* This Trustee is considered to be an “interested person” of the MainStay Group of Funds, which consists of the Trust, MainStay Funds Trust, MainStay VP Funds Trust and MainStay DefinedTerm Municipal Opportunities Fund, within the meaning of the 1940 Act because of her affiliation with New York Life Insurance Company, New York Life Investment Management LLC, Candriam Belgium, Candriam France S.A.S., Cornerstone Capital Management Holdings LLC, MacKay Shields LLC, NYL Investors LLC, NYLIFE Securities LLC and/or NYLIFE Distributors LLC, as described in detail above in the column entitled “Principal Occupation(s) During Past Five Years.”

Independent Trustee NOMINEES

**       Includes prior service as a Director of MainStay VP Series Fund, Inc., the predecessor to MainStay VP Funds Trust.

***       Includes prior service as a Director/Trustee of certain predecessor entities to MainStay Funds Trust.

Qualifications of Nominees

In concluding that the Nominees should serve as Trustees, the Board took into account, in addition to the information provided in the table above and among other things, each Nominee’s specific experience, qualifications, attributes, or skills as summarized below.

Ms. Hung. Ms. Hung has been a Trustee since January 2017. She has been the Chief Executive Officer of New York Life Investment Management Holdings LLC and New York Life Investment Management LLC (“NYLIM”), New York Life’s global multi-boutique third party asset management business since May 2015. She has been a Senior Vice President of New York Life since 2010 and was appointed to New York Life's Executive Management Committee effective January 1, 2017. Under her leadership, NYLIM was the primary driver of the investment management division’s growth in earnings and nearly threefold increase in third party assets under management to $280 billion as of November 30, 2016. Ms. Hung was previously Co-President of NYLIM and Chairman of NYLIM International, where she broadened the firm’s fixed income, equity and alternative capabilities and global boutique presence organically and through acquisition, most recently with the addition of two internationally based boutiques – Candriam Investors Group and Ausbil – along with IndexIQ, a leading alternatives and strategic beta ETF provider. She also led the firm’s successful expansion into Europe, Asia and Australia. Ms. Hung joined the firm in 2010 with more than 25 years of industry experience, most recently from Bridgewater Associates and prior to that, Morgan Stanley Investment Management, where she was on the Management Committee and led a number of efforts including its strategic acquisition activities as well as its private equity and hedge fund businesses. She started her career in investment banking with Morgan Stanley, with a focus on real estate. Ms. Hung earned her bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Northwestern University and an MBA from Harvard University.

Mr. Chow. Mr. Chow has served as a Trustee since January 2016 and as an Advisory Board Member of the Trust from June 2015 to December 2015. Mr. Chow has served as the Chairman of the Risk and Compliance Committee since January 2017. He is founder and CEO of DanCourt Management, LLC, a Registered Investment Advisor since 2012 and a strategy consultancy since 1999. Mr. Chow has over 25 years of experience in the investment management industry including 15 years as general partner of institutional private equity funds. He has served as independent Chairman of the VanEck Vectors ETF Trust since 2008 and as a trustee since 2006. Since 2009, he has served as a trustee of Berea College and is the Vice-Chairman of the Investment Committee. From 2008 to 2015, he served as a board member and Chairman of the Audit Committee of Forward Management, LLC, an investment management firm specializing in alternative strategies. Mr. Chow has served on the Governing Council of the IDC since 2012. He has been a CFA Charterholder since 1989, is a former President, and has served on the board, of the CFA Society of Stamford since 2009.

