified fund. To the extent the Index concentrates (i.e., holds more than 25% of its total assets) in the securities of a particular industry or group of related industries, the Fund will concentrate its investments to approximately the same extent as the Index.
The Fund has elected to be, and intends to qualify each year for treatment as a regulated investment company (“RIC”) under subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”).
Principal Investment Risks
The value of the Fund’s investments may decrease, which will cause the value of the Fund’s shares to decrease. As a result, you may lose money on your investment in the Fund, and there can be no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objective.
● | Authorized Participants, Market Makers and Liquidity Providers Concentration Risk. The Fund has a limited number of financial institutions that are institutional investors and may act as authorized participants (“APs”). In addition, there may be a limited number of market makers and/or liquidity providers in the marketplace. To the extent either of the following events occur, Fund shares may trade at a material discount to NAV and possibly face delisting: (i) APs exit the business or otherwise become unable to process creation and/or redemption orders and no other APs step forward to perform these services, or (ii) market makers and/or liquidity providers exit the business or significantly reduce their business activities and no other entities step forward to perform their functions. |
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● | Equity Market Risk. The equity securities held in the Fund’s portfolio may experience sudden, unpredictable drops in value or long periods of decline in value. This may occur because of factors that affect securities markets generally or factors affecting specific issuers, industries, or sectors in which the Fund invests. Common stocks are generally exposed to greater risk than other types of securities, such as preferred stocks and debt obligations, because common stockholders generally have inferior rights to receive payment from issuers. |
● | Large-Capitalization Investing. The securities of large-capitalization companies may be relatively mature compared to smaller companies and therefore subject to slower growth during times of economic expansion. |
● | Market Risk. The trading prices of equity securities and other instruments fluctuate in response to a variety of factors. The Fund’s net asset value (“NAV”) and market price may fluctuate significantly in response to these and other factors. As a result, an investor could lose money over short or long periods of time. |
● | New Fund Risk. The Fund is a recently organized, non-diversified management investment company with no operating history. As a result, prospective investors have a limited track record on which to base their investment decision. In addition, there can be no assurance that the Fund will grow to, or maintain, an economically viable size, in which case the Board of Directors (the “Board”) of The RBB Fund, Inc. (the “Company”) may determine to liquidate the Fund. |
● | Non-Diversification Risk. The Fund is non-diversified, which means that it may invest a high percentage of its assets in a limited number of securities. Since the Fund is non-diversified, its NAV, market price and total returns may fluctuate or fall more than a diversified fund. Gains or losses on a single stock may have a greater impact on the Fund. |
● | Passive Investment Risk. The Fund is not actively managed and the Adviser does not attempt to take defensive positions in any market conditions, including adverse markets. The Fund and its Adviser would not sell shares of an equity security due to current or projected underperformance of a security, industry, or sector, unless that security is removed from the Index or the selling of shares of that security is otherwise required upon a reconstitution of the Index as addressed in the Index methodology. |
● | Portfolio Turnover Risk. In seeking to replicate the Index, which is adjusted and rebalanced quarterly, the Fund may incur relatively high portfolio turnover. High portfolio turnover may result in increased transaction costs and may lower Fund performance. |
● | Index Rankings and Methodology Risk. The Index is comprised of the 100 largest U.S. companies that are either active recommendations of The Motley Fool LLC’s newsletter or are among the 150 highest rated U.S. companies in The Motley Fool LLC’s analyst opinion database, and are weighted based on their market value relative to the total market value of other companies in the Index. Factors used by The Motley Fool LLC’s analysts in their qualitative and quantitative analysis of companies included in the Index, and the weight placed on those factors, may not be predictive of a security’s value and, thus, have an adverse effect on the Fund. In addition, changes in The Motley Fool LLC’s recommendations or rankings methodologies may have an adverse effect on the Fund. Factors that affect a security’s value can change over time, and these changes may not be reflected in the Index methodology. Moreover, the methodology and the calculation of the Index could be subject to errors. If the composition of the Index reflects such errors, the Fund’s portfolio can be expected to reflect the errors, too. |
● | Sector Risk. To the extent the Fund invests more heavily in particular sectors of the economy, its performance will be especially sensitive to developments that significantly affect those sectors. |
● | Shares May Trade at Prices Other Than NAV. As with all ETFs, Shares may be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. Although it is expected that the market price of Shares will approximate the Fund’s NAV, there may be times when the market price of Shares is more than the NAV intra-day (premium) or less than the NAV intra-day (discount). This risk is heightened in times of market volatility or periods of steep market declines. |
● | Tracking Error Risk. As with all index funds, the performance of the Fund and its Index may differ from each other for a variety of reasons. For example, the Fund incurs operating expenses and portfolio transaction costs not incurred by the Index. In addition, the Fund may not be fully invested in the securities of the Index at all times or may hold securities not included in the Index. |
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Performance Information:
Performance information for the Fund is not included because the Fund did not commence operations prior to the date of this Prospectus. In the future, performance information for the Fund will be presented in this section. Updated performance information is available on the Fund’s website at www.fool100etf.com or by calling the Fund toll free at 1-800-617-0004.
Management
Investment Adviser
Motley Fool Asset Management, LLC serves as the investment adviser.
Portfolio Managers
Team Member | Primary Titles | Start Date with Fund |
Bryan Hinmon | Chief Investment Officer, Senior Portfolio Manager | 2018 |
Anthony Arsta | Portfolio Manager | 2018 |
Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares
Shares are listed on the Cboe BZX Exchange, Inc. (the “Exchange”), and most investors will buy and sell Shares through brokers at market prices, rather than NAV. Because Shares trade at market prices rather than NAV, Shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (premium) or less than NAV (discount).
The Fund issues and redeems Shares at NAV only in large blocks known as “Creation Units,” which only Authorized Participants (“APs”) (typically, broker-dealers) may purchase or redeem. Creation Units generally consist of 25,000 Shares, though this may change from time to time. The Fund generally issues and redeems Creation Units in exchange for a portfolio of securities closely approximating the holdings of the Fund (the “Deposit Securities”) and/or a designated amount of U.S. cash.
Tax Information
Fund distributions are generally taxable as ordinary income, qualified dividend income, or capital gains (or a combination), unless your investment is in an individual retirement account (“IRA”) or other tax-advantaged account. Distributions on investments made through tax-deferred arrangements may be taxed later upon withdrawal of assets from those accounts.
Financial Intermediary Compensation
If you purchase Shares through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank) (an “Intermediary”), the Fund’s investment adviser, or its affiliates may pay Intermediaries for certain activities related to the Fund, including participation in activities that are designed to make Intermediaries more knowledgeable about exchange traded products, including the Fund, or for other activities, such as marketing, educational training or other initiatives related to the sale or promotion of Shares. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the Intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Any such arrangements do not result in increased Fund expenses. Ask your salesperson or visit the Intermediary’s website for more information.
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Additional Information about the Fund
Investment Objective
The Fund’s investment objective has been adopted as a non-fundamental investment policy and may be changed without shareholder approval upon 60 days’ written notice to shareholders.
Additional Investment Strategies
The Fund, using an “indexing” investment approach, seeks to track the investment results, before fees and expenses, of the Index. A number of factors may affect the Fund’s ability to achieve a high correlation with its Index, including Fund expenses, differences between the securities held in the Fund’s portfolio and those included in the Index, the timing or magnitude of changes to the composition of its Index, regulatory policies, and high portfolio turnover rate. There can be no guarantee that the Fund will achieve a high degree of correlation with the Index.
The Adviser may sell securities that are represented in the Index or purchase securities not yet represented in the Index if the Adviser believes such securities are appropriate to substitute for certain securities in the Fund’s Index. The Adviser may utilize various combinations of other available investment techniques in seeking to track the Index.
As a result of its investments, the Fund’s distributions for any taxable year may exceed its earnings and profits, as determined for U.S. federal income tax purposes. For a given taxable year, fund distributions, if any, that exceed earnings and profits may be treated as a return of capital to shareholders.
Additional Principal Risk Information
The value of the Fund’s investments may decrease, which will cause the value of the Fund’s shares to decrease. As a result, you may lose money on your investment in the Fund, and there can be no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objective.
● | Equity Market Risk. The price of equity securities may rise or fall because of changes in the broad market or changes in a company’s financial condition, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably. These price movements may result from factors affecting individual companies, sectors or industries selected for the Fund or the securities market as a whole, such as changes in economic or political conditions. Equity securities are subject to “stock market risk” meaning that stock prices in general (or in particular, the types of securities in which the Fund invests) may decline over short or extended periods of time. When the value of the Fund’s securities goes down, your investment in the Fund decreases in value. Common stocks are generally exposed to greater risk that other types of securities, such as preferred stock and debt obligations, because common stockholders generally have inferior rights to receive payment from issuers. Common stocks are susceptible to general stock market fluctuations and to volatile increases and decreases in value as market confidence in and perceptions of their issuers change. These investor perceptions are based on various and unpredictable factors including: expectations regarding government, economic, monetary and fiscal policies; inflation and interest rates; economic expansion or contraction; and global or regional political, economic, and banking crises. |
● | Index Rankings and Methodology Risk. The Index is comprised of the 100 largest U.S. companies that are either active recommendations of a Motley Fool newsletter or are among the 150 highest rated U.S. companies in the Motley Fool analyst opinion database, and are weighted based on their market value relative to the total market value of other companies in the Index. Factors used by The Motley Fool’s analysts in their qualitative and quantitative analysis of companies included in the Index, and the weight placed on those factors, may not be predictive of a security’s value and, thus, have an adverse effect on the Fund. In addition, changes in The Motley Fool’s recommendations or rankings methodologies may have an adverse effect on the Fund. Factors that affect a security’s value can change over time, and these changes may not be reflected in the Index methodology. In addition, the following risks result from The Motley Fool’s business operations: |
o | There are no assurances that The Motley Fool will continue to provide stock recommendations to the degree currently provided by it, or that it will continue to provide newsletter and/or other services at all. The Motley Fool may decrease the number of equity analysts that it employs, or the number of covered companies and/or industries. |
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o | Analysts may leave The Motley Fool or cease providing recommendations, in which case any securities covered by that analyst may no longer be included in the universe of stocks covered by The Motley Fool. In such case, those securities may be removed from the Index during the next rebalance of the Index, despite the fact that expectations regarding such security’s performance may be unchanged. Similarly, changes in analysts could result in changes to the composition of the Index and, thus, could result in increased portfolio turnover for the Fund. |
o | The Motley Fool’s members who subscribe to its recommendation services and others who have access to that information will have advance knowledge of information that will be reflected in the Index. While The Motley Fool’s recommendations can change on any given day, the Index will only be rebalanced quarterly. |
In addition to the risks inherent in The Motley Fool’s operations and the compilation of the Index, the methodology and the calculation of the Index could be subject to errors. If the composition of the Index reflects such errors, the Fund’s portfolio can be expected to reflect the errors, too.
● | Large-Capitalization Investing. The Fund may invest in the securities of large-capitalization companies. As a result, the Fund’s performance may be adversely affected if securities of large-capitalization companies underperform securities of smaller-capitalization companies or the market as a whole. The securities of large-capitalization companies may be relatively mature compared to smaller companies and therefore subject to slower growth during times of economic expansion. |
● | Legal and Regulatory Change Risks. The regulatory environment for investment companies is evolving, and changes in regulation may adversely affect the value of the Fund’s investments and its ability to pursue its trading strategy. In addition, the securities markets are subject to comprehensive statutes and regulations. The Securities and Exchange Commission and other regulators and self-regulatory organizations and exchanges are authorized to take extraordinary actions in the event of market emergencies. The effect of any future regulatory change on the Fund could be substantial and adverse. |
● | Market Risk. The trading prices of equity securities and other instruments fluctuate in response to a variety of factors. The Fund’s net asset value (“NAV”) and market price may fluctuate significantly in response to these and other factors. As a result, an investor could lose money over short or long periods of time. |
● | New Fund Risk. The Fund is a recently organized, non-diversified management investment company with no operating history. As a result, prospective investors have a limited track record on which to base their investment decision. In addition, there can be no assurance that the Fund will grow to, or maintain, an economically viable size, in which case the Board may determine to liquidate the Fund. |
● | Passive Investment Risk. The Fund is not actively managed and its Adviser would not sell shares of an equity security due to current or projected underperformance of a security, industry, or sector, unless that security is removed from the Index or the selling of shares of that security is otherwise required upon a reconstitution of the Index as addressed in the Index methodology. The Fund invests in securities included in, or representative of securities included in, the Index, regardless of their investment merits. The Fund does not take defensive positions under any market conditions, including conditions that are adverse to the performance of the Fund. |
● | Portfolio Turnover Risk. The Fund may trade all or a significant portion of the securities in its portfolio in connection with each rebalance and reconstitution of its Index. A high portfolio turnover rate increases transaction costs, which may increase the Fund’s expenses. Frequent trading may also cause adverse tax consequences for investors in the Fund due to an increase in short-term capital gains. |
● | Registered Investment Company (“RIC”) Compliance Risk. The Fund has elected to be, and intends to qualify each year for treatment as, a RIC under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended. To maintain the Fund’s qualification for federal income tax treatment as a RIC, the Fund must meet certain source-of-income, asset diversification and annual distribution requirements. If for any taxable year the Fund fails to qualify for the special federal income tax treatment afforded to RICs, all of the Fund’s taxable income will be subject to federal income tax at regular corporate rates (without any deduction for distributions to its shareholders) and its income available for distribution will be reduced. Under certain circumstances, the Fund could cure a failure to qualify as a RIC, but in order to do so, the Fund could incur significant Fund-level taxes and could be forced to dispose of certain assets. |
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● | Sector Risk. To the extent the Fund invests more heavily in particular sectors of the economy, its performance will be especially sensitive to developments that significantly affect those sectors. |
● | Shares May Trade at Prices Other Than NAV. As with all ETFs, shares of the Fund may be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. Although it is expected that the market price of shares will approximate the Fund’s NAV, there may be times when the market price of shares is more than the NAV intra-day (premium) or less than the NAV intra-day (discount) due to supply and demand of shares or during periods of market volatility. This risk is heightened in times of market volatility or periods of steep market declines. The market price of shares during the trading day, like the price of any exchange-traded security, includes a “bid/ask” spread charged by the exchange specialist, market makers or other participants that trade shares. In times of severe market disruption, the bid/ask spread can increase significantly. At those times, shares are most likely to be traded at a discount to NAV, and the discount is likely to be greatest when the price of shares is falling fastest, which may be the time that you most want to sell your shares. The Adviser believes that, under normal market conditions, large market price discounts or premiums to NAV will not be sustained because of arbitrage opportunities. |
● | Tracking Error Risk. As with all index funds, the performance of the Fund and its Index may differ from each other for a variety of reasons. For example, the Fund incurs operating expenses and portfolio transaction costs not incurred by the Index. In addition, the Fund may not be fully invested in the securities of the Index at all times or may hold securities not included in the Index. |
● | Trading. Although the Fund’s shares are listed for trading on the Exchange and may be listed or traded on U.S. and non-U.S. stock exchanges other than the Exchange, there can be no assurance that an active trading market for shares will develop or be maintained. Trading in the Fund’s shares may be halted due to market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of the Exchange, make trading in shares inadvisable. In addition, trading in shares on the Exchange is subject to trading halts caused by extraordinary market volatility pursuant to Exchange “circuit breaker” rules, which temporarily halt trading on the Exchange. Additional rules applicable to the Exchange may halt trading in shares when extraordinary volatility causes sudden, significant swings in the market price of shares. There can be no assurance that shares will trade with any volume, or at all, on any stock exchange. In stressed market conditions, the liquidity of the Fund’s shares may begin to mirror the liquidity of the Fund’s underlying holdings, which can be significantly less liquid than the Fund’s shares. |
● | Authorized Participants (“APs”), Market Makers, and Liquidity Providers Concentration Risk. The Fund may have a limited number of financial institutions that may act as APs. In addition, there may be a limited number of market makers and/or liquidity providers in the marketplace. To the extent either of the following events occur, shares may trade at a material discount to NAV and possibly face delisting: (i) APs exit the business or otherwise become unable to process creation and/or redemption orders and no other APs step forward to perform these services, or (ii) market makers and/or liquidity providers exit the business or significantly reduce their business activities and no other entities step forward to perform their functions. |
Additional Information About the Fund’s Non-Principal Risks. This section provides additional information regarding certain non-principal risks of investing in the Fund. The risk listed below could have a negative impact on the Fund’s performance and trading prices.
● | Costs of Buying or Selling Shares. Investors buying or selling shares in the secondary market will pay brokerage commissions or other charges imposed by brokers, as determined by that broker. Brokerage commissions are often a fixed amount and may be a significant proportional cost for investors seeking to buy or sell relatively small amounts of the Fund’s shares. In addition, secondary market investors will also incur the cost of the difference between the price at which an investor is willing to buy Shares (the “bid” price) and the price at which an investor is willing to sell shares (the “ask” price). This difference in bid and ask prices is often referred to as the “spread” or “bid/ask spread.” The bid/ask spread varies over time for shares based on trading volume and market liquidity, and is generally lower if shares have more trading volume and market liquidity and higher if shares have little trading volume and market liquidity. Further, a relatively small investor base in the Fund, asset swings in the Fund and/or increased market volatility may cause increased bid/ask spreads. Due to the costs of buying or selling shares, including bid/ask spreads, frequent trading of shares may significantly reduce investment results and an investment in shares may not be advisable for investors who anticipate regularly making small investments. |
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Disclosure of Portfolio Holdings
The Fund’s entire portfolio holdings are publicly disseminated each day the Fund is open for business through the Fund’s website and may be made available through financial reporting and news services or any other medium, including publicly available internet web sites, as well as on the Fund’s website located at www.fool100etf.com. Additional information regarding the Fund’s policies and procedures with respect to the disclosure of the Fund’s portfolio securities is available in the Fund’s SAI.
Management of the Fund
The Board of the Company (of which the Fund is a series) is responsible for supervising the operations and affairs of the Fund. The Adviser is responsible for the daily management and administration of the Fund’s operations.
Investment Adviser
The Adviser is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Motley Fool Holdings Inc. (“TMF Holdings”), a multimedia financial-services holding company that also owns The Motley Fool, which publishes investment information and analysis across a wide range of media, including investment-newsletter services, websites, and books. TMF Holdings is controlled by David Gardner and Tom Gardner. The Adviser is located at 2000 Duke Street, Suite 275, Alexandria, Virginia 22314.
Subject to the overall supervision of the Board, the Adviser manages the overall investment operations of the Fund in accordance with the Fund’s investment objective and policies and formulates a continuing investment strategy for the Fund pursuant to the terms of an investment advisory agreement between the Company and the Adviser (the “Advisory Agreement”). Under the terms of the Advisory Agreement, the Fund pays the Adviser a unitary management fee that is computed and paid monthly at an annual rate of 0.50% of the Fund’s average daily net assets during the month. From the unitary management fee, the Adviser pays most of the expenses of the Fund, including the cost of transfer agency, custody, fund administration, legal, audit and other services. However, under the Advisory Agreement, the Adviser is not responsible for interest expenses, brokerage commissions and other trading expenses, fees and expenses of the independent directors and their independent legal counsel, taxes and other extraordinary costs such as litigation and other expenses not incurred in the ordinary course of business.
A discussion regarding the Board’s approval of the Advisory Agreement and the factors the Board considered with respect to the Fund will be available in the Fund’s first annual or semi-annual report to shareholders.
The Adviser’s Investment Management Team
Bryan C. Hinmon, CFA, and Anthony L. Arsta are the Fund’s portfolio managers and they each have decision making over and are responsible for the portfolio management decisions for the Fund’s assets.
Bryan C. Hinmon, CFA
Bryan Hinmon is the Chief Investment Officer and Senior Portfolio Manager at the Advisor, as well as Chairman of the Investment Committee for the Fund, having served in the Chief Investment Officer, Senior Portfolio Manager and Chairman capacity since 2017 and as a Portfolio Manager for open-end mutual funds managed by the Adviser since 2014. As CIO of the firm, Mr. Hinmon is responsible for leading the investment team, maintaining the firm’s investment philosophy, and managing client assets. He also works as an analyst, identifying and researching investments for the firm’s affiliate, Motley Fool Wealth Management’s separately managed account strategies.
He joined the Adviser in 2014 after more than four years at The Motley Fool where he helped manage Motley Fool Pro, a long/short and options portfolio service. Mr. Hinmon also served as a senior analyst on Motley Fool Options for more than four years and led the company’s Analyst Development Program for two years.
Before life at The Motley Fool, Mr. Hinmon was a portfolio manager at Bulwark Capital Management, a hedge fund with an approach that balanced fundamental long-term equity investing, option income, and special situations. Earlier in his career, he worked as a research analyst for an asset manager in Naples, Florida, that provided portfolio management and operated a covered-call hedge fund. Mr. Hinmon graduated from Stetson University with a bachelor’s degree in finance. He holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation and is a member of The Boston Security Analysts Society.
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Anthony L. Arsta
Tony Arsta is a Portfolio Manager at the Adviser, having served in that role for open-end mutual funds managed by the Adviser starting in 2009. Mr. Arsta complements his quality growth at a reasonable price investing focus with applications of statistical analysis and investor psychology. After joining The Motley Fool in 2008, he contributed his writing and analysis to Motley Fool Million Dollar Portfolio, as well as several other Foolish newsletter services. Mr. Arsta earned his M.B.A. with distinction from DePaul University, with a concentration in finance, and also holds a B.S. in computer science from the University of Wisconsin, Madison.
The SAI provides additional information about the compensation of each Portfolio Manager, other accounts managed by them, and their ownership of shares of the Fund.
How to Buy and Sell Shares
The Fund issues and redeems its shares at NAV only in Creation Units. Only APs may acquire shares directly from the Fund, and only APs may tender their shares for redemption directly to the Fund, at NAV. APs must be (i) a broker-dealer or other participant in the clearing process through the Continuous Net Settlement System of the NSCC, a clearing agency that is registered with the SEC; or (ii) a DTC participant (as discussed below). In addition, each AP must execute a Participant Agreement that has been agreed to by the Distributor, and that has been accepted by the Transfer Agent, with respect to purchases and redemptions of Creation Units. Once created, Shares trade in the secondary market in quantities less than a Creation Unit.
Most investors buy and sell shares in secondary market transactions through brokers. Shares are listed for trading on the secondary market on the Exchange and can be bought and sold throughout the trading day like other publicly traded securities.
When buying or selling Fund shares through a broker, you will incur customary brokerage commissions and charges, and you may pay some or all of the spread between the bid and the offer price in the secondary market on each leg of a round trip (purchase and sale) transaction. In addition, because secondary market transactions occur at market prices, you may pay more than NAV when you buy shares, and receive less than NAV when you sell those shares.
Book Entry
Shares are held in book-entry form, which means that no stock certificates are issued. The Depository Trust Company (“DTC”) or its nominee is the record owner of all outstanding Shares.
Investors owning Fund shares are beneficial owners as shown on the records of DTC or its participants. DTC serves as the securities depository for all shares. DTC’s participants include securities brokers and dealers, banks, trust companies, clearing corporations and other institutions that directly or indirectly maintain a custodial relationship with DTC. As a beneficial owner of shares, you are not entitled to receive physical delivery of stock certificates or to have shares registered in your name, and you are not considered a registered owner of shares. Therefore, to exercise any right as an owner of shares, you must rely upon the procedures of DTC and its participants. These procedures are the same as those that apply to any other securities that you hold in book entry or “street name” through your brokerage account.
Share Trading Prices on the Exchange
Trading prices of Fund shares on the Exchange may differ from the Fund’s daily NAV. Market forces of supply and demand, economic conditions and other factors may affect the trading prices of shares. To provide additional information regarding the indicative value of shares, the Exchange or a market data vendor disseminates information every 15 seconds through the facilities of the Consolidated Tape Association, or other widely disseminated means, an updated “intraday indicative value” (“IIV”) for shares as calculated by an information provider or market data vendor. The Fund is not involved in or responsible for any aspect of the calculation or dissemination of the IIVs and make no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the IIVs. If the calculation of the IIV is based on the basket of Deposit Securities, such IIV may not represent the best possible valuation of the Fund’s portfolio because the basket of Deposit Securities does not necessarily reflect the precise composition of the current Fund portfolios at a particular point in time. The IIV should not be viewed as a “real-time” update of the Fund’s NAV because the IIV may not be calculated in the same manner as the NAV, which is computed only once a day, typically at the end of the business day. The IIV is generally determined by using both current market quotations and/or price quotations obtained from broker-dealers that may trade in the Deposit Securities.
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Frequent Purchases and Redemptions of Shares
The Fund imposes no restrictions on the frequency of purchases and redemptions of shares. In determining not to approve a written, established policy, the Board evaluated the risks of market timing activities by Fund shareholders. Purchases and redemptions by APs, who are the only parties that may purchase or redeem shares directly with the Funds, are an essential part of the ETF process and help keep share trading prices in line with NAV. As such, the Fund accommodates frequent purchases and redemptions by APs. However, the Board has also determined that frequent purchases and redemptions for cash may increase tracking error and portfolio transaction costs and may lead to the realization of capital gains. To minimize these potential consequences of frequent purchases and redemptions, the Fund employs fair value pricing and imposes transaction fees on purchases and redemptions of Creation Units to cover the custodial and other costs incurred by the Funds in effecting trades. In addition, the Fund reserves the right to reject any purchase order at any time.
Determination of Net Asset Value
The Fund’s NAV is calculated as of the scheduled close of regular trading on the NYSE, generally 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time, each day the NYSE is open for business. The NAV for the Fund is calculated by dividing the Fund’s net assets by its Shares outstanding.
In calculating its NAV, the Fund generally values its assets on the basis of market quotations, last sale prices, or estimates of value furnished by a pricing service or brokers who make markets in such instruments. If such information is not available for a security held by the Fund or is determined to be unreliable, the security will be valued at fair value estimates under guidelines established by the Board.
Fair Value Pricing
If market quotations for a security are not readily available or if the Adviser believes that market quotations do not accurately reflect fair value of a security, that security will be valued at its fair value as determined in good faith by the Board. Such determinations are made by the Adviser or through the use of a pricing service under procedures established and periodically reviewed by and under the ultimate supervision of the Board. A fair value determination may be required if, for example, (1) only a bid price or an asked price is available, (2) the spread between bid and asked prices is substantial, (3) there is a suspension or limitation of trading, or (4) events or actions affecting the market prices of portfolio securities occur after the close of the relevant market.
The pricing service uses an automated system incorporating a model based on multiple parameters, including a security’s local closing price; relevant general and sector indices; currency fluctuations; trading in depositary receipts and futures, if applicable; and research valuations by its staff, in determining what it believes is the fair value of the securities. Determining the fair value of portfolio securities involves reliance on judgment, and a security’s fair value may be affected by the method used for determining value. In addition, fair value pricing could result in a difference between the prices used to calculate the Fund’s NAV and the prices used by the Fund’s Index. This may result in a difference between the Fund’s performance and the performance of the Fund’s Index.
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Dividends,
Distributions,
and Taxes
Dividends and Distributions
The Fund intends to pay out dividends, if any, and distribute any net realized capital gains to its shareholders at least annually.
Dividend Reinvestment Service
Brokers may make the Depository Trust Company book-entry dividend reinvestment service available to their customers who own shares. If this service is available and used, dividend distributions of both income and capital gains will automatically be reinvested in additional whole shares of the Fund purchased on the secondary market. Without this service, investors would receive their distributions in cash. In order to achieve the maximum total return on their investments, investors are encouraged to use the dividend reinvestment service. To determine whether the dividend reinvestment service is available and whether there is a commission or other charge for using this service, consult your broker. Brokers may require the Fund’s shareholders to adhere to specific procedures and timetables.
Taxes
As with any investment, you should consider how your investment in Shares will be taxed. The tax information in this Prospectus is provided as general information. You should consult your own tax professional about the tax consequences of an investment in shares.
Unless your investment in shares is made through a tax-exempt entity or tax-advantaged account, such as an IRA plan, you need to be aware of the possible tax consequences when: (i) the Fund makes distributions; (ii) you sell your shares listed on the Exchange; and (iii) you purchase or redeem Creation Units.
Taxes on Distributions
The Fund intends to distribute, at least annually, substantially all of its net investment income and net capital gains income. For federal income tax purposes, distributions of investment income are generally taxable as ordinary income or qualified dividend income. Taxes on distributions of capital gains (if any) are determined by how long the Fund owned the investments that generated them, rather than how long a shareholder has owned his or her Shares. Sales of assets held by the Fund for more than one year generally result in long-term capital gains and losses, and sales of assets held by the Fund for one year or less generally result in short-term capital gains and losses. Distributions of the Fund’s net capital gain (the excess of net long-term capital gains over net short-term capital losses) that are reported by the Fund as capital gain dividends (“Capital Gain Dividends”) will be taxable as long-term capital gains, which for non-corporate shareholders are subject to tax at reduced rates. Distributions of short-term capital gain will generally be taxable as ordinary income. Dividends and distributions are generally taxable to you whether you receive them in cash or reinvest them in additional shares.
Distributions reported by the Fund as “qualified dividend income” are generally taxed to non-corporate shareholders at rates applicable to long-term capital gains, provided holding period and other requirements are met. “Qualified dividend income” generally is income derived from dividends paid by U.S. corporations or certain foreign corporations that are either incorporated in a U.S. possession or eligible for tax benefits under certain U.S. income tax treaties. In addition, dividends that the Fund receives in respect of stock of certain foreign corporations may be qualified dividend income if that stock is readily tradable on an established U.S. securities market. Corporate shareholders may be entitled to a dividends-received deduction for the portion of dividends they receive from the Fund that are attributable to dividends received by the Fund from U.S. corporations, subject to certain limitations. Since the Foreign Funds invest primarily in securities of non-U.S. issuers, it is not expected that a significant portion of the dividends received from the Foreign Funds will qualify for the dividends-received deduction for corporations. Shortly after the close of each calendar year, you will be informed of the character of any distributions received from the Fund.
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U.S. individuals with income exceeding specified thresholds are subject to a 3.8% Medicare contribution tax on all or a portion of their “net investment income,” which includes interest, dividends, and certain capital gains (including capital gains distributions and capital gains realized on the sale of Shares). This 3.8% tax also applies to all or a portion of the undistributed net investment income of certain shareholders that are estates and trusts.
In general, your distributions are subject to federal income tax for the year in which they are paid. Certain distributions paid in January, however, may be treated as paid on December 31 of the prior year. Distributions are generally taxable even if they are paid from income or gains earned by the Fund before your investment (and thus were included in the Shares’ NAV when you purchased your Shares).
You may wish to avoid investing in the Fund shortly before a dividend or other distribution, because such a distribution will generally be taxable even though it may economically represent a return of a portion of your investment.
If you are neither a resident nor a citizen of the United States or if you are a foreign entity, distributions (other than Capital Gain Dividends) paid to you by the Fund will generally be subject to a U.S. withholding tax at the rate of 30%, unless a lower treaty rate applies. The Fund may, under certain circumstances, report all or a portion of a dividend as an “interest-related dividend” or a “short-term capital gain dividend,” which would generally be exempt from this 30% U.S. withholding tax, provided certain other requirements are met.
Under legislation generally known as “FATCA” (the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act), the Fund is required to withhold 30% of certain ordinary dividends it pays, and, after December 31, 2018, 30% of the gross proceeds of share redemptions and certain capital gain dividends it pays, to shareholders that are foreign entities and that fail to meet prescribed information reporting or certification requirements.
The Fund (or a financial intermediary, such as a broker, through which a shareholder owns Shares) generally is required to withhold and remit to the U.S. Treasury a percentage of the taxable distributions and sale or redemption proceeds paid to any shareholder who fails to properly furnish a correct taxpayer identification number, who has underreported dividend or interest income, or who fails to certify that he, she or it is not subject to such withholding.
Taxes When Shares are Sold on the Exchange
Any capital gain or loss realized upon a sale of shares generally is treated as a long-term capital gain or loss if shares have been held for more than one year and as a short-term capital gain or loss if shares have been held for one year or less. However, any capital loss on a sale of shares held for six months or less is treated as long-term capital loss to the extent of Capital Gain Dividends paid with respect to such Shares. Any loss realized on a sale will be disallowed to the extent shares of the Fund are acquired, including through reinvestment of dividends, within a 61-day period beginning 30 days before and ending 30 days after the sale of Shares.
Taxes on Purchases and Redemptions of Creation Units
An AP having the U.S. dollar as its functional currency for U.S. federal income tax purposes who exchanges securities for Creation Units generally recognizes a gain or a loss. The gain or loss will be equal to the difference between the value of the Creation Units at the time of the exchange and the exchanging AP’s aggregate basis in the securities delivered plus the amount of any cash paid for the Creation Units. An AP who exchanges Creation Units for securities will generally recognize a gain or loss equal to the difference between the exchanging AP’s basis in the Creation Units and the aggregate U.S. dollar market value of the securities received, plus any cash received for such Creation Units. The Internal Revenue Service may assert, however, that an AP may not be permitted to currently deduct losses upon an exchange of securities for Creation Units under the rules governing “wash sales” (other than for an AP that marks-to-market its holdings), or on the basis that there has been no significant change in economic position. Persons exchanging securities should consult their own tax advisor with respect to whether wash sale rules apply and when a loss might be deductible.
Any capital gain or loss realized upon redemption of Creation Units is generally treated as long-term capital gain or loss if Shares have been held for more than one year and as a short-term capital gain or loss if Shares have been held for one year or less.
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The Fund may include a payment of cash in addition to, or in place of, the delivery of a basket of securities upon the redemption of Creation Units. The Fund may sell portfolio securities to obtain the cash needed to distribute redemption proceeds. This may cause the Fund to recognize investment income and/or capital gains or losses that it might not have recognized if it had completely satisfied the redemption in-kind. As a result, the Fund may be less tax efficient if it includes such a cash payment in the proceeds paid upon the redemption of Creation Units.
The foregoing discussion summarizes some of the possible consequences under current federal tax law of an investment in the Fund. It is not a substitute for personal tax advice. You also may be subject to state and local tax on Fund distributions and sales of Shares. Consult your personal tax advisor about the potential tax consequences of an investment in Shares under all applicable tax laws. For more information, please see the section entitled “Federal Income Taxes” in the SAI.
Distribution
The Distributor, Quasar Distributors, LLC, is a broker-dealer registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The Distributor distributes Creation Units for the Fund on an agency basis and does not maintain a secondary market in Shares. The Distributor has no role in determining the policies of the Fund or the securities that are purchased or sold by the Fund. The Distributor’s principal address is 777 East Wisconsin Avenue, 6th Floor, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53202.
Additional Considerations
Payments to Financial Intermediaries.
The Adviser, out of its own resources and without additional cost to the Fund or its shareholders, may pay intermediaries, including affiliates of the Adviser, for the sale of Fund shares and related services, including participation in activities that are designed to make intermediaries more knowledgeable about exchange traded products. Payments are generally made to intermediaries that provide shareholder servicing, marketing and related sales support, educational training or support, or access to sales meetings, sales representatives and management representatives of the intermediary. Payments may also be made to intermediaries for making shares of the Fund available to their customers generally and in investment programs. The Adviser may also reimburse expenses or make payments from its own resources to intermediaries in consideration of services or other activities the Adviser believes may facilitate investment in the Fund.
The possibility of receiving, or the receipt of, the payments described above may provide intermediaries or their salespersons with an incentive to favor sales of shares of the Fund, and other funds whose affiliates make similar compensation available, over other investments that do not make such payments. Investors may wish to take such payment arrangements into account when considering and evaluating any recommendations relating to the Fund and other ETFs.
Premium/Discount Information.
Information regarding how often shares traded on the Exchange at a price above (i.e., at a premium) or below (i.e., at a discount) the NAV is available, free of charge, on the Fund’s website at www.fool100etf.com.
Continuous Offering.
The method by which Creation Units are purchased and traded may raise certain issues under applicable securities laws. Because new Creation Units are issued and sold by the Fund on an ongoing basis, at any point a “distribution,” as such term is used in the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), may occur. Broker-dealers and other persons are cautioned that some activities on their part may, depending on the circumstances, result in their being deemed participants in a distribution in a manner which could render them statutory underwriters and subject them to the Prospectus delivery and liability provisions of the Securities Act.
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For example, a broker-dealer firm or its client may be deemed a statutory underwriter if it takes Creation Units after placing an order with the Distributor, breaks them down into individual shares, and sells such shares directly to customers, or if it chooses to couple the creation of a supply of new shares with an active selling effort involving solicitation of secondary market demand for shares. A determination of whether one is an underwriter for purposes of the Securities Act must take into account all the facts and circumstances pertaining to the activities of the broker-dealer or its client in the particular case, and the examples mentioned above should not be considered a complete description of all the activities that could lead to categorization as an underwriter.
Broker-dealer firms should also note that dealers who are not “underwriters” but are effecting transactions in shares, whether or not participating in the distribution of shares, are generally required to deliver a prospectus. This is because the prospectus delivery exemption in Section 4(a)(3) of the Securities Act is not available with respect to such transactions as a result of Section 24(d) of the 1940 Act. As a result, broker dealer-firms should note that dealers who are not underwriters but are participating in a distribution (as contrasted with ordinary secondary market transactions) and thus dealing with shares that are part of an over-allotment within the meaning of Section 4(a)(3)(a) of the Securities Act would be unable to take advantage of the prospectus delivery exemption provided by Section 4(a)(3) of the Securities Act. Firms that incur a prospectus delivery obligation with respect to shares of the Fund are reminded that under Rule 153 of the Securities Act, a prospectus delivery obligation under Section 5(b)(2) of the Securities Act owed to an exchange member in connection with a sale on the Exchange is satisfied by the fact that such Fund’s Prospectus is available on the SEC’s electronic filing system. The prospectus delivery mechanism provided in Rule 153 is only available with respect to transactions on an exchange.
Additional Information.
The Fund enters into contractual arrangements with various parties, including among others the Fund’s investment adviser, who provide services to the Fund. Shareholders are not parties to, or intended (or “third party”) beneficiaries of, those contractual arrangements.
The Prospectus and the SAI provide information concerning the Fund that you should consider in determining whether to purchase shares of the Fund. The Fund may make changes to this information from time to time. Neither this Prospectus nor the SAI is intended to give rise to any contract rights or other rights in any shareholder, other than any rights conferred explicitly by federal or state securities laws that may not be waived.
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Financial Highlights
Financial highlights information is not available because the Fund did not commence operations prior to the date of this prospectus.
15
INVESTMENT ADVISER
Motley
Fool Asset Management, LLC
2000 Duke Street
Suite 275
Alexandria, VA 22314
ADMINISTRATOR
AND
TRANSFER AGENT
U.S.
Bancorp Fund Services, LLC
615 East Michigan Street
Milwaukee, WI 53202
CUSTODIAN
U.S.
Bank, N.A.
777 East Wisconsin Avenue
Milwaukee, WI 53202
INDEPENDENT
REGISTERED
PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
Tait, Weller & Baker LLP
1818 Market Street, Suite 2400
Philadelphia, PA 19103
UNDERWRITER
Quasar
Distributors, LLC
777 East Wisconsin Avenue, Floor 6
Milwaukee, WI 53202
LEGAL COUNSEL
Drinker
Biddle & Reath LLP
One Logan Square, Suite 2000
Philadelphia, PA 19103-6996
16
FOR MORE INFORMATION
For more information about the Fund, the following documents are available free upon request:
Annual/Semiannual Reports
Once available, additional information about the Fund’s investments is available in the Fund’s annual and semiannual reports to shareholders. The annual report will contain a discussion of the market conditions and investment strategies that significantly affected the Fund’s performance during their most recently completed fiscal year.
Statement of Additional Information
The SAI dated January 22, 2018 provides more details about the Fund and its policies. The current SAI is on file with the SEC and is incorporated by reference into (and is legally a part of) this prospectus.
TO OBTAIN INFORMATION
The SAI is available, without charge, upon request along with the semiannual and annual reports (when available). To obtain a free copy of the SAI, semiannual or annual reports or if you have questions about the Fund:
By Internet
Go to www.fool100etf.com.
By Telephone
Call 1-800-617-0004 or your securities dealer.
By Mail
Write to:
Motley
Fool Funds
P.O. Box 701
Milwaukee, WI 53201-0701
From the SEC
Information about the Fund (including the SAI) can be reviewed and copied at the SEC’s Public Reference Room in Washington, D.C. Information on the operation of the Public Reference Room may be obtained by calling the SEC at 1-202-551-8090. Reports and other information about the Fund are available on the EDGAR Database on the SEC’s Internet site at www.sec.gov, and copies of this information may be obtained, after paying a duplicating fee, by sending an electronic request to publicinfo@sec.gov or writing to the SEC’s Public Reference Section, Washington, D.C. 20549-1520.
Investment Company Act File Number 811-05518
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Motley Fool 100 Index ETF
(Cboe BZX: TMFC)
A series of The RBB Fund, Inc.
______________________________
2000
Duke Street, Suite 275
Alexandria, VA 22314
Statement of
Additional Information
Dated January 22, 2018
Motley Fool 100 Index ETF (the “Fund”) is a non-diversified series of The RBB Fund, Inc. (the “Company”), an open-end management investment company (or mutual fund) organized as a Maryland corporation on February 29, 1988.
Motley Fool Asset Management, LLC (the “Adviser”) serves as the investment adviser to the Fund.
Information about the Fund is set forth in the prospectus dated January 22, 2018 (the “Prospectus”) and provides the basic information you should know before investing. To obtain a copy of the Prospectus and/or the Fund’s Annual Report when it becomes available, please write to Motley Fool Funds, P.O. Box 701 Milwaukee, WI 53201-0701, or call 1-800-617-0004. This Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”) is not a prospectus but contains information in addition to and more detailed than that set forth in the Prospectus. It is incorporated by reference in its entirety into the Prospectus. This SAI is intended to provide you with additional information regarding the activities and operations of the Fund and the Company, and it should be read in conjunction with the Prospectus.
Table of Contents
Fund History | 3 |
Investment Policies and Practices | 3 |
Investment Restrictions | 10 |
Exchange Listing and Trading | 11 |
Management of the Company | 12 |
Code of Ethics | 21 |
Principal Holders | 21 |
Investment Advisory Agreement | 22 |
Portfolio Managers | 22 |
Underwriter | 25 |
Purchase and Redemption of Creation Units | 25 |
Portfolio Holdings Information | 32 |
Determination of Net Asset Value | 32 |
Dividends, Distributions, and Taxes | 33 |
Portfolio Transactions and Brokerage | 36 |
Proxy Voting Procedures | 37 |
Payments To Financial Intermediaries | 37 |
Additional Information Concerning Company Shares | 38 |
General Information | 39 |
Financial Statements | 40 |
Appendix A | 41 |
Fund History
The Company is an open-end management investment company currently operating thirty separate portfolios. The Company is registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”), and was organized as a Maryland corporation on February 29, 1988. This SAI pertains to shares of the Motley Fool 100 Index ETF (the “Fund”). Motley Fool Asset Management, LLC (“Motley Fool” or the “Adviser”), serves as the investment adviser to the Fund.
The investment objective of the Fund is to seek investment results that correspond (before fees and expenses) generally to the total return performance of the Motley Fool 100 Index (the “Index”). The Index was developed by The Motley Fool, LLC (“The Motley Fool”), an affiliate of the Adviser.
The Fund offers and issues shares at its net asset value per share (“NAV”) only in aggregations of a specified number of shares (each a “Creation Unit”). The Fund generally offers and issues shares in exchange for a basket of securities included in the Index (“Deposit Securities”) together with the deposit of a specified cash payment (“Cash Component”). The Company reserves the right to permit or require the substitution of a “cash in lieu” amount (“Deposit Cash”) to be added to the Cash Component to replace any Deposit Security. The shares are listed on the Cboe BZX Exchange, Inc. (the “Exchange”) and trade on the Exchange at market prices. These prices may differ from the shares’ NAVs. The shares are also redeemable only in Creation Unit aggregations, and generally in exchange for portfolio securities and a specified cash payment. A Creation Unit of the Fund consists of at least 25,000 Shares.
Shares may be issued in advance of receipt of Deposit Securities subject to various conditions including a requirement to maintain on deposit with the Company cash at least equal to a specified percentage of the market value of the missing Deposit Securities as set forth in the Participant Agreement (as defined below). The Company may impose a transaction fee for each creation or redemption (the “Transaction Fee”). In all cases, such fees will be limited in accordance with the requirements of the SEC applicable to management investment companies offering redeemable securities. The Fund may charge, either in lieu or in addition to the fixed creation or redemption Transaction Fee, a variable fee for creations and redemptions in order to cover certain brokerage, tax, foreign exchange, execution, market impact and other costs and expenses related to the execution of trades resulting from such transaction, up to a maximum of 2.00% of the NAV per Creation Unit, inclusive of any Transaction Fees charged (if applicable).
Investment Policies and Practices
The Fund’s investment objective and principal investment strategies are described in the Prospectus. The following information supplements, and should be read in conjunction with, the Prospectus. For a description of certain permitted investments, see “Description of Permitted Investments” in this SAI.
With respect to the Fund’s investments, unless otherwise noted, if a percentage limitation on investment is adhered to at the time of investment or contract, a subsequent increase or decrease as a result of market movement or redemption will not result in a violation of such investment limitation.
Types of Equity Securities
In addition to common stock, the equity securities that the Fund may purchase include preferred and convertible preferred stocks, and securities having equity characteristics, such as rights, warrants, and convertible debt securities. Preferred stocks represent equity ownership interests in a corporation and participate in the corporation’s earnings through dividends that the corporation may declare. Unlike common stocks, preferred stocks are entitled to stated dividends payable from the corporation’s earnings, which in some cases may be “cumulative” if previous stated dividends have not been paid. Dividends payable on preferred stock have priority over distributions to holders of common stock, and preferred stocks generally have preferences on the distribution of assets in the event of the corporation’s liquidation. Preferred stocks may be “participating,” which means that they may be entitled to dividends in excess of the stated dividend, in certain cases. The rights of preferred stocks are generally subordinate to rights associated with a corporation’s debt securities.
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Convertible Securities
The Fund may purchase convertible securities. These securities include convertible debt obligations and convertible preferred stock. A convertible security entitles the holder to exchange it for a fixed number of shares of common stock (or other equity security), usually at a fixed price within a specified period of time. Until conversion, the holder receives the interest paid on a convertible bond or the dividend preference of a preferred stock.
Convertible securities have an “investment value,” which is the theoretical value determined by the yield it provides in comparison with similar securities without the conversion feature. The investment value changes are based on prevailing interest rates and other factors. They also have a “conversion value,” which is the worth in market value if the security were exchanged for the underlying equity security. Conversion value fluctuates directly with the price of the underlying security. If conversion value is substantially below investment value, the price of the convertible security is governed principally by its investment value. If the conversion value is near or above investment value, the price of the convertible security generally will rise above investment value and may represent a premium over conversion value because of the combination of the convertible security’s right to interest (or dividend preference) and the possibility of capital appreciation from the conversion feature. A convertible security’s price, when price is influenced primarily by its conversion value, will generally yield less than a senior non-convertible security of comparable investment value. Convertible securities may be purchased at varying price levels above their investment values or conversion values. However, there is no assurance that any premium above investment value or conversion value will be recovered, because prices change, and, as a result, the ability to achieve capital appreciation through conversion may never occur.
Exchange-Traded Funds and Other Similar Instruments
The Fund may purchase shares of exchange-traded funds that are registered under the 1940 Act (“ETFs”) and shares of similar investment vehicles that are not registered under the 1940 Act (together with the ETFs, “Traded Funds”). Typically, a Traded Fund holds a portfolio of common stocks designed to track the performance of a particular index or a “basket” of stocks of companies within a particular industry sector or group. Traded Funds sell and redeem their shares at NAV in large blocks (typically at least 25,000 shares) called “creation units.” Shares representing fractional interests in these creation units are listed for trading on national securities exchanges and can be purchased and sold in the secondary market in lots of any size at any time during the trading day. The Fund does not invest in actively managed Traded Funds.
Investments in Traded Funds involve certain inherent risks generally associated with investments in a broadly based portfolio of stocks, including risks that the general level of stock prices may decline and thereby adversely affect the value of each unit of the Traded Fund. In addition, a Traded Fund may not fully replicate the performance of its benchmark index because of the temporary unavailability of certain index securities in the secondary market or discrepancies between the Traded Fund and the index with respect to the weighting of securities or number of stocks held.
Because Traded Funds bear various fees and expenses, the Fund’s investment in these instruments will involve certain indirect costs, as well as transaction costs, such as brokerage commissions. The Adviser will consider the expenses associated with an investment in determining whether to invest in a Traded Fund.
Special Corporate Situation Investments
The Fund may invest a portion of its total assets in securities of companies that may be involved in special corporate situations, the occurrence of which would favorably affect the values of the companies’ equity securities. Such situations could include, among other developments, a change in management or management policies; the acquisition of a significant equity position in the company by an investor or investor group; a merger, a reorganization, or the sale of a division; the spinoff of a subsidiary, division, or other substantial assets; or a third-party or issuer tender offer. The primary risk of this type of investing is that if the contemplated event does not occur or if a proposed transaction is abandoned, revised, or delayed or becomes subject to unanticipated uncertainties, the market price of the securities may decline below the purchase price the Fund paid.
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In general, securities that are the subject of a special corporate situation sell at a premium to their market prices immediately following the announcement of the situation. However, the increased market price of these securities may nonetheless represent a discount from what the stated or appraised value of the security would be if the contemplated transaction were approved or consummated. These investments may be advantageous when the following occur: (1) the discount significantly overstates the risk of the contingencies involved; (2) the discount significantly undervalues the securities, assets, or cash to be received by shareholders of the prospective portfolio company as a result of the contemplated transactions; or (3) the discount fails adequately to recognize the possibility that the offer or proposal may be replaced or superseded by an offer or proposal of greater value. The evaluation of these contingencies requires unusually broad knowledge and experience on the part of the Adviser, which must appraise not only the value of the issuer and its component businesses as well as the assets or securities to be received as a result of the contemplated transaction, but also the financial resources and business motivation of the offeror, as well as the dynamics of the business climate when the offer or proposal is in progress.
The Fund’s special corporate situation investments may tend to increase its portfolio turnover ratio and thereby increase brokerage commissions and other transaction expenses. However, the Adviser attempts to select investments of the type described that, in its view, also have a reasonable prospect of significant capital appreciation over the long term.
Types of Fixed-Income Securities
The Fund may invest in bonds and other types of debt obligations of U.S. issuers. Fixed-income securities purchased by the Fund may include, among others, bonds, notes, and debentures issued by corporations; debt securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government or one of its agencies or instrumentalities (“U.S. Government Securities”); municipal securities; mortgage-backed and asset-backed securities; and debt securities issued or guaranteed by foreign governments, their agencies, instrumentalities, or political subdivisions, or by government-owned, -controlled, or -sponsored entities, including central banks. These investments also include money market instruments and other types of obligations. Investors should recognize that, although securities ratings issued by S&P Global Ratings (“S&P”) and Moody’s Investors Services©, Inc. (“Moody’s”), provide a generally useful guide as to credit risks, they do not offer any criteria to evaluate interest rate risk. A description of the ratings that the Adviser deems most relevant to the Fund is set forth in Appendix A to this SAI. Changes in interest rate levels generally cause fluctuations in the prices of fixed-income securities and will, therefore, cause fluctuations in the NAV per share of the Fund. Subsequent to the purchase of a fixed-income security by the Fund, the ratings or credit quality of such security may deteriorate. Any such subsequent adverse changes in the rating or quality of a security held by the Fund would not require the Fund to sell the security.
Zero-Coupon Securities
Fixed-income securities purchased by the Fund may include zero-coupon securities. These securities do not pay any interest until maturity, and for this reason, zero-coupon securities of longer maturities may trade at a deep discount from their face or par values and may be subject to greater fluctuations in market value than would ordinary debt obligations of comparable maturity. Current federal tax law requires the holder of a zero-coupon security to accrue a portion of the discount at which the security was purchased as income each year, even though the holder receives no interest payment that year.
Variable- and Floating-Rate Securities
Fixed-income securities purchased by the Fund may also include variable- and floating-rate securities. The interest rates payable on these securities are adjusted either at predesignated periodic intervals or whenever there is a change in an established market rate of interest. Other features may include a right whereby the Fund may demand prepayment of the principal amount before the stated maturity (a “demand feature”) and the right of an issuer to prepay the principal amount before maturity. One benefit of variable- and floating-rate securities is that because of interest rate adjustments on the obligation, changes in market value that would normally result from fluctuations in prevailing interest rates are reduced. One benefit of a demand feature is enhanced liquidity.
5
Non-Investment-Grade Debt Securities
As discussed in the Prospectus, the Fund may invest in both investment-grade and non-investment-grade debt securities (including high-yield bonds). Non-investment-grade debt securities (typically called “junk bonds”) are securities considered to be predominantly speculative with respect to the issuer’s capacity to pay interest and repay principal.
Companies that issue these securities often are highly leveraged and may not have available to them more traditional methods of financing. Therefore, the risks associated with acquiring the securities of such issuers generally are greater than is the case with higher-grade securities. For example, during an economic downturn or a sustained period of rising interest rates, highly leveraged issuers of these securities may not have sufficient revenues to meet their interest payment obligations. The issuer’s ability to service its debt obligations also may be affected adversely by specific corporate developments, forecasts, or the unavailability of additional financing. The risk of loss because of default by the issuer is significantly greater for the holders of these securities, because such securities generally are unsecured and often are subordinated to other creditors of the issuer.
Because there is no established retail secondary market for many of these securities, the Fund anticipates that such securities could be sold only to a limited number of dealers or institutional investors. To the extent a secondary trading market for these securities does exist, it generally is not as liquid as is the secondary market for higher-grade securities. The lack of a liquid secondary market may have an adverse impact on market price and yield, as well as on the Fund’s ability to dispose of particular issues when necessary to meet the Fund’s liquidity needs or in response to a specific economic event such as a deterioration in the creditworthiness of the issuer. The lack of a liquid secondary market for certain securities also may make it more difficult for the Fund to obtain accurate market quotations for purposes of valuing the Fund’s portfolio and calculating its NAV. Adverse publicity and investor perceptions may decrease the values and liquidity of these securities. In such cases, judgment may play a greater role in valuation, because of a lack of reliable, objective data.
These securities may be particularly susceptible to economic downturns. It is likely that an economic recession could severely disrupt the market for such securities and may have an adverse impact on the value of such securities. In addition, it is likely that any such economic downturn could adversely affect the ability of the issuers of such securities to repay principal and pay interest thereon and increase the incidence of default for such securities.
The Fund may acquire these securities during an initial offering. Such securities may involve special risks because they are new issues. The Fund has no arrangement with any person concerning the acquisition of such securities, and the Adviser will review the credit and other characteristics pertinent to such new issues.
Securities of Other Investment Companies
The Fund may invest in securities of other investment companies, including ETF shares and shares of money market funds. The Fund’s investment in these securities (other than shares of money market funds and of certain ETFs) may be subject to certain limitations imposed by the 1940 Act — generally, a prohibition on acquiring more than 3 percent of the outstanding voting stock of another investment company. Investment companies such as ETFs and money market funds pay investment advisory and other fees and incur various expenses in connection with their operations. When the Fund invests in another investment company, shareholders of the Fund will indirectly bear these fees and expenses, which will be in addition to the fees and expenses of the Fund.
Real Estate Investment Trusts
Real estate investment trusts (“REITs”) are pooled investment vehicles that manage a portfolio of real estate or real estate-related loans to earn profits for their shareholders. REITs are generally classified as equity REITs, mortgage REITs, or a combination of equity and mortgage REITs. Investing in REITs involves certain unique risks in addition to the risks associated with investing in the real estate industry in general. Equity REITs may be affected by changes in the value of the underlying property owned by the REITs, and mortgage REITs may be affected by the quality of the borrower on any credit extended. REITs are dependent on management skills, may not be diversified geographically or by property type, and are subject to heavy cash flow dependency, default by borrowers, and self-liquidation. REITs must also meet certain requirements under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), to avoid entity-level tax and be eligible to pass through certain tax attributes of their income to shareholders. REITs are consequently subject to the risk of failing to meet these requirements for favorable tax treatment and of failing to maintain their exemptions from registration under the 1940 Act. REITs are also subject to the risks of changes in the Code that could affect their tax status.
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REITs (especially mortgage REITs) are also subject to interest rate risks. When interest rates decline, the value of a REIT’s investment in fixed-rate obligations can be expected to rise. Conversely, when interest rates rise, the value of a REIT’s investment in fixed-rate obligations can be expected to decline. In contrast, as interest rates on adjustable-rate mortgage loans are reset periodically, yields on a REIT’s investments in such loans will gradually align themselves to reflect changes in market interest rates, and as a result, the value of such investments will fluctuate less dramatically in response to interest rate fluctuations than would investments in fixed-rate obligations.
The management of a REIT may be subject to conflicts of interest with respect to the operation of the business of the REIT and may be involved in real estate activities competitive with the REIT. REITs may own properties through joint ventures or in other circumstances in which a REIT may not have control over its investments. REITs may use significant amounts of leverage.
REITs often do not provide complete tax information until after the end of the calendar year. Consequently, because of the delay, it may be necessary for the Fund, if invested in REITs, to request permission to extend the deadline for issuance of Forms 1099-DIV beyond January 31. Alternatively, amended Forms 1099-DIV may be sent.
Master Limited Partnerships
Master limited partnerships (“MLPs”) are publicly traded companies organized as limited partnerships or limited liability companies and treated as partnerships for U.S. federal tax purposes. MLPs combine the tax advantages of a partnership with the liquidity of a publicly traded stock. MLP income is generally not subject to entity-level tax. Instead, an MLP’s income, gain, loss, deductions, and other tax items pass through to common unitholders. If tax were to be required to be paid by the MLP at the entity level, the value of the MLP interests held by the Fund would be expected to decrease.
MLPs are typically structured such that common units and general partner interests have first priority to receive quarterly cash distributions up to an established minimum amount (“MQD”). Common and general partner interests also accrue arrearages in distributions to the extent that the MQD is not paid. Once common and general partner interests have been paid, subordinated units receive distributions of up to the MQD. However, subordinated units do not accrue arrearages. Distributable cash in excess of the MQD paid to both common and subordinated units is distributed to both common and subordinated units generally on a pro rata basis. The general partner is also eligible to receive incentive distributions if the general partner operates the business in a manner that causes distributions paid per common unit surpassing specified target levels. As the general partner increases cash distributions to the limited partners, the general partner receives an increasingly higher percentage of the incremental cash distributions. A common arrangement provides that the general partner can reach a tier at which it receives 50% of every incremental dollar paid to common and subordinated unitholders. These incentive distributions encourage the general partner to streamline costs, increase capital expenditures, and acquire assets in order to increase the partnership’s cash flow and raise the quarterly cash distribution in order to reach higher tiers. Such results benefit all security holders of the MLP.
Illiquid Securities
The Fund may invest up to 15% of the value of its net assets in illiquid securities. Illiquid securities are securities that the Fund cannot sell or dispose of in the ordinary course of business within seven days at approximately the value at which the Fund carries the securities. These securities include restricted securities and repurchase agreements maturing in more than seven days. Restricted securities are securities that may not be sold to the public without an effective registration statement under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “1933 Act”), and thus may be sold only in privately negotiated transactions or pursuant to an exemption from registration. Subject to the adoption of guidelines by the Board, certain restricted securities that may be sold to institutional investors pursuant to Rule 144A under the 1933 Act and non-exempt commercial paper may be determined to be liquid by the Adviser. Illiquid securities involve the risk that the securities will not be able to be sold at the time the Adviser desires or at prices approximating the value at which the Fund is carrying the securities. If, as a result of changes in the values of securities held by the Fund, the value of holdings by the Fund of illiquid securities exceeds 15% of the value of the Fund’s net assets, the Adviser will take appropriate actions to reduce the Fund’s holdings of illiquid securities to 15% of the value of the Fund’s net assets as soon as reasonably practicable, in a manner consistent with prudent management and the interests of the Fund.
