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TOEWS HEDGED INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPED MARKETS FUND

Ticker Symbol: THIDX


TOEWS HEDGED EMERGING MARKETS FUND

Ticker Symbol: THEMX


TOEWS HEDGED HIGH YIELD BOND FUND

Ticker Symbol: THHYX


TOEWS HEDGED LARGE-CAP FUND

Ticker Symbol: THLGX


TOEWS HEDGED SMALL & MID-CAP FUND

Ticker Symbol: THSMX


TOEWS HEDGED GROWTH ALLOCATION FUND

Ticker Symbol: THGWX


TOEWS UNCONSTRAINED INCOME FUND

Ticker Symbol: TUIFX



PROSPECTUS   

August 28, 2013


Advised by:

Toews Corporation

Cornerstone Commerce Center

1201 New Road, Suite 111

Linwood, NJ  08221



www.ToewsCorp.com

1-877-558-6397


This Prospectus provides important information about the Fund that you should know before investing. Please read it carefully and keep it for future reference.  These securities have not been approved or disapproved by the Securities and Exchange Commission nor has the Securities and Exchange Commission passed upon the accuracy or adequacy of this Prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense .








TABLE OF CONTENTS

FUND SUMMARY: TOEWS HEDGED INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPED MARKETS FUND

1

FUND SUMMARY: TOEWS HEDGED EMERGING MARKETS FUND

5

FUND SUMMARY: TOEWS HEDGED HIGH YIELD BOND FUND

9

FUND SUMMARY: TOEWS HEDGED LARGE-CAP FUND

13

FUND SUMMARY: TOEWS HEDGED SMALL & MID CAP FUND

16

FUND SUMMARY: TOEWS HEDGED GROWTH ALLOCATION FUND

20

FUND SUMMARY: TOEWS UNCONSTRAINED INCOME FUND

25

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES AND RELATED RISKS

29

Investment Objectives

29

Principal Investment Strategies

29

Common Investment Strategies

35

Temporary Investments

38

Principal Investment Risks

38

Portfolio Holdings Disclosure

43

MANAGEMENT OF THE FUNDS

44

Investment Adviser

44

Portfolio Managers

44

NET ASSET VALUE

45

HOW TO PURCHASE SHARES

46

REDEMPTIONS

47

EXCHANGES

49

TAX STATUS, DIVIDENDS AND DISTRIBUTIONS

50

MARKET TIMING

51

DISTRIBUTION OF SHARES

51

FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS

53

Privacy Notice

59










FUND SUMMARY: TOEWS HEDGED INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPED MARKETS FUND


Investment Objectives:  The Fund seeks to provide long-term growth of capital.  A secondary objective of the Fund is to limit risk during unfavorable market conditions.


Fees and Expenses of the Fund:  This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund.


Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment)

 

Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price)

None

Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of redemption proceeds)

None

Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Reinvested Dividends and Other Distributions

None

Redemption Fee (as a percentage of amount redeemed )

None

Annual Fund Operating Expenses
(expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)

 

Management Fees

1.00%

Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees

0.00%

Other Expenses

0.57%

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

1.57%

Fee Waiver and/or Reimbursement (1)

(0.32)%

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Reimbursement

1.25%

(1) The Fund's adviser has contractually agreed to reduce its fees and/or absorb expenses of the Fund, until at least August 31, 2014, to ensure that Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Reimbursement (exclusive of any taxes, , brokerage fees and commissions, borrowing costs (such as interest and dividend expense on securities sold short.  Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses or extraordinary expenses such as litigation) will not exceed 1.25%; subject to possible recoupment from the Fund in future years on a rolling three year basis (within the three years after the fees have been waived or reimbursed), if such recoupment can be achieved within the foregoing expense limits.  This agreement may be terminated only by the Fund's Board of Trustees, on 60 days’ written notice to the adviser.


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 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 be higher or lower, based upon these assumptions your costs would be:


1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

$127

$464

$825

$1,840


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 period, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 140% of the average value of its portfolio.


Principal Investment Strategies:  The Fund's adviser seeks to achieve the Fund's investment objectives by investing primarily in (1) exchanged traded funds ("ETFs"), (2) derivative instruments, (3) fixed-income securities, (4) common stock, (5) cash equivalents (each issued by or primarily linked to "developed market" issuers outside the U.S.), (6) other fixed-income securities and (7) cash equivalents (of U.S. issuers).  The Fund defines non-U.S. developed markets as those countries included in the MSCI EAFE Index (the "EAFE Index").  As of November 2009, the EAFE Index countries are: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.  The Fund defines non-U.S. developed market underlying funds as those that invest primarily in securities of and/or derivatives linked to securities of issuers in EAFE Index countries.  Similarly, the Fund defines non-U.S. developed market derivatives as those linked to securities of issuers in EAFE Index countries.




1






The adviser employs what it defines as a "hedging" strategy by investing in a combination of securities and derivatives that it believes will produce economic exposure along a continuum similar to that of the securities in the EAFE Index.  The Fund's level of economic exposure will range from 0% to 125% of the Adviser's expected total return of the EAFE Index.  The adviser may also use a "representative sampling" indexing strategy to manage the Fund.  This indexing strategy involves investing in a representative sample of securities that collectively has an investment profile similar to that of the EAFE Index.  


Generally, the adviser does not attempt to evaluate individual securities.  The adviser uses technical analysis, including monitoring price movements and momentum, of developed international markets in an effort to identify the proper weighting of the Fund's portfolio.  The adviser buys and sells securities and derivatives to increase or decrease the Fund's exposure to the EAFE Index.  The adviser's decision to buy or sell a Fund holding will be made based on current market conditions and the adviser's determination of the appropriate exposure level to the Index. The Fund's adviser may engage in active and frequent trading of the Fund's portfolio securities and derivatives to achieve the Fund's investment objective.


Principal Risks: As with all mutual funds, there is the risk that you could lose money through your investment in the Fund.  Many factors affect the Fund's net asset value and performance.


·

Derivative Risk: The Fund may execute an investment strategy or hedge by entering into derivative contracts such as futures and swaps, which can be riskier than traditional investments because they involve leverage, may be illiquid, may suffer counterparty default and may limit gains.

·

ETF Risk:  ETFs are subject to investment advisory and other expenses, which will be indirectly paid by the Fund.  As a result, your cost of investing in the Fund will be higher than the cost of investing directly in ETFs and may be higher than other mutual funds that invest directly in securities.  Each ETF is subject to specific risks, depending on its investments.

·

Foreign Risk:  The Fund could be subject to greater risks because the Fund's performance may depend on issues other than the performance of a particular company or U.S. market sector.  Changes in foreign economies and political climates are more likely to affect the Fund than a mutual fund that invests exclusively in U.S. companies.  The value of foreign securities is also affected by the value of the local currency relative to the U.S. dollar.

·

Hedging Risk:  When the adviser believes market conditions are unfavorable, the adviser may attempt to "hedge" with defensive positions and strategies including holding substantial positions in foreign or domestic fixed-income securities and/or cash equivalents, which may limit potential gains when compared to unhedged funds.

·

Issuer Risk:  Fund value might decrease in response to the activities and financial prospects of an individual company or issuer in the Fund's portfolio.  The value of an individual issuer can be more volatile than the market as a whole and can perform differently from the value of the market as a whole.  The value of certain types of companies or issuers can be more volatile due to increased sensitivity to adverse issuer, political, regulatory, market, or economic developments.

·

Management Risk:  The ability of the Fund to meet its investment objective is directly related to the adviser's investment model.  The adviser's assessment of the attractiveness and potential appreciation of particular investments or markets in which the Fund invests may prove to be incorrect and there is no guarantee that the adviser's investment strategy will produce the desired results.  

·

Market Risk:  Stock prices can fall rapidly in response to developments affecting a specific company or industry, or to changing economic, political or market conditions.

·

Non-Diversified Risk:  As a non-diversified fund, the Fund's portfolio may at times focus on a limited number of investments and will be subject to substantially more investment risk and potential for volatility than a diversified fund.  The Fund's share price could fall if the Fund is heavily invested in a particular security and the price of that security falls.

·

Portfolio Turnover Risk:  Portfolio turnover results in higher brokerage commissions, dealer mark-ups and other transaction costs and may result in taxable capital gains. Higher costs associated with increased portfolio turnover may offset gains in the Fund's performance.



2






Performance : The bar chart and performance table below show the variability of the Fund’s returns, which is some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund.  The bar chart shows performance of the Fund’s shares for each full calendar year since the Fund’s inception.  The performance table compares the performance of the Fund’s shares over time to the performance of a broad-based securities market index.  You should be aware that the Fund's past performance (before and after taxes) may not be an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future. Updated performance information is available at no cost by calling 1-877-558-6397.

Performance Bar Chart

Calendar Years Ended December 31


[CHART002.GIF]


Best Quarter:

3 rd Quarter 2012

6.37%

Worst Quarter:

4 th Quarter 2011

(16.74)%


The total return for Fund shares from January 1, 2013 to June 30, 2013 was 4.31%.


Performance Table

Average Annual Total Returns

(For periods ended December 31, 2012)



One Year

Since

Inception

of the Fund

(6-4-10)

Return before taxes

8.71%

(5.17)%

Return after taxes on distributions

8.71%

(5.56)%

Return after taxes on distributions and sale of Fund shares

5.66%

(4.53)%

MSCI EAFE Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expense or taxes)

17.32%

10.16%


After-tax returns are calculated using the highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rate and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on a shareholder’s tax situation and may differ from those shown. The after-tax returns are not relevant if you hold your Fund shares in tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts (“IRA”).  


The MSCI EAFE Index (Europe, Australasia, Far East) is a free float adjusted market capitalization index that is designed to measure the equity market performance of developed markets, excluding the US & Canada. The MSCI EAFE Index consists of the following 22 developed market country indices: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. Investors cannot invest directly in an index or benchmark.




3






Adviser:   Toews Corporation is the Fund's investment adviser.  


Portfolio Managers:  Phillip Toews, President, and Randall Schroeder, Chief Operating Officer of the adviser, serve as the Fund's Co-Portfolio Managers and are primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund.  They have each served the Fund in this capacity since the Fund commenced operations in 2010.


Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares:   The minimum initial investment to open any type of account is $10,000.  The minimum subsequent investment is $100 for all accounts.  You may purchase and redeem shares of the Fund on any day that the New York Stock Exchange is open.  Redemptions requests may be made in writing, by telephone, on the Fund's website, or through a financial intermediary and will be paid by check or wire transfer. 


Tax Information:   Dividends and capital gain distributions you receive from the Fund, whether you reinvest your distributions in additional Fund shares or receive them in cash, are taxable to you at either ordinary income or capital gains tax rates unless you are investing through a tax-free plan.


Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries:   If you purchase 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.



4






FUND SUMMARY: TOEWS HEDGED EMERGING MARKETS FUND


Investment Objectives:   The Fund seeks to provide long-term growth of capital.  A secondary objective of the Fund is to limit risk during unfavorable market conditions.  


Fees and Expenses of the Fund:  This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund.


Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment)

 

Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price)

None

Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of redemption proceeds)

None

Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Reinvested Dividends and Other Distributions

None

Redemption Fee (as a percentage of amount redeemed )

None

Annual Fund Operating Expenses
(expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)

 

Management Fees

1.25%

Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees

0.00%

Other Expenses

0.99%

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

2.24%

Fee Waiver and/or Reimbursement (1)

(0.74)%

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Reimbursement

1.50%

(1) The Fund's adviser has contractually agreed to reduce its fees and/or absorb expenses of the Fund, until at least August 31, 2014, to ensure that Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Reimbursement (exclusive of any taxes,  brokerage commissions, borrowing costs (such as interest and dividend expense on securities sold short).  Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses or extraordinary expenses such as litigation) will not exceed 1.50%; subject to possible recoupment from the Fund in future years on a rolling three year basis (within the three years after the fees have been waived or reimbursed), if such recoupment can be achieved within the foregoing expense limits.  This agreement may be terminated only by the Fund's Board of Trustees, on 60 days’ written notice to the adviser.


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 redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods.  The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year, you reinvest all dividends and capital gains distributions and that the Fund's operating expenses remain the same (except for waivers during the first year).  Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, your costs would be:


1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

$153

$629

$1,132

$2,517


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 114% of the average value of its portfolio.


Principal Investment Strategies:  The Fund's adviser seeks to achieve the Fund's investment objective by investing primarily in: (1) exchange traded funds ("ETFs"), (2) derivative instruments, (3) fixed income securities, (4) common stock, (5) cash equivalents (each issued by or primarily linked to "emerging market" issuers outside the U.S.), (6) fixed income securities and (7) cash equivalents (of U.S. Issuers).  The Fund defines emerging markets as those countries included in the MSCI Emerging Markets Index (the "EM Index"). As of November 2009, the EM Index countries are: Brazil, Chile, China, Colombia, Czech Republic, Egypt, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Israel, Malaysia, Mexico, Morocco, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Russia, South Africa, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and Turkey.  The Fund defines non-U.S. emerging market ETFs as those that invest primarily in securities of and/or derivatives linked to securities of issuers in EM Index countries. Similarly, the Fund defines non-U.S. emerging market derivatives as those linked to securities of issuers in EM Index countries.



5






The adviser employs what it defines as a "hedging" strategy by investing in a combination of securities and derivatives that it believes will produce economic exposure along a continuum similar to that of the securities in the EM Index.  The Fund's level of economic exposure will range from 0% to 125% of the adviser's expected total return of the EM Index.  The adviser also may use a "representative sampling" indexing strategy to manage the Fund.  This indexing strategy involves investing in a representative sample of securities that collectively has an investment profile similar to the EM Index.


Generally, the adviser does not attempt to evaluate individual securities.  The adviser uses technical analysis of emerging markets.  The adviser monitors, including monitoring price movements and momentum, of emerging markets in an effort to identify the proper weighting of the Fund's portfolio.  The adviser buys and sells securities and derivatives to increase or decrease the Fund's exposure to the EM Index.  The adviser's decision to buy or sell a Fund holding will be made based on current market conditions and the adviser's determination of the appropriate exposure level to the Index. The Fund's adviser may engage in active and frequent trading of the Fund's portfolio securities and derivatives to achieve the Fund's investment objective.


Principal Risks: As with all mutual funds, there is the risk that you could lose money through your investment in the Fund.  Many factors affect the Fund's net asset value and performance.


·

Derivatives Risk:   The Fund may execute an investment strategy or hedge by entering into derivative contracts such as futures and swaps, which can be riskier than traditional investments because they involve leverage, may be illiquid, may suffer counterparty default and may limit gains.

·

Emerging Markets Risk:    In addition to the risks generally associated with investing in securities of foreign companies, countries with emerging markets also may have relatively unstable governments, social and legal systems that do not protect shareholders, economies based on only a few industries, and securities markets that trade a small number of issues.  In addition, emerging securities markets may have different clearance and settlement procedures, which may be unable to keep pace with the volume of securities transactions or otherwise make it difficult to engage in such transactions.

·

ETF Risk:  ETFs are subject to investment advisory and other expenses, which will be indirectly paid by the Fund.  As a result, your cost of investing in the Fund will be higher than the cost of investing directly in ETFs and may be higher than other mutual funds that invest directly in securities.  Each ETF is subject to specific risks, depending on its investments.

·

Foreign Risk:  The Fund could be subject to greater risks because the Fund's performance may depend on issues other than the performance of a particular company or U.S. market sector.  Changes in foreign economies and political climates are more likely to affect the Fund than a mutual fund that invests exclusively in U.S. companies.  The value of foreign securities is also affected by the value of the local currency relative to the U.S. dollar.  These risks are generally greater in emerging foreign markets than in established foreign markets.

·

Hedging Risk:  When the adviser believes market conditions are unfavorable, the adviser may attempt to "hedge" with defensive positions and strategies including holding substantial positions in foreign or domestic fixed-income securities and/or cash equivalents, which may limit potential gains when compared to unhedged funds.

·

Issuer Risk:  Fund value might decrease in response to the activities and financial prospects of an individual company or issuer in the Fund's portfolio.  The value of an individual issuer can be more volatile than the market as a whole and can perform differently from the value of the market as a whole.  The value of certain types of companies or issuers can be more volatile due to increased sensitivity to adverse issuer, political, regulatory, market, or economic developments.

·

Management Risk:  The ability of the Fund to meet its investment objective is directly related to the adviser's investment model.  The adviser's assessment of the attractiveness and potential appreciation of particular investments or markets in which the Fund invests may prove to be incorrect and there is no guarantee that the adviser's investment strategy will produce the desired results.  

·

Market Risk:  Stock prices can fall rapidly in response to developments affecting a specific company or industry, or to changing economic, political or market conditions.

·

Non-Diversified Risk:  As a non-diversified fund, the Fund's portfolio may at times focus on a limited number of investments and will be subject to substantially more investment risk and potential for volatility than a diversified fund.  The Fund's share price could fall if the Fund is heavily invested in a particular security and the price of that security falls.

·

Portfolio Turnover Risk:  Portfolio turnover results in higher brokerage commissions, dealer mark-ups and other transaction costs and may result in taxable capital gains. Higher costs associated with increased portfolio turnover may offset gains in the Fund's performance.



6






Performance : The bar chart and performance table below show the variability of the Fund’s returns, which is some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund.  The bar chart shows performance of the Fund’s shares for each full calendar year since the Fund’s inception.  The performance table compares the performance of the Fund’s shares over time to the performance of a broad-based securities market index.  You should be aware that the Fund's past performance (before and after taxes) may not be an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future. Updated performance information is available at no cost by calling 1-877-558-6397.

Performance Bar Chart

Calendar Years Ended December 31


[CHART004.GIF]


Best Quarter:

3 rd Quarter 2010

11.52%

Worst Quarter:

3 rd Quarter 2011

(16.77)%


The total return for Fund shares from January 1, 2013 to June 30, 2013 was (9.09)%.


Performance Table

Average Annual Total Returns

(For periods ended December 31, 2012)



One Year

Since

Inception

of the Fund

(5-19-09)

Return before taxes

10.32%

(1.69)%

Return after taxes on distributions

10.32%

(3.39)%

Return after taxes on distributions and sale of Fund shares

6.71%

(2.25)%

MSCI Emerging Markets Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes)

18.22%

14.30%


After-tax returns are calculated using the highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rate and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on a shareholder’s tax situation and may differ from those shown. The after-tax returns are not relevant if you hold your Fund shares in tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts (“IRA”).  


The MSCI Emerging Markets Index is a free float-adjusted market capitalization index that is designed to measure equity market performance in the global emerging markets.  MSCI Emerging Markets Index returns assume reinvestment of dividends.  Investors may not invest in the MSCI Emerging Markets Index directly.



7






Adviser:   Toews Corporation is the Fund's investment adviser.  


Portfolio Managers: Mr. Phillip Toews, President, and Mr. Randall Schroeder, Chief Operating Officer of the adviser, serve as the Fund's Co-Portfolio Managers and are primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund.  Mr. Toews served as the Fund's portfolio manager since its inception and Mr. Schroeder became Co-Portfolio manager in 2010.


Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares:   The minimum initial investment to open any type of account is $10,000.  The minimum subsequent investment is $100 for all accounts.  You may purchase and redeem shares of the Fund on any day that the New York Stock Exchange is open.  Redemptions requests may be made in writing, by telephone, on the Fund's website, or through a financial intermediary and will be paid by check or wire transfer.   


Tax Information:   Dividends and capital gain distributions you receive from the Fund, whether you reinvest your distributions in additional Fund shares or receive them in cash, are taxable to you at either ordinary income or capital gains tax rates unless you are investing through a tax-free plan.


Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries:  If you purchase 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.



8






FUND SUMMARY: TOEWS HEDGED HIGH YIELD BOND FUND


Investment Objectives:  The Fund seeks to provide a high level of current income.  A secondary objective of the Fund is to limit risk during unfavorable market conditions.

 

Fees and Expenses of the Fund: This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund.


Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment)

 

Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price)

None

Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of redemption proceeds)

None

Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Reinvested Dividends and Other Distributions

None

Redemption Fee (as a percentage of amount redeemed )

None

Annual Fund Operating Expenses
(expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)

 

Management Fees

1.00%

Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees

0.00%

Other Expenses

0.44%

Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses (1)

0.54%

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

1.98%

Fee Waiver and/or Reimbursement (2)

(0.19)%

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Reimbursement (2)

1.79%

(1)

Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses are the indirect costs of investing in other investment companies.  The operating expenses in this fee table will not correlate to the expense ratio in the Fund's financial highlights because the financial statements include only the direct operating expenses incurred by the Fund.

(2)   The Fund's adviser has contractually agreed to reduce its fees and/or absorb expenses of the Fund, until at least August 31, 2014, to ensure that Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Reimbursement (exclusive of any taxes,  brokerage commissions, borrowing costs (such as interest and dividend expense on securities sold short), Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses or extraordinary expenses such as litigation) will not exceed 1.25%; subject to possible recoupment from the Fund in future years on a rolling three year basis (within the three years after the fees have been waived or reimbursed), if such recoupment can be achieved within the foregoing expense limits.  This agreement may be terminated only by the Fund's Board of Trustees, on 60 days’ written notice to the adviser.


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 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 be higher or lower, based upon these assumptions your costs would be:


1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

$182

$603

$1,050

$2,291


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 period, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 232% of the average value of its portfolio.



9






Principal Investment Strategies:   The Fund's adviser seeks to achieve the Fund's investment objectives by investing primarily in (1) exchange traded funds ("ETFs") and open-end investment companies ("Underlying Funds") that primarily invest in or are otherwise exposed to domestic and foreign high-yield debt instruments; (2) derivative instruments, including credit default swaps; (3) other U.S. or foreign fixed-income securities of any rating and (4) U.S. or foreign cash equivalents. The Fund defines high-yield debt instruments as corporate bonds or other bonds or debt instruments that are generally rated lower than Baa3 by Moody's Investors Service, Inc. ("Moody's") or lower than BBB- by S&P (below investment grade).  Up to 100% of the Fund's assets may be invested in instruments generally rated below Caa3 by Moody's or CCC- by S&P or derivatives of such instruments.  The Fund may invest in high yield bonds directly or through derivative instruments designed to replicate some or all of the features of an underlying portfolio of high yield bonds, such as credit default swaps.  Credit default swaps ("CDS") are typically two-party financial contracts that transfer credit exposure between the two parties.  Under a typical CDS, one party (the "seller") receives pre-determined periodic payments from the other party (the "buyer").  The seller agrees to make compensating specific payments to the buyer if a negative credit event occurs, such as the bankruptcy or default by the issuer of the underlying debt instrument.


The adviser employs what it defines as a "hedging" strategy by investing in a combination of securities and derivatives that it believes will produce economic exposure along a continuum similar to that of the securities in the high-yield bond market generally.  The Fund's level of economic exposure will range from 0% to 125% of the adviser's expected total return of the high-yield bond market.  The adviser may also use a "representative sampling" strategy to manage the Fund.  This strategy involves investing in a representative sample of securities that collectively has an investment profile similar to that of the high-yield bond market as a whole.  


Generally, the adviser does not attempt to evaluate individual securities.  The adviser uses technical analysis, including monitoring price movements and momentum, of high-yield bond markets in an effort to identify the proper weighting of the Fund's portfolio.  The adviser buys and sells securities and derivatives to increase or decrease the Fund's exposure to the high-yield bond market.  The adviser's decision to buy or sell a Fund holding will be made based on current market conditions and the adviser's determination of the appropriate exposure level to the high-yield bond market. The Fund's adviser may engage in active and frequent trading of the Fund's portfolio securities and derivatives to achieve the Fund's investment objective.


Principal Risks: As with all mutual funds, there is the risk that you could lose money through your investment in the Fund.  Many factors affect the Fund's net asset value and performance.


·

Below-Investment Grade Securities Risk:   High-yield, high-risk securities, commonly called "junk bonds," are considered speculative. While generally providing greater income than investments in higher-quality securities, these lower-quality securities will involve greater risk of principal and income that higher-quality securities, including the possibility of default or bankruptcy of the issuers of the security.  Like other fixed-income securities, the value of high-yield securities will also fluctuate as interest rates change.

·

Credit Risk:  Issuers of fixed-income securities may default on interest and principal payments due to the Fund. Generally, securities with lower debt ratings have speculative characteristics and have greater risk the issuer will default on its obligation.  For high-yield bonds, changes in economic conditions or other circumstances are more likely to lead to a weakened capacity of those issuers to make principal or interest payments, as compared to issuers of more highly-rated securities.  These securities can also be thinly traded or have restrictions on resale, making them difficult to sell at an acceptable price.

·

Derivatives Risk:   The Fund may execute an investment strategy or hedge by entering into derivative contracts such as futures and credit default swaps, which can be riskier than traditional investments because they involve leverage, may be illiquid, may suffer counterparty default and may limit gains.

·

ETF and Underlying Fund Risk:  ETFs and Underlying Funds are subject to investment advisory and other expenses, which will be indirectly paid by the Fund.  As a result, your cost of investing in the Fund will be higher than the cost of investing directly in ETFs and may be higher than other mutual funds that invest directly in securities.  Each ETF is subject to specific risks, depending on its investments.

·

Foreign Risk:  The Fund could be subject to greater risks because the Fund's performance may depend on issues other than the performance of a particular company or U.S. market sector.  Changes in foreign economies and political climates are more likely to affect the Fund than a mutual fund that invests exclusively in U.S. companies.  The value of foreign securities is also affected by the value of the local currency relative to the U.S. dollar.

·

Hedging Risk:  When the adviser believes market conditions are unfavorable, the adviser may attempt to "hedge" with defensive positions and strategies including holding substantial positions in foreign or domestic fixed-income securities and/or cash equivalents, which may limit potential gains when compared to unhedged funds.



10






·

Interest Rate Risk:   When the Fund invests in bonds or in underlying funds that own bonds, the value of your investment in the Fund will fluctuate with changes in interest rates.  Typically, a rise in interest rates causes a decline in the value of bond funds owned by the Fund. In general, the market price of debt securities with longer maturities will increase or decrease more in response to changes in interest rates than shorter-term securities.

·

Issuer Risk:  Fund value might decrease in response to the activities and financial prospects of an individual company or issuer in the Fund's portfolio.  The value of an individual issuer can be more volatile than the market as a whole and can perform differently from the value of the market as a whole.  The value of certain types of companies or issuers can be more volatile due to increased sensitivity to adverse issuer, political, regulatory, market, or economic developments.

·

Management Risk:  The ability of the Fund to meet its investment objective is directly related to the adviser's investment model.  The adviser's assessment of the attractiveness and potential appreciation of particular investments or markets in which the Fund invests may prove to be incorrect and there is no guarantee that the adviser's investment strategy will produce the desired results.  

·

Market Risk:  Stock prices can fall rapidly in response to developments affecting a specific company or industry, or to changing economic, political or market conditions.

·

Non-Diversified Risk:   As a non-diversified fund, the Fund's portfolio may at times focus on a limited number of investments and will be subject to substantially more investment risk and potential for volatility than a diversified fund.  The Fund's share price could fall if the Fund is heavily invested in a particular security and the price of that security falls.

·

Portfolio Turnover Risk:  Portfolio turnover results in higher brokerage commissions, dealer mark-ups and other transaction costs and may result in taxable capital gains. Higher costs associated with increased portfolio turnover may offset gains in the Fund's performance.


Performance : The bar chart and performance table below show the variability of the Fund’s returns, which is some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund.  The bar chart shows performance of the Fund’s shares for each full calendar year since the Fund’s inception.  The performance table compares the performance of the Fund’s shares over time to the performance of a broad-based securities market index.  You should be aware that the Fund's past performance (before and after taxes) may not be an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future. Updated performance information is available at no cost by calling 1-877-558-6397.

Performance Bar Chart

Calendar Years Ended December 31


[CHART006.GIF]


Best Quarter:

3 rd Quarter 2012

4.76%

Worst Quarter:

3 rd Quarter 2011

(2.44)%


The total return for Fund shares from January 1, 2013 to June 30, 2013 was 3.34%.



11






Performance Table

Average Annual Total Returns

(For periods ended December 31, 2012)



One Year

Since

Inception

of the Fund

(6-4-10)

Return before taxes

12.30%

9.04%

Return after taxes on distributions

9.66%

6.93%

Return after taxes on distributions and sale of Fund shares

7.98%

6.49%

BofA Merrill Lynch High Yield Cash Pay Index  (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes)

15.43%

11.93%


After-tax returns are calculated using the highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rate and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on a shareholder’s tax situation and may differ from those shown. The after-tax returns are not relevant if you hold your Fund shares in tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts (“IRA”).  


The BofA Merrill Lynch High Yield Cash Pay Index is an unmanaged index used as a general measure of market performance consisting of fixed rate, coupon-bearing bonds with an outstanding par which is greater than or equal to $50 million, a maturity range greater than or equal to one year and must be less than BBB/Baa3 rated but not in default. Investors cannot invest directly in an index or benchmark.


Adviser:   Toews Corporation is the Fund's investment adviser.


Portfolio Managers:  Phillip Toews, President, and Randall Schroeder, Chief Operating Officer of the adviser, serve as the Fund's Co-Portfolio Managers and are primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund.  They have each served the Fund in this capacity since the Fund commenced operations in 2010.


Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares:   The minimum initial investment to open any type of account is $10,000.  The minimum subsequent investment is $100 for all accounts.  You may purchase and redeem shares of the Fund on any day that the New York Stock Exchange is open.  Redemptions requests may be made in writing, by telephone, on the Fund's website, or through a financial intermediary and will be paid by check or wire transfer.


Tax Information:   Dividends and capital gain distributions you receive from the Fund, whether you reinvest your distributions in additional Fund shares or receive them in cash, are taxable to you at either ordinary income or capital gains tax rates unless you are investing through a tax-free plan.


Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries:  If you purchase 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.



12






FUND SUMMARY: TOEWS HEDGED LARGE-CAP FUND


Investment Objectives:  The Fund seeks to provide long-term growth of capital.  A secondary objective of the Fund is to limit risk during unfavorable market conditions.

 

Fees and Expenses of the Fund: This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund.


Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment)

 

Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price)

None

Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of redemption proceeds)

None

Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Reinvested Dividends and Other Distributions

None

Redemption Fee (as a percentage of amount redeemed )

None

Annual Fund Operating Expenses
(expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)

 

Management Fees

1.00%

Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees

0.00%

Other Expenses

0.56%

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

1.56%

Fee Waiver and/or Reimbursement (1)

(0.31)%

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Reimbursement

1.25%

  (1) The Fund's adviser has contractually agreed to reduce its fees and/or absorb expenses of the Fund, until at least August 31, 2014, to ensure that Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Reimbursement (exclusive of any taxes,  brokerage fees and  commissions, borrowing costs (such as interest and dividend expense on securities sold short), Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses or extraordinary expenses such as litigation) will not exceed 1.25%; subject to possible recoupment from the Fund in future years on a rolling three year basis (within the three years after the fees have been waived or reimbursed), if such recoupment can be achieved within the foregoing expense limits.  This agreement may be terminated only by the Fund's Board of Trustees, on 60 days’ written notice to the adviser.


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 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 be higher or lower, based upon these assumptions your costs would be:


1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

$127

$462

$821

$1,830


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 period, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 84% of the average value of its portfolio.


Principal Investment Strategies: The Fund's adviser seeks to achieve the Fund's investment objective by investing primarily in: (1) exchange traded funds ("ETFs") that invest primarily in large-cap common stock, (2) large-cap common stock, (3) derivative instruments, (4) fixed income securities and (5) cash equivalents.  The Fund defines large-cap common stock securities as those securities included in the MSCI US Prime Market Growth Index, the S&P 500 Index, the S&P 500 Growth Index, the Russell 1000 Growth Index, the NASDAQ-100 Index, and/or securities of other broad-based US large-cap stock indices.


The adviser employs what it defines as a "hedging" strategy by investing in a combination of securities and derivatives that it believes will produce economic exposure along a continuum similar to that of the securities of broad-based US large-cap indices.  The Fund's level of economic exposure will range from 0% to 125% of the adviser's expected total return of said indices.  The adviser also may use a "representative sampling" indexing strategy to manage the Fund.  This indexing strategy involves investing in a representative sample of securities that collectively has an investment profile similar to the broad-based US large-cap stock indices.



13






Generally, the adviser does not attempt to evaluate individual securities.  The adviser uses technical analysis of large-cap equity markets.  The adviser monitors, including monitoring price movements and momentum, of large-cap equity markets in an effort to identify the proper weighting of the Fund's portfolio. The adviser buys and sells securities and derivatives to increase or decrease the Fund's exposure to the broad-based US large-cap indices. The adviser's decision to buy or sell a Fund holding will be made based on current market conditions and the adviser's determination of the appropriate exposure level to said indices. The Fund's adviser may engage in active and frequent trading of the Fund's portfolio securities and derivatives to achieve the Fund's investment objective.


Principal Risks: As with all mutual funds, there is the risk that you could lose money through your investment in the Fund.  Many factors affect the Fund's net asset value and performance.


·

Derivatives Risk:   The Fund may execute an investment strategy or hedge by entering into derivative contracts such as futures and swaps, which can be riskier than traditional investments because they involve leverage, may be illiquid, may suffer counterparty default and may limit gains.

·

ETF Risk:  ETFs are subject to investment advisory and other expenses, which will be indirectly paid by the Fund.  As a result, your cost of investing in the Fund will be higher than the cost of investing directly in ETFs and may be higher than other mutual funds that invest directly in securities.  Each ETF is subject to specific risks, depending on its investments.

·

Hedging Risk:  When the adviser believes market conditions are unfavorable, the adviser may attempt to "hedge" with defensive positions and strategies including holding substantial positions in foreign or domestic fixed-income securities and/or cash equivalents, which may limit potential gains when compared to unhedged funds.

·

Issuer Risk:  Fund value might decrease in response to the activities and financial prospects of an individual company or issuer in the Fund's portfolio.  The value of an individual issuer can be more volatile than the market as a whole and can perform differently from the value of the market as a whole.  The value of certain types of companies or issuers can be more volatile due to increased sensitivity to adverse issuer, political, regulatory, market, or economic developments.

·

Management Risk:  The ability of the Fund to meet its investment objective is directly related to the adviser's investment model.  The adviser's assessment of the attractiveness and potential appreciation of particular investments or markets in which the Fund invests may prove to be incorrect and there is no guarantee that the adviser's investment strategy will produce the desired results.  

·

Market Risk:  Stock prices can fall rapidly in response to developments affecting a specific company or industry, or to changing economic, political or market conditions.

·

Non-Diversified Risk:  As a non-diversified fund, the Fund's portfolio may at times focus on a limited number of investments and will be subject to substantially more investment risk and potential for volatility than a diversified fund.  The Fund's share price could fall if the Fund is heavily invested in a particular security and the price of that security falls.


Performance : The bar chart and performance table below show the variability of the Fund’s returns, which is some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund.  The bar chart shows performance of the Fund’s shares for each full calendar year since the Fund’s inception.  The performance table compares the performance of the Fund’s shares over time to the performance of a broad-based securities market index.  You should be aware that the Fund's past performance (before and after taxes) may not be an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future. Updated performance information is available at no cost by calling 1-877-558-6397.



14






Performance Bar Chart

Calendar Years Ended December 31

[CHART008.GIF]


Best Quarter:

1 st Quarter 2012

14.20%

Worst Quarter:

3 rd Quarter 2011

(8.21)%


The total return for Fund shares from January 1, 2013 to June 30, 2013 was 10.83%.


Performance Table

Average Annual Total Returns

(For periods ended December 31, 2012)




One Year

Since

Inception

of the Fund

(6-4-10)

Return before taxes

14.20%

3.13%

Return after taxes on distributions

14.20%

2.42%

Return after taxes on distributions and sale of Fund shares

9.23%

2.43%

S&P 500 Total Return Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes)

16.00%

14.43%

After-tax returns are calculated using the highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rate and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on a shareholder’s tax situation and may differ from those shown. The after-tax returns are not relevant if you hold your Fund shares in tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts (“IRA”).  


The S&P 500 Total Return Index is an unmanaged market capitalization weighted index which is comprised of 500 of the largest U.S. domiciled companies and includes the reinvestment of all dividends. Investors cannot invest directly in an index or benchmark.


Adviser :  Toews Corporation is the Fund's investment adviser.  


Portfolio Managers:  Phillip Toews, President, and Randall Schroeder, Chief Operating Officer of the adviser, serve as the Fund's Co-Portfolio Managers and are primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund.  They have each served the Fund in this capacity since the Fund commenced operations in 2010.


Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares:   The minimum initial investment to open any type of account is $10,000.  The minimum subsequent investment is $100 for all accounts.  You may purchase and redeem shares of the Fund on any day that the New York Stock Exchange is open.  Redemptions requests may be made in writing, by telephone, on the Fund's website, or through a financial intermediary and will be paid by check or wire transfer.   


Tax Information:   Dividends and capital gain distributions you receive from the Fund, whether you reinvest your distributions in additional Fund shares or receive them in cash, are taxable to you at either ordinary income or capital gains tax rates unless you are investing through a tax-free plan.


Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries:  If you purchase 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.



15






FUND SUMMARY: TOEWS HEDGED SMALL AND MID-CAP FUND


Investment Objectives:  The Fund seeks to provide long-term growth of capital.  A secondary objective of the Fund is to limit risk during unfavorable market conditions.

 

Fees and Expenses of the Fund: This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund.


Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment)

 

Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price)

None

Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of redemption proceeds)

None

Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Reinvested Dividends and Other Distributions

None

Redemption Fee (as a percentage of amount redeemed )

None

Annual Fund Operating Expenses
(expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)

 

Management Fees

1.00%

Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees

0.00%

Other Expenses

0.49%

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

1.49%

Fee Waiver and/or Reimbursement (1)

(0.24)%

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Reimbursement

1.25%

(1) The Fund's adviser has contractually agreed to reduce its fees and/or absorb expenses of the Fund, until at least August 31, 2014, to ensure that Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Reimbursement (exclusive of any taxes, brokerage fees and commissions, borrowing costs (such as interest and dividend expense on securities sold short),  Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses or extraordinary expenses such as litigation) will not exceed 1.25%; subject to possible recoupment from the Fund in future years on a rolling three year basis (within the three years after the fees have been waived or reimbursed), if such recoupment can be achieved within the foregoing expense limits.  This agreement may be terminated only by the Fund's Board of Trustees, on 60 days’ written notice to the adviser.


1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

$127

$447

$790

$1,759


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 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 be higher or lower, based upon these assumptions your costs would be:


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 period, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 89% of the average value of its portfolio.


Principal Investment Strategies:   The Fund's adviser seeks to achieve the Fund's investment objective by investing primarily in: (1) exchange traded funds ("ETFs") that primarily invest in small and mid-cap common stock, (2) small and mid-cap common stock, (3) derivative instruments, (4) fixed income securities and (5) cash equivalents.  The Fund defines small and mid-cap common stock securities as those securities included in the S&P Small-Cap 600 Index, S&P Small-Cap 600 Growth Index, Russell 2000 Index, Russell 2000 Growth Index, MSCI US Small-Cap Growth Index, S&P Mid-Cap 400 Index, and securities of other broad-based US small and mid-cap stock indices.  


The adviser employs what it defines as a "hedging" strategy by investing in a combination of securities and derivatives that it believes will produce economic exposure along a continuum similar to that of the securities of broad-based US small and mid-cap stock indices.  The Fund's level of economic exposure will range from 0% to 125% of the adviser's expected total return of said indices.  The adviser also may use a "representative sampling" indexing strategy to manage the Fund.  This indexing strategy involves investing in a representative sample of securities that collectively has an investment profile similar to the US small and mid-cap stock indices.



16






Generally, the adviser does not attempt to evaluate individual securities.  The adviser uses technical analysis of small and mid-cap equity markets.  The adviser monitors, including monitoring price movements and momentum, of emerging markets in an effort to identify the proper weighting of the Fund's portfolio. The adviser buys and sells securities and derivatives to increase or decrease the Fund's exposure to the broad-based US small and mid-cap stock indices. The adviser's decision to buy or sell a Fund holding will be made based on current market conditions and the adviser's determination of the appropriate exposure level to said indices. The Fund's adviser may engage in active and frequent trading of the Fund's portfolio securities and derivatives to achieve the Fund's investment objective.


Principal Risks: As with all mutual funds, there is the risk that you could lose money through your investment in the Fund.  Many factors affect the Fund's net asset value and performance.


·

Derivatives Risk:   The Fund may execute an investment strategy or hedge by entering into derivative contracts such as futures and swaps, which can be riskier than traditional investments because they involve leverage, may be illiquid, may suffer counterparty default and may limit gains.

·

ETF Risk:  ETFs are subject to investment advisory and other expenses, which will be indirectly paid by the Fund.  As a result, your cost of investing in the Fund will be higher than the cost of investing directly in ETFs and may be higher than other mutual funds that invest directly in securities.  Each ETF is subject to specific risks, depending on its investments.

·

Hedging Risk:  When the adviser believes market conditions are unfavorable, the adviser may attempt to "hedge" with defensive positions and strategies including holding substantial positions in foreign or domestic fixed-income securities and/or cash equivalents, which may limit potential gains when compared to unhedged funds.

·

Issuer Risk:  Fund value might decrease in response to the activities and financial prospects of an individual company or issuer in the Fund's portfolio.  The value of an individual issuer can be more volatile than the market as a whole and can perform differently from the value of the market as a whole.  The value of certain types of companies or issuers can be more volatile due to increased sensitivity to adverse issuer, political, regulatory, market, or economic developments.

·

Management Risk:  The ability of the Fund to meet its investment objective is directly related to the adviser's investment model.  The adviser's assessment of the attractiveness and potential appreciation of particular investments or markets in which the Fund invests may prove to be incorrect and there is no guarantee that the adviser's investment strategy will produce the desired results.  

·

Market Risk:  Stock prices can fall rapidly in response to developments affecting a specific company or industry, or to changing economic, political or market conditions.

·

Non-Diversified Risk:  As a non-diversified fund, the Fund's portfolio may at times focus on a limited number of investments and will be subject to substantially more investment risk and potential for volatility than a diversified fund.  The Fund's share price could fall if the Fund is heavily invested in a particular security and the price of that security falls.

·

Small-Cap and Mid-Cap Risk:   Small-cap and mid-cap companies may be more vulnerable than larger, more established organizations to adverse business or economic developments. These companies may have limited product lines, markets or financial resources, and they may be dependent on a limited management group.



17






Performance : The bar chart and performance table below show the variability of the Fund’s returns, which is some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund.  The bar chart shows performance of the Fund’s shares for each full calendar year since the Fund’s inception.  The performance table compares the performance of the Fund’s shares over time to the performance of a broad-based securities market index.  You should be aware that the Fund's past performance (before and after taxes) may not be an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future. Updated performance information is available at no cost by calling 1-877-558-6397.


Performance Bar Chart

Calendar Years Ended December 31


[CHART010.GIF]


Best Quarter:

3 rd Quarter 2012

12.27%

Worst Quarter:

3 rd Quarter 2011

(12.12)%


The total return for Fund shares from January 1, 2013 to June 30, 2013 was 12.89%.


