Registration Statement under the Securities Act of 1933: | ||
Pre-Effective Amendment No. | ||
Post-Effective Amendment No. | ||
and | ||
Registration Statement under the Investment Company Act of 1940: | ||
Amendment No. |
Thomas S. Harman | Eric F. Fess | |||
Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP 1111 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington, D.C. 20004 |
Chapman and Cutler LLP 111 West Monroe Chicago, Illinois 60603 |
Check box if the only securities being registered on this Form are being offered pursuant to dividend or interest reinvestment plans. |
Check box if any securities being registered on this Form will be offered on a delayed or continuous basis in reliance on Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933 (“Securities Act”), other than securities offered in connection with a dividend reinvestment plan. |
Check box if this Form is a registration statement pursuant to General Instruction A.2 or a post-effective amendment thereto. |
Check box if this Form is a registration statement pursuant to General Instruction B or a post-effective amendment thereto that will become effective upon filing with the Commission pursuant to Rule 462(e) under the Securities Act. |
Check box if this Form is a post-effective amendment to a registration statement filed pursuant to General Instruction B to register additional securities or additional classes of securities pursuant to Rule 413(b) under the Securities Act. |
when declared effective pursuant to Section 8(c) of the Securities Act. |
This [post-effective] amendment designates a new effective date for a previously filed [post-effective] amendment [registration statement]. |
This Form is filed to register additional securities for an offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, and the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering is: . |
This Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(c) under the Securities Act, and the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering is: . |
This Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(d) under the Securities Act, and the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering is: . |
Registered Closed‑End Fund (closed‑end company that is registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (“Investment Company Act”)). |
Business Development Company (closed‑end company that intends or has elected to be regulated as a business development company under the Investment Company Act). |
Interval Fund (Registered Closed‑End Fund or a Business Development Company that makes periodic repurchase offers under Rule 23c‑3 under the Investment Company Act). |
A.2 Qualified (qualified to register securities pursuant to General Instruction A.2 of this Form). |
Well-Known Seasoned Issuer (as defined by Rule 405 under the Securities Act). |
Emerging Growth Company (as defined by Rule 12b‑2 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (“Exchange Act”). |
☐ | If an Emerging Growth Company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 7(a)(2)(B) of Securities Act. |
New Registrant (registered or regulated under the Investment Company Act for less than 12 calendar months preceding this filing). |
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The Fund |
Nuveen Select Tax‑Free Income Portfolio (the “Fund”) is a diversified, closed‑end management investment company. See “The Fund.” The Fund’s common shares, $0.01 par value (“Common Shares”), are traded on the New York Stock Exchange (the “NYSE”) under the symbol “NXP.” |
The closing price of the Common Shares, as reported by the NYSE on May 31, 2023, was $14.48 per Common Share. The net asset value, which also may be referred to as “NAV”, of the Common Shares at the close of business on that same date was $14.36 per Common Share. As of May 31, 2023, the Fund had 46,810,046 Common Shares outstanding and net assets of $672,389,842. See “Description of Shares.” |
The Offering |
The Fund may offer, from time to time, in one or more offerings, up to 14 million Common Shares on terms to be determined at the time of the offering. The Fund may offer and sell Common Shares directly to one or more purchasers, to or through underwriters, through dealers or agents that the Fund designates from time to time, or through a combination of these methods. In connection with any offering of Common Shares, the Fund will deliver a prospectus supplement describing such offering, including, as applicable, the names of any underwriters, dealers or agents and information regarding any applicable purchase price, fee, commission or discount arrangements made with those underwriters, dealers or agents or the basis upon which such amount may be calculated. The minimum price on any day at which Common Shares may be sold will not be less than the NAV per Common Share at the time of the offering plus the per share amount of any underwriting commission or discount. For more information about the manners in which the Fund may offer Common Shares, see “Plan of Distribution.” |
The Fund may not sell any Common Shares through agents, underwriters or dealers without delivery of a prospectus supplement describing the method and terms of the particular offering of the Common Shares. You should read this Prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement carefully before you invest in our Common Shares. |
Investment Objective and Policies |
The Fund’s investment objective is to provide current income exempt from regular federal income tax, consistent with preservation of capital. The Fund cannot assure you that it will achieve its investment objective. The Fund’s investment objective and any investment policies identified as fundamental policies may not be changed without shareholder approval. |
As a fundamental policy, under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its Assets (as defined below) in municipal |
securities and other related investments, the income from which is exempt from regular federal income tax and federal alternative minimum tax (as used in this document, the term “municipal securities” refers to all such investments collectively). |
Additionally, as a fundamental policy, the Fund may invest up to 20% of its Managed Assets (as defined below) in AMT Bonds that pay interest that is taxable under the federal alternative minimum tax applicable to non-corporate taxpayers. Any investment by the Fund in AMT Bonds will not be counted towards meeting its 80% investment in municipal securities exempt from regular federal income tax and federal alternative minimum tax. As of April 30, 2023, the Fund had invested approximately 9% of its Managed Assets in AMT Bonds. |
The Fund generally invests in municipal securities with a weighted average maturity of at least 15 years, but it may be shortened or lengthened, depending on market conditions and on an assessment by the Fund’s portfolio manager of which segments of the municipal securities market offer the most favorable relative investment values and opportunities for tax‑exempt income and total return. As of April 30, 2023, the effective maturity of the Fund’s portfolio was 14.09 years. |
“Assets” mean the net assets of the Fund plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes. “Managed Assets” means the total assets of the Fund, minus the sum of its accrued liabilities (other than Fund liabilities incurred for the express purpose of creating leverage). Total assets for this purpose shall include assets attributable to the Fund’s use of leverage (whether or not those assets are reflected in the Fund’s financial statements for purposes of generally accepted accounting principles), and derivatives will be valued at their market value. See “The Fund’s Investments” for additional information on the types of securities in which the Fund may invest. |
The Fund may invest in various municipal securities, including municipal bonds and notes, other securities issued to finance and refinance public projects, and other related securities and derivative instruments creating exposure to municipal securities that provide for the payment of interest income that is exempt from regular federal income tax (as used in this document, the term “municipal securities” refers to all such investments collectively). See “The Fund’s Investments—Municipal Securities” for additional information on the types of municipal securities in which the Fund may invest. Municipal securities are often issued by state and local governmental entities to finance or refinance public projects, such as roads, schools, and water supply systems. Municipal securities also may be issued on behalf of private entities or for private activities, such as housing, medical and educational facility construction, or for privately owned transportation, electric utility and pollution control projects. Municipal securities may be issued on a long-term basis to provide |
long-term financing. The repayment of such debt may be secured generally by a pledge of the full faith and credit taxing power of the issuer, a limited or special tax, or any other revenue source, including project revenues, which may include tolls, fees and other user charges, lease payments, and mortgage payments. Municipal securities also may be issued to finance projects on a short-term interim basis, anticipating repayment with the proceeds of the later issuance of long-term debt. The Fund may purchase municipal securities in the form of bonds, notes, leases or certificates of participation; structured as callable or non‑callable; with payment forms that include fixed coupon, variable rate, zero coupon, capital appreciation bonds, floating rate securities, and inverse floating rate securities. Such municipal securities also may be acquired through investments in pooled vehicles, partnerships, or other investment companies. The Fund may invest in these types of securities, including floating rate securities and inverse floating rate securities, in order to more efficiently achieve its desired overall portfolio structure as well as enhance its ability to achieve its investment objective. |
The Fund also may invest in derivative instruments in pursuit of its investment objective, including inverse floating rate securities. Such instruments also include financial futures contracts, swap contracts (including interest rate and credit default swaps), options on financial futures, options on swap contracts, or other derivative instruments. The Fund may invest up to 15% of its Managed Assets in inverse floating rate securities. However, the Fund may not enter into futures contracts or related options or forward contracts, if more than 30% of the Fund’s net assets would be represented by futures contracts or more than 5% of the Fund’s net assets would be committed to initial margin deposits and premiums on futures contracts and related options. Nuveen Asset Management, LLC (“Nuveen Asset Management”), the Fund’s sub-adviser, uses derivatives to seek to enhance return, to hedge some of the risks of its investments in fixed income securities or as a substitute for a position in the underlying asset. These types of strategies may generate taxable income. See “The Fund’s Investments—Derivatives.” |
Under normal circumstances, as a non‑fundamental policy: |
• | The Fund invests at least 80% of its Managed Assets in municipal securities and other related investments that at the time of investment are investment grade quality. A security is considered investment grade quality if it is rated within the four highest letter grades (BBB or Baa or better) by at least one NRSRO that rates such security (even if it is rated lower by another NRSRO), or are unrated but judged to be of comparable quality by Nuveen Asset Management. |
• | The Fund may invest up to 20% of its Managed Assets in municipal securities that at the time of investment are rated below investment grade or are unrated by any NRSRO but judged to be of comparable quality by Nuveen Asset |
Management. Also, as a non‑fundamental policy, no more than 10% of the Fund’s Managed Assets may be invested in municipal securities rated below B3/B‑ or that are unrated but judged to be of comparable quality by Nuveen Asset Management. Municipal securities of below investment grade quality are regarded as having predominately speculative characteristics with respect to capacity to pay interest and repay principal, and are commonly referred to as junk bonds. See “Risk Factors—Credit and Below Investment Grade Risk.” |
• | The Fund will not invest more than 25% of its Managed Assets in municipal securities in any one industry or in any one state of origin. |
• | The Fund may invest up to 10% of its Managed Assets in securities of other open- or closed‑end investment companies (including exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”)) that invest primarily in municipal securities of the types in which the Fund may invest directly. |
• | The Fund will not invest more than 50% of its Managed Assets in municipal securities that, at the time of investment, are illiquid (i.e., securities that are not readily marketable). See “Risk Factors—Illiquid Securities Risk.” |
See “The Fund’s Investments—Investment Objective,” and “The Fund’s Investments—Investment Policies.” |
As of April 30, 2023, approximately 93% of the Fund’s Managed Assets were invested in securities rated investment grade by an NRSRO (including Standard & Poor’s Corporation Ratings Group, a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. (“S&P”), Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. (“Moody’s”) and Fitch Ratings, Inc. (“Fitch”)). The relative percentages of the value of the investments attributable to investment grade municipal securities and to below investment grade municipal securities could change over time as a result of rebalancing the Fund’s assets by Nuveen Asset Management, market value fluctuations, issuance of additional shares and other events. |
During temporary defensive periods or in order to keep the Fund’s cash fully invested, including during the period when the net proceeds of the offering of Common Shares are being invested, the Fund may deviate from its investment policies and objectives. During such periods, the Fund may invest up to 100% of its Managed Assets in short-term investments, including high quality, short-term securities that may be either tax‑exempt or taxable. The Fund intends to invest in taxable short-term investments only in the event that suitable tax‑exempt short-term investments are not available at reasonable prices and yields. Investment in taxable short-term investments would result in a portion of your dividends being subject to regular federal income tax, and if the proportion of taxable investments exceeded 50% of the Fund’s total assets as of the close of any quarter of the |
Fund’s taxable year, the Fund would not satisfy the general eligibility test that would permit it to pay exempt-interest dividends for that taxable year. Such transactions will be used solely to reduce risk. There can be no assurance that such strategies will be successful. For a more complete discussion of the Fund’s portfolio composition, see “The Fund’s Investments.” |
Investment Adviser |
Nuveen Fund Advisors, LLC (“Nuveen Fund Advisors”), the Fund’s investment adviser, is responsible for overseeing the Fund’s overall investment strategy and its implementation. Nuveen Fund Advisors offers advisory and investment management services to a broad range of investment company clients. Nuveen Fund Advisors has overall responsibility for management of the Fund, oversees the management of the Fund’s portfolio, manages the Fund’s business affairs and provides certain clerical, bookkeeping and other administrative services. Nuveen Fund Advisors is located at 333 West Wacker Drive, Chicago, Illinois 60606. Nuveen Fund Advisors is a subsidiary of Nuveen, LLC (“Nuveen”), the investment management arm of Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association of America (“TIAA”). TIAA is a life insurance company founded in 1918 by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and is the companion organization of College Retirement Equities Fund. As of March 31, 2023, Nuveen managed approximately $1.1 trillion in assets, of which approximately $142.2 billion was managed by Nuveen Fund Advisors. |
Sub‑Adviser |
Nuveen Asset Management, LLC serves as the Fund’s sub‑adviser. Nuveen Asset Management, a registered investment adviser, is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Nuveen Fund Advisors. Nuveen Asset Management oversees the day‑to‑day investment operations of the Fund. |
Use of Leverage |
As a fundamental policy, the Fund will not leverage its capital structure by issuing senior securities such as preferred shares or debt instruments. However, the Fund may borrow for temporary or emergency purposes and invest in certain instruments, including inverse floating rate securities that have the economic effect of leverage because the Fund’s investment exposure to the underlying bonds held by the trust have been effectively financed by the trust’s issuance of floating rate certificates. The Fund may invest up to 15% of its net assets in inverse floating rate securities. |
As of April 30, 2023, the Fund was not invested in inverse floating rate securities. Investing in inverse floating rate securities involves special risks. See “Risk Factors—Inverse Floating Rate Securities.” |
Leverage involves special risks. See “Risk Factors—Leverage Risk.” There is no assurance that the Fund’s leveraging strategy will be successful. Interest on borrowings may be at a fixed or floating rate, but generally will be based on short-term rates. The Fund will seek to invest the proceeds of any future financial leverage in a manner consistent with the Fund’s investment objective and policies. See “Use of Leverage.” |
The Fund pays a management fee to Nuveen Fund Advisors (which in turn pays a portion of its fee to the Fund’s sub‑adviser, Nuveen Asset Management) based on a percentage of Managed Assets. Managed Assets include the proceeds realized and managed from the Fund’s use of leverage as set forth in the Fund’s investment management agreement. Nuveen Fund Advisors and Nuveen Asset Management will be responsible for using leverage to pursue the Fund’s investment objective and will base their decision regarding whether and how much leverage to use for the Fund based on its assessment of whether such use of leverage will advance the Fund’s investment objective. However, the fact that a decision to increase the Fund’s leverage will have the effect, all other things being equal, of increasing Managed Assets and therefore Nuveen Fund Advisors and Nuveen Asset Management’s fees means that Nuveen Fund Advisors and Nuveen Asset Management may have a conflict of interest in determining whether to increase the Fund’s use of leverage. Nuveen Fund Advisors and Nuveen Asset Management will seek to manage that potential conflict by only increasing the Fund’s use of leverage when they determine that such increase is consistent with the Fund’s investment objective, and by periodically reviewing the Fund’s performance and use of leverage with the Fund’s Board of Trustees (the “Board”). |
Distributions |
The Fund pays regular monthly distributions to Common Shareholders at a level rate (stated in terms of a fixed cents per Common Share dividend rate) that reflects the past and projected performance of the Fund. The Fund’s ability to maintain a level dividend rate will depend on a number of factors. As portfolio and market conditions change, the rate of dividends on the Common Shares and the Fund’s dividend policy could change. |
For each taxable year, the Fund will distribute all or substantially all of its net investment income (including any ordinary taxable income) and net capital gain (which is the excess of net long-term capital gain over net short-term capital loss) to Common Shareholders so long as the net investment income and net capital gain are not necessary to pay any interest and required principal payments on borrowings. While not currently anticipated, if the Fund makes total distributions for a taxable year in an amount that exceeds the Fund’s earnings and profits, the excess would generally be treated by Common Shareholders as a return of capital for tax purposes. A return of capital reduces a shareholder’s tax basis, which could result in higher taxes when the shareholder sells his or her shares because it may result in a larger gain or a smaller loss on the sale. In the event of a distribution of paid-in capital, shareholders will be receiving their own capital back, net of the Fund’s fees and expenses. You may elect to reinvest automatically some or all of your distributions in additional Common Shares under the Fund’s Dividend Reinvestment Plan. |
The Fund might not distribute all or a portion of any net capital gain for a taxable year. If the Fund does not distribute all of its net capital gain for a taxable year, it will pay federal income tax on the retained gain. Provided that the Fund satisfies certain requirements, each Common Shareholder of record as of the end of the Fund’s taxable year (i) will include in income for federal income tax purposes, as long-term capital gain, his or her share of the retained gain, (ii) will be deemed to have paid his or her proportionate share of the tax paid by the Fund on such retained gain, and (iii) may be entitled to an income tax credit or refund for that share of the tax. The Fund will treat the retained capital gain amount as a substitute for equivalent cash distributions. See “Distributions” and “Dividend Reinvestment Plan.” |
The Fund reserves the right to change its distribution policy and the basis for establishing the rate of its monthly distributions at any time, subject to a finding by the Board that such change is in the best interests of the Fund and its Common Shareholders. |
Custodian and Transfer Agent |
State Street Bank and Trust Company serves as custodian of the Fund’s assets. Computershare Inc. and Computershare Trust Company, N.A. (together, “Computershare”) serve as transfer agent for the Common Shares. See “Custodian and Transfer Agent.” |
Risk Factors |
Investment in the Fund involves risk. The Fund is designed as a long-term investment and not as a trading vehicle. The Fund is not intended to be a complete investment program. See “Risk Factors” in this Prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement for a discussion of the principal risks you should consider before making an investment in the Fund. The specific risks applicable to a particular offering of Common Shares will be set forth in the related prospectus supplement. |
Use of Proceeds |
Unless otherwise specified in a prospectus supplement, the Fund will use the net proceeds from any sales of Common Shares, pursuant to this Prospectus, to make investments in accordance with the Fund’s investment objectives. See “Use of Proceeds.” |
Federal Income Tax |
The Fund has elected to be treated, and intends to qualify each year, as a regulated investment company (“RIC”) under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”). To qualify for the favorable U.S. federal income tax treatment generally accorded to a RIC under Subchapter M of the Code the Fund must, among other requirements, derive in each taxable year at least 90% of its gross income from certain prescribed sources and satisfy a diversification test on a quarterly basis. If the Fund fails to satisfy the qualifying income or diversification requirements in any taxable year, the Fund may be eligible for relief provisions if the failures are due to reasonable cause and not willful neglect and if a penalty tax is paid with respect to each failure to satisfy the applicable requirements. Additionally, relief is provided for certain de minimis failures of the diversification requirements where the Fund corrects the failure |
within a specified period. In order to be eligible for the relief provisions with respect to a failure to meet the diversification requirements, the Fund may be required to dispose of certain assets. If these relief provisions were not available to the Fund and it were to fail to qualify for treatment as a RIC for a taxable year, all of its taxable income (including its net capital gain) would be subject to tax at the 21% regular corporate rate without any deduction for distributions to shareholders, and such distributions would be taxable as ordinary dividends to the extent of the Fund’s current and accumulated earnings and profits. |
To qualify to pay exempt-interest dividends, which are treated as items of interest excludable from gross income for federal income tax purposes, at least 50% of the value of the total assets of the Fund must consist of obligations exempt from regular income tax as of the close of each quarter of the Fund’s taxable year. If the proportion of taxable investments held by the Fund exceeds 50% of the Fund’s total assets as of the close of any quarter of any Fund taxable year, the Fund will not for that taxable year satisfy the general eligibility test that otherwise permits it to pay exempt-interest dividends. |
The value of the Fund’s investments and its NAV may be adversely affected by changes in tax rates and policies. Because interest income from municipal securities is normally not subject to regular federal income taxation, the attractiveness of municipal securities in relation to other investment alternatives is affected by changes in federal income tax rates or changes in the tax-exempt status of interest income from municipal securities. Any proposed or actual changes in such rates or exempt status, therefore, can significantly affect the demand for and supply, liquidity and marketability of municipal securities. This could in turn affect the Fund’s NAV and ability to acquire and dispose of municipal securities at desirable yield and price levels. Additionally, the Fund may not be a suitable investment for individual retirement accounts, for other tax-exempt or tax-deferred accounts or for investors who are not sensitive to the federal income tax consequences of their investments. |
See “Risk Factors—Portfolio Level Risks—Tax Risks,” “Risk Factors—Portfolio Level Risks—Taxability Risks” and “Tax Matters.” |
Special Tax Considerations |
The Fund may invest up to 20% of its Managed Assets in AMT Bonds. If you are, or as a result of investment in the Fund would become, subject to the federal alternative minimum tax, the Fund may not be a suitable investment for you. In addition, distributions of ordinary taxable income (including any net short-term capital gain) will be taxable to shareholders as ordinary income (and not eligible for favorable taxation as “qualified dividend income”), and capital gain dividends will be taxable as long-term capital gains. See “Tax Matters.” |
Governing Law |
The Fund’s Declaration of Trust (the “Declaration”) is governed by the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. |
Shareholder Transaction Expenses |
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( |
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Maximum Sales Charge |
% | |||
Offering Costs Borne by the Fund (1) |
% | |||
Dividend Reinvestment Plan Fees (2) |
$ | |||
As a Percentage of Net Assets Attributable to Common Shares(3) |
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Annual Expenses |
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Management Fees |
% | |||
Interest and Related Expenses from Inverse Floaters (4) |
% | |||
Other Expenses (5) |
% | |||
Total Annual Expenses |
% | |||
(1) | |
(2) | |
(3) | |
(4) | |
(5) | |
1 Year |
3 Years |
5 Years |
10 Years |
|||||||||
$ |
$ | $ | $ |
(1) | The example assumes that all dividends and distributions are reinvested at Common Share NAV. Actual expenses may be greater or less than those assumed. Moreover, the Fund’s actual rate of return may be greater or less than the hypothetical 5% return shown in the example. |
Beginning Common Share NAV |
Investment Operations |
Less Distributions to Common Shareholders |
Common Share |
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Net Investment Income (NII) (Loss) |
Net Realized/ Unrealized Gain (Loss) |
Total |
From NII |
From Accumulated Net Realized Gains |
Total |
Ending NAV |
Ending Share Price |
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NXP |
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Year Ended 3/31: |
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2023 |
$ | 15.13 | $ | 0.51 | $ | (0.51 | ) | $— | $ | (0.56 | ) | $ | — | $ | (0.56 | ) | $ | 14.57 | $ | 14.31 | ||||||||||||||||
2022 |
16.34 | 0.43 | (1.09 | ) | (0.66 | ) | (0.55 | ) | — | (0.55 | ) | 15.13 | 14.43 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
2021 |
15.77 | 0.59 | 0.53 | 1.12 | (0.55 | ) | — | (0.55 | ) | 16.34 | 17.39 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
2020 |
15.51 | 0.58 | 0.23 | 0.81 | (0.55 | ) | — | (0.55 | ) | 15.77 | 14.97 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
2019 |
15.12 | 0.57 | 0.37 | 0.94 | (0.55 | ) | — | (0.55 | ) | 15.51 | 14.64 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
2018 |
15.00 | 0.56 | 0.11 | 0.67 | (0.55 | ) | — | (0.55 | ) | 15.12 | 14.02 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
2017 |
15.46 | 0.56 | (0.47 | ) | 0.09 | (0.55 | ) | — | (0.55 | ) | 15.00 | 14.03 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
2016 |
15.17 | 0.58 | 0.27 | 0.85 | (0.56 | ) | — | (0.56 | ) | 15.46 | 14.89 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
2015 |
14.43 | 0.60 | 0.76 | 1.36 | (0.62 | ) | — | (0.62 | ) | 15.17 | 14.51 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
2014 |
15.03 | 0.66 | (0.62 | ) | 0.04 | (0.64 | ) | — | (0.64 | ) | 14.43 | 13.48 |
Common Share Supplemental Data/ Ratios Applicable to Common Shares |
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Common Share Total Returns |
Ratios to Average Net Assets |
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Based on NAV(a) |
Based on Share Price(a) |
Ending Net Assets (000) |
Expenses(b) |
Net Investment Income (Loss) |
Portfolio Turnover Rate(c) |
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NXP |
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Year Ended 3/31: |
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2023 |
0.07 | % | 3.19 | % | $ | 682,056 | 0.24 | % | 3.53 | % | 22 | % | ||||||||||||
2022 |
(4.24 | ) | (14.16 | ) | 708,249 | 0.29 | 3.26 | 13 | ||||||||||||||||
2021 |
7.16 | 20.16 | 271,091 | 0.26 | 3.64 | 10 | ||||||||||||||||||
2020 |
5.19 | 5.89 | 261,438 | 0.26 | 3.60 | 10 | ||||||||||||||||||
2019 |
6.34 | 8.51 | 256,937 | 0.26 | 3.77 | 17 | ||||||||||||||||||
2018 |
4.52 | 3.83 | 250,551 | 0.27 | 3.66 | 19 | ||||||||||||||||||
2017 |
0.55 | (2.20 | ) | 248,518 | 0.28 | 3.64 | 28 | |||||||||||||||||
2016 |
5.78 | 6.82 | 256,228 | 0.28 | 3.88 | 25 | ||||||||||||||||||
2015 |
9.52 | 12.42 | 251,296 | 0.32 | (d) | 4.01 | (d) | 28 | ||||||||||||||||
2014 |
0.38 | (3.37 | ) | 239,151 | 0.29 | 4.60 | 40 |
(a) | Total Return Based on Common Shares NAV is the combination of changes in common share NAV, reinvested dividend income at NAV and reinvested capital gains distributions at NAV, if any. The last dividend declared in the period, which is typically paid on the first business day of the following month, is assumed to be reinvested at the ending NAV. The actual reinvest price for the last dividend declared in the period may often be based on the Fund’s market price (and not its NAV), and therefore may be different from the price used in the calculation. Total returns are not annualized. Total Return Based on Common Share Price is the combination of changes in the market price per share and the effect of reinvested dividend income and reinvested capital gains distributions, if any, at the average price paid per share at the time of reinvestment. The last dividend declared in the period, which is typically paid on the first business day of the following month, is assumed to be reinvested at the ending market price. The actual reinvestment price for the last dividend declared in the period may take place over several days, and in some instances may not be based on the market price, so the actual reinvestment price may be different from the price used in the calculation. Total returns are not annualized. |
(b) | The expense ratios reflect, among other things, the interest expense and other costs related to borrowings and/or the interest expense deemed to have been paid by the Fund in the floating rate certificates issued by the special purpose trusts for the self-deposited inverse floaters held by the Fund, where applicable, as follows: |
Ratios of Interest Expense to Average Net Assets Applicable to Common Shares |
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NXP |
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Year Ended 3/31: |
||||
2023 |
— | % | ||
2022 |
— | |||
2021 |
— | |||
2020 |
— | |||
2019 |
— | |||
2018 |
— | |||
2017 |
— | |||
2016 |
— | |||
2015 |
— | |||
2014 |
— |
(c) | Portfolio Turnover Rate is calculated based on the lesser of long-term purchases or sales divided by the average long-term market value during the period. |
(d) | During the fiscal year ended March 31, 2015, Nuveen Fund Advisors voluntarily reimbursed the Fund for certain expenses incurred in connection with an equity shelf program. As a result, the Expenses and Net Investment Income (Loss) Ratios to Average Net Assets reflect this voluntary expense reimbursement. The Expenses and Net Investment Income (Loss) Ratios to Average Net Assets excluding this expense reimbursement from Nuveen Fund Advisors are as follows: |
Ratios to Average Net Assets |
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NXP |
Expense(b) |
Net Investment Income (Loss) |
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Year Ended 3/31: |
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2015 |
0.35 | % | 3.98 | % |
Price |
Net Asset Value |
Premium/ (Discount) |
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Fiscal Quarter Ended |
High |
Low |
High |
Low |
High |
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March 2023 |
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December 2022 |
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September 2022 |
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June 2022 |
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Title of Class |
Amount Authorized |
Amount Held by the Fund or for its Account |
Amount Outstanding |
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unlimited |
• | As a non‑fundamental policy, the Fund invests at least 80% of its Managed Assets in municipal securities and other related investments that at the time of investment are investment grade quality. A security is considered investment grade quality if it is rated within the four highest letter grades (BBB or Baa or better) by at least one of the NRSROs that rate such security (even if it is rated lower by another), or if it is unrated by any NRSRO but judged to be of comparable quality by Nuveen Asset Management. |
• | As a non‑fundamental policy, the Fund may invest up to 20% of its Managed Assets in municipal securities that at the time of investment are rated below investment grade or are unrated by any NRSRO but judged to be of comparable quality by Nuveen Asset Management. Also as a non‑fundamental policy, no more than 10% of the Fund’s Managed Assets may be invested in municipal securities rated below B3/B‑ or that are unrated but judged to be of comparable quality by Nuveen Asset Management. Municipal securities of below investment grade quality are regarded as having predominately speculative characteristics with respect to capacity to pay interest and repay principal, and are commonly referred to as junk bonds. See “Risk Factors—Credit and Below Investment Grade Risk.” |
• | The Fund will not invest more than 50% of its Managed Assets in municipal securities that, at the time of investment, are illiquid (i.e., securities that are not readily marketable). See “Risk Factors—Illiquid Securities Risk.” |
• | As of April 30, 2023, the effective maturity of the Fund’s portfolio was 14.09 years. The Fund will generally invest in municipal securities with a weighted average maturity of at least 15 years, but it may be shortened or lengthened, depending on market conditions and on an assessment by the Fund’s portfolio manager of which segments of the municipal securities market offer the most favorable relative investment values and opportunities for tax‑exempt income and total return. In comparison to maturity (which is the date on which a debt instrument ceases and the issuer is obligated to repay the principal amount), duration is a measure of the price volatility of a debt instrument as a result of changes in market rates of interest, based on the weighted average timing of the instrument’s expected principal and interest payments. Duration differs from maturity in that it considers a security’s yield, coupon payments, principal payments and call features in addition to the amount of time until the security finally matures. As the value of a security changes over time, so will its duration. Prices of securities with longer durations tend to be more sensitive to interest rate changes than securities with shorter durations. In general, a portfolio of securities with a longer duration can be expected to be more sensitive to interest rate changes than a portfolio with a shorter duration. For example, the price of a bond with an effective duration of two years will rise (fall) two percent for every one percent decrease (increase) in its yield, and the price of a five-year duration bond will rise (fall) five percent for a one percent decrease (increase) in its yield. As of April 30, 2023, the average effective duration of the Fund’s portfolio was 7.32 years, which includes the effects of leverage and takes into account the effect of option call provisions of the municipal securities in the Fund’s portfolio. |
• | The Fund will not invest more than 25% of its Managed Assets in municipal securities in any one industry or in any one state of origin and no more than 5% of its Managed Assets in any one issuer. |
• | increased price sensitivity resulting from a deteriorating economic environment and changing interest rates; |
• | greater risk of loss due to default or declining credit quality; |
• | adverse issuer specific events that are more likely to render the issuer unable to make interest and/or principal payments; and |
• | the possibility that a negative perception of the below investment grade market develops, resulting in the price and liquidity of below investment grade securities becoming depressed, and this negative perception could last for a significant period of time. |
• | If the Fund has a need for cash and the securities in a special purpose trust are not actively trading due to adverse market conditions; |
• | If special purpose trust sponsors (as a collective group or individually) experience financial hardship and consequently seek to terminate their respective outstanding trusts; and |
• | If the value of an underlying security declines significantly and if additional collateral has not been posted by the Fund. |
Average Daily Net Assets* |
Fund‑Level Fee Rate |
|||
For the first $125 million |
0.0500 | % | ||
For the next $125 million |
0.0375 | % | ||
For the next $250 million |
0.0250 | % | ||
For the next $500 million |
0.0125 | % |
Complex-Level Eligible Asset Breakpoint Level* |
Effective Complex- Level Fee Rate at Breakpoint Level |
|||
$55 billion |
0.2000 | % | ||
$56 billion |
0.1996 | % | ||
$57 billion |
0.1989 | % | ||
$60 billion |
0.1961 | % | ||
$63 billion |
0.1931 | % | ||
$66 billion |
0.1900 | % | ||
$71 billion |
0.1851 | % | ||
$76 billion |
0.1806 | % | ||
$80 billion |
0.1773 | % | ||
$91 billion |
0.1691 | % | ||
$125 billion |
0.1599 | % | ||
$200 billion |
0.1505 | % | ||
$250 billion |
0.1469 | % | ||
$300 billion |
0.1445 | % |
* | The complex-level fee is calculated based upon the aggregate daily “eligible assets” of all Nuveen open‑end and closed‑end funds. Eligible assets do not include assets attributable to investments in other Nuveen funds or assets in excess of a determined amount (originally $2 billion) added to the Nuveen fund complex in connection with Nuveen Fund Advisors’ assumption of the management of the former First American Funds effective January 1, 2011, but do include certain assets of certain Nuveen funds that were reorganized into funds advised by an affiliate of Nuveen Fund Advisors during the 2019 calendar year. Eligible assets include closed‑end fund assets managed by Nuveen Fund Advisors that are attributable to certain types of leverage. For these purposes, leverage includes the closed‑end funds’ use of preferred stock and borrowings and certain investments in the residual interest certificates (also called inverse floating rate securities) in tender option bond (TOB) trusts, including the portion of assets held by the TOB trust that has been effectively financed by the trust’s issuance of floating rate securities, subject to an agreement by Nuveen Fund Advisors as to certain funds to limit the amount of such assets for determining eligible assets in certain circumstances. As of March 31, 2023, the complex-level fee rate for the Fund was 0.1591%. |
1 | Vacancies caused by the death, resignation, retirement, removal or disqualification of a trustee may be filled in any manner that is consistent with the Declaration and applicable law. |
• | The Fund’s SAI, dated June [—], 2023; and |
• | The Fund’s annual report on Form N‑CSR for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2023. |
3 | ||||
4 | ||||
6 | ||||
26 | ||||
47 | ||||
52 | ||||
53 | ||||
53 | ||||
54 | ||||
55 | ||||
60 | ||||
60 | ||||
61 | ||||
61 | ||||
61 | ||||
61 | ||||
A-1 | ||||
B-1 |
The information in this Statement of Additional Information is not complete and may be changed. We may not sell these securities until the registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This Statement of Additional Information is not an offer to sell these securities and is not soliciting an offer to buy these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted.