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Temporary Investments
During periods of adverse market or economic conditions, the Fund may temporarily invest all or a substantial portion of their assets in high-quality, fixed-income securities, money market instruments, and shares of money market mutual funds, or it may hold cash. At such times, the Fund would not be pursuing their stated investment objective with its usual investment strategies. The Fund may also hold these investments for liquidity purposes. Fixed-income securities will be deemed to be of high quality if they are rated “A” or better by S&P or Moody’s or, if unrated, are determined to be of comparable quality by the Adviser. Money market instruments are high-quality, short-term fixed-income obligations (which generally have remaining maturities of one year or less) and may include U.S. Government Securities, commercial paper, certificates of deposit and banker’s acceptances issued by domestic branches of U.S. banks that are members of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, and repurchase agreements for U.S. Government Securities. In lieu of purchasing money market instruments, the Fund may purchase shares of money market mutual funds that invest primarily in U.S. Government Securities and repurchase agreements involving those securities, subject to certain limitations imposed by the 1940 Act. The Fund, as an investor in a money market fund, will indirectly bear that fund’s fees and expenses, which will be in addition to the fees and expenses of the Fund. Repurchase Agreements involve certain risks not associated with direct investments in debt securities.
Non-Diversification Risk
Non-diversification risk is the risk that the Fund may be more susceptible to adverse financial, economic or other developments affecting any single issuer, and more susceptible to greater losses because of these developments. A “non-diversified” classification means that the Fund is not limited by the 1940 Act with regard to the percentage of its assets that may be invested in the securities of a single issuer. The securities of a particular issuer may dominate the Index and, consequently, the Fund’s investment portfolio.
The Fund intends to maintain the required level of diversification and otherwise conduct its operations so as to qualify as a “regulated investment company” for purposes of the Code, and to relieve the Fund of any liability for federal income tax to the extent that its earnings are distributed to shareholders. Compliance with the diversification requirements of the Code may limit the Fund’s ability to track the Index and may make it less likely that the Fund will meet its investment objectives.
Portfolio Turnover
Although the Fund generally does not engage in short-term trading, portfolio securities may be sold without regard to the time they have been held when investment considerations warrant such action. It is expected that the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate will not exceed 100%. A higher portfolio turnover rate would result in higher brokerage costs to the Fund and could also result in the realization of larger amounts of capital gains, including short-term capital gains. Capital gains are generally taxable when distributed to shareholders, and distributions of short-term capital gains are generally taxable at ordinary income tax rates.
8
Repurchase Agreements
The Fund may enter into repurchase agreements involving the types of securities eligible for purchase by the Fund. However, there is no limitation on the maturity of the securities underlying the repurchase agreements. The Fund may use repurchase agreements in lieu of purchasing money market instruments.
Repurchase agreements, which may be viewed as a type of secured lending by the Fund, typically involves the acquisition by the Fund of U.S. Government Securities or other securities from a selling financial institution such as a bank, savings and loan association, or broker-dealer. The agreement provides that the Fund will sell back to the institution, and that the institution will repurchase, the underlying security (“collateral”) at a specified price and at a fixed time in the future, usually not more than seven days from the date of purchase. The Fund will receive interest from the institution until the time the repurchase is to occur. Although such date is deemed to be the maturity date of a repurchase agreement, the maturities of securities subject to repurchase agreements are not subject to any limits and may exceed one year.
Repurchase agreements involve certain risks not associated with direct investments in debt securities. If the seller under a repurchase agreement becomes insolvent, the Fund’s right to dispose of the securities may be restricted, or the value of the securities may decline before the Fund is able to dispose of them. In the event of the commencement of bankruptcy or insolvency proceedings with respect to the seller of the securities before the repurchase of the securities under a repurchase agreement is accomplished, the Fund may encounter delay and incur costs, including a decline in the value of the securities, before being able to sell the securities. If the seller defaults, the value of such securities may decline before the Fund is able to dispose of them. If the Fund enters into a repurchase agreement that is subject to foreign law and the other party defaults, the Fund may not enjoy protections comparable to those provided to certain repurchase agreements under U.S. bankruptcy law and may suffer delays and losses in disposing of the collateral as a result.
The Fund has adopted procedures designed to minimize the risks of loss from repurchase agreement transactions. These procedures include a requirement that the Adviser effect repurchase transactions only with large, well-capitalized U.S. financial institutions that the Adviser approves as creditworthy based on periodic review under guidelines established and monitored by the Board. In addition, the value of the collateral underlying the repurchase agreement, which the Company’s custodian will hold on behalf of the Fund, will always be at least equal to the repurchase price, including any accrued interest earned on the repurchase agreement. In the event of a default or bankruptcy by a selling financial institution, the Fund will seek to liquidate such collateral. However, the exercise of the Fund’s right to liquidate such collateral could involve certain costs or delays and, to the extent that proceeds from any sale upon a default of the obligation to repurchase were less than the repurchase price, the Fund could suffer a loss.
Lending Portfolio Securities
The Fund may lend its portfolio securities to brokers, dealers, and financial institutions in an amount not exceeding 33 1/3% of the value of the Fund’s total assets. These loans will be secured by collateral (consisting of cash, U.S. Government Securities, or irrevocable letters of credit) maintained in an amount equal to at least 100% of the market value, determined daily, of the loaned securities. The Fund may, subject to certain notice requirements, at any time call the loan and obtain the return of the securities loaned. The Fund will be entitled to payments equal to the interest and dividends on the loaned securities and may receive a premium for lending the securities. The advantage of such loans is that the Fund continues to receive the income on the loaned securities while earning interest on the cash amounts deposited as collateral, which will be invested in short-term investments.
A loan may be terminated by the borrower on one business day’s notice, or by the Company on two business days’ notice. If the borrower fails to deliver the loaned securities within four days after receipt of notice, the Company may use the collateral to replace the securities while holding the borrower liable for any excess of replacement cost exceeding the collateral. As with any extensions of credit, there are risks of delay in recovery and, in some cases, even loss of rights in the collateral, should the borrower of the securities fail financially. In addition, securities lending involves a form of leverage, and the Fund may incur a loss if securities purchased with the collateral from securities loans decline in value or if the income earned does not cover the Fund’s transaction costs. However, loans of securities will be made only to companies the Board deems to be creditworthy (such creditworthiness will be monitored on an ongoing basis) and when the income that can be earned from such loans justifies the attendant risks. Upon termination of the loan, the borrower is required to return the securities. Any gain or loss in the market price during the loan period would inure to the Fund.
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When voting or consent rights that accompany loaned securities pass to the borrower, the Company will follow the policy of calling the loaned securities, to be delivered within one day after notice, to permit the exercise of such rights if the matters involved would have a material effect on the investment in such loaned securities. The Fund will pay reasonable finder’s, administrative, and custodial fees in connection with loans of securities. The Fund may lend foreign securities consistent with the foregoing requirements.
Cyber Security Risk
The Fund and its service providers may be prone to operational and information security risks resulting from breaches in cyber security. A breach in cyber security refers to both intentional and unintentional events that may cause the Fund to lose proprietary information, suffer data corruption, or lose operational capacity. Breaches in cyber security include, among other behaviors, stealing or corrupting data maintained online or digitally, denial of service attacks on websites, the unauthorized release of confidential information or various other forms of cyber-attacks. Cyber security breaches affecting the Fund or the Adviser, custodian, transfer agent, intermediaries and other third-party service providers may adversely impact the Fund. For instance, cyber security breaches may interfere with the processing of shareholder transactions, impact the Fund’s ability to calculate its NAVs, cause the release of private shareholder information or confidential business information, impede trading, subject the Fund to regulatory fines or financial losses and/or cause reputational damage. The Fund may also incur additional costs for cyber security risk management purposes. Similar types of cyber security risks are also present for issuers of securities in which the Fund may invest, which could result in material adverse consequences for such issuers and may cause the Fund’s investment in such companies to lose value. While the Fund and its service providers have established IT and data security programs and have in place business continuity plans and other systems designed to prevent losses and mitigate cyber risk, there are inherent limitations in such plans and systems, including the possibility that certain risks have not been identified or that cyber-attacks may be highly sophisticated.
Investment Restrictions
The Company has adopted the following investment restrictions as fundamental policies with respect to the Fund. These restrictions cannot be changed with respect to the Fund without the approval of the holders of a majority of the Fund’s outstanding voting securities. For the purposes of the 1940 Act, a “majority of outstanding shares” means the vote of the lesser of: (1) 67% or more of the voting securities of the Fund present at the meeting if the holders of more than 50% of the Fund’s outstanding voting securities are present or represented by proxy; or (2) more than 50% of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund.
Except with the approval of a majority of the outstanding voting securities, the Fund may not:
1. | Concentrate its investments (i.e., hold more than 25% of its total assets) in any industry or group of related industries, except that the Fund will concentrate to approximately the same extent that the Index concentrates in the securities of such particular industry or group of related industries. For purposes of this limitation, securities of the U.S. government (including its agencies and instrumentalities), repurchase agreements collateralized by U.S. government securities, and tax-exempt securities of state or municipal governments and their political subdivisions are not considered to be issued by members of any industry. |
2. | Borrow money or issue senior securities (as defined under the 1940 Act), except to the extent permitted under the 1940 Act. |
3. | Make loans, except to the extent permitted under the 1940 Act. |
4. | Purchase or sell real estate unless acquired as a result of ownership of securities or other instruments, except to the extent permitted under the 1940 Act. This shall not prevent the Fund from investing in securities or other instruments backed by real estate, real estate investment trusts or securities of companies engaged in the real estate business. |
10
5. | Purchase or sell physical commodities unless acquired as a result of ownership of securities or other instruments, except to the extent permitted under the 1940 Act. This shall not prevent the Fund from purchasing or selling options and futures contracts or from investing in securities or other instruments backed by physical commodities. |
6. | Underwrite securities issued by other persons, except to the extent permitted under the 1940 Act. |
In addition to the investment restrictions adopted as fundamental policies as set forth above, the Fund observes the following non-fundamental restrictions, which may be changed without a shareholder vote.
1. | The Fund will not hold illiquid assets in excess of 15% of its net assets. An illiquid asset is any asset which may not be sold or disposed of in the ordinary course of business within seven days at approximately the value at which the Fund has valued the investment. |
2. | The Fund invests, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its total assets (exclusive of collateral held from securities lending), in the component securities of its Index. |
If a percentage limitation is adhered to at the time of investment or contract, a later increase or decrease in percentage resulting from any change in value or total or net assets will not result in a violation of such restriction, except that the percentage limitations with respect to the borrowing of money and illiquid securities will be observed continuously. If the percentage of the Fund’s net assets invested in illiquid securities exceeds 15% due to market activity or changes in the Fund’s portfolio, the Fund will take appropriate measures to reduce its holdings of illiquid securities as soon as reasonably practicable, in a manner consistent with prudent management and the interests of the Fund.
Exchange Listing and Trading
Shares are listed for trading and trade throughout the day on the Exchange.
There can be no assurance that the Fund will continue to meet the requirements of the Exchange necessary to maintain the listing of the Fund’s shares. The Exchange may, but is not required to, remove the Fund’s shares from listing if: (i) following the initial 12-month period beginning at the commencement of trading of the Fund, there are fewer than 50 beneficial owners of the Fund for 30 or more consecutive trading days; (ii) the value of the Fund’s index no longer is calculated or available; or (iii) such other event shall occur or condition shall exist that, in the opinion of the Exchange, makes further dealings on the Exchange inadvisable. The Exchange will remove the Fund’s shares from listing and trading upon termination of the Fund.
The Company reserves the right to adjust the price levels of its shares in the future to help maintain convenient trading ranges for investors. Any adjustments would be accomplished through stock splits or reverse s tock splits, which would have no effect on the net assets of the Fund.
To provide additional information regarding the indicative value of shares, the Exchange or a market data vendor disseminates information every 15 seconds through the facilities of the Consolidated Tape Association, or other widely disseminated means, an updated “intraday indicative value” (“IIV”) for the Fund as calculated by an information provider or market data vendor. The Company is not involved in or responsible for any aspect of the calculation or dissemination of the IIVs and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the IIVs.
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Management of the Company
The business and affairs of the Company are managed under the oversight of the Company’s Board of Directors, subject to the laws of the State of Maryland and the Company’s Charter. The Directors are responsible for deciding matters of overall policy and overseeing the actions of the Company’s service providers. The officers of the Company conduct and supervise the Company’s daily business operations.
Directors who are not deemed to be “interested persons” of the Company (as defined in the 1940 Act) are referred to as “Independent Directors.” Directors who are deemed to be “interested persons” of the Company are referred to as “Interested Directors.” The Board is currently composed of six Independent Directors and one Interested Director. The Board has selected Arnold M. Reichman, an Independent Director, to act as Chairman. Mr. Reichman’s duties include presiding at meetings of the Board and interfacing with management to address significant issues that may arise between regularly scheduled Board and Committee meetings. In the performance of his duties, Mr. Reichman will consult with the other Independent Directors and the Company’s 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 four 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. The Board also relies on professionals, such as the Company’s independent registered public accounting firms and legal counsel, to assist the Directors in performing their oversight responsibilities.
The Board has established nine standing committees — Audit, Contract, Executive, Investment Risk, Nominating and Governance, Product Development, Regulatory Oversight, Strategic Oversight, and Valuation Committees. The Board may establish other committees, or nominate one or more Directors to examine particular issues related to the Board’s 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 Board has determined that the Company’s leadership structure is appropriate because it allows the Board to effectively perform its oversight responsibilities.
Directors and Executive Officers
The Directors and executive officers of the Company, their ages, business addresses and principal occupations during the past five years are set forth below.
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Name, Address, and Age |
Position(s) Held with Company |
Term
of Office and Length of Time Served1 |
Principal
Occupation(s) During Past 5 Years |
Number of
Portfolios in Fund Complex Overseen by Director* |
Other
Directorships Held by Director in the Past 5 Years |
INDEPENDENT DIRECTORS | |||||
Julian A. Brodsky Milwaukee WI 53202 |
Director | 1988 to present | From 1969 to 2011, Director and Vice Chairman, Comcast Corporation (cable television and communications). | 30 | AMDOCS Limited (service provider to telecommunications companies). |
J. Richard Carnall Milwaukee WI 53202 |
Director | 2002 to present | Since 1984, Director of Haydon Bolts, Inc. (bolt manufacturer) and Parkway Real Estate Company (subsidiary of Haydon Bolts, Inc.); since 2004, Director of Cornerstone Bank. | 30 | None |
Gregory P. Chandler Milwaukee WI 53202 |
Director | 2012 to present | Since 2009, Chief Financial Officer, Emtec, Inc. (information technology consulting/services); from 2003-2009, Managing Director, head of Business Services and IT Services Practice, Janney Montgomery Scott LLC (investment banking/brokerage.
|
30 | Emtec, Inc.; FS Investment Corporation (business development company); FS Energy and Power Fund (business development company). |
13
Name, Address, and Age |
Position(s) Held with Company |
Term
of Office and Length of Time Served1 |
Principal
Occupation(s) During Past 5 Years |
Number of
Portfolios in Fund Complex Overseen by Director* |
Other
Directorships Held by Director in the Past 5 Years |
Nicholas A. Giordano Milwaukee WI 53202 |
Director | 2006 to present | Since 1997, Consultant, financial services organizations. | 30 | Kalmar Pooled Investment Trust (registered investment company) (until September 2017); Wilmington Funds (12 portfolios) (registered investment company); Independence Blue Cross (healthcare insurance). |
Sam Lambroza 615 East Michigan Street Milwaukee WI 53202 Age: 63
|
Director | 2016 to present | Since 2010, Managing Director, Chief Investment Officer and Board Member, Tinsel Group of Companies (asset management). |
30 | None |
14
Name, Address, and Age |
Position(s) Held with Company |
Term
of Office and Length of Time Served1 |
Principal
Occupation(s) During Past 5 Years |
Number of
Portfolios in Fund Complex Overseen by Director* |
Other
Directorships Held by Director in the Past 5 Years |
Arnold M. Reichman Milwaukee WI 53202 |
Chairman
Director
|
2005 to present
1991 to present
|
Since 2006, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Lifebooker, LLC (online beauty and health appointment booking service). |
30 | Independent Trustee of EIP Investment Trust (registered investment company). |
Robert A. Straniere Milwaukee WI 53202 |
Director | 2006 to present | Since 2009, Administrative Law Judge, New York City; since 1980, Founding Partner, Straniere Law Group (law firm). |
30 | Reich and Tang Group (asset management).
|
INTERESTED DIRECTOR2 | |||||
Robert Sablowsky Milwaukee WI 53202 |
Vice Chairman
Director
|
2016 to present
1991 to present
|
Since 2002, Senior Director – Investments and, prior thereto, Executive Vice President, of Oppenheimer & Co., Inc. (a registered broker-dealer). |
30 | None |
OFFICERS | |||||
Salvatore Faia, JD, |
President
Chief Compliance Officer
|
2009 to present
2004 to present
|
Since 2004, President, Vigilant Compliance, LLC (investment management services company); since 2005, Independent Trustee of EIP Investment Trust (registered investment company).
|
N/A | N/A |
15
Name, Address, and Age | Position(s) Held with Company |
Term
of Office and Length of Time Served1 |
Principal Occupation(s) During Past 5 Years | Number of Portfolios in Fund Complex Overseen by Director* | Other
Directorships Held by Director in the Past 5 Years |
James G. Shaw Milwaukee WI 53202 |
Treasurer and Secretary |
2016 to present | Since 2016, Treasurer and Secretary of The RBB Fund, Inc.; from 2005 to 2016, Assistant Treasurer of The RBB Fund, Inc.; from 1995 to 2016, Senior Director and Vice President of BNY Mellon Investment Servicing (US) Inc. (financial services company). |
N/A | N/A |
Robert Amweg Gateway Corporate Center Suite 216 |
Assistant Treasurer |
Since 2016 | Since 2013, Compliance Director, Vigilant Compliance, LLC (investment management services company); since 2012, Consultant to the financial services industry; from 2007 to 2012, Chief Financial Officer and Chief Accounting Officer, Turner Investments, LP (registered investment company). | N/A | N/A |
Jesse Schmitting 615 East Michigan Street Milwaukee WI 53202 Age: 35
|
Assistant Treasurer | Since 2016 | Since 2008, Assistant Vice President, U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC (fund administrative services firm). | N/A | N/A |
16
Name, Address, and Age |
Position(s) Held with Company |
Term
of Office and Length of Time Served1 |
Principal
Occupation(s) During Past 5 Years |
Number of Portfolios in Fund Complex Overseen by Director* |
Other
Directorships Held by Director in the Past 5 Years |
Edward Paz 615 East Michigan Street Milwaukee WI 53202 Age: 46 |
Assistant Secretary
|
Since 2016 | Since 2007, Vice President and Counsel, U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC (fund administrative services firm). |
N/A | N/A |
Michael P. Malloy |
Assistant Secretary |
1999 to present | Since 1993, Partner, Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP (law firm). | N/A | N/A |
Jillian L. Bosmann |
Assistant Secretary |
2017 to present | Partner, Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP (law firm) (2017-Present); Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP (2006-Present). | N/A | N/A |
* | Each Director oversees thirty portfolios of the Company. |
1. | Subject to the Company’s Retirement Policy, each Director may continue to serve as a Director until the last day of the calendar year in which the applicable Director attains age 75 or until his successor is elected and qualified or his death, resignation or removal. The Board reserves the right to waive the requirements of the Policy with respect to an individual Director. The Board has approved waivers of the policy with respect to Messrs. Brodsky, Carnall, Sablowsky and Straniere. Each officer holds office at the pleasure of the Board until the next special meeting of the Company or until his or her successor is duly elected and qualified, or until he or she dies, resigns or is removed. |
2. | Mr. Sablowsky is considered an “interested person” of the Company as that term is defined in the 1940 Act and is referred to as an “Interested Director.” Mr. Sablowsky is considered an “Interested Director” of the Company by virtue of his position as an employee of Oppenheimer & Co., Inc., a registered broker-dealer. |
Director Experience, Qualifications, Attributes and/or Skills
The information above includes each Director’s principal occupations during the last five years. Each Director possesses extensive additional experience, skills and attributes relevant to his qualifications to serve as a Director. The cumulative background of each Director led to the conclusion that each Director should serve as a Director of the Company. Mr. Giordano has years of experience as a consultant to financial services organizations and also serves on the boards of other registered investment companies. Mr. Reichman brings decades of investment management experience to the Board, in addition to senior executive-level management experience. Mr. Straniere has been a practicing attorney for over 30 years and also serves on the boards of an asset management company and another registered investment company. Mr. Brodsky has over 40 years of senior executive level management experience in the cable television and communications industry. Mr. Sablowsky has demonstrated leadership and management abilities as evidenced by his senior executive-level positions in the financial services industry. Mr. Carnall has decades of senior executive-level management experience in the banking and financial services industry and also serves on the boards of various corporations and a bank. Mr. Chandler has demonstrated leadership and management abilities as evidenced by his senior executive level positions in the investment technology consulting/services and investment banking/brokerage industries, and also serves on various boards. Mr. Lambroza has decades of experience and executive level leadership in the energy trading industry in addition to his experience in academia.
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Standing Committees
The responsibilities of each Committee of the Board and its members are described below.
Audit Committee. The Board has an Audit Committee comprised of three Independent Directors. The current members of the Audit Committee are Messrs. Brodsky, Chandler and Giordano. The Audit Committee, among other things, reviews results of the annual audit and approves the firm(s) to serve as independent auditors. The Audit Committee convened two times during the fiscal year ended August 31, 2017.
Contract Committee. The Board has a Contract Committee comprised of the Interested Director and three Independent Directors. The current members of the Contract Committee are Messrs. Brodsky, Chandler, Sablowsky and Straniere. The Contract Committee reviews and makes recommendations to the Board regarding the approval and continuation of agreements and plans of the Company. The Contract Committee convened four times during the fiscal year ended August 31, 2017.
Executive Committee. The Board has an Executive Committee comprised of the Interested Director and three Independent Directors. The current members of the Executive Committee are Messrs. Chandler, Giordano, Reichman and Sablowsky. The Executive Committee may generally carry on and manage the business of the Company when the Board is not in session. The Executive Committee did not meet during the fiscal year ended August 31, 2017.
Investment Risk Committee. The Board has an Investment Risk Committee comprised of the Interested Director and two Independent Directors. The current members of the Investment Risk Committee are Messrs. Lambroza, Reichman and Sablowsky. The Investment Risk Committee ensures that the Company’s investment advisers have adopted investment risk management policies and procedures. The Investment Risk Committee convened two times during the fiscal year ended August 31, 2017.
Nominating and Governance Committee. The Board has a Nominating and Governance Committee comprised of three Independent Directors. The current members of the Nominating and Governance Committee are Messrs. Carnall, Giordano and Reichman. The Nominating and Governance Committee recommends to the Board all persons to be nominated as Directors of the Company. The Nominating and Governance Committee will consider nominees recommended by shareholders. Recommendations should be submitted to the Committee care of the Company’s Secretary. The Nominating and Governance Committee convened two times during the fiscal year ended August 31, 2017.
Product Development Committee. The Board has a Product Development Committee comprised of the Interested Director and one Independent Director. The current members of the Product Development Committee are Messrs. Reichman and Sablowsky. The Product Development Committee oversees the process regarding the addition of new investment advisers and investment products to the Company. The Product Development Committee convened six times during the fiscal year ended August 31, 2017.
Regulatory Oversight Committee. The Board has a Regulatory Oversight Committee comprised of the Interested Director and four Independent Directors. The current members of the Regulatory Oversight Committee are Messrs. Carnall, Lambroza, Reichman, Sablowsky and Straniere. The Regulatory Oversight Committee monitors regulatory developments in the mutual fund industry and focuses on various regulatory aspects of the operation of the Company. The Regulatory Oversight Committee convened four times during the fiscal year ended August 31, 2017.
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Strategic Oversight Committee. The Board has a Strategic Oversight Committee comprised of the Interested Director and three Independent Directors. The current members of the Strategic Oversight Committee are Messrs. Carnall, Chandler, Reichman and Sablowsky. The Strategic Oversight Committee assists the Board in its oversight and review of the Company’s strategic plan and operations. The Strategic Oversight Committee convened one time during the fiscal year ended August 31, 2017.
Valuation Committee. The Board has a Valuation Committee comprised of the Interested Director, one Independent Director and three officers of the Company. The members of the Valuation Committee are Messrs. Amweg, Faia, Lambroza, Sablowsky and Shaw. The Valuation Committee is responsible for reviewing fair value determinations. The Valuation Committee convened four times during the fiscal year ended August 31, 2017.
Risk Oversight
The Board performs its risk oversight function for the Company through a combination of (1) direct oversight by the Board as a whole and Board committees and (2) indirect oversight through the Company’s investment advisers and other service providers, Company officers and the Company’s Chief Compliance Officer. The Company is subject to a number of risks, including but not limited to investment risk, compliance risk, operational risk, reputational risk, credit risk and counterparty risk. Day-to-day risk management with respect to the Company is the responsibility of the Company’s investment advisers or other service providers (depending on the nature of the risk) that carry out the Company’s investment management and business affairs. Each of the investment advisers and the other service providers have their own independent interest in risk management and their policies and methods of risk management will depend on their functions and business models and may differ from the Company’s and each other’s in the setting of priorities, the resources available or the effectiveness of relevant controls.
The Board provides risk oversight by receiving and reviewing on a regular basis reports from the Company’s investment advisers or other service providers, receiving and approving compliance policies and procedures, periodic meetings with the Company’s portfolio managers to review investment policies, strategies and risks, and meeting regularly with the Company’s Chief Compliance Officer to discuss compliance reports, findings and issues. The Board also relies on the Company’s investment advisers and other service providers, with respect to the day-to-day activities of the Company, to create and maintain procedures and controls to minimize risk and the likelihood of adverse effects on the Company’s business and reputation.
Board oversight of risk management is also provided by various Board Committees. For example, the Audit Committee meets with the Company’s independent registered public accounting firms to ensure that the Company’s respective audit scopes include risk-based considerations as to the Company’s financial position and operations. The Board may, at any time and in its discretion, change the manner in which it conducts risk oversight. The Board’s oversight role does not make the Board a guarantor of the Company’s investments or activities.
Director Ownership of Shares of the Company
The following table sets forth the dollar range of equity securities beneficially owned by each Director in the Fund and in all of the portfolios of the Company (which for each Director comprise all registered investment companies within the Company’s family of investment companies overseen by him), as of December 31, 2017.
Name of Director |
Dollar
Range of Equity |
Aggregate
Dollar Range of Equity Securities in All Registered Investment Companies Overseen by Director within the Family of Investment Companies |
INDEPENDENT DIRECTORS | ||
Julian A. Brodsky | None | Over $100,000 |
J. Richard Carnall | None | $10,001-$50,000 |
Gregory P. Chandler | None | $1-$10,000 |
Nicholas A. Giordano | None | $10,001-$50,000 |
Sam Lambroza | None | Over $100,000 |
Arnold M. Reichman | None | Over $100,000 |
Robert A. Straniere | None | $1-$10,000 |
INTERESTED DIRECTOR | ||
Robert Sablowsky | None | Over $100,000 |
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* | The Fund had not commenced operations prior to the date of this SAI. |
As of December 31, 2016, the Independent Directors and their respective immediate family members (spouse or dependent children) did not own beneficially or of record any securities of the Adviser or distributor, or of any person directly or indirectly controlling, controlled by, or under common control with the Adviser or distributor.
Directors’ and Officers’ Compensation
Effective January 1, 2018, the Company pays each Director a retainer at the rate of $100,000 annually, $10,000 for each regular meeting of the Board, $3,500 for each committee meeting attended in-person, and $2,000 for each committee meeting attended telephonically or special meeting of the Board attended in-person or telephonically. The Chairman of the Audit Committee and Chairman of the Regulatory Oversight Committee each receive an additional fee of $15,000 for his services. The Chairman of the Contract Committee receives an additional fee of $10,000 per year for his services, and the Chairman of the Nominating and Governance Committee and Chairman of the Investment Risk Committee each receive an additional fee of $7,500 per year for his services. The Vice Chairman of the Board receives an additional fee of $25,000 per year for his services in this capacity and the Chairman of the Board receives an additional fee of $50,000 per year for his services in this capacity.
From January 1, 2017, to December 31, 2017, the Company paid each Director a retainer at the rate of $100,000 annually, $5,000 for each regular meeting of the Board, $2,500 for each committee meeting attended in-person, and $2,000 for each committee meeting attended telephonically or special meeting of the Board attended in-person or telephonically. The Chairman of the Audit Committee and Chairman of the Regulatory Oversight Committee each received an additional fee of $15,000 for his services. The Chairman of the Contract Committee received an additional fee of $10,000 for his services and the Chairman of the Nominating and Governance Committee received an additional fee of $7,500 for his services. Effective June 1, 2017, the Chairman of the Investment Risk Committee received an additional fee of $7,500 for his services. The Vice Chairman of the Board received an additional fee of $25,000 for his services in this capacity and the Chairman of the Board received an additional fee of $50,000 for his services in this capacity.
From January 1, 2016 until December 31, 2016, the Company paid each Director a retainer at the rate of $85,000 annually, $3,500 for each regular meeting of the Board, and $2,000 for each committee meeting or special meeting of the Board attended in-person or telephonically. The Chairman of the Audit Committee and Chairman of the Regulatory Oversight Committee each receive an additional fee of $10,000 for his services. The Chairman of the Nominating and Governance Committee and Chairman of the Contract Committee each receives an additional fee of $6,000 per year for his services. The Chairman of the Board receives an additional fee of $25,000 per year for his services in this capacity.
Directors are reimbursed for any reasonable out-of-pocket expenses incurred in attending meetings of the Board or any committee thereof. Employees of Vigilant Compliance, LLC serve as President, Chief Compliance Officer and Assistant Treasurer of the Company. Vigilant Compliance, LLC is compensated for the services provided to the Company, and such compensation is determined by the Board. For the fiscal year ended August 31, 2017, Vigilant Compliance, LLC received $600,000 in aggregate from all series of the Company for services provided. An employee of the Company serves as a Treasurer and Secretary and is compensated for services provided. For the fiscal year ended August 31, 2017, each of the following members of the Board of Directors and the Treasurer and Secretary received compensation from the Company in the following amounts:
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Name of Director/Officer | Aggregate Compensation from the Fund* |
Pension
or |
Estimated Annual Benefits Upon Retirement |
Total Compensation From Fund Complex Paid to Directors or Officers |
Independent Directors: | ||||
Julian A. Brodsky, Director | None | N/A | N/A | $130,250 |
J. Richard Carnall, Director | None | N/A | N/A | $128,250 |
Gregory P. Chandler, Director | None | N/A | N/A | $151,000 |
Nicholas A. Giordano, Director | None | N/A | N/A | $132,875 |
Sam Lambroza, Director | None | N/A | N/A | $133,375 |
Arnold M. Reichman, Director and Chairman | None | N/A | N/A | $175,500 |
Robert A. Straniere, Director | None | N/A | N/A | $130,750 |
Interested Director: | ||||
Robert Sablowsky, Director | None | N/A | N/A | $173,750 |
Officer: | ||||
James G. Shaw, Treasurer and Secretary | None | N/A | N/A | $240,000 |
* | The Fund had not commenced operations prior to the date of this SAI. |
Each compensated Director is entitled to participate in the Company’s deferred compensation plan (the “DC Plan”). Under the DC Plan, a compensated Director may elect to defer all or a portion of his compensation and have the deferred compensation treated as if it had been invested by the Company in shares of one or more of the portfolios of the Company. The amount paid to the Directors under the DC Plan will be determined based upon the performance of such investments.
As of December 31, 2017, the Independent Directors and their respective family members (spouse or dependent children) did not own beneficially or of record any securities of the Company’s investment advisers or distributor, or of any person directly or indirectly controlling, controlled by, or under common control with the investment advisers or distributor.
Code of Ethics
The Company and the Adviser have each adopted a code of ethics (“Code of Ethics”) pursuant to Rule 17j-1 under the 1940 Act, which governs personal securities trading by their respective personnel. Each Code of Ethics permits such individuals to purchase and sell securities, including securities that are purchased, sold, or held by the Fund, but only subject to certain conditions designed to ensure that purchases and sales by such individuals do not adversely affect the Fund’s investment activities.
Principal Holders
As of the date of this SAI, no shares of the Fund were outstanding.
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Investment Advisory Agreement
The Adviser is a Delaware limited liability company with offices at 2000 Duke Street, Suite 275, Alexandria, VA 22314. The Adviser is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Motley Fool Holdings Inc. (“TMF Holdings”), a multimedia financial-services holding company that also owns The Motley Fool, LLC, which publishes investment information and analysis across a wide range of media, including investment newsletter services, websites, and books. TMF Holdings is controlled by David Gardner and Tom Gardner, along with other private shareholders.
The Adviser provides investment advisory services to the Fund pursuant to the terms of an Investment Advisory Agreement (the “Advisory Agreement”) dated January 22, 2018, between the Company and the Adviser. After the initial two year-term, the Advisory Agreement may be continued in effect from year to year with the approval of (1) the Board or (2) vote of a majority (as defined by the 1940 Act) of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund, provided that in either event the continuance must also be approved by a majority of the Independent Directors by vote cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on such approval. The Advisory Agreement terminates automatically in the event of its assignment, as defined in the 1940 Act and the rules thereunder.
The Adviser manages the Fund’s investments in accordance with the stated policies of the Fund, subject to the supervision of the Board. The Adviser is responsible for all investment decisions for the Fund and for placing orders for the purchase and sale of investments for the Fund’s portfolio. The Adviser also provides such additional administrative services as the Company may require beyond those furnished by the Administrator and furnishes, at its own expense, such office space, facilities, equipment, clerical help, and other personnel and services as may reasonably be necessary in connection with the operations of the Company. In addition, the Adviser pays the salaries of officers of the Company who are employees of the Adviser and any fees and expenses of Directors of the Company who are also officers, directors, or employees of the Adviser or who are officers or employees of any company affiliated with the Adviser and bears the cost of telephone service, heat, light, power, and other utilities associated with the services it provides.
Pursuant to the terms of the Advisory Agreement, in consideration of the services provided by the Adviser, the Fund pays the Adviser a unitary management fee that is computed and paid monthly at an annual rate of 0.50% of the Fund’s average daily net assets during the month. From the unitary management fee, the Adviser pays most of the expenses of the Fund, including the cost of transfer agency, custody, fund administration, legal, audit and other services. However, under the Advisory Agreement, the Adviser is not responsible for interest expenses, brokerage commissions and other trading expenses, fees and expenses of the Independent Directors and their independent legal counsel, taxes and other extraordinary costs such as litigation and other expenses not incurred in the ordinary course of business.
Portfolio Managers
Bryan C. Hinmon, CFA, and Anthony L. Arsta serve as the Fund’s portfolio managers and are primarily responsible for all investment-related services provided to the Fund by the Adviser. The following table provides information regarding accounts managed by the portfolio managers as of August 31, 2017.
Portfolio Manager; Other Accounts |
Total Accounts* |
Accounts With Performance-Based Fees | ||
Number |
Assets (in Millions) |
Number |
Assets (in Millions) | |
Bryan C. Hinmon | ||||
Registered Investment Companies | 3 | $663 | 0 | $0 |
Other Pooled Investment Vehicles | 0 | $0 | 0 | $0 |
Other Accounts | 0 | $0 | 0 | $0 |
Anthony L. Arsta | ||||
Registered Investment Companies | 3 | $663 | 0 | $0 |
Other Pooled Investment Vehicles | 0 | $0 | 0 | $0 |
Other Accounts | 0 | $0 | 0 | $0 |
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Portfolio Manager Compensation
Each portfolio manager’s base salary is determined by the Adviser based on his level of responsibility at the Adviser. In determining the amount of the base salary, the Adviser considered compensation levels in the mutual fund industry and in the geographic area of the Adviser, as well as compensation levels generally at the Adviser and its affiliates.
Material Conflicts of Interest
Real, potential, or apparent conflicts of interest may arise when a portfolio manager has day-to-day portfolio management responsibilities with respect to more than one fund. The portfolio managers may manage or provide investment advisory services for other accounts with investment strategies similar to the Fund, including other pooled investment vehicles and separately managed accounts, and some of the Adviser’s personnel, including the members of its investment committee, provide advisory services on behalf of the Adviser’s affiliate, Motley Fool Wealth Management (“MFWM”), particularly for MFWM’s separately managed accounts. Fees earned by the Adviser may vary among these accounts, and the portfolio managers may personally invest in these accounts. Performance-based fees earned by the Adviser from managing other accounts could potentially exceed the fees earned by the Adviser from managing the Fund. These factors could create conflicts of interest because portfolio managers have potential incentives to favor certain accounts over others (including the Fund), with the result that other accounts could outperform the Fund.
A conflict may also exist if the portfolio managers identify a limited investment opportunity that may be appropriate for more than one account but the Fund is unable to take full advantage of that opportunity because of the need to allocate that opportunity among multiple accounts. In addition, the portfolio managers may execute transactions or make recommendations for another account that may adversely affect the value of securities held by the Fund. However, the Adviser believes that these risks are mitigated by the fact that accounts with like investment strategies managed or advised by the portfolio managers are generally managed in a similar fashion and that the Adviser has a policy that seeks to allocate opportunities on a fair and equitable basis.
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The Adviser and the portfolio managers may carry on investment activities for their own accounts and for those of their families and other clients, including those of MFWM, in which the Fund has no interest and thus may have certain additional conflicts of interest. In addition, the Adviser or MFWM may act as the investment adviser to accounts pursuing a range of traditional and alternative investment strategies. As a consequence of managing multiple investment products with varying investment programs, securities may be purchased or sold for some accounts but not others, and securities that are being sold for some accounts may be purchased for others. Factors that could lead to differences in trading decisions for various investment strategies include, among others, in the case of conflicting positions: differing portfolio manager analyses, different investment horizons, implementation of a particular hedging strategy, and differing desired market exposures. When making allocations, portfolio managers may also consider a number of factors, such as cash flow situations, tax considerations, different investment horizons, and different investment strategies. All portfolio managers are aware that trades may not be made in one client account for the purpose of benefiting another client account. Investment decisions must be made only on the basis of the investment considerations relevant to the particular account for which a trade is being made.
The Adviser has adopted a Code of Ethics and Best Execution Guidelines, among other policies and procedures, that seek to ensure that clients’ accounts are not harmed by potential conflicts of interests. The Adviser also has procedures that seek to ensure that fair and appropriate allocation of investments purchased and sold is made among all clients, and MFWM and the Adviser have adopted procedures reasonably designed to ensure that neither MFWM nor the Adviser (or their respective clients) will benefit from an informational or trading advantage over the other.
The Index tracked by the Fund was established by The Motley Fool in 2017 and it is a proprietary, rules-based index designed to track the performance of the 100 largest, most liquid U.S. companies that have been recommended by The Motley Fool’s analysts and newsletters. The Motley Fool provides a very broad range of information and commentary via its many services. Consequently, as a result of the diverse opinions of The Motley Fool staff, some of its services may, from time to time, take actions or issue recommendations with regard to specific securities that are different from those recommendations resulting in the inclusion of certain securities in the Index. These opinions and recommendations may be consistent with the recommendations upon which the Index is ultimately based, or even adversely affect the prices of securities included in the 100 Index. In addition, with respect to securities that the Adviser may purchase on behalf of the Fund that are not included in the Index, The Motley Fool and other publishing affiliates of the Adviser (collectively, “Publishing Affiliates”) may publish opinions, and recommendations regarding the purchase and sale of securities, potentially including particular securities, industries, or market sectors in which the Fund has invested or that the Adviser is considering for purchase or sale by the Fund. These opinions and recommendations may be consistent with, or opposed to, the views of the Adviser, and they may adversely affect the prices of securities held by the Fund or the prices at which the Fund can purchase or sell particular securities. The Fund, the Adviser, and the Publishing Affiliates have adopted procedures designed to prevent the Publishing Affiliates’ personnel from obtaining or using nonpublic information about the Fund’s holdings or the Adviser’s strategy or actual or potential portfolio transactions and to prevent personnel of the Adviser from using information from the Publishing Affiliates and their publications before publication. These procedures include physical segregation of offices with controls on access, restrictions on electronic access to information, policies to maintain the confidentiality of information, and related training with respect to these policies. In addition, the procedures require monitoring by the chief compliance officer of the Adviser and the general counsel of the Publishing Affiliates through the review of transactions and publications, with the goal of identifying possible use of information by the Adviser or the Publishing Affiliates or their respective personnel in violation of applicable policies. Certain conflicts may nonetheless be deemed to exist to the extent that the Fund might benefit if a Publishing Affiliate recommends the purchase of a security held by the Fund or recommends the sale of a security being considered by the Fund for purchase, and to the extent that the price of a security on which a Publishing Affiliate has expressed an opinion could be affected by the Adviser’s purchase or sale of that security for the Fund. In this regard, members of the Investment Committee may consider analysis published by the Publishing Affiliates in making investment decisions for the Fund and other clients; however, they do not base their decisions solely on such analysis, and, as a matter of policy, decisions to purchase and sell securities for the Fund are made based on the Adviser’s best judgment, consistent with the best interests of the Fund.
As of the date of this SAI, no shares of the Fund were outstanding.
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Underwriter
The Company has entered into a distribution agreement (the “Distribution Agreement”) with Quasar Distributors, LLC (the “Distributor”), 777 East Wisconsin Avenue, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53202, pursuant to which the Distributor acts as the Fund’s principal underwriter and distributes shares. Shares are continuously offered for sale by the Distributor only in Creation Units. Each Creation Unit is made up of at least 25,000 shares. The Distributor will not distribute Shares in amounts less than a Creation Unit.
Under the Distribution Agreement, the Distributor, as agent for the Company, will receive orders for the purchase and redemption of Creation Units, provided that any subscriptions and orders will not be binding on the Company until accepted by the Company. The Distributor will deliver prospectuses and, upon request, Statements of Additional Information to persons purchasing Creation Units and will maintain records of orders placed with it. The Distributor is a broker-dealer registered under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”) and a member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”).
The Distributor may also enter into agreements with securities dealers (“Soliciting Dealers”) who will solicit purchases of Creation Units of Shares. Such Soliciting Dealers may also be Authorized Participants (as discussed in “Procedures for Creation of Creation Units” below) or DTC participants (as defined below).
The Distribution Agreement has an initial term of up to two years and will continue in effect only if such continuance is specifically approved at least annually by the Board of Directors or by vote of a majority of the Fund’s outstanding voting securities and, in either case, by a majority of the Independent Directors. The Distribution Agreement is terminable without penalty by the Company, on behalf of the Fund, on 60 days’ written notice when authorized either by a majority vote of the Fund’s shareholders or by vote of a majority of the Board of Directors, including a majority of the Directors who are not “interested persons” (as defined under the 1940 Act) of the Company, or by the Distributor on 60 days’ written notice, and will automatically terminate in the event of its “assignment,” as defined in the 1940 Act.
Purchase and Redemption of Creation Units
Purchase and Issuance of Creation Units
The Company issues and sells shares of the Fund only: (i) in Creation Units on a continuous basis through the Distributor, without a sales load (but subject to transaction fees), at their NAV next determined after receipt of an order, on any Business Day, in proper form pursuant to the terms of the Authorized Participant Agreement (“Participant Agreement”); or (ii) pursuant to the Dividend Reinvestment Service (defined below). The NAV of the Fund’s shares is calculated each business day as of the close of regular trading on the Exchange, generally 4:00 p.m., Eastern Time. The Fund will not issue fractional Creation Units. A Business Day is any day on which the Exchange is open for business.
FUND DEPOSIT. The consideration for purchase of a Creation Unit of the Fund generally consists of the in-kind deposit of a designated portfolio of securities (the “Deposit Securities”) per each Creation Unit, constituting a substantial replication, or a portfolio sampling representation, of the securities included in the Fund’s Underlying Index and the Cash Component (defined below), computed as described below. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Company reserves the right to permit or require the substitution of a “cash in lieu” amount (“Deposit Cash”) to be added to the Cash Component to replace any Deposit Security. When accepting purchases of Creation Units for all or a portion of Deposit Cash, the Fund may incur additional costs associated with the acquisition of Deposit Securities that would otherwise be provided by an in-kind purchaser. These additional costs associated with the acquisition of Deposit Securities (“Non-Standard Charges”) may be recoverable from the purchaser of creation units.
Together, the Deposit Securities or Deposit Cash, as applicable, and the Cash Component constitute the “Fund Deposit,” which represents the minimum initial and subsequent investment amount for a Creation Unit of the Fund. The “Cash Component” is an amount equal to the difference between the NAV of the Shares (per Creation Unit) and the market value of the Deposit Securities or Deposit Cash, as applicable. If the Cash Component is a positive number (i.e., the NAV per Creation Unit exceeds the market value of the Deposit Securities or Deposit Cash, as applicable), the Cash Component will be such positive amount. If the Cash Component is a negative number (i.e., the NAV per Creation Unit is less than the market value of the Deposit Securities or Deposit Cash, as applicable), the Cash Component shall be such negative amount and the creator will be entitled to receive cash in an amount equal to the Cash Component. The Cash Component serves the function of compensating for any differences between the NAV per Creation Unit and the market value of the Deposit Securities or Deposit Cash, as applicable. Computation of the Cash Component excludes any stamp duty or other similar fees and expenses payable upon transfer of beneficial ownership of the Deposit Securities, if applicable, which will be the sole responsibility of the Authorized Participant (as defined below).
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The Fund, through NSCC, make available on each Business Day, immediately prior to the opening of business on the Exchange (currently 9:30 a.m., Eastern time), the list of the names and the required number of shares of each Deposit Security or the required amount of Deposit Cash, as applicable, to be included in the current Fund Deposit (based on information at the end of the previous Business Day) for the Fund. Such Fund Deposit is subject to any applicable adjustments as described below, in order to effect purchases of Creation Units of the Fund until such time as the next-announced composition of the Deposit Securities or the required amount of Deposit Cash, as applicable, is made available.
The identity and number of shares of the Deposit Securities or the amount of Deposit Cash, as applicable, required for the Fund Deposit for the Fund changes as rebalancing adjustments and corporate action events are reflected from time to time by the Adviser with a view to the investment objective of the Fund. The composition of the Deposit Securities may also change in response to adjustments to the weighting or composition of the component securities of the Fund’s Underlying Index.
The Company reserves the right to permit or require the substitution of an amount of cash (i.e., a “cash in lieu” amount) to replace any Deposit Security, which will be added to the Deposit Cash, if applicable, and the Cash Component, including, without limitation, in situations where the Deposit Security: (i) may not be available in sufficient quantity for delivery; (ii) may not be eligible for transfer through the systems of DTC for corporate securities and municipal securities; (iii) may not be eligible for trading by an Authorized Participant (as defined below) or the investor for which it is acting; (iv) would be restricted under the securities laws or where the delivery of the Deposit Security to the Authorized Participant would result in the disposition of the Deposit Security by the Authorized Participant becoming restricted under the securities laws; or (v) in certain other situations (collectively, “custom orders”). The Company also reserves the right to include or remove Deposit Securities from the basket in anticipation of Underlying Index rebalancing changes. The adjustments described above will reflect changes, known to the Adviser on the date of announcement to be in effect by the time of delivery of the Fund Deposit, in the composition of the Fund’s Underlying Index or resulting from certain corporate actions.
CASH PURCHASE METHOD. The Company may at its discretion permit full or partial cash purchases of Creation Units of the Fund in instances permitted by the exemptive relief the Adviser is relying on in offering the Fund. When full or partial cash purchases of Creation Units are available or specified for the Fund, they will be effected in essentially the same manner as in-kind purchases thereof. In the case of a full or partial cash purchase, the Authorized Participant must pay the cash equivalent of the Deposit Securities it would otherwise be required to provide through an in-kind purchase, plus the same Cash Component required to be paid by an in-kind purchaser together with a Creation Transaction Fee and Non-Standard Charges, as may be applicable.
PROCEDURES FOR PURCHASE OF CREATION UNITS. To be eligible to place orders with the Distributor to purchase a Creation Unit of the Fund, an entity must be (i) a “Participating Party”, i.e., a broker-dealer or other participant in the clearing process through the Continuous Net Settlement System of the NSCC (the “Clearing Process”), a clearing agency that is registered with the SEC; or (ii) a DTC Participant (see “BOOK ENTRY ONLY SYSTEM”). In addition, each Participating Party or DTC Participant (each, an “Authorized Participant”) must execute a Participant Agreement that has been agreed to by the Distributor, and that has been accepted by U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC (“Transfer Agent”) and the Company, with respect to purchases and redemptions of Creation Units. Each Authorized Participant will agree, pursuant to the terms of a Participant Agreement, on behalf of itself or any investor on whose behalf it will act, to certain conditions, including that it will pay to the Company an amount of cash sufficient to pay the Cash Component together with the Creation Transaction Fee (defined below) and any other applicable fees and taxes. The Adviser may retain all or a portion of the Transaction Fee to the extent the Adviser bears the expenses that otherwise would be borne by the Company in connection with the purchase of a Creation Unit, which the Transaction Fee is designed to cover.
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All orders to purchase shares directly from the Fund must be placed for one or more Creation Units in the manner set forth in the Participant Agreement (the “Cut-Off Time”). The date on which an order to purchase Creation Units (or an order to redeem Creation Units, as set forth below) is received and accepted is referred to as the “Order Placement Date.”
An Authorized Participant may require an investor to make certain representations or enter into agreements with respect to the order (e.g., to provide for payments of cash, when required). Investors should be aware that their particular broker may not have executed a Participant Agreement and that, therefore, orders to purchase shares directly from the Fund in Creation Units have to be placed by the investor’s broker through an Authorized Participant that has executed a Participant Agreement. In such cases there may be additional charges to such investor. At any given time, there may be only a limited number of broker-dealers that have executed a Participant Agreement and only a small number of such Authorized Participants may have international capabilities.
On days when the Exchange closes earlier than normal, the Fund may require orders to create Creation Units to be placed earlier in the day. In addition, if a market or markets on which the Fund’s investments are primarily traded is closed on any day, the Fund will also generally not accept orders on such day. Orders must be transmitted by an Authorized Participant by telephone or other transmission method acceptable to the Distributor pursuant to procedures set forth in the Participant Agreement and in accordance with the AP Handbook. With respect to the Fund, the Distributor will notify the Custodian of such order. The Custodian will then provide such information to the appropriate local sub-custodian(s). Those placing orders through an Authorized Participant should allow sufficient time to permit proper submission of the purchase order to the Distributor by the Cut-Off Time on the Business Day on which the order is placed. Economic or market disruptions or changes, or telephone or other communication failure may impede the ability to reach the Distributor or an Authorized Participant.
Fund Deposits must be delivered by an Authorized Participant through the Federal Reserve System (for cash) or through DTC (for corporate securities), through a subcustody agent (for foreign securities) and/or through such other arrangements allowed by the Company or its agents. With respect to foreign Deposit Securities, the Custodian will cause the subcustodian of such Fund to maintain an account into which the Authorized Participant will deliver, on behalf of itself or the party on whose behalf it is acting, such Deposit Securities (or Deposit Cash for all or a part of such securities, as permitted or required), with any appropriate adjustments as advised by the Company. Foreign Deposit Securities must be delivered to an account maintained at the applicable local subcustodian. The Fund Deposit transfer must be ordered by the Authorized Participant in a timely fashion so as to ensure the delivery of the requisite number of Deposit Securities or Deposit Cash, as applicable, to the account of the Fund or its agents by no later than the Settlement Date. The “Settlement Date” for the Fund is generally the third Business Day after the Order Placement Date. All questions as to the number of Deposit Securities or Deposit Cash to be delivered, as applicable, and the validity, form and eligibility (including time of receipt) for the deposit of any tendered securities or cash, as applicable, will be determined by the Company, whose determination will be final and binding. The amount of cash represented by the Cash Component must be transferred directly to the Custodian through the Federal Reserve Bank wire transfer system in a timely manner so as to be received by the Custodian no later than the Settlement Date. If the Cash Component and the Deposit Securities or Deposit Cash, as applicable, are not received in a timely manner by the Settlement Date, the creation order may be cancelled. Upon written notice to the Distributor, such canceled order may be resubmitted the following Business Day using the Fund Deposit as newly constituted to reflect the then current NAV of the Fund.
The order will be deemed to be received on the Business Day on which the order is placed provided that the order is placed in proper form prior to the Cut-Off Time and the federal funds in the appropriate amount are deposited by 2:00 p.m., Eastern time, with the Custodian on the Settlement Date. If the order is not placed in proper form as required, or federal funds in the appropriate amount are not received by 2:00 p.m., Eastern time on the Settlement Date, then the order may be deemed to be rejected and the Authorized Participant will be liable to the Fund for losses, if any, resulting therefrom. A creation request is considered to be in “proper form” if all procedures set forth in the Participant Agreement, AP Handbook and this SAI are properly followed.
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ISSUANCE OF A CREATION UNIT. Except as provided herein, Creation Units will not be issued until the transfer of good title to the Company of the Deposit Securities or payment of Deposit Cash, as applicable, and the payment of the Cash Component have been completed. When the subcustodian has confirmed to the Custodian that the required Deposit Securities (or the cash value thereof) have been delivered to the account of the relevant subcustodian or subcustodians, the Distributor and the Adviser will be notified of such delivery, and the Compny will issue and cause the delivery of the Creation Units. The delivery of Creation Units so created generally will occur no later than the third Business Day following the day on which the purchase order is deemed received by the Distributor. However, the Fund reserves the right to settle Creation Unit transactions on a basis other than the third Business Day following the day on which the purchase order is deemed received by the Distributor in order to accommodate foreign market holiday schedules, to account for different treatment among foreign and U.S. markets of dividend record dates and ex-dividend dates (that is the last day the holder of a security can sell the security and still receive dividends payable on the security), and in certain other circumstances. The Authorized Participant will be liable to the Fund for losses, if any, resulting from unsettled orders.
Creation Units may be purchased in advance of receipt by the Company of all or a portion of the applicable Deposit Securities as described below. In these circumstances, the initial deposit will have a value greater than the NAV of the Shares on the date the order is placed in proper form since in addition to available Deposit Securities, cash must be deposited in an amount equal to the sum of (i) the Cash Component, plus (ii) an additional amount of cash equal to a percentage of the market value as set forth in the Participant Agreement, of the undelivered Deposit Securities (the “Additional Cash Deposit”), which will be maintained in a separate non-interest bearing collateral account. An additional amount of cash will be required to be deposited with the Company, pending delivery of the missing Deposit Securities to the extent necessary to maintain the Additional Cash Deposit with the Company in an amount at least equal to the applicable percentage, as set forth in the Participant Agreement, of the daily marked to market value of the missing Deposit Securities. The Participant Agreement will permit the Company to buy the missing Deposit Securities at any time. Authorized Participants will be liable to the Company for the costs incurred by the Company in connection with any such purchases. These costs will be deemed to include the amount by which the actual purchase price of the Deposit Securities exceeds the market value of such Deposit Securities on the day the purchase order was deemed received by the Distributor plus the brokerage and related transaction costs associated with such purchases. The Company will return any unused portion of the Additional Cash Deposit once all of the missing Deposit Securities have been properly received by the Custodian or purchased by the Company and deposited into the Company. In addition, a Transaction Fee as set forth below under “Creation Transaction Fee” will be charged in all cases, unless otherwise advised by the Fund, and Non-Standard Charges may also apply. The delivery of Creation Units so created generally will occur no later than the Settlement Date.
ACCEPTANCE OF ORDERS OF CREATION UNITS. The Company reserves the absolute right to reject an order for Creation Units transmitted to it by the Distributor in respect of the Fund including, without limitation, if (a) the order is not in proper form; (b) the Deposit Securities or Deposit Cash, as applicable, delivered by the Participant are not as disseminated through the facilities of the NSCC for that date by the Custodian; (c) the investor(s), upon obtaining the shares ordered, would own 80% or more of the currently outstanding Shares of the Fund; (d) acceptance of the Deposit Securities would have certain adverse tax consequences to the Fund; (e) the acceptance of the Fund Deposit would, in the opinion of counsel, be unlawful; (f) the acceptance of the Fund Deposit would otherwise, in the discretion of the Company or the Adviser, have an adverse effect on the Company or the rights of beneficial owners; (g) the acceptance or receipt of the order for a Creation Unit would, in the opinion of counsel to the Company, be unlawful; or (h) circumstances outside the control of the Company, the Custodian, the Transfer Agent and/or the Adviser make it for all practical purposes not feasible to process orders for Creation Units.
Examples of such circumstances include acts of God or public service or utility problems such as fires, floods, extreme weather conditions and power outages resulting in telephone, telecopy and computer failures; market conditions or activities causing trading halts; systems failures involving computer or other information systems affecting the Company, the Distributor, the Custodian, a sub-custodian, the Transfer Agent, DTC, NSCC, Federal Reserve System, or any other participant in the creation process, and other extraordinary events. The Distributor shall notify a prospective creator of a Creation Unit and/or the Authorized Participant acting on behalf of the creator of a Creation Unit of its rejection of the order of such person. The Company, the Transfer Agent, the Custodian, any sub-custodian and the Distributor are under no duty, however, to give notification of any defects or irregularities in the delivery of Fund Deposits nor will either of them incur any liability for the failure to give any such notification. The Company, the Transfer Agent, the Custodian and the Distributor will not be liable for the rejection of any purchase order for Creation Units.
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All questions as to the number of shares of each security in the Deposit Securities and the validity, form, eligibility and acceptance for deposit of any securities to be delivered will be determined by the Company, and the Company’s determination will be final and binding.
CREATION TRANSACTION FEE. A purchase (i.e., creation) transaction fee is imposed for the transfer and other transaction costs associated with the purchase of Creation Units, and investors will be required to pay a Creation Transaction Fee regardless of the number of Creation Units created in the transaction. The Fund may adjust the creation transaction fee from time to time based upon actual experience. In addition, the Fund may impose a Non-Standard Charge of up to 2% of the value of the creation transactions for cash creations, non-standard orders, or partial cash purchases for the Fund. The Fund may adjust the Non-Standard Charge from time to time based upon actual experience. Investors who use the services of an Authorized Participant, broker or other such intermediary may be charged a fee for such services, which may include an amount for the Creation Transaction Fee and Non-Standard Charges. Investors are responsible for the costs of transferring the securities constituting the Deposit Securities to the account of the Company. The Adviser may retain all or a portion of the Transaction Fee to the extent the Adviser bears the expenses that otherwise would be borne by the Company in connection with the purchase of a Creation Unit, which the Transaction Fee is designed to cover. The standard Creation Transaction Fee for the Fund is $500.
RISKS OF PURCHASING CREATION UNITS. There are certain legal risks unique to investors purchasing Creation Units directly from the Fund. Because the Fund’s shares may be issued on an ongoing basis, a “distribution” of shares could be occurring at any time. Certain activities that a shareholder performs as a dealer could, depending on the circumstances, result in the shareholder being deemed a participant in the distribution in a manner that could render the shareholder a statutory underwriter and subject to the prospectus delivery and liability provisions of the Securities Act. For example, a shareholder could be deemed a statutory underwriter if it purchases Creation Units from the Fund, breaks them down into the constituent shares, and sells those shares directly to customers, or if a shareholder chooses to couple the creation of a supply of new shares with an active selling effort involving solicitation of secondary-market demand for shares. Whether a person is an underwriter depends upon all of the facts and circumstances pertaining to that person’s activities, and the examples mentioned here should not be considered a complete description of all the activities that could cause a shareholder to be deemed an underwriter.
Dealers who are not “underwriters” but are participating in a distribution (as opposed to engaging in ordinary secondary-market transactions), and thus dealing with the Fund’s shares as part of an “unsold allotment” within the meaning of Section 4(a)(3)(C) of the Securities Act, will be unable to take advantage of the prospectus delivery exemption provided by Section 4(a)(3)(C) of the Securities Act.
Redemption of Creation Units
Shares may be redeemed only in Creation Units at their NAV next determined after receipt of a redemption request in proper form by the Fund through the Transfer Agent and only on a Business Day. EXCEPT UPON LIQUIDATION OF THE FUND, THE COMPANY WILL NOT REDEEM SHARES IN AMOUNTS LESS THAN CREATION UNITS. Investors must accumulate enough shares in the secondary market to constitute a Creation Unit in order to have such shares redeemed by the Company. There can be no assurance, however, that there will be sufficient liquidity in the public trading market at any time to permit assembly of a Creation Unit. Investors should expect to incur brokerage and other costs in connection with assembling a sufficient number of Shares to constitute a redeemable Creation Unit.