Ms. Kerley. Ms. Kerley has served as a Trustee or Director of one or more of the registrants of the MainStay Group of Funds or a predecessor since 1990, including serving as the Chairman of the Board since January 2017 and as the Chairman of the Contracts Committee of each registrant from 2013 until 2016. She had previously served as Chairman of the Board of each registrant through 2012. Ms. Kerley also has served as a trustee of another large mutual fund complex since 1991. She has been President of Strategic Management Advisors LLC, an investment consulting firm, since 1990. Ms. Kerley has over 25 years of experience in the investment management industry. She was, until September 2014, a member of the Board of Governors and the Executive Committee of the Investment Company Institute, the national association of U.S. investment companies (“ICI”), and the Chair of the Governing Council of the Independent Directors Council (“IDC”). She served as the Chair of the IDC Task Force on Derivatives in 2008.

Mr. Latshaw. Mr. Latshaw has served as a Trustee or Director and Audit Committee Financial Expert (“ACFE”) of one or more registrants in the MainStay Group of Funds or a predecessor since 2007. Prior to becoming a Trustee of The MainStay Funds, Mr. Latshaw served as a consultant to the Audit and Compliance Committee of its Board of Trustees from 2004 through 2006. Mr. Latshaw also has served as a trustee of another mutual fund complex since 2005. Mr. Latshaw has over 20 years of accounting experience, and has spent the majority of his career focusing on accounting and audit issues related to mutual funds. Mr. Latshaw was a member of the Investment Companies Committee (“ICC”) of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, and served as its chairman from 1997-2001. As part of his chairmanship of the ICC, Mr. Latshaw assisted 63 with the development of accounting standards and practices applicable to mutual funds, many of which were the predecessors to generally accepted accounting principles codified by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) in 2009.

Mr. Meenan. Mr. Meenan has served as a Trustee or Director of one or more of the registrants of the MainStay Group of Funds or a predecessor since 2002, including serving as the Chairman of the Contracts Committee since January 2017 and as Chairman of the Board from 2013 through 2016. He has over 40 years of experience in the mutual fund industry, including experience in senior legal and senior executive business capacities. Mr. Meenan has served as the general counsel of several major investment advisory firms and as a senior executive with responsibility for domestic and international mutual fund products and businesses at major financial institutions. Mr. Meenan previously has served as a member of the boards of several mutual fund families, including four years’ experience as a chairman. He served as the Chair of the IDC Task Force on Director Self-Evaluation.

Mr. Nolan. Mr. Nolan has served as a Trustee or Director of one or more of the registrants of the MainStay Group of Funds or a predecessor since 2006. Mr. Nolan has more than 25 years of experience as a senior executive and investment manager of both equity and fixed income portfolios for institutional and individual clients, including the management of employee benefit and retirement assets. He also served as a director and later treasurer of the New York Institute of Podiatric Medicine, during which time he was responsible, among other duties, for the management of the Institute’s portfolio of investments.

Mr. Perold. Mr. Perold has served as a Trustee since January 2016 and as an Advisory Board Member of the Trust from June 2015 to December 2015. Mr. Perold spent the majority of his career at Fidelity Investments and Geode Capital Management, from 1986 until 2014. Mr. Perold was president of Fidelity Management and Research Co., the investment advisor for Fidelity’s family of mutual funds, a position he held from 2009 until his retirement from Fidelity in 2014. He was, until May of 2014, a member of the Board of Governors and the Executive Committee of the ICI. Mr. Perold has more than 25 years of experience as a senior executive and investment manager of equity and alternative investments for institutional and mutual fund portfolios, with roles in trading, research and portfolio management. Mr. Perold has served as a member of the Board of Directors of MSCI Inc. since 2017 and of the Allstate Corporation since December 2015. He has also served as a member of Boston University’s Investment Committee since 2008 and is a Trustee of the University.

Mr. Trutanic. Mr. Trutanic has served as a Trustee or Director of one or more of the registrants of the MainStay Group of Funds or a predecessor since 1994, including serving as the Chairman of the Nominating and Governance Committee since January 2017, and previously serving as the Chairman of the Alternative and Closed-End Funds Oversight Committee and as the Chairman of the Brokerage and Expense Committee of The MainStay Funds. Currently, Mr. Trutanic is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Somerset & Company, a private investment and advisory firm focused primarily on private equity and alternative investments for institutional clients and high net worth families. He has over 30 years of investment management experience with several institutional investment firms, including the management of public and private equity investments, with a particular focus on international and alternative investments. Prior to his investment management experience, Mr. Trutanic was a lawyer in private practice focusing on securities law.