SUBJECT TO COMPLETION, DATED JUNE 20, 2023
NUVEEN SELECT TAX-FREE INCOME PORTFOLIO
333 West Wacker Drive
Chicago, Illinois 60606
STATEMENT OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
DATED JUNE [—], 2023
Nuveen Select Tax-Free Income Portfolio (the “Fund”) is a diversified, closed-end management investment company registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”). The Fund was organized under the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts on January 29, 1992.
This Statement of Additional Information (the “SAI”) relating to common shares of the Fund (“Common Shares”) does not constitute a prospectus, but should be read in conjunction with the Fund’s Prospectus relating thereto dated June [—], 2023 (the “Prospectus”). This SAI does not include all information that a prospective investor should consider before purchasing Common Shares. Investors should obtain and read the Prospectus prior to purchasing such shares. In addition, the Fund’s financial statements and the independent registered public accounting firm’s report therein included in the Fund’s annual report dated March 31, 2023, are incorporated herein by reference. A copy of the Prospectus may be obtained without charge by calling (800) 257-8787. You may also obtain a copy of the Prospectus on the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s (the “SEC”) web site (http://www.sec.gov). Capitalized terms used but not defined in this SAI have the meanings ascribed to them in the Prospectus.
1
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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6 | ||||
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52 | ||||
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60 | ||||
61 | ||||
61 | ||||
61 | ||||
61 | ||||
A-1 | ||||
B-1 |
2
USE OF PROCEEDS
The net proceeds from the issuance of Common Shares hereunder will be used by the Fund to invest in various securities, including municipal bonds and notes, other securities issued to finance and refinance public projects, and related securities and derivative instruments creating exposure to municipal bonds, notes and securities, that provide for the payment of interest income that is exempt from regular federal income tax (“municipal securities”), in accordance with the Fund’s investment objective and policies as stated below. To the extent the Fund uses the net proceeds of any offering to invest in municipal securities, it is presently anticipated that the Fund will be able to invest substantially all of such proceeds in securities that meet the Fund’s investment objective and policies within one month from the date on which the proceeds from an offering are received by the Fund. Pending such investment, it is anticipated that the proceeds will be invested in short-term or long-term securities issued by the U.S. Government and its agencies or instrumentalities or in high quality, short-term money market instruments. See “Risk Factors—Leverage Risk” and “Use of Leverage” in the Prospectus.
3
INVESTMENT RESTRICTIONS
Except as described below, the Fund, as a fundamental policy, may not, without the approval of the holders of a majority of the outstanding shares:
(1) Issue senior securities, as defined in the 1940 Act, except as otherwise described in the Prospectus;1
(2) Borrow money, except as permitted by the 1940 Act and exemptive orders granted under the 1940 Act;1,2
(3) Act as underwriter of another issuer’s securities, except to the extent that the Fund may be deemed to be an underwriter within the meaning of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), in connection with the purchase and sale of portfolio securities;
(4) Invest more than 25% of its total assets in securities of issuers in any one industry, provided, however, that such limitation shall not apply to municipal securities other than those municipal securities backed only by the assets and revenues of non-governmental users;3
(5) Purchase or sell real estate, but this shall not prevent the Fund from investing in municipal securities secured by real estate or interests therein or foreclosing upon and selling such real estate;
(6) Purchase or sell physical commodities unless acquired as a result of ownership of securities or other instruments (but this shall not prevent the Fund from purchasing or selling options, futures contracts or derivative instruments or from investing in securities or other instruments backed by physical commodities);
(7) Make loans, except as permitted by the 1940 Act and exemptive orders granted under the 1940 Act;4
(8) With respect to 75% of the value of the Fund’s total assets, purchase any securities (other than obligations issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government or by its agencies or instrumentalities), if as a result more than 5% of the Fund’s total assets would then be invested in securities of a single issuer or if as a result the Fund would hold more than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of any single issuer;
(9) Under normal circumstances, invest less than 80% of its Managed Assets in municipal securities and other related investments, the income from which is exempt from regular federal income tax;
4
1 Section 18(c) of the 1940 Act generally limits a registered closed-end investment company to issuing one class of senior securities representing indebtedness and one class of senior securities representing stock, except that the class of indebtedness or stock may be issued in one or more series, and promissory notes or other evidences of indebtedness issued in consideration of any loan, extension, or renewal thereof, made by a bank or other person and privately arranged, and not intended to be publicly distributed, are not deemed a separate class of senior securities.
2 Section 18(a) of the 1940 Act generally prohibits a registered closed-end fund from incurring borrowings if, immediately thereafter, the aggregate amount of its borrowings exceeds 33 1/3% of its total assets. The Fund has not applied for, and currently does not intend to apply for, any exemptive relief that would allow it to borrow outside of the limits of the 1940 Act.
3 For purposes of this restriction, governments and their political subdivisions are not members of any industry.
4 Section 21 of the 1940 Act makes it unlawful for a registered investment company, like the Fund, to lend money or other property if (i) the investment company’s policies set forth in its registration statement do not permit such a loan or (ii) the borrower controls or is under common control with the investment company. The Fund has not applied for, and currently does not intend to apply for, such exemptive relief.
(10) Pledge, mortgage or hypothecate its assets, except that, to secure borrowings permitted by subparagraph (2) above, it may pledge securities having a market value at the time of pledge not exceeding 20% of the value of the Fund’s total assets;
(11) Invest more than 10% of its total assets in repurchase agreements maturing in more than seven days;
(12) Purchase or retain the securities of any issuer other than the securities of the Fund if, to the Fund’s knowledge, those trustees of the Fund, or those officers and directors of the Fund’s investment adviser, who individually own beneficially more than 1/2 of 1% of the outstanding securities of such issuer, together own beneficially more than 5% of such outstanding securities; and
(13) Invest more than 20% of its Managed Assets in municipal securities that pay interest that is taxable under the federal alternative minimum tax applicable to non-corporate taxpayers (“AMT Bonds”).
For the purpose of applying the limitation set forth in subparagraph (1) above, the Fund may not issue senior securities not permitted by the 1940 Act simply by describing such securities in the Prospectus.
For the purpose of applying the limitation set forth in paragraph (4) above, such policy will apply to municipal securities if the payment of principal and interest for such securities is derived solely from a specific project, and in that situation the Fund will consider such municipal securities to be in an industry associated with the project.
For the purpose of applying the limitation set forth in subparagraph (8) above, an issuer shall be deemed the sole issuer of a security when its assets and revenues are separate from other governmental entities and its securities are backed only by its assets and revenues. Similarly, in the case of a non-governmental issuer, such as an industrial corporation or a privately owned or operated hospital, if the security is backed only by the assets and revenues of the non-governmental issuer, then such non-governmental issuer would be deemed to be the sole issuer. Where a security is also backed by the enforceable obligation of a superior or unrelated governmental or other entity (other than a bond insurer), it shall also be included in the computation of securities owned that are issued by such governmental or other entity. Where a security is guaranteed by a governmental entity or some other facility, such as a bank guarantee or letter of credit, such a guarantee or letter of credit would be considered a separate security and would be treated as an issue of such government, other entity or bank. When a municipal security is insured by bond insurance, it shall not be considered a security that is issued or guaranteed by the insurer; instead, the issuer of such municipal security will be determined in accordance with the principles set forth above. The foregoing restrictions do not limit the percentage of the Fund’s assets that may be invested in municipal securities insured by any given insurer.
Under the 1940 Act, subject to limited exceptions, the Fund may invest up to 10% of its total assets in the aggregate in shares of other investment companies and up to 5% of its total assets in any one investment company, provided the investment does not represent more than 3% of the voting stock of the acquired investment company at the time such shares are purchased. As a stockholder in any investment company, the Fund will bear its ratable share of that investment company’s expenses, and will remain subject to payment of the Fund’s management, advisory and administrative fees with respect to assets so invested. Shareholders would therefore be subject to duplicative expenses to the extent their Fund invests in other investment companies. In addition, the securities of other investment companies may be leveraged and therefore may be subject to the same leverage risks described herein.
In addition to the foregoing fundamental investment policies, the Fund is also subject to the following non-fundamental restrictions and policies, which may be changed by the Fund’s Board of Trustees (the “Board”). The Fund may not:
(1) Under normal circumstances, invest less than 80% of its Managed Assets in investment grade securities.
5
(2) Invest more than 20% of its net assets in municipal securities that at the time of investment are rated below investment grade or are unrated by any nationally recognized statistical rating organization (“NRSRO”) but judged to be of comparable quality by Nuveen Asset Management, LLC (“Nuveen Asset Management”), the Fund’s sub-adviser.
(3) Invest more than 10% of its net assets in municipal securities rated below B-/B3 or that are unrated by any NRSRO but judged to be of comparable quality by Nuveen Asset Management.
(4) Invest more than 10% of its Managed Assets in securities of other open- or closed-end investment companies (including ETFs) that invest primarily in municipal securities of the types in which the Fund may invest directly.
(5) Invest in derivative instruments except in pursuit of its investment objective. Such instruments include financial futures contracts, swap contracts (including interest rate and credit default swaps), options on financial futures, options on swap contracts, or other derivative instruments. Nuveen Asset Management uses derivatives to seek to enhance return, to hedge some of the risks of its investments in fixed income securities or as a substitute for a position in the underlying asset.
(6) Sell securities short, unless the Fund owns or has the right to obtain securities equivalent in kind and amount to the securities sold at no added cost, and provided that transactions in options, futures contracts, options on futures contracts, or other derivative instruments are not deemed to constitute selling securities short.
(7) Enter into futures contracts or related options or forward contracts, if more than 30% of the Fund’s net assets would be represented by futures contracts or more than 5% of the Fund’s net assets would be committed to initial margin deposits and premiums on futures contracts and related options.
Except with respect to the fundamental policy limitation on borrowings, as set forth in number (2) above, the foregoing restrictions and limitations will apply only at the time of purchase of securities, and the percentage limitations will not be considered violated unless an excess or deficiency occurs or exists immediately after and as a result of an acquisition of securities, unless otherwise indicated.
Investment grade quality securities are those that are, at the time of investment, either (i) rated by one of the NRSROs that rate such securities within the four highest letter grades (including BBB or Baa or better by Standard & Poor’s Corporation Ratings Group, a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies (“S&P”), Moody’s Investors Services, Inc. (“Moody’s”) or Fitch Ratings, Inc. (“Fitch”)), or (ii) unrated by any NRSRO but judged to be of comparable quality by Nuveen Asset Management. Investment grade securities may include split-rated securities.
The Fund may be subject to certain restrictions imposed by either guidelines of one or more NRSROs that may issue ratings for preferred shares, if any, commercial paper or notes, or, if the Fund borrows from a lender, by the lender. These guidelines may impose asset coverage or portfolio composition requirements that are more stringent than those imposed on the Fund by the 1940 Act. If these restrictions were to apply, it is not anticipated that these covenants or guidelines would impede Nuveen Asset Management from managing the Fund’s portfolio in accordance with the Fund’s investment objective and policies.
INVESTMENT POLICIES AND TECHNIQUES
The following information supplements the discussion of the Fund’s investment objective, policies, and techniques that are described in the Prospectus.
INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE
The Fund’s investment objective is to provide current income exempt from regular federal income tax, consistent with preservation of capital. The Fund cannot assure you that it will achieve its investment objective. The Fund’s investment objective is a fundamental policy of the Fund.
6
INVESTMENT POLICIES
Under normal circumstances and as a fundamental policy, the Fund will invest at least 80% of its Managed Assets in municipal securities and other related investments, the income from which is exempt from regular federal income tax and federal alternative minimum tax. Also, under normal circumstances and as a fundamental policy, the Fund may invest up to 20% of its Managed Assets in AMT Bonds that pay interest that is taxable under the federal alternative minimum tax applicable to non-corporate taxpayers. As of April 30, 2023, the Fund has invested approximately 9% of its Managed Assets in AMT Bonds.
As a non-fundamental policy, the Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing in a diversified portfolio of municipal securities at least 80% comprised of investment grade quality securities, the income from which is exempt from regular federal income tax. Nuveen Asset Management seeks to identify and invest in municipal securities that it believes are underrated and undervalued. Nuveen Asset Management believes its value oriented strategy offers the opportunity to construct a well-diversified portfolio of municipal securities that has the potential to outperform major municipal market benchmarks over the longer term. Underrated municipal securities are those whose ratings do not, in Nuveen Asset Management’s opinion, reflect their true creditworthiness. Undervalued municipal securities are securities that, in Nuveen Asset Management’s opinion, are worth more than the value assigned to them in the marketplace. A municipal security’s market value generally will depend upon its form, maturity, call features, and interest rate, as well as the issuer’s credit quality or credit rating, all such factors examined in the context of the municipal securities market and interest rate levels and trends. Nuveen Asset Management may at times believe that securities associated with a particular municipal market sector (for example, electric utilities), or issued by a particular municipal issuer, are undervalued. Nuveen Asset Management may purchase such a security for the Fund’s portfolio because it represents a market sector or issuer that Nuveen Asset Management considers undervalued, even if the value of the particular security appears to be consistent with the value of similar securities. Municipal securities of particular types (e.g., hospital bonds, industrial revenue bonds or securities issued by a particular municipal issuer) may be undervalued because there is a temporary excess of supply in that market sector, or because of a general decline in the market price of municipal securities of the market sector for reasons that do not apply to the particular municipal securities that are considered undervalued. A rating issued by an NRSRO is only the opinion of the entity issuing the rating, and is not a guarantee as to quality, or an assurance of the performance, of the rated security. In addition, the manner in which NRSROs obtain and process information about a particular security may affect the NRSRO’s ability to timely react to changes in an issuer’s circumstances that could influence a particular rating. The Fund’s investment in underrated or undervalued municipal securities will be based on Nuveen Asset Management’s belief that their yield is higher than that available on securities bearing equivalent levels of interest rate risk, credit risk and other forms of risk, and that their prices will ultimately rise (relative to the market) to reflect their true value. The Fund attempts to increase its portfolio value relative to the municipal bond market by prudent selection of municipal securities regardless of the direction the market may move. Any capital appreciation realized by the Fund will generally result in the distribution of taxable capital gains to Common Shareholders.
As of April 30, 2023, approximately 93% of the Fund’s Managed Assets were invested in securities rated investment grade by an NRSRO (including S&P, Moody’s or Fitch). The relative percentages of the value of the investments attributable to investment grade municipal securities and to below investment grade municipal securities could change over time as a result of rebalancing the Fund’s assets by Nuveen Asset Management, market value fluctuations, issuance of additional shares and other events.
The Fund may invest in various municipal securities, including municipal bonds and notes, other securities issued to finance and refinance public projects, and other related securities and derivative instruments creating exposure to municipal bonds, notes and securities that provide for the payment of interest income that is exempt from regular federal income tax. Municipal securities are often issued by state and local governmental entities to finance or refinance public projects, such as roads, schools, and water supply systems. Municipal securities also may be issued on behalf of private entities or for private activities, such as housing, medical and educational facility construction, or for privately owned transportation, electric utility or pollution control projects. Municipal
7
securities may be issued on a long-term basis to provide long-term financing. The repayment of such debt may be secured generally by a pledge of the full faith and credit taxing power of the issuer, a limited or special tax, or any other revenue source, including project revenues, which may include tolls, fees and other user charges, lease payments, and mortgage payments. Municipal securities also may be issued to finance projects on a short-term interim basis, anticipating repayment with the proceeds of the later issuance of long-term debt. The Fund may purchase municipal securities in the form of bonds, notes, leases or certificates of participation; structured as callable or non-callable; with payment forms that include fixed coupon, variable rate or zero coupon, including capital appreciation bonds, floating rate securities, and inverse floating rate securities. Such municipal securities may also be acquired through investments in pooled vehicles, partnerships, or other investment companies. The Fund may invest in these types of securities, including floating rate securities and inverse floating rate securities, in order to more efficiently achieve its desired overall portfolio structure as well as enhance its ability to achieve its investment objective.
The Fund intends to use leverage to seek to enhance its potential for current income exempt from regular federal income tax. The Fund intends to use leverage by investing in inverse floating rate securities that have the economic effect of leverage, as discussed further below. The Fund may leverage its capital structure by issuing senior securities such as preferred shares, investing in debt securities or by borrowing. The combined economic effect of the total leverage used by the Fund is referred to as “effective leverage.” The Fund currently uses leverage by investing in inverse floating rate securities. If current market conditions change (for example, if there is a material decrease in the supply of inverse floating rate securities or if newly issued senior securities become a more attractive financing option), the Fund may use other forms of leverage. Financial leverage is created as a result of the Fund’s investments in residual interest certificates of tender option bond trusts, also called inverse floating rate securities, because the Fund’s investment exposure to the underlying bonds held by the trust have been effectively financed by the trust’s issuance of floating rate certificates. As of April 30, 2023, the Fund was not invested in any inverse floating rate securities.
There can be no assurance that the Fund’s leverage strategy will be successful. The use of leverage creates special risks for Common Shareholders. See the Prospectus under “Use of Leverage,” “Risk Factors—Leverage Risk” and “Risk Factors—Inverse Floating Rate Securities Risk.”
The Fund also may invest in derivative instruments in pursuit of its investment objective, including inverse floating rate securities. Such instruments also include financial futures contracts, swap contracts (including interest rate and credit default swaps), options on financial futures, options on swap contracts, or other derivative instruments. However, the Fund not enter into futures contracts or related options or forward contracts, if more than 30% of the Fund’s net assets would be represented by futures contracts or more than 5% of the Fund’s net assets would be committed to initial margin deposits and premiums on futures contracts and related options. Nuveen Asset Management uses derivatives to seek to enhance return, to hedge some of the risks of its investments in fixed income securities or as a substitute for a position in the underlying asset. These types of strategies may generate taxable income. See “Hedging Strategies and Other Uses of Derivatives” herein.
As a fundamental policy, the Fund may invest up to 20% of its Managed Assets in AMT Bonds. Any such investment by the Fund will not be counted towards meeting its 80% investment in municipal securities exempt from regular federal income tax and federal alternative minimum tax. For a discussion of how the federal alternative minimum tax may affect shareholders, see “Tax Matters.”
Under normal circumstances:
• | As a non-fundamental policy, the Fund will invest at least 80% of its Managed Assets in municipal securities and other related investments that at the time of investment are investment grade quality. A municipal security is considered investment grade quality if it is rated within the four highest letter grades (BBB or Baa or better) by at least one of the NRSROs that rate such security (even if it is rated lower by another), or if it is unrated by any NRSRO but judged to be of comparable quality by Nuveen Asset Management. |
8
• | As a non-fundamental policy, the Fund may invest up to 20% of its Managed Assets in municipal securities rated below investment grade or are unrated by any NRSRO but judged to be of comparable quality by Nuveen Asset Management. Additionally, as a non-fundamental policy, no more than 10% of the Fund’s Managed Assets may be invested in municipal securities rated below B3/B- or that are unrated but judged to be of comparable quality by Nuveen Asset Management. Municipal securities of below investment grade quality are regarded as having predominately speculative characteristics with respect to capacity to pay interest and repay principal, and are commonly referred to as junk bonds. See the Prospectus under “Risk Factors—Credit and Below Investment Grade Risk.” |
• | The Fund will not invest more than 50% of its Managed Assets in municipal securities that, at the time of investment, are illiquid (i.e., securities that are not readily marketable). See the Prospectus under “Risk Factors—Illiquid Securities Risk.” |
• | As of April 30, 2023, the effective maturity of the Fund’s portfolio was 14.09 years. The Fund will generally invest in municipal securities with a weighted average maturity of at least 15 years, but it may be shortened or lengthened, depending on market conditions and on an assessment by the Fund’s portfolio manager of which segments of the municipal securities market offer the most favorable relative investment values and opportunities for tax-exempt income and total return. In comparison to maturity (which is the date on which a debt instrument ceases and the issuer is obligated to repay the principal amount), duration is a measure of the price volatility of a debt instrument as a result of changes in market rates of interest, based on the weighted average timing of the instrument’s expected principal and interest payments. Duration differs from maturity in that it considers a security’s yield, coupon payments, principal payments and call features in addition to the amount of time until the security finally matures. As the value of a security changes over time, so will its duration. Prices of securities with longer durations tend to be more sensitive to interest rate changes than securities with shorter durations. In general, a portfolio of securities with a longer duration can be expected to be more sensitive to interest rate changes than a portfolio with a shorter duration. For example, the price of a bond with an effective duration of two years will rise (fall) two percent for every one percent decrease (increase) in its yield, and the price of a five-year duration bond will rise (fall) five percent for a one percent decrease (increase) in its yield. As of April 30, 2023, the average effective duration of the Fund’s portfolio was 7.32 years, which includes the effects of leverage and takes into account the effect of option call provisions of the municipal securities in the Fund’s portfolio. |
• | The Fund will not invest more than 25% of its Managed Assets in municipal securities in any one industry or in any one state of origin and no more than 5% of its Managed Assets in any one issuer. |
Any non-fundamental policy of the Fund may be changed by the Fund’s Board following the provision of 60 days prior written notice to Common Shareholders.
The credit quality policies noted above apply only at the time a security is purchased, and the Fund is not required to dispose of a security in the event that a rating agency downgrades its assessment of the credit characteristics of a particular issue. In determining whether to retain or sell such a security, Nuveen Asset Management may consider such factors as Nuveen Asset Management’s assessment of the credit quality of the issuer of such security, the price at which such security could be sold and the rating, if any, assigned to such security by other rating agencies. A general description of the ratings of S&P, Moody’s and Fitch of municipal securities is set forth in Appendix A to this SAI.
Municipal securities are either general obligation or revenue bonds and typically are issued to finance public projects (such as roads or public buildings), to pay general operating expenses, or to refinance outstanding debt.
Municipal securities may also be issued on behalf of or for private activities, such as housing, medical and educational facility construction, or for privately owned industrial development and pollution control projects.
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General obligation bonds are backed by the full faith and credit, or taxing authority, of the issuer and may be repaid from any revenue source; revenue bonds may be repaid only from the revenues of a specific facility or source. The Fund may also purchase municipal securities that represent lease obligations, municipal notes, pre-refunded municipal securities, private activity bonds, tender option bonds and other related securities and derivative instruments that create exposure to municipal bonds, notes and securities and that provide for the payment of interest income that is exempt from regular federal income tax.
Municipal securities of below investment grade quality (Ba/BB or below) are commonly referred to as junk bonds. Issuers of securities rated Ba/BB or B are regarded as having current capacity to make principal and interest payments but are subject to business, financial or economic conditions which could adversely affect such payment capacity. Municipal securities rated Baa or BBB or above are considered “investment grade” securities; municipal securities rated Baa are considered medium grade obligations which lack outstanding investment characteristics and have speculative characteristics, while municipal securities rated BBB are regarded as having adequate capacity to pay principal and interest. Municipal securities rated Aaa or AAA in which the Fund may invest may have been so rated on the basis of the existence of insurance guaranteeing the timely payment, when due, of all principal and interest. Municipal securities rated below investment grade quality are obligations of issuers that are considered predominately speculative with respect to the issuer’s capacity to pay interest and repay principal according to the terms of the obligation and, therefore, carry greater investment risk, including the possibility of issuer default and bankruptcy and increased market price volatility. Municipal securities rated below investment grade tend to be less marketable than higher-quality securities because the market for them is less broad. The market for unrated municipal securities is even narrower. During periods of thin trading in these markets, the spread between bid and asked prices is likely to increase significantly and the Fund may have greater difficulty selling its portfolio securities. The Fund will be more dependent on Nuveen Asset Management’s research and analysis when investing in these securities.
The Fund may invest in distressed securities, which are securities issued by companies that are involved in bankruptcy or insolvency proceedings or are experiencing other financial difficulties, such as being in default on their obligations to pay principal or interest thereon when due, at the time of acquisition by the Fund. The issuers of such securities may be in transition, out of favor, financially leveraged or troubled, or potentially troubled, and may be or have recently been involved in major strategic actions, restructurings, bankruptcy, reorganization or liquidation. These characteristics of these issuers can cause their securities to be particularly risky, although they also may offer the potential for high returns. These issuers’ securities may be considered speculative, and the ability of the issuers to pay their debts on schedule could be affected by adverse interest rate movements, changes in the general economic climate, economic factors affecting a particular industry or specific developments within the issuers. Distressed securities frequently do not produce income while they are outstanding and may require the Fund to bear certain extraordinary expenses in order to protect and recover its investment.
Investments in lower rated or unrated securities may present special tax issues for the Fund to the extent that the issuers of these securities default on their obligations pertaining thereto, and the federal income tax consequences to the Fund as a holder of such distressed securities may not be clear.
A general description of Moody’s, S&P’s and Fitch’s ratings of municipal securities is set forth in Appendix A hereto. The ratings of Moody’s, S&P and Fitch represent their opinions as to the quality of the municipal securities they rate. It should be emphasized, however, that ratings are general and are not absolute standards of quality. Consequently, municipal securities with the same maturity, coupon and rating may have different yields while obligations of the same maturity and coupon with different ratings may have the same yield.
A municipal security’s market value generally will depend upon its form, maturity, call features, and interest rate, as well as the credit quality of the issuer, all such factors examined in the context of the municipal securities market and interest rate levels and trends.
The Fund will primarily invest in municipal securities with intermediate or long-term, but the weighted average maturity of obligations held by the Fund may be shorter, depending on market conditions. As a result,
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the Fund’s portfolio at any given time may include both long-term and intermediate-term municipal securities. Moreover, during temporary defensive periods (e.g., times when, in Nuveen Asset Management’s opinion, temporary imbalances of supply and demand or other temporary dislocations in the tax-exempt securities market adversely affect the price at which long-term or intermediate-term municipal securities are available), and in order to keep the Fund’s cash fully invested, including the period during which the net proceeds of an offering are being invested, the Fund may invest any percentage of its net assets in short-term investments including high quality, short-term securities that may be either tax-exempt or taxable and up to 10% of its Managed Assets in securities of other open or closed-end investment companies that invest primarily in municipal securities of the type in which the Fund may invest directly. The Fund intends to invest in taxable short-term investments only in the event that suitable tax-exempt short-term investments are not available at reasonable prices and yields. Tax-exempt short-term investments include various obligations issued by state and local governmental issuers, such as tax-exempt notes (bond anticipation notes, tax anticipation notes and revenue anticipation notes or other such municipal bonds maturing in three years or less from the date of issuance) and municipal commercial paper. The Fund will invest only in taxable short-term investments which are U.S. government securities or securities rated within the highest grade by Moody’s, S&P or Fitch, and which mature within one year from the date of purchase or carry a variable or floating rate of interest. See Appendix A for a general description of Moody’s, S&P’s and Fitch’s ratings of securities in such categories. Taxable short-term investments of the Fund may include certificates of deposit issued by U.S. banks with assets of at least $1 billion, or commercial paper or corporate notes, bonds or debentures with a remaining maturity of one year or less, or repurchase agreements. See “Investment Policies and Techniques.” To the extent the Fund invests in taxable investments, the Fund will not at such times be in a position to achieve its investment objective of tax-exempt income.
The foregoing policies as to ratings of portfolio investments will apply only at the time of the purchase of a security, and the Fund will not be required to dispose of securities in the event that an NRSRO downgrades its assessment of the credit characteristics of a particular issuer.
Obligations of issuers of municipal securities are subject to the provisions of bankruptcy, insolvency and other laws affecting the rights and remedies of creditors, such as the Bankruptcy Reform Act of 1978. In addition, the obligations of such issuers may become subject to the laws enacted in the future by Congress, state legislatures or referenda extending the time for payment of principal or interest, or both, or imposing other constraints upon enforcement of such obligations or upon municipalities to levy taxes. There is also the possibility that, as a result of legislation or other conditions, the power or ability of any issuer to pay, when due, the principal of and interest on its municipal securities may be materially affected.
Subject to rating agency guidelines, the Fund may invest a significant portion of its Managed Assets in broad segments of the municipal securities market, such as revenue obligations of hospitals and other health care facilities, special taxing districts, securities issued to finance charter schools and other private educational facilities, municipal utility securities, industrial development bonds and other private activity bonds. Subject to the availability of suitable investment opportunities, Nuveen Fund Advisors, LLC (“Nuveen Fund Advisors”), the Fund’s investment adviser, will attempt to minimize the sensitivity of the Fund’s portfolio to credit and other risks associated with a particular sector or industry. However, if the Fund invests a significant portion of its Managed Assets in the segments noted above, the Fund will be more susceptible to economic, business, political, regulatory and other developments generally affecting issuers in such segments of the municipal securities market. To the extent that the Fund focuses its Managed Assets in the hospital and healthcare facilities sector, the Fund will be subject to risks associated with such sector, including adverse government regulation and reduction in reimbursement rates, as well as government approval of products and services and intense competition. Securities issued to finance charter schools and other private educational facilities will be subject to various risks, including the reversal of legislation authorizing or funding charter schools, the failure to renew or secure a charter, the failure of a funding entity to appropriate necessary funds and competition from alternatives such as voucher programs. Issuers of municipal utility securities can be significantly affected by government regulation, financing difficulties, supply and demand of services or fuel and natural resource conservation.
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Upon Nuveen Fund Advisors’ recommendation, during temporary defensive periods and in order to keep the Fund’s cash fully invested, including the period during which the net proceeds of an offering of common shares or preferred shares are being invested, the Fund may deviate from its investment objective and invest up to 100% of its Managed Assets in short-term investments including high quality, short-term securities that may be either tax-exempt or taxable. To the extent the Fund invests in taxable short-term investments, the Fund will not at such times be in a position to achieve that portion of its investment objective of seeking current income exempt from regular federal income tax. For further information, see “Short-Term Investments” below.
General. The Fund may invest in various municipal securities, including municipal bonds and notes, other securities issued to finance and refinance public projects, and other related securities and derivative instruments creating exposure to municipal bonds, notes and securities that provide for the payment of interest income that is exempt from regular federal income tax. Municipal securities are often issued by state and local governmental entities to finance or refinance public projects such as roads, schools, and water supply systems. Municipal securities may also be issued on behalf of private entities or for private activities, such as housing, medical and educational facility construction, or for privately owned transportation, electric utility and pollution control projects. Municipal securities may be issued on a long term basis to provide permanent financing. The repayment of such debt may be secured generally by a pledge of the full faith and credit taxing power of the issuer, a limited or special tax, or any other revenue source, including project revenues, which may include tolls, fees and other user charges, lease payments and mortgage payments. Municipal securities may also be issued to finance projects on a short-term interim basis, anticipating repayment with the proceeds of the later issuance of long-term debt. The Fund may purchase municipal securities in the form of bonds, notes, leases or certificates of participation; structured as callable or non-callable; with payment forms including fixed coupon, variable rate, zero coupon, capital appreciation bonds, tender option bonds, and residual interest bonds or inverse floating rate securities; or acquired through investments in pooled vehicles, partnerships or other investment companies. Inverse floating rate securities are securities that pay interest at rates that vary inversely with changes in prevailing short-term tax-exempt interest rates and represent a leveraged investment in an underlying municipal security, which could have the economic effect of financial leverage.