Performance Table

Average Annual Total Returns

(For periods ended December 31, 2012)



One Year

Since

Inception

of the Fund

(6-4-10)

Return before taxes

11.45%

2.04%

Return after taxes on distributions

11.45%

1.19%

Return after taxes on distributions and sale of Fund shares

7.44%

1.45%

Russell 2000 Total Return Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes)

16.35%

13.59%


After-tax returns are calculated using the highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rate and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on a shareholder’s tax situation and may differ from those shown. The after-tax returns are not relevant if you hold your Fund shares in tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts ( IRA ).  


The Russell 2000 Total Return Index measures the performance of the small cap segment of the U.S. equity universe. The Russell 2000 Index is a subset of the Russell 3000® Index representing approximately 8% of the total market capitalization of that index. It includes approximately 2,000 of the smallest securities based on a combination of their market cap and current index membership. Investors cannot invest directly in an index or benchmark.




18






Adviser:   Toews Corporation is the Fund's investment adviser.  


Portfolio Managers:  Phillip Toews, President, and Randall Schroeder, Chief Operating Officer of the adviser, serve as the Fund's Co-Portfolio Managers and are primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund.  They have each served the Fund in this capacity since the Fund commenced operations in 2010.


Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares:   The minimum initial investment to open any type of account is $10,000.  The minimum subsequent investment is $100 for all accounts.  You may purchase and redeem shares of the Fund on any day that the New York Stock Exchange is open.  Redemptions requests may be made in writing, by telephone, on the Fund's website, or through a financial intermediary and will be paid by check or wire transfer.   


Tax Information:   Dividends and capital gain distributions you receive from the Fund, whether you reinvest your distributions in additional Fund shares or receive them in cash, are taxable to you at either ordinary income or capital gains tax rates unless you are investing through a tax-free plan.


Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries:  If you purchase 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.



19






FUND SUMMARY: TOEWS HEDGED GROWTH ALLOCATION FUND


Investment Objectives:  The Fund seeks to provide long-term growth of capital .  A secondary objective of the Fund is to limit risk during unfavorable market conditions.

 

Fees and Expenses of the Fund: This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund.


Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment)

 

Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price)

None

Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of redemption proceeds)

None

Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Reinvested Dividends and Other Distributions

None

Redemption Fee (as a percentage of amount redeemed )

None

Annual Fund Operating Expenses
(expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)

 

Management Fees

1.00%

Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees

0.00%

Other Expenses

0.60%

Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses (1)

0.12%

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

1.72%

Fee Waiver and/or Reimbursement (2)

(0.35)%

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver (2)

1.37%

(1)

Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses are the indirect costs of investing in other investment companies.  The operating expenses in this fee table will not correlate to the expense ratio in the Fund's financial highlights because the financial statements include only the direct operating expenses incurred by the Fund.

(2)   The Fund's adviser has contractually agreed to reduce its fees and/or absorb expenses of the Fund, until at least August 31, 2014, to ensure that Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Reimbursement (exclusive of any taxes, leverage interest, borrowing interest, brokerage fees and commissions, borrowing costs (such as interest and dividend expense on securities sold short, Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses or extraordinary expenses such as litigation) will not exceed 1.25%; subject to possible recoupment from the Fund in future years on a rolling three year basis (within the three years after the fees have been waived or reimbursed), if such recoupment can be achieved within the foregoing expense limits.  This agreement may be terminated only by the Fund's Board of Trustees, on 60 days’ written notice to the adviser.


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 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 be higher or lower, based upon these assumptions your costs would be:


1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

$139

$508

$901

$2,001


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 period, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 147% of the average value of its portfolio.


Principal Investment Strategies: The Fund's adviser seeks to achieve the Fund's investment objective by investing primarily in: (1) exchange traded funds ("ETFs") that invest primarily in U.S. and foreign common stocks of any capitalization and U.S. and foreign fixed income securities of any rating (including high-yield debt instruments), (2) U.S. and foreign common stocks of any capitalization, (3) U.S. and foreign fixed income securities of any rating (including high-yield debt instruments), (4) derivative instruments, including credit default swaps , and (5) U.S. or foreign cash equivalents using the adviser's "Growth Allocation" strategy.  The use of "Growth" in both the Fund's name and the strategy's name refers to the primary investment objective of long-term growth of capital rather than a strategy of investing in relatively high growth companies.



20






The adviser's Growth Allocation strategy allocates assets among the following sub-strategies:  (1) Hedged International Developed Equities, (2) Hedged High Yield Bond, (3) Hedged Large-Cap, (4) Hedged Mid-Cap and (5) Hedged Small-Cap.  Each sub-strategy seeks to capture returns representative of broad-based securities market indices or securities suggested by the sub-strategy's name.  The Fund's level of economic exposure will range from 0% to 125% of the adviser's expected total return of each sub-strategy index.  The Fund defines the returns of the MSCI EAFE Index (composed of equities from 21 non-U.S. economically developed countries) as representative of the returns sought under the Hedged International Developed Equities sub-strategy.  The Fund defines the returns of high-yield debt instruments (those rated lower than Baa3 by Moody's or lower than BBB- by S&P) as representative of the returns sought under the Hedged High Yield Bond sub-strategy.  The Fund defines the returns of the S&P 500 Index as representative of the returns sought under the Hedged Large-Cap sub-strategy.  The Fund defines the returns of the S&P Mid-Cap 400 Index as representative of the returns sought under the Hedged Mid-Cap sub-strategy.  The Fund defines the returns of the S&P Small-Cap 600 Index as representative of the returns sought under the Hedged Small-Cap sub-strategy.  


The adviser anticipates its Growth Allocation strategy, which determines asset allocation based upon an analysis of long-term historical returns and volatility of various asset classes, will produce asset allocation ranges as follows:


Sub-Strategy Asset Class

Allocation Target

Allocation Range

Hedged International Developed Equities

30%

0% to 50%

Hedged High Yield Bond

20%

0% to 50%

Hedged Large-Cap Equities

20%

0% to 40%

Hedged Mid-Cap Equities

15%

0% to 30%

Hedged Small-Cap Equities

15%

0% to 30%


Each sub-strategy will be hedged (or sold outright to a cash equivalent) independently of the others.  This means the Fund may not be completely hedged or allocated at any one time and the Fund may maintain a position in one or more asset class and/or style position while being a defensive position for one or more others.  Other than a cash equivalent, one asset class and/or style position will not dominate the total allocation of the Fund; however, the adviser may leverage each asset class and/or style position slightly.  Generally, the allocation will not be rebalanced until ending a defensive position.  However, the adviser may from time to time rebalance to the Fund to targets based on the adviser's discretion.


Up to 50% of the Fund's assets may be invested in high yield debt instruments.  Additionally, the Fund's entire high yield debt allocation may be in securities rated below Caa3 by Moody's or CCC- by S&P or derivatives of such instruments.  The Fund may invest in high yield bonds directly or through derivative instruments designed to replicate some or all of the features of an underlying portfolio of high yield bonds, such as credit default swaps.  Credit default swaps ("CDS") are typically two-party financial contracts that transfer credit exposure between the two parties.  Under a typical CDS, one party (the "seller") receives pre-determined periodic payments from the other party (the "buyer").  The seller agrees to make compensating specific payments to the buyer if a negative credit event occurs, such as the bankruptcy or default by the issuer of the underlying debt instrument.


The adviser employs what it defines as a "hedging" strategy by investing in a combination of securities and derivatives that it believes will produce economic exposure along a continuum similar to that of the securities of broad-based US and foreign stock indices and fixed income markets.  The Fund's level of economic exposure will range from 0% to 125% of the adviser's expected total return of said indices and markets.  The adviser also may use a "representative sampling" indexing strategy to manage the Fund.  This indexing strategy involves investing in a representative sample of securities that collectively has an investment profile similar to the broad-based US and foreign stock indices and, with respect to the high-yield bond segments of the portfolio, the high-yield bond market as a whole.  


Generally, the adviser does not attempt to evaluate individual securities.  The adviser uses technical analysis of U.S. and foreign equity and fixed-income (including high yield bond) markets.  The adviser monitors, including monitoring price movements and momentum of, said markets, in an effort to identify the proper weighting of the Fund's portfolio. The adviser buys and sells securities and derivatives to increase or decrease the Fund's exposure to the broad-based U.S. and foreign stock indices and fixed-income (including high-yield bond) markets. The adviser's decision to buy or sell the Fund holding will be made based on current market conditions and the adviser's determination of the appropriate exposure level to said indices/markets. The Fund's adviser may engage in active and frequent trading of the Fund's portfolio securities and derivatives to achieve the Fund's investment objective.



21






Principal Risks: As with all mutual funds, there is the risk that you could lose money through your investment in the Fund.  Many factors affect the Fund's net asset value and performance.


·

Below-Investment Grade Securities Risk:   High-yield, high-risk securities, commonly called "junk bonds," are considered speculative. While generally providing greater income than investments in higher-quality securities, these lower-quality securities will involve greater risk of principal and income that higher-quality securities, including the possibility of default or bankruptcy of the issuers of the security.  Like other fixed-income securities, the value of high-yield securities will also fluctuate as interest rates change.

·

Credit Risk:  Issuers of fixed-income securities may default on interest and principal payments due to the Fund. Generally, securities with lower debt ratings have speculative characteristics and have greater risk the issuer will default on its obligation.  For high-yield bonds, changes in economic conditions or other circumstances are more likely to lead to a weakened capacity of those issuers to make principal or interest payments, as compared to issuers of more highly-rated securities.  These securities can also be thinly traded or have restrictions on resale, making them difficult to sell at an acceptable price.

·

Derivatives Risk:   The Fund may execute an investment strategy or hedge by entering into derivative contracts such as futures and swaps, which can be riskier than traditional investments because they involve leverage, may be illiquid, may suffer counterparty default and may limit gains.

·

ETF Risk:  ETFs are subject to investment advisory and other expenses, which will be indirectly paid by the Fund.  As a result, your cost of investing in the Fund will be higher than the cost of investing directly in ETFs and may be higher than other mutual funds that invest directly in securities.  Each ETF is subject to specific risks, depending on its investments.

·

Foreign Risk:  The Fund could be subject to greater risks because the Fund's performance may depend on issues other than the performance of a particular company or U.S. market sector.  Changes in foreign economies and political climates are more likely to affect the Fund than a mutual fund that invests exclusively in U.S. companies.  The value of foreign securities is also affected by the value of the local currency relative to the U.S. dollar.

·

Hedging Risk:  When the adviser believes market conditions are unfavorable, the adviser may attempt to "hedge" with defensive positions and strategies including holding substantial positions in foreign or domestic fixed-income securities and/or cash equivalents, which may limit potential gains when compared to unhedged funds.

·

Interest Rate Risk:   When the Fund invests in bonds or in underlying funds that own bonds, the value of your investment in the Fund will fluctuate with changes in interest rates.  Typically, a rise in interest rates causes a decline in the value of bond funds owned by the Fund. In general, the market price of debt securities with longer maturities will increase or decrease more in response to changes in interest rates than shorter-term securities.

·

Issuer Risk :  Fund value might decrease in response to the activities and financial prospects of an individual company or issuer in the Fund's portfolio.  The value of an individual issuer can be more volatile than the market as a whole and can perform differently from the value of the market as a whole.  The value of certain types of companies or issuers can be more volatile due to increased sensitivity to adverse issuer, political, regulatory, market, or economic developments.

·

Management Risk :  The ability of the Fund to meet its investment objective is directly related to the adviser's investment model.  The adviser's assessment of the attractiveness and potential appreciation of particular investments or markets in which the Fund invests may prove to be incorrect and there is no guarantee that the adviser's investment strategy will produce the desired results.  

·

Market Risk :  Stock prices can fall rapidly in response to developments affecting a specific company or industry, or to changing economic, political or market conditions.

·

Non-Diversified Risk:  As a non-diversified fund, the Fund's portfolio may at times focus on a limited number of investments and will be subject to substantially more investment risk and potential for volatility than a diversified fund.  The Fund's share price could fall if the Fund is heavily invested in a particular security and the price of that security falls.

·

Portfolio Turnover Risk :  Portfolio turnover results in higher brokerage commissions, dealer mark-ups and other transaction costs and may result in taxable capital gains. Higher costs associated with increased portfolio turnover may offset gains in the Fund's performance.

·

Small-Cap and Mid-Cap Risk:   Small-cap and mid-cap companies may be more vulnerable than larger, more established organizations to adverse business or economic developments. These companies may have limited product lines, markets or financial resources, and they may be dependent on a limited management group.



22






Performance : The bar chart and performance table below show the variability of the Fund’s returns, which is some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund.  The bar chart shows performance of the Fund’s shares for each full calendar year since the Fund’s inception.  The performance table compares the performance of the Fund’s shares over time to the performance of a broad-based securities market index.  You should be aware that the Fund's past performance (before and after taxes) may not be an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future. Updated performance information is available at no cost by calling 1-877-558-6397.

Performance Bar Chart

Calendar Years Ended December 31


[CHART016.GIF]


Best Quarter:

1 st Quarter 2012

9.49%

Worst Quarter:

3 rd Quarter 2011

(7.80)%


The total return for Fund shares from January 1, 2013 to June 30, 2013 was 8.14%.


Performance Table

Average Annual Total Returns

(For periods ended December 31, 2012)



One Year

Since

Inception

of the Fund

(6-4-10)

Return before taxes

12.08%

(0.32)%

Return after taxes on distributions

12.06%

(1.65)%

Return after taxes on distributions and sale of Fund shares

7.85%

(0.97)%

S&P 500 Total Return Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes)

16.00%

12.72%


After-tax returns are calculated using the highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rate and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on a shareholder’s tax situation and may differ from those shown. The after-tax returns are not relevant if you hold your Fund shares in tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts ( IRA ).  


The S&P 500 Total Return Index is an unmanaged market capitalization weighted index which is comprised of 500 of the largest U.S. domiciled companies and includes the reinvestment of all dividends. Investors cannot invest directly in an index or benchmark.



23






Adviser:   Toews Corporation is the Fund's investment adviser.  


Portfolio Managers:  Phillip Toews, President, and Randall Schroeder, Chief Operating Officer of the adviser, serve as the Fund's Co-Portfolio Managers.  They have each served the Fund in this capacity since the Fund commenced operations in 2010.


Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares:   The minimum initial investment to open any type of account is $10,000.  The minimum subsequent investment is $100 for all accounts.  You may purchase and redeem shares of the Fund on any day that the New York Stock Exchange is open.  Redemptions requests may be made in writing, by telephone, on the Fund's website, or through a financial intermediary and will be paid by check or wire transfer.   


Tax Information:   Dividends and capital gain distributions you receive from the Fund, whether you reinvest your distributions in additional Fund shares or receive them in cash, are taxable to you at either ordinary income or capital gains tax rates unless you are investing through a tax-free plan.


Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries:  If you purchase 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.



24






FUND SUMMARY: TOEWS UNCONSTRAINED INCOME FUND


Investment Objectives:  The Fund seeks to provide income and long-term growth of capital.  A secondary objective of the Fund is to limit risk during unfavorable market conditions.

 

Fees and Expenses of the Fund:  This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund.


Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment)

 

Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price)

None

Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of redemption proceeds)

None

Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Reinvested Dividends and Other Distributions

None

Redemption Fee (as a percentage of amount redeemed )

None

Annual Fund Operating Expenses
(expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)

 

Management Fees

1.00%

Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees

0.00%

Other Expenses (1)

0.36%

Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses (2)

0.25%

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

1.61%

Fee Waiver and/or Reimbursement (3)

(0.11)%

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Reimbursement (3)

1.50%

(1)  Based on estimated amounts for the current fiscal year.

(2) Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses are the indirect costs of investing in other investment companies.  The operating expenses in this fee table will not correlate to the expense ratio in the Fund's financial highlights because the financial statements include only the direct operating expenses incurred by the Fund.

(3) The Fund's adviser has contractually agreed to reduce its fees and/or absorb expenses of the Fund, until at least August 31, 2014, to ensure that Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Reimbursement (exclusive of any front-end or contingent deferred loads, taxes, borrowing costs (such as interest and dividend expense on securities sold short), brokerage fees and commissions, , Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses or extraordinary expenses such as litigation) will not exceed 1.25%; subject to possible recoupment from the Fund in future years on a rolling three year basis (within the three years after the fees have been waived or reimbursed), if such recoupment can be achieved within the foregoing expense limits.  This agreement may be terminated only by the Fund's Board of Trustees, on 60 days’ written notice to the adviser.


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 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 be higher or lower, based upon these assumptions your costs would be:


1 Year

3 Years

$153

$497


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.  



25






Principal Investment Strategies:  Under normal circumstances, the Fund will invest primarily in income-producing securities.  The Fund's adviser seeks to achieve the Fund's primary investment objective by investing in:  (1) exchange traded funds and open-end investment companies ("Underlying Funds") that primarily invest in or are otherwise exposed to domestic or foreign debt instruments, including developed or emerging market high-yield debt instruments; (2) derivative instruments, including futures contracts, forward contracts and credit default swaps; (3) U.S. or foreign fixed-income securities, including developed or emerging market fixed income securities (of any rating and varying maturities), structured notes and exchange traded notes (“ETNs”); (4) preferred stocks; and (5) mortgage-related fixed income instruments of varying maturities (such as mortgage pass-through securities, collateralized mortgage obligations, mortgage-backed securities, asset-backed securities and mortgage dollar rolls). The Fund may also invest a portion of its assets in private placement offerings which may be illiquid. In addition, the Fund may engage in transactions for the purpose of hedging against changes in the price of other Fund portfolio securities, such as purchasing put options, selling securities short or writing covered call options.  The adviser may also decide to maintain only short positions in the Fund so that the net economic exposure may be inverse to the performance of any target fixed income or bond asset class. The Fund's level of economic exposure will range from -100% to 125% of the adviser's expected total return of the fixed income markets and/or alternative fixed income markets. The adviser may short one duration of a fixed income security or derivative instrument while maintaining a long position in another duration of a fixed income security or derivative instrument. The Fund’s secondary objective is to limit risk during unfavorable market conditions, and when the adviser determines such conditions exist,  the Fund will take a temporary defensive position and/or be allocated 100% to U.S. Treasuries or short-term fixed income securities, U.S. or foreign cash or cash equivalents.   


The Fund may invest in either U.S. or foreign securities or issuers, without limitation with respect to the amount or type of foreign security and these investments may include securities of issuers in developed or emerging markets.  


The Fund may invest in both investment-grade fixed income securities and high yield fixed income securities (“junk bonds”). The Fund defines high-yield debt instruments as corporate bonds or other bonds or debt instruments that are generally rated lower than Baa3 by Moody's Investors Service, Inc. ("Moody's") or lower than BBB- by S&P (below investment grade).  Up to 100% of the Fund's assets may be invested in instruments generally rated below Caa3 by Moody's or CCC- by S&P or derivatives of such instruments.  The Fund may invest in high yield bonds directly or through derivative instruments designed to replicate some or all of the features of an underlying portfolio of high yield bonds, such as credit default swaps.  


The adviser employs a tactical strategy and may hedge or sell outright any or all of the securities in the Fund.  The Fund may employ leverage. The adviser may also use a "representative sampling" strategy to manage the Fund, which involves investing in a representative sample of securities that collectively has an investment profile the adviser believes are similar to that of the fixed income markets as a whole.  


The Fund is non-diversified, which means that it can invest a greater percentage of its assets in any one issuer than a diversified fund.  The adviser may engage in active and frequent trading to achieve the Fund's investment objectives.


Principal Risks: As with all mutual funds, there is the risk that you could lose money through your investment in the Fund.  Many factors affect the Fund's net asset value and performance.


·

Below-Investment Grade Securities Risk:   High-yield, high-risk fixed income securities, commonly called "junk bonds," are considered speculative. While generally providing greater income than investments in higher-quality securities, these lower-quality securities will involve greater risk of principal and income that higher-quality securities, including the possibility of default or bankruptcy of the issuers of the security.  Like other fixed-income securities, the value of high-yield securities will also fluctuate as interest rates change.

·

Credit Default Swap Risk:   Credit default swaps ("CDS") are typically two-party financial contracts that transfer credit exposure between the two parties.  Under a typical CDS, one party (the "seller") receives pre-determined periodic payments from the other party (the "buyer").  The seller agrees to make compensating specific payments to the buyer if a negative credit event occurs, such as the bankruptcy or default by the issuer of the underlying debt instrument. The use of CDS involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio security transactions, such as potentially heightened counterparty, concentration and exposure risks.

·

Credit Risk:  Issuers of fixed-income securities may default on interest and principal payments due to the Fund. Generally, securities with lower debt ratings have speculative characteristics and have greater risk the issuer will default on its obligation.  For high-yield bonds, changes in economic conditions or other circumstances are more likely to lead to a weakened capacity of those issuers to make principal or interest payments, as compared to issuers of more highly-rated securities.  These securities can also be thinly traded or have restrictions on resale, making them difficult to sell at an acceptable price.



26






·

Derivative Risk: Even a small investment in derivatives (which include options, futures, swap contracts and other transactions) may give rise to leverage risk (which can increase volatility and magnify the Fund’s potential for loss), and can have a significant impact on the Fund’s performance. Derivatives are also subject to credit risk (the counterparty may default) and liquidity risk (the Fund may not be able to sell security or otherwise exit the contract in a timely manner).

·

Emerging Market Risk:   Emerging market countries may have relatively unstable governments, weaker economies, and less-developed legal systems with fewer security holder rights. Emerging market economies may be based on only a few industries and security issuers may be more susceptible to economic weakness and more likely to default. Emerging market securities also tend to be less liquid.

·

ETN Risk:  ETNs are subject to the equivalent of investment advisory fee and other expenses, which will be indirectly paid by the Fund.  As a result, your cost of investing in the Fund will be higher than the cost of investing directly in ETNs and may be higher than other mutual funds that invest directly in securities.  In addition to issuer risk, each ETN is subject to other specific risks, depending on its investments.

·

Fixed Income Risk: Typically, a rise in interest rates causes a decline in the value of fixed income securities.

·

Foreign Risk:  The Fund could be subject to greater risks because the Fund's performance may depend on issues other than the performance of a particular company or U.S. market sector.  Changes in foreign economies and political climates are more likely to affect the Fund than a mutual fund that invests exclusively in U.S. companies.  The value of foreign securities is also affected by the value of the local currency relative to the U.S. dollar.

·

Futures Risk: The Fund’s use of futures contracts involves risks different from, or possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in securities and other traditional investments.

·

Hedging Risk:  When the adviser believes market conditions are unfavorable, the adviser may attempt to "hedge" with defensive positions and strategies including holding substantial positions in foreign or domestic fixed-income securities and/or cash equivalents, which may limit potential gains when compared to unhedged funds.

·

Interest Rate Risk:   When the Fund invests in fixed income securities or in Underlying Funds that own fixed income securities, the value of your investment in the Fund will fluctuate with changes in interest rates.  Typically, a rise in interest rates causes a decline in the value of bond funds owned by the Fund. In general, the market price of debt securities with longer maturities will increase or decrease more in response to changes in interest rates than shorter-term securities.

·

Issuer Risk:  Fund value might decrease in response to the activities and financial prospects of an individual company or issuer in the Fund's portfolio.  The value of an individual issuer can be more volatile than the market as a whole and can perform differently from the value of the market as a whole.  The value of certain types of companies or issuers can be more volatile due to increased sensitivity to adverse issuer, political, regulatory, market, or economic developments.

·

Limited History of Operations:   The Fund is a new mutual fund and has a limited history of operations for investors to evaluate.

·

Liquidity Risk:   Liquidity risk exists when particular investments of the Fund would be difficult to purchase or sell, possibly preventing the Fund from selling such illiquid securities at an advantageous time or price, or possibly requiring the Fund to dispose of other investments at unfavorable times or prices in order to satisfy its obligations.

·

Management Risk:  The ability of the Fund to meet its investment objectives is directly related to the adviser's investment model.  The adviser's assessment of the attractiveness and potential appreciation of particular investments or markets in which the Fund invests may prove to be incorrect and there is no guarantee that the adviser's investment strategy will produce the desired results.  

·

Market Risk:  Securities prices can fall rapidly in response to developments affecting a specific company or industry, or to changing economic, political or market conditions.

·

Mortgage-Backed and Asset-Backed Risk: The default rate on underlying mortgage loans or asset loans may be higher than anticipated, potentially reducing payments to the Fund. Default rates are sensitive to overall economic conditions such as unemployment, wage levels and economic growth rates. Mortgage-backed securities are susceptible maturity risk because issuers of securities are able to prepay principal due on these securities, particularly during periods of declining interest rates.

·

Non-Diversified Risk:  As a non-diversified fund, the Fund's portfolio may at times focus on a limited number of investments and will be subject to substantially more investment risk and potential for volatility than a diversified fund.  The Fund's share price could fall if the Fund is heavily invested in a particular security and the price of that security falls.

·

Portfolio Turnover Risk:  A higher portfolio turnover may result in higher transactional and brokerage costs.



27






·

Preferred Stock Risk:  Typically, a rise in interest rates causes a decline in the value of preferred stock. Preferred stocks are also subject to credit and default risk, which is the possibility that an issuer of preferred stock will fail to make its dividend payments.

·

Real Estate Risk: An investment in the Fund may be subject to many of the same risks as a direct investment in real estate. These risks include changes in economic conditions, interest rates, property values, property tax increases, overbuilding and increased competition, environmental contamination, zoning and natural disasters. This is due to the fact that the value of the Fund’s investments may be affected by the value of the real estate owned by the REITs in which it invests. To the extent the Fund invests in companies that make loans to real estate companies, the Fund also may be subject to increased interest rate and credit risk.

·

Short Selling and Short Position Risk:   The Fund will engage in short selling and short position derivative activities, which are significantly different from the investment activities commonly associated with conservative stock or bond funds.  Positions in shorted securities and derivatives are speculative and more risky than "long" positions (purchases) because the cost of the replacement security or derivative is unknown.  Therefore, the potential loss on an uncovered short is unlimited, whereas the potential loss on long positions is limited to the original purchase price.  You should be aware that any strategy that includes selling securities short could suffer significant losses.  Shorting will also result in higher transaction costs (such as interest and dividends), which reduce the Fund's return, and may result in higher taxes.

·

Tax Inefficiency: The Adviser expects that most of the gains generated by the Fund will be categorized as short-term capital gains which will be subject to higher tax rates than long-term capital gains. Given the potential tax-inefficiency of the Fund, investors should consider investing through a tax-deferred account and carefully consider the tax consequences before investing.

·

Underlying Fund Risk:  Underlying Funds, including ETFs and other investment companies, are subject to investment advisory and other expenses, which will be indirectly paid by the Fund.  As a result, your cost of investing in the Fund will be higher than the cost of investing directly in Underlying Funds and may be higher than other mutual funds that invest directly in securities.  Each Underlying Funds is subject to specific risks, depending on its investments.


Performance: Because the Fund does not yet have a full calendar of investment operations, no performance information is available for the Fund at this time.  In the future, performance information will be presented in this section of the Prospectus.  Also, shareholder reports containing financial and performance information will be mailed to shareholders semi-annually.

Adviser:   Toews Corporation is the Fund's investment adviser.  


Portfolio Managers:  Phillip Toews, President, and Randall Schroeder, Chief Operating Officer of the adviser, serve as the Fund's Co-Portfolio Managers and are primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund.  They have each served the Fund in this capacity since the Fund’s inception.


Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares:   The minimum initial investment to open any type of account is $10,000.  The minimum subsequent investment is $100 for all accounts.  You may purchase and redeem shares of the Fund on any day that the New York Stock Exchange is open.  Redemptions requests may be made in writing, by telephone, on the Fund's website, or through a financial intermediary and will be paid by check or wire transfer. 


Tax Information:   Dividends and capital gain distributions you receive from the Fund, whether you reinvest your distributions in additional Fund shares or receive them in cash, are taxable to you at either ordinary income or capital gains tax rates unless you are investing through a tax-free plan.


Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries:   If you purchase 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.



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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES AND RELATED RISKS


INVESTMENT OBJECTIVES


Fund

Investment Objectives

Toews Hedged International Developed Markets Fund

The Fund seeks to provide long-term growth of capital.
A secondary objective of the Fund is to limit risk during unfavorable market conditions.

Toews Hedged Emerging Markets Fund

The Fund seeks to provide long-term growth of capital.
A secondary objective of the Fund is to limit risk during unfavorable market conditions.

Toews Hedged High Yield Bond Fund

The Fund seeks to provide a high level of current income.
A secondary objective of the Fund is to limit risk during unfavorable market conditions.

Toews Hedged Large Cap Fund

The Fund seeks to provide long-term growth of capital.
A secondary objective of the Fund is to limit risk during unfavorable market conditions.

Toews Hedged Small & Mid Cap Fund

The Fund seeks to provide long-term growth of capital.
A secondary objective of the Fund is to limit risk during unfavorable market conditions.

Toews Hedged Growth Allocation Fund

The Fund seeks to provide long-term growth of capital.
A secondary objective of the Fund is to limit risk during unfavorable market conditions.

Toews Unconstrained Income Fund

The Fund seeks to provide income and long-term growth of capital.  A secondary objective of the Fund is to limit risk during unfavorable market conditions.


Each Fund's investment objective(s) is/are a non-fundamental policy and may be changed by the Funds' Board of Trustees upon 60 days’ written notice to shareholders.


PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES


Toews Hedged International Developed Markets Fund


Principal Investment Strategies:   The Fund's adviser seeks to achieve the Fund's investment objectives by investing primarily in (1) exchanged traded funds ("ETFs"), (2) derivative instruments, (3) fixed-income securities, (4) common stock, (5) cash equivalents (each issued by or primarily linked to "developed market" issuers outside the U.S.), (6) other fixed-income securities and (7) cash equivalents (of U.S. issuers).  The Fund defines non-U.S. developed markets as those countries included in the MSCI EAFE Index (the "EAFE Index").  As of November 2009, the EAFE Index countries are: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.  The Fund defines non-U.S. developed market underlying funds as those that invest primarily in securities of and/or derivatives linked to securities of issuers in EAFE Index countries.  Similarly, the Fund defines non-U.S. developed market derivatives as those linked to securities of issuers in EAFE Index countries.

 

The adviser employs what it defines as a "hedging" strategy by investing in a combination of securities and derivatives that it believes will produce economic exposure along a continuum similar to that of the securities in the EAFE Index.  The Fund's level of economic exposure will range from 0% to 125% of the adviser's expected total return of the EAFE Index.  The adviser may use a "representative sampling" indexing strategy to manage the Fund.  This indexing strategy involves investing in a representative sample of securities that collectively has an investment profile similar to that of the MSCI EAFE Index. The securities selected are expected to have, in the aggregate, investment characteristics (based on factors such as market capitalization and industry weightings), fundamental characteristics (such as return variability and yield) and liquidity measures similar to those of the MSCI EAFE Index. The Fund may or may not hold or otherwise be exposed to of the securities that are included in the MSCI EAFE Index.  Investments are made based on the adviser's technical analysis of developed international markets.  The adviser monitors price movements and momentum of developed international markets in an effort to identify the proper weighting of the Fund's portfolio.  From time to time the adviser will take defensive positions in an attempt to limit market risk.  Based on a technical analysis of the aggregate price movement of the MSCI EAFE Index, the adviser will attempt to decrease or increase the Fund's exposure to the representative securities of the MSCI EAFE Index.  This may be achieved by a "hedging" strategy (including using derivatives) or by the outright selling of the representative securities of the MSCI EAFE Index.  The level of exposure to the representative securities of the Index will range from



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0% to 125%. The Fund may maintain or create substantial exposure to fixed income securities, derivatives or fixed income securities, and/or fixed income ETFs, even when in a defensive position.


Generally, the adviser does not attempt to evaluate individual securities.  The adviser uses technical analysis, including monitoring price movements and momentum, of developed international markets in an effort to identify the proper weighting of the Fund's portfolio.  The adviser buys and sells securities and derivatives to increase or decrease the Fund's exposure to the EAFE Index.  Exposure will be increased or decreased to maintain the same representative sampling of the Index.  In other words, securities in the Fund's portfolio will be kept in the same relative percentages.  For example, if the Fund is 100% invested, a particular security may represent 5% of the Fund's portfolio.  If the adviser determines that market conditions have deteriorated, and a 50% exposure to the Index is appropriate, the adviser will reduce the Fund's market exposure to that security to 2.5%.  Index exposure is determined daily.  The adviser's decision to buy or sell a Fund holding will be made based on current market conditions and the adviser's determination of the appropriate exposure level to the Index. The Fund's adviser may engage in active and frequent trading of the Fund's portfolio securities and derivatives to achieve the Fund's investment objective.


Toews Hedged Emerging Markets Fund


Principal Investment Strategies :  The Fund's adviser seeks to achieve the Fund's investment objective by investing primarily in: (1) exchange traded funds ("ETFs"), (2) derivative instruments, (3) fixed income securities, (4) common stock, (5) cash equivalents (each issued by or primarily linked to "emerging market" issuers outside the U.S.), (6) fixed income securities and (7) cash equivalents (of U.S. Issuers).  The Fund defines emerging markets as those countries included in the MSCI Emerging Markets Index (the "EM Index"). As of November 2009, the EM Index countries are: Brazil, Chile, China, Colombia, Czech Republic, Egypt, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Israel, Malaysia, Mexico, Morocco, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Russia, South Africa, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and Turkey.  The Fund defines non-U.S. emerging market ETFs as those that invest primarily in securities of and/or derivatives linked to securities of issuers in EM Index countries. Similarly, the Fund defines non-U.S. emerging market derivatives as those linked to securities of issuers in EM Index countries.


The adviser employs what it defines as a "hedging" strategy by investing in a combination of securities and derivatives that it believes will produce economic exposure along a continuum similar to that of the securities in the EM Index.  The Fund's level of economic exposure will range from 0% to 125% of the adviser's expected total return of the EM Index.  The adviser may use a "representative sampling" indexing strategy to manage the Fund.  This indexing strategy involves investing in a representative sample of securities that collectively has an investment profile similar to the EM Index. The securities selected are expected to have, in the aggregate, investment characteristics (based on factors such as market capitalization and industry weightings), fundamental characteristics (such as return variability and yield) and liquidity measures similar to those of the EM Index. The Fund may or may not hold or otherwise be exposed to of the securities that are included in the EM Index.  Investments are made based on the adviser's technical analysis of developed international markets.  The adviser monitors price movements and momentum of developed international markets in an effort to identify the proper weighting of the Fund's portfolio.  From time to time the adviser will take defensive positions in an attempt to limit market risk.  Based on a technical analysis of the aggregate price movement of the EM Index, the adviser will attempt to decrease or increase the Fund's exposure to the representative securities of the EM Index.  This may be achieved by a "hedging" strategy (including using derivatives) or by the outright selling of the representative securities of the EM Index.  The level of exposure to the representative securities of the Index will range from 0% to 125%. The Fund may maintain or create substantial exposure to fixed income securities, derivatives or fixed income securities, and/or fixed income ETFs, even when in a defensive position.


Generally, the adviser does not attempt to evaluate individual securities.  The adviser uses technical analysis of emerging markets.  The adviser monitors, including monitoring price movements and momentum, of emerging markets in an effort to identify the proper weighting of the Fund's portfolio. The adviser buys and sells securities and derivatives to increase or decrease the Fund's exposure to the EM Index. Exposure will be increased or decreased to maintain the same representative sampling of the Index.  In other words, securities in the Fund's portfolio will be kept in the same relative percentages.  For example, if the Fund is 100% invested, a particular security may represent 5% of the Fund's portfolio.  If the adviser determines that market conditions have deteriorated, and a 50% exposure to the Index is appropriate, the adviser will reduce the Fund's market exposure to that security to 2.5%.  Index exposure is determined daily. The adviser's decision to buy or sell a Fund holding will be made based on current market conditions and the adviser's determination of the appropriate exposure level to the Index. The Fund's adviser may engage in active and frequent trading of the Fund's portfolio securities and derivatives to achieve the Fund's investment objective.



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Toews Hedged High-Yield Bond Fund


Principal Investment Strategies:   The Fund's adviser seeks to achieve the Fund's investment objectives by investing primarily in (1) exchange traded funds ("ETFs") and open-end investment companies ("Underlying Funds") that primarily invest in or are otherwise exposed to domestic and foreign high-yield debt instruments; (2) derivative instruments, including credit default swaps; (4) other U.S. or foreign fixed-income securities of any rating and (5) U.S. or foreign cash equivalents. The Fund defines high-yield debt instruments as corporate bonds or other bonds or debt instruments that are generally rated lower than Baa3 by Moody's Investors Service, Inc. ("Moody's") or lower than BBB- by S&P (below investment grade).  Up to 100% of the Fund's assets may be invested in instruments generally rated below Caa3 by Moody's or CCC- by S&P or derivatives of such instruments.  The Fund may invest in high yield bonds directly or through derivative instruments designed to replicate some or all of the features of an underlying portfolio of high yield bonds, such as credit default swaps.  Credit default swaps ("CDS") are typically two-party financial contracts that transfer credit exposure between the two parties.  Under a typical CDS, one party (the "seller") receives pre-determined periodic payments from the other party (the "buyer").  The seller agrees to make compensating specific payments to the buyer if a negative credit event occurs, such as the bankruptcy or default by the issuer of the underlying debt instrument.


While the Fund may execute its high yield strategy by investing in individual high yield securities, it anticipates that it will execute its high yield strategy primarily by entering into credit default swaps.  Credit default swaps ("CDS") are typically two-party (bilateral) financial contracts that transfer credit exposure between the two parties.  The Fund will enter into credit default swaps by executing an International Swaps and Derivatives Association (ISDA) master agreement, which provides globally-accepted standardized legal documentation for a variety of swap transactions including credit default swaps.  One party to a CDS (referred to as the credit protection "buyer") receives credit protection or sheds credit risk, whereas the other party to a CDS (referred to as the credit protection "seller") is selling credit protection or taking on credit risk.  The seller typically receives pre-determined periodic payments from the other party.  These payments are in consideration for agreeing to make compensating specific payments to the buyer should a negative credit event occur, such as (1) bankruptcy or (2) failure to pay interest or principal on a reference debt instrument, with respect to a specified issuer or one of the reference issuers in a CDS portfolio.  In general, CDS may be used by the Fund to obtain credit risk exposure similar to that of a direct investment in high yield bonds.

The Fund will use credit default swaps as part of a replication tactic whereby the Fund combines a (1) credit default swap on a portfolio of high yield bonds with investments in (2) high quality securities, such as U.S. Treasury bills, as an economic substitute for a portfolio of individual high yield bonds.  This two-instrument "replication portfolio" is expected to have an economic and investment return profile that is substantially similar, although not identical to, a cash portfolio of high yield bonds.  If the Fund invests in a portfolio of individual high yield bonds, it earns interest and suffers losses when issuers default.  Similarly, the replication portfolio receives nearly identical payments and suffers nearly identical losses to that of a portfolio of high yield bonds.  The Fund receives interest (from the portfolio of high quality securities) and receives payments from the protection buyer, which, in total, are approximately equal to the interest payments on a cash portfolio of high yield bonds.  Additionally, the Fund makes credit default payments to the credit protection buyer counterparty which are nearly identical to credit losses the Fund would suffer from the default of issuers in a cash portfolio of high yield bonds.  

The tactic of using a CDS referenced to an index differs from the tactic of investing in specific adviser-selected high yield bonds because (1) it does not rely upon the issuer-specific credit research of the adviser, (2) exposes the fund to the credit risk of the counterparty in addition to the credit risk of the reference high yield portfolio and (3) permits only long or short positions in the index rather than more selective issuer-specific or sector-specific investment.


The adviser employs what it defines as a "hedging" strategy by investing in a combination of securities and derivatives that it believes will produce economic exposure along a continuum similar to that of the securities in the high-yield bond market generally.  The Fund's level of economic exposure will range from 0% to 125% of the adviser's expected total return of the high-yield bond market.  The adviser may also use a "representative sampling" strategy to manage the Fund.  This strategy involves investing in a representative sample of securities that collectively has an investment profile similar to that of the high-yield bond market as a whole.  The securities selected are expected to have, in the aggregate, investment characteristics (based on factors such as market capitalization and industry weightings), fundamental characteristics (such as return variability and yield) and liquidity measures similar to those of the high-yield bond market as a whole. The Fund may or may not hold or otherwise have exposure to all of the securities that are included in high-yield bond market.  Investments are made based on the adviser's technical analysis of the high-yield markets.  The adviser monitors price movements and momentum of the high-yield bond markets in an effort to identify the proper weighting of the Fund's portfolio.  From time to time the adviser will take defensive positions in an attempt to limit market risk.  Based on a technical analysis of the aggregate price movement of the high-yield markets, the adviser will attempt to decrease or increase the Fund's exposure to the representative securities of the high-yield bond market as a whole.  This may be achieved by a "hedging" strategy (including using derivatives) or by the outright selling of the representative securities of the high yield bond market.  The level of exposure to the representative securities of the high yield bond market will range from 0% to 125%. The Fund may maintain or create substantial exposure to fixed income securities, derivatives or fixed income securities, and/or fixed income ETFs even when in a defensive position.



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Generally, the adviser does not attempt to evaluate individual securities.  The adviser uses technical analysis, including monitoring price movements and momentum, of high-yield bond markets in an effort to identify the proper weighting of the Fund's portfolio.  The adviser buys and sells securities and derivatives to increase or decrease the Fund's exposure to the high-yield bond market.  Exposure will be increased or decreased to maintain the same representative sampling of the high-yield bond market.  In other words, securities in the Fund's portfolio will be kept in the same relative percentages.  For example, if the Fund is 100% invested, a particular security may represent 5% of the Fund's portfolio.  If the adviser determines that market conditions have deteriorated, and a 50% exposure to the high-yield bond market is appropriate, the adviser will reduce the Fund's market exposure to that security to 2.5%.  Index exposure is determined daily.  The adviser's decision to buy or sell a Fund holding will be made based on current market conditions and the adviser's determination of the appropriate exposure level to the high-yield bond market. The Fund's adviser may engage in active and frequent trading of the Fund's portfolio securities and derivatives to achieve the Fund's investment objective.


Toews Hedged Large-Cap Fund


Principal Investment Strategies : The Fund's adviser seeks to achieve the Fund's investment objective by investing primarily in: (1) exchange traded funds ("ETFs") that invest primarily in large-cap common stock, (2) large-cap common stock, (3) derivative instruments, (4) fixed income securities and (5) cash equivalents.  The Fund defines large-cap common stock securities as those securities included in the MSCI US Prime Market Growth Index, the S&P 500 Index, the S&P 500 Growth Index, the Russell 1000 Growth Index, the NASDAQ-100 Index, and/or securities of other broad-based US large-cap stock indices.