With respect to the Fund, the Custodian, through the NSCC, makes available immediately prior to the opening of business on the Exchange (currently 9:30 a.m., Eastern time) on each Business Day, the list of the names and share quantities of the Fund’s portfolio securities that will be applicable (subject to possible amendment or correction) to redemption requests received in proper form (as defined below) on that day (“Fund Securities”). Fund Securities received on redemption may not be identical to Deposit Securities.
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Redemption proceeds for a Creation Unit are paid either in-kind or in cash, or combination thereof, as determined by the Company. With respect to in-kind redemptions of the Fund, redemption proceeds for a Creation Unit will consist of Fund Securities -- as announced by the Custodian on the Business Day of the request for redemption received in proper form -- plus cash in an amount equal to the difference between the NAV of the Shares being redeemed, as next determined after a receipt of a request in proper form, and the value of the Fund Securities (the “Cash Redemption Amount”), less any fixed redemption transaction fee as set forth below and any Non-Standard Charges. If that the Fund Securities have a value greater than the NAV of the Shares, a compensating cash payment equal to the differential is required to be made by or through an Authorized Participant by the redeeming shareholder. Notwithstanding the foregoing, at the Company’s discretion, an Authorized Participant may receive the corresponding cash value of the securities in lieu of the in-kind securities value representing one or more Fund Securities.
CASH REDEMPTION METHOD. Although the Company does not ordinarily permit full or partial cash redemptions of Creation Units of the Fund, when full or partial cash redemptions of Creation Units are available or specified for the Fund, they will be effected in essentially the same manner as in-kind redemptions thereof. In the case of full or partial cash redemptions, the Authorized Participant will receive the cash equivalent of the Fund Securities it would otherwise receive through an in-kind redemption, plus the same Cash Amount to be paid to an in-kind redeemer.
REDEMPTION TRANSACTION FEES. A redemption transaction fee may be imposed for the transfer and other transaction costs associated with the redemption of Creation Units, and Authorized Participants will be required to pay a Redemption Transaction Fee regardless of the number of Creation Units created in the transaction. The redemption transaction fee is the same no matter how many Creation Units are being redeemed pursuant to any one redemption request. The Fund may adjust the redemption transaction fee from time to time based upon actual experience. In addition, the Fund may impose a Non-Standard Charge of up to 2% of the value of a redemption transaction for cash redemptions, non-standard orders, or partial cash redemptions for the Fund. Investors who use the services of an Authorized Participant, broker or other such intermediary may be charged a fee for such services which may include an amount for the Redemption Transaction Fees and Non- Standard Charges. Investors are responsible for the costs of transferring the securities constituting the Fund Securities to the account of the Company. The Non-Standard Charges are payable to the Fund as it incurs costs in connection with the redemption of Creation Units, the receipt of Fund Securities and the Cash Redemption Amount and other transactions costs. The standard Redemption Transaction Fee for the Fund is $500.
PROCEDURES FOR REDEMPTION OF CREATION UNITS. Orders to redeem Creation Units must be submitted in proper form to the Transfer Agent prior to the time as set forth in the Participant Agreement. A redemption request is considered to be in “proper form” if (i) an Authorized Participant has transferred or caused to be transferred to the Company’s Transfer Agent the Creation Unit(s) being redeemed through the book- entry system of DTC so as to be effective by the time as set forth in the Participant Agreement and (ii) a request in form satisfactory to the Company is received by the Transfer Agent from the Authorized Participant on behalf of itself or another redeeming investor within the time periods specified in the Participant Agreement. If the Transfer Agent does not receive the investor’s Shares through DTC’s facilities by the times and pursuant to the other terms and conditions set forth in the Participant Agreement, the redemption request will be rejected.
The Authorized Participant must transmit the request for redemption, in the form required by the Company, to the Transfer Agent in accordance with procedures set forth in the Authorized Participant Agreement. Investors should be aware that their particular broker may not have executed an Authorized Participant Agreement, and that, therefore, requests to redeem Creation Units may have to be placed by the investor’s broker through an Authorized Participant which has executed an Authorized Participant Agreement. Investors making a redemption request should be aware that such request must be in the form specified by such Authorized Participant. Investors making a request to redeem Creation Units should allow sufficient time to permit proper submission of the request by an Authorized Participant and transfer of the Shares to the Company’s Transfer Agent; such investors should allow for the additional time that may be required to effect redemptions through their banks, brokers or other financial intermediaries if such intermediaries are not Authorized Participants.
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In connection with taking delivery of shares of Fund Securities upon redemption of Creation Units, a redeeming shareholder or Authorized Participant acting on behalf of such Shareholder must maintain appropriate custody arrangements with a qualified broker-dealer, bank or other custody providers in each jurisdiction in which any of the Fund Securities are customarily traded, to which account such Fund Securities will be delivered. Deliveries of redemption proceeds generally will be made within three business days of the trade date.
ADDITIONAL REDEMPTION PROCEDURES. In connection with taking delivery of shares of Fund Securities upon redemption of Creation Units, the Authorized Participant must maintain appropriate custody arrangements with a qualified broker-dealer, bank or other custody providers in each jurisdiction in which any of the Fund Securities are customarily traded, to which account such Fund Securities will be delivered. Deliveries of redemption proceeds generally will be made within three Business Days of the trade date. However, due to the schedule of holidays in certain countries, the different treatment among foreign and U.S. markets of dividend record dates and dividend ex-dates (that is the last date the holder of a security can sell the security and still receive dividends payable on the security sold), and in certain other circumstances, the delivery of in-kind redemption proceeds may take longer than three Business Days after the day on which the redemption request is received in proper form. If neither the redeeming Shareholder nor the Authorized Participant acting on behalf of such redeeming Shareholder has appropriate arrangements to take delivery of the Fund Securities in the applicable foreign jurisdiction and it is not possible to make other such arrangements, or if it is not possible to effect deliveries of the Fund Securities in such jurisdiction, the Company may, in its discretion, exercise its option to redeem such Shares in cash, and the redeeming shareholder will be required to receive its redemption proceeds in cash.
If it is not possible to make other such arrangements, or it is not possible to effect deliveries of the Fund Securities, the Company may in its discretion exercise its option to redeem such Shares in cash, and the redeeming investor will be required to receive its redemption proceeds in cash. In addition, an investor may request a redemption in cash that the Fund may, in its sole discretion, permit. In either case, the investor will receive a cash payment equal to the NAV of its shares based on the NAV of Shares of the relevant Fund next determined after the redemption request is received in proper form (minus a redemption transaction fee and additional charge for requested cash redemptions specified above, to offset the Company’s brokerage and other transaction costs associated with the disposition of Fund Securities). The Fund may also, in its sole discretion, upon request of a shareholder, provide such redeemer a portfolio of securities that differs from the exact composition of the Fund Securities but does not differ in NAV.
Redemptions of shares for Fund Securities will be subject to compliance with applicable federal and state securities laws and the Fund (whether or not it otherwise permits cash redemptions) reserves the right to redeem Creation Units for cash to the extent that the Company could not lawfully deliver specific Fund Securities upon redemptions or could not do so without first registering the Fund Securities under such laws. An Authorized Participant or an investor for which it is acting subject to a legal restriction with respect to a particular security included in the Fund Securities applicable to the redemption of Creation Units may be paid an equivalent amount of cash. The Authorized Participant may request the redeeming investor of the Shares to complete an order form or to enter into agreements with respect to such matters as compensating cash payment. Further, an Authorized Participant that is not a “qualified institutional buyer,” (“QIB”) as such term is defined under Rule 144A of the Securities Act, will not be able to receive Fund Securities that are restricted securities eligible for resale under Rule 144A. An Authorized Participant may be required by the Company to provide a written confirmation with respect to QIB status in order to receive Fund Securities.
Because the portfolio securities of the Fund may trade on the relevant exchange(s) on days that the Exchange is closed or are otherwise not Business Days for such Fund, shareholders may not be able to redeem their Shares of the Fund, or to purchase or sell Shares of such Fund on the Exchange, on days when the NAV of such Fund could be significantly affecting by events in the relevant foreign markets.
The right of redemption may be suspended or the date of payment postponed with respect to the Fund (1) for any period during which the Exchange is closed (other than customary weekend and holiday closings); (2) for any period during which trading on the Exchange is suspended or restricted; (3) for any period during which an emergency exists as a result of which disposal of the Shares of the Fund or determination of the NAV of the Shares is not reasonably practicable; or (4) in such other circumstance as is permitted by the SEC.
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Portfolio Holdings Information
The Company has adopted, on behalf of the Fund, a written policy relating to disclosure of its portfolio holdings governing the circumstances under which disclosure may be made to shareholders and third parties of information regarding the portfolio investments the Fund holds. Disclosure of the Fund’s complete holdings is required to be made quarterly within 60 days of the end of each fiscal quarter (in the Annual Report and Semi-annual Report to Fund shareholders and in the quarterly holdings report on Form N-Q). These reports are available, free of charge, on the EDGAR database on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. In addition, the Fund’s entire portfolio holdings are publicly disseminated each day the Fund is open for business through the Fund’s website and may be made available through financial reporting and news services or any other medium, including publicly available internet web sites. In addition, the composition of the Deposit Securities and the Redemption Securities is disseminated daily prior to the opening of the Exchange via the NSCC.
Information regarding the Fund’s portfolio securities, and other information regarding the investment activities of the Fund, may be disclosed to rating and ranking organizations for use in connection with their rating or ranking of the Fund, but only if such disclosure has been approved by the Chief Compliance Officer of the Company (the “CCO”). In connection with any such arrangement, the recipient of the information must agree to maintain the confidentiality of the information and to use the information only to facilitate its rating or ranking of the Fund. The Fund’s policy does not prohibit (1) disclosure of information to the Fund’s investment adviser or to other service providers to the Company (including its administrator, distributor, custodian, legal counsel, and auditors) or to brokers and dealers through which portfolio securities are purchased and sold (but only with respect to information relating to the particular securities being purchased or sold), or (2) disclosure that is made on the same basis to all shareholders of the Fund regarding holdings of, or transactions in, portfolio securities. The CCO is authorized to approve other arrangements under which information relating to portfolio securities held by, or purchased or sold by, the Fund is disclosed to shareholders or third parties, subject to a requirement that the CCO concludes (based upon various factors) that the arrangement is reasonably necessary to aid in conducting the ongoing business of the Company and the Fund and is unlikely to affect adversely the Company or the Fund. Any such arrangements approved by the CCO are required to be reported to the Board. The Company believes that the standards applicable to approval of these arrangements should help assure that any disclosure of information is in the best interests of the Fund and its shareholders and that disclosure is not made under circumstances in which the Adviser or an affiliated person of the Company stands to benefit to the detriment of the Fund.
The Company’s CCO is responsible for monitoring the use and disclosure of information relating to the Fund’s portfolio securities and is also responsible to report to the Board at least annually regarding the effectiveness of the Company’s compliance program, including its policy governing the disclosure of portfolio holdings and any material violations of that policy. Under the Company’s policy, the Adviser, the Company, and their respective affiliated persons are prohibited from receiving any direct or indirect compensation in consideration of information relating to the Fund’s portfolio securities held, purchased, or sold by the Fund.
Consistent with the Company’s policy, information relating to the Fund’s portfolio securities is provided to certain persons as described in the following table. Such persons are subject to an obligation not to trade on such information. There are no other arrangements in effect involving the disclosure of information regarding the Fund’s portfolio holdings. There can be no assurance that the portfolio holdings policies and these procedures will protect the Fund from potential misuse of that information by individuals or entities to which it is disclosed.
Determination of Net Asset Value
The following information supplements and should be read in conjunction with the sections in the Fund’s Prospectus titled “HOW TO BUY SHARES” and “HOW TO REDEEM SHARES.”
NAV is determined as of the close of regular trading on the NYSE (generally 4:00 p.m. Eastern time) each day the NYSE is open, except that no computation need be made on a day on which no orders to purchase or redeem shares have been received. The NYSE currently observes the following holidays: New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day (third Monday in January), Presidents Day (third Monday in February), Good Friday (Friday before Easter), Memorial Day (last Monday in May), Independence Day, Labor Day (first Monday in September), Thanksgiving Day (fourth Thursday in November), and Christmas Day.
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NAV per share is computed by dividing the value of the Fund’s net assets (i.e., the value of its assets less its liabilities) by the total number of the Fund’s shares outstanding. In computing NAV, securities are valued at market value as of the close of trading on each business day when the NYSE is open. Securities, other than stock options, listed on the NYSE or other exchanges are valued on the basis of the last reported sale price on the exchange on which they are primarily traded. However, if the last sale price on the NYSE is different from the last sale price on any other exchange, the NYSE price will be used. If there are no sales on that day, then the securities are valued at the bid price on the NYSE or other primary exchange for that day. Securities traded in the OTC market are valued on the basis of the last sales price as reported by NASDAQ®. If there are no sales on that day, then the securities are valued at the mean between the closing bid and asked prices as reported by NASDAQ®. Stock options and stock index options traded on national securities exchanges or on NASDAQ® are valued at the mean between the latest bid and asked prices for such options. Securities for which market quotations are not readily available and other assets are valued at fair value as determined pursuant to procedures adopted in good faith by the Board. Debt securities that mature in less than 60 days are valued at amortized cost (unless the Board determines that this method does not represent fair value), if their original maturity was 60 days or less or by amortizing the value as of the 61st day before maturity, if their original term to maturity exceeded 60 days. A pricing service may be used to determine the fair value of securities held by the Fund. Any such service might value the investments based on methods that include consideration of yields or prices of securities of comparable quality, coupon, maturity, and type; indications as to values from dealers; and general market conditions. The service may also employ electronic data-processing techniques, a matrix system, or both to determine valuation. The Board will review and monitor the methods such services use to assure itself that securities are valued at their fair values.
The values of securities held by the Fund and other assets used in computing NAV are determined as of the time at which trading in such securities is completed each day. That time, in the case of foreign securities, generally occurs at various times before the close of the NYSE. Trading in securities listed on foreign securities exchanges will be valued at the last sale or, if no sales are reported, at the bid price as of the close of the exchange, subject to possible adjustment as described in the Prospectus. Foreign currency exchange rates are also generally determined before the close of the NYSE. On occasion, the values of such securities and exchange rates may be affected by events occurring between the time as of which determinations of such values or exchange rates are made and the close of the NYSE. When such events materially affect the value of securities held by the Fund or its liabilities, such securities and liabilities will be valued at fair value in accordance with procedures adopted in good faith by the Board. The values of any assets and liabilities initially expressed in foreign currencies will be converted to U.S. dollars based on exchange rates supplied by a quotation service.
Dividends, Distributions, and Taxes
The following information supplements and should be read in conjunction with the section in the Fund’s Prospectus titled “DIVIDENDS, DISTRIBUTIONS, AND TAXES.” In addition, the following is only a summary of certain U.S. federal income tax considerations that generally affect the Fund and its shareholders. No attempt is made to present a comprehensive explanation of the tax treatment of the Fund or its shareholders, and the discussion here and in the Prospectus is not intended as a substitute for careful tax planning. Shareholders are urged to consult their tax advisors with specific reference to their own tax situations, including their state, local, and foreign tax liabilities.
It is the policy of the Company each fiscal year to distribute substantially all of the Fund’s net investment income (i.e., generally, the income that it earns from dividends and interest on its investments, and any short-term capital gains, net of Fund expenses) and net capital gains (i.e., the excess of the Fund’s net long-term capital gains over its net short-term capital losses), if any, to its shareholders.
Dividend Reinvestment Service
The Fund will not make the DTC book-entry dividend reinvestment service available for use by Beneficial Owners for reinvestment of their cash proceeds, but certain individual broker-dealers may make available the DTC book-entry Dividend Reinvestment Service for use by Beneficial Owners of the Fund through DTC Participants for reinvestment of their dividend distributions. Investors should contact their brokers to ascertain the availability and description of these services. Beneficial Owners should be aware that each broker may require investors to adhere to specific procedures and timetables in order to participate in the dividend reinvestment service and investors should ascertain from their brokers such necessary details. If this service is available and used, dividend distributions of both income and realized gains will be automatically reinvested in additional whole shares issued by the Fund at NAV. Distributions reinvested in additional shares of the Fund will nevertheless be taxable to Beneficial Owners acquiring such additional shares to the same extent as if such distributions had been received in cash.
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Taxes - General
The discussions of the federal tax consequences in the Prospectus and this SAI are based on the Internal Revenue Code (the “Code”) and the regulations issued under it, and court decisions and administrative interpretations, as in effect on the date of this SAI. Future legislative or administrative changes or court decisions may significantly alter the statements included herein, and any such changes or decisions may be retroactive. The Fund intends to qualify as a regulated investment company under Subchapter M of Subtitle A, Chapter 1, of the Code. As such, the Fund generally is exempt from federal income tax on its net investment income and realized capital gains that it distributes to shareholders. To qualify for treatment as a regulated investment company, the Fund must meet three important tests each year.
First, the Fund must derive with respect to each taxable year at least 90% of its gross income from dividends, interest, certain payments with respect to securities loans, gains from the sale or other disposition of stock or securities or foreign currencies, other income derived with respect to its business of investing in such stock, securities, or currencies, or net income derived from interests in qualified publicly traded partnerships.
Second, generally, at the close of each quarter of its taxable year, at least 50% of the value of the Fund’s assets must consist of cash and cash items, U.S. government securities, securities of other regulated investment companies, and securities of other issuers (as to which the Fund has not invested more than 5% of the value of its total assets in securities of such issuer and as to which the Fund does not hold more than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of such issuer), and no more than 25% of the value of the Fund’s total assets may be invested in the securities of (1) any one issuer (other than U.S. government securities and securities of other regulated investment companies), (2) two or more issuers that the Fund controls and that are engaged in the same or similar trades or businesses, or (3) one or more qualified publicly traded partnerships.
Third, the Fund must distribute an amount equal to at least the sum of 90% of its investment company taxable income (net investment income and the excess of net short-term capital gain over net long-term capital loss) before taking into account any deduction for dividends paid, and 90% of its tax-exempt income, if any, for the year.
The Fund intends to comply with these requirements. If the Fund were to fail to make sufficient distributions, it could be liable for corporate income tax and for excise tax in respect of the shortfall or, if the shortfall is large enough, the Fund could be disqualified as a regulated investment company. If for any taxable year the Fund were not to qualify as a regulated investment company, all its taxable income would be subject to tax at regular corporate rates without any deduction for distributions to shareholders. In that event, taxable shareholders would recognize dividend income on distributions to the extent of the Fund’s current and accumulated earnings and profits, and corporate shareholders could be eligible for the dividends-received deduction.
The Code imposes a nondeductible 4% excise tax on regulated investment companies that fail to distribute each year an amount equal to specified percentages of their ordinary taxable income and capital gain net income (excess of capital gains over capital losses). The Fund intends to make sufficient distributions or deemed distributions each year to avoid liability for this excise tax.
Taxes – Authorized Participants
An Authorized Participant who exchanges securities for Creation Units generally will recognize gain or loss from the exchange. The gain or loss will be equal to the difference between the market value of the Creation Units at the time of the exchange and the sum of the Authorized Participant’s aggregate basis in the securities surrendered plus the amount of cash paid for such Creation Units. The Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”), however, may assert that a loss realized upon an exchange of securities for Creation Units cannot be deducted currently under the rules governing “wash sales,” or on the basis that there has been no significant change in economic position. Any gain or loss realized by an Authorized Participant upon a creation of Creation Units will be treated as capital gain or loss if the Authorized Participant holds the securities exchanged therefor as capital assets, and otherwise will be ordinary income or loss. Any capital gain or loss realized upon the creation of Creation Units will generally be treated as long-term capital gain or loss if the securities exchanged for such Creation Units have been held by the Authorized Participant for more than one year, and otherwise will be short-term capital gain or loss.
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The Company on behalf of the Fund has the right to reject an order for a purchase of Creation Units if the Authorized Participant (or a group of Authorized Participants) would, upon obtaining the Creation Units so ordered, own 80% or more of the outstanding shares of the Fund and if, pursuant to Section 351 of the Internal Revenue Code, the Fund would have a basis in the securities different from the market value of such securities on the date of deposit. The Company also has the right to require information necessary to determine beneficial share ownership for purposes of the 80% determination. If the Fund does issue Creation Units to an Authorized Participant (or group of Authorized Participants) that would, upon obtaining the Creation Units so ordered, own 80% or more of the outstanding shares of the Fund, the Authorized Participant (or group of Authorized Participants) may not recognize gain or loss upon the exchange of securities for Creation Units.
An Authorized Participant who redeems Creation Units will generally recognize a gain or loss equal to the difference between the sum of the aggregate market value of any securities received plus the amount of any cash received for such Creation Units and the Authorized Participant’s basis in the Creation Units. Any gain or loss realized by an Authorized Participant upon a redemption of Creation Units will be treated as capital gain or loss if the Authorized Participant holds the shares comprising the Creation Units as capital assets, and otherwise will be ordinary income or loss. Any capital gain or loss realized upon the redemption of Creation Units will generally be treated as long-term capital gain or loss if the shares comprising the Creation Units have been held by the Authorized Participant for more than one year, and otherwise will generally be short-term capital gain or loss. Any capital loss realized upon a redemption of Creation Units held for six months or less will be treated as a long-term capital loss to the extent of any amounts treated as distributions to the applicable Authorized Participant of long-term capital gains with respect to the Creation Units (including any amounts credited to the Authorized Participant as undistributed capital gains).
Persons purchasing or redeeming Creation Units should consult their own tax advisers with respect to the tax treatment of any creation or redemption transaction.
Due to the ability of the Authorized Participants to receive a full or partial cash redemption of Creation Units of the Fund, the Fund may be required to execute additional sale or exchange transactions which may increase the taxable income of the Fund and limit the tax efficiency of the Fund.
Loss Carryforwards
For federal income tax purposes, the Fund is generally permitted to carry forward a net capital loss in any year to offset its own capital gains, if any, during subsequent years.
State and Local Taxes
Although the Fund expects to qualify as a regulated investment company and to be relieved of all or substantially all federal income taxes, depending upon the extent of its activities in states and localities in which its offices are maintained, in which its agents or independent contractors are located or in which it is otherwise deemed to be conducting business, the Fund may be subject to the tax laws of such states or localities.
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Taxation of Certain Investments
The tax principles applicable to transactions in financial instruments, such as futures contracts and options, that may be engaged in by the Fund, and investments in passive foreign investment companies (“PFICs”), are complex and, in some cases, uncertain. Such transactions and investments may cause the Fund to recognize taxable income prior to the receipt of cash, thereby requiring the Fund to liquidate other positions, or to borrow money, so as to make sufficient distributions to shareholders to avoid corporate-level tax. Moreover, some or all of the taxable income recognized may be ordinary income or short-term capital gain, so that the distributions may be taxable to shareholders as ordinary income.
In addition, in the case of any shares of a PFIC in which the Fund invests, the Fund may be liable for corporate-level tax on any ultimate gain or distributions on the shares if the Fund fails to make an election to recognize income annually during the period of its ownership of the shares.
Portfolio Transactions and Brokerage
Subject to the general supervision of the Board, the Adviser is responsible for decisions to buy and sell securities for the Fund, the selection of brokers and dealers to effect the transactions, and the negotiation of brokerage commissions, if any. Purchases and sales of securities on a stock exchange are effected through brokers who charge a commission for their services. In the OTC market, securities are generally traded on a “net” basis, with dealers acting as principal for their own accounts without a stated commission, although the price of the security usually includes 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 underwriter’s concession or discount. Certain money market instruments may be purchased directly from an issuer, in which case no commission or discounts are paid.
The Adviser may serve as an investment adviser to other clients, including private investment companies, and the Adviser may in the future act as an investment adviser to other registered investment companies. It is the practice of the Adviser to cause purchase and sale transactions to be allocated among the Fund and others whose assets are managed by the Adviser in such manner as it deems equitable. In making such allocations, the main factors considered are the respective investment objectives, the relative size of portfolio holdings of the same or comparable securities, the availability of cash for investment, the size of investment commitments generally held, and the opinions of the persons responsible for managing the Fund and the other client accounts. This procedure may, under certain circumstances, have an adverse effect on the Fund.
The policy of the Company regarding purchases and sales of securities for the Fund is that primary consideration will be given to obtaining the most favorable prices and efficient executions of transactions. Consistent with this policy, when securities transactions are effected on a stock exchange, the Company’s policy is to pay commissions that are considered fair and reasonable without necessarily determining that the lowest possible commissions are paid in all circumstances. The Adviser believes that a requirement always to seek the lowest commission cost could impede effective management and preclude the Adviser from obtaining high-quality brokerage and research services. In seeking to determine the reasonableness of brokerage commissions paid in any transaction, the Adviser relies on its experience and knowledge regarding commissions generally charged by various brokers and on its judgment in evaluating the brokerage and research services received from the broker effecting the transaction.
In seeking to implement the Company’s policies, the Adviser, through a brokerage or an outsourced trading desk, conducts trades on behalf of the Company and effects transactions with brokers and dealers that it believes provide the most favorable prices and are capable of providing efficient executions. The Adviser may place portfolio transactions with a broker or dealer that furnishes research and other services to the Adviser and may pay higher commissions to brokers in recognition of research provided (or direct the payment of commissions to such brokers). Such services may include, but are not limited to, any one or more of the following: (1) information as to the availability of securities for purchase or sale, (2) statistical or factual information or opinions pertaining to investments, (3) wire services, (4) and appraisals or evaluations of portfolio securities. The information and services received by the Adviser from brokers and dealers may be of benefit in the management of accounts of other clients and may not in all cases benefit the Company directly. While such services are useful and important in supplementing its own research and facilities, the Adviser believes the value of such services is not determinable and does not significantly reduce its expenses.
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Proxy Voting Procedures
Policies of the Fund’s Adviser
The Board of Directors has delegated the responsibility of voting proxies with respect to the portfolio securities purchased and/or held by the Fund (“portfolio proxies”) to the Adviser, subject to the Board’s continuing oversight. In exercising its voting obligations, the Adviser is guided by its general fiduciary duty to act prudently and in the interest of the Fund. The Adviser will consider factors affecting the value of the Fund’s investments and the rights of shareholders in its determination on voting portfolio securities.
The Adviser generally undertakes to vote portfolio proxies with a view to enhancing the value of the company’s stock held by the Fund. The Adviser has retained an independent, third party proxy voting agent to vote portfolio proxies in accordance with guidelines described in the Adviser’s Proxy Voting Policies and Procedures and to maintain records of such portfolio proxy voting. The Adviser’s Proxy Voting Committee is responsible for monitoring the third party proxy voting agent. A summary of the Adviser’s Proxy Voting Policies and Procedures is as follows:
• | Because the Fund is an index-based product, it is the general policy of the Adviser to vote proxies in accordance with the recommendation of a proxy voting agent. |
• | The Adviser retains the power to vote contrary to the recommendation of a proxy voting agent at its discretion, so long as the reasons for doing so are well documented and subject to the Adviser’s controls regarding conflicts of interest. |
• | In certain situations there may be a conflict of interest in the voting of proxies between the interests of the Fund and its shareholders and those of the Adviser or an affiliate of the Adviser. The Adviser’s Proxy Voting Committee will address any such conflicts on a case-by-case basis. Generally, if the proposal that gives rise to the conflict is specifically addressed in the proxy voting guidelines, the Adviser will vote the portfolio proxy in accordance with the guidelines. If such proposal is not specifically addressed in the guidelines, or if the guidelines provide discretion to the Adviser (i.e., on a case-by-case basis), the Proxy Voting Committee will determine how to vote the portfolio proxy in the best interests of the Fund. |
• | All proxies will be voted in accordance with any applicable investment restrictions of the Fund and, to the extent applicable, any resolutions or other instructions approved by the Fund’s Board of Directors. |
• | The Adviser may determine not to vote a particular proxy, if the costs and burdens exceed the benefits of voting. |
More Information
Each year, the Fund will make available the actual voting records relating to portfolio securities held by the Fund during the 12-month period ending June 30 on www.fool100etf.com without charge, upon request by calling 1-800-617-0004, or by accessing the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. In addition, a copy of the Adviser’s proxy-voting policies and procedures is available by calling 1-800-617-0004 and will be sent within three business days of receipt of a request.
Payments To Financial Intermediaries
The Adviser and/or its affiliates, at their discretion, may make payments from their own resources and not from Fund assets to affiliated or unaffiliated brokers, dealers, banks (including bank trust departments), trust companies, registered investment advisers, financial planners, retirement plan administrators, insurance companies, and any other institution having a service, administration, or any similar arrangement with the Fund, its service providers or their respective affiliates, as incentives to help market and promote the Fund and/or in recognition of their distribution, marketing, administrative services, and/or processing support.
These additional payments may be made to financial intermediaries that sell Fund shares or provide services to the Fund, the Distributor or shareholders of the Fund through the financial intermediary’s retail distribution channel and/or fund supermarkets. Payments may also be made through the financial intermediary’s retirement, qualified tuition, fee-based advisory, wrap fee bank trust, or insurance (e.g., individual or group annuity) programs. These payments may include, but are not limited to, placing the Fund in a financial intermediary’s retail distribution channel or on a preferred or recommended fund list; providing business or shareholder financial planning assistance; educating financial intermediary personnel about the Fund; providing access to sales and management representatives of the financial intermediary; promoting sales of Fund shares; providing marketing and educational support; maintaining share balances and/or for sub-accounting, administrative or shareholder transaction processing services. A financial intermediary may perform the services itself or may arrange with a third party to perform the services.
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The Adviser and/or its affiliates may also make payments from their own resources to financial intermediaries for costs associated with the purchase of products or services used in connection with sales and marketing, participation in and/or presentation at conferences or seminars, sales or training programs, client and investor entertainment and other sponsored events. The costs and expenses associated with these efforts may include travel, lodging, sponsorship at educational seminars and conferences, entertainment and meals to the extent permitted by law.
Revenue sharing payments may be negotiated based on a variety of factors, including the level of sales, the amount of Fund assets attributable to investments in the Fund by financial intermediaries’ customers, a flat fee or other measures as determined from time to time by the Adviser and/or its affiliates. A significant purpose of these payments is to increase the sales of Fund shares, which in turn may benefit the Adviser through increased fees as Fund assets grow.
Additional Information Concerning Company Shares
The Company has authorized capital of 100 billion shares of common stock at a par value of $0.001 per share. Currently, approximately 85.023 billion shares have been classified into 177 classes, however, the Company only has approximately 44 active share classes that have begun investment operations. Under the Company’s charter, the Board of Directors has the power to classify and reclassify any unissued shares of common stock from time to time.
Each share that represents an interest in the Fund has an equal proportionate interest in the assets belonging to the Fund with each other share that represents an interest in the Fund, even where a share has a different class designation than another share representing an interest in the Fund. Shares of the Company do not have preemptive or conversion rights. When issued for payment as described in the Prospectus, shares of the Company will be fully paid and non-assessable.
The Company does not currently intend to hold annual meetings of shareholders except as required by the 1940 Act or other applicable law. The Company’s amended By-Laws provide that shareholders owning at least ten percent of the outstanding shares of all classes of Common Stock of the Company have the right to call for a meeting of shareholders to consider the removal of one or more directors. To the extent required by law, the Company will assist in shareholder communication in such matters.
Holders of shares of each class of the Company will vote in the aggregate on all matters, except where otherwise required by law. Further, shareholders of the Company will vote in the aggregate and not by portfolio except as otherwise required by law or when the Board of Directors determines that the matter to be voted upon affects only the interests of the shareholders of a particular portfolio or class of shares. Rule 18f-2 under the 1940 Act provides that any matter required to be submitted by the provisions of such Act or applicable state law, or otherwise, to the holders of the outstanding voting securities of an investment company such as the Company shall not be deemed to have been effectively acted upon unless approved by the holders of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of each portfolio affected by the matter. Rule 18f-2 further provides that a portfolio shall be deemed to be affected by a matter unless it is clear that the interests of each portfolio in the matter are identical or that the matter does not affect any interest of the portfolio. Under Rule 18f-2 the approval of an investment advisory agreement or distribution agreement or any change in a fundamental investment objective or fundamental investment policy would be effectively acted upon with respect to a portfolio only if approved by the holders of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of such portfolio. However, the Rule 18f-2 also provides that the ratification of the selection of independent public accountants and the election of directors are not subject to the separate voting requirements and may be effectively acted upon by shareholders of an investment company voting without regard to a portfolio. Shareholders of the Company are entitled to one vote for each full share held (irrespective of class or portfolio) and fractional votes for fractional shares held. Voting rights are not cumulative and, accordingly, the holders of more than 50% of the aggregate shares of common stock of the Company may elect all of the Directors.
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Notwithstanding any provision of Maryland law requiring a greater vote of shares of the Company’s common stock (or of any class voting as a class) in connection with any corporate action, unless otherwise provided by law (for example by Rule 18f-2 discussed above), or by the Company’s Articles of Incorporation and By-Laws, the Company may take or authorize such action upon the favorable vote of the holders of more than 50% of all of the outstanding shares of Common Stock voting without regard to class (or portfolio).
General Information
The following information supplements and should be read in conjunction with the section in the Prospectus titled “GENERAL INFORMATION.”
Anti-Money Laundering Program
The Fund has established an Anti-Money Laundering Compliance Program (the “Program”) as required by the Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001 (“USA PATRIOT Act”). To ensure compliance with this law, the Fund’s Program provides for the development of internal practices, procedures, and controls, designation of anti-money laundering compliance officers, an ongoing training program, and an independent audit function to determine the effectiveness of the Program.
Procedures to implement the Program include, but are not limited to, determining that certain of its service providers have established proper anti-money laundering procedures, reporting suspicious and/or fraudulent activity, and conducting a complete and thorough review of all new account applications. The Fund will not transact business with any person or entity whose identity cannot be adequately verified under the provisions of the USA PATRIOT Act.
Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
Tait, Weller & Baker LLP, located at 1818 Market Street, Suite 2400, Philadelphia, PA 19103, is the independent registered public accounting firm of the Fund. The independent registered public accounting firm is responsible for conducting the annual audit of the Fund’s financial statements. The selection of the independent registered public accounting firm is approved annually by the Board.
Transfer Agent
U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC, 615 East Michigan Street, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53202, serves as the Fund’s transfer agent and dividend disbursing agent.
Custodian
U.S. Bank, N.A., 1555 North Rivercenter Drive, Suite 302, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53212, serves as custodian of the Fund’s assets and is responsible for maintaining custody of the Fund’s cash and investments and retaining sub-custodians, including in connection with the custody of foreign securities. Cash held by the custodian, the amount of which may at times be substantial, is insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation up to the amount of available insurance coverage limits.
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Administrator
The Fund has retained U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC (the “Administrator”), 615 East Michigan Street, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53202, to provide various administrative and accounting services necessary for the operations of the Fund. Services provided by the Administrator include facilitating general Fund management; monitoring Fund compliance with federal and state regulations; supervising the maintenance of the Fund’s general ledger, the preparation of the Fund’s financial statements, the determination of NAV, and the payment of dividends and other distributions to shareholders; and preparing specified financial, tax, and other reports. The Fund pays the Administrator an annual fee based on the Fund’s average net assets, subject to certain conditions. The Custodian, the Distributor and the Administrator are affiliates.
No administration fee information is provided because the Fund had not commenced operations prior to the date of this SAI.
Legal Counsel
Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP, One Logan Square, Suite 2000, Philadelphia, PA 19103-6996, serves as counsel to the Company.
Registration Statement
This SAI and the Prospectus do not contain all of the information set forth in the Registration Statement the Company has filed with the SEC. The complete Registration Statement may be obtained from the SEC upon payment of the fee prescribed by SEC rules and regulations. A text-only version of the Registration Statement is available on the SEC’s website, www.sec.gov.
Financial Statements
As the Fund had not commenced operations prior to the date of this SAI, there are no annual financial statements available at this time. Shareholders of the Fund will be informed of the Fund’s progress through periodic reports when those reports become available. Financial statements certified by the independent registered public accounting firm will be submitted to shareholders at least annually.
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Appendix A
DESCRIPTION OF SECURITIES RATINGS
Short-Term Credit Ratings
An S&P Global Ratings short-term issue credit rating is a forward-looking opinion about 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 S&P Global Ratings for short-term issues:
“A-1” – A short-term obligation rated “A-1” is rated in the highest category by S&P Global Ratings. The obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitments on the obligation is strong. Within this category, certain obligations are designated with a plus sign (+). This indicates that the obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitment on these obligations is extremely strong.
“A-2” – A short-term obligation rated “A-2” is somewhat more susceptible to the adverse effects of changes in circumstances and economic conditions than obligations in higher rating categories. However, the obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitments 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 weaken an obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitments on the obligation.
“B” – A short-term obligation rated “B” is regarded as vulnerable and has significant speculative characteristics. The obligor currently has the capacity to meet its financial commitments; however, it faces major ongoing uncertainties that could lead to the obligor’s inadequate capacity to meet its financial commitments.
“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 commitments on the obligation.
“D” – A short-term obligation rated “D” is in default or in breach of an imputed promise. For non-hybrid capital instruments, the “D” rating category is used when payments on an obligation are not made on the date due, unless S&P Global Ratings believes that such payments will be made within any stated grace period. However, any stated grace period longer than five business days will be treated as five business days. The “D” rating also will be used upon the filing of a bankruptcy petition or the taking of a similar action and where default on an obligation is a virtual certainty, for example due to automatic stay provisions. An obligation’s rating is lowered to “D” if it is subject to a distressed exchange offer.
Local Currency and Foreign Currency Ratings – S&P Global Ratings’ issuer credit ratings make a distinction between foreign currency ratings and local currency ratings. An issuer’s foreign currency rating will differ from its local currency rating when the obligor has a different capacity to meet its obligations denominated in its local currency, vs. obligations denominated in a foreign currency.
Moody’s Investors Service (“Moody’s”) short-term ratings are forward-looking opinions of the relative credit risks of financial obligations with an original maturity of thirteen months or less and reflect both on the likelihood of a default on contractually promised payments and the expected financial loss suffered in the event of default.
Moody’s employs the following designations to indicate the relative repayment ability of rated issuers:
“P-1” – Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated Prime-1 have a superior ability to repay short-term debt obligations.
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“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.
“NR” – Is assigned to an unrated issuer.
Fitch, Inc. / Fitch Ratings Ltd. (“Fitch”) short-term issuer or obligation rating is based in all cases on the short-term vulnerability to default of the rated entity and relates to the capacity to meet financial obligations in accordance with the documentation governing the relevant obligation. Short-term ratings are assigned to obligations whose initial maturity is viewed as “short-term” based on market convention. Typically, this means up to 13 months for corporate, sovereign, and structured obligations and up to 36 months for obligations in U.S. public finance markets. The following summarizes the rating categories used by Fitch for short-term obligations:
“F1” – Securities possess the highest short-term credit quality. This designation indicates the strongest intrinsic capacity for timely payment of financial commitments; may have an added “+” to denote any exceptionally strong credit feature.
“F2” – Securities possess good short-term credit quality. This designation indicates good intrinsic capacity for timely payment of financial commitments.
“F3” – Securities possess fair short-term credit quality. This designation indicates that the intrinsic capacity for timely payment of financial commitments is adequate.
“B” – Securities possess speculative short-term credit quality. This designation indicates minimal capacity for timely payment of financial commitments, plus heightened vulnerability to near term adverse changes in financial and economic conditions.
“C” – Securities possess high short-term default risk. Default is a real possibility.
“RD” – Restricted default. Indicates an entity that has defaulted on one or more of its financial commitments, although it continues to meet other financial obligations. Typically applicable to entity ratings only.
“D” – Default. Indicates a broad-based default event for an entity, or the default of a short-term obligation.
Plus (+) or minus (-) – The “F1” rating may be modified by the addition of a plus (+) or minus (-) sign to show the relative status within that major rating category.
“NR” – Is assigned to an unrated issue of a rated issuer.
The DBRS® Ratings Limited (“DBRS”) short-term debt rating scale provides an opinion on the risk that an issuer will not meet its short-term financial obligations in a timely manner. Ratings are based on quantitative and qualitative considerations relevant to the issuer and the relative ranking of claims. The R-1 and R-2 rating categories are further denoted by the sub-categories “(high)”, “(middle)”, and “(low)”.
The following summarizes the ratings used by DBRS for commercial paper and short-term debt:
“R-1 (high)” - Short-term debt rated “R-1 (high)” is of the highest credit quality. The capacity for the payment of short-term financial obligations as they fall due is exceptionally high. Unlikely to be adversely affected by future events.
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“R-1 (middle)” – Short-term debt rated “R-1 (middle)” is of superior credit quality. The capacity for the payment of short-term financial obligations as they fall due is very high. Differs from “R-1 (high)” by a relatively modest degree. Unlikely to be significantly vulnerable to future events.
“R-1 (low)” – Short-term debt rated “R-1 (low)” is of good credit quality. The capacity for the payment of short-term financial obligations as they fall due is substantial. Overall strength is not as favorable as higher rating categories. May be vulnerable to future events, but qualifying negative factors are considered manageable.
“R-2 (high)” – Short-term debt rated “R-2 (high)” is considered to be at the upper end of adequate credit quality. The capacity for the payment of short-term financial obligations as they fall due is acceptable. May be vulnerable to future events.
“R-2 (middle)” – Short-term debt rated “R-2 (middle)” is considered to be of adequate credit quality. The capacity for the payment of short-term financial obligations as they fall due is acceptable. May be vulnerable to future events or may be exposed to other factors that could reduce credit quality.
“R-2 (low)” – Short-term debt rated “R-2 (low)” is considered to be at the lower end of adequate credit quality. The capacity for the payment of short-term financial obligations as they fall due is acceptable. May be vulnerable to future events. A number of challenges are present that could affect the issuer’s ability to meet such obligations.
“R-3” – Short-term debt rated “R-3” is considered to be at the lowest end of adequate credit quality. There is a capacity for the payment of short-term financial obligations as they fall due. May be vulnerable to future events and the certainty of meeting such obligations could be impacted by a variety of developments.
“R-4” – Short-term debt rated “R-4” is considered to be of speculative credit quality. The capacity for the payment of short-term financial obligations as they fall due is uncertain.
“R-5” – Short-term debt rated “R-5” is considered to be of highly speculative credit quality. There is a high level of uncertainty as to the capacity to meet short-term financial obligations as they fall due.
“D” – Short-term debt rated “D” is assigned when the issuer has filed under any applicable bankruptcy, insolvency or winding up statute or there is a failure to satisfy an obligation after the exhaustion of grace periods, a downgrade to “D” may occur. DBRS may also use “SD” (Selective Default) in cases where only some securities are impacted, such as the case of a “distressed exchange”.
Long-Term Credit Ratings
The following summarizes the ratings used by S&P Global Ratings for long-term issues:
“AAA” – An obligation rated “AAA” has the highest rating assigned by S&P Global Ratings. The obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitments on the obligation is extremely strong.
“AA” – An obligation rated “AA” differs from the highest-rated obligations only to a small degree. The obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitments on the obligation is very strong.
“A” – An obligation rated “A” is somewhat more susceptible to the adverse effects of changes in circumstances and economic conditions than obligations in higher-rated categories. However, the obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitments on the obligation is still strong.
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“BBB” – An obligation rated “BBB” exhibits adequate protection parameters. However, adverse economic conditions or changing circumstances are more likely to weaken the obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitments on the obligation.
“BB,” “B,” “CCC,” “CC” and “C” – 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 exposure 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 that could lead to the obligor’s inadequate capacity to meet its financial commitments 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 commitments on the obligation. Adverse business, financial, or economic conditions will likely impair the obligor’s capacity or willingness to meet its financial commitments 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 commitments 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 commitments on the obligation.
“CC” – An obligation rated “CC” is currently highly vulnerable to nonpayment. The “CC” rating is used when a default has not yet occurred, but S&P Global Ratings expects default to be a virtual certainty, regardless of the anticipated time to default.
“C” – An obligation rated “C” is currently highly vulnerable to nonpayment, and the obligation is expected to have lower relative seniority or lower ultimate recovery compared with obligations that are rated higher.
“D” – An obligation rated “D” is in default or in breach of an imputed promise. For non-hybrid capital instruments, the “D” rating category is used when payments on an obligation are not made on the date due, unless S&P Global Ratings believes that such payments will be made within five business days in the absence of a stated grace period or within the earlier of the stated grace period or 30 calendar days. The “D” rating also will be used upon the filing of a bankruptcy petition or the taking of similar action and where default on an obligation is a virtual certainty, for example due to automatic stay provisions. An obligation’s rating is lowered to “D” if it is subject to a distressed exchange offer.
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, or that there is insufficient information on which to base a rating, or that S&P Global Ratings does not rate a particular obligation as a matter of policy.
Local Currency and Foreign Currency Risks - S&P Global Ratings’ issuer credit ratings make a distinction between foreign currency ratings and local currency ratings. An issuer’s foreign currency rating will differ from its local currency rating when the obligor has a different capacity to meet its obligations denominated in its local currency, vs. obligations denominated in a foreign currency.
Moody’s long-term ratings are forward-looking opinions of the relative credit risks of financial obligations with an original maturity of one year or more. Such ratings reflect both on the likelihood of default on contractually promised payments and the expected financial loss suffered in the event of default. The following summarizes the ratings used by Moody’s for long-term debt:
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“Aaa” – Obligations rated “Aaa” are judged to be of the highest quality, subject to the lowest level of 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 judged to be upper-medium grade and are subject to low credit risk.
“Baa” – Obligations rated “Baa” are judged to be medium-grade and subject to moderate credit risk and as such may possess certain speculative characteristics.
“Ba” – Obligations rated “Ba” are judged to be speculative 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 speculative 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 and are typically in default, with little prospect for recovery of principal or interest.
Note: Moody’s appends numerical modifiers 1, 2, and 3 to each generic rating classification from “Aa” through “Caa.” The modifier 1 indicates that the obligation ranks in the higher end of its generic rating category; the modifier 2 indicates a mid-range ranking; and the modifier 3 indicates a ranking in the lower end of that generic rating category.
“NR” – Is assigned to unrated obligations.
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 cases 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 adverse business or economic conditions than is the case for higher ratings.
“BBB” – Securities considered to be of good credit quality. “BBB” ratings indicate that expectations of credit risk are currently low. The capacity for payment of financial commitments is considered adequate, but adverse business or economic conditions are more likely to impair this capacity.
“BB” – Securities considered to be speculative. “BB” ratings indicate that there is an elevated vulnerability to credit risk, particularly in the event of adverse changes in business or economic conditions over time; however, business or financial alternatives may be available to allow financial commitments to be met.
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“B” – Securities considered to be highly speculative. “B” ratings indicate that material credit risk is present.
“CCC” – A “CCC” rating indicates that substantial credit risk is present.
“CC” – A “CC” rating indicates very high levels of credit risk.
“C” – A “C” rating indicates exceptionally high levels of credit risk.
Defaulted obligations typically are not assigned “RD” or “D” ratings but are instead rated in the “B” to “C” rating categories, depending on their recovery prospects and other relevant characteristics. Fitch believes that this approach better aligns obligations that have comparable overall expected loss but varying vulnerability to default and loss.
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” obligation rating category, or to corporate finance obligation ratings in the categories below “CCC”.
“NR” – Is assigned to an unrated issue of a rated issuer.
The DBRS long-term rating scale provides an opinion on the risk of default. That is, the risk that an issuer will fail to satisfy its financial obligations in accordance with the terms under which an obligation has been issued. Ratings are based on quantitative and qualitative considerations relevant to the issuer, and the relative ranking of claims. All rating categories other than AAA and D also contain subcategories “(high)” and “(low)”. The absence of either a “(high)” or “(low)” designation indicates the rating is in the middle of the category. The following summarizes the ratings used by DBRS for long-term debt:
“AAA” – Long-term debt rated “AAA” is of the highest credit quality. The capacity for the payment of financial obligations is exceptionally high and unlikely to be adversely affected by future events.
“AA” – Long-term debt rated “AA” is of superior credit quality. The capacity for the payment of financial obligations is considered high. Credit quality differs from “AAA” only to a small degree. Unlikely to be significantly vulnerable to future events.
“A” – Long-term debt rated “A” is of good credit quality. The capacity for the payment of financial obligations is substantial, but of lesser credit quality than “AA.” May be vulnerable to future events, but qualifying negative factors are considered manageable.
“BBB” – Long-term debt rated “BBB” is of adequate credit quality. The capacity for the payment of financial obligations is considered acceptable. May be vulnerable to future events.
“BB” – Long-term debt rated “BB” is of speculative, non-investment grade credit quality. The capacity for the payment of financial obligations is uncertain. Vulnerable to future events.
“B” – Long-term debt rated “B” is of highly speculative credit quality. There is a high level of uncertainty as to the capacity to meet financial obligations.
“CCC”, “CC” and “C” – Long-term debt rated in any of these categories is of very highly speculative credit quality. In danger of defaulting on financial obligations. There is little difference between these three categories, although “CC” and “C” ratings are normally applied to obligations that are seen as highly likely to default, or subordinated to obligations rated in the “CCC” to “B” range. Obligations in respect of which default has not technically taken place but is considered inevitable may be rated in the “C” category.
“D” – A security rated “D” is assigned when the issuer has filed under any applicable bankruptcy, insolvency or winding up statute or there is a failure to satisfy an obligation after the exhaustion of grace periods, a downgrade to “D” may occur. DBRS may also use “SD” (Selective Default) in cases where only some securities are impacted, such as the case of a “distressed exchange”.
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Municipal Note Ratings
An S&P Global Ratings U.S. municipal note rating reflects S&P Global Ratings’ opinion about the liquidity factors and market access risks unique to the notes. Notes due in three years or less will likely receive a note rating. Notes with an original maturity of more than three years will most likely receive a long-term debt rating. In determining which type of rating, if any, to assign, S&P Global Ratings’ analysis will review the following considerations:
● | 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. |
Municipal Short-Term Note rating symbols are as follows:
“SP-1” – A municipal note rated “SP-1” exhibits a strong capacity to pay principal and interest. An issue determined to possess a very strong capacity to pay debt service is given a plus (+) designation.
“SP-2” – A municipal note rated “SP-2” exhibits 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” – A municipal note rated “SP-3” exhibits a speculative capacity to pay principal and interest.
Moody’s uses the Municipal Investment Grade (“MIG”) scale to rate U.S. municipal bond anticipation notes of up to three years maturity. Municipal notes rated on the MIG scale may be secured by either pledged revenues or proceeds of a take-out financing received prior to note maturity. MIG ratings expire at the maturity of the obligation, and the issuer’s long-term rating is only one consideration in assigning the MIG rating. MIG ratings are divided into three levels – “MIG-1” through “MIG-3” while speculative grade short-term obligations are designated “SG”. The following summarizes the ratings used by Moody’s for short-term municipal 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.
“NR” – Is assigned to an unrated obligation.
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 Moody’s evaluation of risk associated with scheduled principal and interest payments. The second element represents Moody’s evaluation of risk associated with the ability to receive purchase price upon demand (“demand feature”). The second element uses a rating from a variation of the MIG scale called the Variable Municipal Investment Grade or “VMIG” scale. The rating transitions on the VMIG scale differ from those on the Prime scale to reflect the risk that external liquidity support generally will terminate if the issuer’s long-term rating drops below investment grade.
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“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.
“NR” – Is assigned to an unrated obligation.
About Credit Ratings
An S&P Global Ratings issue credit rating is a forward-looking opinion about the creditworthiness of an obligor with respect to a specific financial obligation, a specific class of financial obligations, or a specific financial program (including ratings on medium-term note programs and commercial paper programs). It takes into consideration the creditworthiness of guarantors, insurers, or other forms of credit enhancement on the obligation and takes into account the currency in which the obligation is denominated. The opinion reflects S&P Global Ratings’ view of the obligor’s capacity and willingness to meet its financial commitments as they come due, and this opinion may assess terms, such as collateral security and subordination, which could affect ultimate payment in the event of default.
Moody’s credit ratings must be construed solely as statements of opinion and not statements of fact or recommendations to purchase, sell or hold any securities.
Fitch’s 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 the money owed to them in accordance with the terms on which they invested. Fitch’s credit ratings cover the global spectrum of corporate, sovereign financial, bank, insurance, and public finance entities (including supranational and sub-national entities) and the securities or other obligations they issue, as well as structured finance securities backed by receivables or other financial assets.
Credit ratings provided by DBRS are forward-looking opinions about credit risk which reflect the creditworthiness of an issuer, rated entity, and/or security. Credit ratings are not statements of fact. While historical statistics and performance can be important considerations, credit ratings are not based solely on such; they include subjective considerations and involve expectations for future performance that cannot be guaranteed. To the extent that future events and economic conditions do not match expectations, credit ratings assigned to issuers and/or securities can change. Credit ratings are also based on approved and applicable methodologies, models and criteria (“Methodologies”), which are periodically updated and when material changes are deemed necessary, this may also lead to rating changes.
Credit ratings typically provide an opinion on the risk that investors may not be repaid in accordance with the terms under which the obligation was issued. In some cases, credit ratings may also include consideration for the relative ranking of claims and recovery, should default occur. Credit ratings are meant to provide opinions on relative measures of risk and are not based on expectations of any specific default probability, nor are they meant to predict such.
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The data and information on which DBRS bases its opinions is not audited or verified by DBRS, although DBRS conducts a reasonableness review of information received and relied upon in accordance with its Methodologies and policies.
DBRS uses rating symbols as a concise method of expressing its opinion to the market, but there are a limited number of rating categories for the possible slight risk differentials that exist across the rating spectrum and DBRS does not assert that credit ratings in the same category are of “exactly” the same quality.
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THE RBB FUND, INC.
PEA 235
PART C: OTHER INFORMATION
Item 28. | EXHIBITS |
(a) | Articles of Incorporation.
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(1) | Articles of Incorporation of Registrant are incorporated herein by reference to Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on March 24, 1988, and refiled electronically with Post-Effective Amendment No. 61 to Registrant’s Registration Statement filed on October 30, 1998.
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(2) | Articles Supplementary of Registrant are incorporated herein by reference to Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on March 24, 1988, and refiled electronically with Post-Effective Amendment No. 61 to Registrant’s Registration Statement filed on October 30, 1998.
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(3) | Articles of Amendment to Articles of Incorporation of Registrant are incorporated herein by reference to Pre-Effective Amendment No. 2 to Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on July 12, 1988, and refiled electronically with Post-Effective Amendment No. 61 to Registrant’s Registration Statement filed on October 30, 1998.
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(4) | Articles Supplementary of Registrant are incorporated herein by reference to Pre-Effective Amendment No. 2 to Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on July 12, 1988, and refiled electronically with Post-Effective Amendment No. 61 to Registrant’s Registration Statement filed on October 30, 1998.
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(5) | Articles Supplementary of Registrant are incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 3 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on April 27, 1990, and refiled electronically with Post-Effective Amendment No. 61 to Registrant’s Registration Statement filed on October 30, 1998.
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(6) | Articles Supplementary of Registrant are incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 4 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on May 1, 1990, and refiled electronically with Post-Effective Amendment No. 61 to Registrant’s Registration Statement filed on October 30, 1998.
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(7) | Articles Supplementary of Registrant are incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 7 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on July 15, 1992, and refiled electronically with Post-Effective Amendment No. 61 to Registrant’s Registration Statement filed on October 30, 1998.
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(8) | Articles Supplementary of Registrant are incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 8 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on October 22, 1992, and refiled electronically with Post-Effective Amendment No. 61 to Registrant’s Registration Statement filed on October 30, 1998. |
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(9) | Articles Supplementary of Registrant are incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 13 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on October 29, 1993, and refiled electronically with Post-Effective Amendment No. 61 to Registrant’s Registration Statement filed on October 30, 1998.
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(10) | Articles Supplementary of Registrant are incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 13 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on October 29, 1993, and refiled electronically with Post-Effective Amendment No. 61 to Registrant’s Registration Statement filed on October 30, 1998.
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(11) | Articles Supplementary of Registrant are incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 22 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on December 19, 1994, and refiled electronically with Post-Effective Amendment No. 61 to Registrant’s Registration Statement filed on October 30, 1998.
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(12) | Articles Supplementary of Registrant are incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 22 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on December 19, 1994, and refiled electronically with Post-Effective Amendment No. 61 to Registrant’s Registration Statement filed on October 30, 1998.
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(13) | Articles Supplementary of Registrant are incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 22 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on December 19, 1994, and refiled electronically with Post-Effective Amendment No. 61 to Registrant’s Registration Statement filed on October 30, 1998.
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(14) | Articles Supplementary of Registrant are incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 22 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on December 19, 1994, and refiled electronically with Post-Effective Amendment No. 61 to Registrant’s Registration Statement filed on October 30, 1998.
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(15) | Articles Supplementary of Registrant are incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 27 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on March 31, 1995.
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(16) | Articles Supplementary of Registrant are incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 34 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on May 16, 1996.
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(17) | Articles Supplementary of Registrant are incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 39 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on October 11, 1996.
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(18) | Articles Supplementary of Registrant are incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 45 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on May 9, 1997.
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(19) | Articles of Amendment to Charter of the Registrant are incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 46 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on September 25, 1997.
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(20) | Articles Supplementary of Registrant are incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 46 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on September 25, 1997.
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(21) | Articles Supplementary of Registrant are incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 60 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on October 29, 1998.
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(22) | Articles Supplementary of Registrant are incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 60 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on October 29, 1998.
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(23) | Articles Supplementary of Registrant are incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 63 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on December 14, 1998.
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(24) | Articles Supplementary of Registrant are incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 63 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on December 14, 1998.
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(25) | Articles Supplementary of Registrant are incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 67 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on September 30, 1999.
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(26) | Articles Supplementary of Registrant are incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 69 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on November 29, 1999.
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(27) | Articles of Amendment to Charter of the Registrant are incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 71 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on December 29, 2000.
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(28) | Articles Supplementary of Registrant are incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 71 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on December 29, 2000.
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(29) | Articles Supplementary of Registrant are incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 71 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on December 29, 2000.
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(30) | Articles of Amendment to Charter of the Registrant are incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 71 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on December 29, 2000.
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(31) | Articles Supplementary of Registrant are incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 73 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on March 15, 2001.
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(32) | Articles of Amendment to Charter of the Registrant (Boston Partners Bond Fund – Institutional Class and Boston Partners Bond Fund – Investor Class) are incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 77 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on May 15, 2002.
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(33) | Articles Supplementary of Registrant (Boston Partners All-Cap Value Fund – Institutional Class and Boston Partners Bond Fund – Institutional Class) are incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 77 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on May 15, 2002.
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(34) | Articles Supplementary of Registrant (Schneider Value Fund) are incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 78 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on May 16, 2002.
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(35) | Articles Supplementary of Registrant (Institutional Liquidity Fund for Credit Unions and Liquidity Fund for Credit Union Members) are incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 84 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on December 29, 2003.
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(36) | Articles of Amendment to Charter of the Registrant are incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 89 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on December 30, 2004.
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(37) | Articles Supplementary of Registrant (Robeco WPG Core Bond Fund – Investor Class, Robeco WPG Core Bond Fund – Institutional Class, Robeco WPG Tudor Fund – Institutional Class, Robeco WPG Large Cap Growth Fund – Institutional Class) are incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 93 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on March 4, 2005.
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(38) | Certificate of Correction of Registrant is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 95 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on March 23, 2005.
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(39) | Articles Supplementary of Registrant (Robeco WPG Core Bond Fund – Investor Class, Robeco WPG Core Bond Fund – Institutional Class, Robeco WPG Tudor Fund – Institutional Class, Robeco WPG 130/30 Large Cap Core Fund f/k/a Robeco WPG Large Cap Growth Fund – Institutional Class) are incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 95 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on March 23, 2005.
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(40) | Articles Supplementary of Registrant (Senbanc Fund) are incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 96 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on June 6, 2005.