Municipal Leases and Certificates of Participation. Also included within the general category of municipal securities described in the Prospectus are municipal leases, certificates of participation in such lease obligations or installment purchase contract obligations (hereinafter collectively called “Municipal Lease Obligations”) of municipal authorities or entities. Although a Municipal Lease Obligation does not constitute a general obligation of the municipality for which the municipality’s taxing power is pledged, a Municipal Lease Obligation is ordinarily backed by the municipality’s covenant to budget for, appropriate and make the payments due under the Municipal Lease Obligation. However, certain Municipal Lease Obligations contain “non-appropriation” clauses which provide that the municipality has no obligation to make lease or installment purchase payments in future years unless money is appropriated for such purpose on a yearly basis. In the case of a “non-appropriation” lease, the Fund’s ability to recover under the lease in the event of non-appropriation or default will be limited solely to the repossession of the leased property, without recourse to the general credit of the lessee, and disposition or releasing of the property might prove difficult. In order to reduce this risk, the Fund will only purchase Municipal Lease Obligations where Nuveen Asset Management believes the issuer has a strong incentive to continue making appropriations until maturity.
Municipal Notes. Municipal securities in the form of notes generally are used to provide for short-term capital needs, in anticipation of an issuer’s receipt of other revenues or financing, and typically have maturities of up to three years. Such instruments may include tax anticipation notes, revenue anticipation notes, bond anticipation notes, tax and revenue anticipation notes and construction loan notes. Tax anticipation notes are issued to finance the working capital needs of governments. Generally, they are issued in anticipation of various tax revenues, such as income, sales, property, use and business taxes, and are payable from these specific future taxes. Revenue anticipation notes are issued in expectation of receipt of other kinds of revenue, such as federal revenues available under federal revenue sharing programs. Bond anticipation notes are issued to provide interim financing until long-term bond financing can be arranged. In most cases, the long-term bonds then provide the
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funds needed for repayment of the bond anticipation notes. Tax and revenue anticipation notes combine the funding sources of both tax anticipation notes and revenue anticipation notes. Construction loan notes are sold to provide construction financing. Mortgage notes insured by the Federal Housing Authority secure these notes; however, the proceeds from the insurance may be less than the economic equivalent of the payment of principal and interest on the mortgage note if there has been a default. The anticipated revenues from taxes, grants or bond financing generally secure the obligations of an issuer of municipal notes. An investment in such instruments, however, presents a risk that the anticipated revenues will not be received or that such revenues will be insufficient to satisfy the issuer’s payment obligations under the notes or that refinancing will be otherwise unavailable.
Pre-Refunded Municipal Securities. The principal of and interest on pre-refunded municipal securities are no longer paid from the original revenue source for the securities. Instead, the source of such payments is typically an escrow fund consisting of U.S. government securities. The assets in the escrow fund are derived from the proceeds of refunding bonds issued by the same issuer as the pre-refunded municipal securities. Issuers of municipal securities use this advance refunding technique to obtain more favorable terms with respect to securities that are not yet subject to call or redemption by the issuer. For example, advance refunding enables an issuer to refinance debt at lower market interest rates, restructure debt to improve cash flow or eliminate restrictive covenants in the indenture or other governing instrument for the pre-refunded municipal securities. However, except for a change in the revenue source from which principal and interest payments are made, the pre-refunded municipal securities remain outstanding on their original terms until they mature or are redeemed by the issuer.
Private Activity Bonds. Private activity bonds, formerly referred to as industrial development bonds, are issued by or on behalf of public authorities to obtain funds to provide privately operated housing facilities, airport, mass transit or port facilities, sewage disposal, solid waste disposal or hazardous waste treatment or disposal facilities and certain local facilities for water supply, gas or electricity. Other types of private activity bonds, the proceeds of which are used for the construction, equipment, repair or improvement of privately operated industrial or commercial facilities, may constitute municipal securities, although the current federal tax laws place substantial limitations on the size of such issues. The Fund’s distributions of its interest income from private activity bonds may subject certain investors to the federal alternative minimum tax.
Tender Option Bonds. A tender option bond is a municipal security (generally held pursuant to a custodial arrangement) having a relatively long maturity and bearing interest at a fixed rate substantially higher than prevailing short-term, tax-exempt rates. The bond is typically issued with the agreement of a third party, such as a bank, broker-dealer or other financial institution, which grants the security holders the option, at periodic intervals, to tender their securities to the institution and receive the face value thereof. As consideration for providing the option, the financial institution receives periodic fees equal to the difference between the bond’s fixed coupon rate and the rate, as determined by a remarketing or similar agent at or near the commencement of such period, that would cause the securities, coupled with the tender option, to trade at par on the date of such determination. Thus, after payment of this fee, the security holder effectively holds a demand obligation that bears interest at the prevailing short-term, tax-exempt rate. However, an institution will not be obligated to accept tendered bonds in the event of certain defaults or a significant downgrade in the credit rating assigned to the issuer of the bond. The Fund intends to invest in tender option bonds the interest on which will, in the opinion of bond counsel, counsel for the issuer of interests therein or counsel selected by Nuveen Asset Management, be exempt from regular federal income tax. However, because there can be no assurance that the Internal Revenue Service (the “IRS”) will agree with such counsel’s opinion in any particular case, there is a risk that the Fund will not be considered the owner of such tender option bonds and thus will not be entitled to treat such interest as exempt from such tax. Additionally, the federal income tax treatment of certain other aspects of these investments, including the proper tax treatment of tender option bonds and the associated fees in relation to various regulated investment company (“RIC”) tax provisions, is unclear. The Fund intends to manage its portfolio in a manner designed to eliminate or minimize any adverse impact from the tax rules applicable to these investments.
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Special Taxing Districts. Special taxing districts are organized to plan and finance infrastructure development to induce residential, commercial and industrial growth and redevelopment. The bond financing methods such as tax increment finance, tax assessment, special services district and Mello-Roos bonds, are generally payable solely from taxes or other revenues attributable to the specific projects financed by the bonds without recourse to the credit or taxing power of related or overlapping municipalities. They often are exposed to real estate development-related risks and can have more taxpayer concentration risk than general tax-supported bonds, such as general obligation bonds. Further, the fees, special taxes, or tax allocations and other revenues that are established to secure such financings are generally limited as to the rate or amount that may be levied or assessed and are not subject to increase pursuant to rate covenants or municipal or corporate guarantees. The bonds could default if development failed to progress as anticipated or if larger taxpayers failed to pay the assessments, fees and taxes as provided in the financing plans of the districts.
HEDGING STRATEGIES AND OTHER USES OF DERIVATIVES
The Fund may periodically engage in hedging transactions, and otherwise use various types of derivative instruments, described below, to reduce risk, to effectively gain particular market exposures, to seek to enhance returns, and to reduce transaction costs, among other reasons.
“Hedging” is a term used for various methods of seeking to preserve portfolio capital value by offsetting price changes in one investment through making another investment whose price should tend to move in the opposite direction.
A “derivative” is a financial contract whose value is based on (or “derived” from) a traditional security (such as a stock or a bond), an asset (such as a commodity like gold), or a market index (such as the Lehman Municipal Bond Index). Some forms of derivatives may trade on exchanges, while non-standardized derivatives, which tend to be more specialized and complex, trade in “over-the-counter” or a one-on-one basis. It may be desirable and possible in various market environments to partially hedge the portfolio against fluctuations in market value due to market interest rate or credit quality fluctuations, or instead to gain a desired investment exposure, by entering into various types of derivative transactions, including financial futures and index futures as well as related put and call options on such instruments, structured notes, or interest rate swaps on taxable or tax-exempt securities or indexes (which may be “forward-starting”), credit default swaps, and options on interest rate swaps, among others.
These transactions present certain risks. In particular, the imperfect correlation between price movements in the futures contract and price movements in the securities being hedged creates the possibility that losses on the hedge by the Fund may be greater than gains in the value of the securities in the Fund’s portfolio. In addition, futures and options markets may not be liquid in all circumstances. As a result, in volatile markets, the Fund may not be able to close out the transaction without incurring losses substantially greater than the initial deposit. Finally, the potential deposit requirements in futures contracts create an ongoing greater potential financial risk than do options transactions, where the exposure is limited to the cost of the initial premium. Losses due to hedging transactions will reduce yield. Net gains, if any, from hedging and other portfolio transactions will be distributed as taxable distributions to shareholders. The Fund will invest in these instruments only in markets believed by Nuveen Asset Management to be active and sufficiently liquid. Successful implementation of most hedging strategies will generate taxable income.
In October 2020, the SEC adopted Rule 18f-4 under the 1940 Act governing the use of derivatives by registered investment companies. Under Rule 18f-4, the Fund may enter into Derivatives Transactions (as defined below) and certain other transactions notwithstanding the restrictions on the issuance of “senior securities” under Section 18 of the 1940 Act. Section 18, among other things, prohibits closed-end funds, including the Fund, from issuing or selling any “senior security” representing indebtedness (unless the fund maintains 300% “asset coverage”) or any senior security representing stock (unless the fund maintains 200% “asset coverage”).
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Under Rule 18f-4, “Derivatives Transactions” include the following: (1) any swap, security-based swap (including a contract for differences), futures contract, forward contract, option (excluding purchased options), any combination of the foregoing, or any similar instrument, under which the Fund is or may be required to make any payment or delivery of cash or other assets during the life of the instrument or at maturity or early termination, whether as margin or settlement payment or otherwise; (2) any short sale borrowing; (3) reverse repurchase agreements and similar financing transactions (e.g., recourse and non-recourse tender option bonds, and borrowed bonds), if the Fund elects to treat these transactions as Derivatives Transactions under Rule 18f-4; and (4) when-issued or forward-settling securities (e.g., firm and standby commitments, including to-be-announced (“TBA”) commitments, and dollar rolls) and non-standard settlement cycle securities, unless such transactions meet the Delayed-Settlement Securities Provision.
Rule 18f-4, among other things, requires certain funds that invest in Derivatives Transactions to adopt and implement a comprehensive written derivatives risk management program (“DRMP”) and comply with a relative or absolute limit on fund leverage risk calculated based on value-at-risk (“VaR”). The DRMP is administered by a “derivatives risk manager,” who is appointed by the Fund’s Board, including a majority of the Trustees who are not “interested persons” (as defined in the 1940 Act) (the “Independent Trustees”), and periodically reviews the DRMP and reports to the Board.
However, Rule 18f-4 provides an exception from the DRMP, VaR limit and certain other requirements if the Fund’s “derivatives exposure” is limited to 10% of its net assets (as calculated in accordance with Rule 18f-4) and the Fund adopts and implements written policies and procedures reasonably designed to manage its derivatives risks (the “Limited Derivatives User Exception”). The Fund relies on the Limited Derivatives User Exception.
Swap Transactions. The Fund may enter into total return, interest rate and credit default swap agreements and interest rate caps, floors and collars. The Fund may also enter into options on the foregoing types of swap agreements (“swap options”).
The Fund may enter into swap transactions for any purpose consistent with its investment objective, such as for the purpose of attempting to obtain or preserve a particular return or spread at a lower cost than obtaining a return or spread through purchases and/or sales of instruments in other markets, as a duration management technique, to reduce risk arising from the ownership of a particular instrument, or to gain exposure to certain sectors or markets in the most economical way possible.
Swap agreements are two party contracts entered into primarily by institutional investors for a specified period of time. In a standard swap transaction, two parties agree to exchange the returns (or differentials in rates of return) earned or realized on a particular predetermined asset, reference rate or index. The gross returns to be exchanged or swapped between the parties are generally calculated with respect to a notional amount, e.g., the return on or increase in value of a particular dollar amount invested at a particular interest rate or in a basket of securities representing a particular index. The notional amount of the swap agreement generally is only used as a basis upon which to calculate the obligations that the parties to the swap agreement have agreed to exchange. The Fund’s current obligations under a net swap agreement will be accrued daily (offset against any amounts owed to the Fund) and any accrued but unpaid net amounts owed to a swap counterparty will be covered by assets determined to be liquid by Nuveen Fund Advisors and Nuveen Asset Management. The Fund will not enter into swap transactions having a notional amount that exceeds the outstanding amount of the Fund’s leverage. See “Use of Leverage” and “Risk Factors—Leverage Risk” in the Prospectus.
Some, but not all, swaps may be cleared, in which case a central clearing counterparty stands between each buyer and seller and effectively guarantees performance of each contract, to the extent of its available resources for such purpose. Uncleared swaps have no such protection; each party bears the risk that its direct counterparty will default.
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Interest Rate Swaps, Caps, Collars and Floors. Interest rate swaps are bilateral contracts in which each party agrees to make periodic payments to the other party based on different referenced interest rates (e.g., a fixed rate and a floating rate) applied to a specified notional amount. The purchase of an interest rate floor entitles the purchaser, to the extent that a specified index falls below a predetermined interest rate, to receive payments of interest on a notional principal amount from the party selling such interest rate floor. The purchase of an interest rate cap entitles the purchaser, to the extent that a specified index rises above a predetermined interest rate, to receive payments of interest on a notional principal amount from the party selling such interest rate cap. Interest rate collars involve selling a cap and purchasing a floor or vice versa to protect the Fund against interest rate movements exceeding given minimum or maximum levels.
Depending on the state of interest rates in general, the Fund’s use of interest rate swaps could enhance or harm the overall performance of Common Shares. To the extent interest rates decline, the value of the interest rate swap could decline, and could result in a decline in the net asset value of Common Shares. In addition, if the counterparty to an interest rate swap defaults, the Fund would not be able to use the anticipated net receipts under the swap to offset the interest payments on borrowings or the dividend payments on any outstanding preferred shares. Depending on whether the Fund would be entitled to receive net payments from the counterparty on the swap, which in turn would depend on the general state of short-term interest rates at that point in time, such a default could negatively impact the performance of Common Shares. In addition, at the time an interest rate swap transaction reaches its scheduled termination date, there is a risk that the Fund would not be able to obtain a replacement transaction or that the terms of the replacement would not be as favorable as on the expiring transaction. If this occurs, it could have a negative impact on the performance of Common Shares. The Fund could be required to prepay the principal amount of any borrowings. Such redemption or prepayment would likely result in the Fund seeking to terminate early all or a portion of any swap transaction. Early termination of a swap could result in a termination payment by or to the Fund.
Total Return Swaps. In a total return swap, one party agrees to pay the other the “total return” of a defined underlying asset during a specified period, in return for periodic payments based on a fixed or variable interest rate or the total return from other underlying assets. A total return swap may be applied to any underlying asset but is most commonly used with equity indices, single stocks, bonds and defined baskets of loans and mortgages. The Fund might enter into a total return swap involving an underlying index or basket of securities to create exposure to a potentially widely-diversified range of securities in a single trade. An index total return swap can be used by Nuveen Fund Advisors and Nuveen Asset Management to assume risk, without the complications of buying the component securities from what may not always be the most liquid of markets.
Credit Default Swaps. A credit default swap is a bilateral contract that enables an investor to buy or sell protection against a defined-issuer credit event. The Fund may enter into credit default swap agreements either as a buyer or a seller. The Fund may buy protection to attempt to mitigate the risk of default or credit quality deterioration in an individual security or a segment of the fixed income securities market to which it has exposure, or to take a “short” position in individual bonds or market segments which it does not own. The Fund may sell protection in an attempt to gain exposure to the credit quality characteristics of particular bonds or market segments without investing directly in those bonds or market segments.
As the buyer of protection in a credit default swap, the Fund would pay a premium (by means of an upfront payment or a periodic stream of payments over the term of the agreement) in return for the right to deliver a referenced bond or group of bonds to the protection seller and receive the full notional or par value (or other agreed upon value) upon a default (or similar event) by the issuer(s) of the underlying referenced obligation(s). If no default occurs, the protection seller would keep the stream of payments and would have no further obligation to the Fund. Thus, the cost to the Fund would be the premium paid with respect to the agreement. If a credit event occurs, however, the Fund may elect to receive the full notional value of the swap in exchange for an equal face amount of deliverable obligations of the reference entity that may have little or no value. The Fund bears the risk that the protection seller may fail to satisfy its payment obligations.
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If the Fund is a seller of protection in a credit default swap and no credit event occurs, the Fund would generally receive an up-front payment or a periodic stream of payments over the term of the swap. If a credit event occurs, however, generally the Fund would have to pay the buyer the full notional value of the swap in exchange for an equal face amount of deliverable obligations of the reference entity that may have little or no value. As the protection seller, the Fund effectively adds economic leverage to its portfolio because, in addition to being subject to investment exposure on its total net assets, the Fund is subject to investment exposure on the notional amount of the swap. Thus, the Fund bears the same risk as it would by buying the reference obligations directly, plus the additional risks related to obtaining investment exposure through a derivative instrument discussed below under “—Risks Associated with Swap Transactions.”
Swap Options. A swap option is a contract that gives a counterparty the right (but not the obligation), in return for payment of a premium, to enter into a new swap agreement or to shorten, extend, cancel, or otherwise modify an existing swap agreement at some designated future time on specified terms. A cash-settled option on a swap gives the purchaser the right, in return for the premium paid, to receive an amount of cash equal to the value of the underlying swap as of the exercise date. The Fund may write (sell) and purchase put and call swap options. Depending on the terms of the particular option agreement, the Fund generally would incur a greater degree of risk when it writes a swap option than when it purchases a swap option. When the Fund purchases a swap option, it risks losing only the amount of the premium it has paid should it decide to let the option expire unexercised. However, when the Fund writes a swap option, upon exercise of the option the Fund would become obligated according to the terms of the underlying agreement.
Risks Associated with Swap Transactions. The use of swap transactions is a highly specialized activity which involves strategies and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio security transactions. If Nuveen Fund Advisors and Nuveen Asset Management are incorrect in their forecasts of default risks, market spreads or other applicable factors or events, the investment performance of the Fund would diminish compared with what it would have been if these techniques were not used. As the protection seller in a credit default swap, the Fund effectively adds economic leverage to its portfolio because, in addition to being subject to investment exposure on its total net assets, the Fund is subject to investment exposure on the notional amount of the swap. The Fund generally may only close out a swap, cap, floor, collar or other two-party contract with its particular counterparty, and generally may only transfer a position with the consent of that counterparty. In addition, the price at which the Fund may close out such a two party contract may not correlate with the price change in the underlying reference asset. If the counterparty defaults, the Fund will have contractual remedies, but there can be no assurance that the counterparty will be able to meet its contractual obligations or that the Fund will succeed in enforcing its rights. It also is possible that developments in the derivatives market, including changes in government regulation, could adversely affect the Fund’s ability to terminate existing swap or other agreements or to realize amounts to be received under such agreements.
Futures and Options on Futures. A futures contract is an agreement between two parties to buy and sell a security, index or interest rate (each a “financial instrument”) for a set price on a future date. Certain futures contracts, such as futures contracts relating to individual securities, call for making or taking delivery of the underlying financial instrument. However, these contracts generally are closed out before delivery by entering into an offsetting purchase or sale of a matching futures contract (same exchange, underlying financial instrument, and delivery month). Other futures contracts, such as futures contracts on interest rates and indices, do not call for making or taking delivery of the underlying financial instrument, but rather are agreements pursuant to which two parties agree to take or make delivery of an amount of cash equal to the difference between the value of the financial instrument at the close of the last trading day of the contract and the price at which the contract was originally written. These contracts also may be settled by entering into an offsetting futures contract.
Unlike when the Fund purchases or sells a security, no price is paid or received by the Fund upon the purchase or sale of a futures contract. Initially, the Fund will be required to deposit with the futures broker, known as a futures commission merchant (“FCM”), an amount of cash or securities equal to a varying specified
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percentage of the contract amount. This amount is known as initial margin. The margin deposit is intended to ensure completion of the contract. Minimum initial margin requirements are established by the futures exchanges and may be revised. In addition, FCMs may establish margin deposit requirements that are higher than the exchange minimums. Cash held in the margin account generally is not income producing. However, coupon-bearing securities, such as Treasury securities, held in margin accounts generally will earn income. Subsequent payments to and from the FCM, called variation margin, will be made on a daily basis as the price of the underlying financial instrument fluctuates, making the futures contract more or less valuable, a process known as marking the contract to market. Changes in variation margin are recorded by the Fund as unrealized gains or losses. At any time prior to expiration of the futures contract, the Fund may elect to close the position by taking an opposite position that will operate to terminate its position in the futures contract. A final determination of variation margin is then made, additional cash is required to be paid by or released to the Fund, and the Fund realizes a gain or loss. In the event of the bankruptcy or insolvency of an FCM that holds margin on behalf of the Fund, the Fund may be entitled to the return of margin owed to it only in proportion to the amount received by the FCM’s other customers, potentially resulting in losses to the Fund. Futures transactions also involve brokerage costs.
A futures option gives the purchaser of such option the right, in return for the premium paid, to assume a long position (call) or short position (put) in a futures contract at a specified exercise price at any time during the period of the option. Upon exercise of a call option, the purchaser acquires a long position in the futures contract and the writer is assigned the opposite short position. Upon the exercise of a put option, the opposite is true.
Limitations on the Use of Futures, Options on Futures and Swaps. Nuveen Fund Advisors has claimed, with respect to the Fund, the exclusion from the definition of “commodity pool operator” under the Commodity Exchange Act (“CEA”) provided by Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”) Regulation 4.5 and is therefore not currently subject to registration or regulation as such under the CEA with respect to the Fund. In addition, Nuveen Asset Management has claimed the exemption from registration as a commodity trading advisor provided by CFTC Regulation 4.14(a)(8) and is therefore not currently subject to registration or regulation as such under the CEA with respect to the Fund. In February 2012, the CFTC announced substantial amendments to certain exemptions, and to the conditions for reliance on those exemptions, from registration as a commodity pool operator. Under amendments to the exemption provided under CFTC Regulation 4.5, if the Fund uses futures, options on futures or swaps other than for bona fide hedging purposes (as defined by the CFTC), the aggregate initial margin and premiums on these positions (after taking into account unrealized profits and unrealized losses on any such positions and excluding the amount by which options that are “in-the-money” at the time of purchase are “in-the-money”) may not exceed 5% of the Fund’s net asset value, or alternatively, the aggregate net notional value of those positions may not exceed 100% of the Fund’s net asset value (after taking into account unrealized profits and unrealized losses on any such positions). The CFTC amendments to Regulation 4.5 took effect on December 31, 2012, and the Fund intends to comply with amended Regulation 4.5’s requirements such that Nuveen Fund Advisors will not be required to register as a commodity pool operator with the CFTC with respect to the Fund. The Fund reserves the right to employ futures, options on futures and swaps to the extent allowed by CFTC regulations in effect from time to time and in accordance with the Fund’s policies. The requirements for qualification as a RIC may also limit the extent to which the Fund may employ futures, options on futures or swaps.
Nuveen Fund Advisors and Nuveen Asset Management may use derivative instruments to seek to enhance return, to hedge some of the risk of the Fund’s investments in municipal securities or as a substitute for a position in the underlying asset. These types of strategies may generate taxable income.
There is no assurance that these derivative strategies will be available at any time or that, if used, that the strategies will be successful.
For further information regarding these investment strategies and risks presented thereby, see Appendix B to this SAI.
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ILLIQUID SECURITIES
The Fund will not invest more than 50% of its Managed Assets in municipal securities that, at the time of investment, are illiquid (i.e., securities that are not readily marketable), including, but not limited to, restricted securities (securities the disposition of which is restricted under the federal securities laws), securities that may be resold only pursuant to Rule 144A under the Securities Act that are deemed to be illiquid, and certain repurchase agreements.
Restricted securities may be sold only in privately negotiated transactions or in a public offering with respect to which a registration statement is in effect under the Securities Act. Where registration is required, the Fund may be obligated to pay all or part of the registration expenses and a considerable period may elapse between the time of the decision to sell and the time the Fund may be permitted to sell a security under an effective registration statement. If, during such a period, adverse market conditions were to develop, the Fund might obtain a less favorable price than that which prevailed when it decided to sell. To the extent that the Board or its delegate determines that the price of any illiquid security provided by the pricing service is inappropriate, such security will be priced at a fair value as determined in good faith by Nuveen Funds Advisors, the Fund’s valuation designee.
INVERSE FLOATING RATE SECURITIES AND FLOATING RATE SECURITIES
The Fund may invest up to approximately 15% of its Managed Assets in inverse floating rate securities. Inverse floating rate securities (sometimes referred to as “inverse floaters”) are securities whose interest rates bear an inverse relationship to the interest rate on another security or the value of an index. Generally, inverse floating rate securities represent beneficial interests in a special purpose trust formed by a third party sponsor for the purpose of holding municipal bonds. The special purpose trust typically sells two classes of beneficial interests or securities: floating rate securities (sometimes referred to as short-term floaters or tender option bonds) and inverse floating rate securities (sometimes referred to as inverse floaters or residual interest securities). Both classes of beneficial interests are represented by certificates. The short-term floating rate securities have first priority on the cash flow from the municipal bonds held by the special purpose trust. Typically, a third party, such as a bank, broker-dealer or other financial institution, grants the floating rate security holders the option, at periodic intervals, to tender their securities to the institution and receive the face value thereof. As consideration for providing the option, the financial institution receives periodic fees. The holder of the short-term floater effectively holds a demand obligation that bears interest at the prevailing short-term, tax-exempt rate. However, the institution granting the tender option will not be obligated to accept tendered short-term floaters in the event of certain defaults or a significant downgrade in the credit rating assigned to the bond issuer. For its inverse floating rate investment, the Fund receives the residual cash flow from the special purpose trust. Because the holder of the short-term floater is generally assured liquidity at the face value of the security, the Fund as the holder of the inverse floater assumes the interest rate cash flow risk and the market value risk associated with the municipal security deposited into the special purpose trust. The volatility of the interest cash flow and the residual market value will vary with the degree to which the trust is leveraged. This is expressed in the ratio of the total face value of the short-term floaters in relation to the value of the residual inverse floaters that are issued by the special purpose trust. The Fund expects to make limited investments in inverse floaters, with leverage ratios that may vary at inception between one and three times. In addition, all voting rights and decisions to be made with respect to any other rights relating to the municipal bonds held in the special purpose trust are passed through to the Fund, as the holder of the residual inverse floating rate securities.
Because increases in the interest rate on the short-term floaters reduce the residual interest paid on inverse floaters, and because fluctuations in the value of the municipal bond deposited in the special purpose trust affect the value of the inverse floater only, and not the value of the short-term floater issued by the trust, inverse floaters’ value is generally more volatile than that of fixed rate bonds. The market price of inverse floating rate securities is generally more volatile than the underlying securities due to the leveraging effect of this ownership structure. These securities generally will underperform the market of fixed rate bonds in a rising interest rate environment (i.e., when bond values are falling), but tend to outperform the market of fixed rate bonds when
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interest rates decline or remain relatively stable. Although volatile, inverse floaters typically offer the potential for yields exceeding the yields available on fixed rate bonds with comparable credit quality, coupon, call provisions and maturity. Inverse floaters have varying degrees of liquidity based upon, among other things, the liquidity of the underlying securities deposited in a special purpose trust.
The Fund may invest in inverse floating rate securities, issued by special purpose trusts that have recourse to the Fund. In Nuveen Asset Management’s discretion, the Fund may enter into a separate shortfall and forbearance agreement with the third party sponsor of a special purpose trust. The Fund may enter into such recourse agreements (i) when the liquidity provider to the special purpose trust requires such an agreement because the level of leverage in the trust exceeds the level that the liquidity provider is willing to support absent such an agreement; and/or (ii) to seek to prevent the liquidity provider from collapsing the trust in the event that the municipal obligation held in the trust has declined in value. Such an agreement may expose the Fund to a risk of loss that exceeds its investment in the inverse floating rate securities. The shortfall and forbearance agreement would require the Fund to reimburse the third party sponsor of such inverse floater, upon termination of the trust issuing the inverse floater, the difference between the liquidation value of the bonds held in the trust and the principal amount due to the holders of floating rate interests. Absent a shortfall and forbearance agreement, the Fund would not be required to make such a reimbursement. If the Fund chooses not to enter into such a shortfall and forbearance agreement, the special purpose trust could be liquidated and the Fund could incur a loss.
The Fund may invest in both inverse floating rate securities and floating rate securities (as discussed below) issued by the same special purpose trust.
Investments in inverse floating rate securities have the economic effect of leverage. The use of leverage creates special risks for Common Shareholders. See the Prospectus under “Use of Leverage,” “Risk Factors—Leverage Risk,” and “Risk Factors—Inverse Floating Rate Securities Risk.”
Floating Rate Securities. The Fund may also invest in floating rate securities, as described above, issued by special purpose trusts. Floating rate securities may take the form of short-term floating rate securities or the option period may be substantially longer. Generally, the interest rate earned will be based upon the market rates for municipal securities with maturities or remarketing provisions that are comparable in duration to the periodic interval of the tender option, which may vary from weekly, to monthly, to extended periods of one year or multiple years. Since the option feature has a shorter term than the final maturity or first call date of the underlying bond deposited in the trust, the Fund as the holder of the floating rate security relies upon the terms of the agreement with the financial institution furnishing the option as well as the credit strength of that institution. As further assurance of liquidity, the terms of the trust provide for a liquidation of the municipal security deposited in the trust and the application of the proceeds to pay off the floating rate security. The trusts that are organized to issue both short-term floating rate securities and inverse floaters generally include liquidation triggers to protect the investor in the floating rate security.
OTHER INVESTMENT COMPANIES
The Fund may invest up to 10% of its Managed Assets in securities of other open or closed-end investment companies (including exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”)) that invest primarily in municipal securities of the types in which the Fund may invest directly. In addition, the Fund may invest a portion of its Managed Assets in pooled investment vehicles (other than investment companies) that invest primarily in municipal securities of the types in which the Fund may invest directly. The Fund generally expects that it may invest in other investment companies and/or other pooled investment vehicles either during periods when it has large amounts of uninvested cash, such as the period shortly after the Fund receives the proceeds of an offering of its Common Shares or borrowing or during periods when there is a shortage of attractive, high-yielding municipal securities available in the market. The Fund may invest in investment companies that are advised by Nuveen Fund Advisors, Nuveen Asset Management or their respective affiliates to the extent permitted by applicable law and/or pursuant to exemptive relief from the SEC. The Fund has not applied for, nor does it intend to apply for, any such relief. As a
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stockholder in an investment company, the Fund will bear its ratable share of that investment company’s expenses and would remain subject to payment of the Fund’s management, advisory and administrative fees with respect to assets so invested. Common Shareholders would therefore be subject to duplicative expenses to the extent the Fund invests in other investment companies. Nuveen Fund Advisors will take expenses into account when evaluating the investment merits of an investment in an investment company relative to available municipal security investments. In addition, the securities of other investment companies may also be leveraged and will therefore be subject to the same leverage risks described herein. As described in the Prospectus, the net asset value and market value of leveraged shares will be more volatile and the yield to Common Shareholders will tend to fluctuate more than the yield generated by unleveraged shares.
PORTFOLIO TRADING AND TURNOVER RATE
The Fund may buy and sell municipal securities to accomplish its investment objective in relation to actual and anticipated changes in interest rates. The Fund also may sell one municipal security and buy another of comparable quality at about the same time to take advantage of what Nuveen Asset Management believes to be a temporary price disparity between the two bonds that may result from imbalanced supply and demand. The Fund also may engage in a limited amount of short-term trading, consistent with its investment objective. The Fund may sell securities in anticipation of a market decline (a rise in interest rates) or buy securities in anticipation of a market rise (a decline in interest rates) and later sell them, but the Fund will not engage in trading solely to recognize a gain. The Fund will attempt to achieve its investment objective by prudently selecting municipal securities with a view to holding them for investment. Although the Fund cannot accurately predict its annual portfolio turnover rate, the Fund expects, though it cannot guarantee, that its annual portfolio turnover rate generally will not exceed 25% under normal circumstances. For the fiscal year ended March 31, 2023, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 22%. There are no limits on the rate of portfolio turnover, and investments may be sold without regard to length of time held when investment considerations warrant such action. A higher portfolio turnover rate results in correspondingly greater brokerage commissions and other transactional expenses that are borne by the Fund. In addition, high portfolio turnover may result in the realization of net short term capital gains by the Fund which, when distributed to shareholders, will be taxable as ordinary income. See “Tax Matters.”