The adviser employs what it defines as a "hedging" strategy by investing in a combination of securities and derivatives that it believes will produce economic exposure along a continuum similar to that of the securities of the US Large-Cap Indices.  The Fund's level of economic exposure will range from 0% to 125% of the adviser's expected total return of said indices.  The adviser also may use a "representative sampling" indexing strategy to manage the Fund.  This indexing strategy involves investing in a representative sample of securities that collectively has an investment profile similar to the US Large-Cap Indices. The securities selected are expected to have, in the aggregate, investment characteristics (based on factors such as market capitalization and industry weightings), fundamental characteristics (such as return variability and yield) and liquidity measures similar to those of the US Large-Cap Indices. The Fund may or may not hold or otherwise be exposed to all of the securities that are included in said Indices.  Investments are made based on the adviser's technical analysis of the US large-cap stock market.  The adviser monitors price movements and momentum of large-cap markets in an effort to identify the proper weighting of the Fund's portfolio.  From time to time the adviser will take defensive positions in an attempt to limit market risk.  Based on a technical analysis of the aggregate price movement of the US large-cap stock market, the adviser will attempt to decrease or increase the Fund's exposure to the representative securities of the US Large-Cap Indices.  This may be achieved by a "hedging" strategy (including using derivatives) or by the outright selling of the representative securities of the US Large-Cap Indices.  The level of exposure to the representative securities of the broad-based US Large-Cap Indices will range from 0% to 125%. The Fund may maintain or create substantial exposure to fixed income securities, derivatives or fixed income securities, and/or fixed income ETFs even when in a defensive position.


Generally, the adviser does not attempt to evaluate individual securities.  The adviser uses technical analysis of large-cap equity markets.  The adviser monitors, including monitoring price movements and momentum, of emerging markets in an effort to identify the proper weighting of the Fund's portfolio. The adviser buys and sells securities and derivatives to increase or decrease the Fund's exposure to the US Large-Cap Indices. Exposure will be increased or decreased to maintain the same representative sampling of the Indices.  In other words, securities in the Fund's portfolio will be kept in the same relative percentages.  For example, if the Fund is 100% invested, a particular security may represent 5% of the Fund's portfolio.  If the adviser determines that market conditions have deteriorated, and a 50% exposure to the US Large-Cap Indices is appropriate, the adviser will reduce the Fund's market exposure to that security to 2.5%.  Index exposure is determined daily. The adviser's decision to buy or sell a Fund holding will be made based on current market conditions and the adviser's determination of the appropriate exposure level to the US Large-Cap Indices. The Fund's adviser may engage in active and frequent trading of the Fund's portfolio securities and derivatives to achieve the Fund's investment objective.


Toews Hedged Small & Mid-Cap Fund


Principal Investment Strategies:   The Fund's adviser seeks to achieve the Fund's investment objective by investing primarily in: (1) exchange traded funds ("ETFs") that primarily invest in small and mid-cap common stock, (2) small and mid-cap common stock, (3) derivative instruments, (4) fixed income securities and (5) cash equivalents.  The Fund defines small and mid-cap common stock securities as those securities included in the S&P Small-Cap 600 Index, S&P Small-Cap 600 Growth Index, Russell 2000 Index, Russell 2000 Growth Index, MSCI US Small-Cap Growth Index, S&P Mid-Cap 400 Index, and securities of other broad-based US small and mid-cap stock indices.



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The adviser employs what it defines as a "hedging" strategy by investing in a combination of securities and derivatives that it believes will produce economic exposure along a continuum similar to that of the securities of the US Small and Mid-Cap Indices.  The Fund's level of economic exposure will range from 0% to 125% of the adviser's expected total return of said Indices.  The adviser also may use a "representative sampling" indexing strategy to manage the Fund.  This indexing strategy involves investing in a representative sample of securities that collectively has an investment profile similar to that of the US Small and Mid-Cap Indices.  The securities selected are expected to have, in the aggregate, investment characteristics (based on factors such as market capitalization and industry weightings), fundamental characteristics (such as return variability and yield) and liquidity measures similar to those of the US Small and Mid-Cap Indices. The Fund may or may not hold or otherwise be exposed to all of the securities that are included in US Small and Mid-Cap Indices.  Investments are made based on the adviser's technical analysis of the small and mid-cap stock markets.  The adviser monitors price movements and momentum of small and mid-cap markets in an effort to identify the proper weighting of the Fund's portfolio.  


From time to time the adviser will take defensive positions in an attempt to limit market risk.  Based on a technical analysis of the aggregate price movement of the US Small and Mid-Cap Indices, the Adviser will attempt to decrease or increase the Fund's exposure to the representative securities of said Indices.  This may be achieved by a "hedging" strategy (including using derivatives) or by the outright selling of the representative securities of the US Small and Mid-Cap Indices.  The level of exposure to the representative securities of the Index will range from 0% to 125%. The Fund may maintain or create substantial exposure to fixed income securities, derivatives or fixed income securities, and/or fixed income ETFs even when in a defensive position.


Generally, the Adviser does not attempt to evaluate individual securities.  The Adviser uses technical analysis of the small and mid-cap equity markets.  The Adviser monitors, including monitoring price movements and momentum, small and mid-cap equity markets in an effort to identify the proper weighting of the Fund's portfolio. The Adviser buys and sells securities and derivatives to increase or decrease the Fund's exposure to the US Small and Mid-Cap Indices. The Adviser's decision to buy or sell a Fund holding will be made based on current market conditions and the Adviser's determination of the appropriate exposure level to said Indices. The Fund's adviser may engage in active and frequent trading of the Fund's portfolio securities and derivatives to achieve the Fund's investment objective.


Toews Hedged Growth Allocation Fund


Principal Investment Strategies:  The Fund's adviser seeks to achieve the Fund's investment objective by investing primarily in: (1) exchange traded funds ("ETFs") that invest primarily in U.S. and foreign common stocks of any capitalization and U.S. and foreign fixed income securities of any rating (including high-yield debt instruments), (2) U.S. and foreign common stocks of any capitalization, (3) U.S. and foreign fixed income securities of any rating (including high-yield debt instruments), (4) derivative instruments, including credit default swaps , and (5) U.S. or foreign cash equivalents using the adviser's "Growth Allocation" strategy.  The use of "Growth" in both the Fund's name and the strategy's name refers to the primary investment of objective of long-term growth of capital rather than the growth outlook for companies.


The adviser's Growth Allocation strategy allocates assets among the following sub-strategies:  (1) Hedged International Developed Equities, (2) Hedged High Yield Bond, (3) Hedged Large-Cap, (4) Hedged Mid-Cap and (5) Hedged Small-Cap.  Each sub-strategy seeks to capture returns representative of broad-based securities market indices or securities suggested by the sub-strategy's name.  The Fund's level of economic exposure will range from 0% to 125% of the adviser's expected total return of each sub-strategy index.  The Fund defines the returns of the MSCI EAFE Index (composed of equities from 21 non-U.S. economically developed countries) as representative of the returns sought under the Hedged International Developed Equities sub-strategy.  The Fund defines the returns of high-yield debt instruments (those rated lower than Baa3 by Moody's or lower than BBB- by S&P) as representative of the returns sought under the Hedged High Yield Bond sub-strategy.  The Fund defines the returns of the S&P 500 Index as representative of the returns sought under the Hedged Large-Cap sub-strategy.  The Fund defines the returns of the S&P Mid-Cap 400 Index as representative of the returns sought under the Hedged Mid-Cap sub-strategy.  The Fund defines the returns of the S&P Small-Cap 600 Index as representative of the returns sought under the Hedged Small-Cap sub-strategy.  


Toews Unconstrained Income Fund


Principal Investment Strategies:  Under normal circumstances, the Fund will invest primarily in income-producing securities.  The Fund's adviser seeks to achieve the Fund's primary investment objective by investing in:  (1) exchange traded funds and open-end investment companies ("Underlying Funds") that primarily invest in or are otherwise exposed to domestic or foreign debt instruments, including developed or emerging market high-yield debt instruments; (2) derivative instruments, including futures contracts, forward contracts and credit default swaps; (3) U.S. or foreign fixed-income securities, including developed or emerging market fixed income securities (of any rating and varying maturities), structured notes and exchange traded notes (“ETNs”); (4) preferred stocks; and (5) mortgage-related fixed income instruments of varying maturities (such as mortgage pass-through securities, collateralized mortgage obligations, mortgage-backed securities, asset-backed securities and mortgage dollar rolls). The Fund may also invest a portion of its assets in private placement offerings which may be illiquid. The Fund’s investment adviser expects that approximately 80% of the Fund’s net assets during the first year of operations will be invested in ETFs during periods of normal market conditions.



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The Fund may also engage in transactions for the purpose of hedging against changes in the price of other Fund portfolio securities, such as purchasing put options, selling securities short or writing covered call options.  The adviser may decide to maintain only short positions in the Fund so that the net economic exposure may be inverse to the performance of any target fixed income or bond asset class. Under normal circumstances, the Fund's level of economic exposure will range from -100% to 125% of the adviser's expected total return of the fixed income markets and/or alternative fixed income markets. The adviser may short one duration of a fixed income security or derivative instrument while maintaining a long position in another duration of a fixed income security or derivative instrument. The Fund’s secondary objective is to limit risk during unfavorable market conditions, and when the adviser determines such conditions exist, the Fund will take a temporary defensive position and/or be allocated 100% to U.S. Treasuries or short-term fixed income securities, U.S. or foreign cash or cash equivalents.   


The Fund may invest, without limitation in either U.S. or foreign securities or issuers, including securities of issuers in developed or emerging markets.  The Fund defines emerging markets as those countries included in the MSCI Emerging Markets Index (the "EM Index"). As of December, 2012, the EM Index countries are: Brazil, Chile, China, Colombia, Czech Republic, Egypt, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, Morocco, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Russia, South Africa, Taiwan, Thailand and Turkey.  The Fund defines non-U.S. emerging market ETFs as those that invest primarily in securities of and/or derivatives linked to securities of issuers in EM Index countries. Similarly, the Fund defines non-U.S. emerging market derivatives as those linked to securities of issuers in EM Index countries.  


The Fund may invest in both investment-grade fixed income securities and high yield fixed income securities (“junk bonds”). Junk bonds are considered speculative.  The Fund defines high-yield debt instruments as corporate bonds or other bonds or debt instruments that are generally rated lower than Baa3 by Moody's Investors Service, Inc. ("Moody's") or lower than BBB- by S&P (below investment grade).  Up to 100% of the Fund's assets may be invested in instruments generally rated below Caa3 by Moody's or CCC- by S&P or derivatives of such instruments.  The Fund may invest in high yield bonds directly or through derivative instruments designed to replicate some or all of the features of an underlying portfolio of high yield bonds, such as credit default swaps.  Credit default swaps ("CDS") are typically two-party financial contracts that transfer credit exposure between the two parties.  Under a typical CDS, one party (the "seller") receives pre-determined periodic payments from the other party (the "buyer").  The seller agrees to make compensating specific payments to the buyer if a negative credit event occurs, such as the bankruptcy or default by the issuer of the underlying debt instrument.


The adviser employs a tactical strategy and may hedge or sell outright any or all of the securities in the Fund.  The Fund will not track a fixed income benchmark, and its performance is likely to vary widely from traditional bond funds. The Fund may employ leverage. The Fund's level of economic exposure will range from -100% to 125% of the adviser's expected total return of the fixed income markets and alternative fixed income markets.  The adviser may also use a "representative sampling" strategy to manage the Fund, which involves investing in a representative sample of securities that collectively has an investment profile similar to that of the fixed income markets as a whole.  


For portions of the Fund allocation, the adviser will not attempt to evaluate individual securities but rather the adviser will use technical analysis, including monitoring price movements and momentum, of fixed income markets in an effort to identify the proper weighting of the Fund's portfolio.  The adviser buys and sells securities and derivatives to increase or decrease the Fund's exposure to these fixed income markets.  The adviser's decision to buy or sell the Fund holding will be made based on current market conditions and the adviser's determination of the appropriate exposure level to the fixed income markets. The Fund's adviser may engage in active and frequent trading of the Fund's portfolio securities and derivatives to achieve the Fund's investment objectives.


The adviser anticipates its Growth Allocation strategy, which determines asset allocation based upon an analysis of long-term historical returns and volatility of various asset classes, will produce asset allocation ranges as follows:


Sub-Strategy Asset Class

Allocation Target

Allocation Range

Hedged International Developed Equities

30%

0% to 50%

Hedged High Yield Bond

20%

0% to 50%

Hedged Large-Cap Equities

20%

0% to 40%

Hedged Mid-Cap Equities

15%

0% to 30%

Hedged Small-Cap Equities

15%

0% to 30%


Each sub-strategy will be hedged (or sold outright to a cash equivalent) independently of the others.  This means the Fund may not be completely hedged or allocated at any one time and the Fund may maintain a position in one or more asset class and/or style position while being a defensive position for one or more others.  Other than a cash equivalent, one asset class and/or style position will not dominate the total allocation of the Fund; however, the adviser may leverage each asset class and/or style position slightly.  Generally, the allocation will not be rebalanced until again ending a defensive position.  However, the adviser may from time to time rebalance to the Fund to targets based on the adviser's discretion.



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Up to 50% of the Fund's assets may be invested in high yield debt instruments.  Additionally, the Fund's entire high yield debt allocation may be in securities rated below Caa3 by Moody's or CCC- by S&P or derivatives of such instruments.  The Fund may invest in high yield bonds directly or through derivative instruments designed to replicate some or all of the features of an underlying portfolio of high yield bonds, such as credit default swaps.  Credit default swaps ("CDS") are typically two-party financial contracts that transfer credit exposure between the two parties.  Under a typical CDS, one party (the "seller") receives pre-determined periodic payments from the other party (the "buyer").  The seller agrees to make compensating specific payments to the buyer if a negative credit event occurs, such as the bankruptcy or default by the issuer of the underlying debt instrument.


The adviser employs what it defines as a "hedging" strategy by investing in a combination of securities and derivatives that it believes will produce economic exposure along a continuum similar to that of the securities of the various indices and markets described above.  The Fund's level of economic exposure will range from 0% to 125% of the adviser's expected total return of said respective indices and markets.  The adviser also may use a "representative sampling" indexing strategy to manage the Fund.  This indexing strategy involves investing in a representative sample of securities that collectively has an investment profile similar to the aforementioned indices and markets. The securities selected are expected to have, in the aggregate, investment characteristics (based on factors such as market capitalization and industry weightings), fundamental characteristics (such as return variability and yield) and liquidity measures similar to those of the above-described equity and fixed income markets. The Fund may or may not hold or otherwise be exposed to all of the securities that are included in said indices and markets.  


Investments are made based on the adviser's technical analysis of the equity and fixed income markets and related indices. The adviser monitors price movements and momentum of said indices and markets in an effort to identify the proper weighting of the Fund's portfolio.  From time to time, the adviser will take defensive positions in an attempt to limit market risk.  Based on a technical analysis of the aggregate price movement of the stock and fixed income markets, the adviser will attempt to decrease or increase the Fund's exposure to the representative securities of the relevant indices and market sectors.  This may be achieved by a "hedging" strategy (including using derivatives) or by the outright selling of the representative securities of the indices and market sectors.  The level of exposure to the representative securities of the indices or market sectors will range from 0% to 125%. The Fund may maintain or create substantial exposure to fixed income securities, derivatives or fixed income securities, and/or fixed income ETFs even when in a defensive position.


Generally, the adviser does not attempt to evaluate individual securities.  The adviser uses technical analysis of equity and fixed income markets.  The adviser monitors, including monitoring price movements and momentum, of equity and fixed income markets in an effort to identify the proper weighting of the Fund's portfolio. The adviser buys and sells securities and derivatives to increase or decrease the Fund's exposure to said indices and markets. Exposure will be increased or decreased to maintain the same representative sampling of these indices and markets.  In other words, securities in the Fund's portfolio will be kept in the same relative percentages.  For example, if the Fund's portfolio allocation to a particular index or market segment is 100% invested, a particular security may represent 5% of the Fund's portfolio allocation to that index or market segment.  If the adviser determines that market conditions have deteriorated, and a 50% exposure of the Fund's portfolio allocation to a particular index is appropriate, the adviser will reduce the market exposure to that security to 2.5% of the Fund's allocation to said index.  Index and market sector exposure is determined daily. The adviser's decision to buy or sell the Fund holding will be made based on current market conditions and the adviser's determination of the appropriate exposure level to the equity and fixed income markets. The Fund's adviser may engage in active and frequent trading of the Fund's portfolio securities and derivatives to achieve the Fund's investment objective.


COMMON INVESTMENT STRATEGIES


Each Fund is a non-diversified series of Northern Lights Fund Trust, an open-end investment management company. Each Fund employs hedging techniques and seeks to limit risk during unfavorable market conditions.  Each Fund may invest in ETFs (and other investment companies with respect to the Toews Hedged High Yield Bond Fund); may invest in derivatives; may have some exposure, either direct or indirect, to foreign securities in the pursuit of its investment objective.  In addition, each Fund may employ certain defensive techniques to avoid market exposure, when deemed prudent by the adviser. All Funds have a limited history of operations.


The following investments and strategies are employed in varying degrees by each Fund (except as noted):


Index-Related Strategies : Toews Hedged Developed International Fund and Toews Hedged Emerging Markets Fund seek exposure to the securities or elements of a particular index as part of their strategies.  The Toews Hedged High Yield Bond Fund seeks to gain exposure to representative securities of the high-yield bond market, generally.  Toews Hedged Large-Cap Fund and the Toews Hedged Small & Mid Cap Fund seek to invest in securities found in various indices of corresponding market capitalizations.  None of the Funds is a pure index fund seeking full replication of a particular index, but rather, each Fund uses the referenced index or indices to gain exposure to, and as a barometer for, its particular investments and strategy, and to determine when to hedge or use defensive measures to guard against downside risk.



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Stocks : The Funds may invest in stocks as a principal strategy (except for the Toews Hedged High Yield Bond Fund) or investment companies that own stock in domestic and foreign equity securities, including common stocks and warrants.  Common stocks, the most familiar type, represent an ownership interest in a corporation. Although equity securities have a history of long-term growth in value, their prices fluctuate based on changes in a company's financial condition and on overall market and economic conditions. The stock segment includes domestic and foreign equity securities of all types. When selecting stock funds, the adviser considers both growth and anticipated dividend income, as well as strategic use for hedging purposes. Securities in the stock class may include common stocks, warrants, rights, depository receipts, securities of ETFs and open end investment companies, and other equity securities issued by companies of any size, located anywhere in the world.


Bonds : The Funds may invest in bonds (also generally referred to as fixed income securities), or ETFs and open end investment companies that invest in bonds, of domestic and foreign debt issuers. Bonds and other debt securities are used by issuers to borrow money from investors. The issuer pays the investor a fixed or variable rate of interest, and must repay the amount borrowed at maturity. The bond segment includes all varieties of domestic and foreign fixed-income securities.  The adviser considers bond fund investments based on credit qualities, maturities, and coupon or dividend rates, and by seeking to take advantage of yield differentials between securities, as well as strategic use for hedging purposes.  Securities in this class may include bonds, notes, adjustable-rate preferred stocks, convertible bonds, domestic and foreign government and government agency securities, zero coupon bonds, and other intermediate and long-term securities. These securities may be denominated in U.S. dollars or foreign currency.  The Fund may also invest in individual bonds and bond funds that respectively are or hold lower quality, high-yielding debt securities (commonly referred to as "junk bonds").  In general, bond prices rise when interest rates fall, and fall when interest rates rise.  Bonds and other debt securities have varying degrees of quality and varying levels of sensitivity to changes in interest rates. Longer-term bonds are generally more sensitive to interest rate changes than short-term bonds.


Foreign Investments : The Funds may purchase debt obligations issued or guaranteed by a foreign sovereign government or one of its agencies, authorities, instrumentalities, or political subdivisions, including a foreign state, province, or municipality or ADRs and GDRs.  ADRs are dollar denominated securities issued by a U.S. bank or trust company that represent ownership interests in foreign companies.  ADRs may be purchased through "sponsored" or "unsponsored" facilities.  A sponsored facility is established jointly by the issuer of the underlying security and a depositary.  A depositary may establish an unsponsored facility without participation by the issuer of the deposited security.  Holders of unsponsored ADRs generally bear all the costs of such facilities, and the depositary of an unsponsored facility frequently is under no obligation to distribute shareholder communications received from the issuer of the deposited security or to pass through voting rights to the holders of such receipts in respect of the deposited securities.  GDRs may be other than dollar denominated and may be issued in several countries.


Options : Each Fund may use options as part of its investment program. There are risks associated with the sale and purchase of call and put options. The seller (writer) of a call option which is covered (e.g., the writer holds the underlying security) assumes the risk of a decline in the market price of the underlying security below the purchase price of the underlying security less the premium received, and gives up the opportunity for gain on the underlying security above the exercise price of the option. The seller of an uncovered call option assumes the risk of a theoretically unlimited increase in the market price of the underlying security above the exercise price of the option. The securities necessary to satisfy the exercise of the call option may be unavailable for purchase except at much higher prices. Purchasing securities to satisfy the exercise of the call option can itself cause the price of the securities to rise further, sometimes by a significant amount, thereby exacerbating the loss. The buyer of a call option assumes the risk of losing its entire premium invested in the call option. The seller (writer) of a put option which is covered (e.g., the writer has a short position in the underlying security) assumes the risk of an increase in the market price of the underlying security above the sales price (in establishing the short position) of the underlying security plus the premium received, and gives up the opportunity for gain on the underlying security below the exercise price of the option. The seller of an uncovered put option assumes the risk of a decline in the market price of the underlying security below the exercise price of the option. The buyer of a put option assumes the risk of losing his entire premium invested in the put option.


Futures : Each Fund may trade in futures contracts (and related options) on securities indexes and other financial instruments, a practice which may involve substantial risks. The low margin or premiums normally required in such trading may provide a large amount of leverage, and a relatively small change in the price of a security or contract can produce a disproportionately larger profit or loss. There is no assurance that a liquid secondary market will exist for futures contracts or options purchased or sold, and the Fund may be required to maintain a position until exercise or expiration, which could result in losses. In addition, the Fund may not be able to execute futures contract trades at favorable prices if trading volume in such contracts is low.  Trading in commodity futures contracts and options are highly specialized activities that may entail greater than ordinary investment or trading risks.




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Small Companies (All Funds except Toews Hedged Large-Cap Fund) :   Some of the companies in which the Funds invest may be small capitalization companies.  Small-cap stocks may offer greater opportunity for capital appreciation than the stocks of larger and more established companies; however, they also involve substantially greater risks of loss and price fluctuations.  Small-cap companies carry additional risks because of the tendency of their earnings and revenues to be less predictable (and some companies may be experiencing significant losses), their share prices to be more volatile and their markets to be less liquid than companies with larger market capitalizations.  Small-cap companies may be newly formed or in the early stages of development, with limited product lines, markets or financial resources, and may lack management depth.  In addition, there may be less public information available about these companies.  The shares of small-cap companies tend to trade less frequently than those of larger, more established companies, which can adversely affect the pricing of these securities and the future ability to sell these securities.  Also, it may take a long time before the Fund realizes a gain, if any, on an investment in a small-cap company.


Underlying Funds (ETFs and Other Investment Companies): The Fund may invest in ETFs, open-end mutual funds and closed-end funds that are not affiliated with the Fund or the Adviser.  The Fund may also invest extensively in ETFs when this approach is more efficient than investing in individual fixed income securities, or to gain exposure to a particular sector or index.  An ETF is a registered investment company that seeks to track the performance of a particular market index.  These indices include not only broad-market indices, but more specific indices as well, including those relating to particular sectors, markets, regions or industries.  An ETF is traded like a stock on a securities exchange and may be purchased and sold throughout the trading day based on its market price. The trading price of an ETF fluctuates in accordance with changes in market supply and demand.  The Fund also may invest in (i) inverse ETFs which seek results that correspond to the inverse (opposite) of the daily performance of a specific benchmark or (2) other ETFs that amplify the exposure to a particular index or sector by 2 to 3 times.  These types of ETFs can be  a form of leverage and can result in significant losses to the Fund.


The Funds may invest in other investment companies, including ETFs and mutual funds - "Underlying Funds" that invest in common stock or securities convertible into or exchangeable for common stock such as convertible preferred stock, convertible debentures, warrants, options and fixed income securities such as bonds.  Many funds in which the Fund invests may not share the same investment goal and investment limitations as the Fund.   The Fund may hold "no-load" mutual funds, which are sold and purchased without a sales charge.  The Fund may also purchase "load" mutual funds, but only if the load, or sales commission, is waived for purchases or sales made by the Fund.  In addition, when the Adviser believes it is appropriate, a Fund may purchase mutual funds that charge a redemption fee of up to 2% for short-term sales, but not mutual funds that charge a sales load upon redemption. The Fund's distributor does not receive Rule 12b-1 distribution fees generated from the purchase of Underlying Funds; however, it may receive shareholder servicing fees for the performance of certain administrative tasks.


Fixed Income Securities, including:


Certificates of Deposit or CDs:  Time deposits, a financial product commonly offered by banks, thrift institutions, and credit unions.  CDs are similar to savings accounts in that they are insured by the FDIC for banks or by the NCUA for credit unions. They are different from savings accounts in that the CD has a specific, fixed term (often three months, six months, or one to five years). It is intended that the CD be held until maturity, at which time the money may be withdrawn together with the accrued interest.  In exchange for keeping the money on deposit for the agreed-on term, institutions usually grant higher interest rates than they do on accounts from which money may be withdrawn on demand, although this may not be the case in an inverted yield curve situation. Fixed rates are common, but some institutions offer CDs with various forms of variable rates. Some CDs are indexed to the stock market, bond market, or other indices.


Variable Rate Notes: The nature and terms of a variable rate note (i.e., a "Master Note") permit the Funds to invest fluctuating amounts at varying rates of interest pursuant to a direct arrangement between a Fund and the issuer.  It permits daily changes in the amounts invested.  A Fund, typically, has the right at any time to increase, up to the full amount stated in the note agreement, or to decrease the amount outstanding under the note.  The issuer may prepay at any time and without penalty any part of or the full amount of the note.  Because these notes are direct investment arrangements between the Fund and the issuer, it is not generally contemplated that they will be traded; moreover, there is currently no secondary market for them.  Variable rate notes are subject to the Funds' investment restriction on illiquid securities unless such notes can be put back to the issuer (redeemed) on demand within seven days.


Eurodollar Instruments:  Bonds of corporate and government issuers that pay interest and principal in U.S. dollars but are issued in markets outside the United States, primarily in Europe. The Fund may also invest in Eurodollar Certificates of Deposit ("ECDs") and Eurodollar Time Deposits ("ETDs"). ECDs are U.S. dollar-denominated certificates of deposit issued by non-U.S. branches of domestic banks; ETDs are U.S. dollar-denominated deposits in a non-U.S. branch of a U.S. bank or in a non-U.S. bank. These investments involve risks that are different from investments in securities issued by U.S. issuers, including potential unfavorable political and economic developments, non-U.S. withholding or other taxes, seizure of non-U.S. deposits, currency controls, interest limitations or other governmental restrictions which might affect payment of principal or interest.



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Investment-Grade Corporate Bonds:  Debt securities of industrial, utility, banking and other financial institutions that are rated at or above investment grade (BBB/Baa or higher).  These securities are backed by the credit of the corporation issuing the fixed-income instrument as to the timely repayment of principal and interest.  


Lower-Rated (Junk) Bonds:  Debt securities of industrial, utility, banking and other financial institutions that are rated below investment grade (BB+/Ba1 or lower).  These securities are backed by the credit of the corporation issuing the fixed-income instrument as to the timely repayment of principal and interest.


Mortgage-Backed Securities:  Securities backed by residential or commercial mortgages, including pass-through and collateralized mortgage obligations.  Mortgage securities may be issued by the U.S. government or by private entities.  For example, the Fund may invest in pools of mortgage loans, which are supported by (i) the full faith and credit of the U.S. Treasury through instrumentalities such as General National Mortgage Association (GNMA), (ii) the right of the issuer to borrow money from the U.S. Treasury such as the Federal National Mortgage Association (FNMA), (iii) only by the credit of the instrumentality issuing the obligation such as the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (FHLMC).


U.S. Government Securities:  High-quality debt securities that are direct obligations of the U.S. government, such as Treasury bills, notes and bonds. These securities are backed by the full faith and credit of the United States as to the timely repayment of principal and interest.


U.S. Government Agency Securities:  High-quality debt securities issued by U.S. government sponsored-entities and federally related institutions, such as the Federal National Mortgage Association and the Federal Farm Credit Bank. These securities are not direct obligations of the U.S. government and are supported only by the credit of the entity that issues them.


U.S. Government Related Securities:  Government-related securities and certificates issued by financial institutions or broker-dealers representing so-called "stripped" U.S. government securities (i.e., interest and principal components are offered separately), securities issued by or on behalf of any state of the United States, a political subdivision agency or instrumentality of such state, or certain other qualifying issuers (such as municipalities and issuers located in Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands or Guam), the interest on which is exempt from federal income tax.


Zero Coupon Securities:  Debt securities that make no periodic interest payments but are sold at a deep discount from their face value. The bondholder does not receive interest payments, only the full face value at redemption on the specified maturity date. The owner of a zero-coupon bond owes income taxes on the interest that has accrued each year, even though the bondholder does not receive payment until maturity. Often these are stripped securities, which are offered as separate income or principal components of a debt instrument.


TEMPORARY INVESTMENTS


To respond to adverse market, economic, political or other conditions, the Fund may invest 100% of its total assets, without limitation, in high-quality short-term debt securities and money market instruments.  These short-term debt securities and money market instruments include shares of ETFs, other mutual funds, commercial paper, certificates of deposit, bankers' acceptances, U.S. Government securities and repurchase agreements. While the Fund is in a defensive position, the opportunity to achieve its investment objective will be limited. Furthermore, to the extent that a Fund invests in money market mutual funds for its cash position, there will be some duplication of expenses because the Fund would bear its pro- rata portion of such money market funds' advisory fees and operational fees.  The Fund may also invest a substantial portion of its assets in such instruments at any time to maintain liquidity or pending selection of investments in accordance with its policies.


PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT RISKS


There is no assurance that a Fund will achieve its investment objective.  Each Fund's share price will fluctuate with changes in the market value of its portfolio securities.  When you sell your Fund shares, they may be worth less than what you paid for them and, accordingly, you can lose money investing in the Funds.


The following chart summarizes the principal risks of each Fund.  These risks could adversely affect the net asset value, total return and the value of a Fund and your investment.  The risk descriptions below provide a more detailed explanation of the principal investment risks that correspond to the risks described in each Fund's Fund Summary section of this Prospectus.



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Toews Hedged Funds

Risks

International

Developed

Markets

Emerging

Markets

High

Yield

Bond

Large-Cap

Small & Mid

Cap

Growth Allocation

Unconstrained Fixed

Income


Below-Investment Grade Securities

 

 

 

 

Credit Default

 

 

 

 

 

 

Credit Risk

 

 

 

 

Derivatives

Emerging Markets

 

 

 

 

ETF and Underlying Funds

ETN

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fixed

 

 

 

 

 

 

Foreign

 

 

 

Futures

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hedging

Interest Rate

 

 

 

 

 

Issuer

Limited

 

 

 

 

 

 

Liquidity

 

 

 

 

 

 

Management

Market

Mortgage-

Backed

 

 

 

 

 

 

Non-Diversified

Small-Cap and Mid-Cap

 

 

 

 

 

Portfolio Turnover

 

 

Preferred

 

 

 

 

 

 

Real Estate

 

 

 

 

 

 

Short Selling

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tax

 

 

 

 

 

 


Below-Investment Grade Securities Risk: High-yield, high-risk securities, commonly called "junk bonds," are considered speculative. While generally providing greater income than investments in higher-quality securities, these lower-quality securities will involve greater risk of principal and income that higher-quality securities, including the possibility of default or bankruptcy of the issuers of the security.  Like other fixed-income securities, the value of high-yield securities will also fluctuate as  interest rates change.  This risk relates primarily to the Toews Hedged High Yield Bond Fund, but may affect the other Funds as well. An investment grade security may be downgraded by the rating agencies subsequent to being purchased by the Fund.  (also see "Credit Risk" below). Commodity Risk:  Investing in the commodities markets may subject the Fund to greater volatility than investments in traditional securities.  Commodity prices may be influenced by unfavorable weather, animal and plant disease, geologic and environmental factors as well as changes in government regulation such as tariffs, embargoes or burdensome production rules and restrictions.  



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Credit Default Swap Risk: The Fund may invest in credit default swaps (“CDS”) which require the Adviser to forecast, among other things, the likelihood of credit event for a securities issuer.  Such forecasting is inherently difficult and entails investment risk.  The use of CDS involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio security transactions.  There is no guarantee that the Fund will be able to eliminate its exposure under an outstanding CDS by entering into an offsetting swap, and the Fund may not assign a swap without the consent of the counterparty to it. In addition, each CDS exposes the Fund to counterparty risk and the adviser or a sub-adviser may determine to concentrate any or all of its CDS in a single counterparty or small group of counterparties.  If a counterparty defaults, the Fund’s only recourse would be to pursue contractual remedies against the counterparty and the Fund may be unsuccessful in such pursuit.  The Fund thus assumes the risk that it may be delayed in or prevented from obtaining payments owed to it pursuant to a CDS.  In addition to counterparty risks, CDS are subject to credit risk on the underlying investment.  If the Fund were the buyer of a CDS and no event of default occurred, the Fund would lose its entire investment.  Similarly, if the Fund were the seller of a CDS and an event of default occurred, it would be required to pay its counterparty the value of the CDS, which may cause the Fund to incur a loss on the CDS transaction.  If the Fund writes a credit default swap, it will cover the notarized value of such swap.


Credit Risk:   Issuers of fixed-income securities may default on interest and principal payments due to the Fund. Generally, securities with lower debt ratings have speculative characteristics and have greater risk the issuer will default on its obligation. Fixed-income securities rated in the fourth classification by Moody's (Baa) and S&P (BBB) (sometimes referred to as "junk bonds") have speculative characteristics and changes in economic conditions or other circumstances are more likely to lead to a weakened capacity of those issuers to make principal or interest payments, as compared to issuers of more highly rated securities. These securities can also be thinly traded or have restrictions on resale, making them difficult to sell at an acceptable price.


Derivatives Risk: The Fund may invest in derivatives for investment or hedging purposes.  Derivatives are financial contracts whose value is based on the value of an underlying asset, reference rate or index. The value of the Fund's investment in derivatives may rise or fall more rapidly than other investments. These transactions are subject to changes in the value of the underlying security on which such transactions are based. Even a small investment in derivative securities can have a significant impact on the Fund's exposure to stock market values. The positive performance of swap agreements, futures and forward contracts, and therefore your investment, is wholly dependent upon an equal and offsetting loss.


Emerging Markets Risk:   In addition to the risks generally associated with investing in securities of foreign companies, countries with emerging markets also may have relatively unstable governments, social and legal systems that do not protect shareholders, economies based on only a few industries, and securities markets that trade a small number of issues.  In addition, emerging securities markets may have different clearance and settlement procedures, which may be unable to keep pace with the volume of securities transactions or otherwise make it difficult to engage in such transactions.

ETF and Underlying Fund Risk:  ETFs (and Underlying Funds with respect to the Toews Hedged High Yield Bond Fund and Toews Unconstrained Income Fund) are subject to investment advisory and other expenses, which will be indirectly paid by the Fund.  As a result, your cost of investing in the Fund will be higher than the cost of investing directly in ETFs and may be higher than other mutual funds that invest directly in securities such as stocks and bonds.  ETFs are listed on national stock exchanges and are traded like stocks listed on an exchange.  ETF shares may trade at a discount or a premium in market price if there is a limited market in such shares.  ETFs are also subject to brokerage and other trading costs, which could result in greater expenses to the Fund.  ETFs may employ leverage, which magnifies the changes in the value of the ETFs.  Finally, because the value of ETF shares depends on the demand in the market, the adviser may not be able to liquidate the Fund's holdings at the most optimal time, adversely affecting performance.

The Fund invests primarily in ETFs.  You will indirectly bear fees and expenses charged by the ETFs in addition to the Fund's direct fees and expenses.  Additional risks of investing in ETFs are described below:


Alternative Assets Risk: The Fund investments in ETFs in the "Alternative Asset" market segment may be more volatile than other Fund investments.  The risks and volatility of commodity ETFs are linked to the economic and other risks that are specific to the commodity in which the ETF invests.  Real estate investment trusts ("REIT ETFs") are subject to the risks inherent in real estate investing, such as property value fluctuations.


Emerging Markets Risk: In addition to the risks generally associated with investing in securities of foreign companies, countries with emerging markets also may have relatively unstable governments, social and legal systems that do not protect shareholders, economies based on only a few industries, and securities markets that trade a small number of issues.


ETF Strategy Risk:  Each ETF is subject to specific risks, depending on the nature of the ETF. These risks could include liquidity risk, sector risk, foreign and emerging market risk, as well as risks associated with fixed-income securities, real estate investments, and commodities.



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Foreign Exposure Risk:  Foreign markets can be more volatile than the U.S. market due to increased risks of adverse issuer, political, regulatory, market, or economic developments and can perform differently from the U.S. market. Although the Fund does not expect to invest in the securities of foreign companies directly, it may invest in ETFs which cause the Fund to be exposed to some degree to the risks associated with foreign markets.


Inverse Risk:  The Fund engages in hedging activities by investing in inverse ETFs.  These investments are significantly different from the investment activities commonly associated with conservative stock funds.  Positions in inverse securities are speculative and can be more risky than "long" positions (purchases).


Leverage Risk:  The Fund has no control over the risks taken by the underlying ETFS in which it invests. The Fund also may invest in ETFs which seek results that correspond to a specific benchmark or other ETFs that amplify the exposure to a particular index or sector by 2 to 3 times.  These types of investments can be a form of leverage and can result in significant losses to the Fund.


Net Asset Value and Market Price Risk:  The market value of the ETF shares may differ from their net asset value. This difference in price may be due to the fact that the supply and demand in the market for ETF shares at any point in time is not always identical to the supply and demand in the market for the underlying basket of securities. Accordingly, there may be times when an ETF share trades at a premium or discount to its net asset value.


Tracking Risk:  Investment in the Fund should be made with the understanding that the ETFs in which the Fund invests will not be able to replicate exactly the performance of the indices they track because the total return generated by the securities will be reduced by transaction costs incurred in adjusting the actual balance of the securities.  In addition, the ETFs in which the Fund invests will incur expenses not incurred by their applicable indices.  Certain securities comprising the indices tracked by the ETF s may, from time to time, temporarily be unavailable, which may further impede the ETFs' ability to track their applicable indices.


ETN Risk:  ETNs are subject to the equivalent of investment advisory fee and other expenses, which will be indirectly paid by the Fund.  As a result, your cost of investing in the Fund will be higher than the cost of investing directly in ETNs and may be higher than other mutual funds that invest directly in securities.  In addition to issuer risk, each ETN is subject to other specific risks, depending on its investments.


Fixed Income Risk: When the Fund invests in fixed income securities, the value of your investment in the Fund will fluctuate with changes in interest rates. Typically, a rise in interest rates causes a decline in the value of fixed income securities. In general, the market price of debt securities with longer maturities will increase or decrease more in response to changes in interest rates than shorter-term securities. Other risk factors include credit risk (the debtor may default) and prepayment risk (the debtor may pay its obligation early, reducing the amount of interest payments). These risks could affect the value of a particular investment, possibly causing the Fund's share price and total return to be reduced and fluctuate more than other types of investments.


Foreign Risk :  The Fund could be subject to greater risks because the Fund's performance may depend on issues other than the performance of a particular company or U.S. market sector.  Changes in foreign economies and political climates are more likely to affect the Fund than a mutual fund that invests exclusively in U.S. companies.  The value of foreign securities is also affected by the value of the local currency relative to the U.S. dollar.  There may also be less government supervision of foreign markets, resulting in non-uniform accounting practices and less publicly available information.  The value of foreign investments may be affected by changes in exchange control regulations, application of foreign tax laws (including withholding tax), changes in governmental administration or economic or monetary policy (in this country or abroad) or changed circumstances in dealings between nations.  In addition, foreign brokerage commissions, custody fees and other costs of investing in foreign securities are generally higher than in the United States.  Investments in foreign issues could be affected by other factors not present in the United States, including expropriation, armed conflict, confiscatory taxation, and potential difficulties in enforcing contractual obligations.  These risks are generally greater in emerging foreign markets than in established foreign markets.  As a result, the Fund may be exposed to greater risk and will be more dependent on the Adviser's ability to assess such risk than if the Fund invested solely in more developed countries.



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Foreign Currency Risk:   To the extent the Fund invests in securities or Underlying Funds that hold securities that are denominated in foreign currencies, the value of securities denominated in foreign currencies can change significantly when foreign currencies strengthen or weaken relative to the U.S. dollar.  Currency rates in foreign countries may fluctuate significantly over short periods of time for a number of reasons, including changes in interest rates and the imposition of currency controls or other political developments in the U.S. or abroad.  These currency movements may negatively impact the value of the Fund even when there is no change in the value of the security in the issuer's home country.


Futures Risk:  The Fund's use of futures contracts involves risks different from, or possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in securities and other traditional investments.  These risks include (i) leverage risk; (ii) correlation or tracking risk and (iii) liquidity risk.  Because futures require only a small initial investment in the form of a deposit or margin, they involve a high degree of leverage.  Accordingly, the fluctuation of the value of futures in relation to the underlying assets upon which they are based is magnified.  Thus, the Fund may experience losses that exceed losses experienced by funds that do not use futures contracts.  There may be imperfect correlation, or even no correlation, between price movements of a futures contract and price movements of investments for which futures are used as a substitute, or which futures are intended to hedge.  Lack of correlation (or tracking) may be due to factors unrelated to the value of the investments being hedged, such as speculative or other pressures on the markets in which these instruments are traded.  Consequently, the effectiveness of futures as a security substitute or as a hedging vehicle will depend, in part, on the degree of correlation between price movements in the futures and price movements in underlying securities.  While futures contracts are generally liquid instruments, under certain market conditions they may become illiquid.  Futures exchanges may impose daily or intra-day price change limits and/or limit the volume of trading.  Additionally, government regulation may further reduce liquidity through similar trading restrictions.  As a result, the Fund may be unable to close out its futures contracts at a time which is advantageous.  The successful use of futures depends upon a variety of factors, particularly the ability of the Sub-Adviser to predict movements of the underlying securities markets, which requires different skills than predicting changes in the prices of individual securities.  There can be no assurance that any particular futures strategy adopted will succeed.


Hedging Risk:  When the Adviser's technical analysis indicates that the Fund is exposed to unfavorable market conditions, the Fund generally will be less than fully invested and the Adviser may attempt to "hedge" with defensive positions and strategies including holding substantial positions in foreign or domestic cash and/or cash equivalents and futures and options on various emerging markets indexes.