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(41) | Articles of Amendment of Registrant (Robeco WPG Core Bond Fund – Retirement Class) are incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 97 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on August 19, 2005.
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(42) | Articles Supplementary of Registrant (Robeco WPG Core Bond Fund – Investor Class) are incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 99 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on September 27, 2005.
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(43) | Articles Supplementary of Registrant (Bear Stearns CUFS MLP Mortgage Portfolio) are incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 104 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on July 18, 2006.
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(44) | Articles of Amendment to Charter of the Registrant (Bear Stearns CUFS MLP Mortgage Portfolio) are incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 108 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on December 14, 2006.
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(45) | Articles Supplementary of Registrant (Bear Stearns Ultra Short Income Fund f/k/a Bear Stearns Enhanced Income Fund) are incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 109 to Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on December 15, 2006.
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(46) | Articles Supplementary of Registrant (Marvin & Palmer Large Cap Growth Fund) are incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 109 to Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on December 15, 2006.
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(47) | Articles of Amendment to Charter of the Registrant (Bear Stearns Ultra Short Income Fund f/k/a Bear Stearns Enhanced Income Fund) are incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 111 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on February 28, 2007.
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(48) | Articles Supplementary of Registrant (Bear Stearns Ultra Short Income Fund f/k/a Bear Stearns Enhanced Income Fund) are incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 111 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on February 28, 2007.
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(49) | Articles Supplementary of Registrant (Free Market U.S. Equity Fund, Free Market International Equity Fund, Free Market Fixed Income Fund) incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 112 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on June 1, 2007.
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(50) | Articles Supplementary of Registrant (Robeco WPG 130/30 Large Cap Core Fund – Investor Class) are incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 113 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on July 13, 2007.
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(51) | Articles Supplementary of Registrant (SAM Sustainable Water Fund, SAM Sustainable Climate Fund) are incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 114 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on July 17, 2007.
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(52) | Articles of Amendment of Registrant (Robeco WPG 130/30 Large Cap Core Fund – Institutional Class) are incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 116 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on September 4, 2007.
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(53) | Articles Supplementary of Registrant (Bear Stearns Multifactor 130/30 US Core Equity Fund) are incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 123 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on December 17, 2007.
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(54) | Articles of Amendment to Charter of the Registrant (Bear Stearns Ultra Short Income Fund f/k/a Bear Stearns Enhanced Income Fund) are incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 124 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on December 28, 2007.
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(55) | Articles Supplementary of Registrant (SAM Sustainable Global Active Fund, SAM Sustainable Themes Fund) are incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 128 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on April 23, 2009.
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(56) | Articles Supplementary of Registrant (Perimeter Small Cap Growth Fund) are incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 129 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on July 2, 2009.
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(57) | Articles Supplementary of Registrant (S1 Fund) are incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 135 to Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on July 19, 2010. |
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(58) | Articles Supplementary of Registrant (Robeco Boston Partners Long/Short Research Fund) are incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 136 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on August 4, 2010.
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(59) | Articles of Amendment of Registrant (Robeco WPG Small/Micro Cap Value Fund f/k/a Robeco WPG Small Cap Value Fund) are incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 141 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on December 28, 2010.
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(60) | Articles Supplementary of Registrant (Robeco Boston Partners Global Equity Fund and Robeco Boston Partners International Equity Fund) are incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 142 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on October 14, 2011.
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(61) | Articles Supplementary of Registrant (Summit Global Investments U.S. Low Volatility Equity Fund) are incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 144 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on December 15, 2011.
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(62) | Articles Supplementary of Registrant (Free Market U.S. Equity Fund, Free Market International Equity Fund, Free Market Fixed Income Fund) are incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 149 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on October 29, 2012.
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(63) | Articles Supplementary of Registrant (Robeco Boston Partners Global Long/Short Fund) are incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 152 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on March 29, 2013.
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(64) | Articles Supplementary of Registrant (Robeco Boston Partners Long/Short Research Fund – Institutional Class) are incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 157 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on October 29, 2013.
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(65) | Articles Supplementary of Registrant (Matson Money U.S. Equity VI Portfolio, Matson Money International VI Equity Portfolio, Matson Money Fixed Income VI Portfolio) are incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 159 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on December 20, 2013.
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(66) | Articles Supplementary of Registrant (Scotia Dynamic U.S. Growth Fund) are incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 161 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on December 27, 2013.
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(67) | Articles Supplementary of Registrant (Robeco Boston Partners Long/Short Research Fund – Institutional Class) are incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 168 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on June 30, 2014.
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(68) | Articles Supplementary of Registrant (Abbey Capital Futures Strategy Fund and Adara Smaller Companies Fund (f/k/a Altair Smaller Companies Fund)) are incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 168 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on June 30, 2014.
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(69) | Articles Supplementary of Registrant (Campbell Core Trend Fund) are incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 171 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on October 16, 2014. |
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(70) | Articles Supplementary of Registrant (Free Market U.S. Equity Fund, Free Market International Equity Fund, Free Market Fixed Income Fund) are incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 174 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on December 23, 2014.
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(71) | Articles Supplementary of Registrant (Boston Partners Investment Funds) are incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 174 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on December 23, 2014.
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(72) | Articles Supplementary of Registrant (Boston Partners Emerging Markets Long/Short Fund) are incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 182 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on October 16, 2015
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(73) | Articles Supplementary of Registrant (Campbell Core Carry Fund) are incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 182 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on October 16, 2015.
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(74) | Articles Supplementary of Registrant (Boston Partners Alpha Blue Dynamic Equity Fund) are incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 182 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on October 16, 2015.
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(75) | Articles Supplementary of Registrant (Summit Global Investments U.S. Low Volatility Equity Fund – Class C) are incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 184 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on October 30, 2015.
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(76) | Articles Supplementary of Registrant (Boston Partners Long/Short Research Fund – Institutional Class) are incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 187 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on December 29, 2015.
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(77) | Articles Supplementary of Registrant (Summit Global Investments Small Cap Low Volatility Fund) are incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 195 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on March 30, 2016.
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(78) | Articles Supplementary of Registrant (Fasanara Capital Absolute Return Multi-Asset Fund) are incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 198 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on April 29, 2016.
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(79) | Articles of Amendment of Registrant (Campbell Dynamic Trend Fund f/k/a Campbell Core Trend Fund and Campbell Multi-Asset Carry Fund f/k/a Campbell Core Carry Fund) are incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 207 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on December 28, 2016.
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(80) | Articles Supplementary of Registrant (Motley Fool Global Opportunities Fund (f/k/a Motley Fool Independence Fund), Motley Fool Small-Mid Cap Growth Fund (f/k/a Motley Fool Great America Fund), and Motley Fool Emerging Markets Fund (f/k/a Motley Fool Epic Voyage Fund)) are incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 206 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on December 21, 2016.
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(81) | Articles of Amendment of Registrant (Motley Fool Emerging Markets Fund (f/k/a Motley Fool Epic Voyage Fund) are incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 212 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on February 28, 2017. |
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(82) | Articles Supplementary of Registrant (Orinda Income Opportunities Fund) are incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 216 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on April 10, 2017.
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(83) | Articles Supplementary of Registrant (Abbey Capital Futures Strategy Fund — Class T) are incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 216 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on April 10, 2017.
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(84) | Articles Supplementary of Registrant (Campbell Managed Futures 10V Fund) are incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 224 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on July 28, 2017.
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(85) | Articles Supplementary of Registrant (Boston Partners Emerging Markets Fund) are incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 226 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on August 23, 2017.
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(86) | Articles of Amendment of Registrant (Summit Global Investments Global Low Volatility Fund) will be filed by amendment.
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(87) | Articles of Amendment of Registrant (Summit Global Investments Small Cap Low Volatility Fund) will be filed by amendment.
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(88) | Articles of Amendment of Registrant (Adara Smaller Companies Fund (f/k/a Altair Smaller Companies Fund)) will be filed by amendment.
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(89) | Articles of Amendment of Registrant (Motley Fool Global Opportunities Fund (f/k/a Motley Fool Independence Fund), Motley Fool Small-Mid Cap Growth Fund (f/k/a Motley Fool Great America Fund), and Motley Fool Emerging Markets Fund (f/k/a Motley Fool Epic Voyage Fund)) will be filed by amendment.
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(90) | Articles Supplementary of Registrant (Abbey Capital Multi Asset Fund) will be filed by amendment.
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(91) | Articles Supplementary of Registrant (Aquarius International Fund) will be filed by amendment.
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(92) | Articles Supplementary of Registrant (Motley Fool 100 Index ETF) is filed herewith.
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(b) | By-Laws.
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(1) | By-Laws, as amended, are incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 143 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on October 28, 2011.
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(c) | Instruments Defining Rights of Security Holders.
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(1) | See Articles VI, VII, VIII, IX and XI of Registrant’s Articles of Incorporation dated February 17, 1988 which are incorporated herein by reference to Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on March 24, 1988, and refiled electronically with Post-Effective Amendment No. 61 to Registrant’s Registration Statement filed on October 30, 1998.
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(2) | See Articles II, III, VI, XIII, and XIV of Registrant’s By-Laws as amended through August 25, 2004, which are incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 89 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on December 30, 2004. |
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(d) | Investment Advisory Contracts.
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(1) | Investment Advisory Agreement (Schneider Small Cap Value Fund) between Registrant and Schneider Capital Management Company is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 60 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on October 29, 1998.
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(2) | Investment Advisory Agreement (Bogle Investment Management Small Cap Growth Fund) between Registrant and Bogle Investment Management, L.P. is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 67 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on September 30, 1999.
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(3) | Investment Advisory Agreement (Free Market U.S. Equity Fund, Free Market International Equity Fund, Free Market Fixed Income Fund) between Registrant and Matson Money, Inc. (f/k/a Abundance Technologies, Inc.) is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 125 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on February 27, 2008.
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(4) | Amendment No. 1 to the Investment Advisory Agreement (Free Market U.S. Equity Fund, Free Market International Equity Fund and Free Market Fixed Income Fund) between Registrant and Matson Money, Inc. (f/k/a Abundance Technologies, Inc.) is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 157 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on October 29, 2013.
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(5) | Form of Contractual Fee Waiver Agreement (Schneider Small Cap Value Fund) between Registrant and Schneider Capital Management Company is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 232 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on December 28, 2017.
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(6) | Form of Contractual Fee Waiver Agreement (Boston Partners Investment Funds) between Registrant and Boston Partners Global Investors, Inc. is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 232 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on December 28, 2017.
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(7) | Investment Advisory Agreement (Summit Global Investments U.S. Low Volatility Equity Fund) between Registrant and Summit Global Investments, LLC is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 160 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on December 23, 2013.
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(8) | Form of Contractual Fee Waiver Agreement (Summit Global Investments U.S. Low Volatility Equity Fund) between Registrant and Summit Global Investments, LLC is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 232 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on December 28, 2017.
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(9) | Investment Advisory Agreement (Boston Partners Investment Funds) between Registrant and Boston Partners Global Investors, Inc. (f/k/a Robeco Investment Management, Inc.) is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 157 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on October 29, 2013. |
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(10) | Addendum No. 1 to Investment Advisory Agreement (Robeco Boston Partners Global Long/Short Fund) between Registrant and Boston Partners Global Investors, Inc. (f/k/a Robeco Investment Management, Inc.) is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 160 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on December 23, 2013.
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(11) | Form of Investment Advisory Agreement (Summit Global Investments Global Low Volatility Fund (f/k/a Scotia Dynamic U.S. Growth Fund)) between Registrant and Summit Global Investments, LLC is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 232 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on December 28, 2017.
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(12) | Form of Contractual Fee Waiver Agreement (Summit Global Investments Global Low Volatility Fund) between Registrant and Summit Global Investments, LLC is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 232 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on December 28, 2017.
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(13) | Investment Advisory Agreement (Abbey Capital Futures Strategy Fund) between Registrant and Abbey Capital Limited is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 168 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on June 30, 2014.
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(14) | Investment Advisory Agreement (Abbey Capital Futures Strategy Fund) between Abbey Capital Offshore Fund Limited and Abbey Capital Limited is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 168 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on June 30, 2014.
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(15) | Form of Trading Advisory Agreement (Abbey Capital Futures Strategy Fund) among Abbey Capital Offshore Fund Limited, Abbey Capital Limited and Altis Partners (Jersey) Limited is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 168 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on June 30, 2014.
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(16) | Form of Trading Advisory Agreement (Abbey Capital Futures Strategy Fund) among Abbey Capital Offshore Fund Limited, Abbey Capital Limited and Cantab Capital Partners, LLP is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 168 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on June 30, 2014.
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(17) | Form of Trading Advisory Agreement (Abbey Capital Futures Strategy Fund) among Abbey Capital Offshore Fund Limited, Abbey Capital Limited and Eclipse Capital Management, Inc. is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 168 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on June 30, 2014.
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(18) | Form of Trading Advisory Agreement (Abbey Capital Futures Strategy Fund) among Abbey Capital Offshore Fund Limited, Abbey Capital Limited and Graham Capital Management, LP is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 168 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on June 30, 2014.
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(19) | Form of Trading Advisory Agreement (Abbey Capital Futures Strategy Fund) among Abbey Capital Offshore Fund Limited, Abbey Capital Limited and P/E Investments, LLC is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 168 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on June 30, 2014. |
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(20) | Form of Trading Advisory Agreement (Abbey Capital Futures Strategy Fund) among Abbey Capital Offshore Fund Limited, Abbey Capital Limited and Revolution Capital Management, LLC is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 168 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on June 30, 2014.
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(21) | Form of Trading Advisory Agreement (Abbey Capital Futures Strategy Fund) among Abbey Capital Offshore Fund Limited, Abbey Capital Limited and Trigon Investment Advisors, LLC is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 168 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on June 30, 2014.
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(22) | Form of Trading Advisory Agreement (Abbey Capital Futures Strategy Fund) among Abbey Capital Offshore Fund Limited, Abbey Capital Limited and Harmonic Capital Partners LLP is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 168 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on June 30, 2014.
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(23) | Addendum No. 2 to Investment Advisory Agreement (Robeco WPG Small/Micro Cap Fund) between Registrant and Boston Partners Global Investors, Inc. (f/k/a Robeco Investment Management, Inc.) is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 168 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on June 30, 2014.
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(24) | Form of Investment Advisory Agreement (Adara Smaller Companies Fund (f/k/a Altair Smaller Companies Fund)) between Registrant and Altair Advisers LLC is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 172 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on October 17, 2014.
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(25) | Form of Investment Advisory Agreement dated December 29, 2014 (Campbell Core Trend Fund) between Registrant and Campbell & Company Investment Adviser LLC is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 175 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on December 23, 2014.
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(26) | Form of Investment Advisory Agreement dated January 2, 2015 (Campbell Core Trend Fund) between Registrant and Campbell & Company Investment Adviser LLC is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 175 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on December 23, 2014.
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(27) | Form of Investment Advisory Agreement (Campbell Core Trend Fund) between Campbell Core Offshore Limited and Campbell & Company Investment Adviser LLC is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 175 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on December 23, 2014.
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(28) | Form of Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement (Adara Smaller Companies Fund (f/k/a Altair Smaller Companies Fund)) among Registrant, Altair Advisers LLC and Aperio Group, LLC is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 172 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on October 17, 2014.
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(29) | Form of Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement (Adara Smaller Companies Fund (f/k/a Altair Smaller Companies Fund)) among Registrant, Altair Advisers LLC and Driehaus Capital Management LLC is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 172 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on October 17, 2014. |
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(30) | Form of Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement (Adara Smaller Companies Fund (f/k/a Altair Smaller Companies Fund)) among Registrant, Altair Advisers LLC and Granite Investment Partners, LLC is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 172 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on October 17, 2014.
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(31) | Form of Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement (Adara Smaller Companies Fund (f/k/a Altair Smaller Companies Fund)) among Registrant, Altair Advisers LLC and Pacific Ridge Capital Partners, LLC is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 172 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on October 17, 2014.
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(32) | Form of Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement (Adara Smaller Companies Fund (f/k/a Altair Smaller Companies Fund)) among Registrant, Altair Advisers LLC and Pier Capital, LLC is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 172 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on October 17, 2014.
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(33) | Form of Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement (Adara Smaller Companies Fund (f/k/a Altair Smaller Companies Fund)) among Registrant, Altair Advisers LLC and River Road Asset Management, LLC is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 172 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on October 17, 2014.
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(34) | Form of Addendum No. 3 to Investment Advisory Agreement (Boston Partners Emerging Markets Long/Short Fund) between Registrant and Boston Partners Global Investors, Inc. (f/k/a Robeco Investment Management, Inc.) is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 180 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on August 14, 2015.
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(35) | Form of Investment Advisory Agreement (Campbell Multi-Asset Carry Fund, f/k/a Campbell Core Carry Fund) between Registrant and Campbell & Company Investment Adviser LLC is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 181 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on October 2, 2015.
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(36) | Form of Investment Advisory Agreement (Campbell Multi-Asset Carry Fund, f/k/a Campbell Core Carry Fund) between Campbell Core Carry Offshore Limited and Campbell & Company Investment Adviser LLC is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 181 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on October 2, 2015.
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(37) | Form of Investment Advisory Agreement (Summit Global Investments Small Cap Low Volatility Fund) between Registrant and Summit Global Investments, LLC is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 195 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on March 30, 2016.
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(38) | Form of Contractual Fee Waiver (Summit Global Investments Small Cap Low Volatility Fund) between Registrant and Summit Global Investments, LLC is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 232 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on December 28, 2017.
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(39) | Form of Contractual Fee Waiver (Bogle Investment Management Small Cap Growth Fund) between Registrant and Bogle Investment Management is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 232 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on December 28, 2017. |
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(40) | Form of Contractual Fee Waiver (Campbell Dynamic Trend Fund and Campbell Multi-Asset Carry Fund) between Registrant and Campbell & Company Investment Adviser LLC is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 232 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on December 28, 2017.
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(41) | Form of Contractual Fee Waiver (Abbey Capital Futures Strategy Fund) from April 10, 2017 through April 30, 2018 between Registrant and Abbey Capital Limited is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 216 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on April 10, 2017.
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(42) | Form of Investment Advisory Agreement (Matson Money U.S. Equity VI Portfolio, Matson Money International Equity VI Portfolio, and Matson Money Fixed Income VI Portfolio) between Registrant and Matson Money, Inc. is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 159 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on December 20, 2013.
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(43) | Form of Contractual Fee Waiver (Matson Money U.S. Equity VI Portfolio, Matson Money International Equity VI Portfolio, and Matson Money Fixed Income VI Portfolio) between Registrant and Matson Money Inc. is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 232 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on December 28, 2017.
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(44) | Form of Addendum No. 4 to Investment Advisory Agreement (Boston Partners All-Cap Value Fund) between Registrant and Boston Partners Global Investors, Inc. (f/k/a Robeco Investment Management, Inc.) is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 213 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on February 28, 2017.
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(45) | First Amendment to Investment Advisory Agreement (Abbey Capital Futures Strategy Fund) between Registrant and Abbey Capital Limited is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 216 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on April 10, 2017.
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(46) | Form of Trading Advisory Agreement (Abbey Capital Futures Strategy Fund) among Abbey Capital Offshore Fund Limited, Abbey Capital Limited and Aspect Capital Limited is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 216 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on April 10, 2017.
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(47) | Form of Investment Advisory Agreement (Orinda Income Opportunities Fund) between Registrant and Orinda Asset Management LLC is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 219 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on May 1, 2017.
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(48) | Form of Expense Limitation and Reimbursement Agreement (Orinda Income Opportunities Fund) between Registrant and Orinda Asset Management LLC is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 219 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on May 1, 2017.
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(49) | Form of Investment Advisory Agreement (Campbell Managed Futures 10V Fund) between Registrant and Campbell & Company Investment Adviser LLC is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 220 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on May 9, 2017. |
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(50) | Form of Investment Advisory Agreement (Campbell Managed Futures 10V Fund) between Campbell Managed Futures LV Offshore Limited and Campbell & Company Investment Adviser LLC is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 220 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on May 9, 2017.
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(51) | Form of Expense Limitation and Reimbursement Agreement (Campbell Managed Futures 10V Fund) between Registrant and Campbell & Company Investment Adviser LLC is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 220 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on May 9, 2017.
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(52) | Form of Addendum No. 5 to Investment Advisory Agreement (Boston Partners Emerging Markets Fund) between Registrant and Boston Partners Global Investors, Inc. is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 226 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on August 23, 2017.
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(53) | Form of Contractual Fee Waiver (Boston Partners Emerging Markets Fund) between Registrant and Boston Partners Global Investors, Inc. is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 226 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on August 23, 2017.
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(54) | Form of Investment Advisory Agreement (Motley Fool Global Opportunities Fund (f/k/a Motley Fool Independence Fund), Motley Fool Small-Mid Cap Growth Fund (f/k/a Motley Fool Great America Fund), and Motley Fool Emerging Markets Fund (f/k/a Motley Fool Epic Voyage Fund))between Registrant and Motley Fool Asset Management, LLC is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 206 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on December 21, 2016.
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(55) | Form of Expense Limitation and Reimbursement Agreement (Motley Fool Global Opportunities Fund (f/k/a Motley Fool Independence Fund), Motley Fool Small-Mid Cap Growth Fund (f/k/a Motley Fool Great America Fund), and Motley Fool Emerging Markets Fund (f/k/a Motley Fool Epic Voyage Fund))between Registrant and Motley Fool Asset Management, LLC is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 232 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on December 28, 2017.
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(56) | Amendment to Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement (Adara Smaller Companies Fund (f/k/a Altair Smaller Companies Fund)) among Registrant, Altair Advisers LLC and Aperio Group, LLC will be filed by amendment.
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(57) | Form of Amendment to Trading Advisory Agreement (Abbey Capital Futures Strategy Fund) among Abbey Capital Offshore Fund Limited, Abbey Capital Limited and Aspect Capital Limited is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 232 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on December 28, 2017.
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(58) | Form of Contractual Fee Waiver (Abbey Capital Futures Strategy Fund) from May 1, 2018 through December 31, 2018 between Registrant and Abbey Capital Limited is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 232 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on December 28, 2017. |
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(59) | Form of Investment Advisory Agreement (Motley Fool 100 Index ETF) between Registrant and Motley Fool Asset Management, LLC is filed herewith.
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(60) | Form of Investment Advisory Agreement (Aquarius International Fund) between Registrant and Altair Advisers LLC will be filed by amendment.
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(61) | Form of Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement (Aquarius International Fund Fund) among Registrant, Altair Advisers LLC and Aperio Group, LLC will be filed by amendment.
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(62) | Form of Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement (Aquarius International Fund Fund) among Registrant, Altair Advisers LLC and Driehaus Capital Management LLC will be filed by amendment.
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(63) | Form of Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement (Aquarius International Fund Fund) among Registrant, Altair Advisers LLC and Mawer Investment Management Ltd. will be filed by amendment.
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(64) | Form of Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement (Aquarius International Fund Fund) among Registrant, Altair Advisers LLC and Setanta Asset Management Limited will be filed by amendment.
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(65) | Form of Investment Advisory Agreement (Abbey Capital Multi Asset Fund) between Registrant and Abbey Capital Limited is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 233 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on January 10, 2018.
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(66) | Form of Investment Advisory Agreement (Abbey Capital Multi Asset Fund) between ACMAF Offshore Fund Limited and Abbey Capital Limited is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 233 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on January 10, 2018.
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(67) | Form of Trading Advisory Agreement (Abbey Capital Multi Asset Fund) among Registrant, Abbey Capital Limited, ACMAF Offshore Fund Limited and Aspect Capital Limited is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 233 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on January 10, 2018.
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(68) | Form of Trading Advisory Agreement (Abbey Capital Multi Asset Fund) among Registrant, Abbey Capital Limited, ACMAF Offshore Fund Limited and Eclipse Capital Management, Inc. is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 233 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on January 10, 2018.
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(69) | Form of Trading Advisory Agreement (Abbey Capital Multi Asset Fund) among Registrant, Abbey Capital Limited, ACMAF Offshore Fund Limited and Revolution Capital Management, LLC is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 233 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on January 10, 2018.
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(70) | Form of Trading Advisory Agreement (Abbey Capital Multi Asset Fund) among Registrant, Abbey Capital Limited, ACMAF Offshore Fund Limited and Welton Investment Partners LLC is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 233 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on January 10, 2018. |
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(71) | Form of Contractual Fee Waiver (Abbey Capital Multi Asset Fund) between Registrant and Abbey Capital Limited is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 233 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on January 10, 2018.
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(72) | Form of Trading Advisory Agreement (Abbey Capital Futures Strategy Fund) among Abbey Capital Offshore Fund Limited, Abbey Capital Limited, and Welton Investment Partners LLC is filed herewith.
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(e) | Underwriting Contracts.
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(1) | Distribution Agreement between Registrant, Quasar Distributors, LLC, and Abbey Capital Limited dated June 30, 2016 is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 207 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on December 28, 2016.
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(2) | Distribution Agreement between Registrant, Quasar Distributors, LLC, and Altair Advisers LLC dated June 30, 2016 is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 207 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on December 28, 2016.
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(3) | Distribution Agreement between Registrant, Quasar Distributors, LLC, and Bogle Investment Management, L.P. dated June 30, 2016 is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 207 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on December 28, 2016.
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(4) | Distribution Agreement between Registrant, Quasar Distributors, LLC, and Boston Partners Global Investors, Inc. dated June 30, 2016 is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 207 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on December 28, 2016.
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(5) | Distribution Agreement between Registrant, Quasar Distributors, LLC, and Campbell & Company Investment Adviser LLC dated June 30, 2016 is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 207 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on December 28, 2016.
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(6) | Distribution Agreement between Registrant, Quasar Distributors, LLC, and Matson Money, Inc. dated June 30, 2016 is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 207 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on December 28, 2016.
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(7) | Distribution Agreement between Registrant, Quasar Distributors, LLC, and Schneider Capital Management Company dated June 30, 2016 is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 207 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on December 28, 2016.
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(8) | Distribution Agreement between Registrant, Quasar Distributors, LLC, and Summit Global Investments, LLC dated June 30, 2016 is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 207 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on December 28, 2016.
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(9) | Form of Distribution Agreement (Motley Fool Global Opportunities Fund (f/k/a Motley Fool Independence Fund), Motley Fool Small-Mid Cap Growth Fund (f/k/a Motley Fool Great America Fund), and Motley Fool Emerging Markets Fund (f/k/a Motley Fool Epic Voyage Fund)) between Registrant and Foreside Funds Distributors LLC is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 212 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on February 28, 2017. |
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(10) | Form of Distribution Agreement (Orinda Income Opportunities Fund) between Registrant, Quasar Distributors, LLC, and Orinda Asset Management LLC is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 219 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on May 1, 2017.
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(11) | Amendment to the Distribution Agreement (Campbell Managed Futures 10V Fund) between Registrant, Quasar Distributors, LLC, and Campbell & Company Investment Adviser LLC is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 224 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on July 28, 2017.
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(12) | Form of Amendment to the Distribution Agreement between Registrant, Quasar Distributors, LLC, and Boston Partners Global Investors, Inc. dated June 30, 2016 is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 226 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on August 23, 2017.
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(13) | Amendment to Distribution Agreement between Registrant, Quasar Distributors, LLC, and Abbey Capital Limited dated July 11, 2017 is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 232 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on December 28, 2017.
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(14) | Form of Distribution Agreement (Motley Fool 100 Index ETF) between Registrant, Quasar Distributors, LLC, and Motley Fool Asset Management, LLC is filed herewith.
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(15) | Amendment to the Distribution Agreement (Aquarius International Fund) between Registrant, Quasar Distributors, LLC, and Altair Advisers LLC will be filed by amendment.
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(16) | Amendment to Distribution Agreement (Abbey Capital Multi-Asset Fund) between Registrant, Quasar Distributors, LLC and Abbey Capital Limited will be filed by amendment.
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(f) | Bonus or Profit Sharing Contracts.
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(1) | Form of Deferred Compensation Plan is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 160 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on December 23, 2013.
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(2) | Form of Deferred Compensation Agreement is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 160 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on December 23, 2013.
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(g) | Custodian Agreements.
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(1) | Custody Agreement between Registrant and U.S. Bank National Association dated June 30, 2016 is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 207 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on December 28, 2016.
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(2) | First Amendment dated June 30, 2016 to the Custody Agreement between Registrant and U.S. Bank National Association is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 207 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on December 28, 2016. |
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(3) | Addendum to Custody Agreement dated January 5, 2017 is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 216 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on April 10, 2017.
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(4) | Form of Second Amendment dated May 1, 2017 to the Custody Agreement between Registrant and U.S. Bank National Association is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 219 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on May 1, 2017.
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(5) | Form of Third Amendment to the Custody Agreement between Registrant and U.S. Bank National Association is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 224 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on July 28, 2017.
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(6) | Form of Fourth Amendment to the Custody Agreement between Registrant and U.S. Bank National Association is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 226 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on August 23, 2017.
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(7) | Form of Fifth Amendment to the Custody Agreement between Registrant and U.S. Bank National Association dated December 1, 2017 is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 232 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on December 28, 2017.
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(8) | Form of Custody Agreement (Motley Fool 100 Index ETF) between Registrant and U.S. Bank National Association is filed herewith.
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(h) | Other Material Contracts.
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(1) | Non 12b-1 Shareholder Services Plan and Agreement (Bogle Investment Management Small Cap Growth - Investor Shares) is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 67 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on September 30, 1999.
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(2) | Non-12b-1 Shareholder Services Plan and Related Form of Shareholder Servicing Agreement (Robeco WPG Small/Micro Cap Value Fund f/k/a Robeco WPG Tudor Fund – Institutional Class) is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 100 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on November 25, 2005.
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(3) | Services Plan for Class I Shares and Form of Servicing Agreement (Summit Global Investments Global Low Volatility Fund, formerly known as Scotia Dynamic U.S. Growth Fund) are incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 161 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on December 27, 2013.
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(4) | Services Plan for Class II Shares and Form of Servicing Agreement (Summit Global Investments Global Low Volatility Fund, formerly known as Scotia Dynamic U.S. Growth Fund) are incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 161 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on December 27, 2013. |
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(5) | Fund Accounting Servicing Agreement between Registrant and U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC dated June 30, 2016 is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 207 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on December 28, 2016.
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(6) | First Amendment to the Fund Accounting Servicing Agreement between Registrant and U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 207 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on December 28, 2016.
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(7) | Form of Second Amendment to the Fund Accounting Servicing Agreement between Registrant and U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 219 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on May 1, 2017.
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(8) | Form of Third Amendment to the Fund Accounting Servicing Agreement between Registrant and U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 224 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on July 28, 2017.
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(9) | Form of Fourth Amendment to the Fund Accounting Servicing Agreement between Registrant and U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 226 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on August 23, 2017.
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(10) | Form of Fifth Amendment to the Fund Accounting Servicing Agreement between Registrant and U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC dated December 1, 2017 is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 232 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on December 28, 2017.
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(11) | Form of Fund Accounting Servicing Agreement (Motley Fool 100 Index ETF) between Registrant and U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC is filed herewith.
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(12) | Fund Administration Servicing Agreement between Registrant and U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC dated June 30, 2016 is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 207 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on December 28, 2016.
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(13) | First Amendment to the Fund Administration Servicing Agreement between Registrant and U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 207 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on December 28, 2016.
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(14) | Form of Second Amendment to the Fund Administration Servicing Agreement between Registrant and U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 219 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on May 1, 2017.
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(15) | Form of Third Amendment to the Fund Administration Servicing Agreement between Registrant and U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 224 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on July 28, 2017.
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(16) | Form of Fourth Amendment to the Fund Administration Servicing Agreement between Registrant and U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 226 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on August 23, 2017. |
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(17) | Form of Fifth Amendment to the Fund Administration Servicing Agreement between Registrant and U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC dated December 1, 2017 is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 232 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on December 28, 2017.
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(18) | Form of Fund Administration Servicing Agreement (Motley Fool 100 Index ETF) between Registrant and U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC is filed herewith.
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(19) | Transfer Agent Servicing Agreement between Registrant and U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC dated June 30, 2016 is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 207 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on December 28, 2016.
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(20) | First Amendment to the Transfer Agent Servicing Agreement between Registrant and U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 207 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on December 28, 2016.
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(21) | Form of Second Amendment to the Transfer Agent Servicing Agreement between Registrant and U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 219 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on May 1, 2017.
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(22) | Form of Third Amendment to the Transfer Agent Servicing Agreement between Registrant and U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 224 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on July 28, 2017.
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(23) | Form of Fourth Amendment to the Transfer Agent Servicing Agreement between Registrant and U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 226 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on August 23, 2017.
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(24) | Form of Fifth Amendment to the Transfer Agent Servicing Agreement between Registrant and U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC dated December 1, 2017 is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 232 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on December 28, 2017.
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(25) | Form of Transfer Agent Servicing Agreement (Motley Fool 100 Index ETF) between Registrant and U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC is filed herewith.
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(i) | (1) | Opinion of Counsel is filed herewith.
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(2) | Consent of Counsel is filed herewith.
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(j) | None.
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(k) | None.
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(l) | Initial Capital Agreements.
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(1) | Subscription Agreement, relating to Classes A through N, is incorporated herein by reference to Pre-Effective Amendment No. 2 to Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on July 12, 1988, and refiled electronically with Post-Effective Amendment No. 61 to Registrant’s Registration Statement filed on October 30, 1998. |
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(2) | Subscription Agreement between Registrant and Planco Financial Services, Inc., relating to Classes O and P is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 5 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on December 14, 1990.
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(3) | Subscription Agreement between Registrant and Planco Financial Services, Inc., relating to Class Q is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 5 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on December 14, 1990.
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(4) | Subscription Agreement between Registrant and Counselors Securities Inc. relating to Classes R, S, and Alpha 1 through Theta 4 is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 7 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on July 15, 1992, and refiled electronically with Post-Effective Amendment No. 61 to Registrant’s Registration Statement filed on October 30, 1998.
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(5) | Purchase Agreement between Registrant and Boston Partners Asset Management, L.P. relating to Classes TT and UU (Boston Partners Mid Cap Value Fund) is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 46 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on September 25, 1997.
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(6) | Purchase Agreement between Registrant and Schneider Capital Management Company relating to Class YY (Schneider Small Cap Value Fund) is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 60 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on October 29, 1998.
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(7) | Purchase Agreement between Registrant and Boston Partners Asset Management, L.P. relating to Classes DDD and EEE (Boston Partners Small Cap Value Fund II (formerly Micro Cap Value)) is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 60 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on October 29, 1998.
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(8) | Purchase Agreement between Registrant and Boston Partners Asset Management relating to Classes III and JJJ (Boston Partners Long/Short Equity Fund (formerly Market Neutral)) is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 63 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on December 14, 1998.
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(9) | Form of Purchase Agreement between Registrant and Boston Partners Asset Management, L. P. relating to Classes KKK and LLL (Boston Partners Fund (formerly Long-Short Equity)) is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 65 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on May 19, 1999.
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(10) | Purchase Agreement (Bogle Investment Management Small Cap Growth Fund) between Registrant and Bogle Investment Management, L.P. is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 67 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on September 30, 1999.
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(11) | Purchase Agreement (Boston Partners All-Cap Value Fund) between Registrant and Boston Partners Asset Management, L.P. is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 80 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on November 1, 2002.
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(12) | Purchase Agreement (Schneider Value Fund) between Registrant and Schneider Capital Management Company is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 80 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on November 1, 2002. |
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(13) | Purchase Agreement (Robeco WPG Small/Micro Cap Value Fund f/k/a Robeco WPG Tudor Fund) between Registrant and Weiss, Peck & Greer Investments is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 96 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on June 6, 2005.
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(14) | Form of Purchase Agreement (Free Market U.S. Equity Fund) between Registrant and Matson Money, Inc. (f/k/a Abundance Technologies, Inc.), is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 112 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on June 1, 2007.
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(15) | Form of Purchase Agreement (Free Market International Equity Fund) between Registrant and Matson Money, Inc. (f/k/a Abundance Technologies, Inc.), is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 112 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on June 1, 2007.
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(16) | Form of Purchase Agreement (Free Market Fixed Income Fund) between Registrant and Matson Money, Inc. (f/k/a Abundance Technologies, Inc.), is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 112 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on June 1, 2007.
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(17) | Form of Purchase Agreement (Perimeter Small Cap Growth Fund) between Registrant and Perimeter Capital Management is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 134 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on December 30, 2009.
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(18) | Purchase Agreement (S1 Fund) between Registrant and Simple Alternatives, LLC is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 138 to the Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on October 29, 2010.
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(19) | Purchase Agreement (Robeco Boston Partners Long/Short Research Fund) between Registrant and Robeco Investment Management Inc. is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 136 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on August 4, 2010.
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(20) | Form of Purchase Agreement (Robeco Boston Partners Global Equity Fund) between Registrant and Robeco Investment Management Inc. is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 142 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on October 14, 2011.
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(21) | Form of Purchase Agreement (Robeco Boston Partners International Equity Fund) between Registrant and Robeco Investment Management Inc. is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 142 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on October 14, 2011.
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(22) | Purchase Agreement (Summit Global Investments U.S. Low Volatility Equity Fund) between Registrant and Summit Global Investments, LLC is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 157 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on October 29, 2013.
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(23) | Form of Purchase Agreement (Robeco Boston Partners Global Long/Short Fund-Investor Class) between Registrant and Robeco Investment Management Inc. is incorporated hereby by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 160 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on December 23, 2013. |
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(24) | Form of Purchase Agreement (Robeco Boston Partners Global Long/Short Fund-Institutional Class) between Registrant and Robeco Investment Management Inc. is incorporated hereby by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 160 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on December 23, 2013.
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(25)
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Form of Purchase Agreement (Robeco Boston Partners Global Long/Short Fund-Investor Class) between Registrant and Robeco Investment Management Inc. is incorporated hereby by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 160 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on December 23, 2013.
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(26) | Form of Purchase Agreement (Summit Global Investments Global Low Volatility Fund, formerly known as Scotia Dynamic U.S. Growth Fund) between Registrant and Scotia Institutional Asset Management US, Ltd. is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 168 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on June 30, 2014.
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(27) | Form of Purchase Agreement (Abbey Capital Futures Strategy Fund) between Registrant and Abbey Capital Limited is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 168 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on June 30, 2014.
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(28) | Form of Purchase Agreement (Adara Smaller Companies Fund (f/k/a Altair Smaller Companies Fund)) between Registrant and Altair Advisers LLC is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 172 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on October 17, 2014.
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(29) | Form of Purchase Agreement (Campbell Core Trend Fund) between Registrant and Campbell & Company, Inc. is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 175 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on December 23, 2014.
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(30) | Purchase Agreement (Boston Partners Emerging Markets Long/Short Fund) between Registrant and Robeco Investment Management, Inc. is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 187 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on December 29, 2015.
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(31) | Purchase Agreement (Campbell Core Carry Fund) between Registrant and Campbell & Company, Inc. is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 187 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on December 29, 2015.
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(32) | Form of Purchase Agreement (Boston Partners Alpha Blue Dynamic Equity Fund) between Registrant and Robeco Investment Management, Inc. is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 182 to the Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on October 16, 2015.
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(33) | Form of Purchase Agreement (Summit Global Investments Small Cap Low Volatility Fund) between Registrant and Summit Global Investments, LLC is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 195 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on March 30, 2016. |
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(34) | Form of Purchase Agreement Form of Purchase Agreement (Motley Fool Global Opportunities Fund (f/k/a Motley Fool Independence Fund), Motley Fool Small-Mid Cap Growth Fund (f/k/a Motley Fool Great America Fund), and Motley Fool Emerging Markets Fund (f/k/a Motley Fool Epic Voyage Fund))between Registrant and Motley Fool Asset Management, LLC is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 206 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on December 21, 2016.
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(35) | Form of Purchase Agreement (Orinda Income Opportunities Fund) between Registrant and Orinda Asset Management LLC is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 219 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on May 1, 2017.
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(36) | Form of Purchase Agreement (Campbell Managed Futures 10V Fund) between Registrant and Campbell & Company Investment Adviser LLC is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 220 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on May 9, 2017.
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(37) | Form of Purchase Agreement (Boston Partners Emerging Markets Fund) between Registrant and Boston Partners Global Investors, Inc. is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 226 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on August 23, 2017.
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(38) | Purchase Agreement (Aquarius International Fund) between Registrant and Altair Advisers LLC will be filed by amendment.
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(39) | Purchase Agreement (Abbey Capital Multi Asset Fund) between Registrant and Abbey Capital Limited will be filed by Amendment.
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(40) | Form of Purchase Agreement (Motley Fool 100 Index Fund) between Registrant and Motley Fool Asset Management, LLC is filed herewith.
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(m) | Rule 12b-1 Plan.
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(1) | Plan of Distribution (Boston Partners Mid Cap Value Fund - Investor Class) is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 45 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on May 9, 1997.
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(2) | Plan of Distribution (Boston Partners Small Cap Value Fund II (formerly Micro Cap Value) - Investor Class) is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 53 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on April 10, 1998.
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(3) | Amendment to Plans of Distribution pursuant to Rule 12b-1 is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 63 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on December 14, 1998.
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(4) | Plan of Distribution (Boston Partners Long/Short Equity Fund (formerly Market Neutral) - Investor Class) is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 62 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on November 12, 1998.
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(5) | Plan of Distribution (Boston Partners Fund (formerly Long Short Equity) - Investor Class) is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 65 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on May 19, 1999. |
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(6) | Plan of Distribution pursuant to Rule 12b-1 (Boston Partners All-Cap Value Fund) is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 80 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on November 1, 2002.
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(7) | Plan of Distribution pursuant to Rule 12b-1(Robeco Boston Partners Long/Short Research Fund — Investor Class) is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 141 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on December 28, 2010.
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(8) | Plan of Distribution pursuant to Rule 12b-1(Robeco Boston Partners Global Equity Fund — Investor Class) is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 142 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on October 14, 2011.
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(9) | Plan of Distribution pursuant to Rule 12b-1 (Robeco Boston Partners International Equity Fund — Investor Class) is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 142 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on October 14, 2011.
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(10) | Plan of Distribution pursuant to Rule 12b-1 (Summit Global Investments U.S. Low Volatility Equity Fund — Retail Class) is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 144 to Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on December 15, 2011.
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(11) | Plan of Distribution pursuant to Rule 12b-1 (Summit Global Investments U.S. Low Volatility Equity Fund – Class A) is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 144 to Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on December 15, 2011.
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(12) | Plan of Distribution pursuant to Rule 12b-1 (Robeco Boston Partners Global Long/Short Fund — Investor Class) is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 154 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on July 11, 2013.
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(13) | Plan of Distribution pursuant to Rule 12b-1 (Abbey Capital Futures Strategy Fund — Class A) is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 168 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on June 30, 2014.
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(14) | Plan of Distribution pursuant to Rule 12b-1 (Abbey Capital Futures Strategy Fund — Class C) is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 168 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on June 30, 2014.
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(15) | Plan of Distribution pursuant to Rule 12b-1 (Summit Global Investments U.S. Low Volatility Equity Fund —Class C) is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 184 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on October 30, 2015.
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(16) | Plan of Distribution pursuant to Rule 12b-1 (Summit Global Investments Small Cap Low Volatility Fund – Retail Class) is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 195 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on March 30, 2016.
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(17) | Plan of Distribution pursuant to Rule 12b-1 (Summit Global Investments Small Cap Low Volatility Fund – Class C) is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 195 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on March 30, 2016.
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(18) | Plan of Distribution pursuant to Rule 12b-1 (Abbey Capital Futures Strategy Fund — Class T) is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 216 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on April 10, 2017. |
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(19) | Plan of Distribution pursuant to Rule 12b-1 (Orinda Income Opportunities Fund — Class A) is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 219 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on May 1, 2017.
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(20) | Plan of Distribution pursuant to Rule 12b-1 (Orinda Income Opportunities Fund — Class D) is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 219 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on May 1, 2017.
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(21) | Plan of Distribution pursuant to Rule 12b-1 (Campbell Managed Futures 10V Fund — Class N) is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 224 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on July 28, 2017.
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(22) | Plan of Distribution pursuant to Rule 12b-1 (Campbell Managed Futures 10V Fund — Class T) is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 224 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on July 28, 2017.
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(23) | Form of Plan of Distribution pursuant to Rule 12b-1 (Summit Global Investments Global Low Volatility Fund – Class A Shares (formerly Class II Shares)) is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 232 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on December 28, 2017.
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(24) | Form of Plan of Distribution pursuant to Rule 12b-1 (Summit Global Investments Global Low Volatility Fund – Class C Shares (formerly Institutional Shares)) is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 232 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on December 28, 2017.
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(25) | Plan of Distribution pursuant to Rule 12b-1 (Abbey Capital Multi Asset Fund – Class A Shares) will be filed by amendment.
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(26) | Plan of Distribution pursuant to Rule 12b-1 (Abbey Capital Multi Asset Fund – Class C Shares) will be filed by amendment.
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(n) | Rule 18f-3 Plan.
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(1) | Amended Rule 18f-3 Plan will be filed by amendment.
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(p) | Code of Ethics.
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(1) | Code of Ethics of the Registrant is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 232 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on December 28, 2017.
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(2) | Code of Ethics of Robeco Investment Management is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 145 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on December 30, 2011.
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(3) | Code of Ethics of Schneider Capital Management Company is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 129 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on July 2, 2009.
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(4) | Code of Ethics of Bogle Investment Management, L.P. is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 129 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on July 2, 2009. |
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(5) | Code of Ethics of Matson Money, Inc. is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 145 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on December 30, 2011.
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(6) | Code of Ethics of Foreside Funds Distributors LLC is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 182 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on October 16, 2015.
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(7) | Code of Ethics of Summit Global Investments, LLC is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 145 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on December 30, 2011.
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(8) | Code of Ethics of Abbey Capital Limited is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 168 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on June 30, 2014.
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(9) | Code of Ethics of Altair Advisers LLC is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 172 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on October 17, 2014.
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(10) | Code of Ethics of Aperio Group is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 172 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on October 17, 2014.
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(11) | Code of Ethics of Driehaus Capital Management LLC is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 172 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on October 17, 2014.
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(12) | Code of Ethics of Granite Investment Partners, LLC is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 172 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on October 17, 2014.
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(13) | Code of Ethics of Pacific Ridge Capital Partners, LLC is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 172 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on October 17, 2014.
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(14) | Code of Ethics of Pier Capital LLC is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 172 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on October 17, 2014.
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(15) | Code of Ethics of River Road Asset Management, LLC is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 172 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on October 17, 2014.
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(16) | Code of Ethics of Campbell & Company Investment Adviser LLC is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 175 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on December 23, 2014.
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(17) | Code of Ethics of Motley Fool Asset Management, LLC is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 206 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on December 21, 2016. |
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(18) | Code of Ethics of Quasar Distributors, LLC is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 210 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on January 31, 2017.
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(19) | Code of Ethics of Orinda Asset Management LLC is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 232 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement (No. 33-20827) filed on December 28, 2017.
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(20) | Code of Ethics of Mawer Investment Management Ltd. will be filed by amendment.
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(21) | Code of Ethics of Setanta Asset Management Limited will be filed by amendment. |
Item 29. PERSONS CONTROLLED BY OR UNDER COMMON CONTROL WITH REGISTRANT
None.
Item 30. INDEMNIFICATION
Sections 1, 2, 3 and 4 of Article VIII of Registrant’s Articles of Incorporation, as amended, incorporated herein by reference as Exhibits (a)(1) and (a)(3), provide as follows:
Section 1. To the fullest extent that limitations on the liability of directors and officers are permitted by the Maryland General Corporation Law, no director or officer of the Corporation shall have any liability to the Corporation or its shareholders for damages. This limitation on liability applies to events occurring at the time a person serves as a director or officer of the Corporation whether or not such person is a director or officer at the time of any proceeding in which liability is asserted.
Section 2. The Corporation shall indemnify and advance expenses to its currently acting and its former directors to the fullest extent that indemnification of directors is permitted by the Maryland General Corporation Law. The Corporation shall indemnify and advance expenses to its officers to the same extent as its directors and to such further extent as is consistent with law. The Board of Directors may by law, resolution or agreement make further provision for indemnification of directors, officers, employees and agents to the fullest extent permitted by the Maryland General Corporation law.
Section 3. No provision of this Article shall be effective to protect or purport to protect any director or officer of the Corporation against any liability to the Corporation or its security holders to which he 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 office.
Section 4. References to the Maryland General Corporation Law in this Article are to the law as from time to time amended. No further amendment to the Articles of Incorporation of the Corporation shall decrease, but may expand, any right of any person under this Article based on any event, omission or proceeding prior to such amendment. Insofar as indemnification for liability arising under the Securities Act of 1933 may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of Registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, Registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by Registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of Registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, Registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.
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Section 12 of the Investment Advisory Agreement between Registrant and Boston Partners Global Investors, Inc. (“Boston Partners”) (f/k/a Robeco Investment Management, Inc.), incorporated herein by reference to exhibit (d)(9), provides for the indemnification of Boston Partners against certain losses.
Section 12 of the Investment Advisory Agreement between Registrant and Bogle Investment Management, L.P. (“Bogle”), dated September 15, 1999 and incorporated herein by reference to exhibit (d)(2) provides for the indemnification of Bogle against certain losses.
Section 12 of the Investment Advisory Agreement between the Registrant and Schneider Capital Management (“Schneider”) incorporated herein by reference as exhibit (d)(1) provides for the indemnification of Schneider against certain losses.
Section 12 of each of the Investment Advisory Agreements between the Registrant and Matson Money, Inc. (f/k/a Abundance Technologies, Inc.), (“Matson Money”) incorporated herein by reference as exhibits (d)(3) and (d)(42) provides for the indemnification of Matson Money against certain losses.
Section 12 of each of the Investment Advisory Agreements between the Registrant and Summit Global Investments, LLC (“SGI”) incorporated herein by reference as exhibits (d)(7), (d)(11) and (d)(37) provides for the indemnification of SGI against certain losses.
Section 12 of each of the Investment Advisory Agreements with Abbey Capital Limited (“Abbey Capital”) incorporated herein by reference as exhibits (d)(13), (d)(14), (d)(65) and (d)(66) provides for the indemnification of Abbey Capital against certain losses.
Section 12 of each of the Investment Advisory Agreements between the Registrant and Altair Advisers LLC (“Altair”) incorporated herein by reference as exhibit (d)(24) provides for indemnification of Altair against certain losses.
Section 12 of each of the Investment Advisory Agreements between the Registrant and Campbell & Company Investment Adviser LLC (“CCIA”) incorporated herein by reference as exhibits (d)(25), (d)(26), (d)(35), (d)(36), (d)(49) and (d)(50) provide for indemnification of CCIA against certain losses.
Section 12 of each of the Investment Advisory Agreements between the Registrant and Motley Fool Asset Management, LLC (“Motley Fool”) incorporated herein by reference to exhibit (d)(54) and (d)(59) provides for indemnification of Motley Fool against certain losses.
Section 12 of the Investment Advisory Agreement between the Registrant and Orinda Asset Management LLC (“Orinda”) incorporated herein by reference to exhibit (d)(47) provides for indemnification of Orinda against certain losses.
Section 8 of each of the Distribution Agreements between Registrant and Quasar Distributors, LLC incorporated herein by reference to exhibits (e)(1) – (e)(10) provide for the indemnification of Quasar Distributors, LLC against certain losses.
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Item 31. | BUSINESS AND OTHER CONNECTIONS OF THE INVESTMENT ADVISERS. |
1. | Bogle Investment Management, LP:
The sole business activity of Bogle Investment Management, LP (“Bogle”), 2310 Washington Street, Suite 310, Newton Lower Falls, MA 02462, is to serve as an investment adviser. Bogle is registered under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940.
The directors and officers have not held any positions with other companies during the last two fiscal years.
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2. | Schneider Capital Management Company:
The sole business activity of Schneider Capital Management Company (“Schneider”), 460 E. Swedesford Road, Suite 2000, Wayne, PA 19087, is to serve as an investment adviser. Schneider is registered under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940.
Information as to the directors and officers of Schneider is as follows: |
Name and Position with Schneider | Other Company | Position With Other Company | |
Arnold C. Schneider, III President and Chief Investment Officer |
Turnbridge Management Partners Corp. | President | |
Steven J. Fellin Sr. Vice President, Chief Operating & Financial Officer Chief Compliance Officer |
Turnbridge Management Partners Corp. | Vice President |
3. | Boston Partners Global Investors, Inc.
The sole business activity of Boston Partners Global Investors, Inc. (“Boston Partners”), 909 Third Avenue, New York 10022, is to serve as an investment adviser. Boston Partners provides investment advisory services to the Boston Partners Funds and the WPG Partners Funds.
Boston Partners is registered under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 and serves as an investment adviser to domestic and foreign institutional investors, investment companies, commingled trust funds, private investment partnerships and collective investment vehicles. Information as to the directors and officers of Boston Partners is as follows: |
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Name and Position with Boston Partners | Other Company | Position With Other Company | |
Mark E. Donovan Co-Chief Executive Officer |
Robeco Institutional Asset Management US Inc. |
Director | |
Joseph F. Feeney, Jr. Co-Chief Executive Officer |
Robeco US Holding, Inc. | Director | |
William George Butterly, III General Counsel, Chief Compliance Officer & Secretary |
Robeco Institutional Asset Management US Inc. |
Chief Legal Officer, Chief Compliance Officer & Secretary | |
Robeco Securities, L.L.C. | Chief Legal Officer | ||
Robeco Trust Company | Chief Operating Officer, Secretary & Director | ||
RobecoSAM USA, Inc. | Chief Legal Officer, Chief Compliance Officer & Secretary | ||
Robeco Boston Partners (UK) Limited | Director, Chief Operating Officer & Secretary | ||
Matthew J. Davis Treasurer & Chief Financial Officer |
Robeco Institutional Asset Management US Inc. |
President, Treasurer & Director | |
Robeco Securities, L.L.C. | Chief Financial Officer | ||
Robeco Trust Company | Director, President, Chief Financial Officer, Treasurer & Director | ||
Robeco Boston Partners (UK) Limited | Chief Financial Officer |
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David Steyn Director |
Robeco Groep N.V. | Chief Executive Officer | |
Leni M. Boeren Director |
Robeco Groep N.V. | Chief Operating Officer | |
Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. | Director | ||
RobecoSAM AG | Director | ||
RobecoSAM USA, Inc. | Director | ||
Martin Mlynár Director |
Corestone Investment Managers AG | Chief Executive Officer | |
Source Capital AG | Board Member | ||
Source Capital Holding AG | Board Member |
|
4. |
Matson Money, Inc.:
The sole business activity of Matson Money, Inc. (“Matson Money”), 5955 Deerfield Blvd., Mason, Ohio 45040, is to serve as an investment adviser. Matson Money is registered under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940.
Below is a list of each executive officer and director of Matson Money indicating each business, profession, vocation or employment of a substantial nature in which each such person has been engaged within the last two years, for his or her own account or in the capacity of director, officer, partner or trustee. |
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Name and Position with Matson Money, Inc. |
Name of Other Company | Position With Other Company | |
Mark E. Matson CEO |
Keep It Tight Fitness, LLC |
50% owner | |
Mark E. Matson CEO |
The Matson Family Foundation |
100% owner | |
Michelle Matson Vice President/ Secretary |
None | None | |
Daniel J. List Chief Compliance Officer |
None | None | |
Steven B. Miller President |
None | None |
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5. |
Summit Global Investments, LLC:
The sole business activity of Summit Global Investments, LLC (“SGI”), 620 South Main Street, Bountiful, Utah 84010, is to serve as an investment adviser. SGI is registered under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940.
The only employment of a substantial nature of each of SGI’s directors and officers is with SGI.
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6. |
Abbey Capital Limited:
The only employment of a substantial nature of each of Abbey Capital Limited directors and officers is with Abbey Capital Limited.
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7. |
Altair Advisers LLC:
The only employment of a substantial nature of each of Altair Advisers LLC directors and officers is with Altair Advisers LLC.
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8. |
Campbell & Company Investment Adviser LLC:
The principal business activity of Campbell & Company Investment Adviser LLC (“CCIA”), 2850 Quarry Lake Drive, Baltimore, Maryland 21209, is to serve as an investment adviser. CCIA is registered under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940.
