FREE MARKET FIXED INCOME FUND OF THE RBB FUND, INC. |
FMFIX |
SUMMARY PROSPECTUS
December 31, 2020
Before you invest, you may want to review the Fund’s Prospectus, which contains more information about the Fund and its risks. You can find the Fund’s Prospectus, Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”), reports to shareholders and other information about the Fund at http://hosted.rightprospectus.com/MatsonMoney. You can also get this information at no cost by calling 1-866-780-0357 Ext. 3863 or by sending an e-mail request to FreeMarketFunds@matsonmoney.com. The Fund’s Prospectus dated December 31, 2020 and the Fund’s SAI, dated December 31, 2020 are incorporated by reference into this Summary Prospectus.
Beginning on January 1, 2021, as permitted by regulations adopted by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), paper copies of the Fund’s annual and semi-annual shareholder reports will no longer be sent by mail, unless you specifically request paper copies of the reports. Instead, the reports will be made available on a website and you will be notified by mail each time a report is posted and provided with a website link to access the report.
If you already elected to receive shareholder reports electronically, you will not be affected by this change and you need not take any action. You may elect to receive shareholder reports and other communications from the Funds electronically anytime by contacting your financial intermediary (such as a broker-dealer or a bank) or, if you are a direct investor, by calling 1-866-780-0357 ext. 3863.
You may elect to receive all future reports in paper free of charge. If you invest through a financial intermediary, you can contact your financial intermediary to request that you continue to receive paper copies of your shareholder reports. If you invest directly with the Fund, you can call 1-866-780-0357 ext. 3863 to inform the Fund that you wish to continue receiving paper copies of your shareholder reports. Your election to receive reports in paper will apply to all funds held in your account if you invest through your financial intermediary or all funds held with the fund complex if you invest directly with the Fund.
Investment Objective
The Free Market Fixed Income Fund (for this section only, the “Fund”) seeks total return (consisting of current income and capital appreciation).
Expenses and Fees
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold, and sell shares of the Fund. You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the tables and examples below.
Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment) |
|
Management Fees |
0.49% |
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees |
None |
Other Expenses |
0.07% |
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses(1) |
0.13% |
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses |
0.69% |
(1) |
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses are indirect fees and expenses that the Fund incurs from investing in the shares of other mutual funds, including money market funds and exchange traded funds. Please note that the amount of Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses shown in the above table will differ from the “Financial Highlights” section of the Prospectus, which reflects the operating expenses of the Fund and does not include indirect expenses such as Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses. Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses have been restated for the current fiscal year. |
1
Example
This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and that you sell your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs and returns might be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
1 Year |
3 Years |
5 Years |
10 Years |
$70 |
$221 |
$384 |
$859 |
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 Total Annual fund Operating Expenses or in the Example, affect the Fund’s performance. During the fiscal year ended August 31, 2020, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 46% of the average value of its portfolio.
Summary of Principal Investment Strategies
The Fund pursues its investment objective by investing under normal circumstances at least 80% of its net assets, including any borrowings for investment purposes, in shares of registered, open-end investment companies and exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”) (collectively, “investment companies”) that have either adopted policies to invest at least 80% of their assets in fixed income securities that the Adviser believes offer the prospect of providing total return, or invest substantially all of their assets in such fixed income securities. The purchase of shares of investment companies may result in duplication of expenses, including advisory fees, in addition to the Fund’s own expenses.
Under normal market conditions, the Adviser expects substantially all of the Fund’s net assets to be invested in the securities of investment companies that invest in the types of securities described in each asset class below, with less than 2% of the net assets invested in cash or money market instruments.