Interest Rate Risk:   When the Fund invests in bonds or in Underlying Funds that own bonds, the value of your investment in the Fund will fluctuate with changes in interest rates.  Typically, a rise in interest rates causes a decline in the value of bond funds owned by the Fund. In general, the market price of debt securities with longer maturities will increase or decrease more in response to changes in interest rates than shorter-term securities. When the Fund holds variable or floating rate securities, a decrease (or, in the case of inverse floating rate securities, an increase) in market interest rates will adversely affect the income received from such securities and a decline in the value of the security.


Issuer Risk:  Fund value might decrease in response to the activities and financial prospects of an individual company in the Fund's portfolio.  The value of an individual company can be more volatile than the market as a whole and can perform differently from the value of the market as a whole.  The value of certain types of companies can be more volatile due to increased sensitivity to adverse issuer, political, regulatory, market, or economic developments.


Limited History of Operations:  (Toews Unconstrained Income Fund only) The Fund is a new mutual fund and has limited history of operations for investors to evaluate.   Mutual funds and their advisers are subject to restrictions and limitations imposed by the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, and the Internal Revenue Code that do not apply to the adviser's management of individual and institutional accounts.  As a result, investors cannot judge the adviser by its past performance and the adviser may not achieve its intended result in managing the Fund.


Liquidity Risk:  Liquidity risk exists when particular investments of the Fund would be difficult to purchase or sell, possibly preventing the Fund from selling such illiquid securities at an advantageous time or price, or possibly requiring the Fund to dispose of other investments at unfavorable times or prices in order to satisfy its obligations.


Management Risk:  The ability of the Fund to meet its investment objective is directly related to the Adviser's investment model.  The Adviser's assessment of the attractiveness and potential appreciation of particular investments or markets in which the Fund invests may prove to be incorrect and there is no guarantee that the Adviser's investment strategy will produce the desired results.  




42






Market Risk:  The net asset value of the Fund will fluctuate based on changes in the value of the securities in which the Fund invests.  The price of equity securities may rise or fall because of economic or political changes.  Stock prices in general may decline over short or even extended periods of time, and tend to be more volatile than other investment choices.  Market prices of equity securities in broad market segments may be adversely affected by a prominent issuer having experienced losses or by the lack of earnings or such an issuer's failure to meet the market's expectations with respect to new products or services, or even by factors wholly unrelated to the value or condition of the issuer, such as changes in interest rates.


Mortgage-Backed and Asset-Backed Risk: MBS and ABS are subject to certain risks. The default rate on underlying mortgage loans or asset loans may be higher than anticipated, potentially reducing payments to the Fund. Default rates are sensitive to overall economic conditions such as unemployment, wage levels and economic growth rates. MBS are susceptible maturity risk because issuers of securities held by the Fund are able to prepay principal due on these securities, particularly during periods of declining interest rates. Securities subject to prepayment risk generally offer less potential for gains when interest rates decline, and may offer a greater potential for loss when interest rates rise. When interest rates decline, borrowers may pay off their mortgages sooner than expected. This can reduce the returns to the Fund because the Fund may have to reinvest that money at the lower prevailing interest rates. Prepayment risk as well as the risk that the structure of certain MBS may make their reaction to interest rates and other factors difficult to predict, making their prices volatile. Generally, rising interest rates tend to be associated with longer MBS maturities because borrower prepayment rates tend to decline when rates rise. As a result, in a period of rising interest rates, MBS exhibit additional volatility, known as extension risk. ABS also are subject to maturity risk, although to a much smaller degree.


Non-Diversified Risk:  As a non-diversified fund, the Fund's portfolio may at times focus on a limited number of investments and will be subject to substantially more investment risk and potential for volatility than a diversified fund.  The Fund's share price could fall if the Fund is heavily invested in a particular security and the price of that security falls.


Portfolio Turnover Risk:  A higher portfolio turnover may result in higher transactional and brokerage costs associated with the turnover which may reduce the Fund's return, unless the securities traded can be bought and sold without corresponding commission costs.  Active trading of securities may also increase the Fund's realized capital gains or losses, which may affect the taxes you pay as a Fund shareholder.  The Fund's portfolio turnover rate is expected to be above 100% annually.


Preferred Stock Risk:  The value of preferred stocks will fluctuate with changes in interest rates. Typically, a rise in interest rates causes a decline in the value of preferred stock. Preferred stocks are also subject to credit risk, which is the possibility that an issuer of preferred stock will fail to make its dividend payments. Preferred stock prices tend to move more slowly upwards than common stock prices.


Real Estate Risk: An investment in the Fund may be subject to many of the same risks as a direct investment in real estate. These risks include changes in economic conditions, interest rates, property values, property tax increases, overbuilding and increased competition, environmental contamination, zoning and natural disasters. This is due to the fact that the value of the Fund’s investments may be affected by the value of the real estate owned by the REITs in which it invests. To the extent the Fund invests in companies that make loans to real estate companies, the Fund also may be subject to increased interest rate and credit risk.


Small-Cap and Mid-Cap Risk:  Direct investments in individual small capitalization companies may be more vulnerable than larger, more established organizations to adverse business or economic developments.  In particular, small capitalization companies may have limited product lines, markets, and financial resources and may be dependent upon a relatively small management group.  


Short Selling and Short Position Risk:  The Fund's long positions could decline in value at the same time that the value of short positions increase, thereby increasing the Fund's overall potential for loss. The short positions may result in a loss if the price of the short position instruments rise and it costs more to replace the short positions. In contrast to the Fund's long positions, for which the risk of loss is typically limited to the amount invested, the potential loss on short positions is potentially higher.  However, the Fund will be in compliance with Section 18(f) of the 1940 Act, to ensure that a Fund shareholder will not lose more than the amount invested in the Fund.  Market factors may prevent the Fund from closing out a short position at the most desirable time or at a favorable price.


Tax Inefficiency: The Adviser expects that most of the gains generated by the Fund will be categorized as short-term capital gains which will be subject to higher tax rates than long-term capital gains. Given the potential tax-inefficiency of the Fund, investors should consider investing through a tax-deferred account and carefully consider the tax consequences before investing.

Portfolio Holdings Disclosure:  A description of each Fund's policies and regarding the release of portfolio holdings information is available in the Funds' Statement of Additional Information.  



43






MANAGEMENT OF THE FUNDS


Investment Adviser


Toews Corporation ("Toews"), located at Cornerstone Commerce Center, 1201 New Road, Suite 111, Linwood, NJ 08221, serves as investment adviser to each Fund.  Subject to the authority of the Board of Trustees, the Adviser is responsible for the overall management of each Fund's business affairs.  Toews is responsible for selecting each Fund's investments according to the Fund's investment objective, polices, and restrictions.  Toews was established in 1994 and serves as an investment adviser primarily for individual investors.


Pursuant to the Investment Advisory Agreement, each Fund pays the Adviser, on a monthly basis, an annual Advisory fee based on a percentage of the Fund's average daily net assets.  A discussion regarding the basis for the Board's approval of the Investment Advisory Agreement for each Fund is available in the annual shareholder report dated April 30, 2013.

  

The Adviser has contractually agreed to reduce its fees and to reimburse expenses, at least until August 31, 2014 to ensure that Net Annual Fund Operating Expenses (exclusive of any front-end or contingent deferred loads, taxes, borrowing costs (such as interest and dividend expense on securities sold short) brokerage fees and commissions, indirect expenses such as dividend expense on securities sold short, expenses of other investment companies in which each Fund may invest, or extraordinary expenses such as litigation) will not exceed the percentage indicated in the table below for each Fund's average daily net assets.  


FUND

ADVISORY FEE

EXPENSE CAP

Toews Hedged Developed International Fund

1.00%

1.25%

Toews Hedged Emerging Markets Fund

1.25%

1.50%

Toews Hedged High Yield Bond Fund

1.00%

1.25%

Toews Hedged Large Cap Fund

1.00%

1.25%

Toews Hedged Small & Mid Cap Fund

1.00%

1.25%

Toews Hedged Growth Allocation Fund

1.00%

1.25%

Toews Unconstrained Income Fund

1.00%

1.25%


Fee waivers and expense reimbursements are subject to possible recoupment from each Fund in future years on a rolling three year basis (within the three years after the fees have been waived or reimbursed) if such recoupment can be achieved within the foregoing expense limits.  Fee waiver and reimbursement arrangements can decrease the Fund's expenses and boost its performance.


Portfolio Managers


Mr. Phillip Toews and Mr. Randall Schroeder are Co-Portfolio Managers primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of each Fund.  


Mr. Toews received a BS in Business and Economics from Bethel College in Newton, Kansas in 1986.  From 1987 to 1994, Mr. Toews was a financial counselor at IDS/American Express and Dorset Financial Services.  In 1994, Mr. Toews founded the Adviser and has served as its President and Chief Executive Officer since inception.  


Mr. Schroeder received a BA from Bethel College in Newton, Kansas in 1988 and a MA from Binghamton University in Binghamton, New York in 1994.  Mr. Schroeder has been associated with Toews Corporation since 1998 and has served as its Chief Operating Officer since 2006.  Messrs. Toews and Schroeder served as Co-Portfolio managers since inception for each Fund, except the Toews Hedged Emerging Markets Fund, where Mr. Toews initially was the sole named Portfolio Manager until Mr. Schroeder joined as Co-Portfolio Manager in February, 2010.


Each Fund's Statement of Additional Information provides additional information about the portfolio manager's compensation structure, other accounts managed by the portfolio manager, and the portfolio manager's ownership of Fund shares.



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NET ASSET VALUE


Shares of each Fund are sold at net asset value ("NAV").  The NAV of each Fund is determined at close of regular trading (normally 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time) on each day the New York Stock Exchange ("NYSE") is open for business.  The NYSE is closed on weekends and New Year's Day, Market Luther King, Jr. Day, Presidents’ Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day.   The NAV is determined by dividing the value of the Fund's securities, cash and other assets, minus all expenses and liabilities, by the total number of shares outstanding.    The NAV takes into account the expenses and fees of the Fund, including management, administration, and distribution fees, which are accrued daily.  The determination of NAV for a particular day is applicable to all applications for the purchase of shares, as well as all requests for the redemption of shares, received by the Fund (or an authorized broker or agent, or its authorized designee) before the close of trading on the NYSE on that day.  


Generally, a Fund's securities are valued each day at the last quoted sales price on each security's primary exchange.  Securities traded or dealt in upon one or more securities exchanges (whether domestic or foreign) for which market quotations are readily available and not subject to restrictions against resale shall be valued: at the last quoted sales price on the primary exchange or, in the absence of a sale on the primary exchange, at the last bid on the primary exchange. If market quotations are not readily available, securities will be valued at their fair market value as determined in good faith and evaluated as to the reliability of the fair value method used by the Board on a quarterly basis, in accordance with procedures approved by the Board.  Securities primarily traded in the National Association of Securities Dealers' Automated Quotation System ("NASDAQ") National Market System for which market quotations are readily available shall be valued using the NASDAQ Official Closing Price.  If market quotations are not readily available, securities will be valued at their fair market value as determined using the “fair value” procedures approved by the Board.  In these cases, the Fund's NAV will reflect certain portfolio securities' fair value rather than their market price.  Fair value pricing involves subjective judgments and it is possible that the fair value determined for a security is materially different than the value that could be realized upon the sale of that security. The fair value prices can differ from market prices when they become available or when a price becomes available. The Board has delegated execution of these procedures to a fair value team composed of one or more representatives from each of the (i) Trust, (ii) administrator, and (iii) adviser and/or sub-adviser.  The team may also enlist third party consultants such as an audit firm or financial officer of a security issuer on an as-needed basis to assist in determining a security-specific fair value.  The Board reviews and ratifies the execution of this process and the resultant fair value prices at least quarterly to assure the process produces reliable results.


Each Fund may use independent pricing services to assist in calculating the value of the Fund's securities.  In addition, market prices for foreign securities are not determined at the same time of day as the NAV for a Fund.  Each Fund may invest in foreign securities that are primarily listed on foreign exchanges that may trade on weekends or other days when the Fund does not price its shares, the value of the Fund's portfolio may change on days when you may not be able to buy or sell Fund shares.  In computing the NAV, each Fund values foreign securities held by the Fund at the latest closing price on the exchange in which they are traded immediately prior to closing of the NYSE.  Prices of foreign securities quoted in foreign currencies are translated into U.S. dollars at current rates.  If events materially affecting the value of a security in a Fund's portfolio, particularly foreign securities, occur after the close of trading on a foreign market but before the Fund prices its shares, the securities will be valued at fair value.  For example, if trading in a portfolio security is halted and does not resume before the Fund calculates its NAV, the Adviser may need to price the security using the Fund's fair value pricing guidelines.  Without a fair value price, short-term traders could take advantage of the arbitrage opportunity and dilute the NAV of long-term investors.  Fair valuation of the Fund's portfolio securities can serve to reduce arbitrage opportunities available to short-term traders, but there is no assurance that fair value pricing policies will prevent dilution of the Fund's NAV by short term traders.  The determination of fair value involves subjective judgments.  As a result, using fair value to price a security may result in a price materially different from the prices used by other mutual funds to determine net asset value or the price that may be realized upon the actual sale of the security.


With respect to any portion of a Fund's assets that are invested in one or more open-end management investment companies that are registered under the 1940 Act, the Fund's net asset value is calculated based upon the net asset values of the registered open-end management investment companies in which the Fund invests, and the prospectuses for these companies explain the circumstances under which those companies will use fair value pricing and the effects of using fair value pricing.



45






HOW TO PURCHASE SHARES


Purchasing Shares


You may purchase shares of a Fund by sending a completed application form to the following address by either regular or overnight mail.  All Funds may not be available for purchase in all states.


Via Regular Mail

Toews Funds

c/o Gemini Fund Services, LLC

P.O. Box 541150

Omaha, Nebraska 68154

1-877-558-6397

or Overnight Mail:

Toews Funds

c/o Gemini Fund Services, LLC

17605 Wright Street, Suite 2

Omaha, Nebraska 68130

1-877-558-6397


Minimum and Additional Investment Amounts


The minimum initial investment to open an account for each Fund is $10,000 for regular accounts and for retirement plans (e.g., tax-deferred retirement programs, IRAs, etc.).  The minimum initial investment may be waived for clients of the Adviser.  The minimum subsequent investment is $100.  There is no minimum investment requirement when you are buying shares by reinvesting dividends and distributions from each Fund.


Each Fund, however, reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to reject any application to purchase shares.  Applications will not be accepted unless they are accompanied by a check drawn on a U.S. bank, savings and loan, or credit union in U.S. funds for the full amount of the shares to be purchased.  After you open an account, you may purchase additional shares by sending a check together with written instructions stating the name(s) on the account and the account number, to the above address.   Make all checks payable to the name of the particular Fund. The Funds will not accept payment in cash, including cashier's checks or money orders.  Also, to prevent check fraud, the Funds will not accept third party checks, U.S. Treasury checks, credit card checks, or starter checks for the purchase of shares.


Note:  Gemini Fund Services, LLC ("GFS"), each Fund's transfer agent, will charge a $25 fee against a shareholder's account, in addition to any loss sustained by a Fund, for any check returned to the transfer agent for insufficient funds.


Purchase by Wire


If you wish to wire money to make an investment in a Fund, please call the Fund at 1-877-558-6397 for wiring instructions and to notify the Fund that a wire transfer is coming.  Any commercial bank can transfer same-day funds via wire. Each Fund normally will accept wired funds for investment on the day received if they are received by the Fund's designated bank before the close of regular trading on the NYSE. Your bank may charge you a fee for wiring same-day funds.


Purchase through Brokers


You may invest in a Fund through brokers or agents who have entered into selling agreements with the Fund's distributor.  These brokers and agents are authorized to designate other intermediaries to receive purchase and redemption orders on behalf of the Fund.  The Fund will be deemed to have received a purchase or redemption order when an authorized broker or its designee receives the order.  The broker or agent may set its own initial and subsequent investment minimums.  You may be charged a fee if you use a broker or agent to buy or redeem shares of the Fund.  Finally, various servicing agents use procedures and impose restrictions that may be in addition to, or different from those applicable to investors purchasing shares directly from the Fund.  You should carefully read the program materials provided to you by your servicing agent.



46






Automatic Investment Plan


 You may participate in a Fund's Automatic Investment Plan, an investment plan that automatically takes money from your bank account and invests it in the Fund through the use of electronic funds transfers or automatic bank drafts.  You may elect to make subsequent investments by transfers of a minimum of $100 on specified days of each month into your established Fund account.  Please contact the Fund at 1-877-558-6397 for more information about the Fund's Automatic Investment Plan.


Retirement Plans


You may purchase shares of a Fund for your individual retirement plans.  Please call the Fund at 1-877-558-6397 the most current listing and appropriate disclosure documentation on how to open a retirement account.


Anti-Money Laundering Regulations


The USA PATRIOT Act requires financial institutions, including the Funds, to adopt certain policies and programs to prevent money-laundering activities, including procedures to verify the identity of customers opening new accounts.  As requested on the application, you should supply your full name, date of birth, social security number, and permanent street address.  Mailing addresses containing a P.O. Box will not be accepted.  This information will assist the Funds in verifying your identity.  Until such verification is made, the Fund may temporarily limit additional share purchases.  In addition, the Fund may limit additional share purchases or close an account if it is unable to verify a shareholder's identity.  As required by law, the Fund may employ various procedures, such as comparing the information to fraud databases or requesting additional information or documentation from you, to ensure that the information supplied by you is correct.


When Order is Processed


All shares will be purchased at the NAV per share next determined after a Fund receives your application or request in good order.  All requests received in good order by the Fund before 4:00 p.m. (Eastern time) will be executed on that same day.  Requests received after 4:00 p.m. will be processed on the next business day.  



Good Order:   When making a purchase request, make sure your request is in good order.  "Good order" means your purchase request includes:

  • the name of the Fund;

  • the dollar amount of shares to be purchased;

  • a completed purchase application or investment stub; and

  • check payable to the applicable Fund

 




REDEMPTIONS


Written Redemption Requests:   You will be entitled to redeem all or any portion of the shares credited to your accounts by submitting a written request for redemption to:  


Via Regular Mail

Toews Funds

c/o Gemini Fund Services, LLC

P.O. Box 541150

Omaha, Nebraska 68154

1-877-558-6397

or Overnight Mail:

Toews Funds

c/o Gemini Fund Services, LLC

17605 Wright Street, Suite 2

Omaha, Nebraska 68130

1-877-558-6397



47






Redeeming by Telephone : The telephone redemption privilege is automatically available to all new accounts, except retirement accounts.  If you do not want the telephone redemption privilege, you must indicate this in the appropriate area on your account application or you must write to the Fund and instruct it to remove this privilege from your account.  


The proceeds can be sent by mail to the address designated on your account, wired directly to your existing account in any commercial bank or brokerage firm or electronic funds transferred to your existing bank account in the United States as designated on your application.  To redeem by telephone, call 1-877-558-6397.  The redemption proceeds normally will be sent by mail, wire or electronic transfer within three business days after receipt of your telephone instructions.  IRA accounts are not redeemable by telephone.


Each Fund reserves the right to suspend the telephone redemption privileges with respect to your account if the name(s) or the address on the account has been changed within the previous 30 days.  Neither the Funds, GFS, nor their respective affiliates will be liable for complying with telephone instructions they reasonably believe to be genuine or for any loss, damage, cost or expenses in acting on such telephone instructions and you will be required to bear the risk of any such loss.  The Funds, GFS, or both, will employ reasonable procedures to determine that telephone instructions are genuine.  If the Funds and/or GFS do not employ these procedures, they may be liable to you for losses due to unauthorized or fraudulent instructions.  These procedures may include, among others, requiring forms of personal identification prior to acting upon telephone instructions, providing written confirmation of the transactions and/or tape recording telephone instructions.


Redemptions by Wire/Electronic Funds Transfer


If you request your redemption by wire transfer, you will be required to pay a $15.00 wire transfer fee to GFS to cover costs associated with the transfer but GFS does not charge a fee when transferring redemption proceeds by electronic funds transfer.  In addition, your bank may impose a charge for receiving wires.


Redemptions in Kind


Each Fund reserves the right to honor requests for redemption or repurchase orders by making payment in whole or in part in readily marketable securities ("redemption in kind") if the amount of such a request is greater than $250,000 or 1% of the Fund's assets.  The securities will be chosen by the Fund and valued at the Fund's NAV.  A shareholder may incur transaction expenses in converting these securities to cash.


Systematic Withdrawal Plan


If your individual account, IRA, or other qualified plan account has a current account value of at least $10,000, you may adopt a Systematic Withdrawal Plan to provide for monthly, quarterly or other periodic checks for any designated amount of $100 or more.  If you wish to open a Systematic Withdrawal Plan, please indicate on your application or contact the Fund at 1-877-558-6397.


When Redemptions are Sent


Once the Fund receives your redemption request in "good order" (as described below), it will issue a check based on the next determined NAV following your redemption request.  If you purchase shares using a check and soon after request a redemption, redemption proceeds will be withheld by the Fund until after the check has cleared (usually within 10 days).


Good Order


Your redemption request will be processed if it is in "good order."  To be in good order, the following conditions must be satisfied:


·

The request should be in writing, unless redeeming by telephone, indicating the number of shares or dollar amount to be redeemed;

·

The request must identify your account number;

·

The request should be signed by you and any other person listed on the account, exactly as the shares are registered;

·

If you request that the redemption proceeds to be sent to an address other than that of record, be paid to someone other;

·

than the record owner(s), if the address was changed within the last 30 days, or if the proceeds of a requested; and

·

redemption exceed $100,000, the signature(s) on the request must be medallion signature guaranteed by an eligible signature guarantor.



48






When You Need Medallion Signature Guarantees


A medallion signature guarantee assures that a signature is genuine and protects you from unauthorized account transfers.  You will need your signature guaranteed if:


·

you wish to change the bank or brokerage account that you have designated on your account;

·

you request a redemption to be made payable to a person not on record with the Fund;

·

you request that a redemption be mailed to an address other than that on record with the Fund;

·

the proceeds of a requested redemption exceed $100,000;

·

any redemption is transmitted by federal wire transfer to a bank other than the bank of record; or

·

your address was changed within 30 days of your redemption request.


Signatures may be guaranteed by any eligible guarantor institution (including banks, brokers and dealers, credit unions, national securities exchanges, registered securities associations, clearing agencies, and savings associations) or by completing a supplemental telephone redemption authorization form.  Contact the Funds to obtain this form.  Further documentation will be required to change the designated account if shares are held by a corporation, fiduciary, or other organization.   A notary public cannot guaranty signatures .


Retirement Plans


If you own an IRA or other retirement plan, you must indicate on your redemption request whether a Fund should withhold federal income tax.  Unless you elect in your redemption request that you do not want to have federal tax withheld, the redemption will be subject to withholding.


Redeeming through Broker


If shares of a Fund are held by a broker-dealer, financial institution, or other servicing agent, you must contact that servicing agent to redeem shares of the Fund.  The servicing agent may charge a fee for this service.


Low Balances


If at any time your account balance falls below $10,000, your Fund may notify you that, unless the account is brought up to the appropriate account minimum within 60 days of the notice, your account could be closed.  After the notice period, the Fund may, redeem all of your shares and close your account by sending you a check to the address of record.  The account will not be closed if the account balance drops below the appropriate account minimum due to a decline in NAV.  


EXCHANGES


The exchange privilege is a convenient way to buy shares in each Fund in order to respond to changes in your investment goals or in market conditions. You may exchange your Shares of one Fund for Shares of another Fund at no cost to you and without paying any sales charge.


 If you establish a new account by exchange, the exchanged shares must have a minimum value of $2,500. All subsequent exchanges must have a minimum value of $250 per Fund.


You may exchange shares either by telephone, if you have not canceled your telephone privilege, or in writing. Written requests for exchange must provide the following:


·

current Fund's name;

·

account names and numbers;

·

name of the Fund you wish to exchange your shares into;

·

the amount you wish to exchange;

·

specify the shareholder privileges you wish to retain (e.g., Telephone Privileges); and

·

signatures of all registered owners.


To exchange shares by telephone, you should call 1-877-558-6397 between 8:30 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. Eastern time on any day the Funds are open. We will process telephone requests made after 4:00 p.m. Eastern time at the close of business on the next business day. You should notify the Funds in writing of all shareholder service privileges you wish to continue in any new account opened by a telephone exchange request. Please note that we will only accept exchanges if your ownership registrations in both accounts are identical.




49






We will value your exchanged shares at their respective net asset value next determined after the receipt of the exchange request. We will not impose an initial sales charge, redemption fee or penalty on exchanges. An exchange transaction is a sale and a purchase of shares for federal income tax purposes and may result in a capital gain or loss.


Systematic Exchange Program


The Systematic Exchange Program allows you to make regular, systematic exchanges among like classes of shares from one Fund account into another Fund account. By setting up the program, you authorize the Fund and its agents to redeem a set dollar amount or number of shares from the first account and purchase shares of a second Fund.


To participate in the Systematic Exchange Program, you must have an initial account balance of $10,000 in the first account and at least $1,000 in the second account. Exchanges may be made on any day or days of your choice. If the amount remaining in the first account is less than the exchange amount you requested, then the remaining amount will be exchanged. At such time as the first account has a zero balance, your participation in the program will be terminated. You may also terminate the program by calling or writing the Fund. Once participation in the program has been terminated for any reason, to reinstate the program you must do so in writing; simply investing additional funds will not reinstate the program.


Limitation on Purchases, Redemptions and Exchanges


Purchases or sales of shares of the Funds and exchanges between Funds should not be used to try to take advantage of short-term swings in the market. Frequent purchase and sale transactions or exchanges create higher expenses for the Funds. Accordingly, the Funds reserve the right to limit or terminate the ability to purchase shares of the Funds or the exchange privilege for any shareholder making frequent purchases or sales or exchanges. The Funds may also modify or revoke the exchange privilege for all shareholders upon sixty days' written notice.


TAX STATUS, DIVIDENDS AND DISTRIBUTIONS


Any sale or exchange of a Fund's shares may generate tax liability (unless you are a tax-exempt investor or your investment is in a qualified retirement account).  When you redeem your shares you may realize a taxable gain or loss.  This is measured by the difference between the proceeds of the sale and the tax basis for the shares you sold.  (To aid in computing your tax basis, you generally should retain your account statements for the period that you hold shares in the Fund.)


Each Fund, except the Toews Hedged High Yield Bond Fund, intends to distribute substantially all of its net investment income at least annually and net capital gain annually, typically in December.  The Toews Hedged High Yield Bond Fund intends to make such distributions monthly. The distributions will be reinvested in shares of the Fund unless you elect to receive cash.  Dividends from net investment income (including any excess of net short-term capital gain over net long-term capital loss) are taxable to investors as ordinary income, while distributions of net capital gain (the excess of net long-term capital gain over net short-term capital loss) are generally taxable as long-term capital gain, regardless of your holding period for the shares.  Any dividends or capital gain distributions you receive from a Fund will normally be taxable to you when made, regardless of whether you reinvest dividends or capital gain distributions or receive them in cash.  Certain dividends or distributions declared in October, November, or December will be taxed to shareholders as if received in December if they are paid during the following January.  Each year the Funds will inform you of the amount and type of your distributions.  IRAs and other qualified retirement plans are generally exempt from federal income taxation.


Your redemptions, including exchanges, may result in a capital gain or loss for federal tax purposes.  A capital gain or loss on your investment is the difference between the cost of your shares, including any sales charges, and the amount you receive when you sell them.


On the account application, you will be asked to certify that your social security number or taxpayer identification number is correct and that you are not subject to backup withholding for failing to report income to the IRS.  If you are subject to backup withholding or you did not certify your taxpayer identification number, the IRS requires each Fund to withhold a percentage of any dividend, redemption or exchange proceeds.  Each Fund reserves the right to reject any application that does not include a certified social security or taxpayer identification number.  If you do not have a social security number, you should indicate on the purchase form that your application to obtain a number is pending.  Each Fund is required to withhold taxes if a number is not delivered to the Fund within seven days.


The Funds may invest in complex securities and derivatives which may be subject to numerous special and complex tax rules.  These rules could affect whether gains and losses recognized by the Funds are treated as ordinary income or capital gain, accelerate the recognition of income to the Funds and/or defer the Funds' ability to recognize losses, and, in limited cases, subject the Funds to U.S. federal income tax on income from certain of its foreign securities.  In turn, these rules may affect the amount, timing or character of the income distributed to you by the Funds.



50






Each sale or exchange of shares of a Fund may be a taxable event. A sale may result in a capital gain or loss to you. For tax purposes, an exchange of your Fund shares for shares of a different Fund is the same as a sale.  The gain or loss generally will be treated as short term if you held the shares 12 months or less, long term if you held the shares for longer.


This summary is not intended to be and should not be construed to be legal or tax advice to any current holder of a Fund's shares.  You should consult your own tax adviser to determine the tax consequences of owning the Fund's shares.


MARKET TIMING


The Funds discourage and does not accommodate market timing.  Frequent trading into and out of a Fund can harm all Fund shareholders by disrupting the Fund's investment strategies, increasing Fund expenses, decreasing tax efficiency, and diluting the value of shares held by long-term shareholders.  The Funds are designed for long-term investors and is not intended for market timing or other disruptive trading activities.  Accordingly, the Funds' Board has approved policies that seek to curb these disruptive activities while recognizing that shareholders may have a legitimate need to adjust their Fund investments as their financial needs or circumstances change.


The Funds reserve the right to reject or restrict purchase or exchange requests for any reason, particularly when a shareholder's trading activity suggests that the shareholder may be engaged in market timing or other disruptive trading activities.  Neither the Funds nor the Adviser will be liable for any losses resulting from rejected purchase or exchange orders.  The Adviser may also bar an investor who has violated these policies (and the investor's financial adviser) from opening new accounts with a Fund.  


Although the Funds attempt to uniformly limit disruptive trading activities, some investors use a variety of strategies to hide their identities and their trading practices.  There can be no guarantee that the Funds will be able to identify or limit these activities.  Omnibus account arrangements are common forms of holding shares of a Fund. While each Fund will encourage financial intermediaries to apply the Fund's Market Timing Trading Policy to their customers who invest indirectly in the Fund, the Fund is limited in its ability to monitor the trading activity or enforce the Fund's Market Timing Trading Policy with respect to customers of financial intermediaries. For example, should it occur, a Fund may not be able to detect market timing that may be facilitated by financial intermediaries or made difficult to identify in the omnibus accounts used by those intermediaries for aggregated purchases and redemptions on behalf of all their customers. More specifically, unless the financial intermediaries have the ability to apply a Fund's Market Timing Trading Policy to their customers through such methods as implementing short-term trading limitations or restrictions and monitoring trading activity for what might be market timing, the Fund may not be able to determine whether trading by customers of financial intermediaries is contrary to the Fund's Market Timing Trading Policy. However, each Fund will ensure that financial intermediaries maintaining omnibus accounts on behalf of the Fund enter into an agreement with the Fund to provide shareholder transaction information, to the extent known to the financial intermediary, to the Fund upon request.  If a Fund or its Transfer Agent or shareholder servicing agent suspects there is market timing activity in the account, the Fund will seek full cooperation from the service provider maintaining the account to identify the underlying participant.  Upon instructions from the Adviser, the service providers will take immediate action to stop any further short-term trading by such participants.


DISTRIBUTION OF SHARES


Distributor:  Northern Lights Distributors, LLC, 17605 Wright Street, Omaha, Nebraska 68130, is the distributor for the shares of the Funds. The Distributor is a registered broker-dealer and member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc.  Shares of the Funds are offered on a continuous basis.  


Fund Administrator, Fund Accountant and Custody Administrator: Gemini Fund Services, LLC, 80 Arkay Drive, Suite 110, Hauppauge, New York 11788, serves as fund administrator, fund accountant and custody administrator to the Fund.  


Transfer Agent:  Gemini Fund Services, LLC, 17605 Wright Street, Suite 2, Omaha, Nebraska 68130 serves as transfer agent to the Fund.


Custodian:  The Fifth Third Bank, 38 Fountain Square Plaza, Cincinnati, Ohio, serves as Custodian for the Fund's cash and securities.  The Custodian does not assist in, and is not responsible for, investment decisions involving assets of the Fund.



51






Additional Compensation to Financial Intermediaries: The Distributor, its affiliates, and the Adviser may, at their own expense and out of their own legitimate profits, provide additional cash payments to financial intermediaries who sell shares of a Fund. Financial intermediaries include brokers, financial planners, banks, insurance companies, retirement or 401(k) plan administrators and others.  These payments may be in addition to the Rule 12b-1 fees that are disclosed elsewhere in this Prospectus.  These payments are generally made to financial intermediaries that provide shareholder or administrative services, or marketing support.  Marketing support may include access to sales meetings, sales representatives and financial intermediary management representatives, inclusion of a Fund on a sales list, including a preferred or select sales list, or other sales programs.  These payments also may be made as an expense reimbursement in cases where the financial intermediary provides shareholder services to Fund shareholders.  The Distributor may, from time to time, provide promotional incentives, to certain investment firms.  Such incentives may, at the Distributor's discretion, be limited to investment firms who allow their individual selling representatives to participate in such additional commissions.


Householding:   To reduce expenses, the Fund mails only one copy of the Prospectus and each annual and semi-annual report to those addresses shared by two or more accounts. If you wish to receive individual copies of these documents, please call the Fund at 1-877-558-6397 on days the Fund is open for business or contact your financial institution. The Fund will begin sending you individual copies thirty days after receiving your request.



52






FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS


The financial highlights table is intended to help you understand each Funds financial performance for the period of the Fund's operations.  Certain information reflects financial results for a single Fund share.  The total returns in the table represent the rate that an investor would have earned (or lost) on an investment in the Fund (assuming reinvestment of all dividends and distributions).  This information for the Fund has been derived from the financial statements audited by McGladrey LLP, whose report, along with the Funds' financial statements, are included in the Funds' April 30, 2013 annual report, which is available upon request.


The Toews Unconstrained Income Fund has only recently commenced investment operations; therefore, no financial highlights are available for the Fund at this time.  In the future, financial highlights will be presented in this section of the Prospectus.



Toews Hedged Emerging Markets Fund

 

Financial Highlights

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Selected data based on a share outstanding throughout each period

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For the Year

 

For the Year

 

For the Year

 

For the Period

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ended

 

ended

 

ended

 

ended

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

April 30, 2013

 

April 30, 2012

 

April 30, 2011

 

April 30, 2010*

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net asset value, beginning of period  

 

 

 

 $              7.16

 

 $            12.09

 

 $              12.85

 

 $                   10.00

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

INCOME (LOSS) FROM INVESTMENT  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  OPERATIONS:  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net investment income (loss) (a)  

 

 

 

(0.10)

 

(0.13)

 

0.02

 

(0.01)

 

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments  

 

0.15

 

(3.74)

 

0.05

 

2.92

 

Total from investment operations  

 

 

 

0.05

 

(3.87)

 

0.07

 

2.91

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

LESS DISTRIBUTIONS:  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

From net investment income  

 

 

 

                      -   

 

                (0.09)

 

                        -   

 

                       (0.06)

 

From net realized gains on investments  

 

 

 

                      -   

 

                (0.97)

 

                  (0.83)

 

                             -   

 

Total distributions  

 

 

 

 

                      -   

 

                (1.06)

 

                  (0.83)

 

                       (0.06)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net asset value, end of period  

 

 

 

 $              7.21

 

 $              7.16

 

 $              12.09

 

 $                   12.85

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total return (b)  

 

 

 

 

0.70%

 

(31.65)%

 

0.47%

 

29.12%

(f)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

RATIOS/SUPPLEMENTAL DATA:  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net assets, end of period (in 000's)  

 

 

 

 $            7,424

 

 $            8,707

 

 $           38,760

 

 $                 69,277

 

Ratios to average net assets   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

    Expenses, net of reimbursement (c)

 

 

 

1.50%

 

1.50%

 

1.50%

 

1.50%

(d)

    Expenses, before reimbursement (c)

 

 

 

2.24%

 

2.06%

 

1.76%

 

1.78%

(d)

    Net investment income (loss), net of reimbursement (c) (e)     

(1.39)%

 

(1.41)%

 

0.20%

 

(0.07)%

(d)

    Net investment income (loss), before reimbursement (c) (e)     

(2.13)%

 

(1.98)%

 

(0.06)%

 

(0.35)%

(d)

Portfolio turnover rate    

 

 

 

114%

 

107%

 

419%

 

206%

(f)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

*The Fund commenced operations on May 15, 2009.

(a) Per share amounts have been calculated using the average share method, which more appropriately presents the per share data for the period.

(b) Total returns are historical and assume changes in share price and reinvestment of dividends and capital gain distributions if any.  Had the Manager not absorbed a portion of the expenses, total returns would have been lower.

(c) Does not include expenses of the investment companies in which the Fund invests.     

(d) Annualized for periods of less than one year.

(e) Recognition of net investment income (loss) by the Fund is affected by the timing of the declaration of dividends by the underlying investment companies in which the Fund invests.

(f) Not annualized.


53






Toews Hedged Growth Allocation Fund

 

Financial Highlights

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Selected data based on a share outstanding throughout each period

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For the Year

 

For the Year

 

For the Period

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ended

 

ended

 

ended

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

April 30, 2013

 

April 30, 2012

 

April 30, 2011*

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net asset value, beginning of period

 

 

 

 

 

 $              8.50

 

 $               10.84

 

 $              10.00

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

INCOME (LOSS) FROM INVESTMENT

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  OPERATIONS:  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net investment income (a)  

 

 

 

 

 

0.03

 

0.00

**

0.10

 

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments  

1.13

 

(1.45)

 

0.81

 

Total from investment operations  

 

 

 

 

 

1.16

 

(1.45)

 

0.91

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

LESS DISTRIBUTIONS:  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

From net investment income  

 

 

 

 

 

               (0.00)

**

                   (0.01)

 

                  (0.07)

 

From net realized gains on investments  

 

                     -   

 

                   (0.88)

 

                        -   

 

Total distributions  

 

 

 

 

 

 

               (0.00)

 

                   (0.89)

 

                  (0.07)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net asset value, end of period  

 

 

 

 

 

 $              9.66

 

 $                 8.50

 

 $              10.84

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total return (b)

 

 

 

 

 

 

13.70%

 

(12.75)%

 

9.17%

(f)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

RATIOS/SUPPLEMENTAL DATA:  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net assets, end of period (in 000's)  

 

 

 

 

 

 $         25,817

 

 $             20,887

 

 $           38,382

 

Ratios to average net assets   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

    Expenses, net of reimbursement (d)   

 

 

1.25%

 

1.25%

 

1.25%

(c)

    Expenses, before reimbursement (d)   

 

 

1.60%

 

1.65%

 

1.62%

(c)

    Net investment income (loss), net of reimbursement (e)

0.35%

 

(0.04)%

 

1.32%

(c)

    Net investment income (loss), before reimbursement (e)

0.00%

 

(0.37)%

 

0.95%

(c)

Portfolio turnover rate

 

 

 

 

 

 

147%

 

388%

 

246%

(f)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

* The Fund commenced operations on August 2, 2010.

** Per share amount represents less than $0.01 per share.

(a) Per share amounts have been calculated using the average share method, which more appropriately presents the per share data for the period.

(b) Total returns are historical and assume changes in share price and reinvestment of dividends and capital gain distributions if any.  Had the Manager not absorbed a portion of the expenses, total returns would have been lower.

(c) Annualized for periods of less than one year.

(d) Does not include expenses of the investment companies in which the Fund invests.   

(e) Recognition of net investment income (loss) by the Fund is affected by the timing of the declaration of dividends by the underlying investment companies in which the Fund invests.

(f) Not annualized.


54






Toews Hedged High Yield Bond Fund

 

Financial Highlights

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Selected data based on a share outstanding throughout each period

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For the Year

 

For the Year

 

For the Period

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ended

 

ended

 

ended

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

April 30, 2013

 

April 30, 2012

 

April 30, 2011*

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net asset value, beginning of period  

 

 

 

 

 

 $                   10.60

 

 $                   10.69

 

 $                   10.00

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

INCOME FROM INVESTMENT  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  OPERATIONS:  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net investment income (a)  

 

 

 

 

 

0.59

 

0.44

 

0.56

 

Net realized and unrealized gain on investments  

 

 

 

0.50

 

0.01

 

0.68

 

Total from investment operations  

 

 

 

 

 

1.09

 

0.45

 

1.24

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

LESS DISTRIBUTIONS:  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

From net investment income  

 

 

 

 

 

                       (0.55)

 

                       (0.41)

 

                       (0.54)

 

From net realized gains on investments  

 

 

 

 

 

                       (0.09)

 

                       (0.13)

 

                       (0.01)

 

Total distributions  

 

 

 

 

 

 

                       (0.64)

 

                       (0.54)

 

                       (0.55)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net asset value, end of period  

 

 

 

 

 

 $                   11.05

 

 $                   10.60

 

 $                   10.69

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total return (b)

 

 

 

 

 

 

9.41%

 

4.41%

 

12.61%

(f)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

RATIOS/SUPPLEMENTAL DATA:  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net assets, end of period (in 000's)   

 

 

 

 

 

 $                 83,150

 

 $                 47,282

 

 $                 29,726

 

Ratios to average net assets    

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

    Expenses, net of reimbursement (d)   

 

 

 

 

 

1.25%

 

1.25%

 

1.25%

(c)

    Expenses, before reimbursement (d)   

 

 

 

 

 

1.44%

 

1.52%

 

1.75%

(c)

    Net investment income, net of reimbursement (e)  

 

5.07%

 

4.21%

 

6.02%

(c)

    Net investment income, before reimbursement (e)

 

4.88%

 

3.94%

 

5.52%

(c)

Portfolio turnover rate

 

 

 

 

 

 

232%

 

422%

 

178%

(f)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

*The Fund commenced operations on June 4, 2010.

(a) Per share amounts have been calculated using the average share method, which more appropriately presents the per share data for the period.

(b) Total returns are historical and assume changes in share price and reinvestment of dividends and capital gain distributions if any.  Had the Manager not absorbed a portion of the expenses, total returns would have been lower.

(c) Annualized for periods of less than one year.

(d) Does not include expenses of the investment companies in which the Fund invests.   

(e) Recognition of net investment income by the Fund is affected by the timing of the declaration of dividends by the underlying investment companies in which the Fund invests.

(f) Not annualized.



