DEF 14A 1 navigatordef14a.htm DEF 14A

Navigator Duration Neutral Bond Fund

 

a series of

 

Northern Lights Fund Trust

17605 Wright Street

Omaha, Nebraska 68130

 

 

NOTICE OF SPECIAL MEETING OF SHAREHOLDERS

 

To Be Held November 20, 2015

 

 

Dear Shareholders:

 

The Board of Trustees of the Northern Lights Fund Trust (the “Trust”), an open-end management investment company organized as a Delaware statutory trust, has called a special meeting of the shareholders of Navigator Duration Neutral Bond Fund (the “Fund”), to be held at the offices of the Trust’s administrator, Gemini Fund Services, LLC, 80 Arkay Drive, Suite 110, Hauppauge, NY 11788, on NOVEMBER 20, 2015 at 10:00 a.m., Eastern time, for the following purposes:

 

1. To approve a New Sub-Advisory Agreement between Clark Capital Management Group, Inc. and Main Point Advisors Inc., the Fund’s current sub-adviser. No fee increase is proposed.

 

2.To transact such other business as may properly come before the meeting or any adjournments or postponements thereof.

 

Shareholders of record at the close of business on October 14, 2015 are entitled to notice of, and to vote at, the special meeting and any adjournments or postponements thereof.

 

Important Notice Regarding the Availability of Proxy Materials for the Shareholder Meeting to be Held on NOVEMBER 20, 2015.

 

A copy of the Notice of Shareholder Meeting, the Proxy Statement (including the proposed Sub-Advisory Agreement) and Proxy Voting Ballot are available at www.proxyonline.com.

 

By Order of the Board of Trustees

 

James P. Ash, Esq., Secretary

October 26, 2015

 

 

YOUR VOTE IS IMPORTANT

 

To assure your representation at the meeting, please complete the enclosed proxy and return it promptly in the accompanying envelope, by calling the number listed on your proxy card, or by faxing it to the number listed on your proxy card, or via internet as indicated in the voting instruction materials whether or not you expect to be present at the meeting. If you attend the meeting, you may revoke your proxy and vote your shares in person.

 
 

 

 

 

Navigator Duration Neutral Bond Fund

 

a series

 

Northern Lights Fund Trust

with its principal offices at

17605 Wright Street

Omaha, Nebraska 68130

____________

 

PROXY STATEMENT

____________

 

SPECIAL MEETING OF SHAREHOLDERS

 

To Be Held NOVEMBER 20, 2015

____________

 

INTRODUCTION

 

This Proxy Statement is furnished in connection with the solicitation of proxies by the Board of Trustees (the “Board” or the “Trustees”) of the Northern Lights Fund Trust (the “Trust”) on behalf of Navigator Duration Neutral Bond Fund (the “Fund”), for use at a Special Meeting of Shareholders of the Trust (the “Meeting”) to be held at the offices of the Trust’s administrator, Gemini Fund Services, LLC, 80 Arkay Drive, Suite 110, Hauppauge, NY 11788, on NOVEMBER 20, 2015 at 10:00 a.m., Eastern time, and at any and all adjournments thereof. The Notice of Meeting, Proxy Statement, and accompanying form of proxy will be mailed to shareholders on or about November 1, 2015.

 

The Meeting has been called by the Board for the following purposes:

 

  1. To approve a New Sub-Advisory Agreement between Clark Capital Management Group, Inc. and Main Point Advisors Inc., the Fund’s current sub-adviser. No fee increase is proposed.

 

  1. To transact such other business as may properly come before the meeting or any adjournments or postponements thereof.

 

Only shareholders of record at the close of business on October 14, 2015 (the “Record Date”) are entitled to notice of, and to vote at, the Meeting and any adjournments or postponements thereof.

 

The Board is requesting that the shareholders of the Fund vote “FOR” the proposal approving the New
Sub-Advisory Agreement.

A copy of the Fund’s most recent annual and semi-annual report, including financial statements and schedules, is available at no charge by sending a written request to the Fund, 80 Arkay Drive, Suite 110, Hauppauge, NY 11788 or by calling 1-877-766-2264.

 
 

PROPOSAL I

 

APPROVAL OF A NEW SUB-ADVISORY AGREEMENT BETWEEN

Clark Capital Management Group, Inc. AND Main Point Advisors Inc.

 

Background

 

The primary purpose of this proposal is to enable Main Point Advisors Inc. (“Main Point” or the “Sub-Adviser”) to continue to serve as the sub-adviser to the Fund. The New Sub-Advisory Agreement is substantially similar to the prior investment sub-advisory agreement between Clark Capital Management Group, Inc. (“Clark Capital” or the “Adviser”) and Main Point (the “Prior Sub-Advisory Agreement”), except that the date of its execution, effectiveness, and expiration are changed. The Adviser intends to voluntarily reduce the advisory fee paid by the Fund to Clark Capital effective on or about November 14, 2015 and the Sub-Adviser has agreed to make a corresponding reduction to its subadvisory fee, which is reflected in the New Sub-Advisory Agreement.

 

Currently Main Point is owned by Jonathan Fiebach and Portfolio Solutions LLC. Effective upon shareholder approval of the New Sub-Advisory Agreement and its execution, Portfolio Solutions LLC intends to assign its ownership interests in Main Point to Jonathan Fiebach, and Jonathan Fiebach will become the sole owner of Main Point (the “Transaction”).

 

Under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”), a transaction that results in the transfer, either directly or indirectly, of ownership of more than 25% of the voting interests of an investment adviser to a third-party is presumed to constitute a “change in control” of the adviser. The 1940 Act further states that a change in control of an investment adviser causes the adviser’s advisory agreement to be “assigned,” which results in the automatic termination of the agreement by the agreement’s terms as required by the 1940 Act. Upon the closing of the Transaction, a “change in control” of Main Point for purposes of the 1940 Act occurred and caused the “assignment” and resulting termination of the Prior Sub-Advisory Agreement.

 

The 1940 Act requires that advisory agreements, other than certain interim advisory agreements, be approved by a vote of a majority of the outstanding shares of a fund. Therefore, shareholders are being asked to approve the proposed New Sub-Advisory Agreement.

 

In order for Main Point to continue to serve as sub-adviser to the Fund after the Transaction, the Trustees are requesting that shareholders approve a new investment advisory agreement with Main Point (the “New Sub-Advisory Agreement”). Approval of the New Sub-Advisory Agreement will not raise the fees paid by the Fund or the Fund’s shareholders. Main Point has served as a sub-adviser to the Fund since its inception in 2013. Main Point believes the Transaction will not result in any interruption or decrease in the quality of services provided by Main Point. Jonathan Fiebach of Main Point has served the Fund as portfolio manager since it commenced operations in 2013 and will continue to serve the Fund as portfolio manager after the Transaction. Kevin Bellis of Main Point has served the Fund as portfolio manager since January 2015 and will continue to serve the Fund as portfolio manager after the Transaction. The Fund’s investment objective and principal investment strategies will not change as a result of the Transaction.

 

At a meeting on August 19-20, 2015, the Board approved the New Sub-Advisory Agreement for the Fund, subject to shareholder approval.

 

 

 

 
 

 

Description of the Sub-Adviser

 

Main Point Advisors Inc. is an SEC registered investment adviser located at One Liberty Place, 53rd Floor,
1650 Market Street, Philadelphia PA 19103. It provides investment management services exclusively to investment companies, and had approximately $74.4 million dollars under management as of July 31, 2015.

 

When the Transaction closes, Main Point will become wholly-owned by Jonathan Fiebach. Main Point’s management, portfolio management, compliance, legal and client service teams are expected to remain intact.