REPURCHASE AGREEMENTS
As temporary investments, the Fund may invest in repurchase agreements. A repurchase agreement is a contractual agreement whereby the seller of securities (U.S. government securities or municipal securities) agrees to repurchase the same security at a specified price on a future date agreed upon by the parties. The agreed-upon repurchase price determines the yield during the Fund’s holding period. Repurchase agreements are considered to be loans collateralized by the underlying security that is the subject of the repurchase contract. Income generated from transactions in repurchase agreements will be taxable. See “Tax Matters” for information relating to the allocation of taxable income between common shares and preferred shares, if any. The Fund will only enter into repurchase agreements with registered securities dealers or domestic banks that, in the opinion of Nuveen Fund Advisors, present minimal credit risk. The risk to the Fund is limited to the ability of the issuer to pay the agreed-upon repurchase price on the delivery date; however, although the value of the underlying collateral at the time the transaction is entered into always equals or exceeds the agreed-upon repurchase price, if the value of the collateral declines there is a risk of loss of both principal and interest. In the event of default, the collateral may be sold but the Fund might incur a loss if the value of the collateral declines, and might incur disposition costs or experience delays in connection with liquidating the collateral. In addition, if bankruptcy proceedings are commenced with respect to the seller of the security, realization upon the collateral by the Fund may be delayed or limited. Nuveen Asset Management will monitor the value of the collateral at the time the transaction is entered into and at all times subsequent during the term of the repurchase agreement in an effort to determine that such value always equals or exceeds the agreed-upon repurchase price. In the event the value of the collateral declines below the repurchase price, Nuveen Asset Management will demand additional collateral from the issuer to increase the value of the collateral to at least that of the repurchase price, including interest.
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SHORT-TERM INVESTMENTS
Short-Term Taxable Fixed Income Securities
For temporary defensive purposes or to keep cash on hand fully invested, the Fund may invest up to 100% of its net assets in cash equivalents and short- term taxable fixed-income securities, although the Fund intends to invest in taxable short-term investments only in the event that suitable tax-exempt short- term investments are not available at reasonable prices and yields. Short-term taxable fixed income investments are defined to include, without limitation, the following:
(1) U.S. government securities, including bills, notes and bonds differing as to maturity and rates of interest that are either issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Treasury or by U.S. government agencies or instrumentalities. U.S. government agency securities include securities issued by (a) the Federal Housing Administration, Farmers Home Administration, Export-Import Bank of the United States, Small Business Administration, and the Government National Mortgage Association, whose securities are supported by the full faith and credit of the United States; (b) the Federal Home Loan Banks,1 Federal Intermediate Credit Banks, and the Tennessee Valley Authority, whose securities are supported by the right of the agency to borrow from the U.S. Treasury; (c) the Federal National Mortgage Association,1 whose securities are supported by the discretionary authority of the U.S. government to purchase certain obligations of the agency or instrumentality; and (d) the Student Loan Marketing Association, whose securities are supported only by its credit. While the U.S. government provides financial support to such U.S. government-sponsored agencies or instrumentalities, no assurance can be given that it always will do so since it is not so obligated by law. The U.S. government, its agencies, and instrumentalities do not guarantee the market value of their securities. Consequently, the value of such securities may fluctuate.
(2) Certificates of Deposit issued against funds deposited in a bank or a savings and loan association. Such certificates are for a definite period of time, earn a specified rate of return, and are normally negotiable. The issuer of a certificate of deposit agrees to pay the amount deposited plus interest to the bearer of the certificate on the date specified thereon. Under current FDIC regulations, the maximum insurance payable as to any one certificate of deposit is $100,000; therefore, certificates of deposit purchased by the Fund may not be fully insured.
(3) Repurchase agreements, which involve purchases of debt securities. At the time the Fund purchases securities pursuant to a repurchase agreement, it simultaneously agrees to resell and redeliver such securities to the seller, who also simultaneously agrees to buy back the securities at a fixed price and time. This assures a predetermined yield for the Fund during its holding period, since the resale price is always greater than the purchase price and reflects an agreed-upon market rate. Such actions afford an opportunity for the Fund to invest temporarily available cash. The Fund may enter into repurchase agreements only with respect to obligations of the U.S. government, its agencies or instrumentalities; certificates of deposit; or bankers’ acceptances in which the Fund may invest. Repurchase agreements may be considered loans to the seller, collateralized by the underlying securities. The risk to the Fund is limited to the ability of the seller to pay the agreed-upon sum on the repurchase date; in the event of default, the repurchase agreement provides that the Fund is entitled to sell the underlying collateral. If the seller defaults under a repurchase agreement when the value of the underlying collateral is less than the repurchase price, the Fund could incur a loss of both principal and interest. Nuveen Asset Management monitors the value of the collateral at the time the action is entered into and at all times during the term of the repurchase agreement. Nuveen Asset Management does so in an effort to determine that the value of the collateral always equals or exceeds the agreed-upon repurchase price to be paid to the Fund. If the seller were to be subject to a federal bankruptcy proceeding, the ability of the Fund to liquidate the collateral could be delayed or impaired because of certain provisions of the bankruptcy laws.
1 | These securities are not backed by the full faith and credit of the United States government. |
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(4) Commercial paper, which consists of short-term unsecured promissory notes, including variable rate master demand notes issued by corporations to finance their current operations. Master demand notes are direct lending arrangements between the Fund and a corporation. There is no secondary market for such notes. However, they are redeemable by the Fund at any time. Nuveen Asset Management will consider the financial condition of the corporation (e.g., earning power, cash flow, and other liquidity measures) and will continuously monitor the corporation’s ability to meet all of its financial obligations, because the Fund’s liquidity might be impaired if the corporation were unable to pay principal and interest on demand. Investments in commercial paper will be limited to commercial paper rated in the highest categories by a major rating agency and which mature within one year of the date of purchase or carry a variable or floating rate of interest.
Short-Term Tax-Exempt Municipal Securities
Short-term tax-exempt municipal securities are securities that are exempt from regular federal income tax and mature within three years or less from the date of issuance. Short-term tax-exempt municipal income securities are defined to include, without limitation, the following:
Bond Anticipation Notes (“BANs”) are usually general obligations of state and local governmental issuers which are sold to obtain interim financing for projects that will eventually be funded through the sale of long-term debt obligations or bonds. The ability of an issuer to meet its obligations on its BANs is primarily dependent on the issuer’s access to the long-term municipal bond market and the likelihood that the proceeds of such bond sales will be used to pay the principal and interest on the BANs.
Tax Anticipation Notes (“TANs”) are issued by state and local governments to finance the current operations of such governments. Repayment is generally to be derived from specific future tax revenues. TANs are usually general obligations of the issuer. A weakness in an issuer’s capacity to raise taxes due to, among other things, a decline in its tax base or a rise in delinquencies, could adversely affect the issuer’s ability to meet its obligations on outstanding TANs.
Revenue Anticipation Notes (“RANs”) are issued by governments or governmental bodies with the expectation that future revenues from a designated source will be used to repay the notes. In general, they also constitute general obligations of the issuer. A decline in the receipt of projected revenues, such as anticipated revenues from another level of government, could adversely affect an issuer’s ability to meet its obligations on outstanding RANs. In addition, the possibility that the revenues would, when received, be used to meet other obligations could affect the ability of the issuer to pay the principal and interest on RANs.
Construction Loan Notes are issued to provide construction financing for specific projects. Frequently, these notes are redeemed with funds obtained from the Federal Housing Administration. Bank Notes are notes issued by local government bodies and agencies, such as those described above to commercial banks as evidence of borrowings. The purposes for which the notes are issued are varied but they are frequently issued to meet short-term working capital or capital-project needs. These notes may have risks similar to the risks associated with TANs and RANs.
Tax-Exempt Commercial Paper (“Municipal Paper”) represents very short-term unsecured, negotiable promissory notes issued by states, municipalities and their agencies. Payment of principal and interest on issues of municipal paper may be made from various sources, to the extent the funds are available therefrom. Maturities of municipal paper generally will be shorter than the maturities of TANs, BANs or RANs. There is a limited secondary market for issues of Municipal Paper.
Certain municipal securities may carry variable or floating rates of interest whereby the rate of interest is not fixed but varies with changes in specified market rates or indices, such as a bank prime rate or a tax-exempt money market index.
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While the various types of notes described above as a group represent the major portion of the short-term tax-exempt note market, other types of notes are available in the marketplace and the Fund may invest in such other types of notes to the extent permitted under its investment objective, policies and limitations. Such notes may be issued for different purposes and may be secured differently from those mentioned above.
WHEN-ISSUED AND DELAYED DELIVERY TRANSACTIONS
The Fund may buy and sell municipal securities on a when-issued or delayed delivery basis, making payment or taking delivery at a later date, normally within 15-45 days of the trade date. On such transactions the payment obligation and the interest rate are fixed at the time the buyer enters into the commitment. Beginning on the date the Fund enters into a commitment to purchase securities on a when-issued or delayed delivery basis, the Fund is required under rules of the SEC to maintain in a separate account liquid assets, consisting of cash, cash equivalents or liquid securities having a market value, at all times, of at least equal to the amount of the commitment. Income generated by any such assets which provide taxable income for federal income tax purposes is includable in the taxable income of the Fund. The Fund may enter into contracts to purchase municipal securities on a forward basis (i.e., where settlement will occur more than 60 days from the date of the transaction) only to the extent that the Fund specifically collateralizes such obligations with a security that is expected to be called or mature within sixty days before or after the settlement date of the forward transaction. The commitment to purchase securities on a when-issued, delayed delivery or forward basis may involve an element of risk because no interest accrues on the bonds prior to settlement and at the time of delivery the market value may be less than cost.
STRUCTURED NOTES
The Fund may utilize structured notes and similar instruments for investment purposes and also for hedging purposes. Structured notes are privately negotiated debt obligations where the principal and/or interest is determined by reference to the performance of a benchmark asset, market or interest rate (an “embedded index”), such as selected securities, an index of securities or specified interest rates, or the differential performance of two assets or markets. The terms of such structured instruments normally provide that their principal and/or interest payments are to be adjusted upwards or downwards (but not ordinarily below zero) to reflect changes in the embedded index while the structured instruments are outstanding. As a result, the interest and/or principal payments that may be made on a structured product may vary widely, depending upon a variety of factors, including the volatility of the embedded index and the effect of changes in the embedded index on principal and/or interest payments. The rate of return on structured notes may be determined by applying a multiplier to the performance or differential performance of the referenced index or indices or other assets. Application of a multiplier involves leverage that will serve to magnify the potential for gain and the risk of loss. These types of investments may generate taxable income.
ZERO COUPON BONDS
A zero coupon bond is a bond that typically does not pay interest either for the entire life of the obligation or for an initial period after the issuance of the obligation. When held to its maturity, the holder receives the par value of the zero coupon bond, which generates a return equal to the difference between the purchase price and its maturity value. A zero coupon bond is normally issued and traded at a deep discount from face value. This original issue discount (“OID”) approximates the total amount of interest the security will accrue and compound prior to its maturity and reflects the payment deferral and credit risk associated with the instrument. Because zero coupon securities and other OID instruments do not pay cash interest at regular intervals, the instruments’ ongoing accruals require ongoing judgments concerning the collectability of deferred payments and the value of any associated collateral. As a result, these securities may be subject to greater value fluctuations and less liquidity in the event of adverse market conditions than comparably rated securities that pay cash on a current basis. Because zero coupon bonds, and OID instruments generally, allow an issuer to avoid or delay the need to generate cash to meet current interest payments, they may involve greater payment deferral and credit risk than
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coupon loans and bonds that pay interest currently or in cash. The Fund generally will be required to distribute dividends to shareholders representing the income of these instruments as it accrues, even though the Fund will not receive all of the income on a current basis or in cash. Thus, the Fund may have to sell other investments, including when it may not be advisable to do so, and use the cash proceeds to make income distributions to its shareholders. For accounting purposes, these cash distributions to shareholders will not be treated as a return of capital.
Further, Nuveen Fund Advisors collects management fees on the value of a zero coupon bond or OID instrument attributable to the ongoing non-cash accrual of interest over the life of the bond or other instrument. As a result, Nuveen Fund Advisors receives non-refundable cash payments based on such non-cash accruals while investors incur the risk that such non-cash accruals ultimately may not be realized.
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MANAGEMENT OF THE FUND
TRUSTEES AND OFFICERS
The management of the Fund, including general supervision of the duties performed for the Fund under the Investment Management Agreement (as defined under “Investment Adviser, Sub-Adviser and Portfolio Manager—Investment Management Agreement and Related Fees”), is the responsibility of the Board. The number of trustees of the Fund is ten, all of whom are not interested persons (referred to herein as “independent trustees”). None of the independent trustees has ever been a director, trustee or employee of, or consultant to, Nuveen, LLC (“Nuveen”), Nuveen Fund Advisors, Nuveen Asset Management, or their affiliates. The Board is divided into three classes, Class I, Class II and Class III, the Class I trustees serving until the 2025 annual meeting, the Class II trustees serving until the 2023 annual meeting and the Class III trustees serving until the 2024 annual meeting, in each case until their respective successors are elected and qualified, as described below. Currently, William C. Hunter, and Margaret L. Wolff are slated in Class I; Amy B.R. Lancellotta, John K. Nelson, Terence J. Toth and Robert L. Young are slated in Class II; and Jack B. Evans, Joanne T. Medero, Albin F. Moschner and Matthew Thornton III are slated in Class III. As each Trustee’s term expires, shareholders will be asked to elect trustees and such trustees shall be elected for a term expiring at the time of the third succeeding annual meeting subsequent to their election or thereafter in each case when their respective successors are duly elected and qualified. These provisions could delay for up to two years the replacement of a majority of the Board. See “Certain Provisions in the Declaration of Trust and By-Laws” in the prospectus.
The officers of the Fund serve annual terms through August of each year and are elected on an annual basis. The names, business addresses and years of birth of the trustees and officers of the Fund, their principal occupations and other affiliations during the past five years, the number of portfolios each trustee oversees and other directorships they hold are set forth below. Except as noted in the table below, the trustees of the Fund are directors or trustees, as the case may be, of 139 Nuveen-sponsored registered investment companies (the “Nuveen Funds”), which includes 67 open-end mutual funds (the “Nuveen Mutual Funds”), 53 closed-end funds and 19 Nuveen-sponsored exchange-traded funds.
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Name, Business Address and Year of Birth |
Position(s) Held with Fund |
Term of Office and Length of Time Served with Funds in the Fund Complex |
Principal Occupation(s) During Past Five Years |
Number of Portfolios in Fund Complex Overseen By Trustee |
Other Directorships Held by Trustee During Past Five Years | |||||
Terence J. Toth c/o Nuveen 333 West Wacker Drive Chicago, IL 60606 (1959) |
Chair of the Board; Trustee |
Term—Class II Length of Service— Since 2008, Chair |
Formerly, Co-Founding Partner, Promus Capital (investment advisory firm) (2008-2017); formerly, Director of Quality Control Corporation (manufacturing) (2012-2021); formerly, Director of Fulcrum IT Services LLC (information technology services firm to government entities) (2010-2019); formerly, Director, LogicMark LLC (health services) (2012-2016); formerly, Director, Legal & General Investment Management America, Inc. (asset management) (2008-2013); formerly, CEO and President, Northern Trust Global Investments (financial services) (2004-2007); Executive Vice President, Quantitative Management & Securities Lending (2000-2004); prior thereto, various positions with Northern Trust Company (financial services) (since 1994); Chair of the Board of the Kehrein Center for the Arts (philanthropy) (since 2021); Member of Catalyst Schools of Chicago Board (since 2008) and Mather Foundation Board (philanthropy) (since 2012), formerly, Chair of its Investment Committee (2017-2022); formerly, Member, Chicago Fellowship Board (philanthropy) (2005-2016); formerly, Member, Northern Trust Mutual Funds Board (2005-2007), Northern Trust Global Investments Board (2004-2007), Northern Trust Japan Board (2004-2007), Northern Trust Securities Inc. Board (2003-2007) and Northern Trust Hong Kong Board (1997-2004). | 139 | None |
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Name, Business Address and Year of Birth |
Position(s) Held with Fund |
Term of Office and Length of Time Served with Funds in the Fund Complex |
Principal Occupation(s) During Past Five Years |
Number of Portfolios in Fund Complex Overseen By Trustee |
Other Directorships Held by Trustee During Past Five Years | |||||
Jack B. Evans c/o Nuveen 333 West Wacker Drive Chicago, IL 60606 (1948) |
Trustee | Term—Class III Length of Service— Since 1999 |
Chairman (since 2019), formerly, President (1996-2019), The Hall-Perrine Foundation (private philanthropic corporation); Life Trustee of Coe College; formerly, Director, Public Member, American Board of Orthapaedic Surgery (2015-2020); Director (1997-2003), Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago; President and Chief Operating Officer, (1972-1995), SCI Financial Group, Inc. (regional financial services firm); Member and President Pro Tem of the Board of Regents for the State of Iowa University System (2007-2013); Director (1996-2015), The Gazette Company (media and publishing). | 139 | Formerly, Director and Chairman (2009-2021), United Fire Group, a publicly held company; Director (2000-2004), Alliant Energy. |
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Name, Business Address and Year of Birth |
Position(s) Held with Fund |
Term of Office and Length of Time Served with Funds in the Fund Complex |
Principal Occupation(s) During Past Five Years |
Number of Portfolios in Fund Complex Overseen By Trustee |
Other Directorships Held by Trustee During Past Five Years | |||||
William C. Hunter c/o Nuveen 333 West Wacker Drive Chicago, IL 60606 (1948) |
Trustee | Term—Class I Length of Service— |
Dean Emeritus, formerly, Dean (2006-2012), Tippie College of Business, University of Iowa; past Director (2005-2015) and past President (2010-2014) of Beta Gamma Sigma, Inc., The International Business Honor Society; formerly, Director (1997-2007), Credit Research Center at Georgetown University; formerly, Dean and Distinguished Professor of Finance (2003-2006), School of Business at the University of Connecticut; previously, Senior Vice President and Director of Research (1995-2003) at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago. | 139 | Director (since 2009) of Wellmark, Inc.; formerly, Director (2004-2018) of Xerox Corporation. | |||||
Amy B. R. Lancellotta c/o Nuveen 333 West Wacker Drive Chicago, IL 60606 (1959) |
Trustee | Term—Class II Length of Service— Since 2021 |
Formerly, Managing Director, Independent Directors Council (IDC) (supports the fund independent director community and is part of the Investment Company Institute (ICI), which represents regulated investment companies) (2006-2019); formerly, various positions with ICI (1989-2006); Member of the Board of Directors, Jewish Coalition Against Domestic Abuse (JCADA) (since 2020). | 139 | None |
29
Name, Business Address and Year of Birth |
Position(s) Held with Fund |
Term of Office and Length of Time Served with Funds in the Fund Complex |
Principal Occupation(s) During Past Five Years |
Number of Portfolios in Fund Complex Overseen By Trustee |
Other Directorships Held by Trustee During Past Five Years | |||||
Joanne T. Medero c/o Nuveen 333 West Wacker Drive Chicago, IL 60606 (1954) |
Trustee | Term—Class III Length of Service— Since 2021 |
Formerly, Managing Director, Government Relations and Public Policy (2009-2020) and Senior Advisor to the Vice Chairman (2018-2020), BlackRock, Inc. (global investment management firm); formerly, Managing Director, Global Head of Government Relations and Public Policy, Barclays Group (IBIM) (investment banking, investment management and wealth management businesses) (2006-2009); formerly, Managing Director, Global General Counsel and Corporate Secretary, Barclays Global Investors (global investment management firm) (1996-2006); formerly, Partner, Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP (law firm) (1993-1995); formerly, General Counsel, Commodity Futures Trading Commission (government agency overseeing U.S. derivatives markets) (1989-1993); formerly, Deputy Associate Director/Associate Director for Legal and Financial Affairs, Office of Presidential Personnel, The White House (1986-1989); Member of the Board of Directors, Baltic-American Freedom Foundation (seeks to provide opportunities for citizens of the Baltic states to gain education and professional development through exchanges in the U.S.) (since 2019). | 139 | None |
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Name, Business Address and Year of Birth |
Position(s) Held with Fund |
Term of Office and Length of Time Served with Funds in the Fund Complex |
Principal Occupation(s) During Past Five Years |
Number of Portfolios in Fund Complex Overseen By Trustee |
Other Directorships Held by Trustee During Past Five Years | |||||
Albin F. Moschner c/o Nuveen 333 West Wacker Drive Chicago, IL 60606 (1952) |
Trustee | Term—Class III Length of Service— Since 2016 |
Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Northcroft Partners, LLC (management consulting) (since 2012); previously, held positions at Leap Wireless International, Inc. (consumer wireless services), including Consultant (2011-2012), Chief Operating Officer (2008-2011) and Chief Marketing Officer (2004-2008); formerly, President, Verizon Card Services division of Verizon Communications, Inc. (telecommunication services) (2000-2003); formerly, President, One Point Services at One Point Communications (telecommunication services) (1999-2000); formerly, Vice Chairman of the Board, Diba, Incorporated (internet technology provider) (1996-1997); formerly, various executive positions (1991-1996), including Chief Executive Officer (1995-1996), with Zenith Electronics Corporation (consumer electronics). | 139 | Former Chairman (2019) and Director (2012-2019), USA Technologies, Inc., a provider of solutions and services to facilitate electronic payment transactions; formerly, Director, Wintrust Financial Corporation (1996-2016). |
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Name, Business Address and Year of Birth |
Position(s) Held with Fund |
Term of Office and Length of Time Served with Funds in the Fund Complex |
Principal Occupation(s) During Past Five Years |
Number of Portfolios in Fund Complex Overseen By Trustee |
Other Directorships Held by Trustee During Past Five Years | |||||
John K. Nelson c/o Nuveen 333 West Wacker Drive Chicago, IL 60606 (1962) |
Trustee | Term—Class II Length of Service— Since 2013 |
Member of Board of Directors of Core12 LLC (private firm which develops branding, marketing and communications strategies for clients) (since 2008); served The President’s Council of Fordham University (2010-2019) and previously a Director of the Curran Center for Catholic American Studies (2009-2018); formerly, senior external advisor to the Financial Services practice of Deloitte Consulting LLP. (2012-2014); former Chair of the Board of Trustees of Marian University (2010-2014 as trustee, 2011-2014 as Chair); formerly Chief Executive Officer of ABN AMRO Bank N.V., North America, and Global Head of the Financial Markets Division (2007-2008), with various executive leadership roles in ABN AMRO Bank N.V. between 1996 and 2007. | 139 | None | |||||
Matthew Thornton III c/o Nuveen 333 West Wacker Drive Chicago, IL 60606 (1958) |
Trustee | Term—Class III Length of Service— Since 2020 |
Formerly, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer (2018-2019), FedEx Freight Corporation, a subsidiary of FedEx Corporation (“FedEx”) (provider of transportation, e-commerce and business services through its portfolio of companies); formerly, Senior Vice President, U.S. Operations (2006-2018), Federal Express Corporation, a subsidiary of FedEx; formerly, Member of the Board of Directors (2012-2018), Safe Kids Worldwide® (non-profit organization dedicated to preventing childhood injuries). | 139 | Member of the Board of Directors (since 2014), The Sherwin-Williams Company (develops, manufactures, distributes and sells paints, coatings and related products); Member of the Board of Directors (since 2020), Crown Castle International (provider of communications infrastructure). |
32
Name, Business Address and Year of Birth |
Position(s) Held with Fund |
Term of Office and Length of Time Served with Funds in the Fund Complex |
Principal Occupation(s) During Past Five Years |
Number of Portfolios in Fund Complex Overseen By Trustee |
Other Directorships Held by Trustee During Past Five Years | |||||
Margaret L. Wolff c/o Nuveen 333 West Wacker Drive Chicago, IL 60606 (1955) |
Trustee | Term—Class I Length of Service— Since 2016 |
Formerly, Of Counsel (2005-2014), Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP (Mergers & Acquisitions Group) (legal services); Member of the Board of Trustees of New York-Presbyterian Hospital (since 2005); Member (since 2004), formerly, Chair (2015-2022) of the Board of Trustees of The John A. Hartford Foundation (philanthropy dedicated to improving the care of older adults); formerly, Member (2005-2015) and Vice Chair (2011-2015) of the Board of Trustees of Mt. Holyoke College. | 139 | Formerly, Member of the Board of Directors (2013-2017) of Travelers Insurance Company of Canada and The Dominion of Canada General Insurance Company (each, a part of Travelers Canada, the Canadian operation of The Travelers Companies, Inc.). | |||||
Robert L. Young c/o Nuveen 333 West Wacker Drive Chicago, IL 60606 (1963) |
Trustee | Term—Class II Length of Service— Since 2017 |
Formerly, Chief Operating Officer and Director, J.P. Morgan Investment Management Inc. (financial services) (2010-2016); formerly, President and Principal Executive Officer (2013-2016), and Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer (2005-2010), of J.P. Morgan Funds; formerly, Director and various officer positions for J.P. Morgan Investment Management Inc. (formerly, JPMorgan Funds Management, Inc. and formerly, One Group Administrative Services) and JPMorgan Distribution Services, Inc. (financial services) (formerly, One Group Dealer Services, Inc.) (1999-2017). | 139 | None |
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OFFICER INFORMATION
Name, Business Address and Year of Birth |
Position(s) Held with Fund |
Term of Office and Length of Time Served with Funds in the Fund Complex |
Principal Occupation(s) During Past Five Years | |||
David J. Lamb 333 West Wacker Drive Chicago, IL 60606 (1963) |
Chief Administrative Officer |
Term—Indefinite Length of Service— Since 2015 |
Managing Director of Nuveen Fund Advisors, LLC (since 2019); Senior Managing Director (since 2021), formerly, Managing Director (2020-2021) of Nuveen Securities, LLC; Senior Managing Director (since 2021), formerly, Managing Director (2017-2021), Senior Vice President (2006-2017) of Nuveen. | |||
Brett E. Black 333 West Wacker Drive Chicago, IL 60606 (1972) |
Vice President and Chief Compliance Officer |
Term—Indefinite Length of Service— Since 2022 |
Managing Director of Nuveen (since 2022); formerly, Vice President (2014-2022), Chief Compliance Officer (2017-2022), Deputy Chief Compliance Officer (2014-2017) of BMO Funds Inc. | |||
Mark J. Czarniecki 901 Marquette Avenue Minneapolis, MN 55402 (1979) |
Vice President and Assistant Secretary |
Term—Indefinite Length of Service— Since 2013 |
Managing Director (since 2022), formerly, Vice President (2016-2022), and Assistant Secretary (since 2016) of Nuveen Securities, LLC; Managing Director (since 2022), formerly, Vice President (2017-2022) and Assistant Secretary (since 2017) of Nuveen Fund Advisors, LLC; Managing Director (since 2022), formerly, Vice President (2018-2022), Associate General Counsel and Assistant Secretary (since 2018) of Nuveen Asset Management, LLC; Managing Director and Associate General Counsel (since 2022), formerly, Vice President and Associate General Counsel of Nuveen (2013-2021). | |||
Diana R. Gonzalez 333 West Wacker Drive Chicago, IL 60606 (1978) |
Vice President and Assistant Secretary |
Term—Indefinite Length of Service— Since 2017 |
Vice President and Assistant Secretary of Nuveen Fund Advisors, LLC (since 2017); Vice President, Associate General Counsel and Assistant Secretary of Nuveen Asset Management, LLC (since 2022); Vice President and Associate General Counsel of Nuveen (since 2017); formerly, Associate General Counsel of Jackson National Asset Management (2012-2017). | |||
Nathaniel T. Jones 333 West Wacker Drive Chicago, IL 60606 (1979) |
Vice President and Treasurer |
Term—Indefinite Length of Service— Since 2016 |
Senior Managing Director (since 2021), formerly, Managing Director (2017-2021), Senior Vice President (2016-2017) of Nuveen; Managing Director (since 2015) of Nuveen Fund Advisors, LLC; Chartered Financial Analyst. | |||
Tina M. Lazar 333 West Wacker Drive Chicago, IL 60606 (1961) |
Vice President | Term—Indefinite Length of Service— Since 2002 |
Managing Director (since 2017), formerly, Senior Vice President (2014-2017) of Nuveen Securities, LLC. |
34
Name, Business Address and Year of Birth |
Position(s) Held with Fund |
Term of Office and Length of Time Served with Funds in the Fund Complex |
Principal Occupation(s) During Past Five Years | |||
Brian J. Lockhart 333 West Wacker Drive Chicago, IL 60606 (1974) |
Vice President | Term—Indefinite Length of |
Managing Director (since 2019) of Nuveen Fund Advisors, LLC; Senior Managing Director (since 2021), formerly, Managing Director (2017-2021), Vice President (2010-2017) of Nuveen; Head of Investment Oversight (since 2017), formerly, Team Leader of Manager Oversight (2015-2017); Chartered Financial Analyst and Certified Financial Risk Manager. | |||
John M. McCann 8500 Andrew Carnegie Blvd. Charlotte, NC 28262 (1975) |
Vice President and Assistant Secretary |
Term—Indefinite Length of |
Managing Director (since 2021), General Counsel and Secretary (since 2023), formerly, Assistant Secretary (2021-2023), of Nuveen Fund Advisors, LLC; Managing Director, Associate General Counsel and Assistant Secretary of Nuveen Asset Management, LLC (since 2021); Managing Director (since 2021) and Assistant Secretary (since 2016) of TIAA SMA Strategies LLC; Managing Director (since 2019), formerly, Vice President and Director, Associate General Counsel and Assistant Secretary of the College Retirement Equities Fund, TIAA Separate Account VA-1, TIAA-CREF Funds and TIAA-CREF Life Funds; Managing Director (since 2018), formerly, Vice President and Director, Associate General Counsel and Assistant Secretary of Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association of America, Teacher Advisors LLC and TIAA-CREF Investment Management, LLC; Vice President (since 2017), Associate General Counsel and Assistant Secretary (since 2011) of Nuveen Alternative Advisors LLC; General Counsel and Assistant Secretary of Covariance Capital Management, Inc. (2014-2017). |
35
Name, Business Address and Year of Birth |
Position(s) Held with Fund |
Term of Office and Length of Time Served with Funds in the Fund Complex |
Principal Occupation(s) During Past Five Years | |||
Kevin J. McCarthy 333 West Wacker Drive Chicago, IL 60606 (1966) |
Vice President and Assistant Secretary |
Term—Indefinite Length of Service— Since 2007 |
Executive Vice President (since 2022) and Secretary and General Counsel (since 2016) of Nuveen Investments, Inc., formerly, Senior Managing Director (2017-2022); Executive Vice President (since 2023) and Assistant Secretary (since 2008) of Nuveen Securities, LLC, formerly, Senior Managing Director (2017-2023); Executive Vice President and Assistant Secretary (since 2023) of Nuveen Fund Advisors, LLC, formerly, Senior Managing Director (2017-2023), Secretary (2016-2023) and Co-General Counsel (2011-2020); Executive Vice President (since 2023) and Secretary (since 2016) of Nuveen Asset Management, LLC, formerly, Senior Managing Director (2017-2023) and Associate General Counsel (2011-2020); formerly, Vice President (2007-2021) and Secretary (2016-2021) of NWQ Investment Management Company, LLC and Santa Barbara Asset Management, LLC; Vice President and Secretary of Winslow Capital Management, LLC (since 2010); Executive Vice President (since 2023) and Secretary (since 2016) of Nuveen Alternative Investments, LLC, formerly, Senior Managing Director (2017-2023). | |||
Jon Scott Meissner 8500 Andrew Carnegie Blvd. Charlotte, NC 28262 (1973) |
Vice President and Assistant Secretary |
Term—Indefinite Length of Service— Since 2019 |
Managing Director, Mutual Fund Tax and Expense Administration (since 2022), formerly, Managing Director of Mutual Fund Tax and Financial Reporting groups (2017-2022), at Nuveen; Managing Director (since 2019) of Nuveen Fund Advisors, LLC; Managing Director (since 2021), formerly, Senior Director (2016-2021), of Teachers Advisors, LLC and TIAA-CREF Investment Management, LLC; Managing Director, Mutual Fund and Tax Expense Administration (since 2022), formerly, Senior Director, Mutual Fund Taxation (2015-2022), to the TIAA-CREF Funds, the TIAA-CREF Life Funds, the TIAA Separate Account VA-1 and the CREF Accounts; has held various positions with TIAA since 2004. | |||
William A. Siffermann 333 West Wacker Drive Chicago, IL 60606 (1975) |
Vice President | Term—Indefinite Length of Service— Since 2017 |
Managing Director (since 2017), formerly, Senior Vice President (2016-2017) of Nuveen. |
36
Name, Business Address and Year of Birth |
Position(s) Held with Fund |
Term of Office and Length of Time Served with Funds in the Fund Complex |
Principal Occupation(s) During Past Five Years | |||
Trey S. Stenersen 8500 Andrew Carnegie Blvd. Charlotte, NC 28262 (1965) |
Vice President | Term—Indefinite Length of Service— Since 2022 |
Senior Managing Director of Teacher Advisors LLC and TIAA-CREF Investment Management, LLC (since 2018); Senior Managing Director (since 2019) and Chief Risk Officer (since 2022), formerly Head of Investment Risk Management (2017-2022) of Nuveen; Senior Managing Director (since 2018) of Nuveen Alternative Advisors LLC. | |||
E. Scott Wickerham 8500 Andrew Carnegie Boulevard Charlotte, NC 28262 (1973) |
Vice President and Controller |
Term—Indefinite Length of Service— Since 2019 |
Senior Managing Director, Head of Public Investment Finance at Nuveen (since 2019), formerly, Managing Director, Senior Managing Director (since 2019) of Nuveen Fund Advisors, LLC; Senior Managing Director (since 2022) of Nuveen Asset Management, LLC; Principal Financial Officer, Principal Accounting Officer and Treasurer (since 2017) of the TIAA-CREF Funds, the TIAA-CREF Life Funds, the TIAA Separate Account VA-1 and Principal Financial Officer, Principal Accounting Officer (since 2020) and Treasurer (since 2017) to the CREF Accounts; has held various positions with TIAA since 2006. | |||
Mark L. Winget 333 West Wacker Drive Chicago, IL 60606 (1968) |
Vice President and Secretary |
Term—Indefinite Length of Service— Since 2008 |
Vice President and Assistant Secretary of Nuveen Securities, LLC (since 2008); Vice President and Assistant Secretary of Nuveen Fund Advisors, LLC (since 2019); Vice President, Associate General Counsel and Assistant Secretary of Nuveen Asset Management, LLC (since 2020); Vice President (since 2010) and Associate General Counsel (since 2019) of Nuveen. | |||
Rachael Zufall 8500 Andrew Carnegie Blvd. Charlotte, NC 28262 1973 |
Vice President and Assistant Secretary |
Term—Indefinite Length of Service— Since 2022 |
Managing Director and Assistant Secretary (since 2023) of Nuveen Fund Advisors, LLC; Managing Director (since 2017), Associate General Counsel and Assistant Secretary (since 2014) of the CREF Accounts, TIAA Separate Account VA-1, TIAA-CREF Funds and TIAA-CREF Life Funds; Managing Director (since 2017), Associate General Counsel and Assistant Secretary (since 2011) of Teacher Advisors, LLC and TIAA-CREF Investment Management, LLC; Managing Director of Nuveen, LLC and of TIAA (since 2017). |
37
Board Leadership Structure and Risk Oversight
The Board of Trustees or the Board of Directors (as the case may be, each is referred to hereafter as the “Board” and the trustees or directors of the Nuveen Funds, as applicable, are referred to herein as “Trustees”) oversees the operations and management of the Nuveen Funds, including the duties performed for the Nuveen Funds by Nuveen Fund Advisors and each Nuveen Fund’s sub-adviser(s), as applicable. The Board has adopted a unitary board structure. A unitary board consists of one group of Trustees who serve on the board of every Nuveen Fund in the fund complex. In adopting a unitary board structure, the Trustees seek to provide effective governance through establishing a board, the overall composition of which will, as a body, possess the appropriate skills, diversity (including, among other things, gender, race and ethnicity), independence and experience to oversee the Fund’s business. With this overall framework in mind, when the Board, through its Nominating and Governance Committee discussed below, seeks nominees for the Board, the Trustee consider, not only the candidate’s particular background, skills and experience, among other things, but also whether such background, skills and experience enhance the Board’s diversity and at the same time complement the Board given its current composition and the mix of skills and experiences of the incumbent Trustees. The Nominating and Governance Committee believes that the Board generally benefits from diversity of background (including, among other things, gender, race and ethnicity), skills, experience and views among its members, and considers this a factor in evaluating the composition of the Board, but has not adopted any specific policy on diversity or any particular definition of diversity.