55






Toews Hedged International Developed Markets Fund

 

Financial Highlights

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Selected data based on a share outstanding throughout each period

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For the Year

 

For the Year

 

For the Period

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ended

 

ended

 

ended

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

April 30, 2013

 

April 30, 2012

 

April 30, 2011*

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net asset value, beginning of period  

 

 

 

 

 

 $                     7.72

 

 $                   10.78

 

 $                   10.00

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

INCOME (LOSS) FROM INVESTMENT   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  OPERATIONS:   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net investment loss (a)   

 

 

 

 

 

 

(0.09)

 

(0.10)

 

0.00

**

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments   

 

 

 

1.45

 

(2.69)

 

0.87

 

Total from investment operations   

 

 

 

 

 

1.36

 

(2.79)

 

0.87

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

LESS DISTRIBUTIONS:  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

From net investment income  

 

 

 

 

 

                             -   

 

                             -   

 

                       (0.06)

 

From net realized gains on investments

 

 

 

 

 

                             -   

 

                       (0.27)

 

                       (0.03)

 

Total distributions   

 

 

 

 

 

 

                             -   

 

                       (0.27)

 

                       (0.09)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net asset value, end of period   

 

 

 

 

 

 $                     9.08

 

 $                     7.72

 

 $                   10.78

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total return (b)

 

 

 

 

 

 

17.62%

 

(25.88)%

 

8.67%

(f)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

RATIOS/SUPPLEMENTAL DATA:   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net assets, end of period (in 000's)   

 

 

 

 

 

 $                 46,869

 

 $                 31,926

 

 $                 26,318

 

Ratios to average net assets   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

    Expenses, net of reimbursement (d)   

 

 

 

 

 

1.25%

 

1.25%

 

1.25%

(c)

    Expenses, before reimbursement (d)  

 

 

 

 

 

1.57%

 

1.54%

 

1.84%

(c)

    Net investment loss, net of reimbursement (e)   

 

(1.15)%

 

(1.18)%

 

(0.02)%

(c)

    Net investment loss, before reimbursement(e)   

 

(1.48)%

 

 

 

(0.61)%

(c)

Portfolio turnover rate

 

 

 

 

 

 

140%

 

44%

 

529%

(f)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

*The Fund commenced operations on June 4, 2010.

**Per share amount represents less than $0.01 per share.

 

 

 

 

 

(a) Per share amounts have been calculated using the average share method, which more appropriately presents the per share data for the period.

(b) Total returns are historical and assume changes in share price and reinvestment of dividends and capital gain distributions if any.  Had the Manager not absorbed a portion of the expenses, total returns would have been lower.

(c) Annualized for periods of less than one year.

(d) Does not include expenses of the investment companies in which the Fund invests.   

(e) Recognition of net investment loss by the Fund is affected by the timing of the declaration of dividends by the underlying investment companies in which the Fund invests.

(f) Not annualized.


56





Toews Hedged Large Cap Fund

 

Financial Highlights

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Selected data based on a share outstanding throughout each period

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For the Year

 

For the Year

 

For the Period

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ended

 

ended

 

ended

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

April 30, 2013

 

April 30, 2012

 

April 30, 2011*

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net asset value, beginning of period   

 

 

 

 

 

 $                     9.88

 

 $                   11.16

 

 $                   10.00

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

INCOME (LOSS) FROM INVESTMENT   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  OPERATIONS:   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net investment loss (a)   

 

 

 

 

 

 

(0.12)

 

(0.12)

 

(0.11)

 

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments   

 

 

 

1.24

 

(0.78)

 

1.72

 

Total from investment operations  

 

 

 

 

 

1.12

 

(0.90)

 

1.61

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

LESS DISTRIBUTIONS:  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

From net investment income  

 

 

 

 

 

                             -   

 

                             -   

 

                             -   

 

From net realized gains on investments  

 

 

 

 

 

                             -   

 

                       (0.38)

 

                       (0.45)

 

Total distributions  

 

 

 

 

 

 

                             -   

 

                       (0.38)

 

                       (0.45)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net asset value, end of period  

 

 

 

 

 

 $                   11.00

 

 $                     9.88

 

 $                   11.16

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total return (b)

 

 

 

 

 

 

11.34%

 

(7.67)%

 

16.21%

(f)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

RATIOS/SUPPLEMENTAL DATA:  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net assets, end of period (in 000's)  

 

 

 

 

 

 $                 43,057

 

 $                 32,747

 

 $                 23,998

 

Ratios to average net assets   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

    Expenses, net of reimbursement (d)  

 

 

 

 

 

1.25%

 

1.25%

 

1.25%

(c)

    Expenses, before reimbursement(d)  

 

 

 

 

 

1.56%

 

1.57%

 

1.85%

(c)

    Net investment loss, net of reimbursement (e)   

 

(1.15)%

 

(1.18)%

 

(1.15)%

(c)

    Net investment loss, before reimbursement (e)   

 

(1.46)%

 

(1.50)%

 

(1.76)%

(c)

Portfolio turnover rate

 

 

 

 

 

 

84%

 

51%

 

0%

(f)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

*The Fund commenced operations on June 4, 2010.

(a) Per share amounts have been calculated using the average share method, which more appropriately presents the per share data for the period.

(b) Total returns are historical and assume changes in share price and reinvestment of dividends and capital gain distributions if any.  Had the Manager not absorbed a portion of the expenses, total returns would have been lower.

(c) Annualized for periods of less than one year.

(d) Does not include expenses of the investment companies in which the Fund invests.   

(e) Recognition of net investment loss by the Fund is affected by the timing of the declaration of dividends by the underlying investment companies in which the Fund invests.

(f) Not annualized.


57





Toews Hedged Small & Mid Cap Fund

 

Financial Highlights

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Selected data based on a share outstanding throughout each period

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For the Year

 

For the Year

 

For the Period

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ended

 

ended

 

ended

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

April 30, 2013

 

April 30, 2012

 

April 30, 2011*

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net asset value, beginning of period   

 

 

 

 

 

 $                     9.52

 

 $                   11.74

 

 $                   10.00

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

INCOME (LOSS) FROM INVESTMENT   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  OPERATIONS:   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net investment loss (a)   

 

 

 

 

 

 

(0.11)

 

(0.12)

 

(0.11)

 

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments   

 

 

 

1.24

 

(1.50)

 

2.22

 

Total from investment operations   

 

 

 

 

 

1.13

 

(1.62)

 

2.11

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

LESS DISTRIBUTIONS:   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

From net investment income   

 

 

 

 

 

                             -   

 

                             -   

 

                             -   

 

From net realized gains on investments

 

 

 

 

 

                             -   

 

                       (0.60)

 

                       (0.37)

 

Total distributions   

 

 

 

 

 

 

                             -   

 

                       (0.60)

 

                       (0.37)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net asset value, end of period   

 

 

 

 

 

 $                   10.65

 

 $                     9.52

 

 $                   11.74

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total return (b)

 

 

 

 

 

 

11.87%

 

(13.30)%

 

21.26%

(f)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

RATIOS/SUPPLEMENTAL DATA:   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net assets, end of period (in 000's)   

 

 

 

 

 

 $                 62,835

 

 $                 47,999

 

 $                 34,909

 

Ratios to average net assets    

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

    Expenses, net of reimbursement (d)   

 

 

 

 

 

1.25%

 

1.25%

 

1.25%

(c)

    Expenses, before reimbursement(d)   

 

 

 

 

 

1.49%

 

1.52%

 

1.71%

(c)

    Net investment loss, net of reimbursement (e)   

 

(1.16)%

 

(1.19)%

 

(1.16)%

(c)

    Net investment loss, before reimbursement (e)   

 

(1.40)%

 

(1.46)%

 

(1.62)%

(c)

Portfolio turnover rate

 

 

 

 

 

 

89%

 

65%

 

0%

(f)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

*The Fund commenced operations on June 4, 2010.

(a) Per share amounts have been calculated using the average share method, which more appropriately presents the per share data for the period.

(b) Total returns are historical and assume changes in share price and reinvestment of dividends and capital gain distributions if any.  Had the Manager not absorbed a portion of the expenses, total returns would have been lower.

(c) Annualized for periods of less than one year.

(d) Does not include expenses of the investment companies in which the Fund invests.   

(e) Recognition of net investment loss by the Fund is affected by the timing of the declaration of dividends by the underlying investment companies in which the Fund invests.

(f) Not annualized.




58







PRIVACY NOTICE

Rev. August 2011

FACTS

WHAT DOES NORTHERN LIGHTS FUND TRUST DO WITH YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION?


Why?

Financial companies choose how they share your personal information.  Federal law gives consumers the right to limit some, but not all sharing.  Federal law also requires us to tell you how we collect, share, and protect your personal information.  Please read this notice carefully to understand what we do.


What?

The types of personal information we collect and share depends on the product or service that you have with us. This information can include:

·

Social Security number and wire transfer instructions

·

account transactions and transaction history

·

investment experience and purchase history
When you are no longer our customer, we continue to share your information as described in this notice.


How?

All financial companies need to share customers’ personal information to run their everyday business.  In the section below, we list the reasons financial companies can share their customers’ personal information; the reasons Northern Lights Fund Trust chooses to share; and whether you can limit this sharing.


Reasons we can share your personal information:

Does Northern Lights Fund Trust share information?

Can you limit this sharing?

For our everyday business purposes - such as to process your transactions, maintain your account(s), respond to court orders and legal investigations, or report to credit bureaus.

YES

NO

For our marketing purposes - to offer our products and services to you.

NO

We don’t share

For joint marketing with other financial companies.

NO

We don’t share

For our affiliates’ everyday business purposes - information about your transactions and records.

NO

We don’t share

For our affiliates’ everyday business purposes - information about your credit worthiness.

NO

We don’t share

For nonaffiliates to market to you

NO

We don’t share


QUESTIONS?  

Call 1-402-493-4603



59






 

What we do:


How does Northern Lights Fund Trust protect my personal information?

To protect your personal information from unauthorized access and use, we use security measures that comply with federal law.  These measures include computer safeguards and secured files and buildings.


Our service providers are held accountable for adhering to strict policies and procedures to prevent any misuse of your nonpublic personal information.


How does Northern Lights Fund Trust collect my personal information?

We collect your personal information, for example, when you

·

open an account or deposit money

·

direct us to buy securities or direct us to sell your securities

·

seek advice about your investments

We also collect your personal information from others, such as credit bureaus, affiliates, or other companies.


Why can’t I limit all sharing?

Federal law gives you the right to limit only:

·

sharing for affiliates’ everyday business purposes – information about your creditworthiness.

·

affiliates from using your information to market to you.

·

sharing for nonaffiliates to market to you.

State laws and individual companies may give you additional rights to limit sharing.


Definitions

Affiliates

Companies related by common ownership or control.  They can be financial and nonfinancial companies.

·

Northern Lights Fund Trust has no affiliates.

Nonaffiliates

Companies not related by common ownership or control.  They can be financial and nonfinancial companies.

·

Northern Lights Fund Trust does not share with nonaffiliates so they can market to you.

Joint marketing

A formal agreement between nonaffiliated financial companies

that together market financial products or services to you.

·

Northern Lights Fund Trust does not jointly market .





60






TOEWS FUNDS



Adviser


Toews Corporation

Cornerstone Commerce Center

1201 New Road, Suite 111

Linwood, NJ  08221


Distributor


Northern Lights Distributors, LLC

17605 Wright Street

Omaha, Nebraska 68130


Legal Counsel


Thompson Hine LLP
41 South High Street, Suite 1700

Columbus, Ohio 43215


Transfer Agent


Gemini Fund Services, LLC

17605 Wright Street, Suite 2

Omaha, NE  68130


Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm:


McGladrey LLP

555 Seventeenth Street, Suite 1000

Denver, Colorado  80202


Custodian


Fifth Third Bank

38 Fountain Square Plaza

Cincinnati, Ohio 45263


Additional information about the Funds, including each Fund's policies and procedures with respect to disclosure of the Fund's portfolio holdings, is included in the Funds' Statement of Additional Information dated August 28, 2013 (the "SAI").  The SAI is incorporated into this Prospectus by reference (i.e., legally made a part of this Prospectus).  The SAI provides more details about each Fund's policies and management.  Additional information about each Fund's investments is also available in the Funds' Annual and Semi-Annual Reports to Shareholders.  


To obtain a free copy of the SAI or other information about the Funds, or to make shareholder inquires about the Funds, please call 1-877-558-6397or visit www.ToewsCorp.com.  You may also write to:

Toews Funds

c/o Gemini Fund Services, LLC

P.O. Box 541150

Omaha, Nebraska 68154

You may review and obtain copies of each Fund's information at the SEC's Public Reference Room in Washington, D.C.  Please call 1-202-551-8090 for information relating to the operation of the Public Reference Room.  Reports and other information about the Funds are available on the EDGAR Database on the SEC's Internet site at http://www.sec.gov.  Copies of the information may be obtained, after paying a duplicating fee, by electronic request at the following E-mail address: publicinfo@sec.gov, or by writing the Public Reference Section, Securities and Exchange Commission, 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549-0102.


Investment Company Act File #811-21720


Toews Funds • 17605 Wright St. • Suite 2 • Omaha, NE 68130

1-877-558-6397



 

 

 








Toews Hedged International Developed Markets Fund

Toews Hedged Emerging Markets Fund

Toews Hedged High Yield Bond Fund

Toews Hedged Large-Cap Fund

Toews Hedged Small & Mid Cap Fund

Toews Hedged Growth Allocation Fund

Toews Unconstrained Income Fund



 Each a Series of Northern Lights Fund Trust



 


___________________________________________________________________________________

STATEMENT OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

 

August 28, 2013

___________________________________________________________________________________


 

This Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”) is not a prospectus and should be read in conjunction with the prospectus of Toews Hedged International Developed Markets Fund (the “International Fund”), Toews Hedged Emerging Markets Fund (the “Emerging Markets Fund”), Toews Hedged High Yield Bond Fund (the “High Yield Fund”), Toews Hedged Large-Cap Fund (the “Large-Cap Fund”), Toews Hedged Small & Mid Cap Fund (the “Small & Mid Cap Fund”), Toews Hedged Growth Allocation Fund (the “Allocation Fund”) and Toews Unconstrained Income Fund (the “Unconstrained Income Fund”) (individually a “Fund,” collectively the “Funds”) dated August 28, 2013.  You can obtain copies a prospectus, annual or semiannual report without charge by contacting the Funds’ Transfer Agent, Gemini Fund Services, LLC, 17605 Wright Street, Suite 2, Omaha, Nebraska 68130 or by calling 1-877-558-6397.  You may also obtain a prospectus by visiting our website at www.ToewsCorp.com.  

 













TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

 

THE FUNDS

1

TYPES OF INVESTMENTS

1

INVESTMENT RESTRICTIONS

22

POLICIES AND PROCEDURES FOR DISCLOSURE OF PORTFOLIO HOLDINGS

23

MANAGEMENT

25

CONTROL PERSONS AND PRINCIPAL HOLDERS

31

INVESTMENT ADVISER

32

DISTRIBUTION OF SHARES

35

PORTFOLIO MANAGERS

36

ALLOCATION OF PORTFOLIO BROKERAGE

37

PORTFOLIO TURNOVER

38

OTHER SERVICE PROVIDERS

39

DESCRIPTION OF SHARES

43

ANTI-MONEY LAUNDERING PROGRAM7

44

PURCHASE, REDEMPTION AND PRICING OF SHARES

44

TAX STATUS

48

INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

52

LEGAL COUNSEL

53

APPENDIX A – DESCRIPTION OF BOND RATINGS

53

APPENDIX B –ADVISER’S PROXY V OTING POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

56




THE FUNDS



The Hedged International Fund, Hedged Emerging Markets Fund, Hedged High Yield Fund, Hedged Large-Cap Fund, Hedged Small & Mid Cap Fund, Hedged Allocation Fund and Unconstrained Income Fund comprise seven series of Northern Lights Fund Trust, a Delaware statutory trust organized on January 19, 2005 (the “Trust”). The Trust is registered as an open-end management investment company.  The Trust is governed by its Board of Trustees (the “Board” or “Trustees”).


Each Fund may issue an unlimited number of shares of beneficial interest.  All shares of a Fund have equal rights and privileges.  Each share of a Fund is entitled to one vote on all matters as to which shares are entitled to vote.  In addition, each share of a Fund is entitled to participate equally with other shares (i) in dividends and distributions declared by the Fund and (ii) on liquidation to its proportionate share of the assets remaining after satisfaction of outstanding liabilities.  Shares of the Funds are fully paid, non-assessable and fully transferable when issued and have no pre-emptive, conversion or exchange rights.  Fractional shares have proportionately the same rights, including voting rights, as are provided for a full share.


Each Fund is a non-diversified series consisting of one class of shares.  Toews Corporation (the “Adviser”) is the Funds’ investment adviser.  Each Fund’s investment objective, restrictions and policies are more fully described here and in the Prospectus.  The Board may start other series and offer shares of a new fund under the Trust at any time.  The Board of Trustees may classify and reclassify the shares of a Fund into additional classes at a future date.


Under the Trust’s Agreement and Declaration of Trust, each Trustee will continue in office until the termination of the Trust or his/her earlier death, incapacity, resignation or removal.  Shareholders can remove a Trustee to the extent provided by the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”) and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.  Vacancies may be filled by a majority of the remaining Trustees, except insofar as the 1940 Act may require the election by shareholders.  As a result, normally no annual or regular meetings of shareholders will be held unless matters arise requiring a vote of shareholders under the Agreement and Declaration of Trust or the 1940 Act.

 

TYPES OF INVESTMENTS



The investment objective of each Fund and a description of its principal investment strategies are set forth under “Risk/Return Summary” in the Prospectus.  Each Fund’s investment objective is not “fundamental” and may be changed without the approval of a majority of its outstanding voting securities.


The following information describes securities in which each Fund may invest, with noted exceptions.


Equity Securities


Equity securities include common stocks, preferred stocks and securities convertible into common stocks, such as convertible bonds, warrants, rights and options.  The value of equity securities varies in response to many factors, including the activities and financial condition of individual companies, the business market in which individual companies compete and general market and economic conditions.  Equity securities fluctuate in value, often based on factors unrelated to the value of the issuer of the securities, and such fluctuations can be significant.




1




Common Stock


Common stock represents an equity (ownership) interest in a company, and usually possesses voting rights and earns dividends. Dividends on common stock are not fixed but are declared at the discretion of the issuer. Common stock generally represents the riskiest investment in a company. In addition, common stock generally has the greatest appreciation and depreciation potential because increases and decreases in earnings are usually reflected in a company’s stock price.


Each Fund may invest in preferred stock with a minimum credit rating of investment grade. Preferred stock is a class of stock having a preference over common stock as to the payment of dividends and the recovery of investment should a company be liquidated, although preferred stock is usually junior to the debt securities of the issuer. Preferred stock typically does not possess voting rights and its market value may change based on changes in interest rates.


The fundamental risk of investing in common and preferred stock is the risk that the value of the stock might decrease. Stock values fluctuate in response to the activities of an individual company or in response to general market and/or economic conditions. Historically, common stocks have provided greater long-term returns and have entailed greater short-term risks than preferred stocks, fixed-income securities and money market investments. The market value of all securities, including common and preferred stocks, is based upon the market’s perception of value and not necessarily the book value of an issuer or other objective measures of a company’s worth.


Convertible Securities


Each Fund may invest in convertible securities and non-investment grade convertible securities.  Convertible securities include fixed income securities that may be exchanged or converted into a predetermined number of shares of the issuer’s underlying common stock at the option of the holder during a specified period. Convertible securities may take the form of convertible preferred stock, convertible bonds or debentures, units consisting of “usable” bonds and warrants or a combination of the features of several of these securities. Convertible securities are senior to common stocks in an issuer’s capital structure, but are usually subordinated to similar non-convertible securities. While providing a fixed-income stream (generally higher in yield than the income derivable from common stock but lower than that afforded by a similar nonconvertible security), a convertible security also gives an investor the opportunity, through its conversion feature, to participate in the capital appreciation of the issuing company depending upon a market price advance in the convertible security’s underlying common stock.


Warrants


Each Fund may invest in warrants. Warrants are options to purchase common stock at a specific price (usually at a premium above the market value of the optioned common stock at issuance) valid for a specific period of time. Warrants may have a life ranging from less than one year to twenty years, or they may be perpetual. However, most warrants have expiration dates after which they are worthless. In addition, a warrant is worthless if the market price of the common stock does not exceed the warrant’s exercise price during the life of the warrant. Warrants have no voting rights, pay no dividends, and have no rights with respect to the assets of the corporation issuing them. The percentage increase or decrease in the market price of the warrant may tend to be greater than the percentage increase or decrease in the market price of the optioned common stock.




2




Fixed Income Securities


Yields on fixed income securities are dependent on a variety of factors, including the general conditions of the money market and other fixed income securities markets, the size of a particular offering, the maturity of the obligation and the rating of the issue. An investment in a Fund will be subjected to risk even if all fixed income securities in a Fund’s portfolio are paid in full at maturity. All fixed income securities, including U.S. Government securities, can change in value when there is a change in interest rates or the issuer’s actual or perceived creditworthiness or ability to meet its obligations.


There is normally an inverse relationship between the market value of securities sensitive to prevailing interest rates and actual changes in interest rates. In other words, an increase in interest rates produces a decrease in market value. The longer the remaining maturity (and duration) of a security, the greater will be the effect of interest rate changes on the market value of that security. Changes in the ability of an issuer to make payments of interest and principal and in the markets’ perception of an issuer’s creditworthiness will also affect the market value of the debt securities of that issuer. Obligations of issuers of fixed income securities (including municipal securities) are subject to the provisions of bankruptcy, insolvency, and other laws affecting the rights and remedies of creditors, such as the Federal Bankruptcy Reform Act of 1978. In addition, the obligations of municipal issuers may become subject to laws enacted in the future by Congress, state legislatures, or referenda extending the time for payment of principal and/or interest, or imposing other constraints upon enforcement of such obligations or upon the ability of municipalities to levy taxes. Changes in the ability of an issuer to make payments of interest and principal and in the market’s perception of an issuer’s creditworthiness will also affect the market value of the debt securities of that issuer. The possibility exists, therefore, that, the ability of any issuer to pay, when due, the principal of and interest on its debt securities may become impaired.


The corporate debt securities in which each Fund may invest include corporate bonds and notes and short-term investments such as commercial paper and variable rate demand notes. Commercial paper (short-term promissory notes) is issued by companies to finance their or their affiliate’s current obligations and is frequently unsecured. Variable and floating rate demand notes are unsecured obligations redeemable upon not more than 30 days’ notice. These obligations include master demand notes that permit investment of fluctuating amounts at varying rates of interest pursuant to a direct arrangement with the issuer of the instrument. The issuer of these obligations often has the right, after a given period, to prepay the outstanding principal amount of the obligations upon a specified number of days’ notice. These obligations generally are not traded, nor generally is there an established secondary market for these obligations. To the extent a demand note does not have a 7-day or shorter demand feature and there is no readily available market for the obligation, it is treated as an illiquid security.


Foreign Securities


General .  Investing in securities of foreign companies and countries involves certain considerations and risks that are not typically associated with investing in U.S. government securities and securities of domestic companies. There may be less publicly available information about a foreign issuer than a domestic one, and foreign companies are not generally subject to uniform accounting, auditing and financial standards and requirements comparable to those applicable to U.S. companies.  There may also be less government supervision and regulation of foreign securities exchanges, brokers and listed companies than exists in the United States. Interest and dividends paid by foreign issuers may be subject to withholding and other foreign taxes, which may decrease the net return on such investments as compared to dividends and interest paid to a Fund by domestic companies or the U.S. government. There may be the possibility of expropriations, seizure or nationalization of foreign deposits, confiscatory taxation, political, economic or social instability or diplomatic developments that could affect assets of a Fund held in foreign countries. Finally, the establishment of exchange controls or other foreign governmental laws or restrictions could adversely affect the payment of obligations.




3




To the extent a Fund’s currency exchange transactions do not fully protect the Fund against adverse changes in currency exchange rates, decreases in the value of currencies of the foreign countries in which the Fund will invest relative to the U.S. dollar will result in a corresponding decrease in the U.S. dollar value of the Fund’s assets denominated in those currencies (and possibly a corresponding increase in the amount of securities required to be liquidated to meet distribution requirements). Conversely, increases in the value of currencies of the foreign countries in which the Fund invests relative to the U.S. dollar will result in a corresponding increase in the U.S. dollar value of the Fund’s assets (and possibly a corresponding decrease in the amount of securities to be liquidated).


Emerging Markets Securities . (Emerging Markets Fund only) Investing in emerging market securities imposes risks different from, or greater than, risks of investing in foreign developed countries. These risks include: smaller market capitalization of securities markets, which may suffer periods of relative illiquidity; significant price volatility; restrictions on foreign investment; possible repatriation of investment income and capital. In addition, foreign investors may be required to register the proceeds of sales; future economic or political crises could lead to price controls, forced mergers, expropriation or confiscatory taxation, seizure, nationalization, or creation of government monopolies. The currencies of emerging market countries may experience significant declines against the U.S. dollar, and devaluation may occur subsequent to investments in these currencies by a Fund.  Inflation and rapid fluctuations in inflation rates have had, and may continue to have, negative effects on the economies and securities markets of certain emerging market countries.


Additional risks of emerging markets securities may include: greater social, economic and political uncertainty and instability; more substantial governmental involvement in the economy; less governmental supervision and regulation; unavailability of currency hedging techniques; companies that are newly organized and small; differences in auditing and financial reporting standards, which may result in unavailability of material information about issuers; and less developed legal systems. In addition, emerging securities markets may have different clearance and settlement procedures, which may be unable to keep pace with the volume of securities transactions or otherwise make it difficult to engage in such transactions. Settlement problems may cause a Fund to miss attractive investment opportunities, hold a portion of its assets in cash pending investment, or be delayed in disposing of a portfolio security. Such a delay could result in possible liability to a purchaser of the security.


Depositary Receipts


Each Fund may invest in sponsored and unsponsored American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”), which are receipts issued by an American bank or trust company evidencing ownership of underlying securities issued by a foreign issuer. ADRs, in registered form, are designed for use in U.S. securities markets. Unsponsored ADRs may be created without the participation of the foreign issuer. Holders of these ADRs generally bear all the costs of the ADR facility, whereas foreign issuers typically bear certain costs in a sponsored ADR. The bank or trust company depositary of an unsponsored ADR may be under no obligation to distribute shareholder communications received from the foreign issuer or to pass through voting rights.  Many of the risks described above regarding foreign securities apply to investments in ADRs.


Structured Notes


Each Fund may invest in structured notes. Structured notes entitle their holders to receive some portion of the principal or interest payments that would be due on traditional debt obligations. A zero coupon bond, which is the right to receive only the principal portion of a debt security, is a simple form of structured note. Investments in structured notes involve risks including income risk, credit and market risk. A structured note's performance or value may be linked to a change in return, interest rate, or value at maturity of the change in an identified or “linked” equity security, currency, interest rate, index or other financial indicator.



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When investing in structured products, it is impossible to predict whether the underlying index or prices of the underlying securities will rise or fall, but prices of the underlying indices and securities (and, therefore, the prices of structured products) will be influenced by the same types of political and economic events that affect particular issuers of securities and capital markets generally. A Fund’s right to receive principal or interest payments on a structured note may also vary in timing or amount, depending on changes in the reference factors. For example, where a Fund’s structured notes are linked to factors such as interest rates or a particular index, changes in interest rates and movement of the index may cause significant price fluctuations. In addition, changes in a reference instrument or security may cause the interest rate on a structured note to be reduced to zero, at which point further adverse changes may lead to a reduction in the principal amount payable on maturity. Structured notes may also be less liquid than other types of securities, and may be more volatile than the reference instrument or security underlying the note. Consistent with each Funds policy on illiquid investments, each Fund will only invest in structured products to the extent the Adviser determines that such products are liquid.


Debt Securities


The Funds may invest in debt securities, including non-investment grade debt securities.    The following describes some of the risks associated with fixed income debt securities:


Interest Rate Risk. Debt securities have varying levels of sensitivity to changes in interest rates. In general, the price of a debt security can fall when interest rates rise and can rise when interest rates fall. Securities with longer maturities and mortgage securities can be more sensitive to interest rate changes although they usually offer higher yields to compensate investors for the greater risks. The longer the maturity of the security, the greater the impact a change in interest rates could have on the security’s price. In addition, short-term and long-term interest rates do not necessarily move in the same amount or the same direction. Short-term securities tend to react to changes in short-term interest rates and long-term securities tend to react to changes in long-term interest rates.


Credit Risk. Fixed income securities have speculative characteristics and changes in economic conditions or other circumstances are more likely to lead to a weakened capacity of those issuers to make principal or interest payments, as compared to issuers of more highly rated securities.


Extension Risk. The Funds are subject to the risk that an issuer will exercise its right to pay principal on an obligation held by the Fund (such as mortgage-backed securities) later than expected. This may happen when there is a rise in interest rates. These events may lengthen the duration (i.e. interest rate sensitivity) and potentially reduce the value of these securities.


Prepayment Risk. Certain types of debt securities, such as mortgage-backed securities, have yield and maturity characteristics corresponding to underlying assets. Unlike traditional debt securities, which may pay a fixed rate of interest until maturity when the entire principal amount comes due, payments on certain mortgage-backed securities may include both interest and a partial payment of principal. Besides the scheduled repayment of principal, payments of principal may result from the voluntary prepayment, refinancing, or foreclosure of the underlying mortgage loans.


Securities subject to prepayment are less effective than other types of securities as a means of “locking in” attractive long-term interest rates. One reason is the need to reinvest prepayments of principal; another is the possibility of significant unscheduled prepayments resulting from declines in interest rates. These prepayments would have to be reinvested at lower rates. As a result, these securities may have less potential for capital appreciation during periods of declining interest rates than other securities of comparable maturities, although they may have a similar risk of decline in market value during periods of rising interest rates. Prepayments may also



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significantly shorten the effective maturities of these securities, especially during periods of declining interest rates. Conversely, during periods of rising interest rates, a reduction in prepayments may increase the effective maturities of these securities, subjecting them to a greater risk of decline in market value in response to rising interest rates than traditional debt securities, and, therefore, potentially increasing the volatility of the Fund.


At times, some of the mortgage-backed securities in which the Fund may invest will have higher than market interest rates and therefore will be purchased at a premium above their par value. Prepayments may cause losses in securities purchased at a premium, as unscheduled prepayments, which are made at par, will cause the Fund to experience a loss equal to any unamortized premium.


Certificates of Deposit and Bankers’ Acceptances


The Funds may invest in certificates of deposit and bankers’ acceptances, which are considered to be short-term money market instruments.  Certificates of deposit are receipts issued by a depository institution in exchange for the deposit of funds. The issuer agrees to pay the amount deposited plus interest to the bearer of the receipt on the date specified on the certificate. The certificate usually can be traded in the secondary market prior to maturity. Bankers’ acceptances typically arise from short-term credit arrangements designed to enable businesses to obtain funds to finance commercial transactions. Generally, an acceptance is a time draft drawn on a bank by an exporter or an importer to obtain a stated amount of funds to pay for specific merchandise. The draft is then “accepted” by a bank that, in effect, unconditionally guarantees to pay the face value of the instrument on its maturity date. The acceptance may then be held by the accepting bank as an earning asset or it may be sold in the secondary market at the going rate of discount for a specific maturity. Although maturities for acceptances can be as long as 270 days, most acceptances have maturities of six months or less.


Commercial Paper


The Funds may purchase commercial paper. Commercial paper consists of short-term (usually from 1 to 270 days) unsecured promissory notes issued by corporations in order to finance their current operations.


Time Deposits and Variable Rate Notes


The Funds may invest in fixed time deposits, whether or not subject to withdrawal penalties.


The commercial paper obligations, which the Funds may buy are unsecured and may include variable rate notes. The nature and terms of a variable rate note (i.e., a “Master Note”) permit the Funds to invest fluctuating amounts at varying rates of interest pursuant to a direct arrangement between a Fund as Lender, and the issuer, as borrower. It permits daily changes in the amounts borrowed. A Fund has the right at any time to increase, up to the full amount stated in the note agreement, or to decrease the amount outstanding under the note. The issuer may prepay at any time and without penalty any part of or the full amount of the note. The note may or may not be backed by one or more bank letters of credit. Because these notes are direct lending arrangements between a Fund and the issuer, it is not generally contemplated that they will be traded; moreover, there is currently no secondary market for them. Except as specifically provided in the Prospectus, there is no limitation on the type of issuer from whom these notes may be purchased; however, in connection with such purchase and on an ongoing basis, the Adviser will consider the earning power, cash flow and other liquidity ratios of the issuer, and its ability to pay principal and interest on demand, including a situation in which all holders of such notes made demand simultaneously. Variable rate notes are subject to the Fund’s investment restriction on illiquid securities unless such notes can be put back to the issuer on demand within seven days.



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Insured Bank Obligations


The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”) insures the deposits of federally insured banks and savings and loan associations (collectively referred to as “banks”) up to $250,000. The Funds may purchase bank obligations that are fully insured as to principal by the FDIC. Currently, to remain fully insured as to principal, these investments must be limited to $250,000 per bank per Fund; if the principal amount and accrued interest together exceed $250,000 for a Fund, the excess principal and accrued interest will not be insured. Insured bank obligations may have limited marketability.


United States Government Obligations


These consist of various types of marketable securities issued by the United States Treasury, i.e., bills, notes and bonds. Such securities are direct obligations of the United States government and differ mainly in the length of their maturity. Treasury bills, the most frequently issued marketable government security, have a maturity of up to one year and are issued on a discount basis. The Funds may also invest in Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities (TIPS). TIPS are special types of treasury bonds that were created in order to offer bond investors protection from inflation.  The values of the TIPS are automatically adjusted to the inflation rate as measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI).  If the CPI goes up by half a percent, the value of the bond (the TIPS) would also go up by half a percent.  If the CPI falls, the value of the bond does not fall because the government guarantees that the original investment will stay the same. TIPS decline in value when real interest rates rise.  However, in certain interest rate environments, such as when real interest rates are rising faster than nominal interest rates, TIPS may experience greater losses than other fixed income securities with similar duration.


United States Government Agency


These consist of debt securities issued by agencies and instrumentalities of the United States government, including the various types of instruments currently outstanding or which may be offered in the future. Agencies include, among others, the Federal Housing Administration, government National Mortgage Association (“GNMA”), Farmer’s Home Administration, Export-Import Bank of the United States, Maritime Administration, and General Services Administration. Instrumentalities include, for example, each of the Federal Home Loan Banks, the National Bank for Cooperatives, the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (“FHLMC”), the Farm Credit Banks, the Federal National Mortgage Association (“FNMA”), and the United States Postal Service. These securities are either: (i) backed by the full faith and credit of the United States government (e.g., United States Treasury Bills); (ii) guaranteed by the United States Treasury (e.g., GNMA mortgage-backed securities); (iii) supported by the issuing agency’s or instrumentality’s right to borrow from the United States Treasury (e.g., FNMA Discount Notes); or (iv) supported only by the issuing agency’s or instrumentality’s own credit (e.g., Tennessee Valley Association).


Government-related guarantors (i.e. not backed by the full faith and credit of the United States Government) include FNMA and FHLMC. FNMA is a government-sponsored corporation owned entirely by private stockholders. It is subject to general regulation by the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. FNMA purchases conventional (i.e., not insured or guaranteed by any government agency) residential mortgages from a list of approved seller/servicers which include state and federally chartered savings and loan associations, mutual savings banks, commercial banks and credit unions and mortgage bankers. Pass-though securities issued by FNMA are guaranteed as to timely payment of principal and interest by FNMA but are not backed by the full faith and credit of the United States Government.



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FHLMC was created by Congress in 1970 for the purpose of increasing the availability of mortgage credit for residential housing. It is a government-sponsored corporation formerly owned by the twelve Federal Home Loan Banks and now owned entirely by private stockholders. FHLMC issues Participation Certificates (“PC’s”), which represent interests in conventional mortgages from FHLMC’s national portfolio. FHLMC guarantees the timely payment of interest and ultimate collection of principal, but PCs are not backed by the full faith and credit of the United States Government. Commercial banks, savings and loan institutions, private mortgage insurance companies, mortgage bankers and other secondary market issuers also create pass-though pools of conventional residential mortgage loans. Such issuers may, in addition, be the originators and/or servicers of the underlying mortgage loans as well as the guarantors of the mortgage-related securities. Pools created by such nongovernmental issuers generally offer a higher rate of interest than government and government-related pools because there are no direct or indirect government or agency guarantees of payments in the former pools. However, timely payment of interest and principal of these pools may be supported by various forms of insurance or guarantees, including individual loan, title, pool and hazard insurance and letters of credit. The insurance and guarantees are issued by governmental entities, private insurers and the mortgage poolers.


Mortgage Pass-Through Securities


Interests in pools of mortgage pass-through securities differ from other forms of debt securities (which normally provide periodic payments of interest in fixed amounts and the payment of principal in a lump sum at maturity or on specified call dates). Instead, mortgage pass-through securities provide monthly payments consisting of both interest and principal payments. In effect, these payments are a “pass-through” of the monthly payments made by the individual borrowers on the underlying residential mortgage loans, net of any fees paid to the issuer or guarantor of such securities. Unscheduled payments of principal may be made if the underlying mortgage loans are repaid or refinanced or the underlying properties are foreclosed, thereby shortening the securities’ weighted average life. Some mortgage pass-through securities (such as securities guaranteed by GNMA) are described as “modified pass-through securities.” These securities entitle the holder to receive all interest and principal payments owed on the mortgage pool, net of certain fees, on the scheduled payment dates regardless of whether the mortgagor actually makes the payment.


The principal governmental guarantor of mortgage pass-through securities is GNMA. GNMA is authorized to guarantee, with the full faith and credit of the U.S. Treasury, the timely payment of principal and interest on securities issued by lending institutions approved by GNMA (such as savings and loan institutions, commercial banks and mortgage bankers) and backed by pools of mortgage loans. These mortgage loans are either insured by the Federal Housing Administration or guaranteed by the Veterans Administration. A “pool” or group of such mortgage loans is assembled and after being approved by GNMA, is offered to investors through securities dealers.


Government-related guarantors of mortgage pass-through securities (i.e., not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Treasury) include FNMA and FHLMC. FNMA is a government-sponsored corporation owned entirely by private stockholders. It is subject to general regulation by the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. FNMA purchases conventional (i.e., not insured or guaranteed by any government agency) residential mortgages from a list of approved sellers/servicers which include state and federally chartered savings and loan associations, mutual savings banks, commercial banks and credit unions and mortgage bankers. Mortgage pass-through securities issued by FNMA are guaranteed as to timely payment of principal and interest by FNMA but are not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Treasury.



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FHLMC was created by Congress in 1970 for the purpose of increasing the availability of mortgage credit for residential housing. It is a U.S. government-sponsored corporation formerly owned by the twelve Federal Home Loan Banks and now owned entirely by private stockholders. FHLMC issues Participation Certificates (“PCs”), which represent interests in conventional mortgages from FHLMC’s national portfolio. FHLMC guarantees the timely payment of interest and ultimate collection of principal, but PCs are not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Treasury.


Commercial banks, savings and loan institutions, private mortgage insurance companies, mortgage bankers and other secondary market issuers also create pass-through pools of conventional residential mortgage loans. Such issuers may, in addition, be the originators and/or servicers of the underlying mortgage loans as well as the guarantors of the mortgage pass-through securities. The Funds do not purchase interests in pools created by such non-governmental issuers.


Resets. The interest rates paid on the Adjustable Rate Mortgage Securities (“ARMs”) in which a Fund may invest generally are readjusted or reset at intervals of one year or less to an increment over some predetermined interest rate index. There are two main categories of indices: those based on U.S. Treasury securities and those derived from a calculated measure, such as a cost of funds index or a moving average of mortgage rates. Commonly utilized indices include the one-year and five-year constant maturity Treasury Note rates, the three-month Treasury Bill rate, the 180-day Treasury Bill rate, rates on longer-term Treasury securities, the National Median Cost of Funds, the one-month or three-month London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR), the prime rate of a specific bank, or commercial paper rates. Some indices, such as the one-year constant maturity Treasury Note rate, closely mirror changes in market interest rate levels. Others tend to lag changes in market rate levels and tend to be somewhat less volatile.


Caps and Floors. The underlying mortgages which collateralize the ARMs in which a Fund invests will frequently have caps and floors which limit the maximum amount by which the loan rate to the residential borrower may change up or down: (1) per reset or adjustment interval, and (2) over the life of the loan. Some residential mortgage loans restrict periodic adjustments by limiting changes in the borrower’s monthly principal and interest payments rather than limiting interest rate changes. These payment caps may result in negative amortization. The value of mortgage securities in which a Fund invests may be affected if market interest rates rise or fall faster and farther than the allowable caps or floors on the underlying residential mortgage loans. Additionally, even though the interest rates on the underlying residential mortgages are adjustable, amortization and prepayments may occur, thereby causing the effective maturities of the mortgage securities in which a Fund invests to be shorter than the maturities stated in the underlying mortgages.


High Yield Securities


High yield, high risk bonds are securities that are generally rated below investment grade by the primary rating agencies (BB+ or lower by S&P and Ba1 or lower by Moody’s). Other terms used to describe such securities include “lower rated bonds,” “non-investment grade bonds,” “below investment grade bonds,” and “junk bonds.” These securities are considered to be high-risk investments. The risks include the following:


Greater Risk of Loss.  These securities are regarded as predominately speculative. There is a greater risk that issuers of lower rated securities will default than issuers of higher rated securities. Issuers of lower rated securities generally are less creditworthy and may be highly indebted, financially distressed, or bankrupt. These issuers are more vulnerable to real or perceived economic changes, political changes or adverse industry developments. In addition, high yield securities are frequently subordinated to the prior payment of senior indebtedness. If an issuer fails to pay principal or interest, the Fund would experience a decrease in income and a decline in the market value of its investments.




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Sensitivity to Interest Rate and Economic Changes.  The income and market value of lower-rated securities may fluctuate more than higher rated securities. Although non-investment grade securities tend to be less sensitive to interest rate changes than investment grade securities, non-investment grade securities are more sensitive to short-term corporate, economic and market developments. During periods of economic uncertainty and change, the market price of the investments in lower-rated securities may be volatile. The default rate for high yield bonds tends to be cyclical, with defaults rising in periods of economic downturn. For example, in 2000, 2001 and 2002, the default rate for high yield securities was significantly higher than in the prior or subsequent years.

Valuation Difficulties.  It is often more difficult to value lower rated securities than higher rated securities. If an issuer’s financial condition deteriorates, accurate financial and business information may be limited or unavailable. In addition, the lower rated investments may be thinly traded and there may be no established secondary market. Because of the lack of market pricing and current information for investments in lower rated securities, valuation of such investments is much more dependent on judgment than is the case with higher rated securities.

Liquidity.  There may be no established secondary or public market for investments in lower rated securities. Such securities are frequently traded in markets that may be relatively less liquid than the market for higher rated securities. In addition, relatively few institutional purchasers may hold a major portion of an issue of lower-rated securities at times. As a result, the Fund may be required to sell investments at substantial losses or retain them indefinitely when an issuer’s financial condition is deteriorating.

Credit Quality.  Credit quality of non-investment grade securities can change suddenly and unexpectedly, and even recently-issued credit ratings may not fully reflect the actual risks posed by a particular high-yield security.

New Legislation.  Future legislation may have a possible negative impact on the market for high yield, high risk bonds. As an example, in the late 1980’s, legislation required federally-insured savings and loan associations to divest their investments in high yield, high risk bonds. New legislation, if enacted, could have a material negative effect on the Fund’s investments in lower rated securities.

High yield, high risk investments may include the following:

Straight fixed-income debt securities. These include bonds and other debt obligations that bear a fixed or variable rate of interest payable at regular intervals and have a fixed or resettable maturity date. The particular terms of such securities vary and may include features such as call provisions and sinking funds.

Zero-coupon debt securities. These bear no interest obligation but are issued at a discount from their value at maturity. When held to maturity, their entire return equals the difference between their issue price and their maturity value.

Zero-fixed-coupon debt securities. These are zero-coupon debt securities that convert on a specified date to interest-bearing debt securities.

Pay-in-kind bonds. These are bonds which allow the issuer, at its option, to make current interest payments on the bonds either in cash or in additional bonds.  These are bonds sold without registration under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (“1933 Act”), usually to a relatively small number of institutional investors.

Convertible Securities. These are bonds or preferred stock that may be converted to common stock.



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Preferred Stock. These are stocks that generally pay a dividend at a specified rate and have preference over common stock in the payment of dividends and in liquidation.

Loan Participations and Assignments. These are participations in, or assignments of all or a portion of loans to corporations or to governments, including governments of less developed countries (“LDCs”).

Securities issued in connection with Reorganizations and Corporate Restructurings. In connection with reorganizing or restructuring of an issuer, an issuer may issue common stock or other securities to holders of its debt securities. The Fund may hold such common stock and other securities even if it does not invest in such securities.

Investment Companies

Each Fund may invest in investment companies such as open-end funds (mutual funds), closed-end funds, and exchange traded funds (also referred to as “Underlying Funds”).  The 1940 Act provides that the Funds may not:  (1) purchase more than 3% of an investment company’s outstanding shares; (2) invest more than 5% of its assets in any single such investment company (the “5% Limit”), and (3) invest more than 10% of its assets in investment companies overall (the “10% Limit”), unless:  (i) the underlying investment company and/or the Fund has received an order for exemptive relief from such limitations from the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”); and (ii) the underlying investment company and the Funds take appropriate steps to comply with any conditions in such order.  


Each Fund may rely on Rule 12d1-3, which allows unaffiliated mutual funds to exceed the 5% Limitation and the 10% Limitation, provided the aggregate sales loads any investor pays (i.e., the combined distribution expenses of both the acquiring fund and the acquired funds) does not exceed the limits on sales loads established by the FINRA for funds of funds.


The Funds and any “affiliated persons,” as defined by the 1940 Act, may purchase in the aggregate only up to 3% of the total outstanding securities of any Underlying Fund.  Accordingly, when affiliated persons hold shares of any of the Underlying Funds, the Fund’s ability to invest fully in shares of those funds is restricted, and the Advisor must then, in some instances, select alternative investments that would not have been its first preference.  The 1940 Act also provides that an Underlying Fund whose shares are purchased by a Fund will be obligated to redeem shares held by a Fund only in an amount up to 1% of the Underlying Fund’s outstanding securities during any period of less than 30 days. Shares held by a Fund in excess of 1% of an Underlying Fund’s outstanding securities therefore, will be considered not readily marketable securities, which, together with other such securities, may not exceed 15% of the Fund’s total assets.


Under certain circumstances an Underlying Fund may determine to make payment of a redemption by a Fund wholly or partly by a distribution in kind of securities from its portfolio, in lieu of cash, in conformity with the rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). In such cases, a Fund may hold securities distributed by an Underlying Fund until the Advisor determines that it is appropriate to dispose of such securities.


Investment decisions by the investment advisors of the Underlying Funds are made independently of a Fund and its Advisor. Therefore, the investment advisor of one Underlying Fund may be purchasing shares of the same issuer whose shares are being sold by the investment advisor of another such fund. The result would be an indirect expense to a Fund without accomplishing any investment purpose.  Because other investment companies employ an investment adviser, such investments by a Fund may cause shareholders to bear duplicate fees.



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Closed-End Investment Companies. A Fund may invest its assets in “closed-end” investment companies (or “closed-end funds”), subject to the investment restrictions set forth above. Shares of closed-end funds are typically offered to the public in a one-time initial public offering by a group of underwriters who retain a spread or underwriting commission of between 4% or 6% of the initial public offering price. Such securities are then listed for trading on the New York Stock Exchange, the American Stock Exchange, the National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotation System (commonly known as “NASDAQ”) and, in some cases, may be traded in other over-the-counter markets. Because the shares of closed-end funds cannot be redeemed upon demand to the issuer like the shares of an open-end investment company (such as the Funds), investors seek to buy and sell shares of closed-end funds in the secondary market.

The Funds generally will purchase shares of closed-end funds only in the secondary market. The Funds will incur normal brokerage costs on such purchases similar to the expenses the Funds would incur for the purchase of securities of any other type of issuer in the secondary market. The Funds may, however, also purchase securities of a closed-end fund in an initial public offering when, in the opinion of the Advisor, based on a consideration of the nature of the closed-end fund’s proposed investments, the prevailing market conditions and the level of demand for such securities, they represent an attractive opportunity for growth of capital. The initial offering price typically will include a dealer spread, which may be higher than the applicable brokerage cost if a Fund purchased such securities in the secondary market.

The shares of many closed-end funds, after their initial public offering, frequently trade at a price per share that is less than the net asset value per share, the difference representing the “market discount” of such shares. This market discount may be due in part to the investment objective of long-term appreciation, which is sought by many closed-end funds, as well as to the fact that the shares of closed-end funds are not redeemable by the holder upon demand to the issuer at the next determined net asset value but rather are subject to the principles of supply and demand in the secondary market. A relative lack of secondary market purchasers of closed-end fund shares also may contribute to such shares trading at a discount to their net asset value.

The Funds may invest in shares of closed-end funds that are trading at a discount to net asset value or at a premium to net asset value. There can be no assurance that the market discount on shares of any closed-end fund purchased by a Fund will ever decrease. In fact, it is possible that this market discount may increase and a Fund may suffer realized or unrealized capital losses due to further decline in the market price of the securities of such closed-end funds, thereby adversely affecting the net asset value of a Fund’s shares. Similarly, there can be no assurance that any shares of a closed-end fund purchased by a Fund at a premium will continue to trade at a premium or that the premium will not decrease subsequent to a purchase of such shares by a Fund.

Closed-end funds may issue senior securities (including preferred stock and debt obligations) for the purpose of leveraging the closed-end fund’s common shares in an attempt to enhance the current return to such closed-end fund’s common shareholders. A Fund’s investment in the common shares of closed-end funds that are financially leveraged may create an opportunity for greater total return on its investment, but at the same time may be expected to exhibit more volatility in market price and net asset value than an investment in shares of investment companies without a leveraged capital structure.

Exchange Traded Funds. ETFs are passive funds that track their related index and have the flexibility of trading like a security. They are managed by professionals and provide the investor with diversification, cost and tax efficiency, liquidity, marginability, are useful for hedging, have the ability to go long and short, and some provide quarterly dividends. Additionally, some ETFs are unit investment trusts (UITs), which are unmanaged portfolios overseen by trustees.  ETFs generally have two markets. The primary market is where institutions swap “creation units” in block-multiples of 50,000 shares for in-kind securities and cash in the form of dividends. The secondary market is where individual investors can trade as little as a single share during trading hours on the exchange. This is different from open-ended mutual funds that are traded after hours once the net asset value (NAV) is calculated. ETFs share many similar risks with open-end and closed-end funds.



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There is a risk that an ETF in which a Fund invests may terminate due to extraordinary events that may cause any of the service providers to the ETFs, such as the trustee or sponsor, to close or otherwise fail to perform their obligations to the ETF. Also, because the ETFs in which a Fund intends to principally invest may be granted licenses by agreement to use the indices as a basis for determining their compositions and/or otherwise to use certain trade names, the ETFs may terminate if such license agreements are terminated.  In addition, an ETF may terminate if its entire net asset value falls below a certain amount.  Although a Fund believes that, in the event of the termination of an underlying ETF, it will be able to invest instead in shares of an alternate ETF tracking the same market index or another market index with the same general market, there is no guarantee that shares of an alternate ETF would be available for investment at that time.  To the extent a Fund invests in a sector product, the Fund is subject to the risks associated with that sector.


REITs


The Funds may invest in securities of real estate investment trusts (“REITs”). REITs are publicly traded corporations or trusts that specialize in acquiring, holding and managing residential, commercial or industrial real estate. A REIT is not taxed at the entity level on income distributed to its shareholders or unitholders if it distributes to shareholders or unitholders at least 95% of its taxable income for each taxable year and complies with regulatory requirements relating to its organization, ownership, assets and income.


REITs generally can be classified as “Equity REITs”, “Mortgage REITs” and “Hybrid REITs.” An Equity REIT invests the majority of its assets directly in real property and derives its income primarily from rents and from capital gains on real estate appreciation, which are realized through property sales. A Mortgage REIT invests the majority of its assets in real estate mortgage loans and services its income primarily from interest payments. A Hybrid REIT combines the characteristics of an Equity REIT and a Mortgage REIT. Although a Fund can invest in all three kinds of REITs, its emphasis is expected to be on investments in Equity REITs.


Investments in the real estate industry involve particular risks. The real estate industry has been subject to substantial fluctuations and declines on a local, regional and national basis in the past and may continue to be in the future. Real property values, and income from real property continue to be in the future. Real property values and income from real property may decline due to general and local economic conditions, overbuilding and increased competition, increases in property taxes and operating expenses, changes in zoning laws, casualty or condemnation losses, regulatory limitations on rents, changes in neighborhoods and in demographics, increases in market interest rates, or other factors. Factors such as these may adversely affect companies that own and operate real estate directly, companies that lend to such companies, and companies that service the real estate industry.


Investments in REITs also involve risks. Equity REITs will be affected by changes in the values of and income from the properties they own, while Mortgage REITs may be affected by the credit quality of the mortgage loans they hold. In addition, REITs are dependent on specialized management skills and on their ability to generate cash flow for operating purposes and to make distributions to shareholders or unitholders REITs may have limited diversification and are subject to risks associated with obtaining financing for real property, as well as to the risk of self-liquidation. REITs also can be adversely affected by their failure to qualify for tax-free pass-through treatment of their income under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, or their failure to maintain an exemption from registration under the 1940 Act. By investing in REITs indirectly through a Fund, a shareholder bears not only a proportionate share of the expenses of the Fund, but also may indirectly bear similar expenses of some of the REITs in which it invests.



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Securities Options

The Funds may purchase and write ( i.e., sell) put and call options. Such options may relate to particular securities or stock indices, and may or may not be listed on a domestic or foreign securities exchange and may or may not be issued by the Options Clearing Corporation. Options trading is a highly specialized activity that entails greater than ordinary investment risk. Options may be more volatile than the underlying instruments, and therefore, on a percentage basis, an investment in options may be subject to greater fluctuation than an investment in the underlying instruments themselves.

A call option for a particular security gives the purchaser of the option the right to buy, and the writer (seller) the obligation to sell, the underlying security at the stated exercise price at any time prior to the expiration of the option, regardless of the market price of the security. The premium paid to the writer is in consideration for undertaking the obligation under the option contract. A put option for a particular security gives the purchaser the right to sell the security at the stated exercise price at any time prior to the expiration date of the option, regardless of the market price of the security.

Stock index options are put options and call options on various stock indices. In most respects, they are identical to listed options on common stocks. The primary difference between stock options and index options occurs when index options are exercised. In the case of stock options, the underlying security, common stock, is delivered. However, upon the exercise of an index option, settlement does not occur by delivery of the securities comprising the index. The option holder who exercises the index option receives an amount of cash if the closing level of the stock index upon which the option is based is greater than, in the case of a call, or less than, in the case of a put, the exercise price of the option. This amount of cash is equal to the difference between the closing price of the stock index and the exercise price of the option expressed in dollars times a specified multiple. A stock index fluctuates with changes in the market value of the stocks included in the index. For example, some stock index options are based on a broad market index, such as the Standard & Poor’s 500® Index or the Value Line Composite Index or a narrower market index, such as the Standard & Poor’s 100®. Indices may also be based on an industry or market segment, such as the AMEX Oil and Gas Index or the Computer and Business Equipment Index. Options on stock indices are currently traded on the Chicago Board Options Exchange, the New York Stock Exchange, the American Stock Exchange, the Pacific Stock Exchange and the Philadelphia Stock Exchange.

A Fund’s obligation to sell an instrument subject to a call option written by it, or to purchase an instrument subject to a put option written by it, may be terminated prior to the expiration date of the option by the Fund ’s execution of a closing purchase transaction, which is effected by purchasing on an exchange an option of the same series ( i.e. , same underlying instrument, exercise price and expiration date) as the option previously written. A closing purchase transaction will ordinarily be effected to realize a profit on an outstanding option, to prevent an underlying instrument from being called, to permit the sale of the underlying instrument or to permit the writing of a new option containing different terms on such underlying instrument. The cost of such a liquidation purchase plus transactions costs may be greater than the premium received upon the original option, in which event the Funds will have incurred a loss in the transaction. There is no assurance that a liquid secondary market will exist for any particular option. An option writer unable to effect a closing purchase transaction will not be able to sell the underlying instrument or liquidate the assets held in a segregated account, as described below, until the option expires or the optioned instrument is delivered upon exercise. In such circumstances, the writer will be subject to the risk of market decline or appreciation in the instrument during such period.

If an option purchased by a Fund expires unexercised, that Fund realizes a loss equal to the premium paid. If a Fund enters into a closing sale transaction on an option purchased by it, the Fund will realize a gain if the premium received by the Fund on the closing transaction is more than the premium paid to purchase the option, or a loss if it is less. If an option written by a Fund expires on the stipulated expiration date or if the Fund



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enters into a closing purchase transaction, it will realize a gain (or loss if the cost of a closing purchase transaction exceeds the net premium received when the option is sold). If an option written by a Fund is exercised, the proceeds of the sale will be increased by the net premium originally received and the Fund will realize a gain or loss.

Certain Risks Regarding Options . There are several risks associated with transactions in options. For example, there are significant differences between the securities and options markets that could result in an imperfect correlation between these markets, causing a given transaction not to achieve its objectives. In addition, a liquid secondary market for particular options, whether traded over-the-counter or on an exchange, may be absent for reasons which include the following: there may be insufficient trading interest in certain options; restrictions may be imposed by an exchange on opening transactions or closing transactions or both; trading halts, suspensions or other restrictions may be imposed with respect to particular classes or series of options or underlying securities or currencies; unusual or unforeseen circumstances may interrupt normal operations on an exchange; the facilities of an exchange or the Options Clearing Corporation may not at all times be adequate to handle current trading value; or one or more exchanges could, for economic or other reasons, decide or be compelled at some future date to discontinue the trading of options (or a particular class or series of options), in which event the secondary market on that exchange (or in that class or series of options) would cease to exist, although outstanding options that had been issued by the Options Clearing Corporation as a result of trades on that exchange would continue to be exercisable in accordance with their terms.

Successful use by a Fund of options on stock indices will be subject to the ability of the Adviser to correctly predict movements in the directions of the stock market. This requires different skills and techniques than predicting changes in the prices of individual securities. In addition, a Fund ’s ability to effectively hedge all or a portion of the securities in its portfolio, in anticipation of or during a market decline, through transactions in put options on stock indices, depends on the degree to which price movements in the underlying index correlate with the price movements of the securities held by the Fund .  Inasmuch as a Fund ’s securities will not duplicate the components of an index, the correlation will not be perfect. Consequently, the Fund bears the risk that the prices of its securities being hedged will not move in the same amount as the prices of its put options on the stock indices. It is also possible that there may be a negative correlation between the index and the Fund ’s securities that would result in a loss on both such securities and the options on stock indices acquired by a Fund .

The hours of trading for options may not conform to the hours during which the underlying securities are traded. To the extent that the options markets close before the markets for the underlying securities, significant price and rate movements can take place in the underlying markets that cannot be reflected in the options markets. The purchase of options is a highly specialized activity that involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. The purchase of stock index options involves the risk that the premium and transaction costs paid by a Fund in purchasing an option will be lost as a result of unanticipated movements in prices of the securities comprising the stock index on which the option is based.

There is no assurance that a liquid secondary market on an options exchange will exist for any particular option, or at any particular time, and for some options no secondary market on an exchange or elsewhere may exist. If a Fund is unable to close out a call option on securities that it has written before the option is exercised, the Fund may be required to purchase the optioned securities in order to satisfy its obligation under the option to deliver such securities. If a Fund was unable to effect a closing sale transaction with respect to options on securities that it has purchased, it would have to exercise the option in order to realize any profit and would incur transaction costs upon the purchase and sale of the underlying securities.



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Cover for Options Positions . Transactions using options (other than options that a Fund has purchased) expose a Fund to an obligation to another party. A Fund will not enter into any such transactions unless it owns either (i) an offsetting (“covered”) position in securities or other options or (ii) cash or liquid securities with a value sufficient at all times to cover its potential obligations not covered as provided in (i) above. The Funds will comply with SEC guidelines regarding cover for these instruments and, if the guidelines so require, set aside cash or liquid securities in a segregated account with the Custodian in the prescribed amount. Under current SEC guidelines, a Fund will segregate assets to cover transactions in which the Fund writes or sells options.

Assets used as cover or held in a segregated account cannot be sold while the position in the corresponding option is open, unless they are replaced with similar assets. As a result, the commitment of a large portion of a Fund’s assets to cover or segregated accounts could impede portfolio management or the Fund’s ability to meet redemption requests or other current obligations.

Options on Futures Contracts. A Fund may purchase and sell options on the same types of futures in which it may invest. Options on futures are similar to options on underlying instruments except that options on futures give the purchaser the right, in return for the premium paid, to assume a position in a futures contract (a long position if the option is a call and a short position if the option is a put), rather than to purchase or sell the futures contract, at a specified exercise price at any time during the period of the option. Upon exercise of the option, the delivery of the futures position by the writer of the option to the holder of the option will be accompanied by the delivery of the accumulated balance in the writer’s futures margin account which represents the amount by which the market price of the futures contract, at exercise, exceeds (in the case of a call) or is less than (in the case of a put) the exercise price of the option on the futures contract. Purchasers of options who fail to exercise their options prior to the exercise date suffer a loss of the premium paid.


Dealer Options


The Funds may engage in transactions involving dealer options as well as exchange-traded options. Certain additional risks are specific to dealer options. While a  Fund might look to a clearing corporation to exercise exchange-traded options, if the Fund were to purchase a dealer option it would need to rely on the dealer from which it purchased the option to perform if the option were exercised. Failure by the dealer to do so would result in the loss of the premium paid by the Fund as well as loss of the expected benefit of the transaction.


Exchange-traded options generally have a continuous liquid market while dealer options may not. Consequently, a Fund may generally be able to realize the value of a dealer option it has purchased only by exercising or reselling the option to the dealer who issued it. Similarly, when a Fund writes a dealer option, the Fund may generally be able to close out the option prior to its expiration only by entering into a closing purchase transaction with the dealer to whom the Fund originally wrote the option. While the Funds will seek to enter into dealer options only with dealers who will agree to and which are expected to be capable of entering into closing transactions with a Fund, there can be no assurance that a Fund will at any time be able to liquidate a dealer option at a favorable price at any time prior to expiration. Unless a Fund, as a covered dealer call option writer, is able to effect a closing purchase transaction, it will not be able to liquidate securities (or other assets) used as cover until the option expires or is exercised. In the event of insolvency of the other party, the Funds may be unable to liquidate a dealer option. With respect to options written by the Funds, the inability to enter into a closing transaction may result in material losses to the Fund. For example, because a Fund must maintain a secured position with respect to any call option on a security it writes, the Fund may not sell the assets that it has segregated to secure the position while it is obligated under the option. This requirement may impair a Fund’s ability to sell portfolio securities at a time when such sale might be advantageous.




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The Staff of the SEC has taken the position that purchased dealer options are illiquid securities.  A Fund may treat the cover used for written dealer options as liquid if the dealer agrees that the Fund may repurchase the dealer option it has written for a maximum price to be calculated by a predetermined formula. In such cases, the dealer option would be considered illiquid only to the extent the maximum purchase price under the formula exceeds the intrinsic value of the option. Accordingly, a Fund will treat dealer options as subject to the Fund’s limitation on illiquid securities. If the SEC changes its position on the liquidity of dealer options, a Fund will change its treatment of such instruments accordingly.


Spread Transactions


The Funds may purchase covered spread options from securities dealers. These covered spread options are not presently exchange-listed or exchange-traded. The purchase of a spread option gives a Fund the right to put securities that it owns at a fixed dollar spread or fixed yield spread in relationship to another security that the Fund does not own, but which is used as a benchmark. The risk to the Funds, in addition to the risks of dealer options described above, is the cost of the premium paid as well as any transaction costs. The purchase of spread options will be used to protect the Funds against adverse changes in prevailing credit quality spreads, i.e., the yield spread between high quality and lower quality securities. This protection is provided only during the life of the spread options.


Repurchase Agreements


The Funds may enter into repurchase agreements. In a repurchase agreement, an investor (such as a Fund) purchases a security (known as the “underlying security”) from a securities dealer or bank. Any such dealer or bank must be deemed creditworthy by the Advisor. At that time, the bank or securities dealer agrees to repurchase the underlying security at a mutually agreed upon price on a designated future date. The repurchase price may be higher than the purchase price, the difference being income to the Fund, or the purchase and repurchase prices may be the same, with interest at an agreed upon rate due to the Fund on repurchase. In either case, the income to the Fund generally will be unrelated to the interest rate on the underlying securities. Repurchase agreements must be “fully collateralized,” in that the market value of the underlying securities (including accrued interest) must at all times be equal to or greater than the repurchase price. Therefore, a repurchase agreement can be considered a loan collateralized by the underlying securities.

 

Repurchase agreements are generally for a short period of time, often less than a week, and will generally be used by the Funds to invest excess cash or as part of a temporary defensive strategy. Repurchase agreements that do not provide for payment within seven days will be treated as illiquid securities. In the event of a bankruptcy or other default by the seller of a repurchase agreement, a Fund could experience both delays in liquidating the underlying security and losses. These losses could result from: (a) possible decline in the value of the underlying security while the Fund is seeking to enforce its rights under the repurchase agreement; (b) possible reduced levels of income or lack of access to income during this period; and (c) expenses of enforcing its rights.


Futures Contracts


A futures contract provides for the future sale by one party and purchase by another party of a specified amount of a specific financial instrument (e.g., units of a stock index) for a specified price, date, time and place designated at the time the contract is made. Brokerage fees are incurred when a futures contract is bought or sold and margin deposits must be maintained. Entering into a contract to buy is commonly referred to as buying or purchasing a contract or holding a long position. Entering into a contract to sell is commonly referred to as selling a contract or holding a short position.




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Unlike when a Fund purchases or sells a security, no price would be paid or received by the Fund upon the purchase or sale of a futures contract. Upon entering into a futures contract, and to maintain the Fund’s open positions in futures contracts, a Fund would be required to deposit with its custodian or futures broker in a segregated account in the name of the futures broker an amount of cash, U.S. government securities, suitable money market instruments, or other liquid securities, known as “initial margin.” The margin required for a particular futures contract is set by the exchange on which the contract is traded, and may be significantly modified from time to time by the exchange during the term of the contract. Futures contracts are customarily purchased and sold on margins that may range upward from less than 5% of the value of the contract being traded.

If the price of an open futures contract changes (by increase in underlying instrument or index in the case of a sale or by decrease in the case of a purchase) so that the loss on the futures contract reaches a point at which the margin on deposit does not satisfy margin requirements, the broker will require an increase in the margin. However, if the value of a position increases because of favorable price changes in the futures contract so that the margin deposit exceeds the required margin, the broker will pay the excess to the Fund.

These subsequent payments, called “variation margin,” to and from the futures broker, are made on a daily basis as the price of the underlying assets fluctuate making the long and short positions in the futures contract more or less valuable, a process known as “marking to the market.” The Funds expects to earn interest income on its margin deposits.

Although certain futures contracts, by their terms, require actual future delivery of and payment for the underlying instruments, in practice most futures contracts are usually closed out before the delivery date. Closing out an open futures contract purchase or sale is effected by entering into an offsetting futures contract sale or purchase, respectively, for the same aggregate amount of the identical underlying instrument or index and the same delivery date. If the offsetting purchase price is less than the original sale price, the Fund realizes a gain; if it is more, the Fund realizes a loss. Conversely, if the offsetting sale price is more than the original purchase price, the Fund realizes a gain; if it is less, the Fund realizes a loss. The transaction costs must also be included in these calculations. There can be no assurance, however, that a Fund will be able to enter into an offsetting transaction with respect to a particular futures contract at a particular time. If a Fund is not able to enter into an offsetting transaction, the Fund will continue to be required to maintain the margin deposits on the futures contract.

For example, one contract in the Financial Times Stock Exchange 100 Index future is a contract to buy 25 pounds sterling multiplied by the level of the UK Financial Times 100 Share Index on a given future date. Settlement of a stock index futures contract may or may not be in the underlying instrument or index. If not in the underlying instrument or index, then settlement will be made in cash, equivalent over time to the difference between the contract price and the actual price of the underlying asset at the time the stock index futures contract expires.

Exclusion From Regulation as a Commodity Pool Operator

The Trust, on behalf of the Funds, has filed with the National Futures Association, a notice claiming an exclusion from the definition of the term “commodity pool operator” under the Commodity Exchange Act, as amended, and the rules of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission promulgated thereunder, with respect to the Fund’s operations.  Accordingly, a Fund is not subject to registration or regulation as a commodity pool operator.

When-Issued, Forward Commitments and Delayed Settlements

The Funds may purchase and sell securities on a when-issued, forward commitment or delayed settlement basis. In this event, the Custodian (as defined under the section entitled “Custodian”) will segregate liquid assets equal to the amount of the commitment in a separate account. Normally, the Custodian will set aside portfolio securities to satisfy a purchase commitment. In such a case, the Funds may be required



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subsequently to segregate additional assets in order to assure that the value of the account remains equal to the amount of the Fund’s commitment. It may be expected that a Fund’s net assets will fluctuate to a greater degree when it sets aside portfolio securities to cover such purchase commitments than when it sets aside cash.


The Funds does not intend to engage in these transactions for speculative purposes but only in furtherance of its investment objectives. Because a Fund will segregate liquid assets to satisfy its purchase commitments in the manner described, the Fund’s liquidity and the ability of the Adviser to manage them may be affected in the event the Fund’s forward commitments, commitments to purchase when-issued securities and delayed settlements ever exceeded 15% of the value of its net assets.


The Funds will purchase securities on a when-issued, forward commitment or delayed settlement basis only with the intention of completing the transaction. If deemed advisable as a matter of investment strategy, however, the Fund may dispose of or renegotiate a commitment after it is entered into, and may sell securities it has committed to purchase before those securities are delivered to the Fund on the settlement date. In these cases the Fund may realize a taxable capital gain or loss. When a Fund engages in when-issued, forward commitment and delayed settlement transactions, it relies on the other party to consummate the trade. Failure of such party to do so may result in the Fund incurring a loss or missing an opportunity to obtain a price credited to be advantageous.


The market value of the securities underlying a when-issued purchase, forward commitment to purchase securities, or a delayed settlement and any subsequent fluctuations in their market value is taken into account when determining the market value of the Fund starting on the day the Fund agrees to purchase the securities. A Fund does not earn interest on the securities it has committed to purchase until it has paid for and delivered on the settlement date.


Illiquid and Restricted Securities


Each Fund may invest up to 15% of its net assets in illiquid securities. Illiquid securities include securities subject to contractual or legal restrictions on resale (e.g., because they have not been registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”)) and securities that are otherwise not readily marketable (e.g., because trading in the security is suspended or because market makers do not exist or will not entertain bids or offers). Securities that have not been registered under the Securities Act are referred to as private placements or restricted securities and are purchased directly from the issuer or in the secondary market. Foreign securities that are freely tradable in their principal markets are not considered to be illiquid.


Restricted and other illiquid securities may be subject to the potential for delays on resale and uncertainty in valuation. A Fund might be unable to dispose of illiquid securities promptly or at reasonable prices and might thereby experience difficulty in satisfying redemption requests from shareholders. The Underlying Fund might have to register restricted securities in order to dispose of them, resulting in additional expense and delay. Adverse market conditions could impede such a public offering of securities.


A large institutional market exists for certain securities that are not registered under the Securities Act, including foreign securities. The fact that there are contractual or legal restrictions on resale to the general public or to certain institutions may not be indicative of the liquidity of such investments. Rule 144A under the Securities Act allows such a broader institutional trading market for securities otherwise subject to restrictions on resale to the general public. Rule 144A establishes a “safe harbor” from the registration requirements of the Securities Act for resale of certain securities to qualified institutional buyers. Rule 144A has produced enhanced liquidity for many restricted securities, and market liquidity for such securities may continue to expand as a result of this regulation and the consequent existence of the PORTAL system, which is an automated system for the trading, clearance and settlement of unregistered securities of domestic and foreign issuers.


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Under guidelines adopted by the Trust’s Board, the Adviser may determine that particular Rule 144A securities, and commercial paper issued in reliance on the private placement exemption from registration afforded by Section 4(2) of the Securities Act, are liquid even though they are not registered. A determination of whether such a security is liquid or not is a question of fact. In making this determination, the Adviser will consider, as it deems appropriate under the circumstances and among other factors: (1) the frequency of trades and quotes for the security; (2) the number of dealers willing to purchase or sell the security; (3) the number of other potential purchasers of the security; (4) dealer undertakings to make a market in the security; (5) the nature of the security (e.g., debt or equity, date of maturity, terms of dividend or interest payments, and other material terms) and the nature of the marketplace trades e.g., the time needed to dispose of the security, the method of soliciting offers, and the mechanics of transfer; and (6) the rating of the security and the financial condition and prospects of the issuer. In the case of commercial paper, the Adviser will also determine that the paper (1) is not traded flat or in default as to principal and interest, and (2) is rated in one of the two highest rating categories by at least two National Statistical Rating Organization (“NRSRO”) or, if only one NRSRO rates the security, by that NRSRO, or, if the security is unrated, the Adviser determines that it is of equivalent quality.


Rule 144A securities and Section 4(2) commercial paper that have been deemed liquid as described above will continue to be monitored by the Adviser to determine if the security is no longer liquid as the result of changed conditions. Investing in Rule 144A securities or Section 4(2) commercial paper could have the effect of increasing the amount of a Fund’s assets invested in illiquid securities if institutional buyers are unwilling to purchase such securities.


Lending Portfolio Securities


For the purpose of achieving income, each Fund may lend its portfolio securities, provided (1) the loan is secured continuously by collateral consisting of U.S. Government securities or cash or cash equivalents (cash, U.S. Government securities, negotiable certificates of deposit, bankers’ acceptances or letters of credit) maintained on a daily mark-to-market basis in an amount at least equal to the current market value of the securities loaned, (2) the Fund may at any time call the loan and obtain the return of securities loaned, (3) the Fund will receive any interest or dividends received on the loaned securities, and (4) the aggregate value of the securities loaned will not at any time exceed one-third of the total assets of the Fund.


Short Sales


The Funds may sell securities short. A short sale is a transaction in which a Fund sells a security it does not own or have the right to acquire (or that it owns but does not wish to deliver) in anticipation that the market price of that security will decline.


When a Fund makes a short sale, the broker-dealer through which the short sale is made must borrow the security sold short and deliver it to the party purchasing the security. The Fund is required to make a margin deposit in connection with such short sales; the Fund may have to pay a fee to borrow particular securities and will often be obligated to pay over any dividends and accrued interest on borrowed securities.


If the price of the security sold short increases between the time of the short sale and the time the Fund covers its short position, the Fund will incur a loss; conversely, if the price declines, the Fund will realize a capital gain. Any gain will be decreased, and any loss increased, by the transaction costs described above. The successful use of short selling may be adversely affected by imperfect correlation between movements in the price of the security sold short and the securities being hedged.




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To the extent a Fund sells securities short, it will provide collateral to the broker-dealer and (except in the case of short sales “against the box”) will maintain additional asset coverage in the form of cash, U.S. government securities or other liquid securities with its custodian in a segregated account in an amount at least equal to the difference between the current market value of the securities sold short and any amounts required to be deposited as collateral with the selling broker (not including the proceeds of the short sale). A short sale is “against the box” to the extent a Fund contemporaneously owns, or has the right to obtain at no added cost, securities identical to those sold short.

Swap Agreements

Each Fund may enter into interest rate, index and currency exchange rate swap agreements in an attempt to obtain a particular desired return at a lower cost to the Fund than if it had invested directly in an instrument that yielded that desired return. Swap agreements are two-party contracts entered into primarily by institutional investors for periods ranging from a few weeks to more than one year. In a standard “swap” transaction, two parties agree to exchange the returns (or differentials in rates of returns) earned or realized on particular predetermined investments or instruments. The gross returns to be exchanged or “swapped” between the parties are calculated with respect to a “notional amount,” i.e., the return on or increase in value of a particular dollar amount invested at a particular interest rate, in a particular foreign currency, or in a “basket” of securities representing a particular index. The “notional amount” of the swap agreement is only a fictive basis on which to calculate the obligations the parties to a swap agreement have agreed to exchange. A Fund’s obligations (or rights) under a swap agreement will generally be equal only to the amount to be paid or received under the agreement based on the relative values of the positions held by each party to the agreement (the “net amount”). A Fund’s obligations under a swap agreement will be accrued daily (offset against any amounts owing to the Fund) and any accrued but unpaid net amounts owed to a swap counterparty will be covered by the maintenance of a segregated account consisting of cash, U.S. government securities, or other liquid securities, to avoid leveraging of the Fund’s portfolio.

Whether a Fund’s use of swap agreements enhance the Fund’s total return will depend on the adviser’s ability correctly to predict whether certain types of investments are likely to produce greater returns than other investments. Because they are two-party contracts and may have terms of greater than seven days, swap agreements may be considered to be illiquid. Moreover, a Fund bears the risk of loss of the amount expected to be received under a swap agreement in the event of the default or bankruptcy of a swap agreement counterparty. The Adviser will cause a Fund to enter into swap agreements only with counterparties that would be eligible for consideration as repurchase agreement counterparties under the Funds’ repurchase agreement guidelines. The swap market is a relatively new market and is largely unregulated. It is possible that developments in the swaps market, including potential government regulation, could adversely affect a Fund’s ability to terminate existing swap agreements or to realize amounts to be received under such agreements.

Certain swap agreements are exempt from most provisions of the Commodity Exchange Act (“CEA”) and, therefore, are not regulated as futures or commodity option transactions under the CEA, pursuant to regulations of the CFTC. To qualify for this exemption, a swap agreement must be entered into by “eligible participants,” which include the following, provided the participants’ total assets exceed established levels: a bank or trust company, savings association or credit union, insurance company, investment company subject to regulation under the 1940 Act, commodity pool, corporation, partnership, proprietorship, organization, trust or other entity, employee benefit plan, governmental entity, broker-dealer, futures commission merchant, natural person, or regulated foreign person. To be eligible, natural persons and most other entities must have total assets exceeding $10 million; commodity pools and employees benefit plans must have assets exceeding $5 million. In addition, an eligible swap transaction must meet three conditions. First, the swap agreement may not be part of a fungible class of agreements that are standardized as to their material economic terms. Second, the creditworthiness of parties with actual or potential obligations under the swap agreement must be a material consideration in entering into or determining the terms of the swap agreement, including pricing, cost or credit enhancement terms. Third, swap agreements may not be entered into and traded on or through a multilateral transaction execution facility.



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Certain Investment Techniques and Derivatives Risk

When the adviser of a Fund uses investment techniques such as margin, leverage and short sales, and forms of financial derivatives, such as options and futures, an investment in a Fund may be more volatile than investments in other mutual funds. Although the intention is to use such investment techniques and derivatives to minimize risk to the Funds, as well as for speculative purposes, there is the possibility that improper implementation of such techniques and derivative strategies or unusual market conditions could result in significant losses to the Fund.  Derivatives are used to limit risk in a Fund or to enhance investment return and have a return tied to a formula based upon an interest rate, index, price of a security, or other measurement. Derivatives involve special risks, including: (1) the risk that interest rates, securities prices and currency markets will not move in the direction that a portfolio manager anticipates; (2) imperfect correlation between the price of derivative instruments and movements in the prices of the securities, interest rates or currencies being hedged; (3) the fact that skills needed to use these strategies are different than those needed to select portfolio securities; (4) the possible absence of a liquid secondary market for any particular instrument and possible exchange imposed price fluctuation limits, either of which may make it difficult or impossible to close out a position when desired; (5) the risk that adverse price movements in an instrument can result in a loss substantially greater than the Fund’s initial investment in that instrument (in some cases, the potential loss in unlimited); (6) particularly in the case of privately-negotiated instruments, the risk that the counterparty will not perform its obligations, or that penalties could be incurred for positions held less then the required minimum holding period, which could leave the Fund worse off than if it had not entered into the position; and (7) the inability to close out certain hedged positions to avoid adverse tax consequences. In addition, the use of derivatives for non-hedging purposes (that is, to seek to increase total return) is considered a speculative practice and may present an even greater risk of loss than when used for hedging purposes.

INVESTMENT RESTRICTIONS


Each Fund has adopted the following investment restrictions that may not be changed without approval by a “majority of the outstanding shares” of the Fund which, as used in this SAI, means the vote of the lesser of (a) 67% or more of the shares of the Fund represented at a meeting, if the holders of more than 50% of the outstanding shares of the Fund are present or represented by proxy, or (b) more than 50% of the outstanding shares of the Fund.  

1.   Borrowing Money .  Each Fund will not borrow money, except:  (a) from a bank, provided that immediately after such borrowing there is an asset coverage of 300% for all borrowings of the Fund; or (b) from a bank or other persons for temporary purposes only, provided that such temporary borrowings are in an amount not exceeding 5% of the Fund’s total assets at the time when the borrowing is made.  

2.   Senior Securities .  Each Fund will not issue senior securities.  This limitation is not applicable to activities that may be deemed to involve the issuance or sale of a senior security by a Fund, provided that the Fund’s engagement in such activities is consistent with or permitted by the 1940 Act, the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder or interpretations of the SEC or its staff.

3.   Underwriting .  Each Fund will not act as underwriter of securities issued by other persons.  This limitation is not applicable to the extent that, in connection with the disposition of portfolio securities (including restricted securities), a Fund may be deemed an underwriter under certain federal securities laws.

4.   Real Estate .  Each Fund will not purchase or sell real estate.  This limitation is not applicable to investments in marketable securities that are secured by or represent interests in real estate.  This limitation does not preclude a Fund from investing in mortgage-related securities or investing in companies engaged in the real estate business or that have a significant portion of their assets in real estate (including real estate investment trusts).



22




5.   Commodities .  Each Fund will not purchase or sell commodities unless acquired as a result of ownership of securities or other investments.  This limitation does not preclude a Fund from purchasing or selling options or futures contracts, from investing in securities or other instruments backed by commodities or from investing in  companies which are engaged in a commodities business or have a significant portion of their assets in commodities.


6.   Loans .  Each Fund will not make loans to other persons, except:  (a) by loaning portfolio securities; (b) by engaging in repurchase agreements; or (c) by purchasing nonpublicly offered debt securities.  For purposes of this limitation, the term “loans” shall not include the purchase of a portion of an issue of publicly distributed bonds, debentures or other securities.


7.   Concentration .  Each Fund will not invest 25% or more of its total assets in a particular industry or group of industries. This limitation is not applicable to investments in obligations issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government, its agencies and instrumentalities or repurchase agreements with respect thereto.


THE FOLLOWING ARE ADDITIONAL INVESTMENT LIMITATIONS OF THE FUNDS. THE FOLLOWING RESTRICTIONS ARE DESIGNATED AS NON-FUNDAMENTAL AND MAY BE CHANGED BY THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE TRUST WITHOUT THE APPROVAL OF SHAREHOLDERS.


1.   Pledging .  Each Fund will not mortgage, pledge, hypothecate or in any manner transfer, as security for indebtedness, any assets of the Fund except as may be necessary in connection with borrowings described in limitation (1) above.  Margin deposits, security interests, liens and collateral arrangements with respect to transactions involving options, futures contracts, short sales and other permitted investments and techniques are not deemed to be a mortgage, pledge or hypothecation of assets for purposes of this limitation.


2.   Borrowing .  Each Fund will not purchase any security while borrowings representing more than one third of its total assets are outstanding.  


3.   Margin Purchases .  Each Fund will not purchase securities or evidences of interest thereon on “margin.”  This limitation is not applicable to short-term credit obtained by a Fund for the clearance of purchases and sales or redemption of securities, or to arrangements with respect to transactions involving options, futures contracts, short sales and other permitted investment techniques.


4.   Illiquid Investments .  Each Fund will not hold 15% or more of its net assets in securities for which there are legal or contractual restrictions on resale and other illiquid securities.


If a restriction on a Fund’s investments is adhered to at the time an investment is made, a subsequent change in the percentage of Fund assets invested in certain securities or other instruments, or change in average duration of the Fund’s investment portfolio, resulting from changes in the value of the Fund’s total assets, will not be considered a violation of the restriction; provided, however, that the asset coverage requirement applicable to borrowings shall be maintained in the manner contemplated by applicable law.


POLICIES AND PROCEDURES FOR DISCLOSURE OF PORTFOLIO HOLDINGS



The Trust has adopted policies and procedures that govern the disclosure of the Fund’s portfolio holdings. These policies and procedures are designed to ensure that such disclosure is in the best interests of Fund shareholders.


23




It is the Trust’s policy to: (1) ensure that any disclosure of portfolio holdings information is in the best interest of Trust shareholders; (2) protect the confidentiality of portfolio holdings information; (3) have procedures in place to guard against personal trading based on the information; and (4) ensure that the disclosure of portfolio holdings information does not create conflicts between the interests of the Trust’s shareholders and those of the Trust’s affiliates.


Each Fund will disclose its portfolio holdings by mailing its annual and semi-annual reports to shareholders approximately two months after the end of the fiscal year and semi-annual period.  The Funds may also disclose its portfolio holdings by mailing a quarterly report to its shareholders. In addition, the Funds will disclose its portfolio holdings reports on Forms N-CSR and Form N-Q two months after the end of each quarter/semi-annual period.  


The Funds may choose to make portfolio holdings information available to rating agencies such as Lipper, Morningstar or Bloomberg more frequently on a confidential basis.  


Under limited circumstances, as described below, the Funds’ portfolio holdings may be disclosed to, or known by, certain third parties in advance of their filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission on Form N-CSR or Form N-Q.  In each case, a determination has been made that such advance disclosure is supported by a legitimate business purpose and that the recipient is subject to a duty to keep the information confidential.  

·

The Adviser .  Personnel of the Adviser, including personnel responsible for managing the Funds’ portfolio, may have full daily access to Fund portfolio holdings since that information is necessary in order for the Adviser to provide its management, administrative, and investment services to the Funds.  As required for purposes of analyzing the impact of existing and future market changes on the prices, availability, demand and liquidity of such securities, as well as for the assistance of portfolio managers in the trading of such securities, Adviser personnel may also release and discuss certain portfolio holdings with various broker-dealers.

·

Gemini Fund Services, LLC.  Gemini Fund Services, LLC is the transfer agent, fund accountant and administrator for the Funds; therefore, its personnel have full daily access to the Funds’ portfolio holdings since that information is necessary in order for them to provide the agreed-upon services for the Trust.

·

Fifth Third Bank.  Fifth Third Bank, 38 Fountain Square Plaza, Cincinnati, Ohio is the custodian for the Funds; therefore, its personnel have full daily access to the Funds’ portfolio holdings since that information is necessary in order for them to provide the agreed-upon services for the Funds.  

·

McGladrey LLP. McGladrey LLP is the Funds’ registered independent public accounting firm; therefore, its personnel have access to the Funds’ portfolio holdings in connection with auditing of the Funds’ annual financial statements and providing assistance and consultation in connection with SEC filings.  

·

Thompson Hine LLP.   Thompson Hine LLP is counsel to the Funds; therefore its personnel have access to the Funds’ portfolio holdings in connection with the review of the Funds’ annual and semi-annual shareholder reports and SEC filings.     


Additions to List of Approved Recipients. The Funds’ Chief Compliance Officer is the person responsible, and whose prior approval is required, for any disclosure of the Fund’s portfolio securities at any time or to any persons other than those described above.  In such cases, the recipient must have a legitimate business need for the information and must be subject to a duty to keep the information confidential. There are



24




no ongoing arrangements in place with respect to the disclosure of portfolio holdings. In no event shall the Funds, the Adviser or any other party receive any direct or indirect compensation in connection with the disclosure of information about the Funds’ portfolio holdings.


Compliance With Portfolio Holdings Disclosure Procedures.  The Funds’ Chief Compliance Officer will report periodically to the Board with respect to compliance with the Funds’ portfolio holdings disclosure procedures, and from time to time will provide the Board any updates to the portfolio holdings disclosure policies and procedures.


There is no assurance that the Trust’s policies on disclosure of portfolio holdings will protect the Funds from the potential misuse of holdings information by individuals or firms in possession of that information.


MANAGEMENT



The business of the Trust is managed under the direction of the Board in accordance with the Agreement and Declaration of Trust and the Trust’s By-laws (the “Governing Documents”), which have been filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission and are available upon request.  The Board consists of five (5) individuals, four (4) of whom are not “interested persons” (as defined under the 1940 Act) of the Trust or any investment adviser to any series of the Trust (“Independent Trustees”).  Pursuant to the Governing Documents of the Trust, the Trustees shall elect officers including a President, a Secretary, a Treasurer, a Principal Executive Officer and a Principal Accounting Officer.  The Board retains the power to conduct, operate and carry on the business of the Trust and has the power to incur and pay any expenses, which, in the opinion of the Board, are necessary or incidental to carry out any of the Trust’s purposes.  The Trustees, officers, employees and agents of the Trust, when acting in such capacities, shall not be subject to any personal liability except for his or her own bad faith, willful misfeasance, gross negligence or reckless disregard of his or her duties.


Board Leadership Structure


The Trust is led by Anthony Hertl, an Independent Trustee, who has served as the Chairman of the Board since July 2013.   The Board of Trustees is comprised of Mr. Hertl, three (3) additional Independent Trustees, and one (1) Interested Trustee.  Michael Miola, the Interested Trustee, is considered an interested person by virtue of his indirect controlling interest in Northern Lights Distributors, LLC.   Additionally, under certain 1940 Act governance guidelines that apply to the Trust, the Independent Trustees will meet in executive session, at least quarterly.  Under the Trust’s Agreement and Declaration of Trust and By-Laws, the Chairman of the Board is responsible for (a) presiding at board meetings, (b) calling special meetings on an as-needed basis, (c) execution and administration of Trust policies including (i) setting the agendas for board meetings and (ii) providing information to board members in advance of each board meeting and between board meetings.  Generally, the Trust believes it best to have a non-executive Chairman of the Board, who together with the President (principal executive officer), are seen by our shareholders, business partners and other stakeholders as providing strong leadership.  The Trust believes that its Chairman, the independent chair of the Audit Committee, and, as an entity, the full Board of Trustees, provide effective leadership that is in the best interests of the Trust, its Funds and each shareholder.



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Board Risk Oversight


The Board of Trustees has a standing independent Audit Committee with a separate chair, Mark H. Taylor. The Board is responsible for overseeing risk management, and the full Board regularly engages in discussions of risk management and receives compliance reports that inform its oversight of risk management from its Chief Compliance Officer at quarterly meetings and on an ad hoc basis, when and if necessary.  The Audit Committee considers financial and reporting risk within its area of responsibilities.  Generally, the Board believes that its oversight of material risks is adequately maintained through the compliance-reporting chain where the Chief Compliance Officer is the primary recipient and communicator of such risk-related information.


Trustee Qualifications


Generally, the Trust believes that each Trustee is competent to serve because of their individual overall merits including: (i) experience, (ii) qualifications, (iii) attributes and (iv) skills.  Mr. Miola has over 20 years of business experience in the investment management and brokerage business, serves as a member of two other mutual fund boards outside of the Fund Complex and possesses a strong understanding of the regulatory framework under which investment companies must operate based on his years of service to this Board and other mutual fund boards.  Gary W. Lanzen has over 20 years of business experience in the financial services industry, holds a Masters in Education Administration degree, is a Certified Financial Planner ("CFP"), serves as a member of two other mutual fund boards outside of the Fund Complex and possesses a strong understanding of the regulatory framework under which investment companies must operate based on his years of service to this Board and other mutual fund boards.  Anthony J. Hertl has over 30 years of business experience in financial services industry and related fields including serving as a capital markets controller, chief financial officer, director of global taxation, chair of the finance committee for the Borough of Interlaken, New Jersey and Vice President-Finance and Administration of Marymount College, holds a Certified Public Accountant designation, serves as a member of four other mutual fund boards outside of the Fund Complex and possesses a strong understanding of the regulatory framework under which investment companies must operate based on his years of service to this Board and other fund boards.  Mark H. Taylor has over two decades of academic and professional experience in the accounting and auditing areas, has PhD, Masters and Bachelor degrees in Accounting, is a Certified Public Accountant and is the Andrew D. Braden Professor of Accounting and Auditing at the Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University.  He serves as a member of three other mutual fund boards outside of the Fund Complex, has served a fellowship in the Office of the Chief Accountant at the headquarters of the United States Securities Exchange Commission, served a three-year term on the AICPA Auditing Standards Board (2008-2011), and like the other Board members, possesses a strong understanding of the regulatory framework under which investment companies must operate based on his years of service to this Board and other mutual fund boards.   John V. Palancia has over 30 years of business experience in financial services industry including serving as the Director of Futures Operations for Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith, Inc.  Mr. Palancia holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics.  He also possesses a strong understanding of risk management, balance sheet analysis and the regulatory framework under which regulated financial entities must operate based on service to Merrill Lynch.  Additionally, he is well versed in the regulatory framework under which investment companies must operate and serves as a member of three other fund boards.  The Trust does not believe any one factor is determinative in assessing a Trustee's qualifications, but that the collective experience of each Trustee makes them each highly qualified.The following is a list of the Trustees and executive officers of the Trust and each person’s principal occupation over the last five years. Unless otherwise noted, the address of each Trustee and Officer is 17605 Wright Street, Suite 2, Omaha, Nebraska 68130.




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Independent Trustees


Name, Address and Year of Birth

Position/Term of Office*

Principal Occupation

During the Past Five Years

Number of Portfolios in Fund Complex**

 Overseen by Trustee

Other Directorships held by Trustee During the Past Five Years

Anthony J. Hertl ^

1950

Trustee

Since 2005;Chairman of the Board since 2013.

Consultant to small and emerging businesses (since 2000).

98

AdvisorOne Funds (12 portfolios) (2004-2013); Ladenburg Thalmann Alternative Strategies Fund (since June 2010); Satuit Capital Management Trust; The Z-Seven Fund, Inc. (2007 – May, 2010), Greenwich Advisers Trust (2007- February 2011), Global Real Estate Fund (2008-2011), The World Funds Trust (since 2010) and Northern Lights Variable Trust (since 2006)

Gary W. Lanzen ^

1954

Trustee

Since 2005

President, Orizon Investment Counsel, Inc. (2000-2006); Chief Investment Officer (2000 -2010); Founder and Partner, Orizon Group, Inc. (a financial services company) (2000-2006).

98

AdvisorOne Funds (12 portfolios) (since 2003);

Ladenburg Thalmann Alternative Strategies Fund (  2010-2011); Northern Lights Variable Trust (since 2006)

Mark H. Taylor ^

1964

Trustee

Since 2007

Andrew D. Braden Professor of Accounting and Auditing, Weatherhead School of Management, Case Western Reserve University (since 2009); John P. Begley Endowed Chair in Accounting, Creighton University (2002 – 2009); Former member of the AICPA Auditing Standards Board, AICPA (2008-2011).  University (2002 – 2009); Former member of the AICPA Auditing Standards Board, AICPA (2008-2011). 

111

Ladenburg Thalmann Alternative Strategies Fund (since 2010); Lifetime Achievement Mutual Fund, Inc.  (LFTAX) (Director and Audit Committee Chairman) (2007-2012); NLFT III (since February 2012); Northern Lights Variable Trust (since 2007) Mutual Fund, Inc.  (LFTAX) (Director and Audit Committee Chairman) (2007-2012); NLFT III (since February 2012); Northern Lights Variable Trust (since 2007)

John V. Palancia

1954

 

Trustee

Since 2011

 

Retired (since 2011). Formerly, Director of Futures Operations, Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Inc. (1975-2011).

111

Northern Lights Variable Trust (since 2011); NLFT III (since February 2012); Ladenburg Thalmann Alternative Strategies Fund (since  2012).





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Interested Trustees and Officers

 

Name, Address and Year of Birth

Position/Term of Office*

Principal Occupation

During the Past Five Years

Number of Portfolios in Fund Complex **

Overseen by Trustee

Other Directorships held by Trustee During the Past Five Years

Michael Miola*** ^

1952

 

Trustee

Since 2005; Chairman of the Board 2005-2013.

 

Co-Owner and Co-Managing Member of NorthStar Financial Services Group, LLC; Manager of Gemini Fund Services, LLC; Orion Adviser Services, LLC, CLS Investments, LLC, GemCom, LLC and Northern Lights Compliance Services, LLC (since 2003); Director of Constellation Trust Company (since 2004).

98

AdvisorOne Funds (12 portfolios) (2003-2012); Ladenburg Thalmann Alternative Strategies Fund (since 2010); Northern Lights Variable Trust (since 2006)

Andrew Rogers

80 Arkay Drive

Hauppauge, NY  11788

1969

President

Since 2006

Chief Executive Officer, Gemini Fund Services, LLC (since 2012); President and Manager, Gemini Fund Services, LLC (2006 - 2012); Formerly Manager, Northern Lights Compliance Services, LLC (2006 – 2008); and President and Manager, GemCom LLC (2004 - 2011).

N/A

N/A

Kevin E. Wolf

80 Arkay Drive

Hauppauge, NY  11788

1969

Treasurer

Since 2006

President, Gemini Fund Services, LLC (since 2012); Director of Fund Administration, Gemini Fund Services, LLC (2006 - 2012); and Vice-President, GemCom, LLC (since 2004).

N/A

N/A

James P. Ash

80 Arkay Drive

Hauppauge, NY  11788

1976

Secretary

Since 2011

Senior Vice President, Gemini Fund Services, LLC (since 2012); Vice President, Gemini Fund Services, LLC (2011 - 2012); Director of Legal Administration, Gemini Fund Services, LLC (2009 - 2011); Assistant Vice President of Legal Administration, Gemini Fund Services, LLC (2008 - 2011).

N/A

N/A

Lynn Bowley

1958

Chief Compliance Officer

Since 2007

Compliance Officer of Northern Lights Compliance Services, LLC (since 2007); Vice President of Investment Support Services for Mutual of Omaha Companies (2002 – 2006).

N/A

N/A


* The term of office for each Trustee and officer listed above will continue indefinitely until the individual resigns or is removed.

** The term “Fund Complex” includes the Northern Lights Fund Trust (“NLFT”), Northern Lights Fund Trust III (“NLFT III”) and the Northern Lights Variable Trust (“NLVT”).

*** Michael Miola is an “interested person” of the Trust as that term is defined under the 1940 Act, because of his affiliation with Gemini Fund Services, LLC, (the Trust’s Administrator, Fund Accountant, Transfer Agent) and Northern Lights Distributors, LLC (the Fund’s Distributor).

^ These Trustees were named in the SEC order instituting settled administrative proceedings against Northern Lights Compliance Services, LLC, Gemini Fund Services, LLC and certain Trustees.  For more information, please see the “Legal Proceedings” section below.  




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Legal Proceedings


On May 2, 2013, the SEC filed an order instituting settled administrative proceedings (the “Order”) against Northern Lights Compliance Services, LLC (“NLCS”), Gemini Fund Services, LLC (“GFS”), certain current Trustees of the Trust, and one former Trustee.  To settle the SEC’s charges, GFS and NLCS each agreed to pay $50,000 penalties, and both firms and the named Trustees agreed to engage an independent compliance consultant to address the violations found in the Order.  The firms and the named Trustees agreed to settle with the SEC without admitting or denying the SEC’s findings, while agreeing to cease and desist from committing or causing any violations and any future violations of those provisions.  There were no allegations that shareholders suffered any monetary harm.  The SEC charges were not against the Adviser or the Funds.


The Order found that on certain occasions during the period January 2009 to December 2010, disclosures included in shareholder reports (concerning the Trustees’ adviser evaluation process under Section 15(c) of the 1940 Act) filed by certain funds of the Trust contained boilerplate disclosures that were materially untrue or misleading in violation of Section 34(b) of the 1940 Act.  These disclosures were included in the fund shareholder reports based on board minutes drafted by GFS, reviewed by the Trust’s outside counsel, and then reviewed and approved by the Trustees.  The Order found that the named Trustees therefore were a cause of these violations.  In addition, GFS failed to ensure that certain shareholder reports contained the required disclosures concerning the Trustees’ evaluation process and failed to ensure that certain series within the Trust maintained and preserved their Section 15(c) files in accordance with 1940 Act recordkeeping requirements.  Accordingly, GFS caused those funds’ violations of Sections 30(e) and 31(a) of the Investment Company Act and Rules 30e-1 and 31a-2(a)(6) thereunder.


The Order found that, during the relevant period, NLCS and the four named Trustees were also a cause of violations of Rule 38a-1(a)(1) under the 1940 Act, which requires registered investment companies to adopt and implement written compliance policies and procedures.  Specifically, the Order found that NLCS and the named Trustees failed to implement certain policies and procedures of the Trust that required the funds’ CCO to provide the advisers’ compliance manuals to the named Trustees for their review or, as an alternative, summaries of the compliance programs.  Rather than following this process, the Order found that the named Trustees’ approval of the advisers’ compliance programs was based primarily on their review of a brief written statement prepared by NLCS and a verbal representation by NLCS that such manuals were adequate.  


Board Committees


Audit Committee


The Board has an Audit Committee that consists of all the Trustees who are not “interested persons” of the Trust within the meaning of the 1940 Act. The Audit Committee’s responsibilities include: (i) recommending to the Board the selection, retention or termination of the Trust’s independent auditors; (ii) reviewing with the independent auditors the scope, performance and anticipated cost of their audit; (iii) discussing with the independent auditors certain matters relating to the Trust’s financial statements, including any adjustment to such financial statements recommended by such independent auditors, or any other results of any audit; (iv) reviewing on a periodic basis a formal written statement from the independent auditors with respect to their independence, discussing with the independent auditors any relationships or services disclosed in the statement that may impact the objectivity and independence of the Trust’s independent auditors and recommending that the Board take appropriate action in response thereto to satisfy itself of the auditor’s independence; and (v) considering the comments of the independent auditors and management’s responses thereto with respect to the quality and adequacy of the Trust’s accounting and financial reporting policies and practices and internal controls.  The Audit Committee operates pursuant to an Audit Committee Charter and will meet at least annually.  During the past fiscal year, the Audit Committee held twelve meetings.  


Compensation

Effective April 1, 2013, each Trustee who is not affiliated with the Trust or an investment adviser to any series of the Trust will receive a quarterly fee of $27,625 for his attendance at the regularly scheduled meetings of the Board of Trustees, to be paid in advance of each calendar quarter, as well as reimbursement for any



29




reasonable expenses incurred. Prior to April 1, 2013 each Trustee who is not affiliated with the Trust or an adviser received a quarterly fee of $21,500.  Effective July 1, 2013, in addition to the quarterly fees and reimbursements, the Chairman of the Board receives a $30,000 annual fee, and the Audit Committee Chairman receives a $15,000 additional annual fee, each to be paid quarterly and allocated between the Trust and NLVT.

Additionally, in the event a meeting of the Board of Trustees other than its regularly scheduled meetings (a “Special Meeting”) is required, each Independent Trustee will receive a fee of $2,500 per Special Meeting, as well as reimbursement for any reasonable expenses incurred, to be paid by the relevant series of the Trust or its investment adviser depending on the circumstances necessitating the Special Meeting.

The “interested persons” who serve as Trustees of the Trust receive no compensation for their services as Trustees. None of the executive officers receive compensation from the Trust.

The table below details the amount of compensation the Trustees received from the Trust during the fiscal year ended April 30, 2013.  Each Independent Trustee attended all quarterly meetings during the period.  The Trust does not have a bonus, profit sharing, pension or retirement plan.

Name and Position

Aggregate Compensation From Trust **

Pension or Retirement Benefits Accrued as Part of Funds Expenses

Estimated Annual Benefits Upon Retirement

Total Compensation From Trust and Fund Complex*** Paid to Directors

Anthony J. Hertl

$110,625

None

None

$131,375

Gary Lanzen

$94,625

None

None

$111,375

Mark H. Taylor

$94,625

None

None

$132,125

John V. Palancia

$94,625

None

None

$127,708

Michael Miola*

None

None

None

None

*This Trustee is deemed to be an ‘interested person’ as defined in the 1940 Act as a result of his affiliation with Gemini Fund Services, LLC (the Trust’s Administrator, Transfer Agent and Fund Accountant), Northern Lights Distributors, LLC (the Fund’s Distributor) and Northern Lights Compliance Services, LLC (the Trust’s compliance service provider).  

**There are currently multiple series comprising the Trust.  Trustees’ fees are allocated equitably among the series of the Trust.

**The term “Fund Complex” includes to the Northern Lights Fund Trust, Northern Lights Fund Trust III and the Northern Lights Variable Trust.

Trustee Ownership

The following table indicates the dollar range of equity securities that each Trustee beneficially owned in the Trust as of December 31, 2012.  

Name of Trustee

Dollar Range of Equity Securities in the Funds

Aggregate Dollar Range of Equity Securities in All Registered Investment Companies Overseen by Trustee in Family of Investment Companies

Anthony J. Hertl

None

None

Gary Lanzen

None

None

Michael Miola*

None

None

Mark Taylor

None

None

John V. Palancia

None

None

* This Trustee is deemed to be an ‘interested person’ as defined in the 1940 Act as a result of his affiliation with Gemini Fund Services, LLC (the Trust’s Administrator, Transfer Agent and Fund Accountant), Northern Lights Distributors, LLC (the Funds’ Distributor) and Northern Lights Compliance Services, LLC (the Trust’s compliance service provider)



Management Ownership

As of August 1, 2013, the Trustees, as a group, owned less than 1% of each Fund’s outstanding shares and less than 1% of the Fund Complex’s outstanding shares.


30




CONTROL PERSONS AND PRINCIPAL HOLDERS


A control person is one who owns beneficially or through controlled companies more than 25% of the voting securities of a company or acknowledged the existence of control.

As of August 1, 2013, the following shareholders of record owned 5% or more of the outstanding shares of Toews Hedged International Developed Markets Fund, Toews Hedged Emerging Markets Fund, Toews Hedged Growth Allocation Fund, Toews Hedged High Yield Bond Fund, Toews Hedged Large-Cap Fund and Toews Hedged Small & Mid Cap Fund.

Toews Hedged International Developed Markets Fund

Shares

Percentage of Fund

Ameritrade

PO Box 2226

Omaha, NE 68103-2226

357,389

6.32%



Toews Hedged Emerging Markets Fund

Shares

Percentage of Fund

Charles Schwab

101 Montgomery Street

San Francisco, CA 94104-4122


Ameritrade

PO Box 2226

Omaha, NE 68103-2226

518,726




175,561

52.35%




17.72%


Toews Hedged Growth Allocation Fund

Shares

Percentage of Fund

Charles Schwab

101 Montgomery Street

San Francisco, CA 94104-4122


Ameritrade

PO Box 2226

Omaha, NE 68103-2226

851,602




165,836

30.36%




5.91%


Toews Hedged High Yield Bond Fund

Shares

Percentage of Fund

Charles Schwab

101 Montgomery Street

San Francisco, CA 94104-4122

972,961

10.39%





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Toews Hedged Large-Cap Fund

Shares

Percentage of Fund

Ameritrade

PO Box 2226

Omaha, NE 68103-2226

240,513


5.69%



Toews Hedged Small & Mid Cap Fund

Shares

Percentage of Fund

Ameritrade

PO Box 2226

Omaha, NE 68103-2226

411,085


6.48%


INVESTMENT ADVISER

The Adviser of each Fund is Toews Corporation (the “Adviser”), located at Cornerstone Commerce Center, 1201 New Road, Suite 111, Linwood, New Jersey 08221.  The Adviser was founded by Phillip Toews in 1995.  Phillip Toews is the sole shareholder of the Adviser.  


Under the Advisory Agreement, the Adviser, under the supervision of the Board, agrees to invest the assets of the Fund’s in accordance with applicable law and the investment objective, policies and restrictions set forth in the Fund’s current Prospectus and Statement of Additional Information, and subject to such further limitations as the Trust may from time to time impose by written notice to the Adviser.  The Adviser shall act as the investment advisor to the Fund’s and, as such shall (i) obtain and evaluate such information relating to the economy, industries, business, securities markets and securities as it may deem necessary or useful in discharging its responsibilities here under, (ii) formulate a continuing program for the investment of the assets of the Fund’s in a manner consistent with its investment objective, policies and restrictions, and (iii) determine from time to time securities to be purchased, sold, retained or lent by the Fund’s, and implement those decisions, including the selection of entities with or through which such purchases, sales or loans are to be effected; provided, that the Adviser will place orders pursuant to its investment determinations either directly with the  issuer or with a broker or dealer, and if with a broker or dealer, (a) will attempt to obtain the best price and execution of its orders, and (b) may nevertheless in its discretion purchase and sell portfolio securities from and  to brokers who provide the Adviser with research, analysis, advice and similar services and pay such brokers in return a higher commission or spread than may be charged by other brokers.  The Adviser also provides the Fund’s with all necessary office facilities and personnel for servicing the Fund’s investments, compensates all officers, Trustees and employees of the Trust who are officers, directors or employees of the Adviser, and all personnel of the Fund’s or the Adviser performing services relating to research, statistical and investment activities.  The Advisory Agreement was approved by the Board of the Trust, including by a majority of the Independent Trustees, at a meeting held on September 25, 2008.


The following table sets forth the annual management fee rate payable by the Fund’s to the Adviser pursuant to the Advisory Agreement, expressed as a percentage of the Fund’s average daily net assets:


FUND

TOTAL
MANAGEMENT FEE

Toews Hedged International Developed Markets Fund

1.00%

Toews Hedged Emerging Markets Fund

1.25%

Toews Hedged High Yield Bond Fund

1.00%

Toews Hedged Large-Cap Fund

1.00%

Toews Hedged Small & Mid Cap Fund

1.00%

Toews Hedged Growth Allocation Fund

1.00%

Toews Unconstrained Income Fund

1.00%



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The following table displays the advisory fees for the Funds during the fiscal period ended April 30, 2013:


FUND

Advisory Fees

Accrued

Advisory Fees

Waived

Toews Hedged International Developed Markets Fund

$378,123

$122,553

Toews Hedged Emerging Markets Fund

$103,139

$60,926

Toews Hedged High Yield Bond Fund

$636,585

$119,574

Toews Hedged Large-Cap Fund

$364,521

$111,270

Toews Hedged Small & Mid Cap Fund

$528,491

$125,775

Toews Hedged Growth Allocation Fund

$221,539

$77,584


The following table displays the advisory fees for the Funds during the fiscal period ended April 30, 2012:


FUND

Advisory Fees

Accrued

Advisory Fees

Waived

Toews Hedged International Developed Markets Fund

$322,100

$93,037

Toews Hedged Emerging Markets Fund

$225,872

$103,652

Toews Hedged High Yield Bond Fund

$397,255

$108,112

Toews Hedged Large-Cap Fund

$296,109

$94,822

Toews Hedged Small & Mid Cap Fund

$429,095

$115,559

Toews Hedged Growth Allocation Fund

$285,525

$115,912


The following table displays the advisory fees for the Funds during the fiscal period ended April 30, 2011:


FUND

Advisory Fees

Accrued

Advisory Fees

Waived

Toews Hedged International Developed Markets Fund

$118,913

$69,514

Toews Hedged Emerging Markets Fund

$768,018

$162,085

Toews Hedged High Yield Bond Fund

$159,765

$78,864

Toews Hedged Large-Cap Fund

$114,716

$68,982

Toews Hedged Small & Mid Cap Fund

$160,474

$73,058

Toews Hedged Growth Allocation Fund

$164,584

$61,968


The Adviser is contractually limiting (capping) total annual operating expenses of the Funds’ through August 31, 2014 (including the advisory fee, exclusive of any front-end or contingent deferred loads, taxes, brokerage fees and commissions, borrowing costs (such as interest and dividend expense on securities sold short), acquired fund fees and expenses, or extraordinary expenses such as litigation) as follows, expressed as a percentage of the Fund’s average daily net assets and without regard to internal expenses of the Underlying Funds:


Fund

Fee Cap


Contractual Period

Toews Hedged International Developed Markets Fund

1.25%

August 31, 2014

Toews Hedged Emerging Markets Fund

1.50%

August 31, 2014

Toews Hedged High Yield Bond Fund

1.25%

August 31, 2014

Toews Hedged Large-Cap Fund

1.25%

August 31, 2014

Toews Hedged Small & Mid Cap Fund

1.25%

August 31, 2014

Toews Hedged Growth Allocation Fund

1.25%

August 31, 2014

Toews Unconstrained Income Fund

1.25%

August 31, 2014


Expenses not expressly assumed by the Adviser under the Advisory Agreement are paid by the Fund’s. Under the terms of the Advisory Agreement, the Funds are responsible for the payment of the following expenses among others: (a) the fees payable to the Adviser, (b) the fees and expenses of Trustees who are not affiliated persons of the Adviser or Distributor (as defined under the section entitled “Distributor”) (c) the fees and certain expenses of the Custodian (as defined under the section entitled “Custodian”) and Transfer and Dividend Disbursing Agent (as defined under the section entitled “Transfer Agent”), including the cost of



33




maintaining certain required records of the Fund’s and of pricing the Fund’s shares, (d) the charges and expenses of legal counsel and independent accountants for the Fund’s, (e) brokerage commissions and any issue or transfer taxes chargeable to the Fund’s in connection with its securities transactions, (f) all taxes and corporate fees payable by the Trust to governmental agencies, (g) the fees of any trade association of which the Trust may be a member, (h) the cost of share certificates representing shares of the Fund’s, (i) the cost of fidelity and liability insurance, (j) the fees and expenses involved in registering and maintaining registration of the Fund’s and of its shares with the SEC, qualifying its shares under state securities laws, including the preparation and printing of the Fund’s registration statements and prospectuses for such purposes, (k) all expenses of shareholders and Trustees’ meetings (including travel expenses of trustees and officers of the Trust who are directors, officers or employees of the Adviser) and of preparing, printing and mailing reports, proxy statements and prospectuses to shareholders in the amount necessary for distribution to the shareholders, (l) litigation and indemnification expenses and other extraordinary expenses not incurred in the ordinary course of the Fund’s business, and (m) dividend expense on securities sold short.


The Advisory Agreement will continue in effect for two (2) years initially and thereafter shall continue from year to year provided such continuance is approved at least annually by (a) a vote of the majority of the Independent Trustees, cast in person at a meeting specifically called for the purpose of voting on such approval and by (b) the majority vote of either all of the Trustees or the vote of a majority of the outstanding shares of the Fund. The Advisory Agreement may be terminated without penalty on 60 days’ written notice by a vote of a majority of the Trustees or by the Adviser, or by holders of a majority of that Trust’s outstanding shares. The Advisory Agreement shall terminate automatically in the event of its assignment.


Codes of Ethics


The Trust, the Adviser and the Distributor each have adopted codes of ethics under Rule 17j-1 under the 1940 Act that governs the personal securities transactions of their board members, officers and employees who may have access to current trading information of the Trust.  Under the code of ethics adopted by the Trust (the “Code”), the Trustees are permitted to invest in securities that may also be purchased by the Funds.


In addition, the Code, which applies only to the Trust’s executive officers to ensure that these officers promote professional conduct in the practice of corporate governance and management. The purpose behind these guidelines is to promote i) honest and ethical conduct, including the ethical handling of actual or apparent conflicts of interest between personal and professional relationships; ii) full, fair, accurate, timely, and understandable disclosure in reports and documents that a registrant files with, or submits to, the SEC and in other public communications made by the Funds; iii) compliance with applicable governmental laws, rule and regulations; iv) the prompt internal reporting of violations of this Code to an appropriate person or persons identified in the Code; and v) accountability for adherence to the Code.


Proxy Voting Policies


The Board has adopted Proxy Voting Policies and Procedures (“Policies”) on behalf of the Trust, which delegate the responsibility for voting proxies of securities held by the Funds to the Adviser and responsibility for voting proxies of securities held by the Funds to the Adviser, subject to the Board’s continuing oversight. The Policies require that the Adviser vote proxies received in a manner consistent with the best interests of the Funds and its shareholders.  The Policies also require the Adviser to present to the Board, at least annually, the Adviser’s Proxy Policies and a record of each proxy voted by the Adviser on behalf of a Fund, including a report on the resolution of all proxies identified by the Adviser as involving a conflict of interest.




34




More information .  Information regarding how the Funds voted proxies relating to portfolio securities held by a Fund during the most recent 12-month period ending June 30 will be available (1) without charge, upon request, by calling the Funds- at 1-877-558-6397; and (2) on the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s website at http://www.sec.gov.  A copy of the Adviser’s Proxy Voting Policies is attached hereto as Appendix B.  


DISTRIBUTION OF SHARES



Northern Lights Distributors, LLC, located at 17605 Wright Street, Omaha, Nebraska 68130 (the “Distributor”) serves as the principal underwriter and national distributor for the shares of the Funds’ pursuant to an Underwriting Agreement with the Trust (the “Underwriting Agreement”). The Distributor is registered as a broker-dealer under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and each state’s securities laws and is a member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”). The offering of the Funds’ shares is continuous. The Underwriting Agreement provides that the Distributor, as agent in connection with the distribution of Fund shares, will use its best efforts to distribute the Funds’ shares.  


The Underwriting Agreement provides that, unless sooner terminated, it will continue in effect for two years initially and thereafter shall continue from year to year, subject to annual approval by (a) the Board or a vote of a majority of the outstanding shares, and (b) by a majority of the Trustees who are not interested persons of the Trust or of the Distributor by vote cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on such approval.

 

The Underwriting Agreement may be terminated by a Fund at any time, without the payment of any penalty, by vote of a majority of the entire Board of the Trust or by vote of a majority of the outstanding shares of the applicable Fund on 60 days’ written notice to the Distributor, or by the Distributor at any time, without the payment of any penalty, on 60 days’ written notice to the Fund. The Underwriting Agreement will automatically terminate in the event of its assignment.


The following table sets forth the total compensation received by the Distributor from each Fund during the fiscal year ended April 30, 2013:


Fund

Net Underwriting Discounts and Commissions

Compensation on Redemptions and Repurchases

Brokerage Commissions

Other Compensation

Toews Hedged International Developed Markets Fund

$0

$0

$0

*

Toews Hedged Emerging Markets Fund

$0

$0

$0

*

Toews Hedged High Yield Bond Fund

$0

$0

$0

*

Toews Hedged Large-Cap Fund

$0

$0

$0

*

Toews Hedged Small & Mid Cap Fund

$0

$0

$0

*

Toews Hedged Growth Allocation Fund

$0

$0

$0

*

* The Distributor received $71,876.11 from the Adviser as compensation for its distribution services to the Funds.

The Distributor may enter into selling agreements with broker-dealers that solicit orders for the sale of shares of the Funds and may allow concessions to dealers that sell shares of the Funds.  The Distributor receives the portion of the sales charge on all direct initial investments in the Funds and on all investments in accounts with no designed dealer of record.  The Distributor retains the contingent deferred sales charge on redemptions of shares of the Funds that are subject to a contingent deferred sales charge.   



35




PORTFOLIO MANAGERS



The Fund’s portfolio managers are Phillip Toews and Randall Schroeder.  As of April 30, 2013, the portfolio managers were responsible for the management of the following types of accounts:  


Account Type

Number of Accounts by Account Type

Total Assets By Account Type

Number of Accounts by Type Subject to a Performance Fee

Total Assets By Account Type Subject to a Performance Fee

Mr. Schroeder

 

 

 

 

Registered Investment Companies

6

$268,567,669

0

N/A

Other Pooled Investment Vehicles

0

N/A

0

N/A

Other Accounts

890

$264,587,978

0

N/A

Mr. Toews

 

 

 

 

Registered Investment Companies

6

$268,567,669

0

N/A

Other Pooled Investment Vehicles

0

N/A

0

N/A

Other Accounts

0

N/A

0

N/A


Conflicts of Interest.


As indicated in the table above, a portfolio manager may manage numerous accounts for multiple clients.  These accounts may include registered investment companies, other types of pooled accounts (e.g., collective investment funds), and separate accounts (i.e., accounts managed on behalf of individuals or public or private institutions).  The portfolio manager makes investment decisions for each account based on the investment objectives and policies and other relevant investment considerations applicable to that account.


When a portfolio manager has responsibility for managing more than one account, potential conflicts of interest may arise.  Those conflicts could include preferential treatment of one account over others in terms of allocation of resources or of investment opportunities. For instance, the Adviser may receive fees from certain accounts that are higher than the fee it receives from the Fund, or it may receive a performance-based fee on certain accounts. In those instances, the portfolio manager may have an incentive to favor the higher and/or performance-based fee accounts over the Fund.


When allocating investments among client accounts, the portfolio manager has the fiduciary obligation to treat each client equally, regardless of account size or fees paid.  All clients at the same custodian (or trading desk) receive the same average price for each transaction.  When multiple trading desks or custodians are used to execute transactions, the portfolio managers execute the trades in such a fashion as to ensure no client grouping consistently receives preferential treatment.  When trades in the same security must be executed over multiple days, the portfolio managers execute the trades in a random order to ensure no client grouping consistently receives preferential treatment.




36




Compensation.  


Mr. Toews does not earn a salary or bonus from the Adviser.  Rather, as 100% owner of the Adviser, he is compensated out of the Adviser's profits. Mr. Schroeder earns a salary and bonus from the Adviser.


Ownership.


The following table shows the dollar range of equity securities beneficially owned by the Portfolio Managers in each Fund as of April 30, 2013.


Fund

Dollar Range of Equity Securities in the Fund

Phillip Toews

Randall Schroeder

Toews Hedged International Developed Markets Fund

0

0

Toews Hedged Emerging Markets Fund

0

0

Toews Hedged High Yield Bond Fund

0

0

Toews Hedged Large-Cap Fund

0

0

Toews Hedged Small & Mid Cap Fund

0

0

Toews Hedged Growth Allocation Fund

0

0


ALLOCATION OF PORTFOLIO BROKERAGE



Specific decisions to purchase or sell securities for the Fund are made by the portfolio managers who are employees of the Adviser.  The Adviser is authorized by the Trustees to allocate the orders placed by it on behalf of the Funds to brokers or dealers who may, but need not, provide research or statistical material or other services to the Funds or the Adviser for the Funds’ use. Such allocation is to be in such amounts and proportions as the Adviser may determine.


In selecting a broker or dealer to execute each particular transaction, the Adviser will take the following into consideration:

·

the best net price available;

·

the reliability, integrity and financial condition of the broker or dealer;

·

the size of and difficulty in executing the order; and

·

the value of the expected contribution of the broker or dealer to the investment performance of each Fund on a continuing basis.



Brokers or dealers executing a portfolio transaction on behalf of the Funds may receive a commission in excess of the amount of commission another broker or dealer would have charged for executing the transaction if the Adviser determines in good faith that such commission is reasonable in relation to the value of brokerage, research and other services provided to the Fund. In allocating portfolio brokerage, the Adviser may select brokers or dealers who also provide brokerage, research and other services to other accounts over which the Adviser exercises investment discretion. Some of the services received as the result of Fund transactions may primarily benefit accounts other than the  Fund’s, while services received as the result of portfolio transactions effected on behalf of those other accounts may primarily benefit a Fund.



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For the fiscal period ended April 30, 2012, the Funds incurred the following brokerage commissions:

   FUND

Brokerage Commissions

Toews Hedged International Developed Markets Fund

$0

Toews Hedged Emerging Markets Fund

$0

Toews Hedged High Yield Bond Fund

$5,363

Toews Hedged Large-Cap Fund

$0

Toews Hedged Small & Mid Cap Fund

$0

Toews Hedged Growth Allocation Fund

$1,923


For the fiscal period ended April 30, 2013, the Funds incurred the following brokerage commissions:

FUND

Brokerage Commissions

Toews Hedged International Developed Markets Fund

$0

Toews Hedged Emerging Markets Fund

$0

Toews Hedged High Yield Bond Fund

$10,428

Toews Hedged Large-Cap Fund

$0

Toews Hedged Small & Mid Cap Fund

$0

Toews Hedged Growth Allocation Fund

$323


PORTFOLIO TURNOVER


Each Fund’s portfolio turnover rate is calculated by dividing the lesser of purchases or sales of portfolio securities for the fiscal year by the monthly average of the value of the portfolio securities owned by each Fund during the fiscal year. The calculation excludes from both the numerator and the denominator securities with maturities at the time of acquisition of one year or less. High portfolio turnover involves correspondingly greater brokerage commissions and other transaction costs, which will be borne directly by the Fund. A 100% turnover rate would occur if all of the Fund’s portfolio securities were replaced once within a one-year period.  The Toews Funds and its strategy are expected to produce a high turnover rate.  Securities may be bought and sold outright to cash on a regular basis as indicated by the advisory strategy.  In the past year, more trades were indicated by this investment system and thus there was more turnover in all of the Funds except Hedged Small & Mid Cap.

For the fiscal period ended April 30, 2013, the Funds’ portfolio turnover rate was:

FUND

Portfolio Turnover Rates

Toews Hedged International Developed Markets Fund

140%

Toews Hedged Emerging Markets Fund

114%

Toews Hedged High Yield Bond Fund

232%

Toews Hedged Large-Cap Fund

84%

Toews Hedged Small & Mid Cap Fund

89%

Toews Hedged Growth Allocation Fund

147%


For the fiscal period ended April 30, 2012, the Funds’ portfolio turnover rate was:

FUND

Portfolio Turnover Rates

Toews Hedged International Developed Markets Fund

44%

Toews Hedged Emerging Markets Fund

107%

Toews Hedged High Yield Bond Fund

422%

Toews Hedged Large-Cap Fund

51%

Toews Hedged Small & Mid Cap Fund

65%

Toews Hedged Growth Allocation Fund

388%


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OTHER SERVICE PROVIDERS

 

Fund Administration, Fund Accounting and Transfer Agent Services


Gemini Fund Services, LLC, (“GFS”), which has its principal office at 80 Arkay Drive, Suite 110, Hauppauge, New York 11788, serves as administrator, fund accountant and transfer agent for the Fund pursuant to a Fund Services Agreement (the “Agreement”) with the fund and subject to the supervision of the Board. GFS is primarily in the business of providing administrative, fund accounting and transfer agent services to retail and institutional mutual funds. GFS is an affiliate of the Distributor. GFS may also provide persons to serve as officers of the Fund. Such officers may be directors, officers or employees of GFS or its affiliates.


The Agreement became effective on June 22, 2011 and will remain in effect for two years from the applicable effective date for the Funds, and will continue in effect for successive twelve-month periods provided that such continuance is specifically approved at least annually by a majority of the Board.  The Agreement is terminable by the Board or GFS on 90 days’ written notice and may be assigned by either party, provided that the Trust may not assign this agreement without the prior written consent of GFS. The Agreement provides that GFS shall be without liability for any action reasonably taken or omitted pursuant to the Agreement.


Under the Agreement, GFS performs administrative services, including:  (1) monitoring the performance of administrative and professional services rendered to the Trust by others service providers; (2) monitoring Fund holdings and operations for post-trade compliance with the Fund’s registration statement and applicable laws and rules; (3) preparing and coordinating the printing of semi-annual and annual financial statements; (4) preparing selected management reports for performance and compliance analyses; (5) preparing and disseminating materials for and attending and participating in meetings of the Board; (6) determining income and capital gains available for distribution and calculating distributions required to meet regulatory, income, and excise tax requirements; (7) reviewing the Trust's federal, state, and local tax returns as prepared and signed by the Trust's independent public accountants; (8) preparing and maintaining the Trust's operating expense budget to determine proper expense accruals to be charged to each Fund to calculate its daily net asset value; (9) assisting in and monitoring the preparation, filing, printing and where applicable, dissemination to shareholders of amendments to the Trust’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, periodic reports to the Trustees, shareholders and the SEC, notices pursuant to Rule 24f-2, proxy materials and reports to the SEC on Forms N-SAR, N-CSR, N-Q and N-PX; (10) coordinating the Trust's audits and examinations by assisting each Fund’s independent public accountants; (11) determining, in consultation with others, the jurisdictions in which shares of the Trust shall be registered or qualified for sale and facilitating such registration or qualification; (12) monitoring sales of shares and ensure that the shares are properly and duly registered with the SEC; (13) monitoring the calculation of performance data for the Fund; (14) preparing, or cause to be prepared, expense and financial reports; (15) preparing authorizations for the payment of Trust expenses and pay, from Trust assets, all bills of the Trust; (16) providing information typically supplied in the investment company industry to companies that track or report price, performance or other information with respect to investment companies; (17) upon request, assisting each Fund in the evaluation and selection of other service providers, such as independent public accountants, printers, EDGAR providers and proxy solicitors (such parties may be affiliates of GFS) and (18) performing other services, recordkeeping and assistance relating to the affairs of the Trust as the Trust may, from time to time, reasonably request.