 

The name and principal occupation of each current principal executive officer and each director of Main Point are listed in the chart below. The address for each is One Liberty Place, 53rd Floor, 1650 Market Street, Philadelphia PA 19103. After the Transaction, Steven T. Grant will no longer be an officer.

 

NAME: PRINCIPAL OCCUPATION:
Jonathan A. Fiebach Co-President, Chief Investment Officer
Steven T. Grant Co-President, Chief Operating Officer
Richard A. Kraemer Chief Compliance Officer

 

 

The Sub-Advisory Agreement

 

A summary of the Prior Sub-Advisory Agreement and New Sub-Advisory Agreement (together the “Agreements”) is provided below. The New Sub-Advisory Agreement is attached as Appendix A to this proxy statement. The Prior Sub-Advisory Agreement is dated June 18, 2013 and was approved by the initial Shareholder of the Fund on September 23, 2013. The terms of the New Sub-Advisory Agreement are substantially similar to those of the Prior Sub-Advisory Agreement, except that the date of its execution, effectiveness, and expiration are changed. The parties have also reduced the sub-advisory fee, to reflect the fact that the Sub-Adviser has agreed to accept a lower fee in conjunction with the reduction of the advisory fee paid by the Fund to Clark Capital . The subadvisory fee paid to the Sub-Adviser under the Prior Sub-Advisory Agreement was equal to 50% of the advisory fee received by Clark Capital from the Fund. The lower subadvisory fee in the New Sub-Advisory Agreement reflects a continued 50% of the advisory fee after the advisory fee is reduced to 1.00%. Such reduced advisory fee is expected to be effective on or about November 14, 2015. You should read the New Sub-Advisory Agreement. The description of the New Sub-Advisory Agreement in this Proxy Statement is only a summary.

 

The Board of Trustees, including a majority of the Trustees who are not “interested persons,” as that term is defined in the 1940 Act, of the Trust or Main Point (“Independent Trustees”), most recently approved the Prior Sub-Advisory Agreement at a meeting on November 11 & 12, 2014. Under the terms of the Prior Sub-Advisory Agreement, Main Point received a monthly fee paid by the Adviser (not the Fund) at an annual rate equal to 0.625% of the Fund's average daily net assets. For such compensation, Main Point, at its expense, subject to the supervision of the Adviser, continuously furnishes an investment program for the Fund and makes investment decisions on behalf of the Fund, subject to the Fund’s investment objectives, policies, and restrictions and such policies as the Trustees may determine.

 

Under the New Sub-Advisory Agreement, Main Point will continue to furnish an investment program for the Fund and make investment decisions on behalf of the Fund, subject to the investment objectives, philosophy and restrictions of the Fund. The Adviser will maintain responsibility for oversight of the Main Point and will retain control over the Fund. Under the New Sub-Advisory Agreement, Main Point will be entitled to receive a monthly fee paid by the Adviser (not the Fund) that is equal to 50% of the advisory fee the Adviser receives from the Fund. The Adviser and Sub-Adviser recently decided to voluntarily lower the feeannual rate, such that the subadvisory fee will be equal to 0.50% of the Fund's average daily net assets under the New Sub-Advisory Agreement.

 

 
 

 

The New Sub-Advisory Agreement will become effective upon shareholder approval. The New Sub-Advisory Agreement, like the Prior Sub-Advisory Agreement, provides that it will remain in force for an initial term of two years, and from year to year thereafter, if such continuance is approved at least annually (a) by a “majority of the outstanding voting securities” (as defined in the 1940 Act) of the Fund or by vote of the Board, cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on such approval, and (b) by vote of a majority of the Trustees of the Trust who are not parties to the New Sub-Advisory Agreement or “interested persons” (as defined in the 1940 Act) of any party to the New Sub-Advisory Agreement, cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on such approval. The 1940 Act defines a “majority of the outstanding voting securities” of a Fund as the affirmative vote of the lesser of (a) 67% or more of the voting securities of a fund present at the meeting or represented by proxy if the holders of more than 50% of the outstanding voting securities are present or represented by proxy or (b) more than 50% of the outstanding voting securities of a fund. The New Sub-Advisory Agreement may be terminated at any time on 60 days prior written notice to the Sub-Adviser, without the payment of any penalty, (i) by vote of the Board or (ii) by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities (as defined in the 1940 Act) of the Fund. The Adviser or Sub-Adviser may terminate the New Sub-Advisory Agreement at any time, without the payment of any penalty, on at least 120 days’ prior written notice to the Adviser and the Trust; or by either party hereto upon written notice to the other party in the event of a breach of any provision of this Agreement by the other party if the breach is not cured within 15 days of notice of the breach. Each Agreement automatically and immediately terminates in the event of its assignment (as defined in the 1940 Act).

 

Prior Year Sub-Advisory Fees

 

For the fiscal year-ended September 30, 2015, Main Point earned sub-advisory fees in the amount of $401,758.92.

 

Evaluation by the Board of Trustees

 

The Trustees considered the New Sub-Advisory Agreement between Clark Capital Management Group, Inc. and Main Point, with respect to Fund at a meeting held on August 19-20, 2015. The Trustees were provided with an overview of the Fund, its strategies, and information reported in Main Point’s responses to a 15(c) questionnaire. The Trustees' considered some of the key risks of the Fund, performance information, and fee and expense information of the Fund, as identified by Main Point in its 15(c) response and outlined in the prospectus.

 

The Trustees were assisted by legal counsel throughout the Sub-Advisory Agreement review process. The Trustees relied upon the advice of legal counsel and their own business judgment in determining the material factors to be considered in evaluating the Sub-Advisory Agreement and the weight to be given to each factor considered. The conclusions reached by the Trustees were based on a comprehensive evaluation of all of the information provided and were not the result of any one factor. Moreover, each Trustee may have afforded different weight to the various factors in reaching his conclusions with respect to the approval of the Sub-Advisory Agreement.

 

Nature, Extent and Quality of Services. The Trustees noted that following the proposed change of control, one of Main Point’s owners, Jonathan Fiebach, will become sole owner of the Sub-Adviser. The Trustees considered that the change in ownership would not impact the portfolio management team. The Board reviewed the background of the investment personnel responsible for portfolio management. The Trustees also considered the 1940 Act expertise of the other members of the investment team, and the benefit of their assistance to the portfolio manager with operational and administrative functions. They noted that Main Point’s investment process utilizes quantitative research and analysis with proprietary valuation models to select investments in primarily municipal bonds, and agreed that Main Point has demonstrated a solid risk management culture and processes that diligently monitor the various risks related to this asset class and incorporates hedging strategies when necessary. The Trustees noted that the Sub-Adviser monitors compliance with the Fund’s investment limitations by relying, in part, on a third party service that alerts the portfolio manager in advance of any deviation from pre-set limits. They considered that Main Point reported no material compliance or litigation issues. The Board acknowledged the Sub-Adviser provides access to a hedge fund type strategy, which has the potential to benefit the Fund and its shareholders. The Board concluded that the change in ownership is not expected to result in any personnel changes and should not have any negative impact on the Sub-Adviser’s ability to service the Fund. The Board further concluded that it expects Main Point should continue to provide high quality service to the adviser, the Fund and shareholders.

