The Fund intends to utilize
a “representative sampling” strategy whereby securities are chosen in order to attempt to approximate the investment characteristics of the constituent securities. Targeted investment characteristics
of the collective portfolio include curve exposure and liquidity, and other fixed income specific
attributes (such as yield, duration and maturity). Even when the Fund utilizes representative sampling, it must still invest at least 80% of its Assets in securities included in the Underlying Index. The Fund’s
portfolio will be rebalanced monthly in accordance with the monthly rebalancing of the Underlying
Index.
The Fund may also invest in shares of affiliated money market funds.
The
Fund’s Main Investment Risks
The Fund is subject to management risk and may not achieve its
objective if the adviser’s expectations regarding particular instruments or markets are not
met.
An investment in this Fund or any other fund may not provide a complete
investment program. The suitability of an investment in the Fund should be considered based on the investment objective, strategies and risks described in this prospectus, considered in
light of all of the other investments in your portfolio, as well as your risk tolerance, financial goals and time horizons. You may want to consult with a financial advisor to
determine if this Fund is suitable for you. The Fund is subject to the main risks noted
below, any of which may adversely affect the Fund’s net asset value (NAV), market price,
performance and ability to meet its investment objective.
Interest Rate Risk. The Fund’s investments in bonds and other debt securities will change in value based on changes in
interest rates. If rates rise, the value of these investments generally declines. Securities with
greater interest rate sensitivity and longer maturities generally are subject to greater fluctuations in value. The Fund may face a heightened level of interest rate risk due to certain changes in monetary policy.
It is difficult to predict the pace at which central banks or monetary authorities may change
interest rates or the timing, frequency, or magnitude of such changes. Any such changes could be sudden and could expose debt markets to significant volatility and reduced liquidity for Fund
investments.
General Market Risk. Economies and financial markets throughout the world are becoming increasingly interconnected, which increases the likelihood that events or conditions in one country or region will adversely impact
markets or issuers in other countries or regions. Securities in the Underlying Index or in the
Fund’s portfolio may underperform in comparison to securities in general financial markets, a particular financial market or other asset classes due to a number of factors, including inflation (or expectations for inflation),
deflation (or expectations for deflation), interest rates, global demand for particular products
or resources, market instability, financial system instability, debt crises and downgrades, embargoes, tariffs, sanctions and other trade barriers, regulatory events, other governmental trade or market control
programs and related geopolitical events. In addition, the value of the Fund’s investments
may be negatively affected by the occurrence of
global events such as war, terrorism, environmental disasters, natural disasters or events, country
instability, and infectious disease epidemics or pandemics.
Index Related Risk. The Fund’s return may not track the return of the Underlying Index for a number of reasons and therefore may not achieve its investment objective. For
example, the Fund incurs a number of operating expenses not applicable to the Underlying Index,
and incurs costs in buying and selling securities, especially when rebalancing the Fund’s securities holdings to reflect changes in the composition of the Underlying Index. In addition, the Fund’s return may differ
from the return of the Underlying Index as a result of, among other things, pricing differences
between the valuation of securities in the Underlying Index and in the Fund’s NAV and the inability to purchase certain securities included in the Underlying Index due to regulatory or other restrictions.
In addition, because the Fund uses a representative sampling approach, the Fund may not be as well correlated with the return of the Underlying Index as when the Fund
purchases all of the securities in the Underlying Index in the proportions in which they are
represented in the Underlying Index.
Errors in the construction or calculation of the Underlying Index
may occur from time to time. Any such errors may not be identified and corrected by the Index
Provider for some period of time, which may have an adverse impact on the Fund and its
shareholders.
The risk that
the Fund may not track the performance of the Underlying Index may be heightened during times of increased market volatility or other unusual market conditions.
Passive Management Risk. Unlike many investment companies, the Fund is not “actively” managed. Therefore, it would not generally sell a security because the
security’s issuer was in financial trouble unless that security is removed from the
Underlying Index. As a result, the Fund’s performance could be lower than funds that
actively shift their portfolio assets to take advantage of market opportunities or lessen the impact of a market decline or a decline in the value of one or more issuers. The Fund will not take defensive positions
under any market conditions, including in declining markets.
Sampling Risk. To the extent the Fund uses a representative sampling approach, it will hold a smaller number of securities than are in the Underlying Index. As a result,
an adverse development respecting an issuer of securities held by the Fund could result in a
greater decline in the Fund’s NAV than would be the case if the Fund held all of the securities in the Underlying Index. Conversely, a positive development relating to an issuer of securities in the Underlying Index that is
not held by the Fund could cause the Fund to underperform the Underlying Index. To the extent the
assets in the Fund are smaller, these risks may be greater.
Credit Risk. The Fund’s investments are subject to the risk that issuers and/or counterparties will fail to make payments when due or default completely. If an issuer’s
or counterparty’s financial condition worsens, the credit quality of the issuer or
counterparty may deteriorate, making it difficult for the Fund to sell such
investments.
Geographic Focus Risk. The Fund focuses its investments in the United States. As a result, the Fund’s performance may be
subject to greater volatility than a more geographically diversified fund.