The Board believes the unitary board structure enhances good and effective governance, particularly given the nature of the structure of the investment company complex. Funds in the same complex generally are served by the same service providers and personnel and are governed by the same regulatory scheme which raises common issues that must be addressed by the trustees across the fund complex (such as compliance, valuation, liquidity, brokerage, trade allocation or risk management). The Board believes it is more efficient to have a single board review and oversee common policies and procedures which increases the Board’s knowledge and expertise with respect to the many aspects of fund operations that are complex-wide in nature. The unitary structure also enhances the Board’s influence and oversight over Nuveen Fund Advisors and other service providers.
In an effort to enhance the independence of the Board, the Board also has a Chair that is an independent trustee. The Board recognizes that a chair can perform an important role in setting the agenda for the Board, establishing the boardroom culture, establishing a point person on behalf of the Board for fund management, and reinforcing the Board’s focus on the long-term interests of shareholders. The Board recognizes that a chair may be able to better perform these functions without any conflicts of interests arising from a position with fund management. Accordingly, the Trustees have elected Terence J. Toth as the independent chair of the Board. Pursuant to the Fund’s By-laws, the Chair shall perform all duties incident to the office of Chair of the Board and such other duties as from time to time may be assigned to him or her by the trustees or the By-Laws.
Although the Board has direct responsibility over various matters (such as advisory contracts and underwriting contracts), the Board also exercises certain of its oversight responsibilities through several committees that it has established and which report back to the full Board. The Board believes that a committee structure is an effective means to permit Trustees to focus on particular operations or issues affecting the Nuveen Funds, including risk oversight. More specifically, with respect to risk oversight, the Board has delegated matters relating to valuation, compliance and investment risk to certain committees (as summarized below). In addition, the Board believes that the periodic rotation of Trustees among the different committees allows the Trustees to gain additional and different perspectives of the Fund’s operations. The Board has established seven standing committees: the Executive Committee, the Dividend Committee, the Closed-End Funds Committee, the Audit Committee, the Compliance, Risk Management and Regulatory Oversight Committee, the Nominating and Governance Committee, and the Investment Committee. The Board may also from time to time create ad hoc committees to focus on particular issues as the need arises. The membership and functions of the standing committees are summarized below. For more information on the Board, please visit www.nuveen.com/fundgovernance.
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The Executive Committee, which meets between regular meetings of the Board, is authorized to exercise all of the powers of the Board. Mr. Toth, Chair, Mr. Nelson and Mr. Young serve as the current members of the Executive Committee of the Board. During the fiscal year ended March 31, 2023, the Executive Committee did not meet.
The Dividend Committee is authorized to declare distributions on each Nuveen Fund’s shares including, but not limited to, regular and special dividends, capital gains and ordinary income distributions. The members of the Dividend Committee are Mr. Young, Chair, Ms. Lancellotta, Mr. Nelson and Mr. Thornton. During the fiscal year ended March 31, 2023, the Dividend Committee met seven (7) times.
The Board has an Audit Committee, in accordance with Section 3(a)(58)(A) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “1934 Act”), that is composed of Independent Board Members who are also “independent” as that term is defined in the listing standards of the NYSE pertaining to closed-end funds. The Audit Committee assists the Board in the oversight and monitoring of the accounting and reporting policies, processes and practices of the Nuveen Funds, and the audits of the financial statements of the Nuveen Funds; the quality and integrity of the financial statements of the Nuveen Funds; the Nuveen Funds’ compliance with legal and regulatory requirements relating to the Nuveen Funds’ financial statements; the independent auditors’ qualifications, performance and independence; and the pricing procedures of the Nuveen Funds and the internal valuation group of Nuveen. It is the responsibility of the Audit Committee to select, evaluate and replace any independent auditors (subject only to Board and, if applicable, shareholder ratification) and to determine their compensation. The Audit Committee is also responsible for, among other things, overseeing the valuation of securities comprising the Nuveen Funds’ portfolios. Subject to the Board’s general supervision of such actions, the Audit Committee addresses any valuation issues, oversees the Nuveen Funds’ pricing procedures and actions taken by Nuveen’s internal valuation group which provides regular reports to the committee, reviews any issues relating to the valuation of the Nuveen Funds’ securities brought to its attention and considers the risks to the Nuveen Funds in assessing the possible resolutions to these matters. The Audit Committee may also consider any financial risk exposures for the Nuveen Funds in conjunction with performing its functions.
To fulfill its oversight duties, the Audit Committee receives annual and semi-annual reports and has regular meetings with the external auditors for the Nuveen Funds and Nuveen Fund Advisors’ internal audit group at Nuveen Investments. The Audit Committee also may review in a general manner the processes the Board or other Board committees have in place with respect to risk assessment and risk management as well as compliance with legal and regulatory matters relating to the Nuveen Funds’ financial statements. The committee operates under a written charter adopted and approved by the Board. Members of the Audit Committee shall be independent (as set forth in the charter) and free of any relationship that, in the opinion of the trustees, would interfere with their exercise of independent judgment as an Audit Committee member. The members of the Audit Committee are Mr. Nelson, Chair, Mr. Evans, Mr. Moschner, Ms. Wolff and Mr. Young, each of whom is an independent trustee of the Nuveen Funds. During the fiscal year ended March 31, 2023, the Audit Committee met four (4) times.
The Compliance, Risk Management and Regulatory Oversight Committee (the “Compliance Committee”) is responsible for the oversight of compliance issues, risk management and other regulatory matters affecting the Fund that are not otherwise under or within the jurisdiction of the other committees. The Board has adopted and periodically reviews policies and procedures designed to address the Fund’s compliance and risk matters. As part of its duties, the Compliance Committee reviews the policies and procedures relating to compliance matters and recommends modifications thereto as necessary or appropriate to the full Board; develops new policies and procedures as new regulatory matters affecting the Fund arise from time to time; evaluates or considers any comments or reports from examinations from regulatory authorities and responses thereto; and performs any special reviews, investigations or other oversight responsibilities relating to risk management, compliance and/or regulatory matters as requested by the Board.
39
In addition, the Compliance Committee is responsible for risk oversight, including, but not limited to, the oversight of general risks related to investments which are not reviewed by other committees, such as liquidity and derivatives usage; risks related to product structure elements, such as leverage; techniques that may be used to address the foregoing risks, such as hedging and swaps and Fund operational risk and risks related to the overall operation of the Nuveen enterprise and, in each case, the controls designed to address or mitigate such risks. In assessing issues brought to the Compliance Committee’s attention or in reviewing a particular policy, procedure, investment technique or strategy, the Compliance Committee evaluates the risks to the Fund in adopting a particular approach or resolution compared to the anticipated benefits to the Fund and its shareholders. In fulfilling its obligations, the Compliance Committee meets on a quarterly basis, and at least once a year in person. The Compliance Committee receives written and oral reports from the Fund’s Chief Compliance Officer (“CCO”) and meets privately with the CCO at each of its quarterly meetings. The CCO also provides an annual report to the full Board regarding the operations of the Fund’s and other service providers’ compliance programs as well as any recommendations for modifications thereto. Matters not addressed at the committee level are addressed directly by the full Board. The Compliance Committee operates under a written charter adopted and approved by the Board. The members of the Compliance Committee are Ms. Wolff, Chair, Dr. Hunter, Ms. Lancellotta, Ms. Medero, Mr. Thornton and Mr. Toth. During the fiscal year ended March 31, 2023, the Compliance Committee met four (4) times.
The Nominating and Governance Committee is responsible for seeking, identifying and recommending to the Board qualified candidates for election or appointment to the Board. In addition, the Nominating and Governance Committee oversees matters of corporate governance, including the evaluation of Board performance and processes, the assignment and rotation of committee members, and the establishment of corporate governance guidelines and procedures, to the extent necessary or desirable, and matters related thereto. Although the unitary and committee structure has been developed over the years and the Nominating and Governance Committee believes the structure has provided efficient and effective governance, the Nominating and Governance Committee recognizes that, as demands on the Board evolve over time (such as through an increase in the number of funds overseen or an increase in the complexity of the issues raised), the Nominating and Governance Committee must continue to evaluate the Board and committee structures and their processes and modify the foregoing as may be necessary or appropriate to continue to provide effective governance. Accordingly, the Nominating and Governance Committee has a separate meeting each year to, among other things, review the Board and committee structures, their performance and functions, and recommend any modifications thereto or alternative structures or processes that would enhance the Board’s governance over the Fund’s business.
In addition, the Nominating and Governance Committee, among other things, makes recommendations concerning the continuing education of Trustees; monitors performance of legal counsel and other service providers; establishes and monitors a process by which security holders are able to communicate in writing with members of the Board; and periodically reviews and makes recommendations about any appropriate changes to trustee compensation. In the event of a vacancy on the Board, the Nominating and Governance Committee receives suggestions from various sources, including suggestions from fund security holders, as to suitable candidates. Suggestions should be sent in writing to William Siffermann, Manager of Fund Board Relations, Nuveen LLC, 333 West Wacker Drive, Chicago, IL 60606. The Nominating and Governance Committee sets appropriate standards and requirements for nominations for new Trustees reserves the right to interview any and all candidates and to make the final selection of any new Trustees. In considering a candidate’s qualifications, each candidate must meet certain basic requirements, including relevant skills and experience, time availability (including the time requirements for due diligence site visits to internal and external sub-advisers and service providers) and, if qualifying as an Independent Trustee candidate, independence from the Nuveen Fund Advisors, subadvisors underwriters or other service providers, including any affiliates of these entities. These skill and experience requirements may vary depending on the current composition of the Board, since the goal is to ensure an appropriate range of skills, diversity and experience, in the aggregate. Accordingly, the particular factors considered and weight given to these factors will depend on the composition of the Board and the skills and backgrounds of the incumbent Trustees at the time of consideration of the nominees. All candidates, however, must meet high expectations of personal integrity, independence, governance experience and professional
40
competence. All candidates must be willing to be critical within the Board and with management and yet maintain a collegial and collaborative manner toward other Board members. The committee operates under a written charter adopted and approved by the Board. This committee is composed of the Independent Trustees of the Nuveen Funds. Accordingly, the members of the Nominating and Governance Committee are Mr. Toth, Chair, Mr. Evans, Dr. Hunter, Ms. Lancellotta, Ms. Medero, Mr. Moschner, Mr. Nelson, Mr. Thornton, Ms. Wolff and Mr. Young. During the fiscal year ended March 31, 2023, the Nominating and Governance Committee met five (5) times.
The Investment Committee is responsible for the oversight of Fund performance, investment risk management and other portfolio-related matters affecting the Funds which are not otherwise the jurisdiction of the other Board committees. As part of such oversight, the Investment Committee reviews each Fund’s investment performance and investment risks, which may include, but is not limited to, an evaluation of Fund performance relative to investment objectives, benchmarks and peer group; a review of risks related to portfolio investments, such as exposures to particular issuers, market sectors, or types of securities, as well as consideration of other factors that could impact or are related to Fund performance; and an assessment of Fund objectives, policies and practices as such may relate to Fund performance. In assessing issues brought to the committee’s attention or in reviewing an investment policy, technique or strategy, the Investment Committee evaluates the risks to the Funds in adopting or recommending a particular approach or resolution compared to the anticipated benefits to the Funds and their shareholders.
In fulfilling its obligations, the Investment Committee receives quarterly reports from the investment oversight and the investment risk groups at Nuveen. Such groups also report to the full Board on a quarterly basis and the full Board participates in further discussions with fund management at its quarterly meetings regarding matters relating to Fund performance and investment risks, including with respect to the various drivers of performance and Fund use of leverage and hedging. Accordingly, the Board directly and/or in conjunction with the Investment Committee oversees the investment performance and investment risk management of the Funds. The Investment Committee operates under a written charter adopted and approved by the Board. This committee is composed of the independent Trustees of the Funds. Accordingly, the members of the Investment Committee are Dr. Hunter, Chair, Mr. Evans, Ms. Lancellotta, Ms. Medero, Mr. Moschner, Mr. Nelson, Ms. Stockdale, Ms. Stone, Mr. Thornton, Mr. Toth, Ms. Wolff and Mr. Young. During the fiscal year ended March 31, 2023, the Investment Committee met one (1) time.
The Closed-End Funds Committee is responsible for assisting the Board in the oversight and monitoring of the Nuveen Funds that are registered as closed-end management investment companies (“Closed-End Funds”). The committee may review and evaluate matters related to the formation and the initial presentation to the Board of any new Closed-End Fund and may review and evaluate any matters relating to any existing Closed-End Fund.
The Closed-End Funds Committee receives updates on the secondary closed-end fund market and evaluates the premiums and discounts of the Nuveen closed-end funds, including the Fund, at each quarterly meeting. The Closed-End Funds Committee reviews, among other things, the premium and discount trends in the broader closed-end fund market, by asset category and by closed-end fund; the historical total return performance data for the Nuveen closed-end funds, including the Fund, based on net asset value and price over various periods; the volatility trends in the market; the use of leverage by the Nuveen closed-end funds, including the Fund; the distribution data of the Nuveen closed-end funds, including the Fund, and as compared to peer averages; and a summary of common share issuances, if any, and share repurchases, if any, during the applicable quarter by the Nuveen closed-end funds, including the Fund. The Closed-End Funds Committee regularly engages in more in-depth discussions of premiums and discounts of the Nuveen closed-end funds. Additionally, the Closed-End Funds Committee members participate in workshops to explore, among other things, actions to address discounts of the Nuveen closed-end funds, potential share repurchases and available leverage strategies and their use. The committee operates under a written charter adopted and approved by the Board. The members of the Closed-End Funds Committee are Mr. Evans, Chair, Dr. Hunter, Ms. Lancellotta, Mr. Nelson, Mr. Toth and Ms. Wolff. During the fiscal year ended March 31, 2023, the Closed-End Funds Committee met four (4) times.
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Board Diversification and Trustee Qualifications
Listed below for each current Board member are the experiences, qualifications, attributes and skills that led to the conclusion, as of the date of this document, that each current trustee should serve as a trustee of the Fund.
Jack B. Evans. Mr. Evans has served as Chairman (since 2019), formerly, President from 1996-2019 of the Hall-Perrine Foundation, a private philanthropic corporation. Mr. Evans was formerly President and Chief Operating Officer (1972-1995) of the SCI Financial Group, Inc., a regional financial services firm headquartered in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Formerly, he was a member of the Board of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago from 1997 to 2003 as well as a Director of Alliant Energy from 2000 to 2004 and Member and President Pro Tem of the Board of Regents for the State of Iowa University System from 2007 to 2013. Mr. Evans is a Life Trustee of Coe College and formerly served as Chairman of the Board of United Fire Group from 2009 to 2021, served as a Director and Public Member of the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery from 2015 to 2020 and served on the Board of The Gazette Company from 1996 to 2015. He has a Bachelor of Arts from Coe College and an M.B.A. from the University of Iowa. Mr. Evans joined the Board in 1999.
William C. Hunter. Dr. Hunter became Dean Emeritus of the Henry B. Tippie College of Business at the University of Iowa in 2012, after having served as Dean of the College since July 2006. He had been Dean and Distinguished Professor of Finance at the University of Connecticut School of Business from 2003 to 2006. From 1995 to 2003, he was the Senior Vice President and Director of Research at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago. He has held faculty positions at Emory University, Atlanta University, the University of Georgia and Northwestern University. He has consulted with numerous foreign central banks and official agencies in Europe, Asia, Central America and South America. He has been a Director of Wellmark, Inc. since 2009. He is a past Director (2005-2015) and a past President (2010-2014) of Beta Gamma Sigma, Inc., The International Business Honor Society, and a past Director (2004-2018) of the Xerox Corporation. Dr. Hunter received his PhD (1978) and MBA (1970) from Northwestern University and his BS from Hampton University (1970). Dr. Hunter joined the Board in 2004.
Amy B. R. Lancellotta. After 30 years of service, Ms. Lancellotta retired at the end of 2019 from the Investment Company Institute (ICI), which represents regulated investment companies on regulatory, legislative and securities industry initiatives that affect funds and their shareholders. From November 2006 until her retirement, Ms. Lancellotta served as Managing Director of ICI’s Independent Directors Council (IDC), which supports fund independent directors in fulfilling their responsibilities to promote and protect the interests of fund shareholders. At IDC, Ms. Lancellotta was responsible for all ICI and IDC activities relating to the fund independent director community. In conjunction with her responsibilities, Ms. Lancellotta advised and represented IDC, ICI, independent directors and the investment company industry on issues relating to fund governance and the role of fund directors. She also directed and coordinated IDC’s education, communication, governance and policy initiatives. Prior to serving as Managing Director of IDC, Ms. Lancellotta held various other positions with ICI beginning in 1989. Before joining ICI, Ms. Lancellotta was an associate at two Washington, D.C. law firms. In addition, since 2020, she has been a member of the Board of Directors of the Jewish Coalition Against Domestic Abuse (JCADA), an organization that seeks to end power-based violence, empower survivors and ensure safe communities. Ms. Lancellotta received a B.A. degree from Pennsylvania State University in 1981 and a J.D. degree from the National Law Center, George Washington University (currently known as George Washington University Law School) in 1984. Ms. Lancellotta joined the Board in 2021.
Joanne T. Medero. Ms. Medero has over 30 years of financial services experience and, most recently, from December 2009 until her retirement in July 2020, she was a Managing Director in the Government Relations and Public Policy Group at BlackRock, Inc. (BlackRock). From July 2018 to July 2020, she was also Senior Advisor to BlackRock’s Vice Chairman, focusing on public policy and corporate governance issues. In 1996, Ms. Medero joined Barclays Global Investors (BGI), which merged with BlackRock in 2009. At BGI, she was a Managing Director and served as Global General Counsel and Corporate Secretary until 2006. Then, from
42
2006 to 2009, Ms. Medero was a Managing Director and Global Head of Government Relations and Public Policy at Barclays Group (IBIM), where she provided policy guidance and directed legislative and regulatory advocacy programs for the investment banking, investment management and wealth management businesses. Before joining BGI, Ms. Medero was a Partner at Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP from 1993 to 1995, where she specialized in derivatives and financial markets regulation issues. Additionally, she served as General Counsel of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) from 1989 to 1993 and, from 1986 to 1989, she was Deputy Associate Director/Associate Director for Legal and Financial Affairs at The White House Office of Presidential Personnel. Further, from 2006 to 2010, Ms. Medero was a member of the CFTC Global Markets Advisory Committee and she has been actively involved in financial industry associations, serving as Chair of the Steering Committee of the SIFMA (Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association) Asset Management Group (2016-2018) and Chair of the CTA (Commodity Trading Advisor), CPO (Commodity Pool Operator) and Futures Committee of the Managed Funds Association (2010-2012). Ms. Medero also chaired the Corporations, Antitrust and Securities Practice Group of The Federalist Society for Law and Public Policy (from 2010-2022 and 2000-2002). In addition, since 2019, she has been a member of the Board of Directors of the Baltic-American Freedom Foundation, which seeks to provide opportunities for citizens of the Baltic states to gain education and professional development through exchanges in the United States. Ms. Medero received a B.A. degree from St. Lawrence University in 1975 and a J.D. degree from the National Law Center, George Washington University (currently known as George Washington University Law School) in 1978. Ms. Medero joined the Board in 2021.
Albin F. Moschner. Mr. Moschner is a consultant in the wireless industry and, in July 2012, founded Northcroft Partners, LLC, a management consulting firm that provides operational, management and governance solutions. Prior to founding Northcroft Partners, LLC, Mr. Moschner held various positions at Leap Wireless International, Inc., a provider of wireless services, where he was a consultant from February 2011 to July 2012, Chief Operating Officer from July 2008 to February 2011, and Chief Marketing Officer from August 2004 to June 2008. Before he joined Leap Wireless International, Inc., Mr. Moschner was President of the Verizon Card Services division of Verizon Communications, Inc. from 2000 to 2003, and President of One Point Services at One Point Communications from 1999 to 2000. Mr. Moschner also served at Zenith Electronics Corporation as Director, President and Chief Executive Officer from 1995 to 1996, and as Director, President and Chief Operating Officer from 1994 to 1995. Mr. Moschner was formerly Chairman (2019) and a member of the Board of Directors (2012-2019) of USA Technologies, Inc. and, from 1996 until 2016, he was a member of the Board of Directors of Wintrust Financial Corporation. In addition, he is emeritus (since 2018) of the Advisory Boards of the Kellogg School of Management (1995-2018) and the Archdiocese of Chicago Financial Council (2012-2018). Mr. Moschner received a Bachelor of Engineering degree in Electrical Engineering from The City College of New York in 1974 and a Master of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from Syracuse University in 1979. Mr. Moschner joined the Board in 2016.
John K. Nelson. Mr. Nelson is on the Board of Directors of Core12, LLC. (since 2008), a private firm which develops branding, marketing, and communications strategies for clients. Mr. Nelson has extensive experience in global banking and markets, having served in several senior executive positions with ABN AMRO Holdings N.V. and its affiliated entities and predecessors, including LaSalle Bank Corporation from 1996 to 2008, ultimately serving as Chief Executive Officer of ABN AMRO N.V. North America. During his tenure at the bank, he also served as Global Head of its Financial Markets Division, which encompassed the bank’s Currency, Commodity, Fixed Income, Emerging Markets, and Derivatives businesses. He was a member of the Foreign Exchange Committee of the Federal Reserve Bank of the United States and during his tenure with ABN AMRO served as the bank’s representative on various committees of The Bank of Canada, European Central Bank, and The Bank of England. Mr. Nelson previously served as a senior, external advisor to the financial services practice of Deloitte Consulting LLP (2012-2014). At Fordham University, he served as a director of The President’s Council (2010-2019) and previously served as a director of The Curran Center for Catholic American Studies (2009-2018). He served as a trustee and Chairman of The Board of Trustees of Marian University (2011-2013). Mr. Nelson is a graduate of Fordham University, holding a BA in Economics and an MBA in Finance. Mr. Nelson joined the Board in 2013.
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Matthew Thornton III. Mr. Thornton has over 40 years of broad leadership and operating experience from his career with FedEx Corporation (“FedEx”), which, through its portfolio of companies, provides transportation, e-commerce and business services. In November 2019, Mr. Thornton retired as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of FedEx Freight Corporation (FedEx Freight), a subsidiary of FedEx, where, from May 2018 until his retirement, he had been responsible for day-to-day operations, strategic guidance, modernization of freight operations and delivering innovative customer solutions. From September 2006 to May 2018, Mr. Thornton served as Senior Vice President, U.S. Operations at Federal Express Corporation (FedEx Express), a subsidiary of FedEx. Prior to September 2006, Mr. Thornton held a range of positions of increasing responsibility with FedEx, including various management positions. In addition, Mr. Thornton currently (since 2014) serves on the Board of Directors of The Sherwin-Williams Company, where he is a member of the Audit Committee and the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee, and the Board of Directors of Crown Castle International (since 2020), where he is a member of the Strategy Committee and the Compensation Committee. Formerly (2012-2018), he was a member of the Board of Directors of Safe Kids Worldwide®, a non-profit organization dedicated to the prevention of childhood injuries. Mr. Thornton is a member (since 2014) of the Executive Leadership Council (ELC), the nation’s premier organization of global black senior executives. He is also a member of the National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD). Mr. Thornton has been recognized by Black Enterprise on its 2017 list of the Most Powerful Executives in Corporate America and by Ebony on its 2016 Power 100 list of the world’s most influential and inspiring African Americans. Mr. Thornton received a B.B.A. degree from the University of Memphis in 1980 and an M.B.A. from the University of Tennessee in 2001. Mr. Thornton joined the Board in 2020.
Terence J. Toth. Mr. Toth, the Nuveen Funds’ Independent Chair, was a Co-Founding Partner of Promus Capital (2008-2017). From 2012 to 2021, he was a Director of Quality Control Corporation, from 2008 to 2013, he was a Director of Legal & General Investment Management America, Inc. From 2004 to 2007, he was Chief Executive Officer and President of Northern Trust Global Investments, and Executive Vice President of Quantitative Management & Securities Lending from 2000 to 2004. He also formerly served on the Board of the Northern Trust Mutual Funds. He joined Northern Trust in 1994 after serving as Managing Director and Head of Global Securities Lending at Bankers Trust (1986 to 1994) and Head of Government Trading and Cash Collateral Investment at Northern Trust from 1982 to 1986. He currently serves as Chair of the Board of the Kehrein Center for the Arts (since 2021) and is on the Board of Catalyst Schools of Chicago since 2008. He is on the Mather Foundation Board since 2012 and was Chair of its Investment Committee from 2017 to 2022 and previously served as a Director of LogicMark LLC (2012-2016) and of Fulcrum IT Service LLC (2010-2019). Mr. Toth graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Illinois, and received his MBA from New York University. In 2005, he graduated from the CEO Perspectives Program at Northwestern University. Mr. Toth joined the Board in 2008.
Margaret L. Wolff. Ms. Wolff retired from Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP in 2014 after more than 30 years of providing client service in the Mergers & Acquisitions Group. During her legal career, Ms. Wolff devoted significant time to advising boards and senior management on U.S. and international corporate, securities, regulatory and strategic matters, including governance, shareholder, fiduciary, operational and management issues. Ms. Wolff has been a trustee of New York-Presbyterian Hospital since 2005 and, since 2004, she has served as a trustee of The John A. Hartford Foundation (a philanthropy dedicated to improving the care of older adults) where she formerly served as Chair from 2015 to 2022. From 2013 to 2017, she was a Board member of Travelers Insurance Company of Canada and The Dominion of Canada General Insurance Company (each of which is a part of Travelers Canada, the Canadian operation of The Travelers Companies, Inc.). From 2005 to 2015, she was a trustee of Mt. Holyoke College and served as Vice Chair of the Board from 2011 to 2015. Ms. Wolff received her Bachelor of Arts from Mt. Holyoke College and her Juris Doctor from Case Western Reserve University School of Law. Ms. Wolff joined the Board in 2016.
Robert L. Young. Mr. Young has more than 30 years of experience in the investment management industry. From 1997 to 2017, he held various positions with J.P. Morgan Investment Management Inc. (“J.P. Morgan Investment”) and its affiliates (collectively, “J.P. Morgan”). Most recently, he served as Chief Operating
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Officer and Director of J.P. Morgan Investment (from 2010 to 2016) and as President and Principal Executive Officer of the J.P. Morgan Funds (from 2013 to 2016). As Chief Operating Officer of J.P. Morgan Investment, Mr. Young led service, administration and business platform support activities for J.P. Morgan’s domestic retail mutual fund and institutional commingled and separate account businesses, and co-led these activities for J.P. Morgan’s global retail and institutional investment management businesses. As President of the J.P. Morgan Funds, Mr. Young interacted with various service providers to these funds, facilitated the relationship between such funds and their boards, and was directly involved in establishing board agendas, addressing regulatory matters, and establishing policies and procedures. Before joining J.P. Morgan, Mr. Young, a former Certified Public Accountant (CPA), was a Senior Manager (Audit) with Deloitte & Touche LLP (formerly, Touche Ross LLP), where he was employed from 1985 to 1996. During his tenure there, he actively participated in creating, and ultimately led, the firm’s midwestern mutual fund practice. Mr. Young holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Accounting from the University of Dayton and, from 2008 to 2011, he served on the Investment Committee of its Board of Trustees. Mr. Young joined the Board in 2017.