 

 
 

Performance. The Trustees noted that the Fund has limited performance statistics available because of its short time since inception (October 2013). They considered, however, that during its limited performance history, it has trailed its benchmarks over the last one year period. They discussed that the Fund’s largest increase/decrease was similar to the Morningstar Non-Traditional Bond category. The Trustees noted that the Sub-Adviser attributed the underperformance to the Fund’s duration neutral stance versus the substantial duration exposure of the indexes. The Trustees agreed that as more time passes, the Fund’s duration neutral strategy can be better evaluated as interest rates change and allow the Fund to take advantage of hedging opportunities. After further discussion, the Trustees concluded that the Sub-Adviser should be retained, following the change of control, and given the opportunity to execute the Fund’s strategy over a more meaningful period of time.

 

Fees and Expenses. The Trustees noted that they had reviewed the sub-advisory fees in connection with the annual review of the sub-adviser at the Board’s November 11-12, 2014 meeting. They further noted that the sub-advisory fee proposed to be paid is identical to that previously approved. They considered the advisory fee allocation, and the allocation between the adviser and Sub-Adviser relative to the duties of each. The Trustees noted that the Sub-Adviser change of control was not anticipated to have any negative impact on the Fund or shareholders. After further discussion, the Trustees affirmed their finding that the sub-advisory fee remains reasonable.

 

Economies of Scale. The Trustees considered whether there will be economies of scale with respect to the Sub-Adviser’s management of Fund assets. The Trustees agreed that economies of scales is an Advisory Agreement level issue and should be considered with respect to the overall advisory contract, taking into consideration the impact of the sub-advisory expense. They agreed that it appears unlikely that the Sub-Adviser has realized any meaningful benefits from economies of scale at this time.

 

Profitability. The Trustees reviewed the profitability analysis prepared by the sub-advisor noting that although the Sub-Adviser estimated it earned a profit in connection with its relationship with the Fund, such profit is marginal in terms of actual dollars and percentage of revenue. The Trustees concluded that excessive profitability was not a concern at this time.

 

Conclusion. Having requested and received such information from Main Point that the Board believed to be reasonably necessary to evaluate the terms of the Sub-Advisory Agreement, and as assisted by the advice of counsel, the Board concluded that the fee structure is reasonable and that approval of the Sub-Advisory Agreement is in the best interests of the shareholders of the Fund.

 

The Board of Trustees of the Trust, including the Independent Trustees, recommends that shareholders of the Fund vote “FOR” approval of the New Sub-Advisory Agreement.

 

OTHER INFORMATION

 

The Fund is a diversified series of the Northern Lights Fund Trust, an open-end investment management company organized as a Delaware statutory trust and formed by an Agreement and Declaration of Trust on January 19, 2005. The Trust’s principal executive offices are located at 17605 Wright Street, Suite 2, Omaha, Nebraska 68130. The Board of Trustees supervises the business activities of the Fund. Like other mutual funds, the Fund retains various organizations to perform specialized services. The Fund currently retains Main Point as an investment sub-adviser. Northern Lights Distributors, LLC (“NLD”), located at 17605 Wright Street, Suite 2, Omaha, Nebraska 68130, serves as principal underwriter and distributor of the Fund. NLD is an affiliate of the Trust. For the fiscal year ended September 30, 2015, the Fund did not pay any brokerage commissions to NLD. Gemini Fund Services, LLC, with principal offices located at 17605 Wright Street, Suite 2, Omaha, Nebraska 68130, provides the Fund with transfer agent, accounting, compliance, and administrative services.  

 
 

 

THE PROXY

 

The Board of Trustees solicits proxies so that each shareholder has the opportunity to vote on the proposal to be considered at the Meeting. A proxy for voting your shares at the Meeting is enclosed. The shares represented by each valid proxy received in time will be voted at the meeting as specified. If no specification is made, the shares represented by a duly executed proxy will be voted for approval of the proposed New Sub-Advisory Agreement and at the discretion of the holders of the proxy on any other matter that may come before the meeting that the Trust did not have notice of a reasonable time prior to the mailing of this Proxy Statement. You may revoke your proxy at any time before it is exercised by (1) submitting a duly executed proxy bearing a later date, (2) submitting a written notice to the President of the Trust revoking the proxy, or (3) attending and voting in person at the Meeting.

 

VOTING SECURITIES AND VOTING

 

As of the Record Date, there were 7,413,790.343 shares of beneficial interest of the Fund issued and outstanding.

 

All shareholders of record of the Fund on the Record Date are entitled to vote at the Meeting on Proposal I. Each shareholder is entitled to one (1) vote per share held, and fractional votes for fractional shares held, on any matter submitted to a vote at the Meeting.

 

An affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of the Fund is required for the approval of Proposal I. As defined in the 1940 Act, a vote of the holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of the Fund means the vote of (1) 67% or more of the voting shares of the Fund present at the meeting, if the holders of more than 50% of the outstanding shares of the Fund are present in person or represented by proxy, or (2) more than 50% of the outstanding voting shares of the Fund, whichever is less.

 

Broker non-votes and abstentions will be considered present for purposes of determining the existence of a quorum and the number of shares of the Fund represented at the meeting, but they are not affirmative votes for any proposal. As a result, with respect to approval of the Proposal I, non-votes and abstentions will have the same effect as a vote against the proposal because the required vote is a percentage of the shares present or outstanding.

 

The individuals named as proxies on the proxy card will vote in accordance with your direction as indicated thereon if your proxy card is received properly executed by you or by your duly appointed agent or attorney-in-fact. If you give no voting instructions (and your shares are not held in street name), your shares will be voted “FOR” the proposal and “FOR” or “AGAINST” any other business that may properly arise at the meeting, in the proxies’ discretion. You may revoke any proxy prior to its exercise by filing with the Trust an instrument revoking the proxy or a duly executed Proxy bearing a later date. To be effective, your revocation must be received by the Trust prior to the Special Meeting and must indicate your name and account number. In addition, if you attend the Special Meeting in person you may, if you wish, vote by ballot at the Special Meeting, thereby canceling any proxy previously given.

 

 
 

 

Security Ownership of Management AND Certain Beneficial Owners

 

To the best knowledge of the Trust, there were no Trustees or officers of the Trust who were the beneficial owners of more than 5% of the outstanding shares of the Fund on the Record Date. As of the Record Date, the following shareholders of record owned 5% or more of the outstanding shares of the Fund:

 

Name & Address   Shares    Percentage of Fund Share Class 
           
Class A Shares          
           
Pershing LLC   102,628.6270    75.14%
1 Pershing Plaza          
Jersey City, NJ 07399          
           
FRANK, STEPHEN 29,730.5590 21.77%          
1258 Denbigh Lane          
Radnor, PA 19087          
           
Class C Shares          
           
Pershing LLC   30,065.8240    39.04%
1 Pershing Plaza          
Jersey City, NJ 07399          
           
NFS FBO Edward Deane   5,133.4980    6.67%
8428 Large Street          
Philadelphia, PA 19152          
           
NFS FBO John P Dearing   10,020.0500    13.01%
46 Oxford Drive          
Langhorne, PA 19047          
           
NFS FBO Charles W Mathues III   8,499.9010    11.04%
7954 Ridgeway Street          
Philadelphia, PA 19135          
           
NFS FBO Douglas Jung   4,457.4170    5.79%
4730 Longshore Ave          
Philadelphia, PA 19135          
           
NFS FBO John J. Venditti   7,631.0580    9.91%
3325 Sheffield St          
Philadelphia, PA 19136          
           
NFS LLC FEBO   3,915.5400    5.08%
TOD Beneficiary On File          
27860 SW 32ND RD          
Beatrice, NE 68310          
           
Class I Shares          
           
Pershing LLC   6,425,473.8350    89.24%
1 Pershing Plaza          
Jersey City, NJ 07399          

 

Shareholders owning more than 25% of the shares of a Fund are considered to “control” the Fund, as that term is defined under the 1940 Act. Persons controlling a Fund can determine the outcome of any proposal submitted to the shareholders for approval.