One-Year Fixed Income Asset Class: The underlying investment companies generally will purchase U.S. government obligations, U.S. government agency obligations, dollar-denominated obligations of foreign issuers issued in the U.S., securities of domestic or foreign issuers denominated in U.S. dollars but not trading in the U.S.; foreign government and agency obligations, bank obligations, including the obligations of U.S. subsidiaries and branches of foreign banks, corporate obligations, commercial paper, repurchase agreements, and obligations of supranational organizations such as the World Bank, the European Investment Bank, and the Inter-American Development Bank. Generally, obligations comprising this asset class will mature within one year from the date of settlement, but substantial investments may be made in obligations maturing within two years from the date of settlement when greater returns are available.
Two-Year Global Fixed Income Asset Class: The underlying investment companies generally will purchase obligations issued or guaranteed by the U.S. and foreign governments, their agencies and instrumentalities, corporate debt obligations, bank obligations, commercial paper, repurchase agreements, and other debt obligations of domestic and foreign issuers with maturities of no more than two years. In making purchase decisions, if the expected term premium is greater for longer-term securities in the eligible maturity range, the underlying investment adviser(s) will focus investment in the longer-term area, otherwise, the underlying investment companies will focus investment in the shorter-term area of the eligible maturity range. Because many of the investments of the underlying investment companies in this asset class will be denominated in foreign currencies, the underlying investment companies may also enter into foreign currency forward contracts to attempt to protect against uncertainty in the level of future foreign currency rates, to hedge against fluctuations in currency exchange rates or to transfer balances from one currency to another.
2
Intermediate Government Fixed Income Asset Class: The underlying investment companies generally will purchase debt obligations of the U.S. government and U.S. government agencies. Generally, investment companies in the asset class will purchase securities with maturities of between five and fifteen years, however such investment companies ordinarily will have an average weighted maturity of between three and ten years. The underlying investment companies may invest a portion of their assets in the obligations of foreign governments. Those obligations at the time of purchase must be either rated in the highest rating category of a nationally recognized statistical rating organization or, in the case of any obligation that is unrated, of comparable quality.
Five-Year Global Fixed Income Asset Class: The underlying investment companies generally will purchase obligations issued or guaranteed by the U.S. and foreign governments, their agencies and instrumentalities, corporate debt obligations, bank obligations, commercial paper, repurchase agreements, obligations of other domestic and foreign issuers, securities of domestic or foreign issuers denominated in U.S. dollars but not trading in the United States, and obligations of supranational organizations. Generally, obligations comprising this asset class have a weighted average maturity not exceeding five years. In making purchase decisions, if the expected term premium is greater for longer-term securities in the eligible maturity range, the underlying investment adviser(s) will focus investment in the longer-term area, otherwise, the underlying investment companies will focus investment in the shorter-term area of the eligible maturity range. Because many of the investments of the underlying investment companies in this asset class will be denominated in foreign currencies, the underlying investment companies may also enter into foreign currency forward contracts to attempt to protect against uncertainty in the level of future foreign currency rates, to hedge against fluctuations in currency exchange rates or to transfer balances from one currency to another.
Short-Term Corporate Bond Asset Class: The underlying investment companies generally will track the investment results of the ICE BofAML 1-5 Year US Corporate Index, which measures the performance of investment-grade corporate bonds of both U.S. and non- U.S. issuers that are U.S. dollar denominated and publicly issued in the U.S. domestic market and have a remaining maturity of greater than or equal to one year and less than five years.
Intermediate-Term Corporate Bond Asset Class: The underlying investment companies generally will track the investment results of the ICE BofAML 5-10 Year US Corporate Index, which measures the performance of investment-grade corporate bonds of both U.S. and non-U.S. issuers that are U.S. dollar denominated and publicly issued in the U.S. domestic market and have a remaining maturity of greater than or equal to five years and less than ten years.