OFFICERS OF THE TRUST (WHO ARE NOT TRUSTEES)*

Ownership of Securities

As of August 1, 2017, the dollar range of equity securities owned beneficially by each Nominee in the Trust and in any registered investment company overseen by the Nominee within the same family of investment companies as the Trust was as follows:

Interested Trustee NOMINEE

Independent Trustee NOMINEES

As of August 1, 2017, the Trustees and officers of the MainStay Group of Funds as a group owned less than 1% of the outstanding shares of any class of common stock of each of the funds in the fund complex, except that they owned 4.9% of Class I shares of MainStay Moderate Allocation Fund.

Compensation

The following Compensation Table reflects the compensation received by certain Trustees for the year ended October 31, 2016, from the Fund Complex. The Fund Complex consists of the Trust, MainStay Funds Trust, MainStay VP Funds Trust and MainStay DefinedTerm Municipal Opportunities Fund. Prior to January 1, 2017, the Independent Trustees received from the Fund Complex, either directly or indirectly, an annual retainer of $185,000; a fee of $15,000 for each regular Board meeting and associated Committee meeting attended; and fees of $7,500 per day for other in-person Board meetings, $2,500 per day if a Trustee attended a regular in-person meeting telephonically, and $7,500 per day if a Trustee attended an in-person Board meeting that is not regularly scheduled telephonically. Trustees also were reimbursed for all out-of-pocket expenses related to attendance at Board and Committee meetings. The Chairman of the Board was also paid an annual fee of $80,000 and the Chairmen of each Committee (except the Valuation Committee) each received an annual fee of $20,000. For the fiscal year ended October 31, 2016, Mr. Meenan was Chairman of the Risk and Compliance Oversight Committee but did not receive any compensation for this role. Effective January 1, 2017, the Independent Trustees’ compensation arrangement changed in several ways. The Independent Trustees receive from the Fund Complex, either directly or indirectly, an annual retainer of $205,000. The Chairmen of the Committees no longer receive an annual fee. In addition, the annual fee paid to the Chairman of the Board was reduced to $60,000. All other elements of the compensation structure remained the same. Each fund in the Fund Complex pays a pro-rata share of these fees based on its net assets relative to the other funds in the Fund Complex as of the end of the relevant fiscal year.

COMPENSATION TABLE

Board Structure and Leadership

The Board oversees the business and affairs of the Trust, including oversight of key service providers to the Trust, including the Manager and subadvisors. The Board holds regularly scheduled in person meetings on a quarterly basis and other special in person and telephonic meetings on an as needed basis.

The Board has elected an Independent Trustee to serve as its Chairman. The Chairman is responsible for setting the agendas of all regular and special Board meetings, assists in identifying the information to be presented to the Board with respect to matters to be acted upon by the Board, and presides over all Board meetings. In between meetings, the Chairman is responsible for communicating with other Trustees, Trust officers, and personnel of the Manager and other service providers as necessary to enable the Board to carry out its primary responsibility of overseeing the Trust and its operations.

As discussed further below, the Board has established various Committees through which the Trustees focus on matters relating to particular aspects of the Trust’s operations, such as valuation of portfolio holdings, investments, risk oversight and compliance, fund fees and expenses and financial reporting. The Trustees periodically review the effectiveness of the Committee structure and each Committee’s responsibilities and membership.

The Trustees believe that the Board’s leadership and committee structure is appropriate in light of the nature and size of the Trust because, among other things, it fosters strong communication between the Board, its individual members, the Manager and other service providers, allocates responsibilities among the Committees and permits Committee members to focus on particular areas involving the Funds. In addition, the Committees support and promote the Independent Trustees in their oversight of all aspects of the Trust’s operations and their independent review of proposals made by the Manager.

Risk Oversight

While responsibility for day-to-day risk management relating to the Funds and their operations resides with the Manager, subadvisors or other service providers (subject to the supervision of the Manager), the Board actively performs a risk oversight function, both directly and through its Committees, as described below. The Board and its Committees exercise this function through regular and ad hoc Board and Committee meetings during which the Board and its Committees meet with representatives of the Manager, the subadvisors, and other key service providers. In addition, the Board has established a Risk and Compliance Oversight Committee that has the responsibility of coordinating the Board’s oversight of the implementation of the risk management and compliance programs of, and related to, the Trust. The Audit Committee also meets regularly with the Funds’ independent registered public accounting firm and Principal Financial and Accounting Officer to discuss internal controls and financial reporting matters, among other things. The Board and Committees regularly require senior management of the Manager and senior officers of the Trust to report to the Board and the Committees on a variety of risk areas relating to the Trust, including, but not limited to, investment/portfolio risks (e.g., performance, compliance, counterparty, credit, liquidity and valuation risks) and operational/enterprise risks (e.g., financial, reputational, compliance, litigation, personnel and business continuity risks), as well as more general business risks. The Board reviews, on an ongoing basis, the funds’ performance, operations and investment practices. The Board also conducts reviews of the Manager in its role in managing the Trust’s operations. In addition, the Board has engaged counsel to the Independent Trustees and consults with such counsel both during and between meetings of the Board and the Committees.

The Board and the Risk and Compliance Oversight Committee also meet regularly with the Trust’s Chief Compliance Officer (“CCO”), who reports directly to the Board. The CCO has responsibility for testing the compliance procedures of the Trust and its service providers. The CCO regularly discusses issues related to compliance and provides a quarterly report to the Board regarding the Trust’s compliance program. In order to maintain a robust risk management and compliance program for the Trust, the Board and the Risk and Compliance Oversight Committee also regularly review and approve, as necessary, the Trust’s compliance policies and procedures and updates to these procedures, as well as review and approve the compliance policies and procedures of certain of the Trust’s service providers to the extent that those policies and procedures relate to the operations of the funds. In addition to the meetings with various parties to oversee the risk management of the Trust, the Board and its Committees also receive regular written reports from these and other parties which assist the Board and the Committees in exercising their risk oversight function.

The Board also benefits from other risk management resources and functions within the Manager’s organization, such as the Manager’s risk management personnel and the internal auditor of the Manager’s parent company. For example, the Board and the Risk and Compliance Oversight Committee meet periodically with the Manager’s risk management personnel, including the Manager’s Chief Risk Officer (“CRO”). The CRO is responsible for overseeing the measurement and monitoring of operational risks across the Manager’s enterprise. In addition, the Board benefits from the work of the Manager’s Risk Management Committee, which is comprised of senior personnel of the Manager and seeks to identify and address material risks within the Manager’s businesses across its multi-boutique structure. The Board recognizes that it is not possible to identify all of the risks that may affect the Trust or to develop processes and controls to mitigate or eliminate all risks and their possible effects, and that it may be necessary to bear certain risks (such as investment risks) to achieve the funds’ investment objectives. The Board may, at any time and in its discretion, change the manner in which it conducts risk oversight.

Board Committees

Trustees. The committees of the Board include the Audit Committee, the Contracts Committee, the Investment Committee, the Nominating and Governance Committee and the Risk and Compliance Oversight Committee. The Funds also have established a Valuation Committee and Valuation Subcommittee, which may include members who are not Trustees.

Audit Committee. The purposes of the Audit Committee, which meets at least twice annually, are to oversee the Funds’ processes for accounting, auditing, financial reporting, and related internal controls and compliance with applicable laws and regulations. The members of the Audit Committee include Alan R. Latshaw (Chairman), David H. Chow and Susan B. Kerley. The Audit Committee held 11 meetings during the fiscal year ended October 31, 2016.

Contracts Committee. The purposes of the Contracts Committee are to assist the Board in overseeing contracts to which the Funds are, or are proposed to be, parties and to ensure that the interests of the Funds and their shareholders are served by the terms of these contracts. The Committee will oversee the process of evaluating new contracts, reviewing existing contracts on a periodic basis and may, at its discretion or at the request of the Board, make recommendations to the Board with respect to any contracts affecting the Funds. The members of the Contracts Committee include Peter Meenan (Chairman), David H. Chow, Susan B. Kerley, Alan R. Latshaw, Richard H. Nolan, Jr., Jacques P. Perold and Richard S. Trutanic. The Contracts Committee held 5 meetings during the fiscal year ended October 31, 2016.

Investment Committee. The purposes of the Investment Committee are to assist the Board in overseeing the portfolio management, performance and brokerage practices relating to the Funds and to consider any proposals that the Manager may make from time to time concerning the Funds. The members of the Investment Committee include Richard H. Nolan, Jr. (Chairman), David H. Chow, Susan B. Kerley, Alan R. Latshaw, Peter Meenan, Jacques P. Perold and Richard S. Trutanic. The Investment Committee held 5 meetings during the fiscal year ended October 31, 2016.

Nominating and Governance Committee. The purposes of the Nominating and Governance Committee are to: (1) make recommendations to the Board with respect to the effectiveness of the Board in carrying out its responsibilities in governing the Trust and overseeing the management of the Trust; (2) make recommendations to the Board regarding (a) its size, structure and composition; (b) qualifications for Board membership; and (c) compensation for Trustees; (3) identify and recommend qualified individuals for Board membership and for the chairmanship of the Board; (4) make recommendations to the Board with respect to the Board's committee structure, committee membership and chairmanship; and (5) oversee the self-assessment of the Board, its committees and its members. The members of the Nominating and Governance Committee include Richard S. Trutanic (Chairman), David H. Chow, Susan B. Kerley, Alan R. Latshaw, Peter Meenan, Richard H. Nolan, Jr. and Jacques P. Perold. The Nominating and Governance Committee held 4 meetings during the fiscal year ended October 31, 2016.

The Nominating and Governance Committee has adopted Policies for Consideration of Trustee candidates (the “Candidate Policy”), formal policies on the consideration of Trustee candidates, including nominees recommended by shareholders. The Nominating and Governance Committee may solicit suggestions for nominations from any source, which it deems appropriate, including independent consultants engaged specifically for such a purpose.

Shareholders or shareholder groups submitting candidates to the Nominating and Governance Committee must show that the candidate satisfies the Nominating and Governance Committee qualifications for submission, at the time of submitting the candidate to the attention of the Trust’s Secretary, who will provide all qualified submissions to the Nominating and Governance Committee. This submission to the Secretary of the Trust must include: (a) contact information for the nominating shareholder or shareholder group; (b) a certification from the nominating shareholder or shareholder group which provides the number of shares which the person or group has: (i) sole power to vote or direct the vote; (ii) shared power to vote or direct the vote; (iii) sole power to dispose or direct the disposition of such shares; and (iv) shared power to dispose or direct the disposition of such shares and (v) held the shares continuously for at least two years as of the date of the nomination; (c) the candidate's contact information and the number of applicable Fund shares owned by the candidate; (d) all information regarding the candidate that would be required to be disclosed in solicitations of proxies for elections of directors required by Regulation 14A under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended; and (e) a notarized letter executed by the candidate, stating his or her intention to serve as a candidate and be named in the Trust’s proxy statement, if so designated by the Nominating and Governance Committee and the Trust’s Board. It shall be in the Nominating and Governance Committee's sole discretion whether to seek corrections of a deficient submission or to exclude a candidate from consideration.

Risk and Compliance Oversight Committee. The purpose of the Risk and Compliance Oversight Committee is to assist the Board in overseeing the policies, procedures, practices and systems relating to identifying and managing the various risks and compliance matters that are or may be applicable to the Trust. The Risk and Compliance Oversight Committee serves as the primary link between significant areas of risk management and compliance that may affect the Funds, their investment adviser and investment subadvisors, and other service providers to the Trust. The Risk and Compliance Oversight Committee also oversees the implementation of the Trust’s proxy voting policies and procedures. The Risk and Compliance Oversight Committee shall recognize the risk and compliance oversight roles of other committees of the Board, and shall defer to such other committees with respect to compliance or risk oversight matters that relate specifically to the purposes or responsibilities of such other committees.

The Risk and Compliance Oversight Committee shall not assume any day-to-day compliance or risk management functions or activities. The Funds' investment adviser, investment subadvisors, and other service providers (“Fund management”) are responsible for the day-to-day implementation, maintenance, and administration of the compliance policies and procedures of the Funds that are required to be reasonably designed to ensure compliance by the Funds and their primary service providers with applicable federal securities laws. The Funds’ CCO shall oversee Fund management’s execution of its aforementioned compliance responsibilities. Fund management is responsible for the day-to-day implementation, maintenance, and administration of policies, procedures, systems and practices designed to identify, monitor, and control risks to which the Funds are or may be exposed. The Chief Risk Officer of the Manager shall oversee Fund management’s execution of its aforementioned risk management responsibilities. The members of the Risk and Compliance Oversight Committee include: David H. Chow (Chairman), Susan B. Kerley, Alan R. Latshaw, Peter Meenan, Richard H. Nolan, Jr., Jacques P. Perold and Richard S. Trutanic. The Risk and Compliance Oversight Committee held 4 meetings during the fiscal year ended October 31, 2016.

Valuation Committee. The purposes of the Valuation Committee are to oversee the implementation of the Trust’s valuation procedures and to make fair value determinations on behalf of the Board as specified in such valuation procedures. The members of the Valuation Committee include: Christopher Feind (Chairman), Jack R. Benintende, Kevin M. Bopp (non-voting member), David H. Chow, J. Kevin Gao, Dale A. Hanley, Ping Jiang, Susan B. Kerley, Alan R. Latshaw, Peter Meenan, Richard H. Nolan, Jr., Jacques P. Perold and Richard S. Trutanic. The Valuation Committee meets as often as necessary to ensure that each action taken by the Valuation Subcommittee is reviewed within a calendar quarter of such action. The Valuation Committee held 4 meetings during the fiscal year ended October 31, 2016.

Valuation Subcommittee. The purposes of the Valuation Subcommittee, which meets on an as needed basis, are to establish prices of securities for which market quotations are not readily available or the prices of which are not often readily determinable pursuant to the Trust’s valuation procedures. Meetings may be held in person or by telephone conference call. The Subcommittee may also take action via electronic mail in lieu of a meeting pursuant to the guidelines set forth in the valuation procedures. The members of the Valuation Subcommittee include: Jack R. Benintende, Kevin M. Bopp (non-voting member), Christopher Feind, J. Kevin Gao, Thomas J. Girard, Dale A. Hanley, Amaury Rzad and Ping Jiang. The Valuation Subcommittee held 132 meetings during the fiscal year ended October 31, 2016.

It is expected that the compensation structure for the Trustees will not change as a result of the approval of the Proposal.

It is expected that the Board will meet at least quarterly at regularly scheduled meetings. During the fiscal year ended October 31, 2016, the Board met 5 times. Each current Trustee attended at least 75% of the meetings of the Board held during the last fiscal year, including the meetings of the Board’s standing Committees on which such Trustee was a member. The Trust does not hold annual meetings, and therefore, the Board does not have a policy with regard to Board member attendance at such meetings.

Shareholder Approval

The Nominees for election to the Board at the Special Meeting will be elected by a plurality of the total votes cast at the Special Meeting by the holders of shares present in person or by proxy and entitled to vote on such action. This Proposal applies on a Trust-wide basis, and all Funds and classes thereof will vote together on this Proposal.

BOARD RECOMMENDATION

THE BOARD UNANIMOUSLY RECOMMENDS A VOTE ‘‘FOR’’ THE ELECTION OF EACH OF THE NOMINEES TO THE BOARD OF THE TRUST

VOTING INFORMATION

This Proxy Statement is being provided in connection with the solicitation of proxies by the Board to solicit your vote for the Proposal at the Special Meeting, which will be held on October 23, 2017, at 10:00 a.m. Eastern time, at the offices of New York Life Investments, 51 Madison Avenue, New York, New York 10010.

You may vote in one of four ways:

Please note, to vote via the Internet or telephone, you will need the “control number” that appears on your proxy card. Not all voting options may be available to you. Please see your proxy card for more details.

You may revoke a proxy once it is given by submitting a later-dated proxy or a written notice of revocation to the Funds within the voting period. You may also give written notice of revocation in person at the Special Meeting. All properly executed proxies received in time for the Special Meeting will be voted as specified in the proxy, or, if no specification is made, FOR the Proposal.

Only shareholders of the Funds as of the close of business on the Record Date are entitled to receive notice of and to vote at the Special Meeting. Each share held as of the close of business on the Record Date is entitled to one vote. The presence in person or by proxy of the holders of the majority of outstanding shares of a Fund on the Record Date shall constitute a quorum for the conduct of all business.

When a quorum is present, the Nominees for election to the Board at the Special Meeting will be elected by a plurality of the total votes cast at the Special Meeting by the holders of shares present in person or by proxy and entitled to vote on such action. A “plurality” means that Nominees who receive the largest number of votes cast (even if they receive less than a majority) will be elected as Trustees. Since the Nominees are running unopposed, each Nominee only needs one vote to be elected if there is a quorum present at the Special Meeting. This Proposal applies on a Trust-wide basis, and all Funds and classes thereof will vote together on this Proposal.

The Special Meeting may be adjourned from time to time by vote of a majority of the shares represented at the Special Meeting in person or by proxy, whether or not a quorum is present, and the Special Meeting may be held as adjourned within a reasonable time after the original date set for the Special Meeting without further notice. The persons named as proxies will vote those shares that they are entitled to vote in favor of adjournment if adjournment is necessary to obtain a quorum or to obtain a favorable vote on any proposal. Business may be conducted once a quorum is present and may continue until adjournment of the Special Meeting. If the Special Meeting is adjourned to another time or place, notice need not be given of the adjourned Special Meeting at which the adjournment is taken, unless a new record date of the adjourned Special Meeting is fixed. At any adjourned Special Meeting, the Trust may transact any business which might have been transacted at the original Special Meeting. Although it is not expected that the Funds will receive abstentions and “broker non-votes” (i.e., shares held by brokers or nominees, typically in “street name,” as to which (i) instructions have not been received from the beneficial owners or persons entitled to vote and (ii) the broker or nominee does not have discretionary voting power on a particular matter), abstentions and broker non-votes will be treated as present for purposes of determining a quorum. In addition, under the rules of the New York Stock Exchange, if a broker has not received instructions from beneficial owners or persons entitled to vote and the proposal to be voted upon may “affect substantially” a shareholder’s rights or privileges, the broker may not vote the shares as to that proposal even if it has discretionary voting power. As a result, these shares also will be treated as broker non-votes for purposes of proposals that may “affect substantially” a shareholder’s rights or privileges (but will not be treated as broker non-votes for other proposals, including adjournment of the Special Meeting).

Abstentions and broker non-votes have no effect on the Proposal.

The individuals named as proxies on the enclosed proxy card will vote in accordance with the shareholder’s direction, as indicated thereon, if the proxy card is received and is properly executed. If a shareholder properly executes a proxy and gives no voting instructions with respect to the Proposal, the shares will be voted in favor of the Proposal.

The Board knows of no matters other than those described in this Proxy Statement that will be brought before the Special Meeting. If, however, any other matters properly come before the Special Meeting, it is the Board’s intention that proxies will be voted on such matters based on the judgment of the persons named in the enclosed form of proxy. The proxies, in their discretion, may vote upon such other matters as may properly come before the Special Meeting.

Solicitation Expenses and Other Expenses Related to the Special Meeting. 100% of the direct expenses relating to the Special Meeting, including the preparation, distribution, solicitation, and tabulation of the proxy and costs related to the necessary prospectus supplements, will be borne by the Funds. The proxy costs are estimated to be between $1 million and $1.2 million. The Trust has retained Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. to provide proxy solicitation services in connection with the Special Meeting. Proxies will be solicited via regular mail and also may be solicited via telephone, e-mail or other personal contact by personnel of New York Life Investments, a Fund, their respective affiliates, or, in New York Life Investments’ discretion Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. or another, a commercial firm retained for this purpose.

The Funds will reimburse upon request persons holding shares as nominees for their reasonable expenses in sending soliciting material to their principals.

OTHER INFORMATION

Ownership of Shares

The shareholders that owned of record or beneficially five percent or more of a class of any Fund’s outstanding shares as of the Record Date can be found in Exhibit A.

Principal Accountant Fees and Services

More information regarding the principal accountant services provided to the Trust and resulting fees paid by the Trust can be found in Exhibit B.

Annual Meetings and Shareholder Meetings

The Funds normally do not hold meetings of shareholders except as required under the 1940 Act and applicable laws. Any shareholder proposal for a shareholder meeting must be presented to a Fund within a reasonable time before proxy materials for the next meeting are sent to shareholders. Because the Funds do not hold regular shareholder meetings, no anticipated date of the next meeting can be provided.

Householding

Unless you have instructed a Fund not to, only one copy of this proxy solicitation may be mailed to multiple Fund shareholders of record who share a mailing address (a “Household”). If you need additional copies of this proxy solicitation, please contact your participating broker-dealer firm or other financial intermediary or, if you hold Fund shares directly with the Fund, you may write to the Fund at MainStay Investments, 30 Hudson Street, Jersey City, New Jersey 07302 or by calling toll-free 800-MAINSTAY (624-6782). If you do not want the mailing of your proxy solicitation materials to be combined with those of other members of your Household in the future, or if you are receiving multiple copies and would rather receive just one copy for your Household, please contact your participating broker-dealer firm or other financial intermediary or, if you hold Fund shares directly with a Fund, you may write to the Fund at MainStay Investments, 30 Hudson Street, Jersey City, New Jersey 07302 or by calling toll-free 800-MAINSTAY (624-6782).

Shareholder Reports

The Funds will furnish without charge, upon request, a printed version of the most recent Annual/Semiannual Reports to shareholders. To obtain information, or for shareholder inquiries, call toll-free 800-MAINSTAY (624-6782), visit our website at mainstayinvestments.com, or write to NYLIFE Distributors LLC, Attn: MainStay Marketing Dept., 30 Hudson Street, Jersey City, New Jersey 07302.

Distributor

NYLIFE Distributors LLC, 30 Hudson Street, Jersey City, New Jersey 07302, a limited liability company organized under the laws of Delaware, serves as each Fund’s principal underwriter and distributor for the Fund's shares pursuant to an Amended and Restated Distribution Agreement dated August 1, 2014.

Administrator

Pursuant to the Management Agreement with regard to each Fund, New York Life Investments, subject to the supervision of the Board, and in conformity with the stated policies of the Fund, administers each Fund's business affairs.

Exhibit A