SHARE OWNERSHIP
The following table sets forth the dollar range of equity securities beneficially owned by each trustee as of December 31, 2022:
Independent Trustees |
Dollar Range of Equity Securities in the Fund |
Aggregate Dollar Range of Equity Securities in All Registered Investment Companies Overseen by Trustees in Nuveen Family of Investment Companies |
||||||
Jack B. Evans |
None | Over $100,000 | ||||||
William C. Hunter |
None | Over $100,000 | ||||||
Amy B. R. Lancellotta |
None | $ | 50,001-$100,000 | |||||
Joanne T. Medero |
None | Over $100,000 | ||||||
Albin F. Moschner |
None | Over $100,000 | ||||||
John K. Nelson |
None | Over $100,000 | ||||||
Matthew Thornton III |
None | Over $100,000 | ||||||
Terence J. Toth |
None | Over $100,000 | ||||||
Margaret L. Wolff |
None | Over $100,000 | ||||||
Robert L. Young |
None | Over $100,000 |
No Trustee who is not an interested person of the Fund or his immediate family member owns beneficially or of record, any security of Nuveen Fund Advisors, Nuveen Asset Management, Nuveen Investments or any person (other than a registered investment company) directly or indirectly controlling, controlled by or under common control with Nuveen Fund Advisors, or Nuveen Investments.
As of March 31, 2023, the officers and Trustees as a group beneficially owned less than 1% of any class of the Fund’s outstanding securities. Additionally, no disinterested trustee owned shares of Nuveen Fund Advisors, Nuveen Asset Management or Nuveen Investments (or any entity controlled by or under common control with Nuveen Fund Advisors, Nuveen Asset Management or Nuveen Investments).
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Principal Holders of Common Shares
As of June 1, 2023, no shareholders owned of record, or were known by the Fund to own of record or beneficially, five percent or more of any class of shares of the Fund.
COMPENSATION
The following table shows, for each Independent Trustee, (1) the aggregate compensation paid to each Trustee by the Fund for its fiscal year ended March 31, 2023, (2) the amount of total compensation paid to each Trustee by the Fund that has been deferred, and (3) the total compensation paid to each Trustee by the Nuveen Funds during the calendar year ended December 31, 2022. The Fund does not have a retirement or pension plan. The officers and Trustees affiliated with Nuveen Investments serve without any compensation from the Fund. Certain of the Nuveen Funds have a deferred compensation plan (the “Compensation Plan”) that permits any Trustee who is not an “interested person” of certain funds to elect to defer receipt of all or a portion of his or her compensation as a Trustee. The deferred compensation of a participating Trustee is credited to the book reserve account of a fund when the compensation would otherwise have been paid to the Trustee. The value of the Trustee’s deferral account at any time is equal to the value that the account would have had if contributions to the account had been invested and reinvested in shares of one or more of the eligible Nuveen Funds. At the time for commencing distributions from a Trustee’s deferral account, the Trustee may elect to receive distributions in a lump sum or over a period of five years. The Fund will not be liable for any other fund’s obligations to make distributions under the Compensation Plan.
Independent Trustees |
Aggregate Compensation from Fund(1) |
Amount of Total Compensation From the Fund That Has Been Deferred(2) |
Total Compensation from Fund and Fund Complex(3) |
|||||||||
Jack B. Evans |
$ | 1,648 | $161 | $ | 415,597 | |||||||
William C. Hunter |
1,515 | — | 387,500 | |||||||||
Amy B.R. Lancellotta |
1,472 | 478 | 372,360 | |||||||||
Joanne T. Medero |
1,469 | 726 | 372,007 | |||||||||
Albin F. Moschner |
1,809 | — | 453,250 | |||||||||
John K. Nelson |
1,729 | — | 433,750 | |||||||||
Matthew Thornton III |
1,575 | — | 395,250 | |||||||||
Terence J. Toth |
2,171 | — | 544,750 | |||||||||
Margaret L. Wolff |
1,615 | 798 | 411,912 | |||||||||
Robert L. Young |
1,803 | 1,345 | 453,324 |
(1) | The compensation paid, including deferred amounts, to the independent trustees for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2023 for services to the Fund. |
(2) | Pursuant to a deferred compensation agreement with certain of the Nuveen Funds, deferred amounts are treated as though an equivalent dollar amount has been invested in shares of one or more eligible Nuveen Funds. Total deferred fees for the Fund (including the return from the assumed investment in the eligible Nuveen Funds) payable are stated above. |
(3) | Based on the compensation paid (including any amounts deferred) for the calendar year ended December 31, 2022 for services to the Nuveen open-end and closed-end funds. Because the funds in the Fund Complex have different fiscal year ends, the amounts shown in this column are presented on a calendar year basis. |
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Effective January 1, 2023, Independent Board Members receive a $210,000 annual retainer, increased from $205,000 as of January 1, 2022, plus they receive (a) a fee of $7,250, increased from $7,000 as of January 1, 2022, per day for attendance at regularly scheduled meetings of the Board; (b) a fee of $4,000, increased from $3,000 as of January 1, 2022, per meeting for attendance at special, non-regularly scheduled Board meetings; (c) a fee of $2,500 per meeting for attendance at Audit Committee meetings, Closed-End Fund Committee meetings and Investment Committee Meetings; (d) a fee of $5,000 per meeting for attendance at Compliance, Risk Management and Regulatory Oversight Committee meetings; (e) a fee of $1,250 per meeting for attendance at Dividend Committee meetings; (f) a fee of $500 per meeting for attendance at all other committee meetings, and $100 per meeting when the Executive Committee acts as pricing committee for IPOs, plus, in each case, expenses incurred in attending such meetings, provided that no fees are received for meetings held on days on which regularly scheduled Board meetings are held. In addition to the payments described above, the Chair of the Board receives $140,000, increased from $125,000 as of January 1, 2022, and the chairpersons of the Audit Committee, the Dividend Committee, the Compliance, Risk Management and Regulatory Oversight Committee, the Nominating and Governance Committee, the Closed-End Funds Committee and the Investment Committee receive $20,000 each as additional retainers. Independent Board Members also receive a fee of $5,000, increased from $3,500 as of January 1, 2022, per day for site visits to entities that provide services to the Nuveen Funds on days on which no Board meeting is held. Per meeting fees for unscheduled Committee meetings or meetings of Ad Hoc or Special Assignment Committees will be determined by the Chair of such Committee based on the complexity or time commitment associated with the particular meeting. Prior to January 1, 2023, when Ad Hoc committees were organized, the Nominating and Governance Committee at the time of formation determined compensation to be paid to the members of such committee; however, in general, such fees were $1,000 per meeting for attendance in person or by telephone at ad hoc committee meetings where in-person attendance was required and $500 per meeting for attendance by telephone or in person at such meetings where in-person attendance was not required. The annual retainer, fees and expenses are allocated among the Nuveen Funds on the basis of relative net assets, although management may, in its discretion, establish a minimum amount to be allocated to each fund. In certain instances, fees and expenses will be allocated only to those Nuveen Funds that are discussed at a given meeting.
The Fund has no employees. Its officers are compensated by Nuveen Investments or its affiliates.
INVESTMENT ADVISER, SUB-ADVISER AND PORTFOLIO MANAGER
Investment Adviser. Nuveen Fund Advisors, LLC, the Fund’s investment adviser, is responsible for overseeing the Fund’s overall investment strategy and implementation. Nuveen Fund Advisors offers advisory and investment management services to a broad range of investment company clients. Nuveen Fund Advisors has overall responsibility for management of the Fund, oversees the management of the Fund’s portfolio, manages the Fund’s business affairs and provides certain clerical, bookkeeping and other administrative services. Nuveen Fund Advisors is located at 333 West Wacker Drive, Chicago, Illinois 60606. Nuveen Fund Advisors is an indirect subsidiary of Nuveen, LLC (“Nuveen”), the investment management arm of Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association of America (“TIAA”). TIAA is a life insurance company founded in 1918 by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and is the companion organization of College Retirement Equities Fund. As of March 31, 2023, Nuveen managed approximately $1.1 trillion in assets, of which approximately $142.2 billion was managed by Nuveen Fund Advisors.
Investment Management Agreement and Related Fees. Pursuant to an investment management agreement between Nuveen Fund Advisors and the Fund (the “Investment Management Agreement”), the Fund has agreed to pay an annual management fee for the overall advisory and administrative services and general office facilities provided by Nuveen Fund Advisors. The Fund’s management fee is separated into two components—a complex-level component, based on the aggregate amount of all fund assets managed by Nuveen Fund Advisors, and a specific fund-level component, based only on the amount of assets within the Fund. This pricing structure enables Nuveen fund shareholders to benefit from growth in the assets within each individual fund as well as from growth in the amount of complex-wide assets managed by Nuveen Fund Advisors.
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Fund-Level Fee. The annual fund-level fee for the Fund, payable monthly, is calculated according to the following schedule:
Average Daily Net Assets* |
Fund-Level Fee Rate |
|||
For the first $125 million |
0.0500 | % | ||
For the next $125 million |
0.0375 | % | ||
For the next $250 million |
0.0250 | % | ||
For the next $500 million |
0.0125 | % |
Complex-Level Fee. The annual complex-level fee for the Fund, payable monthly, is calculated according to the following schedule:
Complex-Level Eligible Asset Breakpoint Level* |
Effective Complex- Level Fee Rate at Breakpoint Level |
|||
$55 billion |
0.2000 | % | ||
$56 billion |
0.1996 | % | ||
$57 billion |
0.1989 | % | ||
$60 billion |
0.1961 | % | ||
$63 billion |
0.1931 | % | ||
$66 billion |
0.1900 | % | ||
$71 billion |
0.1851 | % | ||
$76 billion |
0.1806 | % | ||
$80 billion |
0.1773 | % | ||
$91 billion |
0.1691 | % | ||
$125 billion |
0.1599 | % | ||
$200 billion |
0.1505 | % | ||
$250 billion |
0.1469 | % | ||
$300 billion |
0.1445 | % |
* | The complex-level fee is calculated based upon the aggregate daily “eligible assets” of all Nuveen open-end and closed-end funds. Eligible assets do not include assets attributable to investments in other Nuveen funds or assets in excess of a determined amount (originally $2 billion) added to the Nuveen fund complex in connection with Nuveen Fund Advisors’ assumption of the management of the former First American Funds effective January 1, 2011, but do include certain assets of certain Nuveen funds that were reorganized into funds advised by an affiliate of Nuveen Fund Advisors during the 2019 calendar year. Eligible assets include closed-end fund assets managed by Nuveen Fund Advisors that are attributable to certain types of leverage. For these purposes, leverage includes the closed-end funds’ use of preferred stock and borrowings and certain investments in the residual interest certificates (also called inverse floating rate securities) in tender option bond (TOB) trusts, including the portion of assets held by the TOB trust that has been effectively financed by the trust’s issuance of floating rate securities, subject to an agreement by Nuveen Fund Advisors as to certain funds to limit the amount of such assets for determining eligible assets in certain circumstances. As of March 31, 2023, the complex-level fee rate for the Fund was 0.1591%. |
The following table sets forth the management fee paid by the Fund for the last three fiscal years.
Management Fee Net of Expense Reimbursement for |
Expense Reimbursement for |
|||||
Fiscal year ended March 31, 2021 |
$534,009 | $ | — | |||
Fiscal year ended March 31, 2022 |
$794,269 | $ | — | |||
Fiscal year ended March 31, 2023 |
$1,256,946 | $ | — |
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In addition to the fee of Nuveen Fund Advisors, the Fund pays all other costs and expenses of its operations, including compensation of its directors (other than those affiliated with Nuveen Fund Advisors and Nuveen Asset Management), custodian, transfer agency and dividend disbursing expenses, legal fees, expenses of independent auditors, expenses of repurchasing shares, expenses of issuing preferred shares, expenses of preparing, printing and distributing shareholder reports, notices, proxy statements and reports to governmental agencies and taxes, if any. All fees and expenses are accrued daily and deducted before payment of dividends to investors.
A discussion regarding the basis for the Board’s decision to renew the Investment Management Agreement for the Fund is available in the Fund’s semi-annual report to shareholders dated September 30 of each year.
Sub-Adviser. Nuveen Asset Management, LLC, 333 West Wacker Drive, Chicago, Illinois 60606, serves as the Fund’s sub-adviser, pursuant to a sub-advisory agreement between Nuveen Fund Advisors and Nuveen Asset Management (the “Sub-Advisory Agreement”). Nuveen Asset Management is a registered investment adviser, and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Nuveen Fund Advisors. Nuveen Asset Management oversees day-to-day investment operations and provides portfolio management services to the Fund. Pursuant to the Sub-Advisory Agreement, Nuveen Asset Management is compensated for the services it provides to the Fund with a portion of the management fee Nuveen Fund Advisors receives from the Fund. Nuveen Fund Advisors and Nuveen Asset Management retain the right to reallocate investment advisory responsibilities and fees between themselves in the future.
Sub-Advisory Agreement and Related Fees. Pursuant to the Sub-Advisory Agreement, Nuveen Asset Management receives from Nuveen Fund Advisors a management fee equal to 60.000% of Nuveen Fund Advisors’s net management fee from the Fund. Nuveen Fund Advisors and Nuveen Asset Management retain the right to reallocate investment advisory responsibilities and fees between themselves in the future.
A discussion regarding the basis for the Board’s decision to renew the Sub-Advisory Agreement for the Fund is available in the Fund’s semi-annual report to shareholders dated September 30 of each year.
The following table sets forth the management fee paid by Nuveen Fund Advisors to Nuveen Asset Management for the last three fiscal years.
Sub-Advisory Fee Paid by Nuveen Fund Advisors to Nuveen Asset Management |
||||
Fiscal year ended March 31, 2021 |
$ | 320,406 | ||
Fiscal year ended March 31, 2022 |
$ | 476,562 | ||
Fiscal year ended March 31, 2023 |
$ | 754,168 |
Portfolio Management. Unless otherwise indicated, the information below is provided as of the date of this SAI.
Portfolio Manager. Michael S. Hamilton, CFA, is a Managing Director of Nuveen Asset Management and serves as the Portfolio Manager for the Fund. Mr. Hamilton assumed portfolio management responsibility for the Fund in 2016. He began working in the investment industry when he joined the firm in 1989, as a fixed-income fund manager and trader. He became a portfolio manager in 1992. He received a B.A. from Albertson’s College of Idaho and an M.B.A. from Western Washington University. He is a member of the Portland Society of Financial Analysts.
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Other Accounts. The Portfolio Manager also has responsibility for the day-to-day management of accounts other than the Fund. Information regarding these other accounts is set forth below.
Number of Other Accounts Managed and Assets by Account Type as of March 31, 2023 |
||||||||||
Portfolio Manager |
Type of Account Managed |
Number of Accounts |
Total Assets* |
|||||||
Michael S. Hamilton |
Registered Investment Companies | 8 | $ | 1.83 billion | ||||||
Other Pooled Investment Vehicles | 0 | 0 | ||||||||
Other Accounts | 1 | $ | 25.4 million |
* | None of the assets in these accounts are subject to an advisory fee based on performance. |
The Portfolio Manager is responsible for managing the Fund and other accounts, including separate accounts and unregistered funds.
As shown in the above table, the Portfolio Manager may manage accounts in addition to the Fund. The potential for conflicts of interest exists when a portfolio manager manages other accounts with similar investment objectives and strategies to the Fund (“Similar Accounts”). Potential conflicts may include, for example, conflicts between investment strategies and conflicts in the allocation of investment opportunities.
Responsibility for managing Nuveen Fund Advisors’ clients’ portfolios is organized according to investment strategies. Generally, client portfolios with similar strategies are managed using the same objectives, approach and philosophy. Therefore, portfolio holdings, relative position sizes and sector exposures tend to be similar across similar portfolios which minimizes the potential for conflicts of interest.
Nuveen Fund Advisors may receive more compensation with respect to certain Similar Accounts than that received with respect to the Fund or may receive compensation based in part on the performance of certain Similar Accounts. This may create a potential conflict of interest for the Portfolio Manager by providing an incentive to favor these Similar Accounts when, for example, placing securities transactions. Potential conflicts of interest may arise with both the aggregation and allocation of securities transactions and allocation of limited investment opportunities. Allocations of aggregated trades, particularly trade orders that were only partially completed due to limited availability, and allocation of investment opportunities generally, could raise a potential conflict of interest.
Nuveen Asset Management has policies and procedures designed to manage these conflicts described above such as allocation of investment opportunities to achieve fair and equitable allocation of investment opportunities among its clients over time. For example, orders for the same equity security are aggregated on a continual basis throughout each trading day consistent with Nuveen Asset Management’s duty of best execution for its clients. If aggregated trades are fully executed, accounts participating in the trade will be allocated their pro rata share on an average price basis. Partially completed orders will be allocated among the participating accounts on a pro-rata average price basis as well.
Compensation. Portfolio managers are compensated through a combination of base salary and variable components consisting of (i) a cash bonus; (ii) a long-term performance award; and (iii) participation in a profits interest plan.
Base salary. A portfolio manager’s base salary is determined based upon an analysis of the portfolio manager’s general performance, experience and market levels of base pay for such position.
Cash bonus. A portfolio manager is eligible to receive an annual cash bonus that is based on three variables: risk-adjusted investment performance relative to benchmark generally measured over the most recent one, three
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and five year periods (unless the portfolio manager’s tenure is shorter), ranking versus Morningstar peer funds generally measured over the most recent one, three and five year periods (unless the portfolio manager’s tenure is shorter), and management and peer reviews.
Long-term performance award. A portfolio manager is eligible to receive a long-term performance award that vests after three years. The amount of the award when granted is based on the same factors used in determining the cash bonus. The value of the award at the completion of the three-year vesting period is adjusted based on the risk-adjusted investment performance of Fund(s) managed by the portfolio manager during the vesting period and the performance of the TIAA organization as a whole.
Profits interest plan. Portfolio managers are eligible to receive profits interests in Nuveen Asset Management and its affiliate, Teachers Advisors, LLC, which vest over time and entitle their holders to a percentage of the firms’ annual profits. Profits interests are allocated to each portfolio manager based on such person’s overall contribution to the firms.
There are generally no differences between the methods used to determine compensation with respect to the Funds and the Other Accounts shown in the table below.
Material Conflicts of Interest. Actual or apparent conflicts of interest may arise when a portfolio manager has day-to-day management responsibilities with respect to more than one account. More specifically, portfolio managers who manage multiple accounts are presented a number of potential conflicts, including, among others, those discussed below.
The management of multiple accounts may result in a portfolio manager devoting unequal time and attention to the management of each account. Nuveen Asset Management seeks to manage such competing interests for the time and attention of portfolio managers by having portfolio managers focus on a particular investment discipline. Most accounts managed by a portfolio manager in a particular investment strategy are managed using the same investment models.
If a portfolio manager identifies a limited investment opportunity which may be suitable for more than one account, an account may not be able to take full advantage of that opportunity due to an allocation of filled purchase or sale orders across all eligible accounts. To deal with these situations, Nuveen Asset Management has adopted procedures for allocating limited opportunities across multiple accounts.
With respect to many of its clients’ accounts, Nuveen Asset Management determines which broker to use to execute transaction orders, consistent with its duty to seek best execution of the transaction. However, with respect to certain other accounts, Nuveen Asset Management may be limited by the client with respect to the selection of brokers or may be instructed to direct trades through a particular broker. In these cases, Nuveen Asset Management may place separate, non-simultaneous, transactions for the Fund and other accounts which may temporarily affect the market price of the security or the execution of the transaction, or both, to the detriment of the Fund or the other accounts.
Some clients are subject to different regulations. As a consequence of this difference in regulatory requirements, some clients may not be permitted to engage in all the investment techniques or transactions or to engage in these transactions to the same extent as the other accounts managed by the portfolio manager. Finally, the appearance of a conflict of interest may arise where Nuveen Asset Management has an incentive, such as a performance-based management fee, which relates to the management of some accounts, with respect to which a portfolio manager has day-to-day management responsibilities.
Conflicts of interest may also arise when the sub-adviser invests one or more of its client accounts in different or multiple parts of the same issuer’s capital structure, including investments in public versus private securities, debt versus equity, or senior versus junior/subordinated debt, or otherwise where there are different or
51
inconsistent rights or benefits. Decisions or actions such as investing, trading, proxy voting, exercising, waiving or amending rights or covenants, workout activity, or serving on a board, committee or other involvement in governance may result in conflicts of interest between clients holding different securities or investments. Generally, individual portfolio managers will seek to act in a manner that they believe serves the best interest of the accounts they manage. In cases where a portfolio manager or team faces a conflict among its client accounts, it will seek to act in a manner that it believes best reflects its overall fiduciary duty, which may result in relative advantages or disadvantages for particular accounts.
Nuveen Asset Management has adopted certain compliance procedures which are designed to address these types of conflicts common among investment managers. However, there is no guarantee that such procedures will detect each and every situation in which a conflict arises.
Nuveen Asset Management or its affiliates, including TIAA, sponsor an array of financial products for retirement and other investment goals, and provide services worldwide to a diverse customer base. Accordingly, from time to time, a Fund may be restricted from purchasing or selling securities, or from engaging in other investment activities because of regulatory, legal or contractual restrictions that arise due to another client account’s investments and/or the internal policies of Nuveen Asset Management, TIAA or its affiliates designed to comply with such restrictions. As a result, there may be periods, for example, when Nuveen Asset Management will not initiate or recommend certain types of transactions in certain securities or instruments with respect to which investment limits have been reached.
The investment activities of Nuveen Asset Management or its affiliates may also limit the investment strategies and rights of the Funds. For example, in certain circumstances where the Funds invest in securities issued by companies that operate in certain regulated industries, in certain emerging or international markets, or are subject to corporate or regulatory ownership definitions, or invest in certain futures and derivative transactions, there may be limits on the aggregate amount invested by Nuveen Asset Management or its affiliates for the Funds and other client accounts that may not be exceeded without the grant of a license or other regulatory or corporate consent. If certain aggregate ownership thresholds are reached or certain transactions undertaken, the ability of Nuveen Asset Management, on behalf of the Funds or other client accounts, to purchase or dispose of investments or exercise rights or undertake business transactions may be restricted by regulation or otherwise impaired. As a result, Nuveen Asset Management, on behalf of the Funds or other client accounts, may limit purchases, sell existing investments, or otherwise restrict or limit the exercise of rights (including voting rights) when Nuveen Asset Management, in its sole discretion, deems it appropriate in light of potential regulatory or other restrictions on ownership or other consequences resulting from reaching investment thresholds.
Fund Shares Owned by the Portfolio Manager. As of March 31, 2023, the Portfolio Manager beneficially owned (as determined pursuant to Rule 16a-1(a)(2) under the 1934 Act) shares of the Fund having values within the indicated dollar range.
Portfolio Manager |
Dollar Range of Equity Securities Beneficially Owned in the Fund | |
Michael Hamilton |
None |
CODES OF ETHICS
The Fund, Nuveen Fund Advisors, Nuveen Asset Management, Nuveen Securities and other related entities have adopted a combined code of ethics (the “Code of Ethics”) that essentially prohibits certain of their personnel, including the Portfolio Manager, from engaging in personal investments that compete or interfere with, or attempt to take advantage of a client’s, including the Fund’s, anticipated or actual portfolio transactions, and are designed to assure that the interests of clients, including Fund shareholders, are placed before the interests of personnel in connection with personal investment transactions. Personnel subject to the Code of Ethics may purchase shares of
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the Fund subject to the restriction set forth in the Code of Ethics. While personnel subject to the Code of Ethics may generally invest in securities in which the Fund may also invest, portfolio managers of municipal bond funds, such as the Fund, may not do so. Text-only versions of the Code of Ethics can be viewed online or downloaded from the EDGAR Database on the SEC’s internet website at www.sec.gov. In addition, a copy of the Code of Ethics may be obtained, after paying the appropriate duplicating fee, by e-mail request at publicinfo@sec.gov.
PROXY VOTING POLICIES
The Fund invests primarily in municipal securities. On rare occasions the Fund may acquire, directly or through a special purpose vehicle, equity securities of a municipal bond issuer whose bonds the Fund already owns when such bonds have deteriorated or are expected shortly to deteriorate significantly in credit quality. The purpose of acquiring equity securities generally will be to acquire control of the municipal bond issuer and to seek to prevent the credit deterioration or facilitate the liquidation or other workout of the distressed issuer’s credit problem. In the course of exercising control of a distressed municipal issuer, Nuveen Asset Management may pursue the Fund’s interests in a variety of ways, which may entail negotiating and executing consents, agreements and other arrangements, and otherwise influencing the management of the issuer. Nuveen Asset Management does not consider such activities proxy voting for purposes of Rule 206(4)-6 under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended, but nevertheless provides reports to the Fund’s Board on its control activities on a quarterly basis.
In the rare event that a municipal issuer held by the Fund were to issue a proxy, or that the Fund were to receive a proxy issued by a cash management security, Nuveen Asset Management would either engage an independent third party to determine how the proxy should be voted or vote the proxy with the consent, or based on the instructions, of the Fund’s Board or its representative. In the case of a conflict of interest, the proxy would be submitted to the Fund’s Board to determine how the proxy should be voted. A member of Nuveen Asset Management’s legal department would oversee the administration of the voting, and ensure that records were maintained in accordance with Rule 206(4)-6, reports were filed with the SEC on Form N-PX, and the results provided to the Fund’s Board and made available to shareholders as required by applicable rules. When required by applicable regulations, information regarding how the Fund voted proxies relating to portfolio securities during the most recent twelve-month period ended June 30 is available without charge, upon request, by calling (800) 257-8787 or from the Fund’s website at http://www.nuveen.com, and on the Securities and Exchange Commission’s website at http://www.sec.gov.
PORTFOLIO TRANSACTIONS AND BROKERAGE
Subject to the supervision of the Board, Nuveen Asset Management is responsible for decisions to purchase and sell securities for the Fund, the negotiation of the prices to be paid and the allocation of transactions among various dealer firms. Transactions on stock exchanges involve the payment by the Fund of brokerage commissions. There generally is no stated commission in the case of securities traded in the over-the-counter (“OTC”) market but the price paid by the Fund usually includes an undisclosed dealer commission or mark-up. Transactions in the OTC market can also be placed with broker-dealers who act as agents and charge brokerage commissions for effecting OTC transactions. The Fund may place its OTC transactions either directly with principal market makers, or with broker-dealers if that is consistent with Nuveen Asset Management’s obligation to obtain best qualitative execution. In certain instances, the Fund may make purchases of underwritten issues at prices that include underwriting fees.
Portfolio securities may be purchased directly from an underwriter or in the OTC market from the principal dealers in such securities, unless it appears that a better price or execution may be obtained through other means. Portfolio securities will not be purchased from Nuveen Investments or its affiliates or affiliates of Nuveen Fund Advisors except in compliance with the 1940 Act.
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It is Nuveen Asset Management’s policy to seek the best execution under the circumstances of each trade. Nuveen Asset Management will evaluate price as the primary consideration, with the financial condition, reputation and responsiveness of the dealer considered secondary in determining best execution. Given the best execution obtainable, it will be Nuveen Asset Management’s practice to select dealers that, in addition, furnish research information (primarily credit analyses of issuers and general economic reports) and statistical and other services to Nuveen Asset Management. It is not possible to place a dollar value on information and statistical and other services received from dealers. Since it is only supplementary to Nuveen Asset Management’s own research efforts, the receipt of research information is not expected to reduce significantly Nuveen Asset Management’s expenses. While Nuveen Asset Management will be primarily responsible for the placement of the business of the Fund, Nuveen Asset Management’s policies and practices in this regard must be consistent with the foregoing and will, at all times, be subject to review by the Board of the Fund.
Nuveen Asset Management may manage other investment accounts and investment companies for other clients that may invest in the same types of securities as the Fund and that may have investment objective similar to those of the Fund. Nuveen Asset Management seeks to allocate portfolio transactions equitably whenever concurrent decisions are made to purchase or sell assets or securities by the Fund and another advisory account. If an aggregated order cannot be filled completely, allocations will generally be made on a pro rata basis. An order may not be allocated on a pro rata basis where, for example (i) consideration is given to portfolio managers who have been instrumental in developing or negotiating a particular investment; (ii) consideration is given to an account with specialized investment policies that coincide with the particulars of a specific investment; (iii) pro rata allocation would result in odd-lot or de minimis amounts being allocated to a portfolio or other client; or (iv) where Nuveen Asset Management reasonably determines that departure from a pro rata allocation is advisable. There may also be instances where the Fund will not participate at all in a transaction that is allocated among other accounts. While these allocation procedures could have a detrimental effect on the price or amount of the securities available to the Fund from time to time, it is the opinion of the Board that the benefits available from Nuveen Asset Management’s management outweigh any disadvantage that may arise from Nuveen Asset Management’s larger management activities and its need to allocate securities.
Substantially all of the Fund’s trades are effected on a principal basis. The Fund did not pay any brokerage commissions for the fiscal years ended March 31, 2021, 2022 and 2023. During the fiscal year ended March 31, 2023, the Fund did not pay commissions to brokers in return for research services or hold any securities of its regular broker-dealers.
NET ASSET VALUE
The Fund’s NAV per Common Share is determined as of the close of regular session trading (normally 4:00 p.m., Eastern time) on each day the NYSE is open for business. NAV is calculated by taking the market value of the Fund’s total assets, including interest or dividends accrued but not yet collected, less all liabilities, and dividing by the total number of Common Shares outstanding. The result, rounded to the nearest cent, is the NAV per share. All valuations are subject to review by the Fund’s Board.
The Fund utilizes independent pricing services approved by the Board to value portfolio instruments at their market value. Independent pricing services typically value non-equity portfolio instruments utilizing a range of market-based inputs and assumptions, including readily available market quotations obtained from broker-dealers making markets in such instruments, cash flows and transactions for comparable instruments. In valuing municipal securities, the pricing services may also consider, among other factors, the yields or prices of municipal securities of comparable quality, type of issue, coupon, maturity and rating and the obligor’s credit characteristics considered relevant by the pricing service or Nuveen Fund Advisors. In pricing certain securities, particularly less liquid and lower quality securities, the pricing services may consider information about a security, its issuer or market activity provided by Nuveen Fund Advisors or Nuveen Asset Management.
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If a price cannot be obtained from a pricing service or other pre-approved source, or if the Fund’s valuation designee, deems such price to be unreliable, or if a significant event occurs after the close of the local market but prior to the time at which the Fund’s NAV is calculated, a portfolio instrument will be valued at its fair value as determined in good faith by the Fund’s valuation designee. The Fund’s valuation designee may determine that a price is unreliable in various circumstances. For example, a price may be deemed unreliable if it has not changed for an identified period of time, or has changed from the previous day’s price by more than a threshold amount, and recent transactions and/or broker dealer price quotations differ materially from the price in question.
The Board has designated Nuveen Fund Advisors as the Fund’s valuation designee pursuant to Rule 2a-5 under the 1940 Act and delegated to Nuveen Fund Advisors the day-to-day responsibility of making fair value determinations. All fair value determinations made by Nuveen Fund Advisors are subject to review by the Board. As a general principle, the fair value of a portfolio instrument is the amount that an owner might reasonably expect to receive upon the instrument’s current sale. A range of factors and analysis may be considered when determining fair value, including relevant market data, interest rates, credit considerations and/or issuer specific news. However, fair valuation involves subjective judgments, and it is possible that the fair value determined for a portfolio instrument may be materially different from the value that could be realized upon the sale of that instrument.
TAX MATTERS
The following is intended to be a general summary of certain US federal income tax consequences of investing, holding and disposing of Common Shares of the Fund. It is not intended to be a complete discussion of all such federal income tax consequences, nor does it purport to deal with all categories of investors (including investors in Common Shares with large positions in the Fund). Investors are advised to consult with their own tax advisors before investing in the Fund.
The Fund has elected and intends to qualify each year, as a RIC under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”) and to satisfy conditions under which dividends on Common Shares attributable to interest on municipal securities (as defined above) are exempt from federal income tax in the hands of owners of such stock, subject to the possible application of the federal alternative minimum tax.
