SUMMARY PROSPECTUS, AS SUPPLEMENTED
August 1, 2022
ABSOLUTE INVESTMENT ADVISERS LLC
INSTITUTIONAL SHARES (ASFIX)
Before you invest, you may want to review the
Fund’s prospectus, which contains information about the Fund
and its risks. The Fund’s prospectus and statement of
additional information, both dated August 1, 2022, are
incorporated by reference into this summary prospectus. You can find the
Fund’s prospectus and other information
about the Fund online at www.absoluteadvisers.com.You can also get this information at
no cost by calling (888)
99 ABSOLUTE or (888) 992-2765 (toll free).
Absolute Investment Advisers and its logo are registered
service marks of Absolute Investment Advisers LLC
(“Absolute”) and the logo of the Absolute Strategies Fund is a service mark of Absolute; other marks referred
to herein are trademarks, service marks, registered trademarks or registered service marks of their respective owners.
ABSOLUTE STRATEGIES FUND
Summary Section
Investment Objective
The Absolute Strategies Fund (the “Fund”) seeks to achieve long-term capital appreciation with an emphasis on absolute (positive) returns and low sensitivity to traditional financial market indices such as the Standard & Poor's 500® Index (“S&P 500® Index”).
Fees and Expenses
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold, and sell shares of the Fund. You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the tables and examples below.
Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment) |
Institutional Shares |
| Management Fees | 1.40% |
| Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees | None |
| Other Expenses | 0.75% |
| Other Expenses | 0.70% |
| Dividend and Interest Expenses on Short Sales | 0.05% |
| Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses | 0.76% |
| Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses(1) | 2.91% |
| Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement(2) | (0.63)% |
| Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement | 2.28% |
| (1) | Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses do not correlate to the ratio of expenses to average net assets given in the financial highlights due to a reduction in the expense cap for the Fund and because they do not include Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses (“AFFE”). |
| (2) | Absolute Investment Advisers LLC (“Absolute”) has contractually agreed to limit its fee and/or reimburse Fund expenses to limit Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses (excluding all taxes, interest, portfolio transaction expenses, dividend and interest expenses on short sales, acquired fund fees and expenses other than those attributable to the investment advisory fees incurred by the Fund as a result of the Fund’s investments in other pooled vehicles sponsored by Absolute, broker charges, proxy expenses and extraordinary expenses) to 1.99% through August 1, 2023 (the “Expense Cap”). The Expense Cap may only be raised or eliminated with the consent of the Board of Trustees. Absolute may recoup from the Fund fees waived (other than advisory fees waived by Absolute related to the Fund’s investments in other pooled vehicles sponsored by Absolute) and expenses reimbursed by Absolute pursuant to the Expense Cap if such recoupment is made within three years of the fee waiver or expense reimbursement and does not cause the Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement of the Fund (after the recoupment has been taken into account) to exceed the lesser of (i) the then-current expense cap, and (ii) the expense cap in place at the time the fees/ expenses were waived or reimbursed. Absolute has contractually agreed to waive its investment advisory fees related to any Fund assets invested in pooled vehicles sponsored by it. |
Example. This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then hold or redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may
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be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, whether you do or do not redeem your shares at the end of each period described below, your costs would be:
| 1 Year | 3 Years | 5 Years | 10 Years |
| $231 | $841 | $1,478 | $3,188 |
Portfolio Turnover. The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the Example, affect the Fund’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 11% of the average value of its portfolio.
Principal Investment Strategies
Absolute, the Fund’s investment adviser, has responsibility for allocating Fund assets across strategies and investment styles that Absolute believes are complementary and, when combined, will produce long-term risk-adjusted returns. Absolute considers long-term risk-adjusted investment returns to be those that do not incur a permanent loss of capital over a full market cycle. Although the Fund is not a hedge fund, such strategies are more commonly associated with hedge funds. These strategies may attempt to exploit disparities or inefficiencies in markets, geographical areas, or companies; take advantage of security mispricings or anticipated price movements; and/or benefit from cyclical themes and relationships or special situations and events (such as spin-offs or reorganizations). Such strategies may have low sensitivity to traditional markets because they seek investment opportunities and risks that do not correlate with traditional markets.
Absolute believes that there are important benefits that come from pursuing the Fund’s investment objective in part by investing through skilled asset managers (“Managers”) whose strategies, when combined, seek to provide attractive long-term risk-adjusted returns, with lower volatility and low sensitivity to traditional market measures. Absolute strategically allocates the Fund’s assets to such Managers either by engaging them to manage a portion of the Fund’s assets or by investing in securities and other instruments, including other pooled investment vehicles, such as ETFs and other registered investment companies (“Underlying Funds”) that are managed by such Managers. To the extent that Absolute allocates a portion of the Fund’s assets directly to Managers for investment, the Fund may be referred to as employing a “multi-manager” strategy. By contrast, to the extent that Absolute allocates the Fund’s assets to Underlying Funds managed by such Managers, it may be referred to as employing a “fund of funds” strategy. The Underlying Funds in which the Fund invests include pooled investment vehicles that are sponsored by Absolute.
Absolute may invest the Fund’s assets directly, but generally selects several Managers to manage the Fund’s assets on a day-to-day basis. Absolute determines the portion of the Fund’s assets to be allocated to each Manager. Absolute reviews a range of factors (e.g., investment process) when evaluating each Manager and its appropriate asset allocation. Absolute may direct a Manager to reduce or limit its investment in certain assets or asset classes in order to achieve the desired composition of the Fund’s portfolio. In a multi-manager structure, Absolute has the discretion to remove Managers and, subject to board approval, add Managers at any time. In a fund of funds structure, Absolute may purchase and sell shares of Underlying Funds at any time.
Absolute seeks diversified, risk-adjusted return for the Fund by selecting exposure to different investment guidelines and styles. Absolute or a Manager may tactically adjust the Fund’s asset mix to take advantage of temporary market conditions that may present opportunities. By allocating assets to one or more Managers or by investing the Fund’s
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assets in one or more Underlying Funds, the Adviser pursues exposure to one or more of the following investment strategies:
Opportunistic and Long-Biased Equity Strategies seek to capitalize on undervalued equity securities (common stock, preferred stock, convertible securities, warrants, rights and sponsored or unsponsored American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”)) or on positive market trends and, therefore, typically invests in a variety of securities markets, industries, company sizes, or geographical areas. Strategies may be managed for absolute return and typically utilize short sales, options and futures and forward contracts to implement selective hedging and manage risk exposure. Strategies may also focus on special situations or events, including distressed equities.
Long/Short Equity or Market Neutral Strategies attempt to neutralize exposure to general domestic market risk by primarily investing in common stocks that are undervalued and short selling stocks that are considered to be overvalued. Strategies may attempt to realize a valuation discrepancy in the relationship between multiple securities (relative value or value arbitrage), or may utilize quantitative factors to measure investment attractiveness among securities. Long/Short Equity includes the broad ability to invest in stocks both long and short. Long exposure to a security means the holder of the position owns the security and will profit if the price of the security increases. A short position generally involves the sale of a security that the Fund has borrowed (but does not own) with the expectation that the price of the security will decrease in value, enabling the Fund to repurchase the security later at the lower price. Longs and shorts may be directly related to one another or independent from each other. Equity Market Neutral is a strategy that commits to maintaining a certain balance of long and shorts. This could mean equal parts long and short to keep the net exposure at or near zero, or it could mean a slightly variable amount long and shorts to keep the strategy beta at zero.
Convertible Arbitrage Strategies seek to take advantage of the pricing inefficiencies of the embedded option in a convertible bond. Convertible arbitrage involves purchasing a portfolio of convertible securities, generally convertible bonds, and hedging a portion of the equity risk by selling short the underlying common stock. The Adviser typically utilizes futures, options and credit default swaps in order to seek to manage interest rate exposures and employ leverage to increase returns. Leverage means obtaining investment exposure in excess of the Fund’s net assets, which creates the potential for magnified gains or losses. See “Leverage Risk” below for more information about the risks of leverage.
Long/Short Hedged Equity Strategies invest in securities believed to be undervalued or offer high growth opportunities while also attempting to minimize overall market risk or take advantage of an anticipated decline in the price of an overvalued company or index by using short sales, futures or options. Strategies may use futures or options to hedge risk, increase or reduce the Fund's investment exposure or obtain leverage. Hedged Equity refers to a strategy that generally contains a number of long investments but also certain other securities (cash, shorts, derivatives) designed to mitigate a certain risk(s) embedded in those longs.