Below is a list of each executive officer and director of CCIA indicating each business, profession, vocation or employment of a substantial nature in which each such person has been engaged within the last two years, for his or her own account or in the capacity of director, officer, partner or trustee. |
Name and Position with CCIA | Name of Other Company | Position With Other Company | |
G. Williams Andrews Chief Executive Officer |
Campbell & Company, LP |
Chief Executive Officer | |
Campbell & Company, LLC | Director & Chief Executive Officer | ||
EC LLC | Managing Member | ||
The Campbell Multi-Strategy Trust | Trustee & Chief Executive Officer | ||
Campbell Financial Services, LLC |
Director | ||
Campbell & Company International Bahamas Limited | Director & President | ||
Campbell Core Offshore Limited | Director | ||
Campbell Core Carry Offshore Limited | Director |
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Gregory T. Donovan Chief Financial Officer, Treasurer & Assistant Secretary |
Campbell & Company, LP
|
Chief Financial Officer, Treasurer & Assistant Secretary
| |
Campbell & Company, LLC | Chief Financial Officer | ||
The Campbell Multi-Strategy Trust
|
Chief Financial Officer, Treasurer & Assistant Secretary | ||
Campbell Financial Services, LLC |
Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer | ||
Campbell & Company International Bahamas Limited |
Director & Treasurer | ||
Michael S. Harris President |
Campbell & Company, LLC
|
President | |
Campbell & Company, LLC | Director & President | ||
EC LLC | Managing Member | ||
The Campbell Multi-Strategy Trust |
President | ||
Campbell Financial Services, LLC |
Director | ||
Managed Futures Association |
Director & Vice-Chairman | ||
Campbell & Company International Bahamas Limited | Director | ||
Campbell Core Offshore Limited | Director | ||
Campbell Core Carry Offshore Limited | Director | ||
Dr. Kevin Cole Director of Research |
Campbell & Company, LP
|
Director of Research
|
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Heidi L. Kaiser Deputy General Counsel & Chief Compliance Officer, Anti-Money Laundering Officer |
The Campbell Multi-Strategy Trust | Deputy General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer | |
Campbell Financial Services, LLC
|
Deputy General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer | ||
Campbell & Company, LP | Deputy General Counsel & Director of Compliance, Anti-Money Laundering Officer | ||
Thomas P. Lloyd General Counsel, & Secretary |
Campbell & Company, LP | General Counsel & Secretary | |
Campbell & Company, LLC | Secretary | ||
EC LLC | Managing Member | ||
The Campbell Multi-Strategy Trust |
General Counsel, Secretary & Assistant Treasurer | ||
Campbell & Company International Bahamas Limited |
Secretary | ||
Campbell Core Offshore Limited | Director | ||
Campbell Core Carry Offshore Limited | Director | ||
Campbell Financial Services, LLC
|
General Counsel & Director; previously, Chief Compliance Officer & Secretary until September 2014 | ||
Robert W. McBride Chief Technology Officer |
Campbell & Company, LLC | Chief Technology Officer |
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John R. Radle Global Head of Trading |
Campbell & Company, LP | Global Head of Trading | |
Richard Johnson Managing Director |
Campbell & Company, LP | Managing Director, Global Head of Client Solutions Group of Campbell & Company | |
Darvin N. Sterner Director of Private Wealth Distribution |
Campbell & Company, LP | Director of Private Wealth Distribution | |
Campbell Financial Services, LLC | Vice President |
9. | Motley Fool Asset Management, LLC: | |
A description of any other business, profession, vocation, or employment of a substantial nature in which Motley Fool Asset Management, LLC and each director, officer, or partner of Motley Fool Asset Management, LLC is or has been engaged within the last two fiscal years for his or her own account or in the capacity of director, employee, partner or trustee, is set forth in the Form ADV of Motley Fool Asset Management, LLC, as filed with the SEC on December 15, 2017, and is incorporated herein by this reference. |
10. | Orinda Asset Management, LLC: | |
A description of any other business, profession, vocation, or employment of a substantial nature in which Orinda Asset Management, LLC and each director, officer, or partner of Orinda Asset Management, LLC is or has been engaged within the last two fiscal years for his or her own account or in the capacity of director, employee, partner or trustee, is set forth in the Form ADV of Orinda Asset Management LLC, as filed with the SEC on March 27, 2017, and is incorporated herein by this reference. |
Item 32. | Principal Underwriter |
(a) | Quasar Distributors, LLC, the Registrant’s principal underwriter, acts as principal underwriter for the following investment companies registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended: |
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Academy Funds Trust | LoCorr Investment Trust | |
Advisors Series Trust | Lord Asset Management Trust | |
Aegis Funds | MainGate Trust | |
Allied Asset Advisors Funds | Managed Portfolio Series | |
Alpha Architect ETF Trust | Manager Directed Portfolios | |
Alpine Equity Trust | Matrix Advisors Fund Trust | |
Alpine Income Trust | Matrix Advisors Value Fund, Inc. | |
Alpine Series Trust | Merger Fund | |
Amplify ETF Trust | Monetta Trust | |
Angel Oak Funds Trust | Nicholas Equity Income Fund, Inc. | |
Barrett Opportunity Fund, Inc. | Nicholas Family of Funds, Inc. | |
Bridge Builder Trust | Oaktree Funds | |
Bridges Investment Fund, Inc. | Permanent Portfolio Family of Funds | |
Brookfield Investment Funds | Perritt Funds, Inc. | |
Brown Advisory Funds | PRIMECAP Odyssey Funds | |
Buffalo Funds | Professionally Managed Portfolios | |
CG Funds Trust | Prospector Funds, Inc. | |
DoubleLine Funds Trust | Provident Mutual Funds, Inc. | |
ETF Series Solutions | Rainier Investment Management Mutual Funds | |
Evermore Funds Trust | RBB Fund, Inc. | |
First American Funds, Inc. | RBC Funds Trust | |
FundX Investment Trust | Series Portfolio Trust | |
Glenmede Fund, Inc. | Sims Total Return Fund, Inc. | |
Glenmede Portfolios | Stone Ridge Trust | |
GoodHaven Funds Trust | Stone Ridge Trust II | |
Greenspring Fund, Inc. | Stone Ridge Trust III | |
Guinness Atkinson Funds | Stone Ridge Trust V | |
Harding Loevner Funds, Inc. | Thompson IM Funds, Inc. |
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Hennessy Funds Trust | TrimTabs ETF Trust | |
Horizon Funds | Trust for Professional Managers | |
Hotchkis & Wiley Funds | Trust for Advised Portfolios | |
Intrepid Capital Management Funds Trust | USA Mutuals | |
IronBridge Funds, Inc. | Wall Street EWM Funds Trust | |
Jacob Funds, Inc. | Westchester Capital Funds | |
Jensen Portfolio, Inc. | Wisconsin Capital Funds, Inc. | |
Kirr Marbach Partners Funds, Inc. | YCG Funds | |
LKCM Funds |
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(b) | To the best of Registrant’s knowledge, the directors and executive officers of Quasar Distributors, LLC are as follows: |
Name and Principal Business Address |
Position
and Offices with Quasar Distributors, LLC |
Positions and Offices with Registrant | |
James R. Schoenike(1) | President, Board Member | None | |
Andrew M. Strnad(2) | Vice President, Secretary | None | |
Joe Neuberger(1) | Board Member | None | |
Michael Peck(1) | Board Member | None | |
Susan LaFond(1) | Vice President, Treasurer | None | |
Peter A. Hovel(1) | Chief Financial Officer | None | |
Teresa Cowan(1) | Senior Vice President, Assistant Secretary | None | |
Brett Scribner(3) | Assistant Treasurer | None | |
Thomas A. Wolden(3) | Assistant Treasurer | None |
(1) | This individual is located at 777 East Wisconsin Avenue, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53202. |
(2) | This individual is located at 10 West Market Street, Indianapolis, Indiana 46204. |
(3) | This individual is located at 800 Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55402. |
(c) | Not Applicable |
Item 33. LOCATION OF ACCOUNTS AND RECORDS
(1) | Boston Partners Global Investors, Inc., 909 Third Avenue, 32nd floor, New York, New York 10022 (records relating to its function as investment adviser). |
(2) | Schneider Capital Management Co., 460 East Swedesford Road, Suite 1080, Wayne, Pennsylvania 19087 (records relating to its function as investment adviser). |
(3) | Bogle Investment Management, L.P., 2310 Washington Street, Suite 310, Newton Lower Falls, Massachusetts 02462 (records relating to its function as investment adviser). |
(4) | Matson Money, Inc. (formerly Abundance Technologies, Inc.), 5955 Deerfield Blvd., Mason, OH 45040 (records relating to its function as investment adviser). |
(5) | Summit Global Investments, LLC, 620 South Main Street, Bountiful, Utah 84010 (records relating to its function as investment adviser). |
(6) | Abbey Capital Limited, 1-2 Cavendish Row, Dublin 1, Ireland (records relating to its function as investment adviser). |
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(7) | Altair Advisers LLC, 303 West Madison, Suite 600, Chicago, Illinois 60606 (records relating to its function as investment adviser). |
(8) | Campbell & Company Investment Adviser LLC, 2850 Quarry Lake Drive, Baltimore, Maryland 21209 (records relating to its function as investment adviser). |
(9) | Motley Fool Asset Management, LLC, 2000 Duke Street, Suite 275, Alexandria, Virginia 22314 (records relating to its function as investment adviser). |
(10) | Orinda Asset Management, LLC, 4 Orinda Way, Suite 150A, Orinda, California 94563 (records relating to its function as investment adviser). |
(11) | U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC, 615 East Michigan Street, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53202 (records relating to its function as administrator, transfer agent and dividend disbursing agent). |
(12) | U.S. Bank, N.A., 1555 North RiverCenter Drive, Suite 302, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 53212 (records relating to its function as custodian). |
(13) | Quasar Distributors, LLC, 777 East Wisconsin Avenue, Floor, 6, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53202 (records relating to its function as underwriter). |
Item 34. MANAGEMENT SERVICES
None.
Item 35. UNDERTAKINGS
(a) | Registrant hereby undertakes to hold a meeting of shareholders for the purpose of considering the removal of directors in the event the requisite number of shareholders so request. |
(b) | Registrant hereby undertakes to furnish each person to whom a prospectus is delivered a copy of Registrant’s latest annual report to shareholders upon request and without charge. |
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SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “1933 Act”), and the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, the Registrant certifies that it meets all of the requirements for effectiveness of this Post-Effective Amendment to its Registration Statement under Rule 485(b) under the 1933 Act and has duly caused this Post-Effective Amendment to its Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereto duly authorized, in the City of Chadds Ford, and Commonwealth of Pennsylvania on January 19, 2018.
THE RBB FUND, INC. | |||
By: | /s/ Salvatore Faia | ||
Salvatore Faia | |||
President |
Pursuant to the requirements of the 1933 Act, this Amendment to Registrant’s Registration Statement has been signed below by the following persons in the capacities and on the date indicated.
SIGNATURE | TITLE | DATE | ||
/s/ Salvatore Faia | President (Principal Executive Officer) and Chief Compliance Officer | January 19, 2018 | ||
Salvatore Faia | ||||
/s/ James G. Shaw | Treasurer (Chief Financial Officer) and Secretary | January 19, 2018 | ||
James G. Shaw | ||||
*J. Richard Carnall | Director | January 19, 2018 | ||
J. Richard Carnall | ||||
*Julian A. Brodsky | Director | January 19, 2018 | ||
Julian A. Brodsky | ||||
*Arnold M. Reichman | Director | January 19, 2018 | ||
Arnold M. Reichman | ||||
*Robert Sablowsky | Director | January 19, 2018 | ||
Robert Sablowsky | ||||
*Robert Straniere | Director | January 19, 2018 | ||
Robert Straniere | ||||
*Nicholas A. Giordano | Director | January 19, 2018 | ||
Nicholas A. Giordano | ||||
*Gregory P. Chandler | Director | January 19, 2018 | ||
Gregory P. Chandler | ||||
*Sam Lambroza | Director | January 19, 2018 | ||
Sam Lambroza | ||||
*By: /s/ Salvatore Faia | January 19, 2018 | |||
Salvatore Faia | ||||
Attorney-in-Fact |
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THE RBB FUND, INC.
(the “Company”)
POWER OF ATTORNEY
Know All Men by These Presents, that the undersigned, Julian A. Brodsky, hereby constitutes and appoints Salvatore Faia, Michael P. Malloy, James G. Shaw, Edward Paz, and Robert Amweg, his true and lawful attorneys, to execute in his name, place, and stead, in his capacity as Director or officer, or both, of the Company, the Registration Statement and any amendments thereto and all instruments necessary or incidental in connection therewith, and to file the same with the Securities and Exchange Commission; and said attorneys shall have full power and authority to do and perform in his name and on his behalf, in any and all capacities, every act whatsoever requisite or necessary to be done in the premises, as fully and to all intents and purposes as he might or could do in person, said acts of said attorneys being hereby ratified and approved.
DATED: | February 16, 2017 | |
/s/ Julian A. Brodsky | ||
Julian A. Brodsky |
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THE RBB FUND, INC.
(the “Company”)
POWER OF ATTORNEY
Know All Men by These Presents, that the undersigned, J. Richard Carnall, hereby constitutes and appoints Salvatore Faia, Michael P. Malloy, James G. Shaw, Edward Paz, and Robert Amweg, his true and lawful attorneys, to execute in his name, place, and stead, in his capacity as Director or officer, or both, of the Company, the Registration Statement and any amendments thereto and all instruments necessary or incidental in connection therewith, and to file the same with the Securities and Exchange Commission; and said attorneys shall have full power and authority to do and perform in his name and on his behalf, in any and all capacities, every act whatsoever requisite or necessary to be done in the premises, as fully and to all intents and purposes as he might or could do in person, said acts of said attorneys being hereby ratified and approved.
DATED: | February 16, 2017 | |
/s/ J. Richard Carnall | ||
J. Richard Carnall |
44
THE RBB FUND, INC.
(the “Company”)
POWER OF ATTORNEY
Know All Men by These Presents, that the undersigned, Nicholas A. Giordano, hereby constitutes and appoints Salvatore Faia, Michael P. Malloy, James G. Shaw, Edward Paz, and Robert Amweg, his true and lawful attorneys, to execute in his name, place, and stead, in his capacity as Director or officer, or both, of the Company, the Registration Statement and any amendments thereto and all instruments necessary or incidental in connection therewith, and to file the same with the Securities and Exchange Commission; and said attorneys shall have full power and authority to do and perform in his name and on his behalf, in any and all capacities, every act whatsoever requisite or necessary to be done in the premises, as fully and to all intents and purposes as he might or could do in person, said acts of said attorneys being hereby ratified and approved.
DATED: | February 16, 2017 | |
/s/ Nicholas A. Giordano | ||
Nicholas A. Giordano |
45
THE RBB FUND, INC.
(the “Company”)
POWER OF ATTORNEY
Know All Men by These Presents, that the undersigned, Arnold M. Reichman, hereby constitutes and appoints Salvatore Faia, Michael P. Malloy, James G. Shaw, Edward Paz, and Robert Amweg, his true and lawful attorneys, to execute in his name, place, and stead, in his capacity as Director or officer, or both, of the Company, the Registration Statement and any amendments thereto and all instruments necessary or incidental in connection therewith, and to file the same with the Securities and Exchange Commission; and said attorneys shall have full power and authority to do and perform in his name and on his behalf, in any and all capacities, every act whatsoever requisite or necessary to be done in the premises, as fully and to all intents and purposes as he might or could do in person, said acts of said attorneys being hereby ratified and approved.
DATED: | February 16, 2017 | |
/s/ Arnold M. Reichman | ||
Arnold M. Reichman |
46
THE RBB FUND, INC.
(the “Company”)
POWER OF ATTORNEY
Know All Men by These Presents, that the undersigned, Robert Sablowsky, hereby constitutes and appoints Salvatore Faia, Michael P. Malloy, James G. Shaw, Edward Paz, and Robert Amweg, his true and lawful attorneys, to execute in his name, place, and stead, in his capacity as Director or officer, or both, of the Company, the Registration Statement and any amendments thereto and all instruments necessary or incidental in connection therewith, and to file the same with the Securities and Exchange Commission; and said attorneys shall have full power and authority to do and perform in his name and on his behalf, in any and all capacities, every act whatsoever requisite or necessary to be done in the premises, as fully and to all intents and purposes as he might or could do in person, said acts of said attorneys being hereby ratified and approved.
DATED: | February 16, 2017 | |
/s/ Robert Sablowsky | ||
Robert Sablowsky |
47
THE RBB FUND, INC.
(the “Company”)
POWER OF ATTORNEY
Know All Men by These Presents, that the undersigned, Robert A. Straniere, hereby constitutes and appoints Salvatore Faia, Michael P. Malloy, James G. Shaw, Edward Paz, and Robert Amweg, his true and lawful attorneys, to execute in his name, place, and stead, in his capacity as Director or officer, or both, of the Company, the Registration Statement and any amendments thereto and all instruments necessary or incidental in connection therewith, and to file the same with the Securities and Exchange Commission; and said attorneys shall have full power and authority to do and perform in his name and on his behalf, in any and all capacities, every act whatsoever requisite or necessary to be done in the premises, as fully and to all intents and purposes as he might or could do in person, said acts of said attorneys being hereby ratified and approved.
DATED: | February 16, 2017 | |
/s/ Robert Straniere | ||
Robert Straniere |
48
THE RBB FUND, INC.
(the “Company”)
POWER OF ATTORNEY
Know All Men by These Presents, that the undersigned, Gregory P. Chandler, hereby constitutes and appoints Salvatore Faia, Michael P. Malloy, James G. Shaw, Edward Paz, and Robert Amweg, his true and lawful attorneys, to execute in his name, place, and stead, in his capacity as Director or officer, or both, of the Company, the Registration Statement and any amendments thereto and all instruments necessary or incidental in connection therewith, and to file the same with the Securities and Exchange Commission; and said attorneys shall have full power and authority to do and perform in his name and on his behalf, in any and all capacities, every act whatsoever requisite or necessary to be done in the premises, as fully and to all intents and purposes as he might or could do in person, said acts of said attorneys being hereby ratified and approved.
DATED: | February 17, 2017 | |
/s/ Gregory P. Chandler | ||
Gregory P. Chandler |
49
THE RBB FUND, INC.
(the “Company”)
POWER OF ATTORNEY
Know All Men by These Presents, that the undersigned, Sam Lambroza, hereby constitutes and appoints Salvatore Faia, Michael P. Malloy, James G. Shaw, Edward Paz, and Robert Amweg, his true and lawful attorneys, to execute in his name, place, and stead, in his capacity as Director or officer, or both, of the Company, the Registration Statement and any amendments thereto and all instruments necessary or incidental in connection therewith, and to file the same with the Securities and Exchange Commission; and said attorneys shall have full power and authority to do and perform in his name and on his behalf, in any and all capacities, every act whatsoever requisite or necessary to be done in the premises, as fully and to all intents and purposes as he might or could do in person, said acts of said attorneys being hereby ratified and approved.
DATED: | February 16, 2017 | |
/s/ Sam Lambroza | ||
Sam Lambroza |
50
PEA 235
EXHIBIT | DESCRIPTION |
(a)(92) | Articles Supplementary of Registrant (Motley Fool 100 Index ETF) |
(d)(59) | Form of Investment Advisory Agreement (Motley Fool 100 Index ETF) between Registrant and Motley Fool Asset Management, LLC |
(d)(72) | Form of Trading Advisory Agreement (Abbey Capital Futures Strategy Funds) among Abbey Capital Offshore Fund Limited, Abbey Capital Limited, and Welton Investment Partners LLC |
(e)(14) | Form of Distribution Agreement (Motley Fool 100 Index ETF) between Registrant, Quasar Distributors, LLC, and Motley Fool Asset Management, LLC |
(g)(8) | Form of Custody Agreement (Motley Fool 100 Index ETF) between Registrant and U.S. Bank National Association |
(h)(11) | Form of Fund Accounting Servicing Agreement (Motley Fool 100 Index ETF) between Registrant and U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC |
(h)(18) | Form of Fund Administration Servicing Agreement (Motley Fool 100 Index ETF) between Registrant and U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC |
(h)(25) | Form of Transfer Agent Servicing Agreement (Motley Fool 100 Index ETF) between Registrant and U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC |
(i)(1) | Opinion of Counsel |
(i)(2) | Consent of Counsel |
(l)(40) | Form of Purchase Agreement (Motley Fool 100 Index ETF) between Registrant and Motley Fool Asset Management, LLC |
51
THE RBB FUND, INC.
ARTICLES SUPPLEMENTARY
THE RBB FUND, INC., a Maryland corporation (the "Corporation"), hereby certifies to the State Department of Assessments and Taxation of Maryland that:
FIRST: In accordance with the requirements of Section 2-208 of the Maryland General Corporation Law, and under a power contained in the charter of the Corporation (the “Charter”), the Board of Directors of the Corporation (the “Board of Directors”) adopted resolutions classifying an aggregate of 100,000,000 authorized but unclassified and unissued shares of common stock, par value $.001 per share (the “Common Stock”), of the Corporation as follows:
1. | Class TTTTTT. 100,000,000 shares of authorized but unclassified and unissued shares of Common Stock (the “Undesignated Common Stock”) are hereby classified and designated as Class TTTTTT shares of Common Stock representing interests in the Motley Fool 100 Index ETF shares. |
SECOND: A description of the shares so classified with the preferences, conversion and other rights, voting powers, restrictions, limitations as to dividends and other distributions, qualifications and terms and conditions of redemption as set or changed by the Board of Directors is as set forth in Article VI, Section (6) of the Corporation’s Articles of Incorporation and as set forth elsewhere in the Charter with respect to stock of the Corporation generally, and as follows:
1. To the full extent permitted by applicable law, the Corporation may, without the vote of the shares of any class of capital stock of the Corporation then outstanding and if so determined by the Board of Directors:
(A)(1) sell and convey the assets belonging to Class TTTTTT (the “Class”) to another trust or corporation that is a management investment company (as defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended) and is organized under the laws of any state of the United States for consideration, which may include the assumption of all outstanding obligations, taxes and other liabilities, accrued or contingent, belonging to such Class and which may include securities issued by such trust or corporation. Following such sale and conveyance, and after making provision for the payment of any liabilities belonging to such Class that are not assumed by the purchaser of the assets belonging to such Class, the Corporation may, at its option, redeem all outstanding shares of such Class at the net asset value thereof as determined by the Board of Directors in accordance with the provisions of applicable law, less such redemption fee or other charge, if any, as may be fixed by resolution of the Board of Directors. Notwithstanding any other provision of the Charter to the contrary, the redemption price may be paid in any combination of cash or other assets belonging to such Class, including but not limited to the distribution of the securities or other consideration received by the Corporation for the assets belonging to such Class upon such conditions as the Board of Directors deems, in its sole discretion, to be appropriate and consistent with applicable law and the Charter;
(2) sell and convert the assets belonging to the Class into money and, after making provision for the payment of all obligations, taxes and other liabilities, accrued or contingent, belonging to such Class, the Corporation may, at its option, redeem all outstanding shares of such Class at the net asset value thereof as determined by the Board of Directors in accordance with the provisions of applicable law, less such redemption fee or other charge, if any, as may be fixed by resolution of the Board of Directors upon such conditions as the Board of Directors deems, in its sole discretion, to be appropriate and consistent with applicable law and the Charter; or
(3) combine the assets belonging to a Class with the assets belonging to any one or more other classes of capital stock of the Corporation if the Board of Directors reasonably determines that such combination will not have a material adverse effect on the stockholders of any class of capital stock of the Corporation participating in such combination. In connection with any such combination of assets, the shares of the Class then outstanding may, if so determined by the Board of Directors, be converted into shares of any other class or classes of capital stock of the Corporation with respect to which conversion is permitted by applicable law, or may be redeemed, at the option of the Corporation, at the net asset value thereof as determined by the Board of Directors in accordance with the provisions of applicable law, less such redemption fee or other charge, or conversion cost, if any, as may be fixed by resolution of the Board of Directors upon such conditions as the Board of Directors deems, in its sole discretion, to be appropriate and consistent with applicable law and the Charter. Notwithstanding any other provision of these Articles Supplementary or the Charter to the contrary, any redemption price, or part thereof, paid pursuant to this section may be paid in shares of any other existing or future class or classes of capital stock of the Corporation;
(B) provide that all shares of the Class now or hereafter authorized shall be subject to redemption and redeemable at the option of the holder thereof in accordance with and pursuant to procedures or methods prescribed or approved by the Board of Directors and, if so determined by the Board of Directors, shall be redeemable only in aggregations of such number of shares and on such days as may be determined by, or determined pursuant to procedures or methods prescribed by or approved by, the Board of Directors from time to time; and
(C) without limiting the foregoing, at its option, redeem shares of the Class for any other reason if the Board of Directors has determined that it is in the best interest of the Corporation to do so. Any such redemption shall be at the net asset value of such shares of such Class being redeemed less such redemption fee or other charge, if any, as may be fixed by resolution of the Board of Directors and shall be made and effective upon such terms and in accordance with procedures approved by the Board of Directors at such time.
-2-
2. The shares of Class TTTTTT Common Stock will be issued without stock certificates.
THIRD: The shares aforesaid have been duly classified by the Board of Directors under the authority contained in the Charter. The aggregate number of authorized shares of stock of the Corporation is not changed by these Articles Supplementary.
FOURTH: Immediately after the classification of shares of Undesignated Common Stock as shares of Class TTTTTT Common Stock:
(a) the Corporation has the authority to issue 100,000,000,000 shares of its Common Stock, par value $.001 per share, and the aggregate par value of all the shares of all classes is $100,000,000; and
(b) the number of authorized shares of each class of Common Stock is as follows:
Class A | - | 100,000,000 |
Class B | - | 100,000,000 |
Class C | - | 100,000,000 |
Class D | - | 100,000,000 |
Class E | - | 500,000,000 |
Class F | - | 500,000,000 |
Class G | - | 500,000,000 |
Class H | - | 500,000,000 |
Class I | - | 1,500,000,000 |
Class J | - | 500,000,000 |
Class K | - | 500,000,000 |
Class L | - | 1,500,000,000 |
Class M | - | 500,000,000 |
Class N | - | 500,000,000 |
Class O | - | 500,000,000 |
Class P | - | 100,000,000 |
Class Q | - | 100,000,000 |
Class R | - | 500,000,000 |
Class S | - | 500,000,000 |
Class T | - | 500,000,000 |
Class U | - | 500,000,000 |
Class V | - | 500,000,000 |
Class W | - | 100,000,000 |
Class X | - | 50,000,000 |
Class Y | - | 50,000,000 |
Class Z | - | 50,000,000 |
-3-
Class AA | - | 50,000,000 |
Class BB | - | 50,000,000 |
Class CC | - | 50,000,000 |
Class DD | - | 100,000,000 |
Class EE | - | 100,000,000 |
Class FF | - | 50,000,000 |
Class GG | - | 50,000,000 |
Class HH | - | 50,000,000 |
Class II | - | 100,000,000 |
Class JJ | - | 100,000,000 |
Class KK | - | 100,000,000 |
Class LL | - | 100,000,000 |
Class MM | - | 100,000,000 |
Class NN | - | 100,000,000 |
Class OO | - | 100,000,000 |
Class PP | - | 100,000,000 |
Class QQ | - | 100,000,000 |
Class RR | - | 100,000,000 |
Class SS | - | 100,000,000 |
Class TT | - | 100,000,000 |
Class UU | - | 100,000,000 |
Class VV | - | 100,000,000 |
Class WW | - | 100,000,000 |
Class YY | - | 100,000,000 |
Class ZZ | - | 100,000,000 |
Class AAA | - | 100,000,000 |
Class BBB | - | 100,000,000 |
Class CCC | - | 100,000,000 |
Class DDD | - | 100,000,000 |
Class EEE | - | 100,000,000 |
Class FFF | - | 100,000,000 |
Class GGG | - | 100,000,000 |
Class HHH | - | 100,000,000 |
Class III | - | 100,000,000 |
Class JJJ | - | 100,000,000 |
Class KKK | - | 100,000,000 |
Class LLL | - | 100,000,000 |
Class MMM | - | 100,000,000 |
Class NNN | - | 100,000,000 |
Class OOO | - | 100,000,000 |
Class PPP | - | 100,000,000 |
Class QQQ | - | 2,500,000,000 |
Class RRR | - | 2,500,000,000 |
Class SSS | - | 100,000,000 |
Class TTT | - | 50,000,000 |
Class UUU | - | 50,000,000 |
Class VVV | - | 50,000,000 |
-4-
Class WWW | - | 50,000,000 |
Class XXX | - | 100,000,000 |
Class YYY | - | 100,000,000 |
Class ZZZ | - | 100,000,000 |
Class AAAA | - | 50,000,000,000 |
Class BBBB | - | 300,000,000 |
Class CCCC | - | 300,000,000 |
Class DDDD | - | 300,000,000 |
Class EEEE | - | 100,000,000 |
Class FFFF | - | 100,000,000 |
Class GGGG | - | 100,000,000 |
Class HHHH | - | 100,000,000 |
Class IIII | - | 100,000,000 |
Class JJJJ | - | 100,000,000 |
Class KKKK | - | 100,000,000 |
Class LLLL | - | 100,000,000 |
Class MMMM | - | 100,000,000 |
Class NNNN | - | 100,000,000 |
Class OOOO | - | 100,000,000 |
Class PPPP | - | 100,000,000 |
Class QQQQ | - | 100,000,000 |
Class RRRR | - | 100,000,000 |
Class SSSS | - | 100,000,000 |
Class TTTT | - | 100,000,000 |
Class UUUU | - | 100,000,000 |
Class VVVV | - | 100,000,000 |
Class WWWW | - | 100,000,000 |
Class XXXX | - | 100,000,000 |
Class YYYY | - | 100,000,000 |
Class ZZZZ | - | 100,000,000 |
Class AAAAA | - | 100,000,000 |
Class BBBBB | - | 750,000,000 |
Class CCCCC | - | 100,000,000 |
Class DDDDD | - | 100,000,000 |
Class EEEEE | - | 100,000,000 |
Class FFFFF | - | 100,000,000 |
Class GGGGG | - | 100,000,000 |
Class HHHHH | - | 100,000,000 |
Class IIIII | - | 100,000,000 |
Class JJJJJ | - | 100,000,000 |
Class KKKKK | - | 100,000,000 |
Class LLLLL | - | 100,000,000 |
Class MMMMM | - | 100,000,000 |
Class NNNNN | - | 100,000,000 |
Class OOOOO | - | 100,000,000 |
Class PPPPP | - | 100,000,000 |
-5-
Class QQQQQ | - | 100,000,000 |
Class RRRRR | - | 100,000,000 |
Class SSSSS | - | 100,000,000 |
Class TTTTT | - | 100,000,000 |
Class UUUUU | - | 100,000,000 |
Class VVVVV | - | 100,000,000 |
Class WWWWW | - | 100,000,000 |
Class XXXXX | - | 100,000,000 |
Class YYYYY | - | 100,000,000 |
Class ZZZZZ | - | 100,000,000 |
Class AAAAAA | - | 100,000,000 |
Class BBBBBB | - | 100,000,000 |
Class CCCCCC | - | 100,000,000 |
Class DDDDDD | - | 100,000,000 |
Class EEEEEE | - | 100,000,000 |
Class FFFFFF | - | 100,000,000 |
Class GGGGGG | - | 100,000,000 |
Class HHHHHH | - | 100,000,000 |
Class IIIIII | - | 100,000,000 |
Class JJJJJJ | - | 100,000,000 |
Class KKKKKK | - | 100,000,000 |
Class LLLLLL | - | 100,000,000 |
Class MMMMMM | - | 100,000,000 |
Class NNNNNN | - | 100,000,000 |
Class OOOOOO | - | 100,000,000 |
Class PPPPPP | - | 100,000,000 |
Class QQQQQQ | - | 100,000,000 |
Class RRRRRR | - | 100,000,000 |
Class SSSSSS | - | 100,000,000 |
Class TTTTTT | - | 100,000,000 |
Class Select | - | 700,000,000 |
Class Beta 2 | - | 1,000,000 |
Class Beta 3 | - | 1,000,000 |
Class Beta 4 | - | 1,000,000 |
Class Principal Money- | 700,000,000 | |
Class Gamma 2 | - | 1,000,000 |
Class Gamma 3 | - | 1,000,000 |
Class Gamma 4 | - | 1,000,000 |
Class Bear Stearns | ||
Money | - | 2,500,000,000 |
Class Bear Stearns | ||
Municipal Money | - | 1,500,000,000 |
Class Bear Stearns | ||
Government Money | - | 1,000,000,000 |
-6-
Class Delta 4 | - | 1,000,000 |
Class Epsilon 1 | - | 1,000,000 |
Class Epsilon 2 | - | 1,000,000 |
Class Epsilon 3 | - | 1,000,000 |
Class Epsilon 4 | - | 1,000,000 |
Class Zeta 1 | - | 1,000,000 |
Class Zeta 2 | - | 1,000,000 |
Class Zeta 3 | - | 1,000,000 |
Class Zeta 4 | - | 1,000,000 |
Class Eta 1 | - | 1,000,000 |
Class Eta 2 | - | 1,000,000 |
Class Eta 3 | - | 1,000,000 |
Class Eta 4 | - | 1,000,000 |
Class Theta 1 | - | 1,000,000 |
Class Theta 2 | - | 1,000,000 |
Class Theta 3 | - | 1,000,000 |
Class Theta 4 | - | 1,000,000 |
for a total of 85,023,000,000 shares classified into separate classes of Common Stock.
FIFTH: The undersigned President of the Corporation acknowledges these Articles Supplementary to be the corporate act of the Corporation and, as to all matters or facts required to be verified under oath, the undersigned President acknowledges that, to the best of his knowledge, information and belief, these matters and facts are true in all material respects and that this statement is made under the penalties for perjury.
[SIGNATURE PAGE FOLLOWS]
-7-
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, The RBB Fund, Inc. has caused these presents to be signed in its name and on its behalf by its President and attested by its Secretary on the 18th day of January, 2018.
ATTEST: | THE RBB FUND, INC. | ||||
By: | /s/ James G. Shaw | By: | /s/ Salvatore Faia | ||
James G. Shaw | Salvatore Faia | ||||
Secretary | President |
-8-
Exhibit (d)(59)
INVESTMENT ADVISORY AGREEMENT
Motley Fool 100 Index ETF
AGREEMENT made as of January 19, 2018 between THE RBB FUND, INC., a Maryland corporation (herein called the "Fund"), and MOTLEY FOOL ASSET MANAGEMENT, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (herein called the "Investment Adviser").
WHEREAS, the Fund is registered as an open-end management investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the “1940 Act”), and currently offers or proposes to offer shares representing interests in separate investment portfolios; and
WHEREAS, the Fund desires to retain the Investment Adviser to render certain investment advisory services to the Fund with respect to the Fund’s Motley Fool 100 Index ETF (the "Portfolio”), and the Investment Adviser is willing to so render such services; and
WHEREAS, the Board of Directors of the Fund and the sole shareholder of the Portfolio have approved this Agreement, and the Investment Adviser is willing to furnish such services upon the terms and conditions herein set forth;
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the premises and mutual covenants herein contained, and intending to be legally bound hereby, it is agreed between the parties hereto as follows:
SECTION 1. APPOINTMENT. The Fund hereby appoints the Investment Adviser to act as investment adviser for the Portfolio for the period and on the terms set forth in this Agreement. The Investment Adviser accepts such appointment and agrees to render the services herein set forth for the compensation herein provided.
SECTION 2. DELIVERY OF DOCUMENTS. The Fund has furnished the Investment Adviser with copies properly certified or authenticated of each of the following:
(a) Resolutions of the Board of Directors of the Fund authorizing the appointment of the Investment Adviser and the execution and delivery of this Agreement; and
(b) A prospectus and statement of additional information relating to each class of shares representing interests in the Portfolio of the Fund in effect under the Securities Act of 1933 (such prospectus and statement of additional information, as presently in effect and as they shall from time to time be amended and supplemented, are herein collectively called the "Prospectus" and “Statement of Additional Information,” respectively).
The Fund will promptly furnish the Investment Adviser from time to time with copies, properly certified or authenticated, of all amendments of or supplements to the foregoing, if any.
In addition to the foregoing, the Fund will also provide the Investment Adviser with copies of the Fund’s Charter and By-laws, and any registration statement or service contracts related to the Portfolio, and will promptly furnish the Investment Adviser with any amendments of or supplements to such documents.
SECTION 3. MANAGEMENT.
(a ) Subject to the supervision of the Board of Directors of the Fund and subject to Section 3 (b) below, the Investment Adviser will provide for the overall management of the Portfolio including (i) the provision of a continuous investment program for the Portfolio, including investment research and management with respect to all securities, investments, cash and cash equivalents in the Portfolio, (ii) the determination from time to time of the securities and other investments to be purchased, retained, or sold by the Fund for the Portfolio, (iii) the placement from time to time of orders for all purchases and sales made for the Portfolio, (iv) in connection with its management of the Portfolio, monitoring and assistance with anticipated purchases and redemptions of creation units by shareholders and new investors, (v) the determination of the amount of the cash component, the identity and number of shares of the securities to be accepted pursuant to the Portfolio’s benchmark index in exchange for “Creation Units” for the Portfolio and the securities that will be applicable that day to redemption requests received for the Portfolio (and may give directions to the Fund’s custodian with respect to such designations), (vi) the coordination of the Portfolio’s compliance with rules of the applicable securities exchange, and (vii) the establishment, monitoring and keeping up-to-date the Portfolio’s website to comply with applicable law and the Exemptive Order. The Investment Adviser shall have a limited power-of-attorney to execute any trading and/or subscription documents necessary in order to carry out its duties under this Section 3. The Investment Adviser will provide the services rendered by it hereunder in accordance with the Portfolio's investment objective, restrictions and policies as stated in the applicable Prospectus and Statement of Additional Information, provided that the Investment Adviser has actual notice or knowledge of any changes by the Board of Directors to such investment objectives, restrictions or policies. The Investment Adviser further agrees that it will render to the Fund's Board of Directors such periodic and special reports regarding the performance of its duties under this Agreement as the Board may reasonably request. The Investment Adviser agrees to provide to the Fund (or its agents and service providers) prompt and accurate data with respect to the Portfolio's transactions and, where not otherwise available, the daily valuation of securities in the Portfolio.
(b) Sub-Advisers. The Investment Adviser may delegate certain of its responsibilities hereunder with respect to provision of the investment advisory services set forth in Section 3(a) above to one or more other parties (each such party, a “Sub-Adviser”), pursuant in each case to a written agreement with such Sub-Adviser that meets the requirements of Section 15 of the 1940 Act and rules thereunder applicable to contracts for service as investment adviser of a registered investment company (including without limitation the requirements for approval by the Board of Directors of the Fund and the shareholders of the Portfolio), subject, however, to such exemptions as may be granted by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission upon application or by rule. Such Sub-Adviser may (but need not) be affiliated with the Investment Adviser.
Any delegation of services pursuant to this Section 3(b) shall be subject to the following conditions:
- 2 -
1. Any fees or compensation payable to any Sub-Adviser shall be paid by the Investment Adviser and no additional obligation may be incurred on the Fund’s behalf to any Sub-Adviser; except that any Fund expenses that may be incurred by the Investment Adviser and paid by the Fund to the Investment Adviser directly may be incurred by the Sub-Adviser and paid by the Fund to the Sub-Adviser directly, so long as such payment arrangements are approved by the Fund and the Investment Adviser prior to the Sub-Adviser’s incurring such expenses.
2. If the Investment Adviser delegates its responsibilities to more than one Sub-Adviser, the Investment Adviser shall be responsible for assigning to each Sub-Adviser that portion of the assets of the Portfolio for which the Sub-Adviser is to act as Sub-Adviser, subject to the approval of the Fund’s Board of Directors.
3. To the extent that any obligations of the Investment Adviser or any Sub-Adviser require any service provider of the Fund or Portfolio to furnish information or services, such information or services shall be furnished by the Fund’s or the Portfolio’s service providers directly to both the Investment Adviser and any Sub-Adviser.
SECTION 4. BROKERAGE. Subject to the Investment Adviser's obligation to obtain best price and execution, the Investment Adviser shall have full discretion to select brokers or dealers to effect the purchase and sale of securities. When the Investment Adviser places orders for the purchase or sale of securities for the Portfolio, in selecting brokers or dealers to execute such orders, the Investment Adviser is expressly authorized to consider the fact that a broker or dealer has furnished statistical, research or other information or services for the benefit of the Portfolio directly or indirectly. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the Investment Adviser is authorized to cause the Portfolio to pay brokerage commissions which may be in excess of the lowest rates available to brokers who execute transactions for the Portfolio or who otherwise provide brokerage and research services utilized by the Investment Adviser, provided that the Investment Adviser determines in good faith that the amount of each such commission paid to a broker is reasonable in relation to the value of the brokerage and research services provided by such broker viewed in terms of either the particular transaction to which the commission relates or the Investment Adviser's overall responsibilities with respect to accounts as to which the Investment Adviser exercises investment discretion. The Investment Adviser may aggregate securities orders so long as the Investment Adviser adheres to a policy of allocating investment opportunities to the Portfolio over a period of time on a fair and equitable basis relative to other clients. In no instance will the Portfolio’s securities be purchased from or sold to the Fund's principal underwriter, the Investment Adviser, or any affiliated person thereof, except to the extent permitted by SEC exemptive order or by applicable law.
The Investment Adviser shall report to the Board of Directors of the Fund at least quarterly with respect to brokerage transactions that were entered into by the Investment Adviser, pursuant to the foregoing paragraph, and shall certify to the Board that the commissions paid were reasonable in terms either of that transaction or the overall responsibilities of the Investment Adviser to the Fund and the Investment Adviser's other clients, that the total commissions paid by the Fund were reasonable in relation to the benefits to the Fund over the long term, and that such commissions were paid in compliance with Section 28(e) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.
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SECTION 5. CONFORMITY WITH LAW; CONFIDENTIALITY. The Investment Adviser further agrees that it will comply with all applicable rules and regulations of all federal regulatory agencies and self-regulatory organizations having jurisdiction over the Portfolio and/or the Investment Adviser in the performance of its duties hereunder. The Investment Adviser will treat confidentially and as proprietary information of the Fund all records and other information relating to the Fund and prior, present, or potential shareholders (except with respect to clients of the Investment Adviser) and will not use such records and information for any purpose other than performance of its responsibilities and duties hereunder, except after prior notification to and approval in writing by the Fund, which approval shall not be unreasonably withheld and may not be withheld where the Investment Adviser may be exposed to civil or criminal contempt proceedings for failure to comply, when requested to divulge such information by duly constituted authorities, or when so requested by the Fund. Where the Investment Adviser may be exposed to civil or criminal contempt proceedings for failure to comply with a request for records or other information relating to the Fund, the Investment Adviser may comply with such request prior to obtaining the Fund’s written approval, provided that the Investment Adviser has taken reasonable steps to promptly notify the Fund, in writing, upon receipt of the request.
SECTION 6. SERVICES NOT EXCLUSIVE. The Investment Adviser and its officers may act and continue to act as investment managers for others, and nothing in this Agreement shall in any way be deemed to restrict the right of the Investment Adviser to perform investment management or other services for any other person or entity, and the performance of such services for others shall not be deemed to violate or give rise to any duty or obligation to the Portfolio or the Fund.
Nothing in this Agreement shall limit or restrict the Investment Adviser or any of its directors, officers, affiliates or employees from buying, selling or trading in any securities for its or their own account. The Fund acknowledges that the Investment Adviser and its directors, officers, affiliates, employees and other clients may, at any time, have, acquire, increase, decrease, or dispose of positions in investments which are at the same time being acquired or disposed of for the Portfolio. The Investment Adviser shall have no obligation to acquire for the Portfolio a position in any investment which the Investment Adviser, its directors, officers, affiliates or employees may acquire for its or their own accounts or for the account of another client, so long as it continues to be the policy and practice of the Investment Adviser not to favor or disfavor consistently or consciously any client or class of clients in the allocation of investment opportunities so that, to the extent practical, such opportunities will be allocated among clients over a period of time on a fair and equitable basis.
The Investment Adviser agrees that this Section 6 does not constitute a waiver by the Fund of the obligations imposed upon the Investment Adviser to comply with Sections 17(d) and 17(j) of the 1940 Act, and the rules thereunder, nor constitute a waiver by the Fund of the obligations imposed upon the Investment Adviser under Section 206 of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 and the rules thereunder. Further, the Investment Adviser agrees that this Section 6 does not constitute a waiver by the Fund of the fiduciary obligation of the Investment Adviser arising under federal or state law, including Section 36 of the 1940 Act. The Investment Adviser agrees that this Section 6 shall be interpreted consistent with the provisions of Section 17(i) of the 1940 Act.
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SECTION 7. BOOKS AND RECORDS. In compliance with the requirements of Rule 3la-3 under the 1940 Act, the Investment Adviser hereby agrees that all records which it maintains for the Portfolio are the property of the Fund and further agrees to surrender promptly to the Fund any of such records upon the Fund's request. The Investment Adviser further agrees to preserve for the periods prescribed by Rule 3la-2 under the 1940 Act the records required to be maintained by Rule 3la-1 under the 1940 Act.
SECTION 8. EXPENSES. During the term of this Agreement, the Investment Adviser will pay all expenses incurred by it in connection with its activities under this Agreement. In addition, for no additional compensation, the Investment Adviser shall pay all of the other operating expenses of the Portfolio, excluding: (i) its advisory fees payable under this Agreement; (ii) distribution fees and expenses paid by the Fund under any distribution plan adopted pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act; (iii) interest expenses; (iv) brokerage expenses, trading expenses and other expenses (such as stamp taxes) in connection with the execution of portfolio transactions or in connection with creation and redemption transactions; (v) compensation and expenses of the Fund’s independent directors and officers; (vi) compensation and expenses of counsel to the independent directors; (vii) tax expenses (including any income or franchise taxes) and governmental fees; and (viii) extraordinary expenses, such as litigation costs and other expenses not incurred in the ordinary course of business.
General expenses of the Fund not readily identifiable as belonging to an investment portfolio of the Fund shall be allocated among all investment portfolios by or under the direction of the Fund's Board of Directors in such manner as the Board determines to be fair and equitable and such expenses will be borne by the Investment Adviser or Portfolio in accordance with this Section 8.
SECTION 9. VOTING. The Investment Adviser shall have the authority to vote as agent for the Portfolio, either in person or by proxy, tender and take all actions incident to the ownership of all securities in which the Portfolio’s assets may be invested from time to time, subject to such policies and procedures as the Board of Directors of the Fund may adopt from time to time.
SECTION 10. RESERVATION OF NAME. The Investment Adviser shall at all times have all rights in and to the Portfolio’s name and all investment models used by or on behalf of the Portfolio. The Investment Adviser may use the Portfolio’s name or any portion thereof in connection with any other mutual fund or business activity without the consent of any shareholder and the Fund shall execute and deliver any and all documents required to indicate the consent of the Fund to such use. The Fund hereby agrees that in the event that neither the Investment Adviser nor any of its affiliates acts as investment adviser to the Portfolio, the name of the Portfolio will be changed to one that does not suggest an affiliation with the Investment Adviser.
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SECTION 11. COMPENSATION.
(a) For the services provided and the expenses assumed pursuant to this Agreement with respect to the Portfolio, the Fund will pay the Investment Adviser from the assets of the Portfolio and the Investment Adviser will accept as full compensation therefor a fee, computed daily and payable monthly, at the annual rate of 0.50% of the Portfolio’s average daily net assets. For any period less than a full month during which this Agreement is in effect, the fee shall be prorated according to the proportion which such period bears to a full month.
(b) The fee attributable to the Portfolio shall be satisfied only against the assets of the Portfolio and not against the assets of any other investment portfolio of the Fund. The Investment Adviser may from time to time agree not to impose all or a portion of its fee otherwise payable hereunder (in advance of the time such fee or portion thereof would otherwise accrue) and/or undertake to pay or reimburse the Portfolio for all or a portion of its expenses not otherwise required to be borne or reimbursed by the Investment Adviser.
SECTION 12. LIMITATION OF LIABILITY. The Investment Adviser shall not be liable for any error of judgment or mistake of law or for any loss suffered by the Fund in connection with the matters to which this Agreement relates, except a loss resulting from a breach of fiduciary duty with respect to the receipt of compensation for services or a loss resulting from willful misfeasance, bad faith or gross negligence on the part of the Investment Adviser in the performance of its duties or from reckless disregard by it of its obligations and duties under this Agreement (“disabling conduct”). The Portfolio will indemnify the Investment Adviser against and hold it harmless from any and all losses, claims, damages, liabilities or expenses (including reasonable counsel fees and expenses) resulting from any claim, demand, action or suit not resulting from disabling conduct by the Investment Adviser. Indemnification shall be made only following: (i) a final decision on the merits by a court or other body before whom the proceeding was brought that the Investment Adviser was not liable by reason of disabling conduct or (ii) in the absence of such a decision, a reasonable determination, based upon a review of the facts, that the Investment Adviser was not liable by reason of disabling conduct by (a) the vote of a majority of a quorum of directors of the Portfolio who are neither "interested persons" of the Fund nor parties to the proceeding ("disinterested non-party directors") or (b) an independent legal counsel in a written opinion. The Investment Adviser shall be entitled to advances from the Portfolio for payment of the reasonable expenses incurred by it in connection with the matter as to which it is seeking indemnification in the manner and to the fullest extent permissible under the Maryland General Corporation Law. The Investment Adviser shall provide to the Portfolio a written affirmation of its good faith belief that the standard of conduct necessary for indemnification by the Portfolio has been met and a written undertaking to repay any such advance if it should ultimately be determined that the standard of conduct has not been met. In addition, at least one of the following additional conditions shall be met: (a) the Investment Adviser shall provide a security in form and amount acceptable to the Portfolio for its undertaking; (b) the Portfolio is insured against losses arising by reason of the advance; or (c) a majority of a quorum of disinterested non-party directors, or independent legal counsel, in a written opinion, shall have determined, based upon a review of facts readily available to the Portfolio at the time the advance is proposed to be made, that there is reason to believe that the Investment Adviser will ultimately be found to be entitled to indemnification. Any amounts payable by the Portfolio under this Section shall be satisfied only against the assets of the Portfolio and not against the assets of any other investment portfolio of the Fund.
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The limitations on liability and indemnification provisions of this Section 12 shall not be applicable to any losses, claims, damages, liabilities or expenses arising from the Investment Adviser's rights to the Portfolio’s name. The Investment Adviser shall indemnify and hold harmless the Fund and the Portfolio for any claims arising from the use of the terms “Motley Fool 100 Index” or “Motley Fool” in the name of the Portfolio.
SECTION 13. DURATION AND TERMINATION. This Agreement shall become effective with respect to the Portfolio as of the date first above written and, unless sooner terminated as provided herein, shall continue with respect to the Portfolio until August 16, 2019 Thereafter, if not terminated, this Agreement shall continue with respect to the Portfolio for successive annual periods ending on August 16, provided such continuance is specifically approved at least annually (a) by the vote of a majority of those members of the Board of Directors of the Fund who are not parties to this Agreement or interested persons of any such party, cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on such approval, and (b) by the Board of Directors of the Fund or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Portfolio; provided, however, that this Agreement may be terminated with respect to the Portfolio by the Fund at any time, without the payment of any penalty, by the Board of Directors of the Fund or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Portfolio, on 60 days' prior written notice to the Investment Adviser, or by the Investment Adviser at any time, without payment of any penalty, on 60 days' prior written notice to the Fund. This Agreement will immediately terminate in the event of its assignment. (As used in this Agreement, the terms "majority of the outstanding voting securities," "interested person" and "assignment" shall have the same meaning as such terms have in the 1940 Act).
SECTION 14. AMENDMENT OF THIS AGREEMENT. No provision of this Agreement may be changed, discharged or terminated orally, except by an instrument in writing signed by the party against which enforcement of the change, discharge or termination is sought, and, unless otherwise permitted by the 1940 Act, no amendment of this Agreement affecting the Portfolio shall be effective until approved by vote of the holders of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Portfolio.
SECTION 15. MISCELLANEOUS. The captions in this Agreement are included for convenience of reference only and in no way define or delimit any of the provisions hereof or otherwise affect their construction or effect. If any provision of this Agreement shall be held or made invalid by a court decision, statute, rule or otherwise, the remainder of this Agreement shall not be affected thereby. This Agreement shall be binding upon and shall inure to the benefit of the parties hereto and their respective successors.
SECTION 16. NOTICE. All notices hereunder shall be given in writing and delivered by hand, national overnight courier, facsimile (provided written confirmation of receipt is obtained and said notice is sent via first class mail on the next business day) or mailed by certified mail, return receipt requested, as follows:
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If to the Fund:
The RBB Fund, Inc
c/o US Bancorp Fund Services, LLC
615 E. Michigan St.
Milwaukee, WI 53202
Attention: Salvatore Faia
If to the Investment Adviser:
Motley Fool Asset Management, LLC
2000 Duke Street
Suite 175
Alexandria, VA 22314
Attention: [ ]
The effective date of any notice shall be (i) the date such notice is sent if such delivery is effected by hand or facsimile, (ii) one business day after the date such notice is sent if such delivery is effected by national overnight courier; or (iii) the fifth (5th) Business Day after the date of mailing thereof.
SECTION 17. GOVERNING LAW. This Agreement shall be governed by and construed and enforced in accordance with the laws of the State of Delaware without giving effect to the conflicts of laws principles thereof.
SECTION 18. COUNTERPARTS. This Agreement may be executed in two or more counterparts, each of which shall be deemed an original, but all of which together shall constitute one and the same instrument.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this instrument to be executed by their officers designated below as of the day and year first above written.
THE RBB FUND, INC. | |||
By: | |||
Name: Salvatore Faia | |||
Title: President | |||
MOTLEY FOOL ASSET MANAGEMENT, LLC | |||
By: | |||
Name: | |||
Title: |
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Exhibit (d)(72)
TRADING ADVISORY AGREEMENT
Abbey Capital Futures Strategy Fund
Trading Advisory Agreement (this “Agreement”) entered into as of the day of April, 2017, by and among ABBEY CAPITAL LIMITED, an Irish limited company (the “Adviser”), ABBEY CAPITAL OFFSHORE FUND LIMITED, an exempted company incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands and a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Portfolio as defined below (the “Subsidiary”) and WELTON INVESTMENT PARTNERS LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, with its registered office at Eastwood Building, San Carlos between 5th and 6th, P.O. Box 6147, Carmel, California 93921-6147 (the “Trader”) (each a “Party” and together the “Parties”).
This Agreement shall take effect on the date that the Subsidiary (as defined below) initially deposits cash or securities in the Managed Account (as defined in the Supplemental Trading Agreement dated April 2017 between the Parties (the “Supplemental Trading Agreement”)).
WHEREAS, the Adviser has entered into an Investment Advisory Agreement dated the 25th day of June 2014 (the “Investment Advisory Agreement”) with The RBB Fund, Inc. (the “Fund”), relating to the provision of investment advisory services to the Abbey Capital Futures Strategy Fund (the “Portfolio”);
WHEREAS, the Adviser has entered into an Investment Advisory Agreement dated the 25th day of June 2014 (together with the Investment Advisory Agreement, the “Advisory Agreement”) with the Subsidiary, relating to the provision of investment advisory services to the Subsidiary;
WHEREAS, the Adviser, on behalf of the Portfolio, may allocate a portion of the Portfolio’s assets not to exceed in the aggregate 25% of its assets to the Subsidiary;
WHEREAS, the Advisory Agreement provides that the Adviser may delegate any or all of its investment advisory responsibilities under the Advisory Agreement to one or more sub-advisers;
WHEREAS, the Adviser and the Board of Directors of the Fund desire to retain the Trader to render portfolio management services to the Subsidiary in the manner and on the terms set forth in this Agreement, and the Trader is willing to provide such services.
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the premises and mutual covenants hereinafter set forth, the Parties hereto agree as follows:
1. | Trading Services. |
(a) | The Adviser hereby appoints the Trader to act as a commodity trading advisor (“CTA”) to the Subsidiary with respect to that portion of the Subsidiary’s assets allocated from time to time to the Trader by the Adviser for the periods and on the terms herein set forth (the “Allocated Assets”). The Trader accepts such appointment and agrees to render the services herein set forth, for the compensation herein provided. |
Exhibit (d)(72)
(b) | The Trader shall, subject to the supervision and oversight of the Adviser, trade the Allocated Assets on behalf of the Subsidiary in accordance with the terms of this Agreement and the Supplemental Trading Agreement entered into by the Adviser and the Trader in relation to the Allocated Assets and in accordance with (i) the investment objective, policies and restrictions of the Subsidiary and the Portfolio in relation to the Subsidiary set forth in the Portfolio’s prospectus and statement of additional information, as they may be amended from time to time, any additional policies or guidelines, including without limitation compliance policies and procedures, established by the Adviser, the Fund’s Chief Compliance Officer, or by the Fund’s Board of Directors (“Board”) that have been furnished in writing to the Trader, (ii) the written instructions and directions received from the Adviser and the Fund as delivered; and (iii) all federal and state laws applicable to the Subsidiary and the Trader’s duties under this Agreement, all as may be in effect from time to time. The foregoing are referred to below together as the “Policies”. |
For purposes of compliance with the Policies, the Trader shall be entitled to treat the Allocated Assets as though the Allocated Assets constituted the entire Subsidiary, and the Trader shall not be responsible in any way for the compliance of any assets of the Subsidiary, other than the Allocated Assets, with the Policies. Subject to the foregoing, the Trader is authorized, in its discretion and without prior consultation with the Adviser, to buy, sell (including short sales), lend and otherwise trade in any commodity interests, including futures contracts, options on futures contracts (selling uncovered options is not permitted), forward contracts or commodities and swaps (the “Commodity Interests”) on behalf of the Subsidiary, without regard to the length of time the Commodity Interests have been held and the resulting rate of portfolio turnover or any tax considerations; and the majority or the whole of the Allocated Assets may be invested in such proportions of Commodity Interests as the Trader shall determine. Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of this Section 1(b), however, (i) the Trader shall, upon and in accordance with written instructions from the Adviser effect such portfolio transactions for the Allocated Assets as the Adviser shall determine are necessary in order for the Subsidiary to comply with the Policies, and (ii) upon notice to the Trader, the Adviser may effect in-kind redemptions with shareholders of the Portfolio with securities included within the Allocated Assets.
(c) | Absent instructions from the Adviser or the officers of the Fund to the contrary, the Trader shall place orders pursuant to its determinations with any futures commission merchant the Trader so chooses, provided, however, the orders are settled with a futures commission merchant or Foreign Exchange clearing broker with which the Subsidiary has an account. |
Exhibit (d)(72)
(d) | The Trader hereby agrees that it shall not consult with any other investment adviser or CTA to the Fund with respect to transactions in Commodity Interests for the Allocated Assets or any other transactions in the Fund’s assets, other than for the purposes of complying with the conditions of paragraphs (a) and (b) of Rule 12d3-1 under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the “1940 Act”). |
(e) | The Trader has provided the Adviser with a true and complete copy of its compliance policies and procedures pursuant to best practices for all CTAs registered with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”) or, if applicable, Rule 206(4)-7 of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 (the “Advisers Act”) (the “Trader Compliance Policies”). The Trader’s chief compliance officer (“Trader CCO”) shall provide to the Fund’s Chief Compliance Officer (“Fund CCO”) or his or her delegate promptly (and in no event in more than 10 business days) the following: |
(i) | a report of any material changes to the Trader Compliance Policies; |
(ii) | a report of any “material compliance matters,” as defined by Rule 38a-1 under the 1940 Act, that have occurred in connection with the Trader Compliance Policies; |
(iii) | a summary report from the Trader CCO with respect to the annual review of the Trader Compliance Policies; and |
(iv) | an annual (or more frequently as the Fund CCO may request) certification regarding the Trader’s compliance with Rule 206(4)-7 under the Advisers Act, if applicable, and Section 38a-1 of the 1940 Act as well as the foregoing sub-paragraphs (i) – (iii). |
(f) | The Trader may, on occasions when it deems the purchase or sale of a Commodity Interest to be in the best interests of the Subsidiary as well as other fiduciary or agency accounts managed by the Trader, aggregate, to the extent permitted by applicable laws and regulations, the Commodity Interests to be sold or purchased in order to obtain the best overall terms available. 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 Trader in the manner it considers to be most fair and equitable over time to the Subsidiary and to its other accounts. In that connection, however, the Trader agrees that: (i) in rendering consulting, advisory and management services to other Commodity Interest trading accounts and entities, it will use its best efforts to achieve an equitable treatment of all accounts utilizing the same investment programme as the Allocated Assets and will use a fair and reasonable system of order entry for all accounts utilizing the same trading strategy as the Allocated Assets; and (ii) it will not deliberately use any trading strategies for the Subsidiary which it or its principals know are inferior to those employed by other accounts using the same investment programme as the Allocated Assets. The Trader further agrees to be aware of the position limits imposed on certain Commodity Interest contracts by the CFTC or applicable contract market. The Trader will be entitled to use that portion of the applicable position limits that bears the same relationship that the Allocated Assets bears to all of the Subsidiary's assets and that relationship will be communicated in writing by the Adviser to the Trader at the commencement of trading and at the point of any subsequent change in that relationship. If, at any time during the term of this Agreement, the Trader is required to aggregate the Subsidiary's Commodity Interest positions with the positions of any other person for purposes of applying the CFTC or exchange imposed speculative position limits, the Trader will promptly notify the Adviser if the Subsidiary's positions are included in an aggregate amount which exceeds the applicable speculative position limit. If the speculative positions limits are reached in any Commodity Interest contract, the Trader will modify the trading instructions to the Subsidiary and its other accounts in a reasonable and good faith effort to achieve an equitable treatment of all accounts. The Trader currently believes and represents that such speculative limits will not materially affect its trading recommendations or strategy for the Subsidiary given the Trader's current accounts and all proposed accounts for which the Trader has a contract to act as a CTA. |
Exhibit (d)(72)
(g) | The Trader, in connection with its rights and duties with respect to the Subsidiary and the Fund shall use the care, skill, prudence and diligence under the circumstances then prevailing that a prudent person acting in a like capacity and familiar with such matters would use in the conduct of an enterprise of a like character and with like aims. |
(h) | The services of the Trader hereunder are not deemed exclusive and the Trader shall be free to render similar services to others (including other investment companies) so long as its services under this Agreement are not impaired thereby. The Trader will waive enforcement of any non-compete agreement or other agreement or arrangement to which it is currently a party that restricts, limits, or otherwise interferes with the ability of the Adviser to employ or engage any person or entity to provide investment advisory or other services and will transmit to any person or entity notice of such waiver as may be required to give effect to this provision; and the Trader will not become a party to any non-compete agreement or any other agreement, arrangement, or understanding that would restrict, limit, or otherwise interfere with the ability of the Adviser and the Fund or any of their affiliates to employ or engage any person or organization, now or in the future, to manage the Subsidiary, the Portfolio or any other assets managed by the Adviser. |
Exhibit (d)(72)
(i) | The Trader shall furnish the Adviser and the administrator of the Fund (the “Administrator”) daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly and annual reports concerning portfolio transactions and performance of the Allocated Assets as the Adviser may reasonably determine in such form as may be mutually agreed upon, and agrees to review the Allocated Assets with the Adviser and discuss the management of the Allocated Assets. The Trader shall promptly respond to requests by the Adviser, the Administrator, and the Fund CCO or their delegates for copies of the pertinent books and records maintained by the Trader relating directly to the Subsidiary. The Trader shall also provide the Adviser with such other information and reports, including information and reports related to compliance matters, as may reasonably be requested by it from time to time, including without limitation all material requested by or required to be delivered to the Board. |
(j) | Unless otherwise instructed by the Adviser, the Trader shall not have the power, discretion or responsibility to vote any proxies in connection with Commodity Interests in which the Allocated Assets may be invested, and the Adviser shall retain such responsibility. |
(k) | The Trader shall cooperate promptly and fully with the Adviser, the Subsidiary and/or the Fund in responding to any regulatory or compliance examinations or inspections (including any information requests) relating to the Fund, the Portfolio, the Subsidiary or the Adviser brought by any governmental or regulatory authorities. The Trader shall provide to the Fund CCO or his or her delegate notice of any deficiencies that are identified by the CFTC or the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) in written correspondence to the Trader and that relate to the services provided by the Trader to the Subsidiary pursuant to this Agreement. The Trader shall provide such notification within a reasonable period after receiving the correspondence. The Trader shall provide additional information with respect to such deficiencies as is reasonably requested by the Fund CCO or his or her delegate. |
(l) | The Trader shall maintain separate detailed records of all matters pertaining to the Allocated Assets, including, without limitation, brokerage and other records of all securities transactions. Any records required to be maintained and preserved, pursuant to the provisions of Rule 31a-1 and Rule 31a-2 promulgated under the 1940 Act and/or by the CFTC, that are prepared or maintained by the Trader on behalf of the Subsidiary are the property of the Fund and will be surrendered promptly to the Fund upon request. The Trader further agrees to preserve for the periods, prescribed in Rule 31a-2 under the 1940 Act the records required to be maintained under Rule 31a-1 under the 1940 Act, and/or by the CFTC. |
(m) | The Trader shall promptly notify the Adviser of any financial condition that is likely to impair the Trader’s ability to fulfill its commitments under this Agreement. |
Exhibit (d)(72)
2. | Representations and Warranties of the Parties |
(a) | The Trader represents and warrants to the Adviser as follows: |
(i) | The Trader is a registered CTA with the CFTC; |
(ii) | The Trader will carry at all times professional errors and omissions liability insurance with carriers approved by the Adviser covering services provided hereunder by the Trader in an appropriate amount, which insurance shall be primary to any insurance policy carried by the Adviser; |
(iii) | The Trader will furnish the Adviser with certificates of insurance in forms and substance reasonably acceptable to the Adviser evidencing the coverages specified in paragraph 2(a)(ii) hereof and will provide notice of termination of such coverages, if any, to the Adviser and the Fund, all as promptly as reasonably possible. The Trader will notify the Adviser promptly, and in any event within 10 business days, when the Trader receives notice of any termination of the specified coverage; and |
(iv) | This Agreement has been duly authorized and executed by the Trader. |
(b) | The Adviser represents and warrants to the Trader as follows: |
(i) | The Adviser is registered under the Advisers Act; and |
(ii) | Each of the Adviser and the Fund has duly authorized the execution of this Agreement by the Adviser. |
3. | Obligations of the Adviser. |
(a) | The Adviser shall provide (or cause the Subsidiary’s Custodian (as defined in Section 4 hereof) to provide) timely information to the Trader regarding such matters as the composition of the Allocated Assets, cash requirements and cash available for investment in the Allocated Assets, and all other information as may be reasonably necessary for the Trader to perform its responsibilities hereunder. |
(b) | The Adviser has furnished the Trader with a copy of the prospectus and statement of additional information of the Portfolio and the Adviser agrees during the continuance of this Agreement to furnish the Trader copies of any revisions or supplements thereto at, or, if practicable, before the time the revisions or supplements become effective. The Adviser agrees to furnish the Trader with copies of any financial statements or reports made by the Portfolio to its shareholders, and any further materials or information that the Trader may reasonably request to enable it to perform its functions under this Agreement. |
Exhibit (d)(72)
4. Custodian. The Adviser shall provide the Trader with a copy of the Subsidiary’s agreement with any custodian designated to hold the assets of the Subsidiary (the “Custodian”) and any material modifications thereto (the “Custody Agreement”) that may affect the Trader’s duties, copies of such modifications to be provided to the Trader reasonably in advance of the effectiveness of such modifications. The Allocated Assets shall be maintained in the custody of the Custodian identified in, and in accordance with the terms and conditions of, the Custody Agreement (or any sub-custodian properly appointed as provided in the Custody Agreement). The Trader shall have no liability for the acts or omissions of the Custodian, unless such act or omission is taken solely in reliance upon instruction given to the Custodian by a representative of the Trader properly authorized to give such instruction under the Custody Agreement. Any assets added to the Subsidiary shall be delivered directly to the Custodian.