To qualify under Subchapter M of the Code for treatment as a RIC, the Fund must, among other things: (a) distribute to its shareholders each year at least 90% of the sum of (i) its investment company taxable income (as that term is defined in the Code, determined without regard to the deduction for dividends paid) and (ii) its net tax-exempt income (the excess of its gross tax-exempt interest income over certain disallowed deductions), (b) derive at least 90% of its gross income (including income on municipal securities exempt from regular federal income tax) for each taxable year from dividends, interest (including interest income on municipal securities exempt from regular federal income tax), payments with respect to certain securities loans, gains from the sale or other disposition of stock, securities or foreign currencies, or other income (including gains from options, futures and forward contracts) derived with respect to its business of investing in such stock, securities or currencies, and net income derived from an interest in a qualified publicly traded partnership (as defined in the Code), and (c) diversify its holdings so that, at the end of each quarter of the Fund’s taxable year (i) at least 50% of the market value of the Fund’s assets is represented by cash, cash items, U.S. government securities, securities of other RICs, and other securities, with these other securities limited, with respect to any one issuer, to an amount not greater in value than 5% of the Fund’s total assets, and to not more than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of such issuer, and (ii) not more than 25% of the market value of the Fund’s assets is invested, including through corporations in which the Fund owns a 20% or more voting stock interest, in the securities of any one issuer (other than U.S. government securities or securities of other RICs), the securities of two or more issuers (other than securities of other RICs) controlled by the Fund and engaged in the same, similar or related trades or businesses, or the securities of one or more qualified publicly traded partnerships. To meet these requirements, the Fund may need to restrict its use of certain of the investment techniques described under “Investment Objective and Policies” above.
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If the Fund fails to satisfy the qualifying income or diversification requirements in any taxable year, the Fund may be eligible for relief provisions if the failures are due to reasonable cause and not willful neglect and if a penalty tax is paid with respect to each failure to satisfy the applicable requirements. Additionally, relief is provided for certain de minimis failures of the diversification requirements where the Fund corrects the failure within a specified period of time. In order to be eligible for the relief provisions with respect to a failure to meet the diversification requirements, the Fund may be required to dispose of certain assets. If these relief provisions are not available to the Fund and it fails to qualify for treatment as a RIC for a taxable year, the Fund will be subject to tax at the 21% regular corporate tax rate. In such an event, all distributions (including capital gains distributions and distributions derived from interest on municipal securities) will be taxable as ordinary dividends to the extent of the Fund’s current and accumulated earnings and profits, subject to certain limitations the dividends-received deduction for corporate shareholders and to the lower tax rates applicable to qualified dividend income distributed to non-corporate shareholders. Distributions in excess of the Fund’s current and accumulated earnings and profits would be treated first as a tax-free return of capital to the extent of the holder’s adjusted tax basis in the shares (reducing that basis accordingly), and any remaining distributions would generally be treated as a capital gain. To requalify for treatment as a RIC in a subsequent taxable year, the Fund would be required to satisfy the RIC qualification requirements for that year and to distribute any earnings and profits from any year in which the Fund failed to qualify for tax treatment as a RIC. If the Fund failed to qualify as a RIC for a period greater than two taxable years, it would generally be required to pay a Fund-level tax on certain net built-in gains recognized with respect to certain of its assets upon a disposition of such assets within five years of qualifying as a RIC in a subsequent year.
A RIC that fails to distribute, by the close of each calendar year, an amount at least equal to the sum of 98% of its ordinary taxable income for such year and 98.2% of its capital gain net income for the one-year period ending October 31 in such year, plus any shortfalls from the prior year’s required distribution, is liable for a nondeductible 4% federal excise tax on the excess of the required distribution for such calendar year over the distributed amount for such calendar year. To avoid the imposition of this excise tax, the Fund generally intends, but makes no assurances, to make the required distributions of its ordinary taxable income, if any, and its capital gain net income.
If preferred shares are issued, certain minimum net asset value coverage limitations on distributions made with respect to Common Shares may under certain circumstances impair the ability of the Fund to maintain its qualification for treatment as a RIC or to pay distributions sufficient to avoid the imposition of the 4% federal excise tax.
As described in “Distributions” above, the Fund may retain for investment or otherwise use some (or all) of its net capital gain. If the Fund retains any net capital gain or investment company taxable income, it will be subject to tax at regular corporate rates on the amount retained. If the Fund retains any net capital gain, it may designate the retained amount as undistributed capital gains in a notice to its shareholders who, if subject to federal income tax on long-term capital gains, (i) will be required to include in income for federal income tax purposes, as long-term capital gain, their share of such undistributed amount; (ii) will be deemed to have paid their proportionate shares of the tax paid by the Fund on such undistributed amount and will be entitled to credit that amount of tax against their federal income tax liabilities, if any; and (iii) will be entitled to claim refunds to the extent the credit exceeds such liabilities. For federal income tax purposes, the tax basis of shares owned by a shareholder of the Fund will be increased by an amount equal to the difference between the amount of undistributed capital gains included in the shareholder’s gross income and the tax deemed paid by the shareholder.
The Fund intends to qualify to pay “exempt-interest” dividends, as defined in the Code, to its Common Shares by satisfying the requirement that, at the close of each quarter of its taxable year, at least 50% of the value of its total assets consists of municipal securities. Exempt-interest dividends are dividends or any part thereof (other than a capital gain dividend) paid by the Fund which are attributable to interest on municipal securities and which are so reported by the Fund. Exempt-interest dividends will be exempt from federal income tax, subject to
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the possible application of the federal alternative minimum tax applicable to non-corporate taxpayers. Interest paid on a municipal bond issued after December 31, 2017 to advance refund another municipal bond is subject to federal income tax. Insurance proceeds received by the Fund under any insurance policies in respect of scheduled interest payments on defaulted municipal bonds, as described herein, will generally be correspondingly excludable from federal gross income. In the case of non-appropriation by a political subdivision, however, there can be no assurance that payments made by the issuer representing interest on municipal lease obligations will be excludable from gross income for federal income tax purposes. Any gains of the Fund that are attributable to market discount on municipal securities are treated as ordinary income to the extent of accrued market discount on those securities.
A 3.8% tax generally applies to all or a portion of the net investment income of a shareholder who is an individual and not a nonresident alien for federal income tax purposes and who has adjusted gross income (subject to certain adjustments) that exceeds a threshold amount ($250,000 if married filing jointly or if considered a “surviving spouse” for federal income tax purposes, $125,000 if married filing separately, and $200,000 in other cases). This 3.8% tax also applies to all or a portion of the undistributed net investment income of certain shareholders that are estates and trusts. For these purposes, interest, dividends and certain capital gains are generally taken into account in computing a shareholder’s net investment income, but exempt-interest dividends are not taken into account.
A portion of the Fund’s expenditures that would otherwise be deductible may not be allowed as deductions by reason of the Fund’s investment in municipal securities (such disallowed portion, in general, being the same percentage of the Fund’s aggregate expenses as the percentage of the Fund’s aggregate gross income that constitutes exempt interest income from municipal securities). A similar disallowance rule also applies to interest expense paid or incurred by the Fund, if any. Any such disallowed deductions will offset the Fund’s gross exempt-interest income for purposes of calculating the dividends that the Fund can report as exempt-interest dividends. Interest on indebtedness incurred or continued to purchase or carry the Fund’s shares is not deductible to the extent the interest relates to exempt-interest dividends. Under rules used by the IRS for determining when borrowed funds are considered used for the purpose of purchasing or carrying particular assets, the purchase or ownership of shares may be considered to have been made with borrowed funds even though such funds are not directly used for the purchase or ownership of such shares.
Distributions to shareholders of net investment income received by the Fund from taxable investments, if any, including temporary taxable investments, and of net short-term capital gains realized by the Fund, if any, will be taxable to its shareholders as ordinary income. Distributions by the Fund of net capital gain (i.e., the excess of net long-term capital gain over net short-term capital loss), if any, are taxable as long-term capital gain, regardless of the length of time the shareholder has owned the shares with respect to which such distributions are made. The amount of taxable income allocable to the Fund’s shares will depend upon the amount of such income realized by the Fund. Distributions, if any, in excess of the Fund’s earnings and profits will first reduce the adjusted tax basis of a shareholder’s shares and, after that basis has been reduced to zero, will constitute capital gain to the shareholder (assuming the shares are held as a capital asset). As long as the Fund qualifies as a RIC under the Code, it is not expected that any part of its distributions to shareholders from its investments will qualify for the dividends-received deduction available to corporate shareholders or as “qualified dividend income” taxable to non-corporate shareholders at reduced rates.
The interest on private activity bonds in most instances is not federally tax-exempt to a person who is a “substantial user” of a facility financed by such bonds or a “related person” of such “substantial user.” As a result, the Fund may not be an appropriate investment for a shareholder who is considered either a “substantial user” or a “related person” within the meaning of the Code. In general, a “substantial user” of a facility includes a “nonexempt person who regularly uses a part of such facility in his trade or business.” “Related persons” are in general defined to include persons among whom there exists a relationship, either by family or business, which would result in a disallowance of losses in transactions among them under various provisions of the Code (or if they are members of the same controlled group of corporations under the Code), including a partnership and each
57
of its partners (and certain members of their families), an S corporation and each of its shareholders (and certain members of their families) and various combinations of these and other relationships. The foregoing is not a complete description of all of the provisions of the Code covering the definitions of “substantial user” and “related person.”
Although dividends generally will be treated as distributed when paid, dividends declared in October, November or December, payable to shareholders of record on a specified date in one of those months and paid during the following January, will be treated as having been distributed by the Fund (and received by the shareholders) on December 31 of the year declared. The U.S. federal income tax status of all distributions will be reported to shareholders annually.
Federal income tax law imposes an alternative minimum tax with respect to individuals, trusts and estates. Interest on certain municipal securities, such as bonds issued to make loans for housing purposes or to private entities (but not to certain tax-exempt organizations such as universities and non-profit hospitals), is included as an item of tax preference in determining the amount of a taxpayer’s alternative minimum taxable income. Bonds issued in 2009 or 2010 generally will not be treated as private activity bonds, and interest earned on such bonds (and Fund distributions consisting of such interest) generally will not be treated as a tax preference item.
Tax-exempt income, including exempt-interest dividends paid by the Fund, is taken into account in calculating the amount of social security and railroad retirement benefits that may be subject to federal income tax.
If the Fund invests in certain pay-in-kind securities, zero coupon securities, deferred interest securities or, in general, any other securities with original issue discount (or with market discount if the Fund elects to include market discount in income currently), the Fund generally must accrue income on such investments for each taxable year, which generally will be prior to the receipt of the corresponding cash payments. However, the Fund must distribute to its shareholders, at least annually, all or substantially all of its investment company taxable income (determined without regard to the deduction for dividends paid), including such accrued income, to qualify to be treated as a RIC under the Code and avoid U.S. federal income and excise taxes. Certain of the Fund’s investment practices are subject to special provisions of the Code that, among other things, may affect the Fund’s ability to qualify as a RIC, defer the use of certain deductions or losses of the Fund, affect the holding period of securities held by the Fund, and alter the character of the gains or losses realized by the Fund. These provisions may also require the Fund to recognize income or gain without receiving cash with which to make distributions in the amounts necessary to satisfy the requirements for maintaining RIC status and for avoiding income and excise taxes. The Fund will monitor its transactions and may make certain tax elections in order to mitigate the effect of these rules and prevent disqualification of the Fund for treatment as a RIC.
Capital losses in excess of capital gains (“net capital losses”) are not permitted to be deducted against a RIC’s net investment income. Instead, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, potentially subject to certain limitations, the Fund may carry net capital losses from any taxable year forward to offset capital gains in future years. If the Fund has a net capital loss, the excess of the Fund’s net short-term capital losses over its net long-term capital gains is treated as a short-term capital loss arising on the first day of the Fund’s next taxable year, and the excess (if any) of the Fund’s net long-term capital losses over its net short-term capital gains is treated as a long-term capital loss arising on the first day of the Fund’s next taxable year. The carryover of capital losses may be limited under the general loss limitation rules if the Fund experiences an ownership change as defined in the Code. Generally, the Fund may not carry forward any losses other than net capital losses. Under certain circumstances, the Fund may elect to treat certain losses as though they were incurred on the first day of the
58
taxable year immediately following the taxable year in which they were actually incurred. As of March 31, 2023, the Fund’s tax year end, the Fund had unused capital loss carryforwards available for federal income tax purposes to be applied against future capital gains, if any, as follows:
Not subject to expiration: |
||||
Short-Term |
$ | 5,435,439 | ||
Long-Term |
$ | 14,593,656 | ||
Total |
$ | 20,029,095 | * |
* | A portion of the Fund’s capital loss carryforwards is subject to limitation under the Internal Revenue Code and related regulations. |
The repurchase, sale or exchange of Common Shares normally will result in capital gain or loss to holders of Common Shares who hold their shares as capital assets. Generally a shareholder’s gain or loss will be long-term capital gain or loss if the shares have been held for more than one year even though the increase in value in such Common Shares may be at least partly attributable to tax-exempt interest income. For non-corporate taxpayers long-term capital gains are taxed at rates of up to 20%. Short-term capital gains and other ordinary income are taxed to non-corporate taxpayers at ordinary income rates. If a shareholder sells or otherwise disposes of Common Shares before holding them for six months, any loss on the sale or disposition will be treated as a long-term capital loss to the extent of any amounts treated as distributions to the common shareholder of long-term capital gain (including any amount credited to the common shareholder as undistributed capital gain) or disallowed to the extent of exempt interest dividends are received by a shareholder. Any loss realized on a sale or exchange of (or upon entering into a contract or option to repurchase) shares of the Fund will be disallowed to the extent those shares of the Fund are replaced (including, without limitation, under the Plan) by substantially identical shares of the Fund within a period of 61 days beginning 30 days before and ending 30 days after the date of disposition of the original shares, or to the extent the shareholder enters into a contract or option to repurchase shares within such period. In that event, the basis of the replacement shares of the Fund will be adjusted to reflect the disallowed loss.
The Fund is required in certain circumstances to withhold (as “backup withholding”) a portion of dividends (including exempt interest dividends) and certain other payments paid to certain holders of the Fund’s shares who do not furnish to the Fund their correct taxpayer identification numbers (in the case of individuals, their social security numbers) and certain certifications, or who are otherwise subject to backup withholding. The backup withholding rate is 24%. Backup withholding is not an additional tax. Any amounts withheld from payments made to a shareholder may be refunded or credited against such shareholder’s federal income tax liability, provided the required information and forms are timely furnished to the IRS.
The Code provides that every shareholder required to file a tax return must include for information purposes on such return the amount of tax-exempt interest received during the taxable year, including any exempt-interest dividends received from the Fund.
The description of certain federal tax provisions above relates only to U.S. federal income tax consequences for shareholders who are U.S. persons, i.e., generally, U.S. citizens or residents or U.S. corporations, partnerships, trusts or estates, and who are subject to U.S. federal income tax and hold their shares as capital assets. Except as otherwise provided, this description does not address the special tax rules that may be applicable to particular types of investors, such as financial institutions, insurance companies, securities dealers, other RICs, or tax-exempt or tax-deferred plans, accounts or entities. Investors that are not U.S. persons may be subject to different U.S. federal income tax treatment, including a non-resident alien U.S. withholding tax at the rate of 30% or any lower applicable treaty rate on amounts treated as ordinary dividends from the Fund (other than certain dividends reported by the Fund as (i) interest-related dividends, to the extent such dividends are derived from the Fund’s “qualified net interest income,” or (ii) short-term capital gain dividends, to the extent such dividends are derived from the Fund’s “qualified short-term gain”) or, in certain circumstances, unless an
59
effective IRS Form W-8BEN or W-8BEN-E or other authorized withholding certificate is on file, to backup withholding on certain other payments from the Fund. “Qualified net interest income” is the Fund’s net income derived from U.S.-source interest and original issue discount, subject to certain exceptions and limitations. “Qualified short-term gain” generally means the excess of the net short-term capital gain of the Fund for the taxable year over its net long-term capital loss, if any. Backup withholding will not be applied to payments that have been subject to the 30% (or lower applicable treaty rate) withholding tax on shareholders who are neither citizens nor residents of the United States.
Unless certain non-U.S. entities that hold Fund shares comply with IRS requirements that will generally require them to report information regarding U.S. persons investing in, or holding accounts with, such entities, a 30% withholding tax may apply to certain Fund distributions payable to such entities. A non-U.S. shareholder may be exempt from the withholding described in this paragraph under an applicable intergovernmental agreement between the U.S. and a foreign government, provided that the shareholder and the applicable foreign government comply with the terms of such agreement.
The foregoing is a general summary of certain provisions of the Code and regulations thereunder presently in effect as they directly govern the federal income taxation of the Fund and its shareholders. These provisions are subject to change by legislative or administrative action, and any such change may be retroactive. Moreover, the foregoing does not address many of the factors that may be determinative of whether an investor will be liable for the alternative minimum tax. Shareholders are advised to consult their own tax advisors for more detailed information concerning the federal, foreign, state and local tax consequences of purchasing, holding and disposing of Fund shares.
STATE AND LOCAL TAX MATTERS
The exemption from U.S. federal income tax for exempt-interest dividends generally does not result in exemption for such dividends under the income or other tax laws of any state or local taxing authority. In some states, however, the portion of any exempt-interest dividends derived from interest received by the Fund on its holdings of that state’s securities and its political subdivisions and instrumentalities is exempt from the state’s income tax. The Fund will report annually to its shareholders the percentage of interest income earned by the Fund during the preceding year on tax-exempt obligations indicating, on a state-by-state basis, the source of such income. Shareholders of the Fund are advised to consult with their own tax advisors about state and local tax matters.
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
The audited financial statements, financial highlights and notes thereto and the independent registered public accounting firm’s report thereon appearing in the Fund’s Annual Report for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2023 are incorporated herein by reference in this SAI. In addition, any reports and other documents subsequently filed with the SEC pursuant to Section 30(b)(2) of the 1940 Act and Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the 1934 Act prior to the termination of the offering will be incorporated by reference into this SAI and deemed to be part of this SAI from the date of the filing of such reports and documents. The information incorporated by reference is considered to be part of this SAI, and later information that the Fund files with the SEC will automatically update and supersede this information. The information contained in, or that can be accessed through, the Fund’s website is not part of this SAI.
Incorporated materials not delivered with the SAI may be obtained, without charge, by calling (800) 257-8787, by writing to the Fund at 333 West Wacker Drive, Chicago, Illinois 60606, or from the Fund’s website (http://www.nuveen.com).
60
CUSTODIAN AND TRANSFER AGENT
The custodian of the assets of the Fund is State Street Bank and Trust Company, One Congress Street, Suite 1, Boston, Massachusetts 02114-2016 (the “Custodian”). The Custodian performs custodial, fund accounting and portfolio accounting services. The Fund’s transfer, shareholder services and dividend paying agent is Computershare Inc. and Computershare Trust Company, N.A., 250 Royall Street, Canton, Massachusetts 02021.
INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
KPMG LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, provides auditing services to the Fund. The principal business address of KPMG is 200 East Randolph Street, Chicago, Illinois, 60601.
LEGAL MATTERS
Certain legal matters in connection with the Common Shares will be passed upon for the Fund by Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP, located at 1111 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, D.C. 20004.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
A Registration Statement on Form N-2, including amendments thereto, relating to the shares of the Fund offered hereby, has been filed by the Fund with the SEC, Washington, D.C. The Prospectus and this SAI do not contain all of the information set forth in the Registration Statement, including any exhibits and schedules thereto. For further information with respect to the Fund and the shares offered hereby, reference is made to the Fund’s Registration Statement. Statements contained in the Prospectus and this SAI as to the contents of any contract or other document referred to are not necessarily complete and in each instance reference is made to the copy of such contract or other document filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement, each such statement being qualified in all respects by such reference. Copies of the Registration Statement may be inspected without charge at the SEC’s principal office in Washington, D.C., and copies of all or any part thereof may be obtained from the SEC upon the payment of certain fees prescribed by the SEC.
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APPENDIX A
Ratings of Investments
Standard & Poor’s Corporation—A brief description of the applicable Standard & Poor’s Corporation, a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies (“Standard & Poor’s” or “S&P”), rating symbols and their meanings (as published by S&P) follows:
A Standard & Poor’s issue credit rating is a current opinion of the creditworthiness of an obligor with respect to a specific financial obligation, a specific class of financial obligations, or a specific financial program (including ratings on medium-term note programs and commercial paper programs). It takes into consideration the creditworthiness of guarantors, insurers, or other forms of credit enhancement on the obligation and takes into account the currency in which the obligation is denominated. The opinion evaluates the obligor’s capacity and willingness to meet its financial commitments as they come due, and may assess terms, such as collateral security and subordination, which could affect ultimate payment in the event of default. The issue credit rating is not a recommendation to purchase, sell, or hold a financial obligation, inasmuch as it does not comment as to market price or suitability for a particular investor.
Issue credit ratings are based on current information furnished by the obligors or obtained by Standard & Poor’s from other sources it considers reliable. Standard & Poor’s does not perform an audit in connection with any credit rating and may, on occasion, rely on unaudited financial information. Credit ratings may be changed, suspended, or withdrawn as a result of changes in, or unavailability of, such information, or based on other circumstances.
Issue credit ratings can be either long term or short term. Short-term ratings are generally assigned to those obligations considered short-term in the relevant market. In the U.S., for example, that means obligations with an original maturity of no more than 365 days—including commercial paper. Short-term ratings are also used to indicate the creditworthiness of an obligor with respect to put features on long-term obligations. The result is a dual rating, in which the short-term rating addresses the put feature, in addition to the usual long-term rating. Medium-term notes are assigned long-term ratings.
LONG-TERM ISSUE CREDIT RATINGS
Issue credit ratings are based, in varying degrees, on the following considerations:
• | Likelihood of payment—capacity and willingness of the obligor to meet its financial commitment on an obligation in accordance with the terms of the obligation; |
• | Nature of and provisions of the obligation; |
• | Protection afforded by, and relative position of, the obligation in the event of bankruptcy, reorganization, or other arrangement under the laws of bankruptcy and other laws affecting creditors’ rights. |
Issue ratings are an assessment of default risk, but may incorporate an assessment of relative seniority or ultimate recovery in the event of default. Junior obligations are typically rated lower than senior obligations, to reflect the lower priority in bankruptcy, as noted above. (Such differentiation may apply when an entity has both senior and subordinated obligations, secured and unsecured obligations, or operating company and holding company obligations.)
AAA
An obligation rated ‘AAA’ has the highest rating assigned by Standard & Poor’s. The obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is extremely strong.
AA
An obligation rated ‘AA’ differs from the highest-rated obligations only to a small degree. The obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is very strong.
A-1
A
An obligation rated ‘A’ is somewhat more susceptible to the adverse effects of changes in circumstances and economic conditions than obligations in higher-rated categories. However, the obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is still strong.
BBB
An obligation rated ‘BBB’ exhibits adequate protection parameters. However, adverse economic conditions or changing circumstances are more likely to lead to a weakened capacity of the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.
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 exposures to adverse conditions.
BB
An obligation rated ‘BB’ is less vulnerable to nonpayment than other speculative issues. However, it faces major ongoing uncertainties or exposure to adverse business, financial, or economic conditions which could lead to the obligor’s inadequate capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.
B
An obligation rated ‘B’ is more vulnerable to nonpayment than obligations rated ‘BB’, but the obligor currently has the capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation. Adverse business, financial, or economic conditions will likely impair the obligor’s capacity or willingness to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.
CCC
An obligation rated ‘CCC’ is currently vulnerable to nonpayment, and is dependent upon favorable business, financial, and economic conditions for the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation. In the event of adverse business, financial, or economic conditions, the obligor is not likely to have the capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.
CC
An obligation rated ‘CC’ is currently highly vulnerable to nonpayment.
C
A ‘C’ rating is assigned to obligations that are currently highly vulnerable to nonpayment, obligations that have payment arrearages allowed by the terms of the documents, or obligations of an issuer that is the subject of a bankruptcy petition or similar action which have not experienced a payment default. Among others, the ‘C’ rating may be assigned to subordinated debt, preferred stock or other obligations on which cash payments have been suspended in accordance with the instrument’s terms.
D
An obligation rated ‘D’ is in payment default. The ‘D’ rating category is used when payments on an obligation are not made on the date due even if the applicable grace period has not expired, unless Standard & Poor’s believes that such payments will be made during such grace period. The ‘D’ rating also will be used upon the filing of a bankruptcy petition or the taking of a similar action if payments on an obligation are jeopardized.
Plus (+) or minus (-)
The ratings from ‘AA’ to ‘CCC’ may be modified by the addition of a plus (+) or minus (-) sign to show relative standing within the major rating categories.
A-2
NR
This indicates that no rating has been requested, that there is insufficient information on which to base a rating, or that Standard & Poor’s does not rate a particular obligation as a matter of policy.
Short-Term Issue Credit Ratings
A-1
A short-term obligation rated ‘A-1’ is rated in the highest category by Standard & Poor’s. The obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is strong. Within this category, certain obligations are designated with a plus sign (+). This indicates that the obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitment on these obligations is extremely strong.
A-2
A short-term obligation rated ‘A-2’ is somewhat more susceptible to the adverse effects of changes in circumstances and economic conditions than obligations in higher rating categories. However, the obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is satisfactory.
A-3
A short-term obligation rated ‘A-3’ exhibits adequate protection parameters. However, adverse economic conditions or changing circumstances are more likely to lead to a weakened capacity of the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.
B
A short-term obligation rated ‘B’ is regarded as having significant speculative characteristics. Ratings of ‘B-1’, ‘B-2’, and ‘B-3’ may be assigned to indicate finer distinctions within the ‘B’ category. The obligor currently has the capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation; however, it faces major ongoing uncertainties which could lead to the obligor’s inadequate capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.
B-1.
A short-term obligation rated ‘B-1’ is regarded as having significant speculative characteristics, but the obligor has a relatively stronger capacity to meet its financial commitments over the short-term compared to other speculative-grade obligors.
B-2.
A short-term obligation rated ‘B-2’ is regarded as having significant speculative characteristics, and the obligor has an average speculative-grade capacity to meet its financial commitments over the short-term compared to other speculative-grade obligors.
B-3.
A short-term obligation rated ‘B-3’ is regarded as having significant speculative characteristics, and the obligor has a relatively weaker capacity to meet its financial commitments over the short-term compared to other speculative-grade obligors.
C
A short-term obligation rated ‘C’ is currently vulnerable to nonpayment and is dependent upon favorable business, financial, and economic conditions for the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.
D
A short-term obligation rated ‘D’ is in payment default. The ‘D’ rating category is used when payments on an obligation are not made on the date due even if the applicable grace period has not expired, unless Standard &
A-3
Poor’s believes that such payments will be made during such grace period. The ‘D’ rating also will be used upon the filing of a bankruptcy petition or the taking of a similar action if payments on an obligation are jeopardized.
Dual Ratings
Standard & Poor’s assigns “dual” ratings to all debt issues that have a put option or demand feature as part of their structure. The first rating addresses the likelihood of repayment of principal and interest as due, and the second rating addresses only the demand feature. The long-term rating symbols are used for bonds to denote the long-term maturity and the short-term rating symbols for the put option (for example, ‘AAA/A-1+’). With U.S. municipal short-term demand debt, note rating symbols are used with the short-term issue credit rating symbols (for example, ‘SP-1+/A-1+’).
Moody’s Investors Service, Inc.—A brief description of the applicable Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. (“Moody’s”) rating symbols and their meanings (as published by Moody’s) follows:
Municipal Bonds
Aaa
Bonds that are rated ‘Aaa’ are judged to be of the best quality. They carry the smallest degree of investment risk and are generally referred to as “gilt edged.” Interest payments are protected by a large or by an exceptionally stable margin and principal is secure. While the various protective elements are likely to change, such changes as can be visualized are most unlikely to impair the fundamentally strong position of such issues.
Aa
Bonds mat are rated ‘Aa’ are judged to be of high quality by all standards. Together with the ‘Aaa’ group they comprise what are generally known as high grade bonds. They are rated lower than the best bonds because margins of protection may not be as large as in ‘Aaa’ securities or fluctuation of protective elements may be of greater amplitude or there may be other elements present mat make the long-term risks appear somewhat larger than in ‘Aaa’ securities.
A
Bonds that are rated ‘A’ possess many favorable investment attributes and are to be considered as upper medium grade obligations. Factors giving security to principal and interest are considered adequate, but elements may be present that suggest a susceptibility to impairment sometime in the future.
Baa
Bonds that are rated ‘Baa’ are considered as medium grade obligations, i.e., they are neither highly protected nor poorly secured. Interest payments and principal security appear adequate for the present but certain protective elements may be lacking or may be characteristically unreliable over any great length of time. Such bonds lack outstanding investment characteristics and in fact have speculative characteristics as well.
Ba
Bonds that are rated ‘Ba’ are judged to have speculative elements; their future cannot be considered as well assured. Often the protection of interest and principal payments may be very moderate and thereby not well safeguarded during both good and bad times over the future. Uncertainty of position characterizes bonds in this class.
B
Bonds that are rated ‘B’ generally lack characteristics of the desirable investment. Assurance of interest and principal payments or of maintenance of other terms of the contract over any long period of time may be small.
Caa
Bonds that are rated ‘Caa’ are of poor standing. Such issues may be in default or there may be present elements of danger with respect to principal or interest.
A-4
Ca
Bonds that are rated ‘Ca’ represent obligations that are speculative in a high degree. Such issues are often in default or have other marked shortcomings.
C
Bonds that are rated ‘C’ are the lowest rated class of bonds, and issues so rated can be regarded as having extremely poor Prospects of ever attaining any real investment standing.
#(hatchmark): Represents issues that are secured by escrowed funds held in cash, held in trust, invested and reinvested in direct, non-callable, non-prepayable United States government obligations or non-callable, non-prepayable obligations unconditionally guaranteed by the U.S. Government, Resolution Funding Corporation debt obligations.
Con. (...): Bonds for which the security depends upon the completion of some act or the fulfillment of some condition are rated conditionally. These are bonds secured by (a) earnings of projects under construction, (b) earnings of projects unseasoned in operation experience, (c) rentals that begin when facilities are completed, or (d) payments to which some other limiting condition attaches. The parenthetical rating denotes probable credit stature upon completion of construction or elimination of the basis of the condition.
(P): When applied to forward delivery bonds, indicates the rating is provisional pending delivery of the bonds. The rating may be revised prior to delivery if changes occur in the legal documents or the underlying credit quality of the bonds.
Note: Moody’s applies numerical modifiers 1,2 and 3 in each generic rating classification from Aa through Caa. The modifier 1 indicates mat the issue ranks in the higher end of its generic rating category; the modifier 2 indicates a mid-range ranking; and the modifier 3 indicates that the issue ranks in the lower end of its generic rating category.
Short-Term Loans
MIG 1/VMIG 1
This designation denotes best quality. There is present strong protection by established cash flows, superior liquidity support or demonstrated broad-based access to the market for refinancing.
MIG 2/VMIG 2
This designation denotes high quality. Margins of protection are ample although not so large as in the preceding group.
MIG 3/VMIG 3
This designation denotes favorable quality. All security elements are accounted for but there is lacking the undeniable strength of the preceding grades. Liquidity and cash flow protection may be narrow and market access for refinancing is likely to be less well established.
MIG 4/VMIG 4
This designation denotes adequate quality. Protection commonly regarded as required of an investment security is present and although not distinctly or predominantly speculative, there is specific risk.
SG
This designation denotes speculative quality. Debt instruments in this category lack margins of protection.
A-5
Commercial Paper
Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated Prime-1 have a superior ability for repayment of senior short-term debt obligations. Prime-1 repayment ability will normally be evidenced by the following characteristics:
• | Leading market positions in well-established industries. |
• | High rates of return on funds employed. |
• | Conservative capitalization structures with moderate reliance on debt and ample asset protection. |
• | Broad margins in earnings coverage of fixed financial charges and high internal cash generation. |
• | Well-established access to a range of financial markets and assured sources of alternate liquidity. |
Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated Prime-2 have a strong ability for repayment of senior short-term debt obligations. This will normally be evidenced by many of the characteristics cited above but to a lesser degree. Earnings trends and coverage ratios, while sound, may be more subject to variation than is the case for Prime-2 securities. Capitalization characteristics, while still appropriate, may be more affected by external conditions. Ample alternate liquidity is maintained.
Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated Prime-3 have an acceptable ability for repayment of senior short-term debt obligations. The effect of industry characteristics and market composition may be more pronounced. Variability in earnings and profitability may result in changes in the level of debt protection measurements and the requirement for relatively high financial leverage. Adequate alternate liquidity is maintained.
Issuers rated Not Prime do not fall within any of the Prime rating categories.
Fitch Ratings—A brief description of the applicable Fitch Ratings (“Fitch”) ratings symbols and meanings (as published by Fitch) follows:
Long-Term Credit Ratings
Investment Grade
AAA
Highest credit quality. ‘AAA’ ratings denote the lowest expectation of credit risk. They are assigned only in case of exceptionally strong capacity for timely payment of financial commitments. This capacity is highly unlikely to be adversely affected by foreseeable events.
AA
Very high credit quality. ‘AA’ ratings denote a very low expectation of credit risk. They indicate very strong capacity for timely payment of financial commitments. This capacity is not significantly vulnerable to foreseeable events.
A
High credit quality. ‘A’ ratings denote a low expectation of credit risk. The capacity for timely payment of financial commitments is considered strong. This capacity may, nevertheless, be more vulnerable to changes in circumstances or in economic conditions than is the case for higher ratings.
BBB
Good credit quality. ‘BBB’ ratings indicate that there is currently a low expectation of credit risk. The capacity for timely payment of financial commitments is considered adequate, but adverse changes in circumstances and in economic conditions are more likely to impair this capacity. This is the lowest investment-grade category.
A-6
Speculative Grade
BB
Speculative. ‘BB’ ratings indicate that there is a possibility of credit risk developing, particularly as the result of adverse economic change over time; however, business or financial alternatives may be available to allow financial commitments to be met. Securities rated in this category are not investment grade.
B
Highly speculative. ‘B’ ratings indicate that significant credit risk is present, but a limited margin of safety remains. Financial commitments are currently being met; however, capacity for continued payment is contingent upon a sustained, favorable business and economic environment.
CCC, CC, C
High default risk. Default is a real possibility. Capacity for meeting financial commitments is solely reliant upon sustained, favorable business or economic developments. A ‘CC rating indicates that default of some kind appears probable. ‘C’ ratings signal imminent default.
DDD, DD, and D Default
The ratings of obligations in this category are based on their Prospects for achieving partial or full recovery in a reorganization or liquidation of the obligor. While expected recovery values are highly speculative and cannot be estimated with any precision, the following serve as general guidelines. ‘DDD’ obligations have the highest potential for recovery, around 90%-100% of outstanding amounts and accrued interest ‘DD’ indicates potential recoveries in the range of 50%-90%, and ‘D’ the lowest recovery potential, i.e., below 50%. Entities rated in this category have defaulted on some or all of their obligations. Entities rated ‘DDD’ have the highest Prospect for resumption of performance or continued operation with or without a formal reorganization process. Entities rated ‘DD’ and ‘D’ are generally undergoing a formal reorganization or liquidation process; those rated ‘DD’ are likely to satisfy a higher portion of their outstanding obligations, while entities rated ‘D’ have a poor Prospect for repaying all obligations.
Short-Term Credit Ratings
The following ratings scale applies to foreign currency and local currency ratings. A Short-term rating has a time horizon of less than 13 months for most obligations, or up to three years for US public finance, in line with industry standards, to reflect unique risk characteristics of bond, tax, and revenue anticipation notes that are commonly issued with terms up to three years. Short-term ratings thus place greater emphasis on the liquidity necessary to meet financial commitments in a timely manner.
Fl
Highest credit quality. Indicates the strongest capacity for timely payment of financial commitments; may have an added “+” to denote any exceptionally strong credit feature.
F2
Good credit quality. A satisfactory capacity for timely payment of financial commitments, but the margin of safety is not as great as in the case of the higher ratings.
F3
Fair credit quality. The capacity for timely payment of financial commitments is adequate; however, near-term adverse changes could result in a reduction to non-investment grade.
B
Speculative Minimal capacity for timely payment of financial commitments, plus vulnerability to near-term adverse changes in financial and economic conditions.
A-7
C
High default risk. Default is a real possibility. Capacity for meeting financial commitments is solely reliant upon a sustained, favorable business and economic environment.
D
Default. Denotes actual or imminent payment default.
Notes to Long-term and Short-term ratings:
“+” or “-” may be appended to a rating to denote relative status within major rating categories. Such suffixes are not added to the ‘AAA’ Long-term rating category, to categories below ‘CCC, or to Short-term ratings other than ‘FT.
‘NR’ indicates that Fitch Ratings does not rate the issuer or issue in question.
‘Withdrawn’: A rating is withdrawn when Fitch Ratings deems the amount of information available to be inadequate for rating purposes, or when an obligation matures, is called, or refinanced.
Rating Watch: Ratings are placed on Rating Watch to notify investors that there is a reasonable probability of a rating change and the likely direction of such change. These are designated as “Positive”, indicating a potential upgrade, “Negative”, for a potential downgrade, or “Evolving”, if ratings may be raised, lowered or maintained. Rating Watch is typically resolved over a relatively short period.
A Rating Outlook indicates the direction a rating is likely to move over a one to two year period. Outlooks may be positive, stable, or negative. A positive or negative Rating Outlook does not imply a rating change is inevitable. Similarly, ratings for which outlooks are ‘stable’ could be downgraded before an outlook moves to positive or negative if circumstances warrant such an action. Occasionally, Fitch Ratings may be unable to identify the fundamental trend. In these cases, the Rating Outlook may be described as evolving.
A-8
APPENDIX B
DERIVATIVE STRATEGIES AND RISKS
Set forth below is additional information regarding the various techniques involving the use of derivatives.
FINANCIAL FUTURES
A financial future is an agreement between two parties to buy and sell a security for a set price on a future date. They have been designed by boards of trade which have been designated “contracts markets” by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”).
The purchase of financial futures is for the purpose of hedging the Fund’s existing or anticipated holdings of long-term debt securities. For example, if the Fund desires to increase its exposure to long-term bonds and has identified long-term bonds it wishes to purchase at a future time, but expects market interest rates to decline (thereby causing the value of those bonds to increase), it might purchase financial futures. If interest rates did decrease, the value of those to-be-purchased long-term bonds would increase, but the value of the Fund’s financial futures would be expected to increase at approximately the same rate, thereby helping maintain the Fund’s purchasing power. When the Fund purchases a financial future, it deposits in cash or securities an “initial margin”, typically equal to an amount between 1% and 5% of the contract amount. Thereafter, the Fund’s account is either credited or debited on a daily basis in correlation with the fluctuation in price of the underlying future or other requirements imposed by the exchange in order to maintain an orderly market. The Fund must make additional payments to cover debits to its account and has the right to withdraw credits in excess of the liquidity, the Fund may close out its position at any time prior to expiration of the financial future by taking an opposite position. At closing a final determination of debits and credits is made, additional cash is paid by or to the Fund to settle the final determination and the Fund realizes a loss or gain depending on whether on a net basis it made or received such payments.
The sale of financial futures is for the purpose of hedging the Fund’s existing or anticipated holdings of long-term debt securities. For example, if the Fund owns long-term bonds and market interest rates were expected to increase (causing those bonds’ values to decline), it might sell financial futures. If interest rates did increase, the value of long-term bonds in the Fund’s portfolio would decline, but the value of the Fund’s financial futures would be expected to increase at approximately the same rate thereby keeping the net asset value of the Fund from declining as much as it otherwise would have.
Among the risks associated with the use of financial futures by the Fund as a hedging or anticipatory device, perhaps the most significant is the imperfect correlation between movements in the price of the financial futures and movements in the price of the debt securities which are the subject of the hedge.
Thus, if the price of the financial future moves less or more than the price of the securities which are the subject of the hedge, the hedge will not be fully effective. To compensate for this imperfect correlation, the Fund may enter into financial futures in a greater dollar amount than the dollar amount of the securities being hedged if the historical volatility of the prices of such securities has been greater than the historical volatility of the financial futures. Conversely, the Fund may enter into fewer financial futures if the historical volatility of the price of the securities being hedged is less than the historical volatility of the financial futures.
The market prices of financial futures may also be affected by factors other than interest rates. One of these factors is the possibility that rapid changes in the volume of closing transactions, whether due to volatile markets or movements by speculators, would temporarily distort the normal relationship between the markets in the financial future and the chosen debt securities. In these circumstances as well as in periods of rapid and large price movements. The Fund might find it difficult or impossible to close out a particular transaction.
OPTIONS ON FINANCIAL FUTURES
The Fund may also purchase put or call options on financial futures which are traded on a U.S. Exchange or board of trade and enter into closing transactions with respect to such options to terminate an existing position.
B-1
The purchase of put options on financial futures is analogous to the purchase of put options by the Fund on its portfolio securities to hedge against the risk of rising interest rates. As with options on debt securities, the holder of an option may terminate his position by selling an option of the Fund. There is no guarantee that such closing transactions can be effected.
INDEX CONTRACTS
INDEX FUTURES
A tax-exempt bond index which assigns relative values to the tax-exempt bonds included in the index is traded on the Chicago Board of Trade. The index fluctuates with changes in the market values of all tax-exempt bonds included rather than a single bond. An index future is a bilateral agreement pursuant to which two parties agree to take or make delivery of an amount of cash-rather than any security-equal to a specified dollar amount times the difference between the index value at the close of the last trading day of the contract and the price at which the index future was originally written. Thus, an index future is similar to traditional financial futures except that settlement is made in cash.
INDEX OPTIONS
The Fund may also purchase put or call options on U.S. Government or tax- exempt bond index futures and enter into closing transactions with respect to such options to terminate an existing position. Options on index futures are similar to options on debt instruments except that an option on an index future gives the purchaser the right, in return for the premium paid, to assume a position in an index contract rather than an underlying security at a specified exercise price at any time during the period of the option. Upon exercise of the option, the delivery of the futures position by the writer of the option to the holder of the option will be accompanied by delivery of the accumulated balance of the writer’s futures margin account which represents the amount by which the market price of the index futures contract, at exercise, is less than the exercise price of the option on the index future.
Bond index futures and options transactions would be subject to risks similar to transactions in financial futures and options thereon as described above.
SWAP AGREEMENTS
Swap agreements are two-party contracts entered into primarily by institutional investors, typically for periods ranging from a few weeks to several years. In a standard swap transaction, two parties agree to exchange the returns (or differentials in rates of return) earned or realized on particular predetermined investments or instruments. The gross returns to be exchanged or swapped between the parties are calculated with respect to a notional amount (the amount or value of the underlying asset used in computing the particular interest rate, return, or other amount to be exchanged) of a particular security, or in a basket of securities representing a particular index. Swap agreements may include, by way of example, (i) interest rate swaps, in which one party exchanges a commitment to pay a floating, shorter-term interest rate (typically by reference to the rate of a specific security or index) for the other party’s commitment to pay a fixed, longer-term interest rate (either as specifically agreed, or by reference to a specified security or index); (ii) interest rate caps, in which, in return for a premium, one party agrees to make payments to the other to the extent that interest rates exceed a specified rate or cap; (iii) interest rate floors, in which, in return for a premium, one party agrees to make payments to the other to the extent that interest rates fall below a specified level or floor; (iv) interest rate collars, in which a party sells a cap and purchases a floor, or vice versa, in an attempt to protect itself against interest rate movements exceeding given minimum or maximum levels or collar amounts; (v) total return swaps, in which one party commits to pay the total return of an underlying security or asset in return for receiving from the other party a specified return or the return of another instrument (typically a floating short-term interest rate), and (vi) credit default swap, in which the buyer pays a periodic fee in return for a contingent payment by the seller upon a credit event (such as a default) happening with respect to a specified instrument, typically in an amount equivalent to the loss incurred on a specific investment in that security due to the credit event.
A Fund may enter into such swap agreements for any purpose consistent with the Fund’s investment objective, such as for the purpose of attempting to obtain, enhance, or preserve a particular desired return or
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spread at a lower cost to the Fund than if the Fund had invested directly in an instrument that yielded that desired return or spread. The Fund also may enter into swaps in order to protect against an increase in the price of securities that the Fund anticipates purchasing at a later date.
Whether the Fund’s use of swap agreements will be successful in furthering its investment objective will depend, in part, on the ability to predict correctly whether certain types of investments are likely to produce greater returns than other investments and the changes in the future values, indices, or rates covered by the swap agreement. Swap agreements may be considered to be illiquid. Moreover, the Fund bears the risk of loss of the amount expected to be received under a swap agreement in the event of the default or bankruptcy of a swap agreement counterparty. The Fund will enter swap agreements only with counterparties that the Adviser reasonably believes are capable of performing under the swap agreements. If there is a default by the other party to such a transaction, the Fund will have to rely on its contractual remedies (which may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency or similar laws) pursuant to the agreements related to the transaction. Certain requirements imposed on the Fund by the Code may limit the Fund’s ability to use swap agreements. The swap market is largely unregulated.
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PART C—OTHER INFORMATION
Item 25: Financial Statements and Exhibits.
1. | Contained in Part A: |
Financial Highlights for the Nuveen Select Tax-Free Income Portfolio (the “Fund” or the “Registrant”) for the fiscal years ended March 31, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, and 2014.
The Registrant’s Annual Report (audited) for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2023 is incorporated in Part A by reference to the Registrant’s N-CSR filing, as filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) via EDGAR Accession No. 0001193125-23-159742 on June 2, 2023.
Contained in Part B:
The Registrant’s Annual Report (audited) for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2023 is incorporated in Part B by reference to the Registrant’s N-CSR filing, as filed with the SEC via EDGAR Accession No. 0001193125-23-159742 on June 2, 2023.
2. | Exhibits. |
Item 26: Marketing Arrangements.
See relevant sections of the Distribution Agreement and Dealer Agreement filed as Exhibits (h)(1) and (h)(2), respectively, to this Registration Statement.
Item 27: Other Expenses of Issuance and Distribution.
Printing and Engraving Fees | $ | 50,000 | ||
Legal Fees | 60,000 | |||
Accounting Fees | 10,000 | |||
Financial Industry Regulatory Authority Fees | 31,000 | |||
Stock Exchange Listing Fees | 49,000 | |||
Securities and Exchange Commission Registration Fees | 23,000 | |||
Miscellaneous Fees | 2,000 | |||
|
|
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$ | 225,000 | |||
|
|
Item 28: Persons Controlled by or under Common Control.
None.
Item 29: Number of Holders of Securities.
As of March 31, 2023:
Title of Class |
Number of Record Holders | |||
Common Shares, $0.01 par value | 20,759 |
Item 30: Indemnification.
Section 4 of Article XII of the Registrant’s Declaration of Trust provides as follows:
Subject to the exceptions and limitations contained in this Section 4, every person who is, or has been, a Trustee, officer, employee or agent of the Trust, including persons who serve at the request of the Trust as directors, trustees, officers, employees or agents of another organization in which the Trust has an interest as a shareholder, creditor or otherwise (hereinafter referred to as a “Covered Person”), shall be indemnified by the Trust to the fullest extent permitted by law against liability and against all expenses reasonably incurred or paid by him in connection with any claim, action, suit or proceeding in which he becomes involved as a party or otherwise by virtue of his being or having been such a Trustee, director, officer, employee or agent and against amounts paid or incurred by him in settlement thereof.
No indemnification shall be provided hereunder to a Covered Person:
a) against any liability to the Trust or its Shareholders by reason of a final adjudication by the court or other body before which the proceeding was brought that he engaged in willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of the duties involved in the conduct of his office;
b) with respect to any matter as to which he shall have been finally adjudicated not to have acted in good faith in the reasonable belief that his action was in the best interests of the Trust; or
c) in the event of a settlement or other disposition not involving a final adjudication (as provided in paragraph (a) or (b)) and resulting in a payment by a Covered Person, unless there has been either a determination that such Covered Person did not engage in willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of the duties involved in the conduct of his office by the court or other body approving the settlement or other disposition or a reasonable determination, based on a review of readily available facts (as opposed to a full trial-type inquiry), that he did not engage in such conduct:
i. by a vote of a majority of the Disinterested Trustees acting on the matter (provided that a majority of the Disinterested Trustees then in office act on the matter); or
ii. by written opinion of independent legal counsel.
The rights of indemnification herein provided may be insured against by policies maintained by the Trust, shall be severable, shall not affect any other rights to which any Covered Person may now or hereafter be entitled, shall continue as to a person who has ceased to be such a Covered Person and shall inure to the benefit of the heirs, executors and administrators of such a person. Nothing contained herein shall affect any rights to indemnification to which Trust personnel other than Covered Persons may be entitled by contract or otherwise under law.
Expenses of preparation and presentation of a defense to any claim, action, suit or proceeding subject to a claim for indemnification under this Section 4 shall be advanced by the Trust prior to final disposition thereof upon receipt of an undertaking by or on behalf of the recipient to repay such amount if it is ultimately determined that he is not entitled to indemnification under this Section 4, provided that either:
a) such undertaking is secured by a surety bond or some other appropriate security or the Trust shall be insured against losses arising out of any such advances; or
b) a majority of the Disinterested Trustees acting on the matter (provided that a majority of the Disinterested Trustees then in office act on the matter) or independent legal counsel in a written opinion shall determine, based upon a review of the readily available facts (as opposed to a full trial-type inquiry), that there is reason to believe that the recipient ultimately will be found entitled to indemnification.
As used in this Section 4, a “Disinterested Trustee” is one (x) who is not an Interested Person of the Trust (including anyone, as such Disinterested Trustee, who has been exempted from being an Interested Person by any rule, regulation or order of the Commission), and (y) against whom none of such actions, suits or other proceedings or another action, suit or other proceeding on the same or similar grounds is then or has been pending.
As used in this Section 4, the words “claim,” “action,” “suit” or “proceeding” shall apply to all claims, actions, suits, proceedings (civil, criminal, administrative or other, including appeals), actual or threatened; and the words “liability” and “expenses” shall include without limitation, attorneys’ fees, costs, judgments, amounts paid in settlement, fines, penalties and other liabilities.
The trustees and officers of the Registrant are covered by joint errors and omissions insurance policies against liability and expenses of claims of wrongful acts arising out of their position with the Registrant and other Nuveen Funds, subject to such policies’ coverage limits, exclusions and retention.
Section 7 of the Distribution Agreement filed as Exhibit h.1 to this Registration Statement provides for each of the parties thereto, including the Registrant and the underwriter, to indemnify the others, their trustees, directors, certain of their officers, trustees, directors and persons who control them against certain liabilities in connection with the offering described herein, including liabilities under the federal securities laws.
Insofar as indemnification for liability arising under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, (the “1933 Act”) may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the Registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the Registrant has been advised that, in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission, such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the 1993 Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the Registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the 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, the Registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the 1933 Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.
Item 31: Business and Other Connections of Investment Adviser and Sub-Adviser.
Nuveen Fund Advisors, LLC (“Nuveen Fund Advisors”) manages the Registrant and serves as investment adviser or manager to other open-end and closed-end management investment companies and to separately managed accounts. The principal business address for all of these investment companies and the persons named below is 333 West Wacker Drive, Chicago, Illinois 60606.
A description of any other business, profession, vocation or employment of a substantial nature in which the directors and officers of Nuveen Fund Advisors or Nuveen Asset Management, LLC (“Nuveen Asset Management”) who serve as officers or Trustees of the Registrant have engaged during the last two years for his or her own account or in the capacity of director, officer, employee, partner or trustee appears under “Management” in the Statement of Additional Information. Such information for the remaining senior officers of Nuveen Fund Advisors appears below:
Name and Position with Nuveen Fund Advisors |
Other Business, Profession, Vocation or Employment During Past Two Years | |
Oluseun Salami, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer |
Senior Vice President (since 2020) NIS/R&T, Inc.; Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Nuveen Alternative Advisors LLC (since 2020), Teachers Advisors, LLC (since 2020), TIAA-CREF Asset Management LLC (since 2020) and TIAA-CREF Investment Management, LLC (since 2020); Executive Vice President (since 2022), formerly, Senior Vice President (2020-2022), and Chief Financial Officer (since 2020), Nuveen, LLC; Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer (since 2021), Nuveen Investments, Inc.; Executive Vice President (since 2021), formerly, Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer (2018-2021), formerly, Business Finance and Planning (2020) Chief Accounting Officer (2019-2020), Corporate Controller (2018-2020), Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association of America; Senior Vice President, Corporate Controller, College Retirement Equities Fund, TIAA Board of Overseers, |
Name and Position with Nuveen Fund Advisors |
Other Business, Profession, Vocation or Employment During Past Two Years | |
TIAA Separate Account VA-1, TIAA-CREF Funds, TIAA-CREF Life Funds (2018-2020). | ||
Megan Sendlak, Managing Director and Controller |
Managing Director and Controller (since 2020) of Nuveen Alternatives Advisors LLC, Nuveen Asset Management, LLC, Nuveen Investments, Inc., Teachers Advisors, LLC and TIAA-CREF Investment Management, LLC; Managing Director and Controller (since 2020), formerly Assistant Controller (2019-2020) of Nuveen Securities, LLC; Managing Director and Controller (since 2020), formerly, Vice President and Corporate Accounting Director (2018-2020) of Nuveen, LLC; Managing Director and Controller (since 2021) of NIS/R&T, INC.; formerly, Vice President and Controller of NWQ Investment Management Company, LLC and Santa Barbara Asset Management, LLC (2020-2021); Vice President and Controller of Winslow Capital Management, LLC (since 2020). | |
Michael A. Perry, President | Chief Executive Officer (since 2023), formerly, Co-Chief Executive Officer (2019-2023), Executive Vice President (2017-2019) and Managing Director (2015-2017) of Nuveen Securities, LLC; and Executive Vice President (since 2017) of Nuveen Alternative Investments, LLC. | |
Erik Mogavero, Managing Director and Chief Compliance Officer |
Formerly employed by Deutsche Bank (2013- 2017) as Managing Director, Head of Asset Management and Wealth Management Compliance for the Americas region and Chief Compliance Officer of Deutsche Investment Management Americas. |
Nuveen Asset Management serves as investment sub-adviser to the Registrant and also serves as investment sub-adviser to other open-end and closed-end funds and investment adviser to separately managed accounts. The following is a list of the remaining senior officers of Nuveen Asset Management. The principal business address for each person is 333 West Wacker Drive, Chicago, Illinois 60606.
Name and Position with Nuveen Asset Management |
Other Business, Profession, Vocation or Employment During Past Two Years | |
William T. Huffman, President |
Executive Vice President (since 2020) of Nuveen Securities, LLC and Nuveen, LLC; President, Nuveen Investments, Inc. (since 2020), Teachers Advisors, LLC and TIAA-CREF Investment Management, LLC (since 2019); Senior Managing Director (since 2019) of Nuveen Alternative Advisors LLC; Senior Managing Director (since 2022) and Chairman (since 2019) of Churchill Asset Management LLC. | |
Stuart J. Cohen, Managing Director, Head of Legal and Assistant Secretary |
Managing Director and Assistant Secretary (since 2002) of Nuveen Securities, LLC; Managing Director (since 2007) and Assistant Secretary (since 2003) of Nuveen Fund Advisors, LLC; Managing Director, Associate General Counsel and Assistant Secretary (since 2019) of Teachers Advisors, LLC; Managing |
Name and Position with Nuveen Asset Management |
Other Business, Profession, Vocation or Employment During Past Two Years | |
Director, General Counsel and Assistant Secretary (since 2019) of TIAA-CREF Investment Management, LLC; Vice President and Assistant Secretary (since 2008) of Winslow Capital Management, LLC; formerly, Vice President (2007-2021) and Assistant Secretary (2003-2021) of NWQ Investment Management Company, LLC; formerly Vice President (2007-2021) and Assistant Secretary (2006-2021) of Santa Barbara Asset Management, LLC. | ||
Travis M. Pauley, Managing Director and Chief Compliance Officer |
Regional Head of Compliance and Regulatory Legal (2013-2020) of AXA Investment Managers. | |
Megan Sendlak, Managing Director and Controller |
Managing Director and Controller (since 2020) of Nuveen Alternatives Advisors LLC, Nuveen Investments, Inc., Nuveen Fund Advisors, LLC, Teachers Advisors, LLC and TIAA-CREF Investment Management, LLC; Managing Director and Controller (since 2020), formerly Assistant Controller (2019-2020) of Nuveen Securities, LLC; Managing Director and Controller (since 2020), formerly, Vice President and Corporate Accounting Director (2018-2020) of Nuveen, LLC; Managing Director and Controller (since 2021) of NIS/R&T, INC., formerly, Vice President and Controller of NWQ Investment Management Company, LLC and Santa Barbara Asset Management, LLC (2020-2021);Vice President and Controller of Winslow Capital Management, LLC (since 2020). |
Item 32: Location of Accounts and Records.
Nuveen Fund Advisors, LLC, 333 West Wacker Drive, Chicago, Illinois 60606, maintains the Fund’s Declaration of Trust, By-Laws, minutes of trustee and shareholder meetings, and contracts of the Registrant and all advisory material of the investment adviser. Nuveen Asset Management, LLC, in its capacity as sub-adviser, may also hold certain accounts and records of the Fund.
State Street Bank and Trust Company, One Congress Street, Suite 1, Boston, Massachusetts 02114-2016, maintains all general and subsidiary ledgers, journals, trial balances, records of all portfolio purchases and sales, and all other required records not maintained by Nuveen Fund Advisors or Nuveen Asset Management.
Item 33: Management Services.
Not applicable.
Item 34: Undertakings.
1. | Not applicable. |
2. | Not applicable. |
3. | The Registrant undertakes: |
a. Not applicable.
b. that, for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act, each post-effective amendment to this registration statement shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of those securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof;
c. to remove from registration by means of a post-effective amendment any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the termination of the offering;
d. that, for the purpose of determining liability under the Securities Act to any purchaser:
(1) | if the Registrant is relying on Rule 430B: |
A. | Each prospectus filed by the Registrant pursuant to Rule 424(b)(3) shall be deemed to be part of the registration statement as of the date the filed prospectus was deemed part of and included in the registration statement; and |
B. | Each prospectus required to be filed pursuant to Rule 424(b)(2), (b)(5), or (b)(7) as part of a registration statement in reliance on Rule 430B relating to an offering made pursuant to Rule 415(a)(1)(i), (x), or (xi) for the purpose of providing the information required by Section 10(a) of the Securities Act shall be deemed to be part of and included in the registration statement as of the earlier of the date such form of prospectus is first used after effectiveness or the date of the first contract of sale of securities in the offering described in the prospectus. As provided in Rule 430B, for liability purposes of the issuer and any person that is at that date an underwriter, such date shall be deemed to be a new effective date of the registration statement relating to the securities in the registration statement to which that prospectus relates, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof. Provided, however, that no statement made in a registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement or made in a document incorporated or deemed incorporated by reference into the registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement will, as to a purchaser with a time of contract of sale prior to such effective date, supersede or modify any statement that was made in the registration statement or prospectus that was part of the registration statement or made in any such document immediately prior to such effective date; or |
(2) | if the Registrant is subject to Rule 430C: each prospectus filed pursuant to Rule 424 under the Securities Act as part of a registration statement relating to an offering, other than registration statements relying on Rule 430B or other than prospectuses filed in reliance on Rule 430A, shall be deemed to be part of and included in the registration statement as of the date it is first used after effectiveness. Provided, however, that no statement made in a registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement or made in a document incorporated or deemed incorporated by reference into the registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement will, as to a purchaser with a time of contract of sale prior to such first use, supersede or modify any statement that was made in this registration statement or prospectus that was part of the registration statement or made in any such document immediately prior to such date of first use. |
e. that for the purpose of determining liability of the Registrant under the Securities Act to any purchaser in the initial distribution of securities:
The undersigned Registrant undertakes that in a primary offering of securities of the undersigned Registrant pursuant to this registration statement, regardless of the underwriting method used to sell the securities to the purchaser, if the securities are offered or sold to such purchaser by means of any of the following communications, the undersigned Registrant will be a seller to the purchaser and will be considered to offer or sell such securities to the purchaser:
(1) | any preliminary prospectus or prospectus of the undersigned Registrant relating to the offering required to be filed pursuant to Rule 424 under the Securities Act; |
(2) | free writing prospectus relating to the offering prepared by or on behalf of the undersigned Registrant or used or referred to by the undersigned Registrants; |
(3) | the portion of any other free writing prospectus or advertisement pursuant to Rule 482 under the Securities Act relating to the offering containing material information about the undersigned Registrant or its securities provided by or on behalf of the undersigned Registrant; and |
(4) | any other communication that is an offer in the offering made by the undersigned Registrant to the purchaser. |
4. | The Registrant undertakes that: |
a. for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act, the information omitted from the form of prospectus filed as part of this Registration Statement in reliance upon Rule 430A and contained in a form of prospectus filed by the Registrant under Rule 424(b)(1) under the Securities Act shall be deemed to be part of this Registration Statement as of the time it was declared effective; and
b. for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act, each post-effective amendment that contains a form of prospectus shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of the securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.
5. | The undersigned Registrant hereby undertakes that, for purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each filing of the Registrant’s annual report pursuant to Section 13(a) or Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 that is incorporated by reference into the registration statement shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof. |
6. | Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act of 1933 may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the Registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the Registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the Registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the 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, the Registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue. |
7. | The Registrant undertakes to send by first class mail or other means designed to ensure equally prompt delivery, within two business days of receipt of a written or oral request, any prospectus or Statement of Additional Information. |
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933 and the Investment Company Act of 1940, the Registrant has duly caused this Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in this City of Chicago, and State of Illinois, on the 20th day of June 2023.
NUVEEN SELECT TAX-FREE INCOME PORTFOLIO |
/S/ MARK L. WINGET |
Mark L. Winget, |
Vice President and Secretary |
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this Registration Statement has been signed below by the following persons in the capacities and on the date indicated.
Signature |
Title |
Date | ||||
/s/ E. SCOTT WICKERHAM E. Scott Wickerham |
Vice President and Controller (Principal Financial and Accounting Officer) | June 20, 2023 | ||||
/s/ DAVID J. LAMB David J. Lamb |
Chief Administrative Officer (principal executive officer) | June 20, 2023 | ||||
Terence J. Toth*
|
Chairman of the Board and Trustee | |||||
Jack B. Evans*
|
Trustee | |||||
William C. Hunter*
|
Trustee | |||||
Albin F. Moschner*
|
Trustee | |||||
Amy B. R. Lancellotta*
|
Trustee | |||||
Joanne T. Medero*
|
Trustee | |||||
John K. Nelson*
|
Trustee | |||||
Matthew Thornton III*
|
Trustee | |||||
Margaret L. Wolff*
|
Trustee | |||||
Robert L. Young* | Trustee |
By*:
/s/ MARK L. WINGET
Mark L. Winget
Attorney-in-Fact
June 20, 2023
* | The powers of attorney authorizing Mark L. Winget, among others, to execute this Registration Statement, and Amendments thereto, for the Trustees of the Registrant on whose behalf this Registration Statement is filed, have been executed and are filed herewith as Exhibit (t). |
EXHIBIT INDEX
Exhibit No. |
Exhibit | |
EX-99.H1 | Distribution Agreement Relating to At-the-Market Offerings, dated June 9, 2023, between the Registrant and Nuveen Securities, LLC | |
EX-99.H2 | Dealer Agreement Relating to At-the-Market Offerings by Nuveen Select Tax-Free Income Portfolio, dated June 9, 2023, between Nuveen Securities, LLC and Virtu Americas LLC | |
EX-99.L1 | Consent of Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP | |
EX-99.L2 | Opinion and consent of counsel, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP | |
EX-99.N | Consent of KPMG LLP | |
EX-99.S2 | Calculation of Filing Fee Tables | |
EX-99.T | Powers of Attorney, dated June 14, 2023 | |
EX-101.INS XBRL Instance Document—the Instance Document does not appear in the Interactive Data File because its XBRL tags are embedded within the inline XBRL document. | ||
EX-101.SCH XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document | ||
EX-101.CAL XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase | ||
EX-101.DEF XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase | ||
EX-101.LAB XBRL Taxonomy Extension Labels Linkbase | ||
EX-101.PRE XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase |