Investment Adviser. In addition, the Investment Adviser
may, in its discretion, make changes to its quantitative techniques, or use other
quantitative techniques that are based on the Investment Adviser’s proprietary
research.
The Fund seeks to generate additional cash flow and may
reduce volatility by the sale of call options on the S&P
500® Index or other national or regional stock market indices (or related exchange-traded funds
(“ETFs”)).
The Fund expects that, under normal
circumstances, it will sell call options in an amount that is between 20% and 75% of the value of the Fund’s portfolio. As the seller of the call options, the Fund will receive cash (the
“premium”) from the purchaser. If the purchaser exercises the option, the Fund pays the purchaser the difference between the price of the index and the exercise price of the option. The premium, the exercise price and the market price of
the index determine the gain or loss realized by the Fund as the seller of the call
option.
During periods in which the U.S. equity markets are
generally unchanged or falling, or in a modestly rising market where the income from premiums
exceeds the aggregate appreciation of the underlying index over its exercise price, a diversified portfolio receiving premiums from its call option writing strategy may outperform the same portfolio without such an options strategy.
However, in rising markets where the aggregate appreciation of the underlying index over its exercise price exceeds the income from premiums, a portfolio with a call writing strategy could significantly
underperform the same portfolio without the options.
The Fund uses a tax-advantaged style and seeks to balance investment and tax considerations, primarily by
seeking to avoid or minimize any net short-term capital gains.
The Fund’s investments in fixed income securities are limited to cash equivalents.
The Investment Adviser measures the Fund’s performance against the S&P 500® Index and the Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index.
Principal Risks of the Fund |
Loss of money is a risk of investing in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a bank deposit and is not insured or guaranteed by the
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”) or any government agency. The Fund should not be relied upon as a complete investment program.
There can be no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objective. Investments in the Fund involve substantial risks which prospective investors should consider
carefully before investing. The Fund's principal risks are presented below in alphabetical order, and not in the order of importance or
potential exposure.
Dividend-Paying Investments
Risk. The Fund’s investments in dividend-paying securities could cause the Fund to underperform other funds. Securities that pay
dividends, as a group, can fall out of favor with the market, causing such securities to underperform securities that do not pay dividends. Depending upon market conditions and political and legislative responses to such
conditions, dividend-paying securities that meet the Fund’s investment criteria may not be widely available and/or may be highly concentrated in only a few market sectors. In addition, issuers that have paid
regular dividends or distributions to shareholders may not continue to do so at the same level or at all in the future. This may limit the ability of the Fund to produce current income.
Investment Style
Risk. Different investment styles (e.g., “growth”, “value” or “quantitative”) tend to shift in and out of favor depending upon market
and economic conditions and investor sentiment. The Fund may outperform or underperform other funds that invest in similar asset classes but employ different investment styles.
Large Shareholder Transactions Risk. The Fund may experience adverse effects when certain large shareholders purchase or redeem large amounts of shares of the Fund.
Such large shareholder redemptions, which may occur rapidly or unexpectedly, may cause the
Fund to sell portfolio securities at times when it would not otherwise do so, which may
negatively impact the Fund’s net asset value (“NAV”) and liquidity. Similarly, large Fund share purchases may adversely affect the Fund’s performance to the extent that the Fund is delayed in investing new cash or
otherwise maintains a larger cash position than it ordinarily would. These transactions may also accelerate the realization of taxable income to shareholders if such sales of investments resulted in gains, and may also increase
transaction costs. In addition, a large redemption could result in the Fund’s current expenses being allocated over a smaller asset base, leading to an increase in the Fund’s expense
ratio.
Management Risk. A strategy used by the Investment Adviser may fail to produce the intended results. The Investment Adviser attempts to execute a complex strategy for the
Fund using proprietary quantitative models. Investments selected using these models may perform
differently than expected as a result of the factors used in the models, the weight placed on
each factor, changes from the factors’ historical trends, and technical and other issues in the construction, implementation and maintenance of the models (including, for example, data problems, unauthorized changes
and/or software issues). There is no guarantee that the Investment Adviser’s use of these quantitative models will result in effective investment decisions for the Fund. Additionally, commonality of holdings
across quantitative money managers may amplify losses.
Market Risk. The value of the securities in which the Fund invests may go up or down in response to the prospects of individual companies, particular sectors, governments or
countries and/or general economic conditions throughout the world due to increasingly interconnected global economies and financial markets. Events such as war, military conflict, geopolitical disputes, acts
of terrorism, social or political unrest, natural disasters, recessions, inflation, rapid interest rate changes, supply chain disruptions, tariffs and other restrictions on trade, sanctions or the spread of
infectious illness or other public health threats, or the threat or potential of one or more such events and developments, could also significantly impact the Fund and its investments.
Option Writing Risk. Writing (selling) call options limits the opportunity to profit from an increase in the market value of stocks in exchange for up-front cash (the
premium) at the time of selling the call option. In a sharp rising market, the Fund could significantly underperform the market. Furthermore, premium received from the Fund’s call option writing
strategies may not fully protect it against market declines because the Fund will continue to bear the risk of a decline in the value of its portfolio securities. In a sharply-falling equity market, the Fund will likely
also experience sharp declines in its NAV.
Stock Risk. Stock prices have historically risen and fallen in periodic cycles. U.S. and foreign stock markets
have experienced periods of substantial price volatility in the past and may do so again in
the future.
Tax-Managed Investment Risk. Because the Investment Adviser balances investment considerations and tax considerations, the pretax
performance of the Fund may be lower than the performance of similar funds that are not
tax-managed. Even though tax-managed strategies are