5. Use of Name. During the term of this Agreement, the Adviser shall have permission to use the Trader’s name in the marketing of the Portfolio, and agrees to furnish the Trader, for its prior approval (which approval shall not be unreasonably withheld) at its principal office all prospectuses, proxy statements and reports to shareholders prepared for distribution to shareholders of the Portfolio or the public that refer to the Trader in any way. If the Adviser does not receive a response from the Trader with respect to such materials within five business days of its submission for approval, such materials shall be deemed accepted by the Trader. The Trader agrees that the Adviser may request that the Trader approve use of a certain type, and that the Adviser need not provide for approval each additional piece of marketing material that is of substantially the same type.
During the term of this Agreement, the Trader shall not use the Adviser’s name or the Fund’s name without the prior consent of the Adviser and the Fund.
6. Expenses. During the Term of this Agreement, the Trader will pay all expenses incurred by it in connection with the performance of its duties under paragraph 1 hereof other than the cost (including taxes, brokerage commissions and other transaction costs, if any) of the securities or other investment instruments purchased or sold for the Subsidiary.
7. Compensation of the Trader. As full compensation for all services rendered, facilities furnished and expenses borne by the Trader hereunder, the Trader shall be paid the fees in the amounts and in the manner set forth in Appendix A hereto.
8. Independent Contractor Status. The Trader shall for all purposes hereof be deemed to be an independent contractor and shall, unless otherwise provided or authorized, have no authority to act for or represent the Subsidiary, the Portfolio, the Fund or the Adviser in any way or otherwise be deemed an agent of the Subsidiary, the Portfolio, the Fund or the Adviser.
9. Liability and Indemnification.
Exhibit (d)(72)
(a) | Liability. The duties of the Trader shall be confined to those expressly set forth herein with respect to the Allocated Assets. The Trader shall not be liable for any loss arising out of any portfolio investment or disposition hereunder, except a loss resulting from willful misfeasance, bad faith or gross negligence in the performance of its duties, or by reason of reckless disregard of its obligations and duties hereunder. Under no circumstances shall the Trader be liable for any loss arising out of any act or omission taken by another CTA, or any other third party, in respect of any portion of the Fund’s assets not managed by the Trader pursuant to this Agreement. |
(b) | Indemnification. |
(i) | The Trader shall indemnify the Adviser, the Fund, the Portfolio and the Subsidiary, and their respective affiliates and controlling persons (the “Adviser Indemnified Persons”) for any liability and expenses, including reasonable attorneys’ fees, which the Adviser, the Fund, the Portfolio and/or the Subsidiary and their respective affiliates and controlling persons may sustain as a result of the Trader’s breach of this Agreement or its representations and warranties herein or as a result of the Trader’s willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence, or reckless disregard of its duties hereunder or violation of applicable law; provided, however, that the Adviser Indemnified Persons shall not be indemnified for any liability or expenses that may be sustained as a result of the Adviser’s willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence, or reckless disregard of its duties hereunder. |
(ii) | The Adviser shall indemnify the Trader, its affiliates and its controlling persons (the “Trader Indemnified Persons”) for any liability and expenses, including reasonable attorneys’ fees, arising from, or in connection with, the Adviser’s breach of this Agreement or its representations and warranties herein or as a result of the Adviser’s willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence, reckless disregard of its duties hereunder or violation of applicable law; provided, however, that the Trader Indemnified Persons shall not be indemnified for any liability or expenses that may be sustained as a result of the Trader’s willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence, or reckless disregard of its duties hereunder. |
10. Effective Date and Termination. This Agreement shall become effective as of the date that the Subsidiary initially deposits cash or securities in the Managed Account (as defined in the Supplemental Trading Agreement), and:
(a) | unless otherwise terminated, this Agreement shall continue in effect until August 16, 2018, and from year to year thereafter so long as such continuance is specifically approved at least annually (i) by the Board or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Portfolio, and (ii) by vote of a majority of the Directors of the Fund who are not interested persons of the Fund, the Adviser or the Trader, cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on such approval; |
Exhibit (d)(72)
(b) | this Agreement may at any time be terminated on 60 days’ written notice to the Trader either by vote of the Board or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Portfolio; |
(c) | this Agreement shall automatically terminate in the event of its assignment or upon the termination of the Advisory Agreement; and |
(d) | this Agreement may be terminated by the Trader on 60 days’ written notice to the Adviser and the Fund, or by the Adviser immediately upon notice to the Trader. |
Termination of this Agreement pursuant to this Section 10 shall be without the payment of any penalty.
11. Amendment. This Agreement may be amended at any time by mutual consent of the Adviser and the Trader, provided that, if required by law, such amendment shall also have been approved by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Portfolio and by vote of a majority of the Directors of the Fund who are not interested persons of the Fund, the Adviser, or the Trader, cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on such approval.
12. Assignment. The Trader may not assign this Agreement and this Agreement shall automatically terminate in the event of an “assignment,” as such term is defined in Section 2(a)(4) of the 1940 Act. The Trader shall notify the Adviser in writing sufficiently in advance of any proposed change of “control,” as defined in Section 2(a)(9) of the 1940 Act, so as to enable the Fund and/or the Adviser to: (a) consider whether an assignment will occur, (b) consider whether to enter into a new Trading Agreement with the Trader, and (c) prepare, file, and deliver any disclosure document to the Portfolio’s shareholders as may be required by applicable law.
13. Miscellaneous. The captions in this Agreement are included for convenience of reference only and in no way define or delimit any of the provisions hereof or otherwise affect their construction or effect. If any provision of this Agreement shall be held or made invalid by a court decision, statute, rule or otherwise, the remainder of this Agreement shall not be affected thereby. This Agreement shall be construed in accordance with applicable federal law and the laws of the State of Delaware and shall be binding upon and shall inure to the benefit of the Parties hereto and their respective successors (subject to paragraph 10 (c) hereof) and, to the extent provided in paragraph 9 hereof, each Trader Indemnified Person and Adviser Indemnified Person. Anything herein to the contrary notwithstanding, this Agreement shall not be construed to require, or to impose any duty upon, either of the Parties to do anything in violation of any applicable laws or regulations. Any provision in this Agreement requiring compliance with any statute or regulation shall mean such statute or regulation as amended and in effect from time to time.
Exhibit (d)(72)
14. Regulation S-P. In accordance with Regulation S-P, if non-public personal information regarding any Party’s customers or consumers is disclosed to the other Party in connection with this Agreement, the other Party receiving such information will not disclose or use that information other than as necessary to carry out the purposes of this Agreement.
15. Confidentiality. Any information or recommendations supplied by either the Adviser or the Trader, that are not otherwise in the public domain or previously known to the other Party in connection with the performance of its obligations and duties hereunder, including without limitation portfolio holdings of the Subsidiary, financial information or other information relating to a Party to this Agreement, are to be regarded as confidential (“Confidential Information”) and held in the strictest confidence. Except as may be required by applicable law or rule as requested by regulatory authorities having jurisdiction over a Party or as requested by regulatory authorities having jurisdiction over a Party to this Agreement, Confidential Information may be used only by the Party to which said information has been communicated and such other persons as that Party believes are necessary to carry out the purposes of this Agreement, the Custodian, and such persons as the Adviser may designate in connection with the Allocated Assets.
16. Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in two or more counterparts, each of which shall be deemed an original, but all of which together shall constitute one and the same instrument.
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Exhibit (d)(72)
Abbey Capital Limited | ||
By: | ||
Name: | ||
Title: | ||
Welton Investment Partners LLC | ||
By: | ||
Name: | David Nowlin | |
Title: | Authorized Signatory | |
Abbey Capital Offshore Fund Limited | ||
By: | ||
Name: | ||
Title: |
Appendix A
Trading Fees
DISTRIBUTION AGREEMENT
THIS DISTRIBUTION AGREEMENT (the “Agreement’) is made as of _______ between The RBB Fund, Inc., a Maryland corporation (the “Company”) and Quasar Distributors, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (the “Distributor”). Motley Fool Asset Management, LLC, an investment advisor to the Company (the “Advisor”), is a party hereto with respect to Sections 3 F. and 6 only.
WHEREAS, the Trust is registered as an open-end investment management company organized as a statutory trust and comprised of a number of series of securities, each series representing a portfolio of securities (each a “Fund” and collectively the “Funds”), having filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) a registration statement on Form N-1A under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “1933 Act”), and the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”);
WHEREAS, the Trust intends to create and redeem shares (the “Shares”) of each Fund on a continuous basis only in aggregations of 50,000 Shares constituting a Creation Unit as such term is defined in each applicable registration statement;
WHEREAS, the Shares of each Fund will be listed on one or more national securities exchanges (together, the “Listing Exchanges”);
WHEREAS, the Trust desires to retain the Distributor to act as the distributor with respect to the issuance and distribution of Creation Units of each Fund, hold itself available to receive and process orders for such Creation Units in the manner set forth in the applicable registration statement, and to enter into arrangements with broker-dealers who may solicit purchases of Creation Units and with broker-dealers and others to provide for servicing of shareholder accounts and for distribution assistance, including broker-dealer and shareholder support;
WHEREAS, the Distributor is a registered broker-dealer under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “1934 Act”) and a member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”) (the successor organization to the National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc.); and
WHEREAS, the Distributor desires to provide the services described herein to the Trust.
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual covenants hereinafter contained, intending to be legally bound, the Trust and Distributor hereby agree as follows:
article 1. Sale of Creation Units; Services. The Trust grants to the Distributor the right to sell Creation Units of each Fund listed in Schedule A hereto as the same may be amended from time to time upon mutual agreement of the parties, on the terms and during the term of this Agreement and subject to the registration requirements of the 1933 Act and the rules and regulations of the SEC, and the Distributor hereby accepts such appointment and agrees to act in such capacity hereunder.
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article 2. Solicitation of Sales. In consideration of these rights granted to the Distributor, the Distributor agrees to use all reasonable efforts in connection with the distribution of Creation Units of the Trust; provided, however, that the Distributor shall not be prevented from entering into like arrangements with other issuers.
article 3. Authorized Representations. The Distributor is not authorized by the Trust to give any information or to make any representations other than those contained in the current registration statements, prospectuses and statements of additional information of the Trust filed with the SEC or contained in shareholder reports or other material that may be prepared by or on behalf of the Trust for the Distributor’s use.
article 4. Registration of Shares. The Trust agrees that it will take all action necessary to register an unlimited number of Shares on Form N-1A. The Trust shall make available to the Distributor such number of copies of its currently effective prospectus and statement of additional information as the Distributor may reasonably request. The Trust shall furnish to the Distributor copies of all information, financial statements and other papers which the Distributor may reasonably request for use in connection with the distribution of Creation Units of the Trust. The Trust represents and warrants that it has or will have made as of the date on which Distributor begins distributing Creation Units, all applicable filings to exempt the Creation Units from registration under applicable rules and regulations.
article 5. Compensation. As compensation for providing the services under this Agreement:
(a) | The Distributor shall be entitled to no compensation or reimbursement of expenses from the Trust for the services provided by the Distributor pursuant to this Agreement. However, the Trust may, with respect to any Fund, pay to the Distributor compensation pursuant to the terms of any Distribution and Service Plan in effect at the time in respect to that Fund. The Distributor may receive compensation from Motley Fool Asset Management, LLC (“Adviser”) related to its services hereunder or for additional services as may be agreed to between the Adviser and Distributor in writing. The Distributor shall be compensated for providing the services set forth in this Agreement in accordance with the fee schedule set forth on Schedule B hereto (as amended from time to time). |
(b) | The Adviser shall bear the cost and expenses of: (i) the registration of the Creation Units for sale under the 1933 Act. |
(c) | The Distributor shall pay (i) all expenses relating to Distributor’s broker-dealer qualification and registration under the 1934 Act; (ii) the expenses incurred by the Distributor in connection with routine FINRA filing fees (other than those filing fees for which the Adviser reimburses the Distributor); and (iii) all other expenses incurred in connection with the distribution services provided under this Agreement that are not reimbursed by the Adviser, including office space, equipment, and personnel as may be necessary or convenient to provide the services. |
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(d) | Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary, the Distributor and its affiliates may receive compensation or reimbursement from the Adviser with respect to any services not included under this Agreement, as may be agreed upon by the parties from time to time. |
article 6. Indemnification of Distributor. The Trust agrees to indemnify, defend and hold harmless the Distributor and each of its directors and officers and each person, if any, who controls the Distributor within the meaning of Section 15 of the 1933 Act against any loss, liability, claim, damages or expense (including the reasonable cost of investigating or defending any alleged loss, liability, claim, damages, or expense and reasonable counsel fees and disbursements incurred in connection therewith), (i) arising by reason of any person acquiring any Shares or Creation Units, based upon the ground that the registration statement, prospectus, shareholder reports or other information filed or made public by the Trust (as from time to time amended) included an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state a material fact required to be stated or necessary in order to make the statements made not misleading or (ii) any breach of any representation, warranty or covenant made by the Trust in this Agreement. However, the Trust does not agree to indemnify the Distributor or hold it harmless to the extent that the statements or omission was made in reliance upon, and in conformity with, information furnished to the Trust by or on behalf of the Distributor.
In no case (i) is the indemnity of the Trust to be deemed to protect the Distributor against any liability to the Trust or its Shareholders to which the Distributor or such person otherwise would be subject by reason of willful misfeasance, bad faith or negligence in the performance of its duties or by reason of its reckless disregard of its obligations and duties under this Agreement, or (ii) is the Trust to be liable to the Distributor under the indemnity agreement contained in this Article 6 with respect to any claim made against the Distributor or any person indemnified unless the Distributor or other person shall have notified the Trust in writing of the claim within a reasonable time after the summons or other first written notification giving information of the nature of the claim shall have been served upon the Distributor or such other person (or after the Distributor or the person shall have received notice of service on any designated agent). However, failure to notify the Trust of any claim shall not relieve the Trust from any liability which it may have to the Distributor or any person against whom such action is brought otherwise than on account of its indemnity agreement contained in this paragraph.
The Trust shall be entitled to participate at its own expense in the defense or, if it so elects, to assume the defense of any suit brought to enforce any claims subject to this indemnity provision. If the Trust elects to assume the defense of any such claim, the defense shall be conducted by counsel chosen by the Trust and satisfactory to the indemnified defendants in the suit whose approval shall not be unreasonably withheld. In the event that the Trust elects to assume the defense of any suit and retain legal counsel, the indemnified defendants shall bear the fees and expenses of any additional legal counsel retained by them. If the Trust does not elect to assume the defense of a suit, it will reimburse the indemnified defendants for the reasonable fees and expenses of any legal counsel retained by the indemnified defendants.
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The Trust agrees to notify the Distributor promptly of the commencement of any litigation or proceedings against it or any of its officers or Trustees in connection with the issuance or sale of any of its Shares or Creation Units.
article 7. Indemnification of Trust. The Distributor covenants and agrees that it will indemnify and hold harmless the Trust and each of its Trustees, officers, employees and each person, if any, who controls the Trust within the meaning of Section 15 of the 1933 Act, against any loss, liability, damages, claim or expense (including the reasonable cost of investigating or defending any alleged loss, liability, damages, claim or expense and reasonable counsel fees incurred in connection therewith) based upon the 1933 Act or any other statute or common law and arising by reason of any person acquiring any Shares or Creation Units, and alleging a wrongful act of the Distributor or any of its employees or alleging that the registration statement, prospectus, shareholder reports or other information filed or made public by the Trust (as from time to time amended) included an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state a material fact required to be stated or necessary in order to make the statements not misleading, insofar as the statement or omission was made in reliance upon and in conformity with information furnished to the Trust by or on behalf of the Distributor.
Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, Distributor shall indemnify and hold the Trust harmless from and against any and all actual losses, expenses, and liabilities (including reasonable attorneys' fees) that the Trust may sustain or incur arising out of any breach of this Agreement.
In no case (i) is the indemnity of the Distributor in favor of the Trust or any other person indemnified to be deemed to protect the Trust or any other person against any liability to which the Trust or such other person would otherwise be subject by reason of willful misfeasance, bad faith or gross negligence in the performance of its duties or by reason of its reckless disregard of its obligations and duties under this Agreement, or (ii) is the Distributor to be liable under its indemnity agreement contained in this paragraph with respect to any claim made against the Trust or any person indemnified unless the Trust or person, as the case may be, shall have notified the Distributor in writing of the claim within a reasonable time after the summons or other first written notification giving information of the nature of the claim shall have been served upon the Trust or upon any person (or after the Trust or such person shall have received notice of service on any designated agent). However, failure to notify the Distributor of any claim shall not relieve the Distributor from any liability which it may have to the Trust or any person against whom the action is brought otherwise than on account of its indemnity agreement contained in this paragraph.
The Distributor shall be entitled to participate, at its own expense, in the defense or, if it so elects, to assume the defense of any suit brought to enforce the claim, but if the Distributor elects to assume the defense, the defense shall be conducted by legal counsel chosen by the Distributor and satisfactory to the indemnified defendants whose approval shall not be unreasonably withheld. In the event that the Distributor elects to assume the defense of any suit and retain counsel, the defendants in the suit shall bear the fees and expenses of any additional legal counsel retained by them. If the Distributor does not elect to assume the defense of any suit, it will reimburse the indemnified defendants in the suit for the reasonable fees and expenses of any counsel retained by them.
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The Distributor agrees to notify the Trust promptly of the commencement of any litigation, regulatory action (including an investigation) or proceedings against it or any of its officers in connection with the issue and sale of any of the Trust’s Shares or Creation Units.
article 8. Contribution; Consequential Damages.
(a) | If the indemnification provided for in Sections 6 and 7 is insufficient or unavailable to any indemnified party under such sections in respect of any losses, claims, damages, liabilities or expenses referred to therein as a result of a court of competent jurisdiction’s decision not to enforce such agreement of the parties, then the indemnifying party, in lieu of indemnifying such indemnified party hereunder, shall contribute to the amount paid or payable by damages, liabilities or expenses in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect the relative benefits received by the Trust on the one hand and the Distributor on the other from the offering of the Shares. If, however, the allocation based upon relative benefit to each party provided by the immediately preceding sentence is not permitted by applicable law, then each indemnifying party shall contribute to such amount paid or payable by such indemnified party in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect the relative fault of the Trust on the one hand and the Distributor on the other in connection with the statements or omissions which resulted in such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof), as well as any other relevant equitable considerations. Further, if the indemnified party failed to give the indemnifying party notice of the claim and the indemnifying party was prejudiced by such failure, then each indemnifying party shall contribute to such amount paid or payable by such indemnified party in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect not only such relative benefits but also the relative fault of the Trust on the one hand and the Distributor on the other in connection with the statements or omissions which resulted in such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof), as well as any other relevant equitable considerations. The relative benefits received by the Trust on the one hand and the Distributor on the other shall be deemed to be in the same proportion as the amount of gross proceeds received by the Trust from the offering of the Shares under this Agreement (expressed in dollars) bears to the net profits received by the Distributor under this Agreement. The relative fault shall be determined by reference to, among other things, whether the untrue or alleged untrue statement of a material fact or the omission or alleged omission to state a material fact relates to information supplied by the Trust on the one hand or the Distributor on the other and the parties’ relative intent, knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct or prevent such statement or omission. The Trust and the Distributor agree that it would not be just and equitable if contributions pursuant to this section were determined by pro rata allocation or by any other method of allocation which does not take account of the equitable considerations referred to herein. The amount paid or payable by an indemnified party as a result of the losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) referred to above shall be deemed to include any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by such indemnified party in connection with investigating or defending any such action or claim. No person guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning of Section 11(f) of the 1933 Act) shall be entitled to contribution from any person who was not guilty of such fraudulent misrepresentation. |
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(b) | In no event and under no circumstances shall either party to this Agreement be liable to anyone, including, without limitation, the other party, for consequential damages for any act or failure to act under any provision of this Agreement. |
article 9. Effective Date. This Agreement shall be effective upon its execution, and, unless terminated as provided, shall continue in force for two years from the date hereof, and thereafter from year to year, provided that such annual continuance is approved by (i) either the vote of a majority of the Trustees of the Trust, or the vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Trust, and (ii) the vote of a majority of those Trustees of the Trust who are not parties to this Agreement or the Trust’s distribution plan or interested persons of any such party (“Qualified Trustees”), cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on the approval. This Agreement may be terminated at any time without penalty by a vote of the directors; by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Company; or by the Distributor upon not less than sixty days prior written notice to the other party; and shall automatically terminate upon its assignment. As used in this paragraph the terms “vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities,” “assignment” and “interested person” shall have the respective meanings specified in the 1940 Act. In addition, this Agreement may at any time be terminated without penalty by the Trust, by a vote of a majority of Qualified Trustees or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Trust upon not less than sixty days prior written notice to the other party.
article 10. Notices. All notices provided for or permitted under this Agreement shall be deemed effective upon receipt, and shall be in writing and (a) delivered personally, (b) sent by commercial overnight courier with written verification of receipt, or (c) sent by certified or registered U.S. mail, postage prepaid and return receipt requested, to the party to be notified, at the address for such party set forth below.
Notices to the Distributor shall be sent to the attention of:
Quasar Distributors, LLC
Attn: President
777 East Wisconsin Ave
Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53202
Notice to the Trust shall be sent to:
and notice to the Trust shall be sent to:
The RBB Fund, Inc.
c/o Vigilant Compliance Services
Brandywine Two 5 Christy Drive, Suite 208
Chadds Ford, PA 1931
Attn: Salvatore Faja, JD,
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With copy to:
Michael P. Malloy
Drinker, Biddle & Reath, LLP
One Logan Square, Suite 2000
Philadelphia, PA, 19103
and notice to the Adviser shall be sent to :
Motley Fool Asset Management, LLC
2000 Duke Street, Suite 175
Alexandria, VA 22314
Attn : President
Attn:
article 11. Limitation of Liability. A copy of the Agreement and Declaration of Trust is on file with the Secretary of State of the State of Maryland and notice is hereby given that this Agreement is executed on behalf of the Trustees of the Trust as Trustees and not individually and that the obligations of this instrument are not binding upon any of the Trustees, officers or shareholders of the Trust individually but binding only upon the assets and property of the Trust.
article 12. Dispute Resolution. Whenever either party desires to institute legal proceedings against the other concerning this Agreement, it shall provide written notice to that effect to such other party. The party providing such notice shall refrain from instituting said legal proceedings for a period of thirty (30) days following the date of provision of such notice. During such period, the parties shall attempt in good faith to amicably resolve their dispute by negotiation among their executive officers.
article 13. Entire Agreement; Amendments. This Agreement constitutes the entire agreement between the parties hereto and supersedes any prior agreement, draft or proposal with respect to the subject matter hereof. This Agreement or any part hereof may be changed or waived only by an instrument in writing signed by the party against which enforcement of such change or waiver is sought.
article 14. Governing Law. This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York without giving effect to any conflict of laws or choice of laws rules or principles thereof. To the extent that the applicable laws of the State of New York, or any of the provisions of this Agreement, conflict with the applicable provisions of the 1933 Act or the 1940 Act, these acts shall control.
article 15. Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in two or more counterparts, all of which shall constitute one and the same instrument. Each such counterpart shall be deemed an original, and it shall not be necessary in making proof of this Agreement to produce or account for more than one such counterpart. This Agreement shall be deemed executed by both parties when any one or more counterparts hereof or thereof, individually or taken together, bears the original or facsimile signatures of each of the parties.
article 16. Force Majeure. No breach of any obligation of a party to this Agreement (other than obligations to pay amounts owed) will constitute an event of default or breach to the extent it arises out of a cause, existing or future, that is beyond the control and without negligence of the party otherwise chargeable with breach or default, including without limitation: strike; lockout or other labor dispute; flood; war; riot; theft; act of terrorism, earthquake or natural disaster. Either party desiring to rely upon any of the foregoing as an excuse for default or breach will, when the cause arises, give to the other party prompt notice of the facts which constitute such cause; and, when the cause ceases to exist, give prompt notice thereof to the other party.
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article 17. Severability. Any provision of this Agreement that is determined to be invalid or unenforceable in any jurisdiction shall be ineffective to the extent of such invalidity or unenforceability in such jurisdiction, without rendering invalid or unenforceable the remaining provisions of this Agreement or affecting the validity or enforceability of such provision in any other jurisdiction. If a court of competent jurisdiction declares any provision of this Agreement to be invalid or unenforceable, the parties agree that the court making such determination shall have the power to reduce the scope, duration, or area of the provision, to delete specific words or phrases, or to replace the provision with a provision that is valid and enforceable and that comes closest to expressing the original intention of the parties, and this Agreement shall be enforceable as so modified.
article 18. Confidential Information.
(a) | The Distributor and the Trust (in such capacity, the “Receiving Party”) acknowledge and agree to maintain the confidentiality of Proprietary and Confidential Information (as hereinafter defined) provided by the Distributor and the Trust (in such capacity, the “Disclosing Party”) in connection with this Agreement. The Receiving Party shall not disclose or disseminate the Disclosing Party’s Confidential Information to any Person other than (a) those employees, agents, contractors, subcontractors and licensees of the Receiving Party, or (b) with respect to the Distributor as a Receiving Party, to those employees, agents, contractors, subcontractors and licensees of any agent or affiliate, who have a need to know it in order to assist the Receiving Party in performing its obligations, or to permit the Receiving Party to exercise its rights under this Agreement. In addition, the Receiving Party (a) shall take all reasonable steps to prevent unauthorized access to the Disclosing Party’s Confidential Information, and (b) shall not use the Disclosing Party’s Confidential Information, or authorize other Persons to use the Disclosing Party’s Confidential Information, for any purposes other than in connection with performing its obligations or exercising its rights hereunder. As used herein, “reasonable steps” means steps that a party takes to protect its own, similarly confidential or proprietary information of a similar nature, which steps shall in no event be less than a reasonable standard of care. |
(b) | The term “Confidential Information,” as used herein, shall mean all index licenses, business strategies, plans and procedures, proprietary information, methodologies, data and trade secrets, and other confidential information and materials (including, without limitation, any non-public personal information as defined in Regulation S-P) of the Disclosing Party, its affiliates, their respective clients or suppliers, or other Persons with whom they do business, that may be obtained by the Receiving Party from any source or that may be developed as a result of this Agreement. |
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(c) | The provisions of this Article 18 respecting Confidential Information shall not apply to the extent, but only to the extent, that such Confidential Information: (a) is already known to the Receiving Party free of any restriction at the time it is obtained from the Disclosing Party, (b) is subsequently learned from an independent third party free of any restriction and without breach of this Agreement; (c) is or becomes publicly available through no wrongful act of the Receiving Party or any third party; (d) is independently developed by or for the Receiving Party without reference to or use of any Confidential Information of the Disclosing Party; or (e) is required to be disclosed pursuant to an applicable law, rule, regulation, government requirement or court order, or the rules of any stock exchange (provided, however, that the Receiving Party shall advise the Disclosing Party of such required disclosure promptly upon learning thereof in order to afford the Disclosing Party a reasonable opportunity to contest, limit and/or assist the Receiving Party in crafting such disclosure). |
(d) | The Receiving Party shall advise its employees, agents, contractors, subcontractors and licensees, and shall require its agents and affiliates to advise their employees, agents, contractors, subcontractors and licensees, of the Receiving Party’s obligations of confidentiality and non-use under this Article 18, and shall be responsible for ensuring compliance by its and its affiliates’ employees, agents, consultants, contractors, subcontractors and licensees with such obligations. In addition, the Receiving Party shall require all persons that are provided access to the Disclosing Party’s Confidential Information, other than the Receiving Party’s accountants and legal counsel, to execute confidentiality or non-disclosure agreements containing provisions substantially similar to those set forth in this Article 18. The Receiving Party shall promptly notify the Disclosing Party in writing upon learning of any unauthorized disclosure or use of the Disclosing Party’s Confidential Information by such persons. |
(e) | Upon the Disclosing Party’s written request following the termination of this Agreement, the Receiving Party promptly shall return to the Disclosing Party, or destroy, all Confidential Information of the Disclosing Party provided under or in connection with this Agreement, including all copies, portions and summaries thereof. Notwithstanding the foregoing sentence, (a) the Receiving Party may retain one copy of each item of the Disclosing Party’s Confidential Information for purposes of identifying and establishing its rights and obligations under this Agreement, for archival or audit purposes and/or to the extent required by applicable law, and (b) the Distributor shall have no obligation to return or destroy Confidential Information of the Trust that resides in save tapes of Distributor; provided, however, that in either case all such Confidential Information retained by the Receiving Party shall remain subject to the provisions of Article 18 for so long as it is so retained. If requested by the Disclosing Party, the Receiving Party shall certify in writing its compliance with the provisions of this paragraph. |
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article 19. Anti-Money Laundering. The Distributor represents that it has in place anti-money laundering procedures which comply with applicable law in jurisdictions in which Shares are distributed. The Distributor agrees to notify the Trust of any suspicious activity of which it becomes aware relating to transactions involving Shares. Upon reasonable request, the Distributor agrees to provide the Trust with documentation relating to its anti-money laundering policies and procedures.
article 20. Use of Name.
(a) | The Trust shall not use the name of the Distributor, or any of its affiliates, in any prospectus or statement of additional information, sales literature, and other material relating to the Trust in any manner without the prior written consent of the Distributor (which shall not be unreasonably withheld); provided, however, that the Distributor hereby approves all lawful uses of the names of the Distributor and its affiliates in the prospectus and statement of additional information of the Trust and in all other materials which merely refer in accurate terms to their appointment hereunder or which are required by applicable law, regulations or otherwise by the SEC, FINRA, or any state securities authority. |
(b) | Neither the Distributor nor any of its affiliates shall use the name of the Trust in any publicly disseminated materials, including sales literature, in any manner without the prior written consent of the Trust (which shall not be unreasonably withheld); provided, however, that the Trust hereby approves all lawful uses of its name in any required regulatory filings of the Distributor which merely refer in accurate terms to the appointment of the Distributor hereunder, or which are required by applicable law, regulations or otherwise by the SEC, FINRA, or any state securities authority. |
article 21. Insurance.
(a) | The Distributor agrees to maintain liability insurance coverage which is, in scope and amount, consistent with coverage customary in the industry for distribution activities similar to the distribution activities provided to the Trust hereunder. The Distributor shall notify the Trust upon receipt of any notice of material, adverse change in the terms or provisions of its insurance coverage that may materially and adversely affect the Trust’s rights hereunder. Such notification shall include the date of change and the reason or reasons therefore. The Distributor shall notify the Trust of any material claims against it, whether or not covered by insurance that may materially and adversely affect the Trust’s rights hereunder. |
(b) | The Trust hereby represents that it maintains adequate insurance coverage with respect to its responsibilities pursuant to this Agreement, including commercially reasonable fidelity bond(s), errors and omissions, directors and officers, professional liability insurance. The Distributor shall be included as an additional insured on the Trust’s commercial liability policies and shall be named as a loss payee on the Trust’s fidelity bond(s). All of the foregoing policies shall be issued by insurance companies having an “A minus” rating or better by A.M. Best Company or an equivalent Standard & Poor’s rating. The Trust shall furnish Certificates of Insurance evidencing all of the foregoing insurance coverages upon execution of this Agreement, and annually upon the written request of the Distributor. Annually upon the written request of the Distributor, the Trust shall provide insurance policy documentation evidencing the Trust’s “additional insured” status with respect to the Trust’s Commercial General Liability and “loss payee” status with respect to the Trust’s Fidelity Bond. The Trust shall promptly inform the Distributor of any material changes to its policies, endorsements or coverages. |
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article 22. Representations, Warranties and Covenants.
(a) | The Trust represents, warrants and covenants that: |
i. | it is duly organized, validly existing and in good standing under the laws of the state of its formation, and has all requisite power under the laws of such state and applicable federal law to conduct its business as now being conducted and to perform its obligations as contemplated by this Agreement; |
ii. | this Agreement has been duly authorized by the board of trustees of the Trust, including by unanimous affirmative vote of all of the independent directors of the Trust and, when executed and delivered by the Trust, will constitute a legal, valid and binding obligation of the Trust, enforceable against the Trust in accordance with its terms; |
iii. | it shall timely perform all obligations identified in this Agreement as obligations of the Trust, including, without limitation, providing the Distributor with all marketing materials reasonably requested by the Distributor and giving all necessary consents or approvals in good faith and within a timely manner; |
iv. | it is not a party to any, and there are no, pending or threatened legal, administrative, arbitral or other proceedings, claims, actions or governmental or regulatory investigations or inquiries (collectively, “Actions”) of any nature against it, its advisor or its properties or assets which could, individually or in the aggregate, have a material effect upon its business or financial condition, and there is no injunction, order, judgment, decree, or regulatory restriction imposed upon it or any of its properties or assets; |
v. | it is an investment company that is duly registered under all applicable laws and regulations, including, without limitation the 1940 Act, and each Fund is a separate series of the Trust; |
vi. | it is and will continue to be in compliance with all applicable laws and regulations aimed at the prevention and detection of money laundering and/or the financing of terrorism activities including Bank Secrecy Act, as amended by USA PATRIOT Act, U.S. Treasury Department, including the Office of Foreign Asset Control (“OFAC”), Financial Crimes and Enforcement Network (“FinCEN”) and the SEC |
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vii. | it has an anti-money laundering program (“AML Program”), that at minimum includes, (i) an AML compliance officer designated to administer and oversee the AML Program, (ii) ongoing training for appropriate personnel, (iii) internal controls and procedures reasonably designed to prevent and detect suspicious activity monitoring and terrorist financing activities; (iv) procedures to comply with know your customer requirements and to verify the identity of all customers; and (v) appropriate record keeping procedures; |
viii. | each Prospectus has been prepared in accordance with all applicable laws and regulations and, at the time such Prospectus was filed with the SEC and became effective, no Prospectus will include an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact that is required to be stated therein so as to make the statements contained in such Prospectus not misleading. As used in this Agreement, the term, “Prospectus” means any prospectus, registration statement, statement of additional information, proxy solicitation and tender offer materials, annual or other periodic report of the Trust or any Fund of the Trust or any advertising, marketing, shareholder communication, or promotional material generated by the Trust or an Adviser from time to time, as appropriate, including all amendments or supplements thereto and applicable law; |
ix. | it will notify the Distributor as soon as reasonably practical in advance of any matter which could materially affect the Distributor’s performance of its duties and obligations under this Agreement, including any amendment to the Prospectus; |
x. | it will provide Distributor with a copy of each Prospectus as soon as reasonably possible prior to or contemporaneously with filing the same with an applicable regulatory body; |
xi. | it shall fully cooperate with requests from government regulators and the Distributor for information relating to customers and/or transactions involving the Creation Units, as permitted by law, in order for the Distributor to comply with its regulatory obligations; and |
xii. | in the event it determines that it is in the interest of the Trust to suspend or terminate the sale of any Creation Units, the Trust shall promptly notify the Distributor of such fact in advance and in writing prior to the date on which the Trust desires to cease offering the Creation Units. |
(b) | Distributor hereby represents, warrants and covenants as follows: |
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i. |
it has full power, right and authority to execute and deliver this Agreement and to consummate the transactions contemplated hereby; the execution and delivery of this Agreement and the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby have been duly and validly approved by all requisite actions on its part, and no other proceedings on its part are necessary to approve this Agreement or to consummate the transactions contemplated hereby; this Agreement has been duly executed and delivered by it; this Agreement constitutes a legal, valid and binding obligation, enforceable against it in accordance with its terms;
ii.it has (a) conducted a review of its supervisory controls system and has made available to the Fund the most current report of such review and any updates thereto and (b) will make available to the Trust for inspection a report of any changes in how it conducts its business that would materially change the results of its most recent review of its supervisory controls system and any other changes to its business that would affect the business of the Trust or the Trust’s investment adviser;
iii. it (a) shall maintain in effect a business interruption plan, and enter into any agreements necessary with appropriate parties making reasonable provisions for emergency use of electronic data processing equipment customary in the industry and (b) take commercially reasonable steps to minimize service interruptions in the event of equipment failures at no additional expense to the Trust; | |
iv. | it is not a party to any, and there are no, pending or threatened Actions of any nature against it or its properties or assets which could, individually or in the aggregate, have a material effect upon its business or financial condition, and there is no injunction, order, judgment, decree, or regulatory restriction imposed specifically upon it or any of its properties or assets; |
v. | it is registered as a broker-dealer with the SEC under the 1934 Act and a member of FINRA in good standing; |
vi. | it shall not give any information or to make any representations other than those contained in the current Prospectus of the Trust filed with the SEC or contained in shareholder reports or other material that may be prepared by or on behalf of the Trust for the Distributor’s use; and |
vii. | it may prepare and distribute sales literature and other material as it may deem appropriate, provided that such literature and materials have been prepared in accordance with applicable rules and regulations. |
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Trust and Distributor have each duly executed this Agreement, as of the day and year above written.
RBB FUND, INC | QUASAR DISTRIBUTORS, LLC | |||
By: | By: | |||
Name: |
Name: James R. Schoenike | |||
Title: | Title: President |
MOTLEY FOOL ASSET MANAGEMENT, LLC
(with respect to Article 5 only)
By: | ||
Name: | ||
Title: |
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Schedule A
Series of The RBB Fund, Inc
Motley Fool 100 Index ETF |
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CUSTODY AGREEMENT
THIS AGREEMENT is made and entered into as of _______ by and between THE RBB FUND, INC., a Maryland corporation, (the “Trust”) and U.S. BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, a national banking association organized and existing under the laws of the United States of America (the “Custodian”).
WHEREAS, the Trust is registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”), as an open-end management investment company, and is authorized to issue shares of beneficial interest in separate series, with each such series representing interests in a separate portfolio of securities and other assets;
WHEREAS, the Custodian is a bank having the qualifications prescribed in Section 26(a)(1) of the 1940 Act; and
WHEREAS, the Trust desires to retain the Custodian to act as custodian of the cash and securities of each series of the Trust listed on Exhibit B hereto (as amended from time to time) (each a “Fund” and collectively, the “Funds”); and
WHEREAS, the Board of Trustees of the Trust has delegated to the Custodian the responsibilities set forth in Rule 17f-5(c) under the 1940 Act and the Custodian is willing to undertake the responsibilities and serve as the foreign custody manager for the Trust.
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the promises and mutual covenants herein contained, and other good and valuable consideration, the receipt of which is hereby acknowledged, the parties hereto, intending to be legally bound, do hereby agree as follows:
ARTICLE I
CERTAIN DEFINITIONS
Whenever used in this Agreement, the following words and phrases shall have the meanings set forth below unless the context otherwise requires:
1.01 “Authorized Person” means any Officer or person who has been designated as such by written notice and named in Exhibit A and delivered to the Custodian by the Trust, or if the Trust has notified the Custodian in writing that it has an authorized investment manager or other agent, delivered to the Custodian by the Trust’s investment advisor or other agent. Such Officer or person shall continue to be an Authorized Person until such time as the Custodian receives Written Instructions from the Trust or the Trust’s investment advisor or other agent that any such person is no longer an Authorized Person.
1.02 “Board of Trustees” shall mean the trustees from time to time serving under the Trust’s declaration of trust, as amended from time to time.
1.03 “Book-Entry System” shall mean a federal book-entry system as provided in Subpart O of Treasury Circular No. 300, 31 CFR 306, in Subpart B of 31 CFR Part 350, or in such book-entry regulations of federal agencies as are substantially in the form of such Subpart O.
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1.04 “Business Day” shall mean any day recognized as a settlement day by The New York Stock Exchange, Inc. and any other day for which the Trust computes the net asset value of Shares of the Fund.
1.05 “Eligible Foreign Custodian” has the meaning set forth in Rule 17f-5(a)(1), including a majority-owned or indirect subsidiary of a U.S. Bank (as defined in Rule 17f-5), a bank holding company meeting the requirements of an Eligible Foreign Custodian (as set forth in Rule 17f-5 or by other appropriate action of the SEC), or a foreign branch of a Bank (as defined in Section 2(a)(5) of the 1940 Act) meeting the requirements of a custodian under Section 17(f) of the 1940 Act; the term does not include any Eligible Securities Depository.
1.06 “Eligible Securities Depository” shall mean a system for the central handling of securities as that term is defined in Rule 17f-4 and 17f-7 under the 1940 Act.
1.07 “Foreign Securities” means any of the [Trust’s/Fund’s] investments (including foreign currencies) for which the primary market is outside the United States and such cash and cash equivalents as are reasonably necessary to effect the [Trust/Fund’s] transactions in such investments.
1.08 “Fund Custody Account” shall mean any of the accounts in the name of the Trust, which is provided for in Section 3.2 below.
1.09 “IRS” shall mean the Internal Revenue Service.
1.10 “FINRA” shall mean the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc.
1.11 “Officer” shall mean the Chairman, President, any Vice President, any Assistant Vice President, the Secretary, any Assistant Secretary, the Treasurer, or any Assistant Treasurer of the Trust.
1.12 “SEC” shall mean the Securities and Exchange Commission.
1.13 “Securities” shall include, without limitation, common and preferred stocks, bonds, call options, put options, debentures, notes, bank certificates of deposit, bankers' acceptances, mortgage-backed securities or other obligations, and any certificates, receipts, warrants or other instruments or documents representing rights to receive, purchase or subscribe for the same, or evidencing or representing any other rights or interests therein, or any similar property or assets that the Custodian or its agents have the facilities to clear and service.
1.14 “Securities Depository” shall mean The Depository Trust Company and any other clearing agency registered with the SEC under Section 17A of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “1934 Act”), which acts as a system for the central handling of Securities where all Securities of any particular class or series of an issuer deposited within the system are treated as fungible and may be transferred or pledged by bookkeeping entry without physical delivery of the Securities.
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1.15 “Shares” shall mean, with respect to a Fund, the units of beneficial interest issued by the Trust on account of the Fund.
1.16 “Sub-Custodian” shall mean and include (i) any branch of a “U.S. bank,” as that term is defined in Rule 17f-5 under the 1940 Act, and (ii) any “Eligible Foreign Custodian” having a contract with the Custodian which the Custodian has determined will provide reasonable care of assets of the Fund based on the standards specified in Section 3.3 below. Such contract shall be in writing and shall include provisions that provide: (i) for indemnification or insurance arrangements (or any combination of the foregoing) such that the Fund will be adequately protected against the risk of loss of assets held in accordance with such contract; (ii) that the Foreign Securities will not be subject to any right, charge, security interest, lien or claim of any kind in favor of the Sub-Custodian or its creditors except a claim of payment for their safe custody or administration, in the case of cash deposits, liens or rights in favor of creditors of the Sub-Custodian arising under bankruptcy, insolvency, or similar laws; (iii) that beneficial ownership for the Foreign Securities will be freely transferable without the payment of money or value other than for safe custody or administration; (iv) that adequate records will be maintained identifying the assets as belonging to the Fund or as being held by a third party for the benefit of the Fund; (v) that the Fund’s independent public accountants will be given access to those records or confirmation of the contents of those records; and (vi) that the Fund will receive periodic reports with respect to the safekeeping of the Fund’s assets, including, but not limited to, notification of any transfer to or from a Fund's account or a third party account containing assets held for the benefit of the Fund. Such contract may contain, in lieu of any or all of the provisions specified in (i)-(vi) above, such other provisions that the Custodian determines will provide, in their entirety, the same or a greater level of care and protection for Fund assets as the specified provisions.
1.17 “Written Instructions” shall mean (i) written communications actually received by the Custodian and signed by an Authorized Person, (ii) communications by facsimile or Internet electronic e-mail or any other such system from one or more persons reasonably believed by the Custodian to be an Authorized Person.
ARTICLE II.
APPOINTMENT OF CUSTODIAN
2.01 Appointment. The Trust hereby appoints the Custodian as custodian of all Securities and cash owned by or in the possession of the Fund at any time during the period of this Agreement, on the terms and conditions set forth in this Agreement, and the Custodian hereby accepts such appointment and agrees to perform the services and duties set forth in this Agreement. The Trust hereby delegates to the Custodian, subject to Rule 17f-5(b), the responsibilities with respect to the Fund’s Foreign Securities, and the Custodian hereby accepts such delegation as foreign custody manager with respect to the Fund. The services and duties of the Custodian shall be confined to those matters expressly set forth herein, and no implied duties are assumed by or may be asserted against the Custodian hereunder.
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2.02 Documents to be Furnished. The following documents, including any amendments thereto, will be provided contemporaneously with the execution of the Agreement to the Custodian by the Trust:
(a) | A copy of the Trust’s declaration of trust, certified by the Secretary; |
(b) | A copy of the Trust’s bylaws, certified by the Secretary; |
(c) | A copy of the resolutions of the Board of Trustees of the Trust appointing the Custodian, certified by the Secretary; |
(d) | A copy of the current prospectuses and statements of additional information of the Trust (the “Prospectus”); |
(e) | A certification of the Chairman or the President and the Secretary of the Trust setting forth the names and signatures of the current Officers of the Trust and other Authorized Persons; and |
(f) | An executed authorization required by the Shareholder Communications Act of 1985, attached hereto as Exhibit D. |
2.03 Notice of Appointment of Transfer Agent. The Trust agrees to notify the Custodian in writing of the appointment, termination or change in appointment of any transfer agent of the Fund.
ARTICLE III.
CUSTODY OF CASH AND SECURITIES
3.01 Segregation. All Securities and non-cash property held by the Custodian for the account of the Fund (other than Securities maintained in a Securities Depository, Eligible Securities Depository or Book-Entry System) shall be physically segregated from other Securities and non-cash property in the possession of the Custodian (including the Securities and non-cash property of the other series of the Trust, if applicable) and shall be identified as subject to this Agreement.
3.02 Fund Custody Accounts. As to each Fund, the Custodian shall open and maintain in its trust department a custody account in the name of the Trust coupled with the name of the Fund, subject only to draft or order of the Custodian, in which the Custodian shall enter and carry all Securities, cash and other assets of such Fund which are delivered to it.
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3.03 Appointment of Agents.
(a) | In its discretion, the Custodian may appoint one or more Sub-Custodians to establish and maintain arrangements with (i) Eligible Securities Depositories or (ii) Eligible Foreign Custodians who are members of the Sub-Custodian’s network to hold Securities and cash of the Fund and to carry out such other provisions of this Agreement as it may determine; provided, however, that the appointment of any such agents and maintenance of any Securities and cash of the Fund shall be at the Custodian's expense and shall not relieve the Custodian of any of its obligations or liabilities under this Agreement. The Custodian shall be liable for the actions of any Sub-Custodians (regardless of whether assets are maintained in the custody of a Sub-Custodian, a member of its network or an Eligible Securities Depository) appointed by it as if such actions had been done by the Custodian. |
(b) | If, after the initial appointment of Sub-Custodians by the Board of Trustees in connection with this Agreement, the Custodian wishes to appoint other Sub-Custodians to hold property of the Fund, it will so notify the Trust and make the necessary determinations as to any such new Sub-Custodian's eligibility under Rule 17f-5 under the 1940 Act. |
(c) | In performing its delegated responsibilities as foreign custody manager to place or maintain the Fund’s assets with a Sub-Custodian, the Custodian will determine that the Fund’s assets will be subject to reasonable care, based on the standards applicable to custodians in the country in which the Fund’s assets will be held by that Sub-Custodian, after considering all factors relevant to safekeeping of such assets, including, without limitation the factors specified in Rule 17f-5(c)(1). |
(d) | The agreement between the Custodian and each Sub-Custodian acting hereunder shall contain the required provisions set forth in Rule 17f-5(c)(2) under the 1940 Act. |
(e) | At the end of each calendar quarter, the Custodian shall provide written reports notifying the Board of Trustees of the withdrawal or placement of the Securities and cash of the Fund with a Sub-Custodian and of any material changes in the Fund’s arrangements. Such reports shall include an analysis of the custody risks associated with maintaining assets with any Eligible Securities Depositories. The Custodian shall promptly take such steps as may be required to withdraw assets of the Fund from any Sub-Custodian arrangement that has ceased to meet the requirements of Rule 17f-5 or Rule 17f-7 under the 1940 Act, as applicable. |
(f) | With respect to its responsibilities under this Section 3.3, the Custodian hereby warrants to the Trust that it agrees to exercise reasonable care, prudence and diligence such as a person having responsibility for the safekeeping of property of the Fund. The Custodian further warrants that the Fund's assets will be subject to reasonable care if maintained with a Sub-Custodian, after considering all factors relevant to the safekeeping of such assets, including, without limitation: (i) the Sub-Custodian's practices, procedures, and internal controls for certificated securities (if applicable), its method of keeping custodial records, and its security and data protection practices; (ii) whether the Sub-Custodian has the requisite financial strength to provide reasonable care for Fund assets; (iii) the Sub-Custodian's general reputation and standing and, in the case of a Securities Depository, the Securities Depository's operating history and number of participants; and (iv) whether the Fund will have jurisdiction over and be able to enforce judgments against the Sub-Custodian, such as by virtue of the existence of any offices of the Sub-Custodian in the United States or the Sub-Custodian's consent to service of process in the United States. |
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(g) | The Custodian shall establish a system or ensure that its Sub-Custodian has established a system to monitor on a continuing basis (i) the appropriateness of maintaining the Fund’s assets with a Sub-Custodian or Eligible Foreign Custodians who are members of a Sub-Custodian’s network; (ii) the performance of the contract governing the Fund’s arrangements with such Sub-Custodian or Eligible Foreign Custodian’s members of a Sub-Custodian’s network; and (iii) the custody risks of maintaining assets with an Eligible Securities Depository. The Custodian must promptly notify the Fund or its investment adviser of any material change in these risks. |
(h) | The Custodian shall use commercially reasonable efforts to collect all income and other payments with respect to Foreign Securities to which the Fund shall be entitled and shall credit such income, as collected, to the Trust. In the event that extraordinary measures are required to collect such income, the Trust and Custodian shall consult as to the measures and as to the compensation and expenses of the Custodian relating to such measures. |
3.04 Delivery of Assets to Custodian. The Trust shall deliver, or cause to be delivered, to the Custodian all of the Fund's Securities, cash and other investment assets, including (i) all payments of income, payments of principal and capital distributions received by the Fund with respect to such Securities, cash or other assets owned by the Fund at any time during the period of this Agreement, and (ii) all cash received by the Fund for the issuance of Shares. The Custodian shall not be responsible for such Securities, cash or other assets until actually received by it.
3.05 Securities Depositories and Book-Entry Systems. The Custodian may deposit and/or maintain Securities of the Fund in a Securities Depository or in a Book-Entry System, subject to the following provisions:
(a) | The Custodian, on an on-going basis, shall deposit in a Securities Depository or Book-Entry System all Securities eligible for deposit therein and shall make use of such Securities Depository or Book-Entry System to the extent possible and practical in connection with its performance hereunder, including, without limitation, in connection with settlements of purchases and sales of Securities, loans of Securities, and deliveries and returns of collateral consisting of Securities. |
(b) | Securities of the Fund kept in a Book-Entry System or Securities Depository shall be kept in an account (“Depository Account”) of the Custodian in such Book-Entry System or Securities Depository which includes only assets held by the Custodian as a fiduciary, custodian or otherwise for customers. |
(c) | The records of the Custodian with respect to Securities of the Fund maintained in a Book-Entry System or Securities Depository shall, by book-entry, identify such Securities as belonging to the Fund. |
(d) | If Securities purchased by the Fund are to be held in a Book-Entry System or Securities Depository, the Custodian shall pay for such Securities upon (i) receipt of advice from the Book-Entry System or Securities Depository that such Securities have been transferred to the Depository Account, and (ii) the making of an entry on the records of the Custodian to reflect such payment and transfer for the account of the Fund. If Securities sold by the Fund are held in a Book-Entry System or Securities Depository, the Custodian shall transfer such Securities upon (i) receipt of advice from the Book-Entry System or Securities Depository that payment for such Securities has been transferred to the Depository Account, and (ii) the making of an entry on the records of the Custodian to reflect such transfer and payment for the account of the Fund. |
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(e) | The Custodian shall provide the Trust with copies of any report (obtained by the Custodian from a Book-Entry System or Securities Depository in which Securities of the Fund are kept) on the internal accounting controls and procedures for safeguarding Securities deposited in such Book-Entry System or Securities Depository. |
(f) | Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement, the Custodian shall be liable to the Trust for any loss or damage to the Fund resulting from (i) the use of a Book-Entry System or Securities Depository by reason of any negligence or willful misconduct on the part of the Custodian or any Sub-Custodian, or (ii) failure of the Custodian or any Sub-Custodian to enforce effectively such rights as it may have against a Book-Entry System or Securities Depository. At its election, the Trust shall be subrogated to the rights of the Custodian with respect to any claim against a Book-Entry System or Securities Depository or any other person from any loss or damage to the Fund arising from the use of such Book-Entry System or Securities Depository, if and to the extent that the Fund has not been made whole for any such loss or damage. |
(g) | With respect to its responsibilities under this Section 3.05 and pursuant to Rule 17f-4 under the 1940 Act, the Custodian hereby warrants to the Trust that it agrees to (i) exercise due care in accordance with reasonable commercial standards in discharging its duty as a securities intermediary to obtain and thereafter maintain such assets, (ii) provide, promptly upon request by the Trust, such reports as are available concerning the Custodian’s internal accounting controls and financial strength, and (iii) require any Sub-Custodian to exercise due care in accordance with reasonable commercial standards in discharging its duty as a securities intermediary to obtain and thereafter maintain assets corresponding to the security entitlements of its entitlement holders. |
3.06 Disbursement of Moneys from Fund Custody Account. Upon receipt of Written Instructions, the Custodian shall disburse moneys from the Fund Custody Account but only in the following cases:
(a) | For the purchase of Securities for the Fund but only in accordance with Section 4.01 of this Agreement and only (i) in the case of Securities (other than options on Securities, futures contracts and options on futures contracts), against the delivery to the Custodian (or any Sub-Custodian) of such Securities registered as provided in Section 3.09 below or in proper form for transfer, or if the purchase of such Securities is effected through a Book-Entry System or Securities Depository, in accordance with the conditions set forth in Section 3.05 above; (ii) in the case of options on Securities, against delivery to the Custodian (or any Sub-Custodian) of such receipts as are required by the customs prevailing among dealers in such options; (iii) in the case of futures contracts and options on futures contracts, against delivery to the Custodian (or any Sub-Custodian) of evidence of title thereto in favor of the Fund or any nominee referred to in Section 3.09 below; and (iv) in the case of repurchase or reverse repurchase agreements entered into between the Trust and a bank which is a member of the Federal Reserve System or between the Trust and a primary dealer in U.S. Government securities, against delivery of the purchased Securities either in certificate form or through an entry crediting the Custodian's account at a Book-Entry System or Securities Depository with such Securities; |
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(b) | In connection with the conversion, exchange or surrender, as set forth in Section 3.07(f) below, of Securities owned by the Fund; |
(c) | For the payment of any dividends or capital gain distributions declared by the Fund; |
(d) | In payment of the redemption price of Shares as provided in Section 5.01 below; |
(e) | For the payment of any expense or liability incurred by the Fund, including, but not limited to, the following payments for the account of the Fund: interest; taxes; administration, investment advisory, accounting, auditing, transfer agent, custodian, trustee and legal fees; and other operating expenses of the Fund; in all cases, whether or not such expenses are to be in whole or in part capitalized or treated as deferred expenses; |
(f) | For transfer in accordance with the provisions of any agreement among the Trust, the Custodian and a broker-dealer registered under the 1934 Act and a member of FINRA, relating to compliance with rules of the Options Clearing Corporation and of any registered national securities exchange (or of any similar organization or organizations) regarding escrow or other arrangements in connection with transactions by the Fund; |
(g) | For transfer in accordance with the provisions of any agreement among the Trust, the Custodian and a futures commission merchant registered under the Commodity Exchange Act, relating to compliance with the rules of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission and/or any contract market (or any similar organization or organizations) regarding account deposits in connection with transactions by the Fund; |
(h) | For the funding of any uncertificated time deposit or other interest-bearing account with any banking institution (including the Custodian), which deposit or account has a term of one year or less; and |
(i) | For any other proper purpose, but only upon receipt of Written Instructions, specifying the amount and purpose of such payment, declaring such purpose to be a proper trust purpose, and naming the person or persons to whom such payment is to be made. |
3.07 Delivery of Securities from Fund Custody Account. Upon receipt of Written Instructions, the Custodian shall release and deliver, or cause the Sub-Custodian to release and deliver, Securities from the Fund Custody Account but only in the following cases:
(a) | Upon the sale of Securities for the account of the Fund but only against receipt of payment therefor in cash, by certified or cashier’s check or bank credit; |
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(b) | In the case of a sale effected through a Book-Entry System or Securities Depository, in accordance with the provisions of Section 3.05 above; |
(c) | To an offeror’s depository agent in connection with tender or other similar offers for Securities of the Fund; provided that, in any such case, the cash or other consideration is to be delivered to the Custodian; |
(d) | To the issuer thereof or its agent (i) for transfer into the name of the Fund, the Custodian or any Sub-Custodian, or any nominee or nominees of any of the foregoing, or (ii) for exchange for a different number of certificates or other evidence representing the same aggregate face amount or number of units; provided that, in any such case, the new Securities are to be delivered to the Custodian; |
(e) | To the broker selling the Securities, for examination in accordance with the “street delivery” custom; |
(f) | For exchange or conversion pursuant to any plan of merger, consolidation, recapitalization, reorganization or readjustment of the issuer of such Securities, or pursuant to provisions for conversion contained in such Securities, or pursuant to any deposit agreement, including surrender or receipt of underlying Securities in connection with the issuance or cancellation of depository receipts; provided that, in any such case, the new Securities and cash, if any, are to be delivered to the Custodian; |
(g) | Upon receipt of payment therefor pursuant to any repurchase or reverse repurchase agreement entered into by the Fund; |
(h) | In the case of warrants, rights or similar Securities, upon the exercise thereof, provided that, in any such case, the new Securities and cash, if any, are to be delivered to the Custodian; |
(i) | For delivery in connection with any loans of Securities of the Fund, but only against receipt of such collateral as the Trust shall have specified to the Custodian in Written Instructions; |
(j) | For delivery as security in connection with any borrowings by the Fund requiring a pledge of assets by the Trust, but only against receipt by the Custodian of the amounts borrowed; |
(k) | Pursuant to any authorized plan of liquidation, reorganization, merger, consolidation or recapitalization of the Trust; |
(l) | For delivery in accordance with the provisions of any agreement among the Trust, the Custodian and a broker-dealer registered under the 1934 Act and a member of FINRA, relating to compliance with the rules of the Options Clearing Corporation and of any registered national securities exchange (or of any similar organization or organizations) regarding escrow or other arrangements in connection with transactions by the Fund; |
(m) | For delivery in accordance with the provisions of any agreement among the Trust, the Custodian and a futures commission merchant registered under the Commodity Exchange Act, relating to compliance with the rules of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission and/or any contract market (or any similar organization or organizations) regarding account deposits in connection with transactions by the Fund; |
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(n) | For any other proper trust purpose, but only upon receipt of Written Instructions, specifying the Securities to be delivered, setting forth the purpose for which such delivery is to be made, declaring such purpose to be a proper trust purpose, and naming the person or persons to whom delivery of such Securities shall be made; or |
(o) | To brokers, clearing banks or other clearing agents for examination or trade execution in accordance with market custom; provided that in any such case the Custodian shall have no responsibility or liability for any loss arising from the delivery of such securities prior to receiving payment for such securities except as may arise from the Custodian’s own negligence or willful misconduct. |
3.08 Actions Not Requiring Written Instructions. Unless otherwise instructed by the Trust, the Custodian shall with respect to all Securities held for the Fund:
(a) | Subject to Section 9.04 below, collect on a timely basis all income and other payments to which the Fund is entitled either by law or pursuant to custom in the securities business; |
(b) | Present for payment and, subject to Section 9.04 below, collect on a timely basis the amount payable upon all Securities which may mature or be called, redeemed, or retired, or otherwise become payable; |
(c) | Endorse for collection, in the name of the Fund, checks, drafts and other negotiable instruments; |
(d) | Surrender interim receipts or Securities in temporary form for Securities in definitive form; |
(e) | Execute, as custodian, any necessary declarations or certificates of ownership under the federal income tax laws or the laws or regulations of any other taxing authority now or hereafter in effect, and prepare and submit reports to the IRS and the Trust at such time, in such manner and containing such information as is prescribed by the IRS; |
(f) | Hold for the Fund, either directly or, with respect to Securities held therein, through a Book-Entry System or Securities Depository, all rights and similar Securities issued with respect to Securities of the Fund; and |
(g) | In general, and except as otherwise directed in Written Instructions, attend to all non-discretionary details in connection with the sale, exchange, substitution, purchase, transfer and other dealings with Securities and other assets of the Fund. |
3.09 Registration and Transfer of Securities. All Securities held for the Fund that are issued or issuable only in bearer form shall be held by the Custodian in that form, provided that any such Securities shall be held in a Book-Entry System if eligible therefor. All other Securities held for the Fund may be registered in the name of the Fund, the Custodian, a Sub-Custodian or any nominee thereof, or in the name of a Book-Entry System, Securities Depository or any nominee of either thereof. The records of the Custodian with respect to foreign securities of the Fund that are maintained with a Sub-Custodian in an account that is identified as belonging to the Custodian for the benefit of its customers shall identify those securities as belonging to the Fund. The Trust shall furnish to the Custodian appropriate instruments to enable the Custodian to hold or deliver in proper form for transfer, or to register in the name of any of the nominees referred to above or in the name of a Book-Entry System or Securities Depository, any Securities registered in the name of the Fund.
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3.10 Records.
(a) | The Custodian shall maintain complete and accurate records with respect to Securities, cash or other property held for the Fund, including (i) journals or other records of original entry containing an itemized daily record in detail of all receipts and deliveries of Securities and all receipts and disbursements of cash; (ii) ledgers (or other records) reflecting (A) Securities in transfer, (B) Securities in physical possession, (C) monies and Securities borrowed and monies and Securities loaned (together with a record of the collateral therefor and substitutions of such collateral), (D) dividends and interest received, and (E) dividends receivable and interest receivable; (iii) canceled checks and bank records related thereto; and (iv) all records relating to its activities and obligations under this Agreement. The Custodian shall keep such other books and records of the Fund as the Trust shall reasonably request, or as may be required by the 1940 Act, including, but not limited to, Section 31 of the 1940 Act and Rule 31a-2 promulgated thereunder. |
(b) | All such books and records maintained by the Custodian shall (i) be maintained in a form acceptable to the Trust and in compliance with the rules and regulations of the SEC, (ii) be the property of the Trust and at all times during the regular business hours of the Custodian be made available upon request for inspection by duly authorized officers, employees or agents of the Trust and employees or agents of the SEC, and (iii) if required to be maintained by Rule 31a-1 under the 1940 Act, be preserved for the periods prescribed in Rules 31a-1 and 31a-2 under the 1940 Act. |
3.11 Fund Reports by Custodian. The Custodian shall furnish the Trust with a daily activity statement and a summary of all transfers to or from each Fund Custody Account on the day following such transfers. At least monthly, the Custodian shall furnish the Trust with a detailed statement of the Securities and moneys held by the Custodian and the Sub-Custodians for the Fund under this Agreement.
3.12 Other Reports by Custodian. As the Trust may reasonably request from time to time, the Custodian shall provide the Trust with reports on the internal accounting controls and procedures for safeguarding Securities which are employed by the Custodian or any Sub-Custodian.
3.13 Proxies and Other Materials. The Custodian shall cause all proxies relating to Securities which are not registered in the name of the Fund to be promptly executed by the registered holder of such Securities, without indication of the manner in which such proxies are to be voted, and shall promptly deliver to the Trust such proxies, all proxy soliciting materials and all notices relating to such Securities. With respect to the foreign Securities, the Custodian will use reasonable commercial efforts to facilitate the exercise of voting and other shareholder rights, subject to the laws, regulations and practical constraints that may exist in the country where such securities are issued. The Trust acknowledges that local conditions, including lack of regulation, onerous procedural obligations, lack of notice and other factors may have the effect of severely limiting the ability of the Trust to exercise shareholder rights.
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3.14 Information on Corporate Actions. The Custodian shall promptly deliver to the Trust all information received by the Custodian and pertaining to Securities being held by the Fund with respect to optional tender or exchange offers, calls for redemption or purchase, or expiration of rights. If the Trust desires to take action with respect to any tender offer, exchange offer or other similar transaction, the Trust shall notify the Custodian at least three Business Days prior to the date on which the Custodian is to take such action. The Trust will provide or cause to be provided to the Custodian all relevant information for any Security which has unique put/option provisions at least three Business Days prior to the beginning date of the tender period.
ARTICLE IV.
PURCHASE AND SALE OF INVESTMENTS OF THE FUND
4.01 Purchase of Securities. Promptly upon each purchase of Securities for the Fund, Written Instructions shall be delivered to the Custodian, specifying (i) the name of the issuer or writer of such Securities, and the title or other description thereof, (ii) the number of shares, principal amount (and accrued interest, if any) or other units purchased, (iii) the date of purchase and settlement, (iv) the purchase price per unit, (v) the total amount payable upon such purchase, and (vi) the name of the person to whom such amount is payable. The Custodian shall upon receipt of such Securities purchased by the Fund pay out of the moneys held for the account of the Fund the total amount specified in such Written Instructions to the person named therein. The Custodian shall not be under any obligation to pay out moneys to cover the cost of a purchase of Securities for the Fund, if in the Fund Custody Account there is insufficient cash available to the Fund for which such purchase was made.
4.02 Liability for Payment in Advance of Receipt of Securities Purchased. In any and every case where payment for the purchase of Securities for the Fund is made by the Custodian in advance of receipt of the Securities purchased and in the absence of specified Written Instructions to so pay in advance, the Custodian shall be liable to the Fund for such payment.
4.03 Sale of Securities. Promptly upon each sale of Securities by the Fund, Written Instructions shall be delivered to the Custodian, specifying (i) the name of the issuer or writer of such Securities, and the title or other description thereof, (ii) the number of shares, principal amount (and accrued interest, if any), or other units sold, (iii) the date of sale and settlement, (iv) the sale price per unit, (v) the total amount payable upon such sale, and (vi) the person to whom such Securities are to be delivered. Upon receipt of the total amount payable to the Fund as specified in such Written Instructions, the Custodian shall deliver such Securities to the person specified in such Written Instructions. Subject to the foregoing, the Custodian may accept payment in such form as shall be satisfactory to it, and may deliver Securities and arrange for payment in accordance with the customs prevailing among dealers in Securities.
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4.04 Delivery of Securities Sold. Notwithstanding Section 4.03 above or any other provision of this Agreement, the Custodian, when instructed to deliver Securities against payment, shall be entitled, if in accordance with generally accepted market practice, to deliver such Securities prior to actual receipt of final payment therefor. In any such case, the Fund shall bear the risk that final payment for such Securities may not be made or that such Securities may be returned or otherwise held or disposed of by or through the person to whom they were delivered, and the Custodian shall have no liability for any for the foregoing.
4.05 Payment for Securities Sold. In its sole discretion and from time to time, the Custodian may credit the Fund Custody Account, prior to actual receipt of final payment thereof, with (i) proceeds from the sale of Securities which it has been instructed to deliver against payment, (ii) proceeds from the redemption of Securities or other assets of the Fund, and (iii) income from cash, Securities or other assets of the Fund. Any such credit shall be conditional upon actual receipt by Custodian of final payment and may be reversed if final payment is not actually received in full. The Custodian may, in its sole discretion and from time to time, permit the Fund to use funds so credited to the Fund Custody Account in anticipation of actual receipt of final payment. Any such funds shall be repayable immediately upon demand made by the Custodian at any time prior to the actual receipt of all final payments in anticipation of which funds were credited to the Fund Custody Account.
4.06 Advances by Custodian for Settlement. The Custodian may, in its sole discretion and from time to time, advance funds to the Trust to facilitate the settlement of a Fund's transactions in the Fund Custody Account. Any such advance shall be repayable immediately upon demand made by Custodian.
ARTICLE V.
REDEMPTION OF FUND SHARES
5.01 Transfer of Funds. From such funds as may be available for the purpose in the relevant Fund Custody Account, and upon receipt of Written Instructions specifying that the funds are required to redeem Shares of the Fund, the Custodian shall wire each amount specified in such Written Instructions to or through such bank or broker-dealer as the Trust may designate.
5.02 No Duty Regarding Paying Banks. Once the Custodian has wired amounts to a bank or broker-dealer pursuant to Section 5.01 above, the Custodian shall not be under any obligation to effect any further payment or distribution by such bank or broker-dealer.
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ARTICLE VI.
SEGREGATED ACCOUNTS
Upon receipt of Written Instructions, the Custodian shall establish and maintain a segregated account or accounts for and on behalf of the Fund, into which account or accounts may be transferred cash and/or Securities, including Securities maintained in a Depository Account:
(a) | in accordance with the provisions of any agreement among the Trust, the Custodian and a broker-dealer registered under the 1934 Act and a member of FINRA (or any futures commission merchant registered under the Commodity Exchange Act), relating to compliance with the rules of the Options Clearing Corporation and of any registered national securities exchange (or the Commodity Futures Trading Commission or any registered contract market), or of any similar organization or organizations, regarding escrow or other arrangements in connection with transactions by the Fund; |
(b) | for purposes of segregating cash or Securities in connection with securities options purchased or written by the Fund or in connection with financial futures contracts (or options thereon) purchased or sold by the Fund; |
(c) | which constitute collateral for loans of Securities made by the Fund; |
(d) | for purposes of compliance by the Fund with requirements under the 1940 Act for the maintenance of segregated accounts by registered investment companies in connection with reverse repurchase agreements and when-issued, delayed delivery and firm commitment transactions; and |
(e) | for other proper trust purposes, but only upon receipt of Written Instructions, setting forth the purpose or purposes of such segregated account and declaring such purposes to be proper trust purposes. |
Each segregated account established under this Article VI shall be established and maintained for the Fund only. All Written Instructions relating to a segregated account shall specify the Fund.
ARTICLE VII.
COMPENSATION OF CUSTODIAN
7.01 Compensation. The Custodian shall be compensated for providing the services set forth in this Agreement in accordance with the fee schedule set forth on Exhibit C hereto (as amended from time to time). The Custodian shall also be reimbursed for such miscellaneous expenses (e.g., telecommunication charges, postage and delivery charges, and reproduction charges) as are reasonably incurred by the Custodian in performing its duties hereunder. The Trust shall pay all such fees and reimbursable expenses within 30 calendar days following receipt of the billing notice, except for any fee or expense subject to a good faith dispute. The Trust shall notify the Custodian in writing within 30 calendar days following receipt of each invoice if the Trust is disputing any amounts in good faith. The Trust shall pay such disputed amounts within 10 calendar days of the day on which the parties agree to the amount to be paid. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary, amounts owed by the Trust to the Custodian shall only be paid out of the assets and property of the particular Fund involved.
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7.02 Overdrafts. The Trust is responsible for maintaining an appropriate level of short term cash investments to accommodate cash outflows. The Trust may obtain a formal line of credit for potential overdrafts of its custody account. In the event of an overdraft or in the event the line of credit is insufficient to cover an overdraft, the overdraft amount or the overdraft amount that exceeds the line of credit will be charged in accordance with the fee schedule set forth on Exhibit C hereto (as amended from time to time).
ARTICLE VIII.
REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES
8.01 Representations and Warranties of the Trust. The Trust hereby represents and warrants to the Custodian, which representations and warranties shall be deemed to be continuing throughout the term of this Agreement, that:
(a) | It is duly organized and existing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its organization, with full power to carry on its business as now conducted, to enter into this Agreement and to perform its obligations hereunder; |
(b) | This Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Trust in accordance with all requisite action and constitutes a valid and legally binding obligation of the Trust, enforceable in accordance with its terms, subject to bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium and other laws of general application affecting the rights and remedies of creditors and secured parties; and |
(c) | It is conducting its business in compliance in all material respects with all applicable laws and regulations, both state and federal, and has obtained all regulatory approvals necessary to carry on its business as now conducted; there is no statute, rule, regulation, order or judgment binding on it and no provision of its charter, bylaws or any contract binding it or affecting its property which would prohibit its execution or performance of this Agreement. |
8.02 Representations and Warranties of the Custodian. The Custodian hereby represents and warrants to the Trust, which representations and warranties shall be deemed to be continuing throughout the term of this Agreement, that:
(a) | It is duly organized and existing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its organization, with full power to carry on its business as now conducted, to enter into this Agreement and to perform its obligations hereunder; |
(b) | It is a U.S. Bank as defined in section (a)(7) of Rule 17f-5. |
(c) | This Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Custodian in accordance with all requisite action and constitutes a valid and legally binding obligation of the Custodian, enforceable in accordance with its terms, subject to bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium and other laws of general application affecting the rights and remedies of creditors and secured parties; and |
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(d) | It is conducting its business in compliance in all material respects with all applicable laws and regulations, both state and federal, and has obtained all regulatory approvals necessary to carry on its business as now conducted; there is no statute, rule, regulation, order or judgment binding on it and no provision of its charter, bylaws or any contract binding it or affecting its property which would prohibit its execution or performance of this Agreement. |
ARTICLE IX.
CONCERNING THE CUSTODIAN
9.01 Standard of Care. The Custodian shall exercise reasonable care in the performance of its duties under this Agreement. The Custodian shall not be liable for any error of judgment or mistake of law or for any loss suffered by the Trust in connection with its duties under this Agreement, except a loss arising out of or relating to the Custodian’s (or a Sub-Custodian’s) refusal or failure to comply with the terms of this Agreement (or any sub-custody agreement) or from its (or a Sub-Custodian’s) bad faith, negligence or willful misconduct in the performance of its duties under this Agreement (or any sub-custody agreement). The Custodian shall be entitled to rely on and may act upon advice of counsel on all matters, and shall be without liability for any action reasonably taken or omitted pursuant to such advice. The Custodian shall promptly notify the Trust of any action taken or omitted by the Custodian pursuant to advice of counsel.
9.02 Actual Collection Required. The Custodian shall not be liable for, or considered to be the custodian of, any cash belonging to the Fund or any money represented by a check, draft or other instrument for the payment of money, until the Custodian or its agents actually receive such cash or collect on such instrument.
9.03 No Responsibility for Title, etc. So long as and to the extent that it is in the exercise of reasonable care, the Custodian shall not be responsible for the title, validity or genuineness of any property or evidence of title thereto received or delivered by it pursuant to this Agreement.
9.04 Limitation on Duty to Collect. Custodian shall not be required to enforce collection, by legal means or otherwise, of any money or property due and payable with respect to Securities held for the Fund if such Securities are in default or payment is not made after due demand or presentation.
9.05 Reliance Upon Documents and Instructions. The Custodian shall be entitled to rely upon any certificate, notice or other instrument in writing received by it and reasonably believed by it to be genuine. The Custodian shall be entitled to rely upon any Written Instructions actually received by it pursuant to this Agreement.
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9.06 Cooperation. The Custodian shall cooperate with and supply necessary information to the entity or entities appointed by the Trust to keep the books of account of the Fund and/or compute the value of the assets of the Fund. The Custodian shall take all such reasonable actions as the Trust may from time to time request to enable the Trust to obtain, from year to year, favorable opinions from the Trust's independent accountants with respect to the Custodian's activities hereunder in connection with (i) the preparation of the Trust's reports on Form N-1A and Form N-SAR and any other reports required by the SEC, and (ii) the fulfillment by the Trust of any other requirements of the SEC.
ARTICLE X.
INDEMNIFICATION
10.01 Indemnification by Trust. The Trust shall indemnify and hold harmless the Custodian, any Sub-Custodian and any nominee thereof (each, an “Indemnified Party” and collectively, the “Indemnified Parties”) from and against any and all claims, demands, losses, expenses and liabilities of any and every nature (including reasonable attorneys' fees) that an Indemnified Party may sustain or incur or that may be asserted against an Indemnified Party by any person arising directly or indirectly (i) from the fact that Securities are registered in the name of any such nominee, (ii) from any action taken or omitted to be taken by the Custodian or such Sub-Custodian (a) at the request or direction of or in reliance on the advice of the Trust, or (b) upon Written Instructions, or (iii) from the performance of its obligations under this Agreement or any sub-custody agreement, provided that neither the Custodian nor any such Sub-Custodian shall be indemnified and held harmless from and against any such claim, demand, loss, expense or liability arising out of or relating to its refusal or failure to comply with the terms of this Agreement (or any sub-custody agreement), or from its bad faith, negligence or willful misconduct in the performance of its duties under this Agreement (or any sub-custody agreement). This indemnity shall be a continuing obligation of the Trust, its successors and assigns, notwithstanding the termination of this Agreement. As used in this paragraph, the terms “Custodian” and “Sub-Custodian” shall include their respective directors, officers and employees.
10.02 Indemnification by Custodian. The Custodian shall indemnify and hold harmless the Trust from and against any and all claims, demands, losses, expenses, and liabilities of any and every nature (including reasonable attorneys’ fees) that the Trust may sustain or incur or that may be asserted against the Trust by any person arising directly or indirectly out of any action taken or omitted to be taken by an Indemnified Party as a result of the Indemnified Party’s refusal or failure to comply with the terms of this Agreement (or any sub-custody agreement), or from its bad faith, negligence or willful misconduct in the performance of its duties under this Agreement (or any sub-custody agreement). This indemnity shall be a continuing obligation of the Custodian, its successors and assigns, notwithstanding the termination of this Agreement. As used in this paragraph, the term “Trust” shall include the Trust’s trustees, officers and employees.
10.03 Security. If the Custodian advances cash or Securities to the Fund for any purpose, either at the Trust's request or as otherwise contemplated in this Agreement, or in the event that the Custodian or its nominee incurs, in connection with its performance under this Agreement, any claim, demand, loss, expense or liability (including reasonable attorneys' fees) (except such as may arise from its or its nominee's bad faith, negligence or willful misconduct), then, in any such event, any property at any time held for the account of the Fund shall be security therefor, and should the Fund fail promptly to repay or indemnify the Custodian, the Custodian shall be entitled to utilize available cash of such Fund and to dispose of other assets of such Fund to the extent necessary to obtain reimbursement or indemnification.
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10.04 Miscellaneous.
(a) | Neither party to this Agreement shall be liable to the other party for consequential, special or punitive damages under any provision of this Agreement. |
(b) | The Company is a series company, and each Fund is a separate and distinct series of the Company. As such, the debts, liabilities, obligations and expenses incurred, contracted for or otherwise existing as a result of this Agreement with respect to the Company shall be enforceable against the assets of each Fund separately, and not against the assets of the Company generally or the assets of any other Fund or portfolio or series of the Company. |
(c) | The indemnity provisions of this Article shall indefinitely survive the termination and/or assignment of this Agreement. |
(d) | In order that the indemnification provisions contained in this Article X shall apply, it is understood that if in any case the indemnitor may be asked to indemnify or hold the indemnitee harmless, the indemnitor shall be fully and promptly advised of all pertinent facts concerning the situation in question, and it is further understood that the indemnitee will use all reasonable care to notify the indemnitor promptly concerning any situation that presents or appears likely to present the probability of a claim for indemnification and will keep the indemnitor advised with respect to all developments concerning such claim. The indemnitor shall be entitled to participate at its own expense in the defense, or if it so elects, to assume the defense of any claim that may be the subject of this indemnification, but if the indemnitor elects to assume the defense, such defense shall be conducted by counsel chosen by the indemnitor and approved by the indemnitee, which approval shall not be unreasonably withheld. In the event the indemnitor elects to assume the defense of any such suit and retain such counsel, the indemnitee in such suit shall bear the fees and expenses of any additional counsel retained by them. If the indemnitor does not elect to assume the counsel cannot effectively represent the interests of both the indemnitor and the indemnitee defense of any such suit, or in case the indemnitee does not, in the exercise of reasonable judgment, approve of counsel chosen by the indemnitor, or if under prevailing law or legal codes of ethics, the same, the indemnitor will reimburse the indemnitee for the reasonable fees and expenses of any counsel retained by them. |
ARTICLE XI.
FORCE MAJEURE
Neither the Custodian nor the Trust shall be liable for any failure or delay in performance of its obligations under this Agreement arising out of or caused, directly or indirectly, by circumstances beyond its reasonable control, including, without limitation, acts of God; earthquakes; fires; floods; wars; civil or military disturbances; acts of terrorism; sabotage; strikes; epidemics; riots; power failures; computer failure and any such circumstances beyond its reasonable control as may cause interruption, loss or malfunction of utility, transportation, computer (hardware or software) or telephone communication service; accidents; labor disputes; acts of civil or military authority; governmental actions; or inability to obtain labor, material, equipment or transportation; provided, however, that in the event of a failure or delay, the Custodian (i) shall not discriminate against the Fund in favor of any other customer of the Custodian in making computer time and personnel available to input or process the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, and (ii) shall use its best efforts to ameliorate the effects of any such failure or delay.
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ARTICLE XII.
PROPRIETARY AND CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION
12.01 The Custodian agrees on behalf of itself and its directors, officers, and employees to treat confidentially and as proprietary information of the Trust, all records and other information relative to the Trust and prior, present, or potential shareholders of the Trust (and clients of said shareholders), and not to use such records and information for any purpose other than the performance of its responsibilities and duties hereunder, except (i) after prior notification to and approval in writing by the Trust, which approval shall not be unreasonably withheld and may not be withheld where the Custodian may be exposed to civil or criminal contempt proceedings for failure to comply, (ii) when requested to divulge such information by duly constituted authorities although the Custodian will promptly report such disclosure to the Trust if disclosure is permitted by applicable law and regulation, or (iii) when so requested by the Trust. Records and other information which have become known to the public through no wrongful act of the Custodian or any of its employees, agents or representatives, and information that was already in the possession of the Custodian prior to receipt thereof from the Trust or its agent, shall not be subject to this paragraph.
12.02 Further, the Custodian will adhere to the privacy policies adopted by the Trust pursuant to Title V of the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, as may be modified from time to time. In this regard, the Custodian shall have in place and maintain physical, electronic and procedural safeguards reasonably designed to protect the security, confidentiality and integrity of, and to prevent unauthorized access to or use of, records and information relating to the Trust and its shareholders.
ARTICLE XIII.
EFFECTIVE PERIOD; TERMINATION
13.01 Effective Period. This Agreement shall become effective as of the date first written above and will continue in effect for a period of three (3) years.
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13.02 Termination. This Subsequent to the end of the three (3) year period, this Agreement continues until one party gives 90 days prior written notice to the other party or such shorter notice period as is mutually agreed upon by the parties. Notwithstanding the foregoing, this Agreement may be terminated by any party upon the breach of the other party of any material term of this Agreement if such breach is not cured within 15 days of notice of such breach to the breaching party. However, this cure period only applies to the first two such breaches of the same material term of this Agreement. Either party may terminate this Agreement after the third such breach of the same material term of this Agreement. In addition, the Company may, at any time, immediately terminate this Agreement in the event of the appointment of a conservator or receiver for the Custodian by regulatory authorities or upon the happening of a like event at the direction of an appropriate regulatory agency or court of competent jurisdiction or upon its “assignment” as defined under the1940 Act. .
13.03 Early Termination. In the absence of any material breach of this Agreement, should the Trust elect to terminate this Agreement prior to the end of the three year term, the trust agrees to pay the following fees:
a) All monthly fees through the life of the Agreement, including the repayment of any negotiated discounts;
b) All fees associated with converting services to a successor service provider;
c) All fees associated with any record retention and/or tax reporting obligations that may not be eliminated due to the conversion to a
successor service provider;
All miscellaneous costs associated with a-c above
13.04 Appointment of Successor Custodian. If a successor custodian shall have been appointed by the Board of Trustees, the Custodian shall, upon receipt of a notice of acceptance by the successor custodian, on such specified date of termination (i) deliver directly to the successor custodian all Securities (other than Securities held in a Book-Entry System or Securities Depository) and cash then owned by the Fund and held by the Custodian as custodian, and (ii) transfer any Securities held in a Book-Entry System or Securities Depository to an account of or for the benefit of the Fund at the successor custodian, provided that the Trust shall have paid to the Custodian all fees, expenses and other amounts to the payment or reimbursement of which it shall then be entitled. In addition, the Custodian shall, at the expense of the Trust, transfer to such successor all relevant books, records, correspondence, and other data established or maintained by the Custodian under this Agreement in a form reasonably acceptable to the Trust (if such form differs from the form in which the Custodian has maintained the same, the Trust shall pay any expenses associated with transferring the data to such form), and will cooperate in the transfer of such duties and responsibilities, including provision for assistance from the Custodian’s personnel in the establishment of books, records, and other data by such successor. Upon such delivery and transfer, the Custodian shall be relieved of all obligations under this Agreement.
13.05 Failure to Appoint Successor Custodian. If a successor custodian is not designated by the Trust on or before the date of termination of this Agreement, then the Custodian shall have the right to deliver to a bank or trust company of its own selection, which bank or trust company (i) is a “bank” as defined in the 1940 Act, and (ii) has aggregate capital, surplus and undivided profits as shown on its most recent published report of not less than $25 million, all Securities, cash and other property held by Custodian under this Agreement and to transfer to an account of or for the Fund at such bank or trust company all Securities of the Fund held in a Book-Entry System or Securities Depository. Upon such delivery and transfer, such bank or trust company shall be the successor custodian under this Agreement and the Custodian shall be relieved of all obligations under this Agreement. In addition, under these circumstances, all books, records and other data of the Trust shall be returned to the Trust.
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ARTICLE XIV.
CLASS ACTIONS
The Custodian shall use its best efforts to identify and file claims for the Fund(s) involving any class action litigation that impacts any security the Fund(s) may have held during the class period. The Trust agrees that the Custodian may file such claims on its behalf and understands that it may be waiving and/or releasing certain rights to make claims or otherwise pursue class action defendants who settle their claims. Further, the Trust acknowledges that there is no guarantee these claims will result in any payment or partial payment of potential class action proceeds and that the timing of such payment, if any, is uncertain.
However, the Trust may instruct the Custodian to distribute class action notices and other relevant documentation to the Fund(s) or its designee and, if it so elects, will relieve the Custodian from any and all liability and responsibility for filing class action claims on behalf of the Fund(s).
ARTICLE XV.
MISCELLANEOUS
15.01 Compliance with Laws. The Trust has and retains primary responsibility for all compliance matters relating to the Fund, including but not limited to compliance with the 1940 Act, the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, the USA Patriot Act of 2001 and the policies and limitations of the Fund relating to its portfolio investments as set forth in its Prospectus and statement of additional information. The Custodian’s services hereunder shall not relieve the Trust of its responsibilities for assuring such compliance or the Board of Trustee’s oversight responsibility with respect thereto.
15.02 Amendment. This Agreement may not be amended or modified in any manner except by written agreement executed by the Custodian and the Trust, and authorized or approved by the Board of Trustees.
15.03 Assignment. This Agreement shall extend to and be binding upon the parties hereto and their respective successors and assigns; provided, however, that this Agreement shall not be assignable by the Trust without the written consent of the Custodian, or by the Custodian without the written consent of the Trust accompanied by the authorization or approval of the Board of Trustees.
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15.04 Governing Law. This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Minnesota, without regard to conflicts of law principles. To the extent that the applicable laws of the State of Minnesota, or any of the provisions herein, conflict with the applicable provisions of the 1940 Act, the latter shall control, and nothing herein shall be construed in a manner inconsistent with the 1940 Act or any rule or order of the SEC thereunder.
15.05 No Agency Relationship. Nothing herein contained shall be deemed to authorize or empower either party to act as agent for the other party to this Agreement, or to conduct business in the name, or for the account, of the other party to this Agreement.
15.06 Services Not Exclusive. Nothing in this Agreement shall limit or restrict the Custodian from providing services to other parties that are similar or identical to some or all of the services provided hereunder.
15.07 Invalidity. Any provision of this Agreement which may be determined by competent authority to be prohibited or unenforceable in any jurisdiction shall, as to such jurisdiction, be ineffective to the extent of such prohibition or unenforceability without invalidating the remaining provisions hereof, and any such prohibition or unenforceability in any jurisdiction shall not invalidate or render unenforceable such provision in any other jurisdiction. In such case, the parties shall in good faith modify or substitute such provision consistent with the original intent of the parties.
15.08 Notices. Any notice required or permitted to be given by either party to the other shall be in writing and shall be deemed to have been given on the date delivered personally or by courier service, or three days after sent by registered or certified mail, postage prepaid, return receipt requested, or on the date sent and confirmed received by facsimile transmission to the other party’s address set forth below:
Notice to the Custodian shall be sent to:
U.S Bank, N.A.
1555 N. Rivercenter Dr., MK-WI-S302
Milwaukee, WI 53212
Attn: Tom Fuller
Phone: 414-905-6118
Fax: 866-350-5066
and notice to the Trust shall be sent to:
The RBB Fund, Inc.
c/o Vigilant Compliance Services
Brandywine Two 5 Christy Drive, Suite 208
Chadds Ford, PA 1931
Attn: Salvatore Faja, JD,
With copy to:
Michael P. Malloy
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Drinker, Biddle & Reath, LLP
One Logan Square, Suite 2000
Philadelphia, PA, 19103
and notice to the Adviser shall be sent to :
Motley Fool Asset Management, LLC
2000 Duke Street, Suite 175
Alexandria, VA 22314
Attn : President
15.09 Multiple Originals. This Agreement may be executed on two or more counterparts, each of which when so executed shall be deemed an original, but such counterparts shall together constitute but one and the same instrument.
15.10 No Waiver. No failure by either party hereto to exercise, and no delay by such party in exercising, any right hereunder shall operate as a waiver thereof. The exercise by either party hereto of any right hereunder shall not preclude the exercise of any other right, and the remedies provided herein are cumulative and not exclusive of any remedies provided at law or in equity.
15.11 Rights and Obligations of Each Fund. No Fund shall receive any rights or have any liabilities arising from any action or inaction of any other Fund of the Company under this Agreement.
15.12 References to Custodian. The Trust shall not circulate any printed matter which contains any reference to Custodian without the prior written approval of Custodian, excepting printed matter contained in the Prospectus or statement of additional information for the Fund and such other printed matter as merely identifies Custodian as custodian for the Fund. The Trust shall submit printed matter requiring approval to Custodian in draft form, allowing sufficient time for review by Custodian and its counsel prior to any deadline for printing.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be executed by a duly authorized officer on one or more counterparts as of the date first above written.
The RBB Fund, Inc | U.S. BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION | ||||
By: | By: | ||||
Name: | Name: | ||||
Title: | Title: |
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EXHIBIT A
AUTHORIZED PERSONS
Set forth below are the names and specimen signatures of the persons authorized by the Trust to administer the Fund Custody Accounts.
Name | Telephone/Fax Number | Signature |
|
______________________ | |
|
______________________ | |
|
______________________ | |
|
______________________ | |
|
______________________ |
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EXHIBIT B to the Custody Agreement
Series of The RBB Fund, Inc
Motley Fool 100 Index ETF |
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EXHIBIT D
SHAREHOLDER COMMUNICATIONS ACT AUTHORIZATION
The RBB Fund, Inc.
The Shareholder Communications Act of 1985 requires banks and trust companies to make an effort to permit direct communication between a company which issues securities and the shareholder who votes those securities.
Unless you specifically require us to NOT release your name and address to requesting companies, we are required by law to disclose your name and address.
Your “yes” or “no” to disclosure will apply to all securities U.S. Bank holds for you now and in the future, unless you change your mind and notify us in writing.
___x___ YES | U.S. Bank is authorized to provide the Trust’s name, address and security position to requesting companies whose stock is owned by the Trust. | |
______ NO | U.S. Bank is NOT authorized to provide the Trust’s name, address and security position to requesting companies whose stock is owned by the Trust. |
The RBB Fund, Inc.
By: | ||
Title: | ||
Date: |
FUND ACCOUNTING SERVICING AGREEMENT
THIS AGREEMENT is made as of _______ by and between THE RBB FUND, INC., a Maryland corporation, (the “Trust”) and U.S. BANCORP FUND SERVICES, LLC, a Wisconsin limited liability company (“Fund Services”).
WHEREAS, the Trust is registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”) as an open-end management investment company; and is authorized to issue shares of beneficial interest in separate series, with each such series representing interests in a separate portfolio of securities and other assets;
WHEREAS, Fund Services is, among other things, in the business of providing fund accounting services to investment companies; and
WHEREAS, the Trust desires to retain Fund Services to provide accounting services to each series of the Trust listed on Exhibit A attached hereto (as amended from time to time) (each, a “Fund” and collectively, the “Funds”) the services described herein, all as more fully set forth below, and Fund Services desires to provide such services to the Trust and the Funds;
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual promises and mutual covenants herein contained, and other good and valuable consideration, the receipt of which is hereby acknowledged, the parties hereto, intending to be legally bound, do hereby agree as follows:
1. Appointment of Fund Services as Fund Accountant
The Trust hereby appoints Fund Services as fund accountant of the Trust for the term of this Agreement to perform the services and duties described herein. Fund Services hereby accepts such appointment and agrees to perform the services and duties set forth in this Agreement. The services and duties of Fund Services shall be confined to those matters expressly set forth herein, and no implied duties are assumed by or may be asserted against Fund Services hereunder.
2. Services and Duties of Fund Services
Fund Services shall provide the following accounting services to the Trust and each Fund:
A. | Portfolio Accounting Services: |
(1) | Maintain portfolio records on a trade date+1 basis using security trade information communicated from the Fund’s investment adviser. |
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(2) | For each valuation date, obtain prices from pricing sources approved by the board of trustees of the Trust (the “Board of Trustees”) and apply those prices to the portfolio positions. For those securities where market quotations are not readily available, the Board of Trustees shall approve, in good faith, procedures for determining the fair value for such securities. |
(3) | Identify interest and dividend accrual balances as of each valuation date and calculate gross earnings on investments for each accounting period. |
(4) | Determine gain/loss on security sales and identify them as short-term or long-term; account for periodic distributions of gains or losses to shareholders and maintain undistributed gain or loss balances as of each valuation date. |
(5) | On a daily basis, reconcile cash of the Fund with the Fund’s custodian. |
(6) | Transmit a copy of the portfolio valuation to the Fund’s investment adviser daily. |
(7) | Review the impact of current day’s activity on a per share basis, and review changes in market value. |
B. | Expense Accrual and Payment Services: |
(1) | For each valuation date, calculate the expense accrual amounts as directed by the Trust as to methodology, rate or dollar amount. |
(2) | Process and record payments for Fund expenses upon receipt of written authorization from the Trust. |
(3) | Account for Fund expenditures and maintain expense accrual balances at the level of accounting detail, as agreed upon by Fund Services and the Trust. |
(4) | Provide expense accrual and payment reporting. |
C. | Fund Valuation and Financial Reporting Services: |
(1) | Account for Fund share purchases, sales, exchanges, transfers, dividend reinvestments, and other Fund share activity as reported by the Fund’s transfer agent on a timely basis. |
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(2) | Determine net investment income (earnings) for the Fund as of each valuation date. Account for periodic distributions of earnings to shareholders and maintain undistributed net investment income balances as of each valuation date. |
(3) | Maintain a general ledger and other accounts, books, and financial records for the Fund in the form as agreed upon between the parties. |
(4) | Determine the net asset value of the Fund according to the accounting policies and procedures set forth in the Fund's current prospectus. |
(5) | Calculate per share net asset value, per share net earnings, and other per share amounts reflective of Fund operations at such time as required by the nature and characteristics of the Fund. |
(6) | Communicate to the Trust, at an agreed upon time, the per share net asset value for each valuation date. |
(7) | Prepare monthly reports that document the adequacy of accounting detail to support month-end ledger balances. |
(8) | Prepare monthly security transactions listings. |
D. | Tax Accounting Services: |
(1) | Maintain accounting records for the investment portfolio of the Fund to support the tax reporting required for “regulated investment companies” under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”). |
(2) | Maintain tax lot detail for the Fund’s investment portfolio. |
(3) | Calculate taxable gain/loss on security sales using the tax lot relief method designated by the Trust. |
(4) | Provide the necessary financial information to calculate the taxable components of income and capital gains distributions to support tax reporting to the shareholders. |
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E. | Compliance Control Services: |
(1) | Support reporting to regulatory bodies and support financial statement preparation by making the Fund's accounting records available to the Trust, the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), and the independent accountants. |
(2) | Maintain accounting records according to the 1940 Act and regulations provided thereunder. |
(3) | Perform its duties hereunder in compliance with all applicable laws and regulations and provide any sub-certifications reasonably requested by the Trust in connection with any certification required of the Trust pursuant to the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (the “SOX Act”) or any rules or regulations promulgated by the SEC thereunder, provided the same shall not be deemed to change Fund Services’ standard of care as set forth herein. |
(4) | Cooperate with the Trust’s independent accountants and take all reasonable action in the performance of its obligations under this Agreement to ensure that the necessary information is made available to such accountants for the expression of their opinion on the Fund’s financial statements without any qualification as to the scope of their examination. |
3. License of Data; Warranty; Termination of Rights
A. | The valuation information and evaluations being provided to the Trust by Fund Services pursuant hereto (collectively, the “Data”) are being licensed, not sold, to the Trust. The Trust has a limited license to use the Data only for purposes necessary to valuing the Trust’s assets and reporting to regulatory bodies (the “License”). The Trust does not have any license nor right to use the Data for purposes beyond the intentions of this Agreement including, but not limited to, resale to other users or use to create any type of historical database. The License is non-transferable and not sub-licensable. The Trust’s right to use the Data cannot be passed to or shared with any other entity. |
The Trust acknowledges the proprietary rights that Fund Services and its suppliers have in the Data.
B. | THE TRUST HEREBY ACCEPTS THE DATA AS IS, WHERE IS, WITH NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, AS TO MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE OR ANY OTHER MATTER. The provisions in this section shall not have any affect upon the services USBFS is required to provide or the standard of care and liability USBFS has set forther in Section 9 of this Agreement. |
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C. | Fund Services may stop supplying some or all Data to the Trust if Fund Services’ suppliers terminate any agreement to provide Data to Fund Services. Also, Fund Services may stop supplying some or all Data to the Trust if Fund Services reasonably believes that the Trust is using the Data in violation of the License, or breaching its duties of confidentiality provided for hereunder, or if any of Fund Services’ suppliers demand that the Data be withheld from the Trust. Fund Services will provide notice to the Trust prior to any termination of provision of Data as soon as reasonably possible. |
4. Pricing of Securities
A. | For each valuation date, Fund Services shall obtain prices from a pricing source recommended by Fund Services and approved by the Board of Trustees and apply those prices to the portfolio positions of the Fund. For those securities where market quotations are not readily available, the Board of Trustees shall approve, in good faith, procedures for determining the fair value for such securities. |
If the Trust desires to provide a price that varies from the price provided by the pricing source, the Trust shall promptly notify and supply Fund Services with the price of any such security on each valuation date. All pricing changes made by the Trust will be in writing and must specifically identify the securities to be changed by CUSIP, name of security, new price or rate to be applied, and, if applicable, the time period for which the new price(s) is/are effective.
B. | In the event that the Trust at any time receives Data containing evaluations, rather than market quotations, for certain securities or certain other data related to such securities, the following provisions will apply: (i) evaluated securities are typically complicated financial instruments. There are many methodologies (including computer-based analytical modeling and individual security evaluations) available to generate approximations of the market value of such securities, and there is significant professional disagreement about which method is best. No evaluation method, including those used by Fund Services and its suppliers of pricing data, may consistently generate approximations that correspond to actual “traded” prices of the securities; (ii) methodologies used to provide the pricing portion of certain Data may rely on evaluations; however, the Trust acknowledges that there may be errors or defects in the software, databases, or methodologies generating the evaluations that may cause resultant evaluations to be inappropriate for use in certain applications; and (iii) the Trust assumes all responsibility for edit checking, external verification of evaluations, and ultimately the appropriateness of using Data containing evaluations, regardless of any efforts made by USBFS and its suppliers in this respect. The provisions in this section shall not have any affect upon the services USBFS is required to provide or the standard of care and liability USBFS has set forth in Section 9 of this Agreement. |
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5. Changes in Accounting Procedures
Any resolution passed by the Board of Trustees that affects accounting practices and procedures under this Agreement shall be effective upon written receipt of notice and acceptance by Fund Services.
6. Changes in Equipment, Systems, Etc.
Fund Services reserves the right to make changes from time to time, as it deems advisable, relating to its systems, programs, rules, operating schedules and equipment, so long as such changes do not adversely affect the services provided to the Trust under this Agreement.
7. Compensation
Fund Services shall be compensated for providing the services set forth in this Agreement in accordance with the fee schedule set forth on Exhibit B attached hereto (as amended from time to time). Fund Services shall also be reimbursed for such miscellaneous expenses (e.g., telecommunication charges, postage and delivery charges, and reproduction charges) as are reasonably incurred by Fund Services in performing its duties hereunder. The Trust shall pay all such fees and reimbursable expenses within thirty (30) calendar days following receipt of the monthly billing notice, except for any fee or expense subject to a good faith dispute. The Trust shall notify Fund Services in writing within thirty (30) calendar days following receipt of each invoice if the Trust is disputing any amounts in good faith. The Trust shall pay such disputed amounts within ten (10) calendar days of the day on which the parties agree to the amount to be paid. With the exception of any fee or expense the Trust is disputing in good faith as set forth above, unpaid invoices shall accrue a finance charge of 1½% per month after the due date. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary, amounts owed by the Trust to Fund Services shall only be paid out of the assets and property of the particular Fund involved.
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8. Representations and Warranties
A. The Trust hereby represents and warrants to Fund Services, which representations and warranties shall be deemed to be continuing throughout the term of this Agreement, that:
(1) It is duly organized and existing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its organization, with full power to carry on its business as now conducted, to enter into this Agreement and to perform its obligations hereunder;
(2) This Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Trust in accordance with all requisite action and constitutes a valid and legally binding obligation of the Trust, enforceable in accordance with its terms, subject to bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium and other laws of general application affecting the rights and remedies of creditors and secured parties; and
(3) It is conducting its business in compliance in all material respects with all applicable laws and regulations, both state and federal, and has obtained all regulatory approvals necessary to carry on its business as now conducted; there is no statute, rule, regulation, order or judgment binding on it and no provision of its charter, bylaws or any contract binding it or affecting its property which would prohibit its execution or performance of this Agreement.
B. | Fund Services hereby represents and warrants to the Trust, which representations and warranties shall be deemed to be continuing throughout the term of this Agreement, that: |
(1) It is duly organized and existing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its organization, with full power to carry on its business as now conducted, to enter into this Agreement and to perform its obligations hereunder;
(2) This Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by Fund Services in accordance with all requisite action and constitutes a valid and legally binding obligation of Fund Services, enforceable in accordance with its terms, subject to bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium and other laws of general application affecting the rights and remedies of creditors and secured parties; and
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(3) It is conducting its business in compliance in all material respects with all applicable laws and regulations, both state and federal, and has obtained all regulatory approvals necessary to carry on its business as now conducted; there is no statute, rule, regulation, order or judgment binding on it and no provision of its charter, bylaws or any contract binding it or affecting its property which would prohibit its execution or performance of this Agreement.
9. Standard of Care; Indemnification; Limitation of Liability
A. | Fund Services shall exercise reasonable care in the performance of its duties under this Agreement. Neither Fund Services nor its suppliers shall be liable for any error of judgment or mistake of law or for any loss suffered by the Trust or any third party in connection with its duties under this Agreement, including losses resulting from mechanical breakdowns or the failure of communication or power supplies beyond Fund Services’ control, except a loss arising out of or relating to Fund Services’ refusal or failure to comply with the terms of this Agreement or from its bad faith, negligence, or willful misconduct in the performance of its duties under this Agreement. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, if Fund Services has exercised reasonable care in the performance of its duties under this Agreement, the Trust shall indemnify and hold harmless Fund Services and its suppliers from and against any and all claims, demands, losses, expenses, and liabilities of any and every nature (including reasonable attorneys’ fees) that Fund Services or its suppliers may sustain or incur or that may be asserted against Fund Services or its suppliers by any person arising out of or related to (i) any action taken or omitted to be taken by it in performing the services hereunder (ii) in accordance with the foregoing standards, or (iii) in reliance upon any written or oral instruction provided to Fund Services by any duly authorized officer of the Trust, as approved by the Board of Trustees of the Trust, or (iv) the Data, or any information, service, report, analysis or publication derived therefrom, except for any and all claims, demands, losses, expenses, and liabilities arising out of or relating to Fund Services’ refusal or failure to comply with the terms of this Agreement or from its bad faith, negligence or willful misconduct in the performance of its duties under this Agreement. This indemnity shall be a continuing obligation of the Trust, its successors and assigns, notwithstanding the termination of this Agreement. As used in this paragraph, the term “Fund Services” shall include Fund Services’ directors, officers and employees. |
The Trust acknowledges that the Data are intended for use as an aid to institutional investors, registered brokers or professionals of similar sophistication in making informed judgments concerning securities. The Trust accepts responsibility for, and acknowledges it exercises its own independent judgment in, its selection of the Data, its selection of the use or intended use of such, and any results obtained. Nothing contained herein shall be deemed to be a waiver of any rights existing under applicable law for the protection of investors. The provisions in this section shall not have any affect upon the services USBFS is required to provide or the standard of care and liability USBFS has set forth in Section 9 of this Agreement.
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Fund Services shall indemnify and hold the Trust harmless from and against any and all claims, demands, losses, expenses, and liabilities of any and every nature (including reasonable attorneys' fees) that the Trust may sustain or incur or that may be asserted against the Trust by any person arising out of any action taken or omitted to be taken by Fund Services as a result of Fund Services’ refusal or failure to comply with the terms of this Agreement, or from its bad faith, negligence, or willful misconduct in the performance of its duties under this Agreement. This indemnity shall be a continuing obligation of Fund Services, its successors and assigns, notwithstanding the termination of this Agreement. As used in this paragraph, the term “Trust” shall include the Trust’s trustees, officers and employees.
In the event of a mechanical breakdown or failure of communication or power supplies beyond its control, Fund Services shall take all reasonable steps to minimize service interruptions for any period that such interruption continues. Fund Services will make every reasonable effort to restore any lost or damaged data and correct any errors resulting from such a breakdown at the expense of Fund Services. Fund Services agrees that it shall, at all times, have reasonable business continuity and disaster recovery contingency plans with appropriate parties, making reasonable provision for emergency use of electrical data processing equipment to the extent appropriate equipment is available. Representatives of the Trust shall be entitled to inspect Fund Services’ premises and operating capabilities at any time during regular business hours of Fund Services, upon reasonable notice to Fund Services. Moreover, Fund Services shall provide the Trust, at such times as the Trust may reasonably require, copies of reports rendered by independent accountants on the internal controls and procedures of Fund Services relating to the services provided by Fund Services under this Agreement.
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Notwithstanding the above, Fund Services reserves the right to reprocess and correct administrative errors at its own expense.
In no case shall either party be liable to the other for (i) any special, indirect or consequential damages, loss of profits or goodwill (even if advised of the possibility of such); (ii) any delay by reason of circumstances beyond its control, including acts of civil or military authority, national emergencies, labor difficulties, fire, mechanical breakdown, flood or catastrophe, acts of God, insurrection, war, riots, or failure beyond its control of transportation or power supply; or (iii) any claim that arose more than one year prior to the institution of suit therefor.
B. | In In order that the indemnification provisions. contained in this section shall apply, it is understood that if in any case the indemnitor may be asked to indemnify or hold the indemnitee harmless, the indemnitor shall be fully and promptly advised of all pertinent facts concerning the situation in question, and it is further understood that the indemnitee will use all reasonable care to notify the indemnitor promptly concerning any situation that presents or appears likely to present the probability of a claim for indemnification and will keep the indemnitor advised with respect to all developments concerning such claim. The indemnitor shall be entitled to participate at its own expense in the defense, or if it so elects, to assume the defense of any claim that may be the subject of this indemnification, but if the indemnitor elects to assume the defense, such defense shall be conducted by counsel chosen by the indemnitor and approved by the indemnitee, which approval shall not be unreasonably withheld. In the event the indemnitor elects to assume the defense of any such suit and retain such counsel, the indemnitee in such suit shall bear the fees and expenses of any additional counsel retained by them. If the indemnitor does not elect to assume the defense of any such suit, or in case the indemnitee does not, in the exercise of reasonable judgment, approve of counsel chosen by the indemnitor, or if under prevailing law or legal codes of ethics, the same counsel cannot effectively represent the interests of both the indemnitor and the indemnitee, the indemnitor will reimburse the indemnitee for the reasonable fees and expenses of any counsel retained by them |
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C. | The indemnity and defense provisions set forth in this Section 9 shall indefinitely survive the termination and/or assignment of this Agreement. |
D. | If Fund Services is acting in another capacity for the Trust pursuant to a separate agreement, nothing herein shall be deemed to relieve Fund Services of any of its obligations in such other capacity. |
E. | The Company is a series company, and each Fund is a separate and distinct series of the Company. As such, the debts, liabilities, obligations and expenses incurred, contracted for or otherwise existing as a result of this Agreement with respect to the Company shall be enforceable against the assets of each Fund separately, and not against the assets of the Company generally or the assets of any other Fund or portfolio or series of the Company. |
10. Notification of Error
The Trust will notify Fund Services of any discrepancy between Fund Services and the Trust, including, but not limited to, failing to account for a security position in the Fund’s portfolio, upon the later to occur of: (i) three business days after receipt of any reports rendered by Fund Services to the Trust; (ii) three business days after discovery of any error or omission not covered in the balancing or control procedure; or (iii) three business days after receiving notice from any shareholder regarding any such discrepancy.
11. Data Necessary to Perform Services
The Trust or its agent shall furnish to Fund Services the data necessary to perform the services described herein at such times and in such form as mutually agreed upon.
12. Proprietary and Confidential Information
A. | Fund Services agrees on behalf of itself and its directors, officers, and employees to treat confidentially and as proprietary information of the Trust, all records and other information relative to the Trust and prior, present, or potential shareholders of the Trust (and clients of said shareholders), and not to use such records and information for any purpose other than the performance of its responsibilities and duties hereunder, except (i) after prior notification to and approval in writing by the Trust, which approval shall not be unreasonably withheld and may not be withheld where Fund Services may be exposed to civil or criminal contempt proceedings for failure to comply, (ii) when requested to divulge such information by duly constituted authorities, or (iii) when so requested by the Trust. Records and other information which have become known to the public through no wrongful act of Fund Services or any of its employees, agents or representatives, and information that was already in the possession of Fund Services prior to receipt thereof from the Trust or its agent, shall not be subject to this paragraph. |
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Further, Fund Services will adhere to the privacy policies adopted by the Trust pursuant to Title V of the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, as may be modified from time to time. In this regard, Fund Services shall have in place and maintain physical, electronic and procedural safeguards reasonably designed to protect the security, confidentiality and integrity of, and to prevent unauthorized access to or use of, records and information relating to the Trust and its shareholders and shall comply with the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act and any state laws concerning privacy.
B. | The Trust, on behalf of itself and its trustees, officers, and employees, will maintain the confidential and proprietary nature of the Data and agrees to protect it using the same efforts, but in no case less than reasonable efforts, that it uses to protect its own proprietary and confidential information. |
13. Records
Fund Services shall keep records relating to the services to be performed hereunder in the form and manner, and for such period, as it may deem advisable and is agreeable to the Trust, but not inconsistent with the rules and regulations of appropriate government authorities, in particular, Section 31 of the 1940 Act and the rules thereunder. Fund Services agrees that all such records prepared or maintained by Fund Services relating to the services to be performed by Fund Services hereunder are the property of the Trust and will be preserved, maintained, and made available in accordance with such applicable sections and rules of the 1940 Act and will be promptly surrendered to the Trust or its designee on and in accordance with its request.
14. Compliance with Laws
The Trust has and retains primary responsibility for all compliance matters relating to the Fund, including but not limited to compliance with the 1940 Act, the Code, the SOX Act, the USA Patriot Act of 2001 and the policies and limitations of the Fund relating to its portfolio investments as set forth in its current prospectus and statement of additional information. Fund Services hereunder shall not relieve the Trust of its responsibilities for assuring such compliance or the Board of Trustee’s oversight responsibility with respect thereto. The provisions in this section shall not have any affect upon the services USBFS is required to provide or the standard of care and liability USBFS has set forth in Section 9 of this Agreement.
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15. Term of Agreement; Amendment
This Agreement shall become effective as of the date first written above and will continue in effect for a period of three (3) years. This Agreement may be terminated by either party upon giving 90 days prior written notice to the other party or such shorter period as is mutually agreed upon by the parties. Subsequent to the end of the three (3) year period, this Agreement continues until one party gives 90 days prior written notice to the other party or such shorter notice period as is mutually agreed upon by the parties. Notwithstanding the foregoing, this Agreement may be terminated by any party upon the breach of the other party of any material term of this Agreement if such breach is not cured within 15 days of notice of such breach to the breaching party. However, this cure period only applies to the first two such breaches of the same material term of this Agreement. Either party may terminate this Agreement after the third such breach of the same material term of this Agreement. In addition, the Company may, at any time, immediately terminate this Agreement upon its “assignment” as defined under the1940 Act. This Agreement may not be amended or modified in any manner except by written agreement executed by Fund Services and the Trust, and authorized or approved by the Board of Trustees.
16. Early Termination
In the absence of any material breach of this Agreement, should the Trust elect to terminate this Agreement prior to the end of the three year term, the Trust agrees to pay the following fees:
a. | all monthly fees through the life of the Agreement, including the repayment of any negotiated discounts; |
b. | all fees associated with converting services to successor service provider; |
c. | all fees associated with any record retention and/or tax reporting obligations that may not be eliminated due to the conversion to a successor service provider; |
d. | all miscellaneous costs associated with a.-c. above |
17. Duties in the Event of Termination
In the event that, in connection with termination, a successor to any of Fund Services’ duties or responsibilities hereunder is designated by the Trust by written notice to Fund Services, Fund Services will promptly, upon such termination and at the expense of the Trust, transfer to such successor all relevant books, records, correspondence and other data established or maintained by Fund Services under this Agreement in a form reasonably acceptable to the Trust (if such form differs from the form in which Fund Services has maintained the same, the Trust shall pay any expenses associated with transferring the data to such form), and will cooperate in the transfer of such duties and responsibilities, including provision for assistance from Fund Services’ personnel in the establishment of books, records and other data by such successor. If no such successor is designated, then such books, records and other data shall be returned to the Trust.
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18. Assignment
This Agreement shall extend to and be binding upon the parties hereto and their respective successors and assigns; provided, however, that this Agreement shall not be assignable by the Trust without the written consent of Fund Services, or by Fund Services without the written consent of the Trust accompanied by the authorization or approval of the Trust’s Board of Trustees.
19. Governing Law
This Agreement shall be governed and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Wisconsin, without regard to conflicts of law principles. To the extent that the applicable laws of the State of Wisconsin, or any of the provisions herein, conflict with the applicable provisions of the 1940 Act, the latter shall control, and nothing herein shall be construed in a manner inconsistent with the 1940 Act or any rule or order of the SEC thereunder.
20. No Agency Relationship
Nothing herein contained shall be deemed to authorize or empower either party to act as agent for the other party to this Agreement, or to conduct business in the name, or for the account, of the other party to this Agreement.
21. Services Not Exclusive
Nothing in this Agreement shall limit or restrict Fund Services from providing services to other parties that are similar or identical to some or all of the services provided hereunder.
22. Invalidity
Any provision of this Agreement which may be determined by competent authority to be prohibited or unenforceable in any jurisdiction shall, as to such jurisdiction, be ineffective to the extent of such prohibition or unenforceability without invalidating the remaining provisions hereof, and any such prohibition or unenforceability in any jurisdiction shall not invalidate or render unenforceable such provision in any other jurisdiction. In such case, the parties shall in good faith modify or substitute such provision consistent with the original intent of the parties.
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23. Notices
Any notice required or permitted to be given by either party to the other shall be in writing and shall be deemed to have been given on the date delivered personally or by courier service, or three days after sent by registered or certified mail, postage prepaid, return receipt requested, or on the date sent and confirmed received by facsimile transmission to the other party’s address set forth below:
Notice to Fund Services shall be sent to:
U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC
615 East Michigan Street
Milwaukee, WI 53202
Attn: President
and notice to the Trust shall be sent to:
The RBB Fund, Inc.
c/o Vigilant Compliance Services
Brandywine Two 5 Christy Drive, Suite 208
Chadds Ford, PA 1931
Attn: Salvatore Faja, JD,
With copy to:
Michael P. Malloy
Drinker, Biddle & Reath, LLP
One Logan Square, Suite 2000
Philadelphia, PA, 19103
and notice to the Adviser shall be sent to :
Motley Fool Asset Management, LLC
2000 Duke Street, Suite 175
Alexandria, VA 22314
Attn : President
24. Multiple Originals
This Agreement may be executed on two or more counterparts, each of which when so executed shall be deemed to be an original, but such counterparts shall together constitute but one and the same instrument.
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be executed by a duly authorized officer on one or more counterparts as of the date first above written.
The RBB Fund, Inc | U.S. BANCORP FUND SERVICES, LLC | ||||
By: | By: | ||||
Name: | Name: | ||||
Title: | Title: |
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Exhibit A to the Fund Accounting Servicing Agreement
Series of The RBB Fund, Inc
Motley Fool 100 Index ETF |
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FUND ADMINISTRATION SERVICING AGREEMENT
THIS AGREEMENT is made as of _______ by and between THE RBB FUND, INC., a Maryland corporation, (the “Trust”) and U.S. BANCORP FUND SERVICES, LLC, a Wisconsin limited liability company (“Fund Services”).
WHEREAS, the Trust is registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”), as an open-end management investment company; and is authorized to issue shares of beneficial interest in separate series, with each such series representing interests in a separate portfolio of securities and other assets;
WHEREAS, the Trust desires to retain Fund Services to provide fund administration services to each series of the Trust listed on Exhibit A attached hereto (as amended from time to time) (each, a “Fund” and collectively the “Funds”).
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the promises and mutual covenants herein contained, and other good and valuable consideration, the receipt of which is hereby acknowledged, the parties hereto, intending to be legally bound, do hereby agree as follows:
1. | Appointment of Fund Services as Fund Administrator |
The Trust hereby appoints Fund Services as fund administrator for the term of this Agreement to perform the services and duties described herein. Fund Services hereby accepts such appointment and agrees to perform the services and duties set forth in this Agreement. The services and duties of Fund Services shall be confined to those matters expressly set forth herein, and no implied duties are assumed by or may be asserted against Fund Services hereunder.
2. | Services and Duties of Fund Services |
Fund Services shall provide the following administration services to a Fund:
A. | General Fund Management: |
(1) | Act as liaison among Fund service providers, including but not exclusive to Adviser, Sub-Adviser, authorized participants, external legal counsel, accounting and audit firms and external compliance consultants. |
(2) | Supply: |
a. | Office facilities (which may be in a Fund Services office or in an affiliate’s office). |
b. | Non-investment-related statistical and research data as requested. |
(3) | Coordinate the Trust’s board of trustees’ (the “Board of Trustees” or the “Trustees”) communications, such as: |
a. | Prepare meeting agendas and resolutions, with the assistance of Fund counsel and Adviser in-house counsel. |
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b. | Prepare reports for the Board of Trustees based on financial and administrative data. |
c. | Assist with the selection of the independent auditor. |
d. | Secure and monitor fidelity bond and director and officer liability coverage, and make the necessary Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) filings relating thereto. |
e. | Prepare minutes of meetings of the Board of Trustees and Fund shareholders. |
f. | Recommend dividend declarations to the Board of Trustees and prepare and distribute to appropriate parties notices announcing declaration of dividends and other distributions to shareholders. |
g. | Attend Board of Trustees meetings and present materials for Trustees’ review at such meetings. |
(4) | Audits: |
a. | For the annual Fund audit, prepare appropriate schedules and materials. Provide requested information to the independent auditors, and facilitate the audit process. |
b. | For SEC, FINRA or other regulatory audits, provide requested information to the SEC or other regulatory agencies and facilitate the audit process. |
c. | For all audits, provide office facilities, as needed. |
(5) | Assist with overall operations of the Fund. |
(6) | Pay Fund expenses upon written authorization from the Trust. |
(7) | Keep the Trust’s governing documents, including its charter, bylaws and minute books, but only to the extent such documents are provided to Fund Services by the Trust or its representatives for safe keeping. |
B. | Compliance: |
(1) | Regulatory Compliance: |
a. | Monitor compliance with the 1940 Act requirements, including: |
(i) | Asset and diversification tests. |
(ii) | Total return and SEC yield calculations. |
(iii) | Maintenance of books and records under Rule 31a-3. |
(iv) | Code of ethics requirements under Rule 17j-1 for the disinterested Trustees, Directors and officers subject to the Company’s Code of Ethics including the coordination of the mailing to appropriate parties, the reporting forms under the Company’s Code of Ethics pursuant to Rule 17j-1 under the 1940 Act; |
b. | Monitor Fund's compliance with the policies and investment limitations as set forth in its prospectus (the “Prospectus”) and statement of additional information (the “SAI”). |
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c. | Perform its duties hereunder in compliance with all applicable laws and regulations and provide any sub-certifications reasonably requested by the Trust in connection with (i) any certification required of the Trust pursuant to the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (the “SOX Act”) or any rules or regulations promulgated by the SEC thereunder, and (ii) the operation of Fund Services’ compliance program as it relates to the Trust, provided the same shall not be deemed to change Fund Services’ standard of care as set forth herein. |
d. | Monitor applicable regulatory and operational service issues , including exchange listing requirements, and update Board of Trustees periodically. |
e. | Monitor compliance with regulatory exemptive relief (as applicable) for ETFs. |
(2) | SEC Registration and Reporting: |
a. | Assist Fund counsel in annual update of the Registration Statement. |
b. | Prepare and file annual and semiannual shareholder reports, Form N-SAR, Form N-CSR, Form N-Q filings and Rule 24f-2 notices. As requested by the Trust, prepare and file Form N-PX filings. |
c. | Coordinate the printing, filing and mailing of Prospectuses and shareholder reports, and amendments and supplements thereto. |
d. | File fidelity bond under Rule 17g-1. |
e. | Monitor sales of Fund shares and ensure that such shares are properly registered or qualified, as applicable, with the SEC and the appropriate state authorities. |
f. | Assist Fund counsel in preparation of proxy statements and information statements, as requested by the Trust. |
g. | Assist Fund counsel with application for exemptive relief, when applicable |
(3) | IRS Compliance: |
a. | Monitor the Trust’s status as a regulated investment company under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), including without limitation, review of the following: |
(i) | Diversification requirements. |
(ii) | Qualifying income requirements. |
(iii) | Distribution requirements. |
b. | Calculate the required annual excise distribution amounts for the review and approval of Fund management and/or its independent accountant. |
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C. Financial Reporting:
(1) | Provide financial data required by the Prospectus and SAI. |
(2) | Prepare financial reports for officers, shareholders, tax authorities, performance reporting companies, the Board of Trustees, the SEC, and the independent auditor. |
(3) | Supervise the Fund’s custodian and fund accountants in the maintenance of the Fund’s general ledger and in the preparation of the Fund’s financial statements, including oversight of expense accruals and payments, the determination of net asset value and the declaration and payment of dividends and other distributions to shareholders. |
(4) | Compute total return, expense ratio and portfolio turnover rate of the Fund. |
(5) | Monitor expense accruals and make adjustments as necessary; notify the Trust’s management of adjustments expected to materially affect the Fund’s expense ratio. |
(6) | Prepare financial statements, which include, without limitation, the following items: |
a. | Schedule of Investments. |
b. | Statement of Assets and Liabilities. |
c. | Statement of Operations. |
d. | Statement of Changes in Net Assets. |
e. | Statement of Cash Flows (if applicable). |
f. | Financial Highlights. |
(7) | Pursuant to Rule 31a-1(b)(9) of the 1940 Act, prepare quarterly broker security transaction summaries. |
D. Tax Reporting:
(1) Prepare for the review of the independent accountants and/or Fund Management the federal and state tax returns including, without limitation, Form 1120 RIC and applicable state returns including any necessary schedules. Fund Services will prepare annual Fund federal and state income tax return filings as authorized by and based on the instructions received by Fund Management and/or its independent accountant file on a timely basis appropriate federal and state tax returns including, without limitation, Forms 1120/8613, with any necessary schedules.
(2) Provide the Fund’s Management and independent accountant with tax reporting information pertaining to the Fund and available to Fund Services as required in a timely manner.
(3) Prepare Fund financial statement tax footnote disclosures for the review and approval of Fund Management and/or its independent accountant.
(4) Prepare and file on behalf of Fund Management Form 1099 MISC Forms for payments to disinterested Directors and other qualifying service providers.
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(5) Monitor wash sale losses.
(6) Calculate Qualified Dividend Income (“QDI”) for qualifying Fund Shareholders.
(7) Calculate Dividends Received Deduction (“DRD”) for qualifying corporate Fund Shareholders.
3. | Compensation |
Fund Services shall be compensated for providing the services set forth in this Agreement in accordance with the fee schedule set forth on Exhibit C attached hereto (as amended from time to time). Fund Services shall also be reimbursed for such miscellaneous expenses (e.g., telecommunication charges, postage and delivery charges, and reproduction charges) as are reasonably incurred by Fund Services in performing its duties hereunder. The Trust shall pay all such fees and reimbursable expenses within 30 calendar days following receipt of the monthly billing notice, except for any fee or expense subject to a good faith dispute. The Trust shall notify Fund Services in writing within 30 calendar days following receipt of each invoice if the Trust is disputing any amounts in good faith. The Trust shall pay such disputed amounts within 10 calendar days of the day on which the parties agree to the amount to be paid. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary, amounts owed by the Trust to Fund Services shall only be paid out of the assets and property of the particular Fund involved.
4. | License of Data; Warranty; Termination of Rights |
A. | Fund Services has entered into agreements with MSCI index data services (“MSCI”), Standard & Poor Financial Services LLC (“S&P”) and FactSet Research Systems, Inc. (“FACTSET”) which obligates Fund Services to include a list of required provisions in this Agreement attached hereto as Exhibit B. The index data services being provided to the Trust by Fund Services pursuant hereto (collectively, the “Data”) are being licensed, not sold, to the Trust. The provisions in Exhibit B shall not have any effect upon the standard of care and liability Fund Services has set forth in Section 6 of this Agreement. |
B. | The Trust agrees to indemnify and hold harmless Fund Services, its information providers, and any other third party involved in or related to the making or compiling of the Data, their affiliates and subsidiaries and their respective directors, officers, employees and agents from and against any claims, losses, damages, liabilities, costs and expenses, including reasonable attorneys’ fees and costs, as incurred, arising in and any manner out of the Trust’s or any third party’s use of, or inability to use, the Data or any breach by the Trust of any provision contained in this Agreement. The immediately preceding sentence shall not have any effect upon the standard of care and liability of Fund Services as set forth in Section 6 of this Agreement. |
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5. | Representations and Warranties |
A. | The Trust hereby represents and warrants to Fund Services, which representations and warranties shall be deemed to be continuing throughout the term of this Agreement, that: |
(1) | It is duly organized and existing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its organization, with full power to carry on its business as now conducted, to enter into this Agreement and to perform its obligations hereunder; |
(2) | This Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Trust in accordance with all requisite action and constitutes a valid and legally binding obligation of the Trust, enforceable in accordance with its terms, subject to bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium and other laws of general application affecting the rights and remedies of creditors and secured parties; and |
(3) | It is conducting its business in compliance in all material respects with all applicable laws and regulations, both state and federal, and has obtained all regulatory approvals necessary to carry on its business as now conducted; there is no statute, rule, regulation, order or judgment binding on it and no provision of its charter, bylaws or any contract binding it or |
affecting its property which would prohibit its execution or performance of this Agreement.
B. | Fund Services hereby represents and warrants to the Trust, which representations and warranties shall be deemed to be continuing throughout the term of this Agreement, that: |
(1) | It is duly organized and existing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its organization, with full power to carry on its business as now conducted, to enter into this Agreement and to perform its obligations hereunder; |
(2) | This Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by Fund Services in accordance with all requisite action and constitutes a valid and legally binding obligation of Fund Services, enforceable in accordance with its terms, subject to bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium and other laws of general application affecting the rights and remedies of creditors and secured parties; and |
(3) | It is conducting its business in compliance in all material respects with all applicable laws and regulations, both state and federal, and has obtained all regulatory approvals necessary to carry on its business as now conducted; there is no statute, rule, regulation, order or judgment binding on it and no provision of its charter, bylaws or any contract binding it or affecting its property which would prohibit its execution or performance of this Agreement. |
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6. | Standard of Care; Indemnification; Limitation of Liability |
A. | Fund Services shall exercise reasonable care in the performance of its duties under this Agreement. Fund Services shall not be liable for any error of judgment or mistake of law or for any loss suffered by the Trust in connection with its duties under this Agreement, including losses resulting from mechanical breakdowns or the failure of communication or power supplies beyond Fund Services’ control, except a loss arising out of or relating to Fund Services’ refusal or failure to comply with the terms of this Agreement or from its bad faith, negligence, or willful misconduct in the performance of its duties under this Agreement. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, if Fund Services has exercised reasonable care in the performance of its duties under this Agreement, the Trust shall indemnify and hold harmless Fund Services from and against any and all claims, demands, losses, expenses, and liabilities of any and every nature (including reasonable attorneys’ fees) that Fund Services may sustain or incur or that may be asserted against Fund Services by any person arising out of any action taken or omitted to be taken by it in performing the services hereunder (i) in accordance with the foregoing standards, or (ii) in reliance upon any written or oral instruction provided to Fund Services by any duly authorized officer of the Trust, as approved by the Board of Trustees of the Trust, except for any and all claims, demands, losses, expenses, and liabilities arising out of or relating to Fund Services’ refusal or failure to comply with the terms of this Agreement or from its bad faith, negligence or willful misconduct in the performance of its duties under this Agreement. This indemnity shall be a continuing obligation of the Trust, its successors and assigns, notwithstanding the termination of this Agreement. As used in this paragraph, the term “Fund Services” shall include Fund Services’ directors, officers and employees. |
Fund Services shall indemnify and hold the Trust harmless from and against any and all claims, demands, losses, expenses, and liabilities of any and every nature (including reasonable attorneys’ fees) that the Trust may sustain or incur or that may be asserted against the Trust by any person arising out of any action taken or omitted to be taken by Fund Services as a result of Fund Services’ refusal or failure to comply with the terms of this Agreement, or from its bad faith, negligence, or willful misconduct in the performance of its duties under this Agreement. This indemnity shall be a continuing obligation of Fund Services, its successors and assigns, notwithstanding the termination of this Agreement. As used in this paragraph, the term “Trust” shall include the Trust’s trustees, officers and employees.
Neither party to this Agreement shall be liable to the other party for consequential, special or punitive damages under any provision of this Agreement.
In the event of a mechanical breakdown or failure of communication or power supplies beyond its control, Fund Services shall take all reasonable steps to minimize service interruptions for any period that such interruption continues. Fund Services will make every reasonable effort to restore any lost or damaged data and correct any errors resulting from such a breakdown at the expense of Fund Services. Fund Services agrees that it shall, at all times, have reasonable contingency plans with appropriate parties, making reasonable provision for emergency use of electrical data processing equipment to the extent appropriate equipment is available. Representatives of the Trust shall be entitled to inspect Fund Services’ premises and operating capabilities at any time during regular business hours of Fund Services, upon reasonable notice to Fund Services. Moreover, Fund Services shall provide the Trust, at such times as the Trust may reasonably require, copies of reports rendered by independent accountants on the internal controls and procedures of Fund Services relating to the services provided by Fund Services under this Agreement.
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Notwithstanding the above, Fund Services reserves the right to reprocess and correct administrative errors at its own expense.
B. | In order that the indemnification provisions contained in this section shall apply, it is understood that if in any case the indemnitor may be asked to indemnify or hold the indemnitee harmless, the indemnitor shall be fully and promptly advised of all pertinent facts concerning the situation in question, and it is further understood that the indemnitee will use all reasonable care to notify the indemnitor promptly concerning any situation that presents or appears likely to present the probability of a claim for indemnification and will keep the indemnitor advised with respect to all developments concerning such claim. The indemnitor shall be entitled to participate at its own expense in the defense, or if it so elects, to assume the defense of any claim that may be the subject of this indemnification, but if the indemnitor elects to assume the defense, such defense shall be conducted by counsel chosen by the indemnitor and approved by the indemnitee, which approval shall not be unreasonably withheld. In the event the indemnitor elects to assume the defense of any such suit and retain such counsel, the indemnitee in such suit shall bear the fees and expenses of any additional counsel retained by them. If the indemnitor does not elect to assume the defense of any such suit, or in case the indemnitee does not, in the exercise of reasonable judgment, approve of counsel chosen by the indemnitor, or if under prevailing law or legal codes of ethics, the same counsel cannot effectively represent the interests of both the indemnitor and the indemnitee, the indemnitor will reimburse the indemnitee for the reasonable fees and expenses of any counsel retained by them. |
C. | The indemnity and defense provisions set forth in this Section 6 shall indefinitely survive the termination and/or assignment of this Agreement. |
D. | If Fund Services is acting in another capacity for the Trust pursuant to a separate agreement, nothing herein shall be deemed to relieve Fund Services of any of its obligations in such other capacity. |
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E. | The Company is a series company, and each Fund is a separate and distinct series of the Company. As such, the debts, liabilities, obligations and expenses incurred, contracted for or otherwise existing as a result of this Agreement with respect to the Company shall be enforceable against the assets of each Fund separately, and not against the assets of the Company generally or the assets of any other Fund or portfolio or series of the Company. |
F. | F. Paid Tax Preparer Disclaimer: In conjunction with the tax services provided to each Fund by Fund Services hereunder, Fund Services shall not be deemed to act as an income tax return preparer for any purpose including as such term is defined under Section 7701(a)(36) of the Internal Revenue Code (“IRC”), or any successor thereof. Any information provided by Fund Services to a Fund for income tax reporting purposes with respect to any item of income, gain, loss, or credit will be performed solely in Fund Services’ administrative capacity. Fund Services shall not be required to determine, and shall not take any position with respect to whether, the reasonable belief standard described in Section 6694 of the IRC has been satisfied with respect to any income tax item. Each Fund, and any appointees thereof, shall have the right to inspect the transaction summaries produced and aggregated by Fund Services, and any supporting documents thereto, in connection with the tax reporting services provided to each Fund by Fund Services. Fund Services shall not be liable for the provision or omission of any tax advice with respect to any information provided by Fund Services to a Fund. The tax information provided by Fund Services shall be pertinent to the data and information made available to us, and is neither derived from nor construed as tax advice. The provisions in this section shall not have any affect upon the services USBFS is required to provide or the standard of care and liability USBFS has set forth in Section 6 of this Agreement. |
7. | Data Necessary to Perform Services |
The Trust or its agent shall furnish to Fund Services the data necessary to perform the services described herein at such times and in such form as mutually agreed upon.
8. | Proprietary and Confidential Information |
Fund Services agrees on behalf of itself and its directors, officers, and employees to treat confidentially and as proprietary information of the Trust, all records and other information relative to the Trust and prior, present, or potential shareholders of the Trust (and clients of said shareholders), and not to use such records and information for any purpose other than the performance of its responsibilities and duties hereunder, except (i) after prior notification to and approval in writing by the Trust, which approval shall not be unreasonably withheld and may not be withheld where Fund Services may be exposed to civil or criminal contempt proceedings for failure to comply, (ii) when requested to divulge such information by duly constituted authorities, or (iii) when so requested by the Trust. Records and other information which have become known to the public through no wrongful act of Fund Services or any of its employees, agents or representatives, and information that was already in the possession of Fund Services prior to receipt thereof from the Trust or its agent, shall not be subject to this paragraph.
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Further, Fund Services will adhere to the privacy policies adopted by the Trust pursuant to Title V of the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, as may be modified from time to time. In this regard, Fund Services shall have in place and maintain physical, electronic and procedural safeguards reasonably designed to protect the security, confidentiality and integrity of, and to prevent unauthorized access to or use of, records and information relating to the Trust and its shareholders.
9. | Records |
Fund Services shall keep records relating to the services to be performed hereunder in the form and manner, and for such period, as it may deem advisable and is agreeable to the Trust, but not inconsistent with the rules and regulations of appropriate government authorities, in particular, Section 31 of the 1940 Act and the rules thereunder. Fund Services agrees that all such records prepared or maintained by Fund Services relating to the services to be performed by Fund Services hereunder are the property of the Trust and will be preserved, maintained, and made available in accordance with such applicable sections and rules of the 1940 Act and will be promptly surrendered to the Trust or its designee on and in accordance with its request.
10. | Compliance with Laws |
The Trust has and retains primary responsibility for all compliance matters relating to the Fund, including but not limited to compliance with the 1940 Act, the Code, the SOX Act, the USA Patriot Act of 2001 and the policies and limitations of the Fund relating to its portfolio investments as set forth in its Prospectus and SAI. Fund Services’ services hereunder shall not relieve the Trust of its responsibilities for assuring such compliance or the Board of Trustee’s oversight responsibility with respect thereto. The provisions in this section shall not have any affect upon the services USBFS is required to provide or the standard of care and liability USBFS has set forth in Section 6 of this Agreement.
11. | Term of Agreement; Amendment |
This Agreement shall become effective as of the date first written above and will continue in effect for a period of three (3) years. This Agreement may be terminated by either party upon giving 90 days prior written notice to the other party or such shorter period as is mutually agreed upon by the parties. Subsequent to the end of the three (3) year period, this Agreement continues until one party gives 90 days prior written notice to the other party or such shorter period as is mutually agreed upon by the parties. Notwithstanding the foregoing, this Agreement may be terminated by any party upon the breach of the other party of any material term of this Agreement if such breach is not cured within 15 days of notice of such breach to the breaching party. This Agreement may not be amended or modified in any manner except by written agreement executed by Fund Services and the Trust, and authorized or approved by the Board of Trustees.
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12. | Early Termination |
In the absence of any material breach of this Agreement, should the Trust elect to terminate this Agreement prior to the end of the three year term, the Trust agrees to pay the following fees:
a. | all monthly fees through the life of the Agreement, including the repayment of any negotiated discounts; |
b. | all fees associated with converting services to successor service provider; |
c. | all fees associated with any record retention and/or tax reporting obligations that may not be eliminated due to the conversion to a successor service provider; |
d. | all miscellaneous costs associated with a-c above |
13. | Duties in the Event of Termination |
In the event that, in connection with termination, a successor to any of Fund Services’ duties or responsibilities hereunder is designated by the Trust by written notice to Fund Services, Fund Services will promptly, upon such termination and at the expense of the Trust, transfer to such successor all relevant books, records, correspondence, and other data established or maintained by Fund Services under this Agreement in a form reasonably acceptable to the Trust (if such form differs from the form in which Fund Services has maintained the same, the Trust shall pay any expenses associated with transferring the data to such form), and will co-operate in the transfer of such duties and responsibilities, including provision for assistance from Fund Services’ personnel in the establishment of books, records, and other data by such successor. If no such successor is designated, then such books, records and other data shall be returned to the Trust.
14. | Assignment |
This Agreement shall extend to and be binding upon the parties hereto and their respective successors and assigns; provided, however, that this Agreement shall not be assignable by the Trust without the written consent of Fund Services, or by Fund Services without the written consent of the Trust accompanied by the authorization or approval of the Trust’s Board of Trustees.
15. | Governing Law |
This Agreement shall be governed and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Wisconsin, without regard to conflicts of law principles. To the extent that the applicable laws of the State of Wisconsin, or any of the provisions herein, conflict with the applicable provisions of the 1940 Act, the latter shall control, and nothing herein shall be construed in a manner inconsistent with the 1940 Act or any rule or order of the SEC thereunder.
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16. No Agency Relationship
Nothing herein contained shall be deemed to authorize or empower either party to act as agent for the other party to this Agreement, or to conduct business in the name, or for the account, of the other party to this Agreement.
17. Services Not Exclusive
Nothing in this Agreement shall limit or restrict Fund Services from providing services to other parties that are similar or identical to some or all of the services provided hereunder.
18. Invalidity
Any provision of this Agreement which may be determined by competent authority to be prohibited or unenforceable in any jurisdiction shall, as to such jurisdiction, be ineffective to the extent of such prohibition or unenforceability without invalidating the remaining provisions hereof, and any such prohibition or unenforceability in any jurisdiction shall not invalidate or render unenforceable such provision in any other jurisdiction. In such case, the parties shall in good faith modify or substitute such provision consistent with the original intent of the parties.
19. Legal-Related Services
Nothing in this Agreement shall be deemed to appoint Fund Services and its officers, directors and employees as the Fund attorneys, form attorney-client relationships or require the provision of legal advice. The Fund acknowledges that in-house Fund Services attorneys exclusively represent Fund Services and rely on outside counsel retained by the Fund to review all services provided by in-house Fund Services attorneys and to provide independent judgment on the Fund’s behalf. Because no attorney-client relationship exists between in-house Fund Services attorneys and the Fund, any information provided to Fund Services attorneys may not be privileged and may be subject to compulsory disclosure under certain circumstances. Fund Services represents that it will maintain the confidentiality of information disclosed to its in-house attorneys on a best efforts basis.
20. Notices
Any notice required or permitted to be given by either party to the other shall be in writing and shall be deemed to have been given on the date delivered personally or by courier service, or three days after sent by registered or certified mail, postage prepaid, return receipt requested, or on the date sent and confirmed received by facsimile transmission to the other party’s address set forth below:
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Notice to Fund Services shall be sent to:
U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC
615 East Michigan Street
Milwaukee, WI 53202
Attn: President
and notice to the Trust shall be sent to:
The RBB Fund, Inc.
c/o Vigilant Compliance Services
Brandywine Two 5 Christy Drive, Suite 208
Chadds Ford, PA 1931
Attn: Salvatore Faja, JD,
With copy to:
Michael P. Malloy
Drinker, Biddle & Reath, LLP
One Logan Square, Suite 2000
Philadelphia, PA, 19103
and notice to the Adviser shall be sent to :
Motley Fool Asset Management, LLC
2000 Duke Street, Suite 175
Alexandria, VA 22314
Attn : President
21. Multiple Originals
This Agreement may be executed on two or more counterparts, each of which when so executed shall be deemed to be an original, but such counterparts shall together constitute but one and the same instrument.
[SIGNATURES ON THE FOLLOWING PAGE]
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be executed by a duly authorized officer on one or more counterparts as of the date first above written.
The RBB Fund, Inc | U.S. BANCORP FUND SERVICES, LLC | ||||
By: | By: | ||||
Name: | Name: | ||||
Title: | Title: |
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Exhibit A to the Fund Administration Servicing Agreement
Series of The RBB Fund, Inc
Motley Fool 100 Index ETF |
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Exhibit B to the Fund Administration Servicing Agreement
REQUIRED PROVISIONS OF MSCI, S&P and FACTSET
• | The Trust shall represent that it will use the Data solely for internal purposes and will not redistribute the Data in any form or manner to any third party. |
• | The Trust shall represent that it will not use or permit anyone else to use the Data in connection with creating, managing, advising, writing, trading, marketing or promoting any securities or financial instruments or products, including, but not limited to, funds, synthetic or derivative securities (e.g., options, warrants, swaps, and futures), whether listed on an exchange or traded over the counter or on a private-placement basis or otherwise or to create any indices (custom or otherwise). |
• | The Trust shall represent that it will treat the Data as proprietary to MSCI, S&P and FACTSET. Further, the Trust shall acknowledge that MSCI, S&P and FACTSET are the sole and exclusive owners of the Data and all trade secrets, copyrights, trademarks and other intellectual property rights in or to the Data. |
• | The Trust shall represent that it will not (i) copy any component of the Data, (ii) alter, modify or adapt any component of the Data, including, but not limited to, translating, decompiling, disassembling, reverse engineering or creating derivative works, or (iii) make any component of the Data available to any other person or organization (including, without limitation, the Trust’s present and future parents, subsidiaries or affiliates) directly or indirectly, for any of the foregoing or for any other use, including, without limitation, by loan, rental, service bureau, external time sharing or similar arrangement. |
• | The Trust shall be obligated to reproduce on all permitted copies of the Data all copyright, proprietary rights and restrictive legends appearing on the Data. |
• | The Trust shall acknowledge that it assumes the entire risk of using the Data and shall agree to hold MSCI or S&P or FACTSET harmless from any claims that may arise in connection with any use of the Data by the Trust. |
• | The Trust shall acknowledge that MSCI or S&P or FACTSET may, in its sole and absolute discretion and at any time, terminate Fund Services’ right to receive and/or use the Data. |
• | The Trust shall acknowledge that MSCI, S&P and FACTSET are third party beneficiaries of the Customer Agreement between S&P, MSCI, FACTSET and Fund Services, entitled to enforce all provisions of such agreement relating to the Data. |
THE DATA IS PROVIDED TO THE TRUST ON AN "AS IS" BASIS. FUND SERVICES, ITS INFORMATION PROVIDERS, AND ANY OTHER THIRD PARTY INVOLVED IN OR RELATED TO THE MAKING OR COMPILING OF THE DATA MAKE NO REPRESENTATION OR WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, WITH RESPECT TO THE DATA (OR THE RESULTS TO BE OBTAINED BY THE USE THEREOF). FUND SERVICES, ITS INFORMATION PROVIDERS AND ANY OTHER THIRD PARTY INVOLVED IN OR RELATED TO THE MAKING OR COMPILING OF THE DATA EXPRESSLY DISCLAIM ANY AND ALL IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF ORIGINALITY, ACCURACY, COMPLETENESS, NON-INFRINGEMENT, MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.
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Exhibit B (continued) to the Fund Administration Servicing Agreement
THE TRUST ASSUMES THE ENTIRE RISK OF ANY USE THE TRUST MAY MAKE OF THE DATA. IN NO EVENT SHALL FUND SERVICES, ITS INFORMATION PROVIDERS OR ANY THIRD PARTY INVOLVED IN OR RELATED TO THE MAKING OR COMPILING OF THE DATA, BE LIABLE TO THE TRUST, OR ANY OTHER THIRD PARTY, FOR ANY DIRECT OR INDIRECT DAMAGES, INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, ANY LOST PROFITS, LOST SAVINGS OR OTHER INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF THIS AGREEMENT OR THE INABILITY OF THE TRUST TO USE THE DATA, REGARDLESS OF THE FORM OF ACTION, EVEN IF FUND SERVICES, ANY OF ITS INFORMATION PROVIDERS, OR ANY OTHER THIRD PARTY INVOLVED IN OR RELATED TO THE MAKING OR COMPILING OF THE DATA HAS BEEN ADVISED OF OR OTHERWISE MIGHT HAVE ANTICIPATED THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.
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TRANSFER AGENT SERVICING AGREEMENT
THIS AGREEMENT is made as of _______ by and between THE RBB FUND, INC., a Maryland corporation, (the “Trust”) and U.S. BANCORP FUND SERVICES, LLC, a Wisconsin limited liability company (“Fund Services”).
WHEREAS, the Trust intends to issue in respect of its series listed on Exhibit A attached hereto (each a “Fund” or an “ETF Series”) an exchange-traded class of shares known as “Shares” for each ETF Series. The Shares shall be created and redeemed in bundles called “Creation Units.” The Trust, on behalf of the ETF Series, shall create and redeem Shares of each ETF Series only in Creation Units principally in kind for portfolio securities of the particular ETF Series (“Deposit Securities”), as more fully described in the current prospectus and statement of additional information of the Trust, included in its registration statement on Form N-1A; and as authorized under the Order of Exemption granted by the Securities and Exchange Commission. Only brokers or dealers that are “Authorized Participants” and that have entered into an Authorized Participant Agreement with [Name of Distributor], the Fund’s Distributor (the “Distributor”), acting on behalf of the Trust, shall be authorized to create and redeem Shares in Creation Units from the Trust. The Trust wishes to engage Fund Services to perform certain services on behalf of the Trust with respect to the creation and redemption of Shares, as the Trust’s agent, namely to provide transfer agent services for Shares of each ETF Series; and to act as Index Receipt Agent (as such term is defined in the rules of the National Securities Clearing Corporation (“NSCC”)) with respect to the settlement of trade orders with Authorized Participants. The Trust has engaged U.S. Bank, National Association (the “Custodian”) to provide custody services under the terms of a Custody Agreement, as supplemented hereby, for the settlement of Creation Units against Deposit Securities and/or cash that shall be delivered by Authorized Participants in exchange for Shares and the redemption of Shares in Creation Unit size against the delivery of Redemption Securities and/or cash of each ETF Series.
WHEREAS, the Trust is registered as an open-end management investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”); and
WHEREAS, the Trust will ordinarily issue for purchase and redeem Shares only in aggregations of Shares known as Creation Units (currently 25,000 Shares) principally in kind or in cash;
WHEREAS, The Depository Trust Company, a limited purpose trust company organized under the laws of the State of New York (“DTC”), or its nominee Cede & Company, will be the registered owner (the “Shareholder”) of all Shares; and
WHEREAS, the Trust desires to retain Fund Services as its transfer agent, dividend disbursing agent, and agent in connection with certain other activities to each series of the Trust listed on Exhibit A attached hereto (as amended from time to time).
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NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the promises and mutual covenants herein contained, and other good and valuable consideration, the receipt of which is hereby acknowledged, the parties hereto, intending to be legally bound, do hereby agree as follows:
1. Appointment of Fund Services as Transfer Agent
The Trust hereby appoints Fund Services as transfer agent of the Trust on the terms and conditions set forth in this Agreement, and Fund Services hereby accepts such appointment and agrees to perform the services and duties set forth in this Agreement. The services and duties of Fund Services shall be confined to those matters expressly set forth herein, and no implied duties are assumed by or may be asserted against Fund Services hereunder.
2. Services and Duties of Fund Services
Fund Services shall provide the following transfer agent and dividend disbursing agent services to each Fund:
A. Perform and facilitate the performance of purchases and redemption of Creation Units;
B. Prepare and transmit by means of DTC’s book-entry system payments for dividends and distributions on or with respect to the Shares declared by the Trust on behalf of the applicable Fund;
C. Maintain the record of the name and address of the Shareholder and the number of Shares issued by the Trust and held by the Shareholder;
D. Record the issuance of Shares of the Trust and maintain a record of the total number of Shares of the Trust which are outstanding, and, based upon data provided to it by the Trust, the total number of authorized Shares. Fund Services shall have no obligation, when recording the issuance of Shares, to monitor the issuance of such Shares
E. Prepare and transmit to the Trust and the Trust’s administrator and to any applicable securities exchange (as specified to Fund Services by the Trust) information with respect to purchases and redemptions of Shares;
F. On days that the Trust may accept orders for purchases or redemptions, calculate and transmit to Fund Services and the Trust the number of outstanding Shares;
G. On days that the Trust may accept orders for purchases or redemptions (pursuant to the Participant Agreement), transmit to Fund Services, the Trust and DTC the amount of Shares purchased on such day;
H. Confirm to DTC the number of Shares issued to the Shareholder, as DTC may reasonably request;
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I. Prepare and deliver other reports, information and documents to DTC as DTC may reasonably request;
J. Extend the voting rights to the Shareholder for extension by DTC to DTC participants and the beneficial owners of Shares in accordance with policies and procedures of DTC for book-entry only securities;
K. Maintain those books and records of the Trust specified by the Trust and agreed upon by Fund Services;
L. Prepare a monthly report of all purchases and redemptions of Shares during such month on a gross transaction basis, and identify on a daily basis the net number of Shares either redeemed or purchased on such business day and with respect to each Authorized Participant purchasing or redeeming Shares, the amount of Shares purchased or redeemed;
M. Receive from the Distributor or from its agent purchase orders from Authorized Participants (as defined in the Authorized Participant Agreement) for Creation Unit Aggregations of Shares received in good form and accepted by or on behalf of the Trust by the Distributor, transmit appropriate trade instructions to the NSCC, if applicable, and pursuant to such orders issue the appropriate number of Shares of the Trust and hold such Shares in the account of the Shareholder for each of the respective Funds;
N. Receive from the Authorized Participants redemption requests, deliver the appropriate documentation thereof to the Trust’s custodian, generate and transmit or cause to be generated and transmitted confirmation of receipt of such redemption requests to the Authorized Participants submitting the same; transmit appropriate trade instructions to the NSCC, if applicable, and redeem the appropriate number of Creation Unit Aggregations of Shares held in the account of the Shareholder for each of the respective Funds; and
O. Confirm the name, U.S. taxpayer identification number and principle place of business of each Authorized Participant.
In addition to the services set forth above, Fund Services shall: perform the customary services of a transfer agent and dividend disbursing agent including, but not limited to, maintaining the account of the Shareholder; and obtaining at the request of the Trust from the Shareholder a list of DTC participants holding interests in the Global Certificate.
Fund Services shall keep records relating to the services to be performed hereunder, in the form and manner required by applicable laws, rules, and regulations under the 1940 Act and to the extent required by Section 31 of the 1940 Act and the rules thereunder (the “Rules”), all such books and records shall be the property of the Trust, will be preserved, maintained and made available in accordance with such Section and Rules, and will be surrendered promptly to the Trust on and in accordance with its request.
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3. Lost Shareholder Due Diligence Searches and Servicing
The Trust hereby acknowledges that Fund Services has an arrangement with an outside vendor to conduct lost shareholder searches required by Rule 17Ad-17 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Costs associated with such searches will be passed through to the Trust as miscellaneous expenses in accordance with the fee schedule set forth on Exhibit B attached hereto. If a shareholder remains lost and the shareholder’s account unresolved after completion of the mandatory Rule 17Ad-17 search, the Trust hereby authorizes vendor to enter, at its discretion, into fee sharing arrangements with the lost shareholder (or such lost shareholder’s representative or executor) to conduct a more in-depth search in order to locate the lost shareholder before the shareholder’s assets escheat to the applicable state. The Trust hereby acknowledges that Fund Services is not a party to these arrangements and does not receive any revenue sharing or other fees relating to these arrangements. Furthermore, the Trust hereby acknowledges that vendor may receive up to 35% of the lost shareholder’s assets as compensation for its efforts in locating the lost shareholder.
4. Anti-Money Laundering and Red Flag Identity Theft Prevention Programs
The Trust acknowledges that it has had an opportunity to review, consider and comment upon the written procedures provided by Fund Services describing various tools used by Fund Services which are designed to promote the detection and reporting of potential money laundering activity and identity theft by monitoring certain aspects of shareholder activity as well as written procedures for verifying a customer’s identity (collectively, the “Procedures”). Further, the Trust and Fund Services have each determined that the Procedures, as part of the Trust’s overall Anti-Money Laundering Program and Red Flag Identity Theft Prevention Program, are reasonably designed to: (i) prevent each Fund from being used for money laundering or the financing of terrorist activities; (ii) prevent identity theft; and (iii) achieve compliance with the applicable provisions of the Bank Secrecy Act, Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act of 2003 and the USA Patriot Act of 2001 and the implementing regulations thereunder.
Based on this determination, the Trust hereby instructs and directs Fund Services to implement the Procedures on the Trust’s behalf, as such may be amended or revised from time to time. It is contemplated that these Procedures will be amended from time to time by the parties as additional regulations are adopted and/or regulatory guidance is provided relating to the Trust’s anti-money laundering and identity theft responsibilities.
Fund Services agrees to provide to the Trust:
(a) | Prompt written notification of any transaction or combination of transactions that Fund Services believes, based on the Procedures, evidence money laundering or identity theft activities in connection with the Trust or any Fund shareholder; |
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(b) | Prompt written notification of any customer(s) that Fund Services reasonably believes, based upon the Procedures, to be engaged in money laundering or identity theft activities, provided that the Trust agrees not to communicate this information to the customer; |
(c) | Any reports received by Fund Services from any government agency or applicable industry self-regulatory organization pertaining to Fund Services’ Anti-Money Laundering Program or the Red Flag Identity Theft Prevention Program on behalf of the Trust; |
(d) | Prompt written notification of any action taken in response to anti-money laundering violations or identity theft activity as described in (a), (b) or (c) immediately above; and |
(e) | Certified annual and quarterly reports of its monitoring and customer identification activities pursuant to the Procedures on behalf of the Trust. |
The Trust hereby directs, and Fund Services acknowledges, that Fund Services shall (i) permit federal regulators access to such information and records maintained by Funder Services and relating to Fund Services’ implementation of the Procedures, on behalf of the Trust, as they may request, and (ii) permit such federal regulators to inspect Fund Services’ implementation of the Procedures on behalf of the Trust.
5. Compensation
Fund Services shall be compensated for providing the services set forth in this Agreement in accordance with the fee schedule set forth on Exhibit B attached hereto (as amended from time to time by written request of the parties to this Agreement). Fund Services shall be reimbursed for such miscellaneous expenses (e.g., telecommunication charges, postage and delivery charges, and reproduction charges) as are reasonably incurred by Fund Services in performing its duties hereunder. Fund Services shall also be compensated for any increases in costs due to the adoption of any new or amended industry, regulatory or other applicable rules. The Trust shall pay all such fees and reimbursable expenses within thirty (30) calendar days following receipt of the monthly billing notice, except for any fee or expense subject to a good faith dispute. The Trust shall notify Fund Services in writing within thirty (30) calendar days following receipt of each invoice if the Trust is disputing any amounts in good faith. The Trust shall pay such disputed amounts within 10 calendar days of the day on which the parties agree to the amount to be paid, if any. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary, amounts owed by the Trust to Fund Services shall only be paid out of the assets and property of the particular Fund involved.
6. Representations and Warranties
A. | The Trust hereby represents and warrants to Fund Services, which representations and warranties shall be deemed to be continuing throughout the term of this Agreement, that: |
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(1) | It is duly organized and existing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its organization, with full power to carry on its business as now conducted, to enter into this Agreement and to perform its obligations hereunder; |
(2) | This Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Trust in accordance with all requisite action and constitutes a valid and legally binding obligation of the Trust, enforceable in accordance with its terms, subject to bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium and other laws of general application affecting the rights and remedies of creditors and secured parties; |
(3) | It is conducting its business in compliance in all material respects with all applicable laws and regulations, both state and federal, and has obtained all regulatory approvals necessary to carry on its business as now conducted; there is no statute, rule, regulation, order or judgment binding on it and no provision of its charter, bylaws or any contract binding it or affecting its property which would prohibit its execution or performance of this Agreement; and |
(4) | A registration statement under the 1940 Act and the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, will be made effective prior to the effective date of this Agreement and will remain effective during the term of this Agreement, and appropriate state securities law filings will be made prior to the effective date of this Agreement and will continue to be made during the term of this Agreement as necessary to enable the Trust to make a continuous public offering of its shares. |
B. | Fund Services hereby represents and warrants to the Trust, which representations and warranties shall be deemed to be continuing throughout the term of this Agreement, that: |
(1) | It is duly organized and existing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its organization, with full power to carry on its business as now conducted, to enter into this Agreement and to perform its obligations hereunder; |
(2) | This Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by Fund Services in accordance with all requisite action and constitutes a valid and legally binding obligation of Fund Services, enforceable in accordance with its terms, subject to bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium and other laws of general application affecting the rights and remedies of creditors and secured parties; |
(3) | It is conducting its business in compliance in all material respects with all applicable laws and regulations, both state and federal, and has obtained all regulatory approvals necessary to carry on its business as now conducted; there is no statute, rule, regulation, order or judgment binding on it and no provision of its charter, bylaws or any contract binding it or affecting its property which would prohibit its execution or performance of this Agreement; and |
(4) | It is a registered transfer agent under the Exchange Act. |
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7. Standard of Care; Indemnification; Limitation of Liability
A. | Fund Services shall exercise reasonable care in the performance of its duties under this Agreement. Fund Services shall not be liable for any error of judgment or mistake of law or for any loss suffered by the Trust in connection with its duties under this Agreement, including losses resulting from mechanical breakdowns or the failure of communication or power supplies beyond fund Services’ control, except a loss arising out of or relating to Fund Services’ refusal or failure to comply with the terms of this Agreement or from its bad faith, negligence, or willful misconduct in the performance of its duties under this Agreement. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, if Fund Services has exercised reasonable care in the performance of its duties under this Agreement, the Trust shall indemnify and hold harmless Fund Services from and against any and all claims, demands, losses, expenses, and liabilities of any and every nature (including reasonable attorneys' fees) that Fund Services may sustain or incur or that may be asserted against Fund Services by any person arising out of any action taken or omitted to be taken by it in performing the services hereunder (i) in accordance with the foregoing standards, or (ii) in reliance upon any written or oral instruction provided to Fund Services by any duly authorized officer of the Trust, as approved by the Board of Trustees of the Trust (the “Board of Trustees”), except for any and all claims, demands, losses, expenses, and liabilities arising out of or relating to Fund Services’ refusal or failure to comply with the terms of this Agreement or from its bad faith, negligence or willful misconduct in the performance of its duties under this Agreement. This indemnity shall be a continuing obligation of the Trust, its successors and assigns, notwithstanding the termination of this Agreement. As used in this paragraph, the term “Fund Services” shall include Fund Services’ directors, officers and employees. |
Fund Services shall indemnify and hold the Trust harmless from and against any and all claims, demands, losses, expenses, and liabilities of any and every nature (including reasonable attorneys' fees) that the Trust may sustain or incur or that may be asserted against the Trust by any person arising out of any action taken or omitted to be taken by Fund Services as a result of Fund Services’ refusal or failure to comply with the terms of this Agreement, or from its bad faith, negligence, or willful misconduct in the performance of its duties under this Agreement. This indemnity shall be a continuing obligation of Fund Services, its successors and assigns, notwithstanding the termination of this Agreement. As used in this paragraph, the term “Trust” shall include the Trust’s directors, trustees, officers and employees.
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Neither party to this Agreement shall be liable to the other party for consequential, special or punitive damages under any provision of this Agreement.
In the event of a mechanical breakdown or failure of communication or power supplies beyond its control, Fund Services shall take all reasonable steps to minimize service interruptions for any period that such interruption continues. Fund Services will make every reasonable effort to restore any lost or damaged data and correct any errors resulting from such a breakdown at the expense of Fund Services. Fund Services agrees that it shall, at all times, have reasonable contingency plans with appropriate parties, making reasonable provision for emergency use of electrical data processing equipment to the extent appropriate equipment is available. Representatives of the Trust shall be entitled to inspect Fund Services’ premises and operating capabilities at any time during regular business hours of Fund Services, upon reasonable notice to Fund Services. Moreover, Fund Services shall provide the Trust, at such times as the Trust may reasonably require, copies of reports rendered by independent accountants on the internal controls and procedures of Fund Services relating to the services provided by Fund Services under this Agreement.
Notwithstanding the above, Fund Services reserves the right to reprocess and correct administrative errors at its own expense.
B. | In order that the indemnification provisions contained in this section shall apply, it is understood that if in any case the indemnitor may be asked to indemnify or hold the indemnitee harmless, the indemnitor shall be fully and promptly advised of all pertinent facts concerning the situation in question, and it is further understood that the indemnitee will use all reasonable care to notify the indemnitor promptly concerning any situation that presents or appears likely to present the probability of a claim for indemnification and will keep the indemnitor advised with respect to all developments concerning such claim. The indemnitor shall be entitled to participate at its own expense in the defense, or if it so elects, to assume the defense of any claim that may be the subject of this indemnification, but if the indemnitor elects to assume the defense, such defense shall be conducted by counsel chosen by the indemnitor and approved by the indemnitee, which approval shall not be unreasonably withheld. In the event the indemnitor elects to assume the defense of any such suit and retain such counsel, the indemnitee in such suit shall bear the fees and expenses of any additional counsel retained by them. If the indemnitor does not elect to assume the defense of any such suit, or in case the indemnitee does not, in the exercise of reasonable judgment, approve of counsel chosen by the indemnitor, or if under prevailing law or legal codes of ethics, the same counsel cannot effectively represent the interests of both the indemnitor and the indemnitee, the indemnitor will reimburse the indemnitee for the reasonable fees and expenses of any counsel retained by them. |
C. | .The indemnity and defense provisions set forth in this Section 7 shall indefinitely survive the termination and/or assignment of this Agreement. |
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D. | If Fund Services is acting in another capacity for the Trust pursuant to a separate agreement, nothing herein shall be deemed to relieve Fund Services of any of its obligations in such other capacity. |
E. | The Company is a series company, and each Fund is a separate and distinct series of the Company. As such, the debts, liabilities, obligations and expenses incurred, contracted for or otherwise existing as a result of this Agreement with respect to the Company shall be enforceable against the assets of each Fund separately, and not against the assets of the Company generally or the assets of any other Fund or portfolio or series of the Company. |
8. Data Necessary to Perform Services
The Trust or its agent shall furnish to Fund Services the data necessary to perform the services described herein at such times and in such form as mutually agreed upon.
9. Proprietary and Confidential Information
Fund Services agrees on behalf of itself and its directors, officers, and employees to treat confidentially and as proprietary information of the Trust, all records and other information relative to the Trust and prior, present, or potential shareholders of the Trust (and clients of said shareholders), and not to use such records and information for any purpose other than the performance of its responsibilities and duties hereunder, except (i) after prior notification to and approval in writing by the Trust, which approval shall not be unreasonably withheld and may not be withheld where Fund Services may be exposed to civil or criminal contempt proceedings for failure to comply, (ii) when requested to divulge such information by duly constituted authorities, or (iii) when so requested by the Trust. Records and other information which have become known to the public through no wrongful act of Fund Services or any of its employees, agents or representatives, and information that was already in the possession of Fund Services prior to receipt thereof from the Trust or its agent, shall not be subject to this paragraph.
Further, Fund Services will adhere to the privacy policies adopted by the Trust pursuant to Title V of the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, as may be modified from time to time. In this regard, Fund Services shall have in place and maintain physical, electronic and procedural safeguards reasonably designed to protect the security, confidentiality and integrity of, and to prevent unauthorized access to or use of, records and information relating to the Trust and its shareholders.
10. Records
Fund Services shall keep records relating to the services to be performed hereunder in the form and manner, and for such period, as it may deem advisable and is agreeable to the Trust, but not inconsistent with the rules and regulations of appropriate government authorities, in particular, Section 31 of the 1940 Act and the rules thereunder. Fund Services agrees that all such records prepared or maintained by Fund Services relating to the services to be performed by Fund Services hereunder are the property of the Trust and will be preserved, maintained, and made available in accordance with such applicable sections and rules of the 1940 Act and will be promptly surrendered to the Trust or its designee on and in accordance with its request.
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11. Compliance with Laws
The Trust has and retains primary responsibility for all compliance matters relating to the Fund, including but not limited to compliance with the 1940 Act, the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, the USA Patriot Act of 2001 and the policies and limitations of the Fund relating to its portfolio investments as set forth in its Prospectus and statement of additional information. Fund Services’ services hereunder shall not relieve the Trust of its responsibilities for assuring such compliance or the Board of Trustee’s oversight responsibility with respect thereto. The provisions in this section shall not have any affect upon the services USBFS is required to provide or the standard of care and liability USBFS has set forth in Section 8 of this Agreement
12. Term of Agreement; Amendment
This Agreement shall become effective as of the date first written above and will continue in effect for a period of three (3) years. This Agreement may be terminated by either party upon giving 90 days prior written notice to the other party or such shorter period as is mutually agreed upon by the parties. Subsequent to the end of the three (3) year period, this Agreement continues until one party gives 90 days prior written notice to the other party or such shorter period as is mutually agreed upon by the parties. Notwithstanding the foregoing, this Agreement may be terminated by any party upon the breach of the other party of any material term of this Agreement if such breach is not cured within 15 days of notice of such breach to the breaching party. However, this cure period only applies to the first two such breaches of the same material term of this Agreement. Either party may terminate this Agreement after the third such breach of the same material term of this Agreement. In addition, the Company may, at any time, immediately terminate this Agreement upon its “assignment” as defined under the1940 Act. This Agreement may not be amended or modified in any manner except by written agreement executed by Fund Services and the Trust, and authorized or approved by the Board of Trustees.
13. Early Termination
In the absence of any material breach of this Agreement, should the Trust elect to terminate this Agreement prior to the end of the three (3) year term, the Trust agrees to pay the following fees:
a. | all monthly fees through the life of the Agreement, including the repayment of any negotiated discounts; |
b. | all fees associated with converting services to successor service provider; |
c. | all fees associated with any record retention and/or tax reporting obligations that may not be eliminated due to the conversion to a successor service provider; |
d. | all miscellaneous costs associated with a-c above |
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14. Duties in the Event of Termination
In the event that, in connection with the termination of this Agreement, a successor to any of Fund Services’ duties or responsibilities hereunder is designated by the Trust by written notice to Fund Services, Fund Services will promptly, upon such termination and at the expense of the Trust, transfer to such successor all relevant books, records, correspondence, and other data established or maintained by Fund Services under this Agreement in a form reasonably acceptable to the Trust (if such form differs from the form in which Fund Services has maintained the same, the Trust shall pay any expenses associated with transferring the data to such form), and will cooperate in the transfer of such duties and responsibilities, including provision for assistance from Fund Services’ personnel in the establishment of books, records, and other data by such successor. The Fund shall also be responsible for any fees associated with any record retention and/or tax reporting obligations that may not be eliminated due to the conversion to a successor provider. If no such successor is designated, then such books, records and other data shall be returned to the Trust.
15. Assignment
This Agreement shall extend to and be binding upon the parties hereto and their respective successors and assigns; provided, however, that this Agreement shall not be assignable by the Trust without the written consent of Fund Services, or by Fund Services without the written consent of the Trust accompanied by the authorization or approval of the Board of Trustees.
16. Governing Law
This Agreement shall be governed and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Wisconsin, without regard to conflicts of law principles. To the extent that the applicable laws of the State of Wisconsin, or any of the provisions herein, conflict with the applicable provisions of the 1940 Act, the latter shall control, and nothing herein shall be construed in a manner inconsistent with the 1940 Act or any rule or order of the Securities and Exchange Commission thereunder.
17. No Agency Relationship
Nothing herein contained shall be deemed to authorize or empower either party to act as agent for the other party to this Agreement, or to conduct business in the name, or for the account, of the other party to this Agreement.
18. Services Not Exclusive
Nothing in this Agreement shall limit or restrict Fund Services from providing services to other parties that are similar or identical to some or all of the services provided hereunder.
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19. Invalidity
Any provision of this Agreement which may be determined by competent authority to be prohibited or unenforceable in any jurisdiction shall, as to such jurisdiction, be ineffective to the extent of such prohibition or unenforceability without invalidating the remaining provisions hereof, and any such prohibition or unenforceability in any jurisdiction shall not invalidate or render unenforceable such provision in any other jurisdiction. In such case, the parties shall in good faith modify or substitute such provision consistent with the original intent of the parties.
20. Notices
Any notice required or permitted to be given by either party to the other shall be in writing and shall be deemed to have been given on the date delivered personally or by courier service, or three days after sent by registered or certified mail, postage prepaid, return receipt requested, or on the date sent and confirmed received by facsimile transmission to the other party’s address set forth below:
Notice to Fund Services shall be sent to:
U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC
615 East Michigan Street
Milwaukee, WI 53202
Attn: President
and notice to the Trust shall be sent to:
The RBB Fund, Inc.
c/o Vigilant Compliance Services
Brandywine Two 5 Christy Drive, Suite 208
Chadds Ford, PA 1931
Attn: Salvatore Faja, JD,
With copy to:
Michael P. Malloy
Drinker, Biddle & Reath, LLP
One Logan Square, Suite 2000
Philadelphia, PA, 19103
and notice to the Adviser shall be sent to :
Motley Fool Asset Management, LLC
2000 Duke Street, Suite 175
Alexandria, VA 22314
Attn : President
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21. Multiple Originals
This Agreement may be executed on two or more counterparts, each of which when so executed shall be deemed to be an original, but such counterparts shall together constitute but one and the same instrument.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be executed by a duly authorized officer on one or more counterparts as of the date first above written.
The RBB Fund, Inc | U.S. BANCORP FUND SERVICES, LLC | ||||
By: | By: | ||||
Name: | Name: | ||||
Title: | Title: |
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Exhibit A to the Transfer Agent Servicing Agreement-
Series of The RBB Fund, Inc
Motley Fool 100 Index ETF |
14
Exhibit B to Transfer Agent Servicing Agreement
[fee schedule]
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Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP
One Logan Square
Suite 2000
Philadelphia, PA 19103-6996
(215) 988-2700 (Phone)
(215) 988-2757 (Facsimile)
www.drinkerbiddle.com
January 19, 2018
The RBB Fund, Inc.
615 East Michigan Street
Milwaukee, WI 53202
Re: | Shares Registered by Post-Effective Amendment No. 235 to Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File No. 33-20827) |
Ladies and Gentlemen:
We have acted as counsel to The RBB Fund, Inc. (the “Company”) in connection with the preparation and filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission of Post-Effective Amendment No. 235 (the “Amendment”) to the Company’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. The Board of Directors of the Company has authorized the issuance and sale by the Company of the following classes and numbers of shares of common stock, $0.001 par value per share (collectively, the “Shares”), with respect to the Company’s Motley Fool 100 Index ETF:
PORTFOLIO |
CLASS |
AUTHORIZED SHARES |
Motley Fool 100 Index ETF | TTTTTT |
100 million |
The Amendment seeks to register an indefinite number of the Shares.
We have reviewed the Company’s Articles of Incorporation, ByLaws, resolutions of its Board of Directors, and such other legal and factual matters as we have deemed appropriate. This opinion is based exclusively on the Maryland General Corporation Law and the federal law of the United States of America.
Based upon and subject to the foregoing, it is our opinion that the Shares, when issued for payment as described in the Company’s Prospectuses offering the Shares and in accordance with the Company’s Articles of Incorporation for not less than $0.001 per share, will be legally issued, fully paid and non-assessable by the Company.
January 19, 2018
Page 2
We consent to the filing of this opinion as an exhibit to the Amendment to the Company’s Registration Statement.
Very truly yours, | ||
/s/ Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP | ||
Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP |
Exhibit (i)(2)
CONSENT OF COUNSEL
We hereby consent to the use of our name and to the reference to our Firm under the caption “Legal Counsel” in the Prospectus and in the Statement of Additional Information that is included in Post-Effective Amendment No. 235 to the Registration Statement (No. 33-20827; 811-5518) on Form N-1A of The RBB Fund, Inc., under the Securities Act of 1933 and the Investment Company Act of 1940, respectively. This consent does not constitute a consent under section 7 of the Securities Act of 1933, and in consenting to the use of our name and the references to our Firm under such caption we have not certified any part of the Registration Statement and do not otherwise come within the categories of persons whose consent is required under said section 7 or the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission thereunder.
/s/ Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP | ||
DRINKER BIDDLE & REATH LLP |
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
January 19, 2018
Exhibit (l)(40)
FORM OF PURCHASE AGREEMENT
The RBB Fund, Inc. (the “Company”), a Maryland corporation, and Motley Fool Asset Management, LLC (“Motley Fool”), intending to be legally bound, hereby agree with each other as follows:
1. The Company hereby offers Motley Fool and Motley Fool hereby purchases one (1) share of the Motley Fool 100 Index ETF (the “Fund”) (Class [ ], par value $.001 per share) at price per Share equivalent to the net asset value per share of the Fund as determined on [ ], 2018.
2. The Company hereby acknowledges receipt from Motley Fool of funds in the amount of $[ ] in full payment for the Share.
3. Motley Fool represents and warrants to the Company that the Share is being acquired for investment purposes and not with a view to the distribution thereof.
4. This Agreement may be executed in counterparts, and all such counterparts taken together shall be deemed to constitute one and the same instrument.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have executed this Agreement as of the [ ] day of [ ], 2018.
THE RBB FUND, INC. | |||
By: | |||
Name: | Salvatore Faia | ||
Title | President | ||
MOTLEY FOOL ASSET MANAGEMENT, LLC | |||
By: | |||
Name: | |||
Title: |