 

As a group, the Trustees and officers of the Trust owned less than 1% of the outstanding shares of the Fund as of the Record Date.

 
 

SHAREHOLDER PROPOSALS

 

The Trust has not received any shareholder proposals to be considered for presentation at the Meeting. Under the proxy rules of the Securities & Exchange Commission, shareholder proposals may, under certain conditions, be included in the Trust’s Proxy Statement and proxy for a particular meeting. Under these rules, proposals submitted for inclusion in the Trust’s proxy materials must be received by the Trust within a reasonable time before the solicitation is made. The fact that the Trust receives a shareholder proposal in a timely manner does not ensure its inclusion in its proxy materials, because there are other requirements in the proxy rules relating to such inclusion. You should be aware that annual meetings of shareholders are not required as long as there is no particular requirement under the 1940 Act, which must be met by convening such a shareholder meeting. Any shareholder proposal should be sent to Any shareholder proposal should be sent to James P. Ash, Esq., Secretary, Northern Lights Fund Trust, 80 Arkay Drive, Suite 110, Hauppauge, NY 11788.

 

COST OF SOLICITATION

 

The Board of Trustees is making this solicitation of proxies. The Trust has engaged American Stock Transfer & Trust Company, LLC (“AST”) , a proxy solicitation firm, to assist in the solicitation. The estimated fees anticipated to be paid to AST are approximately $4,000. The cost of preparing and mailing this Proxy Statement, the accompanying Notice of Special Meeting and proxy and any additional materials relating to the meeting and the cost of soliciting proxies will be borne by Clark Capital and Main Point In addition to solicitation by mail, the Trust will request banks, brokers and other custodial nominees and fiduciaries, to supply proxy materials to the respective beneficial owners of shares of the Fund of whom they have knowledge, and Clark Capital and Main Point will reimburse them for their expenses in so doing. Certain officers, employees and agents of the Trust, Clark Capital and Main Point may solicit proxies in person or by telephone, facsimile transmission, or mail, for which they will not receive any special compensation.

 

OTHER MATTERS

 

The Trust’s Board of Trustees knows of no other matters to be presented at the Meeting other than as set forth above. If any other matters properly come before the meeting that the Trust did not have notice of a reasonable time prior to the mailing of this Proxy Statement, the holders of the proxy will vote the shares represented by the proxy on such matters in accordance with their best judgment, and discretionary authority to do so is included in the proxy.

 

PROXY DELIVERY

 

If you and another shareholder share the same address, the Trust may only send one Proxy Statement unless you or the other shareholder(s) request otherwise. Call or write to the Trust if you wish to receive a separate copy of the Proxy Statement, and the Trust will promptly mail a copy to you. You may also call or write to the Trust if you wish to receive a separate proxy in the future or if you are receiving multiple copies now and wish to receive a single copy in the future. For such requests, call the Trust at 1-877-766-2264, or write the Trust at 80 Arkay Drive, Suite 110, Hauppauge, NY 11788.

 

 

 
 

 

Important Notice Regarding the Availability of Proxy materials for the

Shareholder Meeting to be Held on NOVEMBER 20, 2015

 

 

A copy of the Notice of Shareholder Meeting, the Proxy Statement, and Proxy Card are available at www.proxyonline.com.

 

 

BY ORDER OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES

 

James P. Ash, Esq., Secretary

 

Dated: October 26, 2015

 

 

If you have any questions before you vote, please call our proxy information line at 1-800-833-2175. Representatives are available Monday through Friday 9 a.m. to 10 p.m., Eastern Time to answer your questions about the proxy material or about how to how to cast your vote. You may also receive a telephone call reminding you to vote your shares. Thank you for your participation in this important initiative.

 

Please date and sign the enclosed proxy and return it promptly in the enclosed reply envelope, fax YOUR PROXY CARD to THE NUMBER LISTED ON YOUR PROXY CARD OR VOTE YOUR SHARES ONLINE AT THE WEBSITE LISTED.

 
 

Exhibit A

 
 

 

SUBADVISORY AGREEMENT

THIS AGREEMENT is made and entered into as of this [XX] day of [XX], 2015, by and between CLARK CAPITAL MANAGEMENT GROUP, INC. (the "Adviser"), a corporation registered under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended (the “Advisers Act”) located at 1650 Market Street, 53rd Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19103 and MAIN POINT ADVISORS INC. (the “Subadviser”), a limited liability company registered under the Advisers Act, located at 1650 Market Street, 53rd Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19103, with respect to each Fund listed on Schedule A hereto (each, a “Fund”), each a series of the NORTHERN LIGHTS FUND TRUST, a Delaware statutory trust (the “Trust”).

WITNESSETH:

WHEREAS, the Trust is registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) as an open-end management investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”);

WHEREAS, the Adviser has, pursuant to an Investment Advisory Agreement with the Trust dated as of the 17th day of June, 2013, to be effective upon commencement of operations (the “Advisory Agreement”), been retained to act as investment adviser for each Fund listed on Schedule A hereto;

WHEREAS, the Adviser represents that the Advisory Agreement permits the Adviser to delegate certain of its duties under the Advisory Agreement to other investment advisers, subject to the requirements of the 1940 Act; and

WHEREAS, the Adviser desires to retain Subadviser to assist it in the provision of a continuous investment program for that portion of each Fund’s assets that the Adviser will assign to the Subadviser, and Subadviser is willing to render such services subject to the terms and conditions set forth in this Agreement,

NOW, THEREFORE, the parties do mutually agree and promise as follows with respect to each Fund:

1. Appointment as Subadviser. The Adviser hereby appoints the Subadviser to act as investment adviser for and to manage all of the assets of each Fund (the “Subadviser Assets”) subject to the supervision of the Adviser and the Board of Trustees of the Trust and subject to the terms of this Agreement; and the Subadviser hereby accepts such appointment. In such capacity, the Subadviser shall be responsible for the investment management of the Subadviser Assets. It is recognized that the Subadviser and certain of its affiliates may act as investment adviser to one or more other investment companies and other managed accounts and that the Adviser and the Trust do not object to such activities.

2. Duties of Subadviser.

(a) Investments. The Subadviser is hereby authorized and directed and hereby agrees, subject to the stated investment policies and restrictions of each Fund as set forth in the Funds’ prospectus (“Prospectus”) and statement of additional information (“SAI”) as currently in effect and, as soon as practical after the Trust, a Fund or the Adviser notifies the Subadviser thereof, as supplemented or amended from time to time and subject to the directions of the Adviser and the Trust’s Board of Trustees, to monitor on a continuous basis the performance of the Subadviser Assets and to conduct a continuous program of investment, evaluation and, if appropriate, sale and reinvestment of the Subadviser Assets. The Adviser agrees to provide the Subadviser with such assistance as may be reasonably requested by the Subadviser in connection with the Subadviser’s activities under this Agreement, including, without limitation, providing information concerning each Fund, its funds available, or to become available, for investment and generally as to the conditions of the Fund’s or the Trust’s affairs.

(b) Compliance with Applicable Laws and Governing Documents. In the performance of its services under this Agreement, the Subadviser shall act in conformity with the Prospectus, SAI and the Trust’s Agreement and Declaration of Trust and By-Laws as currently in effect and, as soon as practical after the Trust, a Fund or the Adviser notifies the Subadviser thereof, as supplemented, amended and/or restated from time to time (referred to hereinafter as the “Declaration of Trust” and “By-Laws,” respectively) and with the instructions and directions received in writing from the Adviser or the Trustees of the Trust and will conform to, and comply with, the requirements of the 1940 Act, the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), and all other applicable federal and state laws and regulations. Without limiting the preceding sentence, the Adviser promptly shall notify the Subadviser as to any act or omission of the Subadviser hereunder that the Adviser reasonably deems to constitute or to be the basis of any

 
 

noncompliance or nonconformance with any of the Trust’s Declaration of Trust and By-Laws, the Prospectus and the SAI, the instructions and directions received in writing from the Adviser or the Trustees of the Trust, the 1940 Act, the Code, and all other applicable federal and state laws and regulations. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Adviser shall remain responsible for ensuring each Fund’s and the Trust’s overall compliance with the 1940 Act, the Code and all other applicable federal and state laws and regulations and the Subadviser is only obligated to comply with this subsection (b) with respect to the Subadviser Assets. The Adviser timely will provide the Subadviser with a copy of any minutes of the meetings of the Board of Trustees of the Trust, which have been provided by the Trust to the Adviser, to the extent they may affect the Fund or the services of the Subadviser, copies of any financial statements or reports made by the Fund to its shareholders, and any further materials or information which the Subadviser may reasonably request to enable it to perform its functions under this Agreement.

The Adviser shall perform quarterly and annual tax compliance tests to ensure that each Fund is in compliance with Subchapter M of the Code. In this regard, the Adviser acknowledges that the Subadviser shall rely completely upon the Adviser’s determination of whether and to what extent a Fund is in compliance with Subchapter M of the Code and that the Subadviser has no separate and independent responsibility to test the Fund for such compliance. In connection with such compliance tests, the Adviser shall inform the Subadviser at least ten (10) business days prior to a calendar quarter end if the Subadviser Assets are out of compliance with the diversification requirements under Subchapter M. If the Adviser notifies the Subadviser that the Subadviser Assets are not in compliance with such requirements noted above, the Subadviser will take prompt action to bring the Subadviser Assets back into compliance within the time permitted under the Code.

The Adviser shall perform quarterly compliance tests to ensure that each Fund is in compliance with the diversification provisions of Section 817 of the Code and the regulations thereunder. In this regard, the Adviser acknowledges that the Subadviser shall rely completely upon the Adviser’s determination of whether and to what extent a Fund is in compliance with the diversification provisions of Section 817 and the regulations thereunder and that the Subadviser has no separate and independent responsibility to test the Fund for such compliance. In connection with such compliance tests, the Adviser shall inform the Subadviser no more than five(5) business days after the end of a calendar quarter if the Subadviser Assets are out of compliance with these diversification requirements. If the Adviser notifies the Subadviser that the Subadviser Assets are not in compliance with such requirements noted above, the Subadviser will take prompt action to bring the Subadviser Assets back into compliance within the time permitted under the Code.

The Adviser will provide the Subadviser with reasonable advance notice of any change in a Fund’s investment objectives, policies and restrictions as stated in the Prospectus and SAI, and the Subadviser shall, in the performance of its duties and obligations under this Agreement, manage the Subadviser Assets consistent with such changes, provided that the Subadviser has received prompt notice of the effectiveness of such changes from the Trust or the Adviser. In addition to such notice, the Adviser shall provide to the Subadviser a copy of a modified Prospectus and SAI reflecting such changes. The Adviser acknowledges and will ensure that the Prospectus and SAI will at all times be in compliance with all disclosure requirements under all applicable federal and state laws and regulations relating to the Trust or the Funds, including, without limitation, the 1940 Act, and the rules and regulations thereunder, and that the Subadviser shall have no liability in connection therewith, except as to the accuracy of material information furnished in writing by the Subadviser to the Trust or to the Adviser specifically for inclusion in the Prospectus and SAI. The Subadviser hereby agrees to provide to the Adviser in a timely manner such information relating to the Subadviser and its relationship to, and actions for, the Trust as may be required to be contained in the Prospectus, SAI or in the Trust’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A and any amendments thereto.

(c) Agent. Subject to any other written instructions of the Adviser or the Trust, the Subadviser is hereby appointed the Adviser’s and the Trust’s agent and attorney-in-¬fact for the limited purposes of executing account documentation, agreements, contracts and other documents as the Subadviser shall be requested by brokers, dealers, counterparties and other persons in connection with its management of the Subadviser Assets. The Subadviser agrees to provide the Adviser and the Trust with copies of any such agreements executed on behalf of the Adviser or the Trust.

(d) Brokerage. The Subadviser is authorized, subject to the supervision of the Adviser and the plenary authority of the Trust’s Board of Trustees, to establish and maintain accounts on behalf of each Fund with, and place orders for the investment and reinvestment, including without limitation purchase and sale of the Subadviser Assets with or through, such persons, brokers (including, to the extent permitted by applicable law, any broker affiliated with the Subadviser) or dealers (collectively “Brokers”) as Subadviser may elect and negotiate commissions to be paid on such

 
 

transactions. The Subadviser, however, is not required to obtain the consent of the Adviser or the Trust’s Board of Trustees prior to establishing any such brokerage account. The Subadviser shall place all orders for the purchase and sale of portfolio investments for a Fund’s account with Brokers selected by the Subadviser. In the selection of such Brokers and the placing of such orders, the Subadviser shall seek to obtain for each Fund the most favorable price and execution available, except to the extent it may be permitted to pay higher brokerage commissions for brokerage and research services, as provided below. In using its reasonable efforts to obtain for each Fund the most favorable price and execution available, the Subadviser, bearing in mind the best interests of the Fund at all times, shall consider all factors it deems relevant, which may include but are not limited to: price, the size of the transaction, the breadth and nature of the market for the security, the difficulty of the execution, the amount of the commission, if any, the timing of the transaction, market prices and trends, the reputation, experience and financial stability of the Broker involved, and the quality of service rendered by the Broker in other transactions. The Subadviser shall not consider a Broker’s sale of Fund shares when selecting the Broker to execute trades. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Trust, a Fund nor the Adviser shall instruct the Subadviser to place orders with any particular Broker(s) with respect to the Subadviser Assets. Subject to such policies as the Trustees may determine, or as may be mutually agreed to by the Adviser and the Subadviser, the Subadviser is authorized but not obligated to cause, and shall not be deemed to have acted unlawfully or to have breached any duty created by this Agreement or otherwise solely by reason of its having caused, a Fund to pay a Broker that provides brokerage and research services (within the meaning of Section 28(e) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934) to the Subadviser an amount of commission for effecting a Subadviser Assets investment transaction that is in excess of the amount of commission that another Broker would have charged for effecting that transaction if, but only if, the Subadviser determines in good faith that such commission was reasonable in relation to the value of the brokerage and research services provided by such Broker viewed in terms of either that particular transaction or the overall responsibility of the Subadviser with respect to the accounts as to which it exercises investment discretion. It is recognized that the services provided by such Brokers may be useful to the Subadviser in connection with the Subadviser’s services to other clients.

On occasions when the Subadviser deems the purchase or sale of a security to be in the best interests of a Fund with respect to the Subadviser Assets as well as other clients of the Subadviser, the Subadviser, to the extent permitted by applicable laws and regulations, may, but shall be under no obligation to, aggregate the securities to be sold or purchased in order to obtain the most favorable price or lower brokerage commissions and efficient execution. In such event, allocation of securities so sold or purchased, as well as the expenses incurred in the transaction, will be made by the Subadviser in the manner the Subadviser considers to be the most equitable and consistent with its fiduciary obligations to a Fund and to such other clients. It is recognized that in some cases, this procedure may adversely affect the price paid or received by a Fund or the size of the position obtainable for, or disposed of by, the Fund with respect to the Subadviser Assets.

(e) Securities Transactions. The Subadviser and any affiliated person of the Subadviser will not purchase securities or other instruments from or sell securities or other instruments to the Funds; provided, however, the Subadviser or any affiliated person of the Subadviser may purchase securities or other instruments from or sell securities or other instruments to the Funds if such transaction is permissible under applicable laws and regulations, including, without limitation, the 1940 Act and the Advisers Act and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.

The Subadviser, on its own behalf and with respect to its Access Persons (as defined in subsection (e) of Rule 17j-1 under the 1940 Act), agrees to observe and comply with Rule 17j-1 and its Code of Ethics (which shall comply in all material respects with Rule 17j-1), as the same may be amended from time to time. On at least an annual basis, the Subadviser will comply with the reporting requirements of Rule 17j-1, which include (i) certifying to the Adviser and the Trust that the Subadviser and its Access Persons have complied with the Subadviser’s Code of Ethics with respect to the Subadviser Assets and (ii) identifying any violations which have occurred with respect to the Subadviser Assets. The Subadviser will have also submitted its Code of Ethics for its initial approval by the Trust’s Board of Trustees no later than the date of execution of this agreement and subsequently within six months of any material change thereto.

(f) Books and Records. The Subadviser shall maintain in the form and for the period required by Rule 31a-2 under the 1940Act, all records relating to investments made by the Subadviser pertaining to the Subadviser Assets (the “Fund’s Records”), that are required to be maintained pursuant to the requirements of Rule 31a-1 under the 1940 Act. The Subadviser acknowledges that each Fund’s Records are property of the Trust; except to the extent that the Subadviser is required to maintain the Fund’s Records under the Advisers Act or other applicable law and except that the Subadviser, at its own expense, is entitled to make and keep a copy of the Fund’s Records for its internal files. Each Fund’s Records shall be available to the Adviser or the Trust at any time upon reasonable request during normal business hours and shall be available for telecopying promptly to the Adviser during any day that the Fund is open for business as set forth in the Prospectus.

 
 

(g) Information Concerning Subadviser Assets and Subadviser. From time to time as the Adviser or the Trust reasonably may request in good faith, the Subadviser will furnish the requesting party reports on portfolio transactions and reports on the Subadviser Assets, all in such reasonable detail as the parties may reasonably agree in good faith. The Subadviser will also inform the Adviser in a timely manner of material changes in portfolio managers responsible for Subadviser Assets, any changes in the ownership or management of the Subadviser, or of material changes in the control of the Subadviser. Upon the Trust’s or the Adviser’s reasonable request, the Subadviser will make available its officers and employees to meet with the Trust’s Board of Trustees to review the Subadviser Assets via telephone on a quarterly basis and on a less frequent basis as agreed upon by the parties in person.

Subject to the other provisions of this Agreement, the Subadviser will also provide such information or perform such additional acts with respect to the Subadviser Assets as are reasonably required for the Trust or the Adviser to comply with their respective obligations under applicable laws, including without limitation, the Code, the 1940 Act, the Advisers Act, and the Securities Act, and any rule or regulation thereunder.

(h) Custody Arrangements. The Trust or the Adviser shall notify the Subadviser of the identities of its custodian banks and the custody arrangements therewith with respect to the Subadviser Assets and shall give the Subadviser written notice of any changes in such custodian banks or custody arrangements. The Subadviser shall on each business day provide the Adviser and the Trust’s custodian such information as the Adviser and the Trust’s custodian may reasonably request in good faith relating to all transactions concerning the Subadviser Assets. The Trust shall instruct its custodian banks to (A) carry out all investment instructions as may be directed by the Subadviser with respect to the Subadviser Assets (which instructions may be orally given if confirmed in writing); and (B) provide the Subadviser with all operational information necessary for the Subadviser to trade the Subadviser Assets on behalf of each Fund. The Subadviser shall have no liability for the acts or omissions of the authorized custodian(s), unless such act or omission is required by and taken in reliance upon instructions given to the authorized custodian(s) by a representative of the Subadviser properly authorized (pursuant to written instruction by the Adviser) to give such instructions.

3. Independent Contractor. In the performance of its services hereunder, the Subadviser is and shall be an independent contractor and unless otherwise expressly provided herein or otherwise authorized in writing, shall have no authority to act for or represent a Fund, the Trust or the Adviser in any way or otherwise be deemed an agent of a Fund, the Trust or the Adviser. The Subadviser shall be free to provide investment advisory services to other clients.

4. Expenses. During the term of this Agreement, Subadviser will pay all expenses incurred by it in connection with its activities under this Agreement. The Subadviser shall, at its sole expense, employ or associate itself with such persons as it believes to be particularly fitted to assist it in the execution of its duties under this Agreement. The Subadviser shall not be responsible for the Trust’s, the Funds’ or Adviser’s expenses, which shall include, but not be limited to, the cost of securities, commodities and other investments (including brokerage commissions and other transaction charges, if any) purchased for a Fund and any losses incurred in connection therewith, expenses of holding or carrying Subadviser Assets, including, without limitation, expenses of dividends on stock borrowed to cover a short sale and interest, fees or other charges incurred in connection with leverage and related borrowings with respect to the Subadviser Assets, organizational and offering expenses (which include, but are not limited to, out-of-pocket expenses, but not overhead or employee costs of the Subadviser); expenses for legal, accounting and auditing services; taxes and governmental fees; dues and expenses incurred in connection with membership in investment company organizations; costs of printing and distributing shareholder reports, proxy materials, prospectuses, stock certificates and distribution of dividends; charges of the Funds’ custodians and sub-custodians, administrators and sub-administrators, registrars, transfer agents, dividend disbursing agents and dividend reinvestment plan agents; payment for portfolio pricing services to a pricing agent, if any; registration and filing fees of the SEC; expenses of registering or qualifying securities of each Fund for sale in the various states; freight and other charges in connection with the shipment of each Fund’s portfolio securities; fees and expenses of non-interested Trustees; salaries of shareholder relations personnel; costs of shareholders meetings; insurance; interest; brokerage costs; and litigation and other extraordinary or non-recurring expenses. The Trust or the Adviser, as the case may be, shall reimburse the Subadviser for any expenses of a Fund or the Adviser as may be reasonably incurred by such Subadviser on behalf of a Fund or the Adviser. The Subadviser shall keep and supply to the Trust and the Adviser reasonable records of all such expenses.

 
 

 

5. Investment Analysis and Commentary. The Subadviser will provide quarterly performance analysis and market commentary (the “Investment Report”) during the term of this Agreement. The Investment Reports are due within 10 days after the end of each quarter. In addition, interim Investment Reports shall be issued at such times as may be mutually agreed upon by the Adviser and Subadviser; provided however, that any such interim Investment Report will be due within 10 days of the end of the month in which such agreement is reached between the Adviser and Subadviser. The subject of each Investment Report shall be mutually agreed upon. The Adviser is freely able to publicly distribute the Investment Report.

6. Compensation. For the services provided pursuant to this Agreement, the Subadviser is entitled to an annual fee equal to the amounts described in Exhibit A attached hereto. Such fee will be computed daily and paid no later than the seventh (7th) business day following the end of each month, from the Adviser calculated at an annual rate based on the Subadviser Assets’ average daily net assets. The fee shall be paid to the Subadviser without regard to any reduction in the fees paid by the Fund to the Adviser under its management contract as a result of any statutory or regulatory limitation on investment company expenses or voluntary or contractual fee waiver or reduction assumed by the Adviser.

The method of determining the net asset value of the Subadviser Assets for purposes hereof shall be the same as the method of determining net asset value for purposes of establishing the offering and redemption price of the shares of the Trust as described in the Funds’ Prospectus and/or SAI. If this Agreement shall be effective for only a portion of a month with respect to a Fund, the aforesaid fee shall be prorated for the portion of such month during which this Agreement is in effect for the Fund.

7. Representations and Warranties of Subadviser. The Subadviser represents and warrants to the Adviser and the Trust as follows:

(a) The Subadviser is registered as an investment adviser under the Advisers Act;

(b) The Subadviser is a corporation duly organized and properly registered and operating under the laws of the State of Delaware with the power to own and possess its assets and carry on its business as it is now being conducted and as proposed to be conducted hereunder;

(c) The execution, delivery and performance by the Subadviser of this Agreement are within the Subadviser’s powers and have been duly authorized by all necessary actions of its directors or shareholders, and no action by, or in respect of, or filing with, any governmental body, agency or official is required on the part of the Subadviser for execution, delivery and performance by the Subadviser of this Agreement, and the execution, delivery and performance by the Subadviser of this Agreement do not contravene or constitute a violation of, or a material default under, (i) any provision of applicable law, rule or regulation, (ii) the Subadviser’s governing instruments, or (iii) any agreement, judgment, injunction, order, decree or other instrument binding upon the Subadviser; and

(d) The Form ADV of the Subadviser provided to the Adviser and the Trust is a true and complete copy of the form, including that part or parts of the Form ADV filed with the SEC, that part or parts maintained in the records of the Subadviser, and/or that part or parts provided or offered to clients, in each case as required under the Advisers Act and rules thereunder, and the information contained therein is accurate and complete in all material respects and does not omit to state any material fact necessary in order to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading.

8. Representations and Warranties of Adviser. The Adviser represents and warrants to the Subadviser as follows:

(a) The Adviser is registered as an investment adviser under the Advisers Act;

(b) The Adviser is a corporation duly organized and validly existing under the laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania with the power to own and possess its assets and carry on its business as it is now being conducted and as proposed to be conducted hereunder;

(c) The execution, delivery and performance by the Adviser of this Agreement are within the Adviser’s powers and have been duly authorized by all necessary action on the part of its directors or shareholders, and no action by, or in respect of, or filing with, any governmental body, agency or official is required on the part of the Adviser

 
 

for the execution, delivery and performance by the Adviser of this Agreement, and the execution, delivery and performance by the Adviser of this Agreement do not contravene or constitute a violation of, or a material default under, (i) any provision of applicable law, rule or regulation, (ii) the Adviser’s governing instruments, or (iii) any agreement, judgment, injunction, order, decree or other instrument binding upon the Adviser;

(d) The Form ADV of the Adviser provided to the Subadviser and the Trust is a true and complete copy of the form, including that part or parts of the Form ADV filed with the SEC, that part or parts maintained in the records of the Adviser, and/or that part or parts provided or offered to clients, in each case as required under the Advisers Act and rules thereunder, and the information contained therein is accurate and complete in all material respects and does not omit to state any material fact necessary in order to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading;

(e) The Adviser acknowledges that it received a copy of the Subadviser’s Form ADV prior to the execution of this Agreement; and

(f) The Adviser and the Trust have duly entered into the Advisory Agreement pursuant to which the Trust authorized the Adviser to delegate certain of its duties under the Advisory Agreement to other investment advisers, including without limitation, the appointment of a subadviser with respect to assets of a Fund and the Adviser’s entering into and performing this Agreement.

9. Survival of Representations and Warranties; Duty to Update Information. All representations and warranties made by the Subadviser and the Adviser pursuant to the recitals above and Sections 8 and 9, respectively, shall survive for the duration of this Agreement and the parties hereto shall promptly notify each other in writing upon becoming aware that any of the foregoing representations and warranties are no longer true or accurate in all material effects.

10. Liability and Indemnification.

(a) Liability. The Subadviser shall exercise its best judgment in rendering its services in accordance with the terms of this Agreement, but otherwise, in the absence of willful misfeasance, bad faith or gross negligence on the part of the Subadviser or a reckless disregard of its duties hereunder, the Subadviser, each of its affiliates and all respective partners, officers, directors and employees (“Affiliates”) and each person, if any, who within the meaning of the Securities Act controls the Subadviser (“Controlling Persons”), if any, shall not be subject to any expenses or liability to the Adviser, the Trust or a Fund or any of the Fund’s shareholders, in connection with the matters to which this Agreement relates, including without limitation for any losses that may be sustained in the purchase, holding or sale of Subadviser Assets. The Adviser shall exercise its best judgment in rendering its obligations in accordance with the terms of this Agreement, but otherwise (except as set forth in Section 11(c) below), in the absence of willful misfeasance, bad faith or gross negligence on the part of the Adviser or a reckless disregard of its duties hereunder, the Adviser, any of its Affiliates and each of the Adviser’s Controlling Persons, if any, shall not be subject to any liability to the Subadviser, for any act or omission in the case of, or connected with, rendering services hereunder or for any losses that may be sustained in the purchase, holding or sale of Subadviser Assets. Notwithstanding the foregoing, nothing herein shall relieve the Adviser and the Subadviser from any of their obligations under applicable law, including, without limitation, the federal and state securities laws.

(b) Indemnification. The Subadviser shall indemnify the Adviser, the Trust and each Fund, and their respective Affiliates and Controlling Persons for any liability and expenses, including without limitation reasonable attorneys’ fees and expenses, which the Adviser, the Trust and/or the Fund and their respective Affiliates and Controlling Persons may sustain as a result of the Subadviser’s willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence, reckless disregard of its duties hereunder or violation of applicable law, including, without limitation, the federal and state securities laws. Unless otherwise obligated under applicable law, the Subadviser shall not be liable for indirect, punitive, special or consequential damages arising out of this Agreement.

The Adviser shall indemnify the Subadviser, its Affiliates and its Controlling Persons, for any liability and expenses, including without limitation reasonable attorneys’ fees and expenses, which may be sustained as a result of the Adviser’s willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence, reckless disregard of its duties hereunder or violation of applicable law, including, without limitation, the federal and state securities laws.

 
 

(c) The Subadviser shall not be liable to the Adviser for acts of the Subadviser which result from acts of the Adviser, including, but not limited to, a failure of the Adviser to provide accurate and current information with respect to any records maintained by the Adviser, which records are not also maintained by or otherwise available to the Subadviser upon reasonable request.

11. Duration and Termination.

(a) Duration. Unless sooner terminated, this Agreement shall continue for an initial period of no more than two years following the effective date of this Agreement, and thereafter shall continue automatically for successive annual periods with respect to each Fund, provided such continuance is specifically approved at least annually by the Trust’s Board of Trustees or vote of the lesser of (a) 67% of the shares of the Fund represented at a meeting if holders of more than 50% of the outstanding shares of the Fund are present in person or by proxy or (b) more than 50% of the outstanding shares of the Fund; provided that in either event its continuance also is approved by a majority of the Trust’s Trustees who are not “interested persons” (as defined in the 1940 Act) of any party to this Agreement, by vote cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on such approval.

