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THE
CUTLER
TRUST
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Re:
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The Cutler Trust (the “Trust”), on behalf of its series portfolio, the Cutler Equity Fund (the “Fund”)
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1.
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Comment: In the section “Principal Investment Strategies” in the Risk/Return Summary, the first sentence states that the Fund expects that under normal conditions at least 80% of its “net assets” will be invested in common stocks. Rule 35d-1(a)(2)(i) of the Investment Company Act of 1940, “Investment Company Names,” requires that, under normal circumstances, a fund invest 80% of its “Assets” in the particular type of investments, or in investments in the particular industry or industries, suggested by the fund's name. Rule 35d-1(d)(2) states “Assets means net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes.” Accordingly, revise the disclosure cited above to state that 80% of “net assets plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes” will be so invested, or that 80% of “assets” will be so invested and define “assets” to include the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes.
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2.
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Comment: The second sentence of the paragraph following the bullet points in the section “Principal Investment Strategies” in the Risk/Return Summary states that the Fund typically
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invests in stocks of companies that have a total market capitalization of at least $1 billion. Small and mid-capitalization risk should therefore be disclosed as a principal risk of the Fund.
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Response: The disclosure has been revised to indicate that the Fund typically invests in stocks of companies having a total market capitalization of at least $10 billion, rather than $1 billion. Accordingly, small-cap risk is not a principal risk of the Fund; however, the following mid-cap risk disclosure has been added to the section “Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund” in the Risk/Return Summary:
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3.
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Comment: In the “Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares – General Information” section of the Risk/Return Summary, delete the phrase “on each day that the New York Stock Exchange is open for business” from the first sentence, as that information is not required by Item 6 of Form N-1A and therefore should not appear in the Risk/Return Summary.
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Response: The requested change has been made.
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4.
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Comment: In the “Tax Information” section of the Risk/Return Summary, disclose that shareholders investing through tax-deferred arrangements might be taxed later upon withdrawal of monies from such arrangements.
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5.
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Comment: Under “General Information – Anti-Money Laundering Program” in the Your Account section of the Prospectus, the fifth sentence states, in relevant part: “In this regard, the Fund reserves the right, to the extent permitted by law, to… (iii) involuntarily close your account in cases of threatening conduct or suspected fraudulent or illegal activity.” Revise the disclosure to specify whether the types of suspected fraudulent or illegal activity that could lead to an involuntary redemption must have a nexus to the Fund or its service providers or whether any suspected fraudulent of illegal activity would qualify.
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6.
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Comment: In the first paragraph of the Investment Polices and Risks section of the SAI, the third sentence states that the Fund expects that under normal market conditions that at least 80% of its “net assets” will be invested in common stocks. Rule 35d-1(a)(2)(i) of the Investment Company Act of 1940, “Investment Company Names,” requires that, under normal circumstances, a fund invest 80% of its “Assets” in the particular type of investments, or in investments in the particular industry or industries, suggested by the fund's name. Rule 35d-1(d)(2) states “Assets means net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes.” Accordingly, revise the disclosure cited above to state that 80% of “net assets plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes” will be so invested, or that 80% of “assets” will be so invested and define “assets” to include the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes.
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7.
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Comment: The first paragraph of the Investment Limitations section of the SAI states: “Except as required by the 1940 Act, if a percentage restriction on investment or utilization of assets is adhered to at the time an investment is made, a later change in percentage resulting from a change in the market value of the Fund’s assets or a change in status of a security or purchases and redemptions of Fund shares will not be considered a violation of the limitation.” Revise this disclosure to note that it does not apply to the Fund’s limits on borrowing.
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Response: The first paragraph of the Investment Limitations section of the SAI has been revised to read substantially as follows:
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8.
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Comment: In the table under the heading “Trustees and Executive Officers” in the Management section of the SAI, revise the column heading of the sixth column to state “Other Directorships of Public Companies Held by Trustee During the Past Five Years.” (new text underlined)
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9.
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Comment: In the Management section of the SAI, under the heading “Leadership Structure and Qualifications of Trustees,” the first sentence of the fifth paragraph states “The Board reviews its structure regularly and believes that its leadership structure, including having a majority of
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Independent Trustees, coupled with the responsibilities undertaken by Mr. Matthew Patten as Chairman and Judge Cooney as Lead Independent Trustee, is appropriate and in the best interests of the Trust, given its specific characteristics.” Revise the disclosure to be more specific as to why the Trust’s leadership structure is appropriate, including the specific characteristics upon which that conclusion is based.
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10.
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Comment: In the section Management, under the heading “Leadership Structure and Qualifications of Trustees – Qualifications of Trustees,” the last sentence of the third paragraph states “The Board has concluded that Mr. Clarke is suitable to serve as a Trustee because of his past service and experience as a Trustee of the Trust, his professional investment and business experience, and his academic background.” Revise the disclosure to state the nature of Mr. Clarke’s “professional” investment experience.
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11.
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Comment: In the section Management, under the heading “Portfolio Managers – Compensation,” the second sentence states “In addition to a fixed base salary, each Portfolio Manager is eligible for a performance bonus awarded at the discretion of the Adviser.” Revise the disclosure in accordance with Item 20(b) of Form N-1A to address how the “performance bonus” is calculated and whether it is based on the value of assets held in the Fund’s portfolio or Fund performance, and, if so, the benchmark used to measure performance.
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the Trust is responsible for the adequacy and accuracy of the disclosure in Trust filings;
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should the Commission or the staff, acting pursuant to delegated authority, declare the filing effective, it does not foreclose the Commission from taking any action with respect to such filings;
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the action of the Commission or the staff, acting pursuant to delegated authority, in declaring the filing effective, does not relieve the Trust from its full responsibility for the adequacy and accuracy of the disclosure in such filings; and
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the Trust may not assert this action as a defense in any proceeding initiated by the Commission or any person under the federal securities laws of the United States.
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