Inflation Protected Securities Asset Class: The underlying investment companies generally will track the investment results of the Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Treasury Inflation Protected Securities (TIPS) Index (Series-L), which measures the performance of the inflation-protected public obligations of the U.S. Treasury, commonly known as “TIPS.” TIPS are securities issued by the U.S. Treasury that are designed to provide inflation protection to investors. TIPS are income-generating instruments whose interest and principal payments are adjusted for inflation - a sustained increase in prices that erodes the purchasing power of money. The inflation adjustment, which is typically applied monthly to the principal of the bond, follows a designated inflation index, the consumer price index (“CPI”), and TIPS’ principal payments are adjusted according to changes in the CPI. A fixed coupon rate is applied to the inflation-adjusted principal so that as inflation rises, both the principal value and the interest payments increase.
The underlying investment companies may also use derivatives, such as futures contracts and options on futures contracts for equity securities and indices, to hedge currency exposure or to adjust market exposure based on actual or expected cash inflows or outflows from the underlying investment company. Underlying index-based ETFs may use derivatives, including futures contracts, options on futures contracts, forward currency contracts, options and swaps to help the ETF track its underlying index.
Certain underlying investment companies may concentrate their investments (invest more than 25% of its total assets) in obligations of U.S. and foreign banks and bank holding companies when the yield to maturity on eligible portfolio investments in banking securities as a group generally exceeds the yield to maturity on all other eligible portfolio investments as a group generally for a period of five consecutive days when the New York Stock Exchange is open for trading. While the Fund will not concentrate its investments in any one industry, the Fund may be focused on banking sectors under certain circumstances.
3
The Fund reserves the right to hold up to 100% of its assets as a temporary defensive measure in cash and money market instruments such as U.S. government securities, bank obligations and commercial paper. To the extent the Fund employs a temporary defensive measure, the Fund may not achieve its investment objective. Periodically the Adviser will review the allocations for the Fund in each underlying investment company and may add or remove underlying investment companies and/or change the investment allocation percentages of the Fund in the underlying investment companies without notice to shareholders.
Summary of Principal Risks
Risk is inherent in all investing. The value of your investment in the Fund, as well as the amount of return you receive on your investment, may fluctuate significantly from day to day and over time. You may lose part or all of your investment in the Fund or your investment may not perform as well as other similar investments. Each risk summarized below is considered a “principal risk” of investing in the Fund, regardless of the order in which it appears. Different risks may be more significant at different times depending on market conditions or other factors.
● |
Fixed income securities in which the Fund’s underlying investment companies may invest are subject to certain risks, including: interest rate risk, reinvestment risk, prepayment and extension risk, credit/default risk, and the risks associated with investing in repurchase agreements. |
● |
Interest rate risk involves the risk that prices of fixed income securities will rise and fall in response to interest rate changes. |
● |
Reinvestment risk involves the risk that proceeds from matured investments may be re-invested at lower interest rates. |
● |
Prepayment risk involves the risk that in declining interest rates environments prepayments of principal could increase and require the Fund to reinvest proceeds of the prepayments at lower interest rates. |
● |
Extension risk involves the risk that prepayments of principal will decrease when interest rates rise resulting in a longer effective maturity of a security. |
● |
Credit risk is the risk that the issuer of a security may be unable to make interest payments and/or repay principal when due. Credit risk also involves the risk that the credit rating of a security may be lowered. |
● |
Repurchase agreement risk involves the risk that the other party to a repurchase agreement will be unable to complete the transaction and the underlying investment company in which the Fund invests may suffer a loss as a result. |
● |
Because the Fund owns shares of underlying investment companies that invest in foreign issuers, the Fund is subject to risks presented by investments in such issuers. Securities of foreign issuers may be negatively affected by political events, economic conditions, or inefficient, illiquid or unregulated markets in foreign countries. Foreign issuers may be subject to inadequate regulatory or accounting standards. |
● |
Currency risk is the risk that exchange rates for currencies in which securities held by the underlying investment companies in which the Fund invests are denominated will fluctuate daily. Forward foreign currency exchange contracts may limit potential gains from a favorable change in value between the U.S. dollar and foreign currencies. Unanticipated changes in currency pricing may result in poorer overall performance for the Fund than if it had not engaged in these contracts. |
● |
ETFs are a type of investment company bought and sold on a securities exchange. An ETF typically represents a fixed portfolio of securities designed to track a particular market index. The risks of owning an ETF generally reflect the risks of owning the underlying securities that they are designed to track, although lack of liquidity in an ETF could result in its being more volatile. Some ETFs are actively-managed by an investment adviser and/or sub-advisers. Actively-managed ETFs are subject to the risk of poor investment selection. The Fund may incur brokerage fees in |
4
connection with its purchase of ETF shares. The purchase of shares of ETFs may result in duplication of expenses, including advisory fees, in addition to the Fund’s own expenses. Certain ETFs may be thinly traded and experience large spreads between the “ask” price quoted by a seller and the “bid” price offered by a buyer.
● |
Inflation protected securities, such as TIPS, generally will fluctuate in response to changes in real interest rates, generally decreasing when real interest rates rise and increasing when real interest rates fall. In addition, interest payments on inflation-protected securities will generally vary up or down along with the rate of inflation. Real interest rates are generally measured as a nominal interest less an inflation rate. As such, investors should be aware that an investment in TIPS over a particular timeframe may decrease in value even in an inflationary environment. There can be no assurance that the inflation index used will accurately measure the real rate of inflation in the prices of goods and services. Because of their inflation adjustment feature, inflation-protected bonds typically have lower yields than conventional fixed-rate bonds. |
● |
The Adviser’s judgment about the attractiveness or potential appreciation of a particular underlying investment company security could prove to be wrong or the Fund could miss out on an investment opportunity because the assets necessary to take advantage of such opportunity are tied up in less advantageous investments. |
● |
Because under normal circumstances the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets in shares of registered investment companies that emphasize investments in fixed income securities, the NAV of the Fund will change with changes in the share prices of the investment companies in which the Fund invests. |
● |
Not all obligations of U.S. government agencies and instrumentalities are backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Treasury. Some are backed only by the credit of the issuing agency or instrumentality. Accordingly, there may be some risk of default by the issuer in such cases. |
● |
There is a risk that the Fund, which is passively managed, may not perform as well as funds with more active methods of investment management, such as selecting securities based on economic, financial, and market analysis. |
● |
The derivative instruments in which the underlying investment companies may invest are subject to a number of risks including liquidity, interest rate, market, credit and management risks, and the risk of improper valuation. Changes in the value of a derivative may not correlate perfectly with the underlying asset, rate or index, and it is possible to lose more than the principal amount invested. The use of derivatives is a highly specialized activity that involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with investments in more traditional securities and instruments. |
● |
The performance of the Fund will depend on how successfully the investment adviser(s) to the underlying investment companies pursue their investment strategies. |
● |
Banks are very sensitive to changes in money market and general economic conditions. Adverse general economic conditions can cause financial difficulties for a bank’s borrowers and the borrowers’ failure to repay their loans can adversely affect the bank’s financial situation. Banks are subject to extensive regulation and decisions by regulators may limit the loans banks make and the interest rates and fees they charge, which could reduce bank profitability. |
● |
Cyber security risk is the risk of an unauthorized breach and access to Fund assets, Fund or customer data (including private shareholder information), or proprietary information, or the risk of an incident occurring that causes the Fund, the investment adviser, custodian, transfer agent, distributor and other service providers and financial intermediaries to suffer data breaches, data corruption or lose operational functionality or prevent Fund investors from purchasing, redeeming or exchanging shares or receiving distributions. The Fund and its investment adviser have limited ability to prevent or mitigate cyber security incidents affecting third-party service providers, and such third-party service providers may have limited indemnification obligations to the Fund or the Adviser. Successful cyber-attacks or other cyber-failures or events affecting the Fund or its service providers may adversely impact and cause financial losses to the Fund or its shareholders. Issuers of securities in which the Fund invests are also subject to cyber security risks, and the value of these securities could decline if the issuers experience cyber-attacks or other cyber-failures. |
|
More information about the Fund’s investments and risks is contained under the section entitled “More About Each Fund’s Investments and Risks.” |
5
Performance Information
The chart below illustrates the long-term performance of the Fund. The information shows you how the Fund’s performance has varied year by year and provides some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund. The chart assumes reinvestment of dividends and distributions. Past performance (before and after taxes) does not necessarily indicate how the Fund will perform in the future. Updated information is available at www.matsonmoney.com or by calling (866) 780-0357 Ext. 3863.
TOTAL RETURNS FOR THE CALENDAR YEARS ENDED DECEMBER 31
Best and Worst Quarterly Performance (for the period reflected in the chart above)
Best Quarter: 1.99% (quarter ended March 31, 2019) |
Worst Quarter: -1.44% (quarter ended June 30, 2013) |
Year to Date Total Return as of September 30, 2020: 2.71% |
Average Annual Total Returns
The table below compares the average annual total returns of the Fund before and after taxes for the past calendar year, the past five calendar years, and past ten calendar years to the average total returns of a broad-based securities market index for the same periods.
Average Annual Total Returns for the |
|||
1 Year |
5 Years |
10 Years |
|
Fund Returns Before Taxes |
4.78% |
1.58% |
1.53% |
Fund Returns After Taxes on Distributions* |
4.17% |
1.06% |
1.04% |
Fund Returns After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares |
2.83% |
0.99% |
0.99% |
FTSE World Government Bond Index 1-5 Years(reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes) |
3.86% |
1.92% |
1.85% |
Composite Index** |
5.34% |
2.04% |
2.17% |
* |
After-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns will depend on an investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown. After-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. |
6
** |
The Composite Index is comprised of the Three-Month Treasury Bill Index, Bloomberg Barclays Intermediate Government Bond Index, ICE BofAML 1-3 Year US Government/Corporate Index and Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index, each weighted 25%, 25%, 25% and 25%, respectively. Additional information about the Composite Index can be found under the section entitled “ More About Each Fund’s Investments and Risks.” |
Management of the Fund
Investment Adviser
Matson Money, Inc.
Portfolio Managers
Mark E. Matson: Chief Executive Officer and Director, since 1991
Daniel J. List: Portfolio Manager, since 2019
Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares
The Fund has no minimum initial investment or minimum subsequent investment. The Fund is exclusively available to clients or customers of service organizations approved by the Adviser, including certain brokerage firms, investment advisers, financial institutions and other industry professionals (“Service Organizations”). Only persons or entities having relationships with these Service Organizations may invest in the Fund. You may submit redemption requests on any business day to your Service Organization in person or by telephone, mail or wire.
You can purchase and redeem shares of the Fund only on days the NYSE is open.
Taxes
The Fund intends to make distributions that generally may be taxed at ordinary income or capital gains rates.
Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries
If you purchase the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Fund and its related companies may pay the intermediary for the sale of Fund shares and other related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.
7
FMFI-SU-20
.1K73=&D9VD(,
M0-S(S4:WJJK]3\5=BK&?.GES2O.'D_S5Y3UVYN+/0_,VD7NE:C/:7#6D\=I>
M0/#.T5PI#1L$ L5=BKXU_/?RQY?UR3S[^47DZ&]U;\U_
M^ &OP_FIY8T7R%YR\\_ECY<;2="\L:H^K:6VG
M^4;N\@OKB:6:PTQTNDF\QV\9C$3(L0C"S24;BJ^S\5=BKYI_.R3ROY-DE2UMD:^Y7UUQIZ:1*0[K$C*
MOD;6M!U7R)^2'_.:FEWE[+YF\T?DEY=\I:%Y>UN_0RWMQ+Y5\C^7]3TZZYM\
M;R?I6YGF!!_O&:GQ5Q5] W'D72/+_P#SFSH&NZ'