Fixed Income, Long/Short Credit and Distressed Debt Strategies invest primarily in debt securities of domestic and foreign governments, agencies, and companies of all maturities and qualities, including high yield “junk bonds”, bank loans and other defaulted debt securities, convertible bonds, preferred stock, Treasury Inflation Protected Securities (“TIPS”), and emerging market debt or exchange traded funds (“ETFs”) that invest in such securities. The Fund may invest in mortgage-backed securities, collateralized mortgage obligations, asset-backed securities and other mortgage related securities (“Mortgage Related Securities”). Certain Mortgage Related Securities in which the Fund invests may be rated below investment grade (i.e., junk bonds) or unrated. Indebtedness of borrowers whose creditworthiness is poor involves substantially greater risks and may be highly speculative.
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The Fund invests, long and short, in both short-term and long-term debt, and is not limited as to the maturities or quality of the corporate debt securities in which it invests. Strategies may utilize credit default swaps to create short positions when the Adviser or a Manager, as applicable, anticipates a decline in the price of an overvalued security. The Fund may also purchase credit default swaps to enhance total return and lower volatility and may utilize treasury futures to manage interest rate risk.
Strategies typically involve leverage and hedging through the use of ETFs, futures, credit default swaps, options on swaps, equities (and related equity options), total return swaps, short sales, or committed term reverse repurchase facilities, among other instrument types that the Adviser or a Manager, as applicable, believes may enhance total return. In connection with these strategies, the Fund may act as a buyer or seller of credit default swaps.
Non-Principal Strategies Pursuant to any of the above-described strategies, the Fund may trade frequently and may invest in a wide range of instruments, markets and asset classes in domestic and foreign markets. Investments generally include equity securities, fixed income securities and derivatives.
| · | The Fund may invest in equity securities of issuers of any market capitalization in the U.S. or abroad, including convertible, private placement/restricted, initial public offering (“IPOs”) and emerging market securities, with certain exposures to non-U.S. issuers obtained through investments in ADRs. The Fund invests in Underlying Funds sponsored by Absolute and managed by a Manager pursuant to the strategies described above. |
| · | The Fund may invest in fixed income securities of any credit quality and maturity, including those with fixed or variable terms and those of defaulted/distressed issuers and bank loans. These securities can be rated below investment grade (i.e., “junk bonds”) and thus rated below Baa3 by Moody’s, BBB- by S&P or BBB- by Fitch Ratings Ltd. or unrated and securities in default. |
| · | The Fund may invest in derivatives, which are financial instruments that have a value that depends upon, or is derived from, a reference asset, such as one or more underlying securities, pools of securities, options, futures, indexes or currencies. The most common types of derivatives in which the Fund may invest are forwards, options, futures and swaps contracts. The Fund’s forward contracts include forward currency contracts. The Fund’s swap agreements may include equity, interest rate, index, credit default and currency rate swap agreements. The Fund’s futures contracts may include futures on securities, commodities, and securities indices. The Fund’s options contracts may include options on securities, securities indices, commodities and futures. The Fund may purchase or write options. The Fund may invest in derivatives to hedge or reduce its exposure to a portfolio asset or risk, to obtain leverage for speculative purposes, to manage cash and/or as a substitute for taking a position in the reference asset or to gain exposure to certain asset classes, in which case the derivatives may have economic characteristics similar to those of the reference asset and the Fund’s investment in the derivatives may be applied toward meeting a requirement to invest a certain percentage of its net assets in instruments with such characteristics. Leverage generally involves the use of debt by the Fund to finance the purchase of investments and results in the Fund controlling substantially more assets than it has equity in an effort to increase returns. The Fund may also obtain leverage by investing an amount equivalent to short sale proceeds. |
Principal Investment Risks
The Fund’s net asset value (“NAV”) and investment return will fluctuate based upon changes in the value of its portfolio securities. You could lose money on your investment in the Fund, and the Fund could underperform other investments. There is no guarantee that the Fund will meet its investment objective. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.
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It is important that you closely review and understand the risks of investing in the Fund prior to making an investment in the Fund.
Multi-Manager Risk. The success of the Fund’s strategy depends on, among other things, Absolute’s skill in selecting Subadvisers and the Subadvisers’ skill in executing the relevant strategy. The Subadvisers’ strategies may be out of favor at any time. In addition, because the Subadvisers each make their trading decisions independently, it is possible that Subadvisers may purchase or sell the same security at the same time without aggregating their transactions. This may cause unnecessary brokerage and other expenses.
Value Investment Risk. The Fund’s investments in value securities are subject to the risk that they may remain undervalued for extended periods of time or never realize their full value. Different investment styles may shift in and out of favor, depending on market conditions and investor sentiment. The Fund’s value approach could cause it to underperform funds that use a growth or non-value approach to investing or have a broader investment style.
Short Selling Risk. If the Fund buys back a security it has sold short at a higher price, the Fund will incur a loss on the transaction. Because the loss on a short sale stems from increases in the value of the security sold short, the extent of such loss is theoretically unlimited. Short sales may decrease the liquidity of the Fund and may create leverage, which may cause relatively smaller adverse market movement to have a disproportionate impact on the Fund’s performance.
Equity Risk. Equity securities, which include common stocks, convertible securities, preferred stocks, warrants and sponsored and unsponsored ADRs may decline in value because of changes in the price of a particular holding or a broad stock market decline. Common stock ranks below preferred stock and debt securities in claims for dividends and for assets of the company in a liquidation or bankruptcy. The value of a security may decline for a number of reasons that directly relate to the issuer of a security or broader economic or market events including changes in interest rates.
Convertible Arbitrage Risk. Convertible arbitrage involves purchasing a portfolio of convertible securities, generally convertible bonds, and hedging all or a portion of the equity risk by selling short the underlying common stock. Employing arbitrage and alternative strategies involves the risk that anticipated opportunities may not play out as planned, resulting in potentially reduced returns or losses to the Fund as it unwinds failed trades. Convertible arbitrage is further subject to special risks, including the risk of default in interest or principal payments, which could result in a loss of income to the Fund, or a decline in the market value of the securities. Arbitrage strategies involve the risk that underlying relationships between securities in which investment positions are taken may change in an adverse or unanticipated manner.
Convertible Securities Risk. Convertible securities entail some of the risks of both equity and debt securities, such as credit risk, market events risk, and counterparty risk. While fixed-income securities generally have a priority claim on a corporation’s assets over that of common stock, some of the convertible securities which the Fund may hold are high-yield/high-risk securities that are subject to special risks, including the risk of default in interest or principal payments which could result in a loss of income from or a decline in the market value of, the securities. In addition, convertible securities often display a degree of market price volatility that is comparable to common stocks. The credit risk associated with convertible securities generally is reflected by their ratings by organizations such as Moody’s or S&P or a similar determination of creditworthiness by a Subadviser. The market value of convertible securities may change based on changes in the issuer’s credit rating or the market’s perception of the issuer’s creditworthiness. The value of convertible securities tends to decline as interest rates rise and, because of the conversion feature, tends to vary with fluctuations in the market value of the underlying securities.
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Contingent Convertible Securities Risk. In addition to the general risks associated with fixed-income securities and convertible securities, the risks of investing in contingent convertible securities (“CoCos”) include the risk that a CoCo may be written down, written off or converted into an equity security when the issuer’s capital ratio falls below a specified trigger level, or in a regulator’s discretion depending on the regulator’s judgment about the issuer’s solvency prospects. Due to these features, CoCos may have substantially greater risk than other securities in times of financial stress. If the trigger level is breached, the issuer’s decision to write down, write off or convert a CoCo may be outside its control, and the fund may suffer a complete loss on an investment in CoCos with no chance of recovery even if the issuer remains in existence.
Market Events Risk. Disruptive events with geopolitical consequences, including pandemics (such as COVID-19), may destabilize various countries’ economies and markets, which may experience increased volatility and reduced liquidity. Policy changes by the Federal Reserve and/or other government actors could similarly cause increased volatility in financial markets. Globally, various governments have taken steps to support liquidity in their local markets, including by purchasing certain securities in the markets. Such activity by governments has contributed to additional demand, which may have resulted in artificial increased prices for such securities. Trade barriers and other protectionist trade policies (including those in the U.S.) may also result in market turbulence. Market volatility and reductions in market liquidity may negatively affect issuers worldwide, including issuers in which the Fund invests. Under such circumstances, the Fund may have difficulty liquidating portfolio holdings, particularly at favorable prices. To the extent that the Fund experiences higher levels of redemptions, the Fund may be required to sell portfolio holdings, even during volatile market conditions, which may negatively impact the Fund’s net asset value.
Liquidity Risk. The Fund may not be able to dispose of restricted, thinly traded and/or illiquid instruments at an appropriate time or at a reasonable price, which may result in a loss to the Fund. Liquidity can decline unpredictably and investments that are illiquid are typically more difficult to value than investments with more active markets.
Management Risk. The Fund’s performance may deviate from overall market returns to a greater degree than other funds that do not employ an absolute return focus. Alternatively, if the Fund or a Subadviser takes a defensive posture by hedging its portfolio, then stock prices advance, the return to Fund investors may be lower than expected and lower than if the portfolio had not been hedged. Due to its active management, the Fund could underperform other funds with similar investment objectives.
Forward and Futures Contracts Risk. The primary risks associated with the use of forward and futures contracts are (i) the imperfect correlation between the price of the contract and the change in value of the underlying asset or index; (ii) possible lack of a liquid secondary market for a forward contract and the resulting inability to close such a contract when desired; (iii) losses caused by unanticipated market movements, which are potentially unlimited; (iv) the inability to predict correctly the direction of securities prices, interest rates, currency exchange rates, and other economic factors; (v) the possibility that the counterparty to a forward contract will default in the performance of its obligations; and (vi) if the Fund has insufficient cash, it may have to sell investments to meet daily variation margin requirements on a futures contract, and the Fund may also have to sell investments at a time when it may be disadvantageous to do so.
Options Risk. The price of an option, which is a function of interest rates, volatility, dividends, the exercise price, stock price and other market factors, may change rapidly over time. Price valuations or market movements may not justify purchasing options on individual securities, stock indexes or ETFs, or, if purchased, the options may expire unexercised, causing the Fund to lose the premium paid for the options. There may be an imperfect correlation between the prices of options and movements in the price of the securities (or indices) hedged or used for cover which may cause a given hedge not to achieve its objective. Over-the-counter options expose the Fund to counterparty risk.
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Fixed-Income Securities Risk. The Fund may invest in fixed-income (debt) securities, which are generally subject to the following risks:
Credit Risk. The financial condition of an issuer of a fixed-income security may cause the issuer to default. A decline in an issuer’s credit rating may cause a decrease in the value of the security and an increase in investment risk and price volatility.
Extension Risk. If interest rates rise, repayments of principal on certain fixed-income securities may occur at a slower-than-expected rate and, as a result, the expected maturity of such securities could lengthen which could cause their value to decline.
Interest Rate Risk. An increase in interest rates typically causes a decrease in the value of fixed-income securities in which the Fund may invest. Given that interest rates have been near historic lows, risks associated with rising rates may be heightened.
Prepayment Risk. Prepayment of fixed-income securities, which is more common when interest rates are declining, may shorten such securities’ maturity, reduce the Fund’s return and cause the Fund to reinvest in lower yielding securities.
Variable and Floating Interest Rate Risk. Variable and floating rate securities may produce a leveraging effect or provide interest payments that vary inversely with market rates. Variable and floating rate securities may decline in value if interest rates in general or interest rates paid by them do not move as expected. Floating and variable rate securities may be called or redeemed by the issuer prior to maturity, which may result in the Fund having to reinvest proceeds in other investments at a lower interest rate. The Fund may suffer a loss if there is no active secondary market for any particular floating or variable rate security.
Large Capitalization Company Risk. The Fund’s investments in large capitalization companies may underperform other segments of the market because they may be less responsive to competitive challenges and opportunities and unable to attain high growth rates during periods of economic expansion.
Small and Mid-Sized Capitalization Company Risk. Investments in small and mid-sized capitalization companies may be less liquid, and the prices of such securities may fluctuate more than those of larger, more established companies. These factors could adversely affect the Fund’s ability to sell such securities at a desirable time and price.
Sector Risk. The Fund may invest a higher percentage of its total assets in one or more sectors. Developments affecting those sectors should be expected to impact the Fund more than a fund that is more broadly diversified and/ or is not weighted in those sectors.
Commodities Risk. Exposure to the commodities markets may subject the Fund to greater volatility than investments in traditional securities. Commodities-related instruments are subject to substantial price fluctuations over short periods of time and may be affected by unpredictable economic, political and environmental events. Factors that may significantly affect the prices of commodities include, but are not limited to: global supply and demand; domestic and international interest rates and investors’ expectations of interest rates; inflation rates and investors’ expectations of inflation rates; the investment and trading activities of commodity futures contracts; political, economic, or financial events, both globally and regionally.
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Registered Investment Company and Exchange-Traded Funds Risk. The risks of investing in these securities typically reflect the risks of the types of instruments in which the investment companies or ETF invest. By investing in another investment company or ETF, the Fund becomes a shareholder of that investment company or ETF and bears its proportionate share of the fees and expenses of the other investment company or ETF. ETF shares trade in the secondary market and may be purchased by the Fund at a premium or discount to their NAV. When selling such securities, the Fund may not sell at the same premium or discount and may lose money on the premium or discount.
Derivatives Risk. Derivatives, such as options, futures, forwards and swaps, can be volatile, and a small investment in a derivative can have a large impact on the performance of the Fund as derivatives can result in losses in excess of the amount invested. Other risks of investments in derivatives include risks of default by the other party to the derivative transactions; risks that the transactions may result in losses that partially or completely offset gains in portfolio positions; and risks that the derivative transaction may not be liquid. The Fund’s use of derivatives may also expose the Fund to greater or different risks, including the following:
Correlation Risk is the risk of imperfect correlation between the value of these instruments and the underlying assets.
Hedging Risk is the risk that derivative instruments used to hedge against an opposite position may offset losses, but they also may offset gains. Hedges may not be perfect and typically involve expenses.
Volatility Risk is the risk that, because the Fund may use some derivatives that involve economic leverage, this economic leverage will increase the volatility of a derivative instrument, as they may increase or decrease in value more quickly than the reference asset.
Money Market Risk. Although a money market fund is designed to be a relatively low risk investment, it is not free of risk. Despite the short maturities and high credit quality of a money market fund’s investments, increases in interest rates and deteriorations in the credit quality of the instruments the money market fund has purchased may reduce the money market fund’s yield and can cause the price of a money market security to decrease. In addition, a money market fund is subject to the risk that the value of an investment may be eroded over time by inflation.
Cash and Cash Equivalents Holdings Risk. To the extent the Fund holds cash and cash equivalents positions, even strategically, the Fund risks achieving lower returns and potential lost opportunities to participate in market appreciation, which could negatively impact the Fund’s performance and ability to achieve its investment objective. This is particularly true when the market for other investments in which the Fund may invest is rapidly rising.
Foreign Investments Risk. The value of foreign investments may be affected by risks in addition to those affecting domestic investments, including the imposition of new, amended, or limited government regulations, changes in diplomatic relations between the U.S. and another country, political and economic instability, less favorable economic conditions, the imposition or tightening of exchange controls, trade barriers and other protectionist trade policies (including those in the U.S.), or other limitations on repatriation of foreign capital or nationalization and/or increased taxation or confiscation of investors’ assets. Investments in securities of foreign issuers are subject to fluctuations in the value of the issuer’s local currency relative to the U.S dollar and may be subject to foreign withholding and other taxes.
Leverage Risk. Certain transactions, such as those involving futures contracts, selling securities short, swap contracts, reverse repurchase agreements, dollar rolls, loans of portfolio securities, and the use of when-issued,
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delayed delivery or forward commitment transactions, may give rise to leverage, causing the Fund to be more volatile than if it had not been leveraged.
ADR Risk. The Fund may invest in ADRs. ADR risks include, but are not limited to, foreign investment risks, such as political and financial instability, less liquidity, lack of uniform accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards and increased price volatility. In addition, ADRs may not track the price of the underlying foreign securities, and their value may change materially at times when U.S. markets are not open for trading. Unsponsored ADRs may involve additional risks, and their prices may be more volatile than the prices of sponsored ADRs.
Preferred Stock Risk. Preferred stock is a class of a capital stock that typically pays dividends at a specified rate. Preferred stock is generally senior to common stock, but subordinate to debt securities, with respect to the payment of dividends and on liquidation of the issuer. The market value of preferred stock generally decreases when interest rates rise and is also affected by the issuer’s ability to make payments on the preferred stock.
Restricted Securities Risk. Rule 144A securities are restricted securities and may be less liquid investments because such securities may not be readily marketable in broad public markets. The Fund may not be able to sell the restricted security when Absolute considers it desirable to do so and/or may have to sell the security at a lower price. A restricted security that was liquid when purchased may subsequently become illiquid. In addition, transaction costs may be higher for Rule 144A securities than for more liquid securities.
Rights and Warrants Risk. Rights and warrants may be considered more speculative than certain other types of investments in that they do not entitle a holder to dividends or voting rights with respect to the underlying securities that may be purchased nor do they represent any rights in the assets of the issuing company. Also, the value of a right or warrant does not necessarily change with the value of the underlying securities and a right or warrant ceases to have value if it is not exercised prior to the expiration date. If a right or warrant held by the Fund is not exercised by the date of its expiration, the Fund would lose the entire purchase price of the right or warrant. The market for warrants and rights may be very limited and there may at times not be a liquid secondary market for warrants and rights.
Counterparty Risk. The Fund may enter into financial instruments or transactions with a counterparty. A counterparty may become bankrupt or otherwise fail to perform its obligations due to financial difficulties, jeopardizing the value of the Fund’s investment.
Swap Contract Risk. The use of swaps involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio security transactions. In addition, each swap exposes the Fund to counterparty risk when a counterparty to a financial instrument entered into by the Fund may become bankrupt or otherwise fails to perform its obligations due to financial difficulties. As a result, the Fund may experience delays in or be prevented from obtaining payments owed to it pursuant to a swap contract.
Fund of Funds Risk. The Fund, as a shareholder of the Underlying Funds, indirectly bears its proportionate share of any investment management fees and other expenses of the Underlying Funds. Further, due to the fees and expenses paid by the Fund, as well as small variations in the Fund’s actual allocations to the Underlying Funds and any derivatives and cash held in the Fund’s portfolio, the performance and income distributions of the Fund will not be the same as the performance and income distributions of the Underlying Funds.
Affiliated Portfolio Risk. In managing the Fund, the Adviser will have authority to select and substitute Underlying Funds in which the Fund invests. The Adviser is subject to potential conflicts of interest in selecting Underlying Funds because the fees paid to the Adviser by some Underlying Funds for its advisory services are higher than the fees
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paid by other Underlying Funds. However, the Adviser has contractually agreed to waive its investment advisory fees related to any Fund assets invested in Underlying Funds sponsored by the Adviser.
Performance Information
The bar chart and table that follow provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the performance of the Institutional Shares’ of the Fund from year to year and by showing how the Fund’s average annual returns compare with those of a broad measure of market performance. Updated performance information is available at www.absoluteadvisers.com or by calling (888) 99-ABSOLUTE or (888) 992-2765 (toll free).
Performance information (before and after taxes) represents only past performance and does not necessarily indicate future results.
Annual Returns as of December 31
Institutional Shares
The calendar year-to-date total return as of June 30, 2022 was 7.16%.
During the period shown, the highest return for a quarter was 4.75% for the quarter ended December 31, 2018, and the lowest return was -6.30% for the quarter ended December 31, 2021.
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Average Annual Total Returns
(For the periods ended December 31, 2021)
| 1 Year | 5 Year | 10 Year | |
| Institutional Shares - Return Before Taxes(1) | -13.90% | -4.90% | -2.34% |
| Institutional Shares - Return After Taxes on Distributions | -14.69% | -5.08% | -3.01% |
| Institutional Shares - Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares | -8.09% | -3.69% | -1.76% |
|
S&P 500® Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes) |
28.71 % | 18.47% | 16.55% |
|
Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes) |
-1.54% | 3.57% | 2.90% |
|
HFRX Global Hedge Fund Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes) |
3.65% | 3.52% | 2.58% |
|
MSCI World Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes) |
21.82% | 15.03% | 12.70% |
| (1) | Effective August 1, 2018, Class R shares were converted, without any fee, load, or charge to shareholders, to shares of the Fund’s Institutional Class. |
S&P 500® Index is a broad-based, unmanaged measure of changes in stock market conditions based on the average performance of stocks of 500 large U.S. companies.
Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index is a broad-based market-value-weighted benchmark that measures the performance of the investment grade, U.S. dollar-denominated, fixed-rate taxable bond market. Sectors in the index include Treasuries, government-related and corporate securities, and mortgage backed securities.
HFRX Global Hedge Fund Index is designed to be representative of the overall composition of the hedge fund universe. It is comprised of all eligible hedge fund strategies, including but not limited to convertible arbitrage, distressed securities, equity hedge, equity market neutral, event driven, macro, merger arbitrage, and relative value arbitrage.
MSCI World® Index is an unmanaged index that is designed to capture large and mid cap representation across 23 developed market countries, including securities listed on exchanges in the U.S., Europe, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Israel and the Far East.
After-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown. After-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-advantaged arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts.
The return after taxes on distributions and sale of Fund shares may exceed the return before taxes due to an assumed tax benefit from any losses on a sale of Fund shares at the end of the measurement period.
| 11 |
ABSOLUTE STRATEGIES FUND
Management
Investment Adviser. Absolute Investment Advisers LLC is the Fund’s investment adviser.
Portfolio Manager. Mr. Jay Compson, Principal of Absolute, is the portfolio manager of the Fund. Mr. Compson has managed the Fund since its commencement in July 2005.
Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares
You may purchase or sell (redeem) shares of the Fund on any day that the New York Stock Exchange (the “NYSE”) is open for business. You may purchase or redeem shares directly from the Fund by calling (888) 99-ABSOLUTE or (888) 992-2765 (toll free) or writing to the Fund at Absolute Strategies Fund, P.O. Box 588, Portland, Maine 04112. You also may purchase or redeem shares of the Fund through your financial intermediary. The Fund accepts investments in the following minimum amounts:
| Minimum
Initial Investment(1)(2) |
Minimum Additional Investment(1)(2) | |
| Standard Accounts | $25,000 | None |
| Retirement Accounts | $25,000 | None |
| (1) | If you invest through a broker or other financial intermediary, the policies and fees of the intermediary may be different than the policies and fees of the Fund. Among other things, such financial intermediaries may charge transaction fees and may set different minimum investments or limitations on buying (selling) Fund shares. You should consult your broker or other representative of your financial intermediary for more information. |
| (2) | No initial or subsequent investment minimums for accounts maintained by financial institutions for the benefit of their clients who purchase shares through investment programs such as (1) fee-based advisory programs; (2) employee benefit plans like 401(k) retirement plans; (3) mutual fund platforms; and (4) consulting firms. No initial or subsequent investment minimum for Trustees or officers of the Trust, directors, officers and employees of Absolute, employees of Subadvisers, and employees and affiliates of the Fund, or the distributor or any of their affiliates, or the spouse, sibling, direct ancestor, or direct descendent (collectively, “relatives”) of any such person, any trust or individual retirement account or self-employed retirement plan for the benefit of any such person or relative; or the estate of any such person or relative. |
If deemed appropriate by the Trust officers, the Fund reserves the right to waive minimum investment amounts.
Tax Information
Shareholders may receive distributions from the Fund, which may be taxed to shareholders other than tax-advantaged investors (such as tax-advantaged retirement plans and accounts) as ordinary income, capital gains, or some combination of both. If you are investing through a tax-advantaged account, you may still be subject to taxation at ordinary income tax rates upon withdrawals from that account.
| 12 |
ABSOLUTE STRATEGIES FUND
Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries
If you purchase shares of the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Fund and its related companies may pay the intermediary for the sale of Fund shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.
| 13 |
ABSOLUTE STRATEGIES FUND
INSTITUTIONAL SHARES
Annual and Semi-Annual Reports
Additional information about the Fund’s investments
is available in the Fund’s annual and semi-annual reports to
shareholders. In the Fund’s annual report, you will find a discussion of the market conditions and investment strategies
that significantly affected the Fund’s performance during its last fiscal year.
Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”)
The SAI provides additional information about the
Fund and is incorporated by reference into, and is legally part of, this
Prospectus.
Contacting the Fund
You may obtain free copies of the annual and semi-annual
reports and the SAI, request other information and discuss
your questions about the Fund by contacting the Fund at:
Absolute Strategies Fund
P.O. Box 588
Portland, Maine 04112
(888) 99-ABSOLUTE or
(888) 992-2765 (toll free)
The Fund’s Prospectus, SAI and annual and
semi-annual reports are available, without charge, on Absolute’s website
at: www.absoluteadvisers.com.
Securities and Exchange Commission Information
Fund information, including copies of the annual
and semi-annual reports and the SAI, is available on the SEC’s
EDGAR database website at www.sec.gov.
You may also obtain copies of this information, for a duplication fee, by sending an email request to publicinfo@sec.gov.
| Distributor | ||
|
Foreside Fund Services, LLC Three Canal Plaza, Suite 100 | ||
| Portland, Maine 04101 | ||
| www.foreside.com | ||
| 212-SPRU1S-0822 | ||
| Investment Company Act File No. 811-03023 |