(b) Termination. Notwithstanding whatever may be provided herein to the contrary, this Agreement may be terminated at any time with respect to one or more Funds, without payment of any penalty:

(i) By vote of a majority of the Trust’s Board of Trustees, or by “vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities” of a Fund (as defined in the 1940 Act), or by the Adviser, in each case, upon not more than 60 days’ written notice to the Subadviser;

(ii) By any party hereto upon written notice to the other party in the event of a breach of any provision of this Agreement by the other party if the breach is not cured within 15 days of notice of the breach; or

(iii) By the Subadviser upon not more than 60 days’ written notice to the Adviser and the Trust.

This Agreement shall not be assigned (as such term is defined in the 1940 Act) and shall terminate automatically in the event of its assignment or upon the termination of the Advisory Agreement.

12. Duties of the Adviser. The Adviser shall continue to have responsibility for all services to be provided to the Fund pursuant to the Advisory Agreement and shall oversee and review the Subadviser’s performance of its duties under this Agreement. Nothing contained in this Agreement shall obligate the Adviser to provide any funding or other support for the purpose of directly or indirectly promoting investments in a Fund.

13. Reference to Adviser and Subadviser.

The Subadviser grants, subject to the conditions below, the Adviser and the Trust rights to use, display and promote trademarks of the Subadviser in conjunction with any activity associated with the Funds. Such rights shall be a non-exclusive, non-assignable, non-sublicensable and royalty-free right to use the name “Main Point Advisers Inc.” (or any derivative thereof or logo) which may include use of the name in prospectuses, reports, and sales materials. The Adviser and the Trust shall include appropriate trademark credit lines and notice symbols as reasonably directed by the Sub-Adviser, as applicable. All use of the name “Main Point Advisers Inc.” (or any derivative thereof or logo) shall inure to the benefit of its owner, Main Point Advisers Inc.. Upon termination of this Agreement, the Adviser and the Trust shall forthwith cease to use the name of “Main Point Advisers Inc.” (or any derivative or logo) as appropriate and to the extent that continued use is not required by applicable laws, rules and regulations. In addition, the Adviser may promote the identity of and services provided by the Subadviser to the Adviser, which references shall not differ in substance from those included in the Prospectus, SAI and this Agreement, in any advertising or promotional materials. The Adviser shall protect the goodwill and reputation of the Subadviser in connection with marketing and promotion of the Funds. The Adviser shall submit to the Subadviser for its review and approval all such public informational materials relating to the Funds that refer to any recognizable variant or any registered mark or logo or other proprietary designation of the Subadviser. Approval shall not be unreasonably withheld by the Subadviser and notice of approval or disapproval will be provided promptly and in any event within five (5) business days. Subsequent advertising or promotional materials having very substantially the same form as previously approved by the Subadviser may be used by the Adviser without obtaining the Subadviser’s consent unless such consent is withdrawn in writing by the Subadviser.

 
 

(a) Neither the Subadviser nor any Affiliate or agent of Subadviser shall make reference to or use the name of the Adviser or any of its Affiliates, or any of their clients, except references concerning the identity of and services provided by the Adviser to the Funds or to the Subadviser, which references shall not differ in substance from those included in the Prospectus, SAI and this Agreement, in any advertising or promotional materials without the prior approval of Adviser, which approval shall not be unreasonably withheld or delayed and notice of approval or disapproval will be provided promptly and in any event within five (5) business days. The Subadviser hereby agrees to make all reasonable efforts to cause any Affiliate of the Subadviser to satisfy the foregoing obligation.

14. Amendment. This Agreement may be amended by mutual consent of the parties, provided that the terms of any material amendment shall be approved by: (a) the Trust’s Board of Trustees or by a vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund (as required by the 1940 Act), and (b) the vote of a majority of those Trustees of the Trust who are not “interested persons” of any party to this Agreement cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on such approval, if such approval is required by applicable law.

15. Confidentiality. Subject to the duties of the Adviser, the Trust and the Subadviser to comply with applicable law, including any demand of any regulatory or taxing authority having jurisdiction, the parties hereto shall treat as confidential and shall not disclose any and all information pertaining to the Funds and the actions of the Subadviser, the Adviser and the Funds in respect thereof; except to the extent:

(a) Authorized. The Adviser, the Trust or the Subadviser has authorized such disclosure pursuant to the express written consent of the affected party;

(b) Court or Regulatory Authority. Disclosure of such information is expressly required or requested by a court or other tribunal of competent jurisdiction or applicable federal or state regulatory authorities;

(c) Publicly Known Without Breach. Such information becomes known to the general public without a breach of this Agreement or a similar confidential disclosure agreement regarding such information;

(d) Already Known. Such information already was known by the party prior to the date hereof;

(e) Received From Third Party. Such information was or is hereafter rightfully received by the party from a third party (expressly excluding the Funds’ custodian, prime broker and administrator) without restriction on its disclosure and without breach of this Agreement or of a similar confidential disclosure agreement regarding them; or

(f) Independently Developed. The party independently developed such information.

In addition, the Subadviser and its officers, directors and employees are prohibited from receiving compensation or other consideration, for themselves or on behalf of a Fund, as a result of disclosing a Fund’s portfolio holdings. The Subadviser agrees, consistent with its Code of Ethics, it nor its officers, directors or employees may engage in personal securities transactions based on non-public information about a Fund’s portfolio holdings.

16. Notice. Any notice that is required to be given by the parties to each other under the terms of this Agreement shall be in writing, delivered, or mailed postpaid to the other parties, or transmitted by facsimile with acknowledgment of receipt, to the parties at the following addresses or facsimile numbers, which may from time to time be changed by the parties by notice to the other party:

 
 

 

17. Jurisdiction. This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the substantive laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, County of Philadelphia without reference to choice of law principles thereof and in accordance with the 1940 Act. In the case of any conflict, the 1940 Act shall control.

If to the Subadviser:

Name: Jonathan Fiebach

Title: CEO

Address: 1650 Market Street, 53rd Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19103

 

Phone: (215) 563-4183

Fax: (610) 672-9872

Email: Fiebach@mainpointadvisors.com

If to the Adviser:

Name: Harry Clark

Title: President

Address: 1650 Market Street, 53rd Floor,
Philadelphia, PA 19103

 

Phone: (215) 569-2224

Fax: (215) 569-3639

Email: harry@ccmg.com

18. Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in one or more counterparts, each of which shall be deemed an original, all of which shall together constitute one and the same instrument.

19. Certain Definitions. For the purposes of this Agreement and except as otherwise provided herein, “interested person,” “affiliated person,” and “assignment” shall have their respective meanings as set forth in the 1940 Act, subject, however, to such exemptions as may be granted by the SEC.

20. Captions. The captions herein are included for convenience of reference only and shall be ignored in the construction or interpretation hereof.

21. Severability. If any provision of this Agreement shall be held or made invalid by a court decision or applicable law, the remainder of the Agreement shall not be affected adversely and shall remain in full force and effect.

22. Entire Agreement. This Agreement, together with all exhibits, attachments and appendices, contains the entire understanding and agreement of the parties with respect to the subject matter hereof.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have executed this Agreement on the day and year first written above.

ADVISER

 

CLARK CAPITAL MANAGEMENT GROUP, INC.

 

By: _____________________________

Name: Harry Clark

Title: President

 

SUBADVISER

 

MAIN POINT ADVISERS INC.

 

 

By: _____________________________

Name:

Title:

 

 

 
 

SUBADVISORY AGREEMENT

 

between CLARK CAPITAL MANAGEMENT GROUP, INC. (the “Adviser”),

and MAIN POINT ADVISERS INC. (“Subadviser”)

 

 

SCHEDULE A

FUNDS TO BE SERVICED  ANNUAL FEE
      
Navigator Duration Neutral Bond Fund  0.625%