39




For the administrative services rendered to the Funds by GFS, the Funds pay GFS a fund administration fee equal to the greater of $120,000 minimum or 0.10% on  the first $20 million of net assets, 0.08% on the next $250 million of net assets and 0.06% on net assets greater than $500 million. The Funds also pay GFS for any out-of-pocket expenses.  For the fiscal period ended April 30, 2011, the Funds incurred the following in administrative fees:


FUND

Administration Service Fees

Toews Hedged International Developed Markets Fund

$12,532

Toews Hedged Emerging Markets Fund

$63,030

Toews Hedged High Yield Bond Fund

$15,937

Toews Hedged Large-Cap Fund

$11,114

Toews Hedged Small & Mid Cap Fund

$16,024

Toews Hedged Growth Allocation Fund

$17,420


For the fiscal period ended April 30, 2012, the Funds incurred the following in administrative fees:


FUND

Administration Service Fees

Toews Hedged International Developed Markets Fund

$34,024

Toews Hedged Emerging Markets Fund

$21,621

Toews Hedged High Yield Bond Fund

$42,545

Toews Hedged Large-Cap Fund

$32,227

Toews Hedged Small & Mid Cap Fund

$44,361

Toews Hedged Growth Allocation Fund

$33,875


For the fiscal period ended April 30, 2013, the Funds incurred the following in administrative fees:


FUND

Administration Service Fees

Toews Hedged International Developed Markets Fund

$43,152

Toews Hedged Emerging Markets Fund

$10,252

Toews Hedged High Yield Bond Fund

$63,046

Toews Hedged Large-Cap Fund

$40,280

Toews Hedged Small & Mid Cap Fund

$57,279

Toews Hedged Growth Allocation Fund

$22,775


GFS also provides the Fund with accounting services, including: (i) daily computation of net asset value; (ii) maintenance of security ledgers and books and records as required by the 1940 Act; (iii) production of the Fund’s listing of portfolio securities and general ledger reports; (iv) reconciliation of accounting records; (v) calculation of yield and total return for the Fund; (vi) maintenance of certain books and records described in Rule 31a-1 under the 1940 Act, and reconciliation of account information and balances among the Fund’s custodian and Adviser; and (vii) monitoring and evaluation of daily income and expense accruals, and sales and redemptions of shares of the Fund.




40




For the fund accounting services rendered to the Funds under the Agreement, the Funds pay GFS an annual fee of $132,000 for the fund complex, plus; $6,000 for each additional share class above one, plus; 0.01% on net assets greater than $120 million. Discounts are based on service fee minimums only. The Funds also pay GFS for any out-of-pocket expenses. For the fiscal period ended April 30, 2011, the Funds incurred the following for accounting fees:


FUND

Accounting Service Fees

Toews Hedged International Developed Markets Fund

$11,664

Toews Hedged Emerging Markets Fund

$59,549

Toews Hedged High Yield Bond Fund

$15,519

Toews Hedged Large-Cap Fund

$11,164

Toews Hedged Small & Mid Cap Fund

$15,019

Toews Hedged Growth Allocation Fund

$14,550


For the fiscal period ended April 30, 2012, the Funds incurred the following for accounting fees:


FUND

Accounting Service Fees

Toews Hedged International Developed Markets Fund

$23,545

Toews Hedged Emerging Markets Fund

$17,371

Toews Hedged High Yield Bond Fund

$27,635

Toews Hedged Large-Cap Fund

$21,803

Toews Hedged Small & Mid Cap Fund

$30,378

Toews Hedged Growth Allocation Fund

$24,999


For the fiscal period ended April 30, 2013, the Funds incurred the following for accounting fees:


FUND

Accounting Service Fees

Toews Hedged International Developed Markets Fund

$22,348

Toews Hedged Emerging Markets Fund

$756

Toews Hedged High Yield Bond Fund

$42,618

Toews Hedged Large-Cap Fund

$23,530

Toews Hedged Small & Mid Cap Fund

$35,547

Toews Hedged Growth Allocation Fund

$11,255


GFS also acts as transfer, dividend disbursing, and shareholder servicing agent for the Funds pursuant to the Agreement. Under the Agreement, GFS is responsible for administering and performing transfer agent functions, dividend distribution, shareholder administration, and maintaining necessary records in accordance with applicable rules and regulations.




41




 For the transfer agency services rendered to the Funds under the Agreement, the Funds pay the Administrator a transfer agency fee equal to a minimum fee of $60,000 or $14 per account. The Funds also pay the Administrator for any out-of-pocket expenses. For the fiscal period ended April 30, 2011, the Funds incurred the following for transfer agency fees:


FUND

Transfer Agency Service Fees

Toews Hedged International Developed Markets Fund

$7,584

Toews Hedged Emerging Markets Fund

$42,828

Toews Hedged High Yield Bond Fund

$12,119

Toews Hedged Large-Cap Fund

$7,584

Toews Hedged Small & Mid Cap Fund

$8,619

Toews Hedged Growth Allocation Fund

$7,220


For the fiscal period ended April 30, 2012, the Funds incurred the following for transfer agency fees:


FUND

Transfer Agency Service Fees

Toews Hedged International Developed Markets Fund

$15,522

Toews Hedged Emerging Markets Fund

$9,383

Toews Hedged High Yield Bond Fund

$23,277

Toews Hedged Large-Cap Fund

$14,431

Toews Hedged Small & Mid Cap Fund

$19,956

Toews Hedged Growth Allocation Fund

$16,080


For the fiscal period ended April 30, 2013, the Funds incurred the following for transfer agency fees:


FUND

Transfer Agency Service Fees

Toews Hedged International Developed Markets Fund

$24,061

Toews Hedged Emerging Markets Fund

$7,120

Toews Hedged High Yield Bond Fund

$42,255

Toews Hedged Large-Cap Fund

$24,489

Toews Hedged Small & Mid Cap Fund

$32,695

Toews Hedged Growth Allocation Fund

$13,356


Custodian


Fifth Third Bank (the “Custodian”) serves as the custodian of the Funds’ assets pursuant to a Custody Agreement by and between the Custodian and the Trust on behalf of the Funds.  The Custodian’s responsibilities include safeguarding and controlling the Funds’ cash and securities, handling the receipt and delivery of securities, and collecting interest and dividends on the Funds’ investments. Pursuant to the Custody Agreement, the Custodian also maintains original entry documents and books of record and general ledgers; posts cash receipts and disbursements; and records purchases and sales based upon communications from the Adviser. A Fund may employ foreign sub-custodians that are approved by the Board to hold foreign assets. The Custodian’s principal place of business is 38 Fountain Square Plaza, Cincinnati, Ohio, 45236.


Custody Administrator


Under the Custody Agreement with the Custodian, the Administrator serves as custody administrator on behalf of the Funds, and performs certain labor intensive tasks, for which it receives a share of the custody fees paid to the Custodian, including a share of the asset-based fee and certain transaction fees.




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Compliance Services


Northern Lights Compliance Services, LLC (“NLCS”), 17605 Wright Street, Suite 2, Omaha, NE 68130, an affiliate of GFS and the Distributor, provides a Chief Compliance Officer to the Trust as well as related compliance services pursuant to a consulting agreement between NLCS and the Trust. NLCS’s compliance services consist primarily of reviewing and assessing the policies and procedures of the Trust and its service providers pertaining to compliance with applicable federal securities laws, including Rule 38a-1 under the 1940 Act.  For the compliance services rendered to the Fund, the Fund pays NLCS a one-time fee of $2,500, plus an annual fee, based on Fund assets, ranging from $13,500 (net assets of $50 million or less) to $31,500 (net assets over $1 billion).  The Fund also pays NLCS for any out-of-pocket expenses. For the fiscal period ended April 30, 2011, the Funds incurred the following for compliance service fees:


FUND

Compliance Officer Fees

Toews Hedged International Developed Markets Fund

$2,960

Toews Hedged Emerging Markets Fund

$19,640

Toews Hedged High Yield Bond Fund

$4,460

Toews Hedged Large-Cap Fund

$3,460

Toews Hedged Small & Mid Cap Fund

$3,960

Toews Hedged Growth Allocation Fund

$4,124


For the fiscal period ended April 30, 2012, the Funds incurred the following for compliance service fees:


FUND

Compliance Officer Fees

Toews Hedged International Developed Markets Fund

$6,396

Toews Hedged Emerging Markets Fund

$4,392

Toews Hedged High Yield Bond Fund

$6,369

Toews Hedged Large-Cap Fund

$4,198

Toews Hedged Small & Mid Cap Fund

$7,534

Toews Hedged Growth Allocation Fund

$5,404


For the fiscal period ended April 30, 2013, the Funds incurred the following for compliance service fees:


FUND

Compliance Officer Fees

Toews Hedged International Developed Markets Fund

$6,434

Toews Hedged Emerging Markets Fund

$1,247

Toews Hedged High Yield Bond Fund

$11,256

Toews Hedged Large-Cap Fund

$7,537

Toews Hedged Small & Mid Cap Fund

$9,673

Toews Hedged Growth Allocation Fund

$5,898


DESCRIPTION OF SHARES



Each share of beneficial interest of the Trust has one vote in the election of Trustees. Cumulative voting is not authorized for the Trust. This means that the holders of more than 50% of the shares voting for the election of Trustees can elect 100% of the Trustees if they choose to do so, and, in that event, the holders of the remaining shares will be unable to elect any Trustees.




43




Shareholders of the Trust and any other future series of the Trust will vote in the aggregate and not by series except as otherwise required by law or when the Board determines that the matter to be voted upon affects only the interest of the shareholders of a particular series or classes. Matters such as election of Trustees are not subject to separate voting requirements and may be acted upon by shareholders of the Trust voting without regard to series.  


The Trust is authorized to issue an unlimited number of shares of beneficial interest.  Each share has equal dividend, distribution and liquidation rights. There are no conversion or preemptive rights applicable to any shares of the Funds. All shares issued are fully paid and non-assessable.


ANTI-MONEY LAUNDERING PROGRAM



The Trust has established an Anti-Money Laundering Compliance Program (the “Program”) as required by Section 352 of the Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001 (“USA PATRIOT Act”). To ensure compliance with this law, the Trust’s Program is written and has been approved by the Board of Trustees. The Program provides for the development of policies, procedures and internal controls reasonably designed to prevent money laundering, the designation of an anti-money laundering compliance officer who is responsible for implementing and monitoring the Program ongoing anti-money laundering training for appropriate persons and an independent audit function to determine the effectiveness of the Program. The Trust’s secretary serves as its Anti-Money Laundering Compliance Officer.


Procedures to implement the Program include, but are not limited to, determining that the Fund’s Distributor, and Transfer Agent have established reasonable anti-money laundering procedures, have reported suspicious and/or fraudulent activity and have completed thorough reviews of all new opening account applications. The Trust will not transact business with any person or entity whose identity cannot be adequately verified under the provisions of the USA PATRIOT Act.


As a result of the Program, the Trust may be required to “freeze” the account of a shareholder if the shareholder appears to be involved in suspicious activity or if certain account information matches information on government lists of known terrorists or other suspicious persons, or the Trust may be required to transfer the account or proceeds of the account to a governmental agency.


PURCHASE, REDEMPTION AND PRICING OF SHARES



Calculation of Share Price


As indicated in the Prospectus under the heading “Net Asset Value,” the  net asset value (“NAV”) of each Fund’s shares is determined by dividing the total value of the Fund’s portfolio investments and other assets, less any liabilities, by the total number of shares outstanding of the Fund.  


For purposes of calculating the NAV, portfolio securities and other assets for which market quotes are available are stated at market value. Market value is generally determined on the basis of last reported sales prices, or if no sales are reported, based on quotes obtained from a quotation reporting system, established market makers, or pricing services. Securities primarily traded in the NASDAQ National Market System for which market quotations are readily available shall be valued using the NASDAQ Official Closing Price (“NOCP”). If the NOCP is not available, such securities shall be valued at the last sale price on the day of


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valuation, or if there has been no sale on such day, at the last bid price. Certain securities or investments for which daily market quotes are not readily available may be valued, pursuant to guidelines established by the Board, with reference to other securities or indices. Short-term investments having a maturity of 60 days or less are generally valued at amortized cost. Exchange traded options; futures and options on futures are valued at the settlement price determined by the exchange. Other securities for which market quotes are not readily available are valued at fair value as determined in good faith by the Board or persons acting at their direction.

Investments initially valued in currencies other than the U.S. dollar are converted to U.S. dollars using exchange rates obtained from pricing services. As a result, the NAV of the Fund’s shares may be affected by changes in the value of currencies in relation to the U.S. dollar. The value of securities traded in markets outside the United States or denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar may be affected significantly on a day that the New York Stock Exchange is closed and an investor is not able to purchase, redeem or exchange shares.

Fund shares are valued at the close of regular trading on the New York Stock Exchange (normally 4:00 p.m., Eastern time) (the “NYSE Close”) on each day that the New York Stock Exchange is open. For purposes of calculating the NAV, the Funds normally use pricing data for domestic equity securities received shortly after the NYSE Close and does not normally take into account trading, clearances or settlements that take place after the NYSE Close. Domestic fixed income and foreign securities are normally priced using data reflecting the earlier closing of the principal markets for those securities. Information that becomes known to a Fund or its agents after the NAV has been calculated on a particular day will not generally be used to retroactively adjust the price of the security or the NAV determined earlier that day.

In unusual circumstances, instead of valuing securities in the usual manner, the Funds may value securities at fair value or estimate their value as determined in good faith by the Board or its designees, pursuant to procedures approved by the Board. Fair valuation may also be used by the Board if extraordinary events occur after the close of the relevant market but prior to the NYSE Close.

A Fund may hold securities, such as private placements, interests in commodity pools, other non-traded securities or temporarily illiquid securities, for which market quotations are not readily available or are determined to be unreliable.  These securities will be valued at their fair market value as determined using the “fair value” procedures approved by the Board.  The Board has delegated execution of these procedures to a fair value team composed of one of more representatives from each of the (i) Trust, (ii) administrator, and (iii) adviser and/or sub-adviser.  The team may also enlist third party consultants such as an audit firm or financial officer of a security issuer on an as-needed basis to assist in determining a security-specific fair value.  The Board reviews and ratifies the execution of this process and the resultant fair value prices at least quarterly to assure the process produces reliable results.

Fair Value Team and Valuation Process.  This team is composed of one of more representatives from each of the (i) Trust, (ii) administrator, and (iii) adviser and/or sub-adviser.  The applicable investments are valued collectively via inputs from each of these groups.  For example, fair value determinations are required for the following securities:  (i) securities for which market quotations are insufficient or not readily available on a particular business day (including securities for which there is a short and temporary lapse in the provision of a price by the regular pricing source), (ii) securities for which, in the judgment of the adviser or sub-adviser, the prices or values available do not represent the fair value of the instrument.  Factors which may cause the adviser or sub-adviser to make such a judgment include, but are not limited to, the following: only a bid price or an asked price is available; the spread between bid and asked prices is substantial; the frequency of sales; the thinness of the market; the size of reported trades; and actions of the securities markets, such as the suspension or limitation of trading; (iii) securities determined to be illiquid; (iv) securities with respect to which an event that will affect the value thereof has occurred (a “significant event”) since the closing prices were established on the principal exchange on which they are traded, but prior to a Fund’s calculation of its net asset value.  Specifically, interests in commodity pools or managed futures pools are valued on a daily basis by reference to


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the closing market prices of each futures contract or other asset held by a pool, as adjusted for pool expenses.  Restricted or illiquid securities, such as private placements or non-traded securities are valued via inputs from the adviser or sub-adviser valuation based upon the current bid for the security from two or more independent dealers or other parties reasonably familiar with the facts and circumstances of the security (who should take into consideration all relevant factors as may be appropriate under the circumstances).  If the adviser or sub-adviser is unable to obtain a current bid from such independent dealers or other independent parties, the fair value team shall determine the fair value of such security using the following factors: (i) the type of security; (ii) the cost at date of purchase; (iii) the size and nature of the Fund's holdings; (iv) the discount from market value of unrestricted securities of the same class at the time of purchase and subsequent thereto; (v) information as to any transactions or offers with respect to the security; (vi) the nature and duration of restrictions on disposition of the security and the existence of any registration rights; (vii) how the yield of the security compares to similar securities of companies of similar or equal creditworthiness; (viii) the level of recent trades of similar or comparable securities; (ix) the liquidity characteristics of the security; (x) current market conditions; and (xi) the market value of any securities into which the security is convertible or exchangeable.

Standards For Fair Value Determinations.  As a general principle, the fair value of a security is the amount that a Fund might reasonably expect to realize upon its current sale. The Trust has adopted Financial Accounting Standards Board Statement of Financial Accounting Standards Codification Topic 820, Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures ("ASC 820"). In accordance with ASC 820, fair value is defined as the price that the Fund would receive upon selling an investment in a timely transaction to an independent buyer in the principal or most advantageous market of the investment.  ASC 820 establishes a three-tier hierarchy to maximize the use of observable market data and minimize the use of unobservable inputs and to establish classification of fair value measurements for disclosure purposes.  Inputs refer broadly to the assumptions that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability, including assumptions about risk, for example, the risk inherent in a particular valuation technique used to measure fair value including such a pricing model and/or the risk inherent in the inputs to the valuation technique. Inputs may be observable or unobservable. Observable inputs are inputs that reflect the assumptions market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability developed based on market data obtained from sources independent of the reporting entity. Unobservable inputs are inputs that reflect the reporting entity's own assumptions about the assumptions market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability, developed based on the best information available under the circumstances.

Various inputs are used in determining the value of each Fund's investments relating to ASC 820.  These inputs are summarized in the three broad levels listed below.

Level 1 – quoted prices in active markets for identical securities.

Level 2 – other significant observable inputs (including quoted prices for similar securities, interest rates, prepayment speeds, credit risk, etc.)

Level 3 – significant unobservable inputs (including a Fund’s own assumptions in determining the fair value of investments).

The fair value team takes into account the relevant factors and surrounding circumstances, which may include: (i) the nature and pricing history (if any) of the security; (ii) whether any dealer quotations for the security are available; (iii) possible valuation methodologies that could be used to determine the fair value of the security; (iv) the recommendation of a portfolio manager of the Fund with respect to the valuation of the security; (v) whether the same or similar securities are held by other Funds managed by the adviser (or sub-adviser) or other Funds and the method used to price the security in those Funds; (vi) the extent to which the fair value to be determined for the security will result from the use of data or formulae produced by independent third parties and (vii) the liquidity or illiquidity of the market for the security.


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Board of Trustees Determination.  The Board of Trustees meets at least quarterly to consider the valuations provided by fair value team and ratify valuations for the applicable securities. The Board of Trustees considers the reports provided by the fair value team, including follow up studies of subsequent market-provided prices when available, in reviewing and determining in good faith the fair value of the applicable portfolio securities.


The Trust expects that the New York Stock Exchange will be closed on the following holidays: New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Presidents’ Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day.


Purchase of Shares


Orders for shares received by the Funds in good order prior to the close of business on the NYSE on each day during such periods that the NYSE is open for trading are priced at NAV per share or offering price (NAV plus a sales charge, if applicable) computed as of the close of the regular session of trading on the NYSE. Orders received in good order after the close of the NYSE, or on a day it is not open for trading, are priced at the close of such NYSE on the next day on which it is open for trading at the next determined NAV or offering price per share.


Redemption of Shares


The Funds will redeem all or any portion of a shareholder’s shares in a Fund when requested in accordance with the procedures set forth in the “Redemptions” section of the Prospectus. Under the 1940 Act, a shareholder’s right to redeem shares and to receive payment therefore may be suspended at times:


(a)

when the NYSE is closed, other than customary weekend and holiday closings;

(b) when trading on that exchange is restricted for any reason;

(c) when an emergency exists as a result of which disposal by a Fund of securities owned by it is not reasonably practicable or it is not reasonably practicable for the Funds fairly to determine the value of its net assets, provided that applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (or any succeeding governmental authority) will govern as to whether the conditions prescribed in (b) or (c) exist; or

(d) when the Securities and Exchange Commission by order permits a suspension of the right to redemption or a postponement of the date of payment on redemption.

 

In case of suspension of the right of redemption, payment of a redemption request will be made based on the NAV next determined after the termination of the suspension.


Each Fund may purchase shares of Underlying Funds which charge a redemption fee to shareholders (such as the Fund) that redeem shares of the Underlying Funds within a certain period of time (such as one year). The fee is payable to the Underlying Fund. Accordingly, if the Funds were to invest in an Underlying Fund and incur a redemption fee as a result of redeeming shares in such Underlying Fund, the Funds would bear such redemption fee. The Funds will not, however, invest in shares of an Underlying Fund that is sold with a contingent deferred sales load.



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Supporting documents in addition to those listed under “Redemptions” in the Prospectus will be required from executors, administrators, Trustees, or if redemption is requested by someone other than the shareholder of record. Such documents include, but are not restricted to, stock powers, Trust instruments, certificates of death, appointments as executor, certificates of corporate authority and waiver of tax required in some states when settling estates.

TAX STATUS


The following discussion is general in nature and should not be regarded as an exhaustive presentation of all possible tax ramifications. All shareholders should consult a qualified tax advisor regarding their investment in the Funds.

Each Fund intends to qualify and elect to be treated as a regulated investment company under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), which requires compliance with certain requirements concerning the sources of its income, diversification of its assets, and the amount and timing of its distributions to shareholders. Such qualification does not involve supervision of management or investment practices or policies by any government agency or bureau. By so qualifying, a Fund should not be subject to federal income or excise tax on its net investment income or net capital gain, which are distributed to shareholders in accordance with the applicable timing requirements. Net investment income and net capital gain of the Funds will be computed in accordance with Section 852 of the Code.  

Net investment income is made up of dividends and interest less expenses. Net capital gain for a fiscal year is computed by taking into account any capital loss carryforward of a Fund. Capital losses incurred in tax years beginning after December 22, 2010 may now be carried forward indefinitely and retain the character of the original loss.  Under previously enacted laws, capital losses could be carried forward to offset any capital gains for only eight years, and carried forward as short-term capital losses, irrespective of the character of the original loss.  Capital loss carryforwards are available to offset future realized capital gains. To the extent that these carryforwards are used to offset future capital gains it is probable that the amount offset will not be distributed to shareholders.

Each Fund intends to distribute all of its net investment income, any excess of net short-term capital gains over net long-term capital losses, and any excess of net long-term capital gains over net short-term capital losses in accordance with the timing requirements imposed by the Code and therefore should not be required to pay any federal income or excise taxes. Distributions of net investment income and net capital gain, if any, will be made annually no later than December 31 of each year. Both types of distributions will be in shares of each Fund unless a shareholder elects to receive cash.

To be treated as a regulated investment company under Subchapter M of the Code, each Fund must also (a) derive at least 90% of its gross income from dividends, interest, payments with respect to securities loans, net income from certain publicly traded partnerships and gains from the sale or other disposition of securities or foreign currencies, or other income (including, but not limited to, gains from options, futures or forward contracts) derived with respect to the business of investing in such securities or currencies, and (b) diversify its holding so that, at the end of each fiscal quarter, (i) at least 50% of the market value of the Fund’s assets is represented by cash, U.S. government securities and securities of other regulated investment companies, and other securities (for purposes of this calculation, generally limited in respect of any one issuer, to an amount not greater than 5% of the market value of the Fund’s assets and 10% of the outstanding voting securities of such issuer) and (ii) not more than 25% of the value of its assets is invested in the securities of (other than U.S. government securities or the securities of other regulated investment companies) any one issuer, two or more issuers which a Fund controls and which are determined to be engaged in the same or similar trades or businesses, or the securities of certain publicly traded partnerships.



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If a Fund fails to qualify as a regulated investment company under Subchapter M in any fiscal year, it will be treated as a corporation for federal income tax purposes. As such the Fund would be required to pay income taxes on its net investment income and net realized capital gains, if any, at the rates generally applicable to corporations. Shareholders of the Funds generally would not be liable for income tax on the Fund’s net investment income or net realized capital gains in their individual capacities. Distributions to shareholders, whether from the Fund’s net investment income or net realized capital gains, would be treated as taxable dividends to the extent of current or accumulated earnings and profits of the Funds.


Each Fund is subject to a 4% nondeductible excise tax on certain undistributed amounts of ordinary income and capital gain under a prescribed formula contained in Section 4982 of the Code. The formula requires payment to shareholders during a calendar year of distributions representing at least 98% of the Fund’s ordinary income for the calendar year and at least 98.2% of its capital gain net income (i.e., the excess of its capital gains over capital losses) realized during the one-year period ending October 31 during such year plus 100% of any income that was neither distributed nor taxed to a Fund during the preceding calendar year. Under ordinary circumstances, a Fund expects to time its distributions so as to avoid liability for this tax.


The following discussion of tax consequences is for the general information of shareholders that are subject to tax.  Shareholders that are IRAs or other qualified retirement plans are exempt from income taxation under the Code.


Distributions of taxable net investment income and the excess of net short-term capital gain over net long-term capital loss are taxable to shareholders as ordinary income.  In most cases the Funds will hold shares in Underlying Funds for less than 12 months, such that its sales of such shares from time to time will not qualify as long-term capital gains for those investors who hold shares of the Funds in taxable accounts.


Distributions of net capital gain (“capital gain dividends”) generally are taxable to shareholders as short-term capital gain; regardless of the length of time the shares of the Trust have been held by such shareholders.


For taxable years beginning after December 31, 2012, certain U.S. shareholders, including individuals and estates and trusts, will be subject to an additional 3.8% Medicare tax on all or a portion of their “net investment income,” which should include dividends from the Fund and net gains from the disposition of shares of the Fund.  U.S. Shareholders are urged to consult their own tax advisers regarding the implications of the additional Medicare tax resulting from an investment in the Fund.


Redemption of Fund shares by a shareholder will result in the recognition of taxable gain or loss in an amount equal to the difference between the amount realized and the shareholder’s tax basis in his or her Fund shares. Such gain or loss is treated as a capital gain or loss if the shares are held as capital assets. However, any loss realized upon the redemption of shares within six months from the date of their purchase will be treated as a long-term capital loss to the extent of any amounts treated as capital gain dividends during such six-month period. All or a portion of any loss realized upon the redemption of shares may be disallowed to the extent shares are purchased (including shares acquired by means of reinvested dividends) within 30 days before or after such redemption.  


Distributions of taxable net investment income and net capital gain will be taxable as described above, whether received in additional cash or shares. Shareholders electing to reinvest distributions in the form of additional shares will have a cost basis for federal income tax purposes in each share so received equal to the net asset value of a share on the reinvestment date.



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All distributions of taxable net investment income and net capital gain, whether received in shares or in cash, must be reported by each taxable shareholder on his or her federal income tax return. Dividends or distributions declared in October, November or December as of a record date in such a month, if any, will be deemed to have been received by shareholders on December 31, if paid during January of the following year. Redemptions of shares may result in tax consequences (gain or loss) to the shareholder and are also subject to these reporting requirements.


Under the Code, the Funds will be required to report to the Internal Revenue Service all distributions of taxable income and capital gains as well as gross proceeds from the redemption or exchange of Fund shares, except in the case of certain exempt shareholders. Under the backup withholding provisions of Section 3406 of the Code, distributions of taxable net investment income and net capital gain and proceeds from the redemption or exchange of the shares of a regulated investment company may be subject to withholding of federal income tax in the case of non-exempt shareholders who fail to furnish the investment company with their taxpayer identification numbers and with required certifications regarding their status under the federal income tax law, or if a Fund is notified by the IRS or a broker that withholding is required due to an incorrect TIN or a previous failure to report taxable interest or dividends. If the withholding provisions are applicable, any such distributions and proceeds, whether taken in cash or reinvested in additional shares, will be reduced by the amounts required to be withheld.


Options, Futures, Forward Contracts and Swap Agreements


To the extent such investments are permissible for a Fund, the Fund’s transactions in options, futures contracts, hedging transactions, forward contracts, straddles and foreign currencies will be subject to special tax rules (including mark-to-market, constructive sale, straddle, wash sale and short sale rules), the effect of which may be to accelerate income to the Fund, defer losses to the  Fund, cause adjustments in the holding periods of the Fund’s securities, convert long-term capital gains into short-term capital gains and convert short-term capital losses into long-term capital losses. These rules could therefore affect the amount, timing and character of distributions to shareholders.


To the extent such investments are permissible, certain of the Fund’s hedging activities (including its transactions, if any, in foreign currencies or foreign currency-denominated instruments) are likely to produce a difference between its book income and its taxable income. If a Fund’s book income exceeds its taxable income, the distribution (if any) of such excess book income will be treated as (i) a dividend to the extent of the Fund’s remaining earnings and profits (including earnings and profits arising from tax-exempt income), (ii) thereafter, as a return of capital to the extent of the recipient’s basis in the shares, and (iii) thereafter, as gain from the sale or exchange of a capital asset. If the Fund’s book income is less than taxable income, the Fund could be required to make distributions exceeding book income to qualify as a regulated investment company that is accorded special tax treatment.


Passive Foreign Investment Companies


Investment by a Fund in certain “passive foreign investment companies” (“PFICs”) could subject the Fund to a U.S. federal income tax (including interest charges) on distributions received from the company or on proceeds received from the disposition of shares in the company, which tax cannot be eliminated by making distributions to Fund shareholders. However, a Fund may elect to treat a PFIC as a “qualified electing fund” (“QEF election”), in which case the Fund will be required to include its share of the company’s income and net capital gains annually, regardless of whether it receives any distribution from the company.



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Each Fund also may make an election to mark the gains (and to a limited extent losses) in such holdings “to the market” as though it had sold and repurchased its holdings in those PFICs on the last day of the Fund’s taxable year. Such gains and losses are treated as ordinary income and loss. The QEF and mark-to-market elections may accelerate the recognition of income (without the receipt of cash) and increase the amount required to be distributed for the Fund to avoid taxation. Making either of these elections therefore may require the Fund to liquidate other investments (including when it is not advantageous to do so) to meet its distribution requirement, which also may accelerate the recognition of gain and affect the Fund’s total return.

Foreign Currency Transactions

A Fund’s transactions in foreign currencies, foreign currency-denominated debt securities and certain foreign currency options, futures contracts and forward contracts (and similar instruments) may give rise to ordinary income or loss to the extent such income or loss results from fluctuations in the value of the foreign currency concerned.

Foreign Taxation

Income received by a Fund from sources within foreign countries may be subject to withholding and other taxes imposed by such countries. Tax treaties and conventions between certain countries and the U.S. may reduce or eliminate such taxes. If more than 50% of the value of a Fund’s total assets at the close of its taxable year consists of securities of foreign corporations, the Fund may be able to elect to “pass through” to its shareholders the amount of eligible foreign income and similar taxes paid by the Fund. If this election is made, a shareholder generally subject to tax will be required to include in gross income (in addition to taxable dividends actually received) his or her pro rata share of the foreign taxes paid by the Fund, and may be entitled either to deduct (as an itemized deduction) his or her pro rata share of foreign taxes in computing his or her taxable income or to use it as a foreign tax credit against his or her U.S. federal income tax liability, subject to certain limitations. In particular, a shareholder must hold his or her shares (without protection from risk of loss) on the ex-dividend date and for at least 15 more days during the 30-day period surrounding the ex-dividend date to be eligible to claim a foreign tax credit with respect to a gain dividend. No deduction for foreign taxes may be claimed by a shareholder who does not itemize deductions. Each shareholder will be notified within 60 days after the close of a Fund’s taxable year whether the foreign taxes paid by the Fund will “pass through” for that year.

Generally, a credit for foreign taxes is subject to the limitation that it may not exceed the shareholder’s U.S. tax attributable to his or her total foreign source taxable income. For this purpose, if the pass-through election is made, the source of the Fund’s income will flow through to shareholders of the Fund. With respect to the Fund, gains from the sale of securities will be treated as derived from U.S. sources and certain currency fluctuation gains, including fluctuation gains from foreign currency-denominated debt securities, receivables and payables will be treated as ordinary income derived from U.S. sources. The limitation on the foreign tax credit is applied separately to foreign source passive income, and to certain other types of income. A shareholder may be unable to claim a credit for the full amount of his or her proportionate share of the foreign taxes paid by the Fund. The foreign tax credit can be used to offset only 90% of the revised alternative minimum tax imposed on corporations and individuals and foreign taxes generally are not deductible in computing alternative minimum taxable income.

Original Issue Discount and Pay-In-Kind Securities

Current federal tax law requires the holder of a U.S. Treasury or other fixed income zero coupon security to accrue as income each year a portion of the discount at which the security was purchased, even though the holder receives no interest payment in cash on the security during the year. In addition, pay-in-kind securities will give rise to income, which is required to be distributed and is taxable even though the Fund holding the security receives no interest payment in cash on the security during the year.




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Some of the debt securities (with a fixed maturity date of more than one year from the date of issuance) that may be acquired by a Fund may be treated as debt securities that are issued originally at a discount. Generally, the amount of the original issue discount (“OID”) is treated as interest income and is included in income over the term of the debt security, even though payment of that amount is not received until a later time, usually when the debt security matures. A portion of the OID includable in income with respect to certain high-yield corporate debt securities (including certain pay-in-kind securities) may be treated as a dividend for U.S. federal income tax purposes.


Some of the debt securities (with a fixed maturity date of more than one year from the date of issuance) that may be acquired by a Fund in the secondary market may be treated as having market discount. Generally, any gain recognized on the disposition of, and any partial payment of principal on, a debt security having market discount is treated as ordinary income to the extent the gain, or principal payment, does not exceed the “accrued market discount” on such debt security. Market discount generally accrues in equal daily installments. The Funds may make one or more of the elections applicable to debt securities having market discount, which could affect the character and timing of recognition of income.


Some debt securities (with a fixed maturity date of one year or less from the date of issuance) that may be acquired by a Fund may be treated as having acquisition discount, or OID in the case of certain types of debt securities. Generally, a Fund will be required to include the acquisition discount, or OID, in income over the term of the debt security, even though payment of that amount is not received until a later time, usually when the debt security matures. A Fund may make one or more of the elections applicable to debt securities having acquisition discount, or OID, which could affect the character and timing of recognition of income.


A Fund holds the foregoing kinds of securities, it may be required to pay out as an income distribution each year an amount that is greater than the total amount of cash interest the Fund actually received. Such distributions may be made from the cash assets of the Fund or by liquidation of portfolio securities, if necessary (including when it is not advantageous to do so).  A Fund may realize gains or losses from such liquidations. In the event the Fund realizes net capital gains from such transactions, its shareholders may receive a larger capital gain distribution, if any, than they would in the absence of such transactions.


Shareholders of the Funds may be subject to state and local taxes on distributions received from the Funds and on redemptions of the Funds’ shares.


A brief explanation of the form and character of the distribution accompany each distribution. In January of each year the Funds issues to each shareholder a statement of the federal income tax status of all distributions.


Shareholders should consult their tax advisors about the application of federal, state and local and foreign tax law in light of their particular situation.


INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM



McGladrey LLP, located at 555 Seventeenth Street, Suite 1000, Denver, Colorado  80202, serves as each Fund’s independent registered public accounting firm for the current fiscal year.  The firm provides services including (i) audit of annual financial statements, and (ii) assistance and consultation in connection with SEC filings.



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LEGAL COUNSEL



Thompson Hine LLP, 41 South Street, Suite 1700 Columbus, Ohio 43215 serves as the Trust’s legal counsel.


FINANCIAL STATEMENTS


The financial statements and report of the independent registered public accounting firm required to be included in this SAI are hereby incorporated by reference to the Annual Report of the Funds for the fiscal year ended April 30, 2013.   You can obtain a copy of the Annual Report without charge by calling the Funds at

1-877-558-6397.


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APPENDIX A

DESCRIPTION OF BOND RATINGS


Standard & Poor’s Ratings Group. A Standard & Poor’s corporate bond rating is a current assessment of the credit worthiness of an obligor with respect to a specific obligation. This assessment of credit worthiness may take into consideration obligors, such as guarantors, insurers or lessees. The debt rating is not a recommendation to purchase, sell or hold a security, inasmuch as it does not comment as to market price or suitability for a particular investor.  


The ratings are based on current information furnished to Standard & Poor’s by the issuer or obtained by Standard & Poor’s from other sources it considers reliable. Standard & Poor’s does not perform any audit in connection with the ratings and may, on occasion, rely on unaudited financial information. The ratings may be changed, suspended or withdrawn as a result of changes in, unavailability of such information, or for other circumstances.


The ratings are based, in varying degrees, on the following considerations:


1.   Likelihood of default-capacity and willingness of the obligor as to the timely payment of interest and repayment of principal in accordance with the terms of the obligation.


2.   Nature of and provisions of the obligation.


3.  Protection afforded by, and relative position of, the obligation in the event of bankruptcy, reorganization or their arrangement under the laws of bankruptcy and other laws affecting creditors’ rights.


AAA - This is the highest rating assigned by Standard & Poor’s to a debt obligation and indicates an extremely strong capacity to pay interest and repay any principal.


AA - Debt rated AA also qualifies as high quality debt obligations. Capacity to pay interest and repay principal is very strong and in the majority of instances they differ from AAA issues only in small degree.


A - Debt rated A has a strong capacity to pay interest and repay principal although it is somewhat more susceptible to the adverse effects of changes in circumstances and economic conditions than debt in higher rated categories.


BBB - Debt rated BBB is regarded as having an adequate capacity to pay interest and repay principal. Whereas they normally exhibit protection parameters, adverse economic conditions or changing circumstances are more likely to lead to a weakened capacity to pay interest and repay principal for debt in this category than in higher rated categories.


BB, B, CCC, CC, C - Debt rated BB, B, CCC, CC and C is regarded, on a balance, as predominantly speculative with respect to capacity to pay interest and repay principal in accordance with the terms of the obligation.


BB indicates the lowest degree of speculation and C the highest degree of speculation. While such debt will likely have some quality and protective characteristics, these are outweighed by large uncertainties or major risk exposures to adverse conditions.




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BB - Debt rated BB has less near-term vulnerability to default than other speculative issues. However, it faces major ongoing uncertainties or exposure to adverse business, financial, or economic conditions, which could lead to inadequate capacity to meet timely interest and principal payments. The BB rating category is also used for debt subordinated to senior debt that is assigned an actual or implied BBB rating.


B - Debt rated B has greater vulnerability to default but currently has the capacity to meet interest payments and principal repayments. Adverse business, financial, or economic conditions will likely impair capacity or willingness to pay interest and repay principal. The B rating category is also used for debt subordinated to senior debt that is assigned an actual or implied BB or BB- rating.


CCC - Debt rated CCC has a currently indefinable vulnerability to default, and is dependent upon favorable business, financial and economic conditions to meet timely payment of interest and repayment of principal. In the event of adverse business, financial or economic conditions, it is not likely to have the capacity to pay interest and repay principal. The CCC rating category is also used for debt subordinated to senior debt that is assigned an actual or implied B or B- rating.


CC - The rating CC is typically applied to debt subordinated to senior debt that is assigned an actual or implied CCC rating.


C - The rating C is typically applied to debt subordinated to senior debt, which is assigned an actual or implied CCC- debt rating. The C rating may be used to cover a situation where a bankruptcy petition has been filed, but debt service payments are continued.

 

C1 - The rating C1 is reserved for income bonds on which no interest is being paid.

 

D - Debt rated D is in payment default. It is used when interest payments or principal payments are not made on a due date even if the applicable grace period has not expired, unless Standard & Poor’s believes that such payments will be made during such grace periods; it will also be used upon a filing of a bankruptcy petition if debt service payments are jeopardized. Plus (+) or Minus (-) - To provide more detailed indications of credit quality, the ratings from AA to CCC may be modified by the addition of a plus or minus sign to show relative standing within the major rating categories.


NR - indicates that no public rating has been requested, that there is insufficient information on which to base a rating, or that Standard & Poor’s does not rate a particular type of obligation as a matter of policy. Debt obligations of issuers outside the United States and its territories are rated on the same basis as domestic corporate issues. The ratings measure the credit worthiness of the obligor but do not take into account currency exchange and related uncertainties.

 

Bond Investment Quality Standards: Under present commercial bank regulations issued by the Comptroller of the Currency, bonds rated in the top four categories (AAA, AA, A, BBB, commonly known as “Investment Grade” ratings) are generally regarded as eligible for bank investment. In addition, the Legal Investment Laws of various states may impose certain rating or other standards for obligations eligible for investment by savings banks, trust companies, insurance companies and fiduciaries generally.

 

Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. A brief description of the applicable Moody’s rating symbols and their meanings follows:

 

Aaa - Bonds which are rated Aaa are judged to be of the best quality. They carry the smallest degree of investment risk and are generally referred to as “gilt edge”. Interest payments are protected by a large or by an exceptionally stable margin and principal is secure. While the various protective elements are likely to change such changes as can be visualized are most unlikely to impair the fundamentally strong position of such issues.

 

Aa - Bonds which are rated Aa are judged to be of high quality by all standards. Together with the Aaa group they comprise what are generally known as high grade bonds. They are rated lower than the best bonds because margins of protection may not be as large as in Aaa securities or fluctuations of protective elements may be of greater amplitude or there may be other elements present which make the long-term risks appear somewhat larger than in Aaa securities.

 

A - Bonds which are rated A possess many favorable investment attributes and are to be considered as upper medium grade obligations. Factors giving security to principal and interest are considered adequate, but elements may be present which suggest a susceptibility to impairment sometime in the future.

 

Baa - Bonds which are rated Baa are considered as medium grade obligations, i.e., they are neither highly protected nor poorly secured. Interest payments and principal security appear adequate for the present but certain protective elements may be lacking or may be characteristically unreliable over any great length of time. Some bonds lack outstanding investment characteristics and in fact have speculative characteristics as well.

 

NOTE: Bonds within the above categories which possess the strongest investment attributes are designated by the symbol “1” following the rating.



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Ba - Bonds which are rated Ba are judged to have speculative elements; their future cannot be considered as well assured. Often the protection of interest and principal payments may be very moderate and thereby not well safeguarded during good and bad times over the future. Uncertainty of position characterizes bonds in this class.

 

B - Bonds which are rated B generally lack characteristics of the desirable investment. Assurance of interest and principal payments or of maintenance of other terms of the contract over any long period of time may be small.

 

Caa - Bonds which are rated Caa are of poor standing. Such issues may be in default or there may be present elements of danger with respect to principal or interest.

 

Ca - Bonds which are rated Ca represent obligations which are speculative in a high degree. Such issues are often in default or have other marked shortcomings.

C - Bonds which are rated C are the lowest rated class of bonds and issue so rated can be regarded as having extremely poor prospects of ever attaining any real investment standing.

 

Duff & Phelps, Inc.: AAA-- highest credit quality, with negligible risk factors; AA -- high credit quality, with strong protection factors and modest risk, which may vary very slightly from time to time because of economic conditions; A-- average credit quality with adequate protection factors, but with greater and more variable risk factors in periods of economic stress. The indicators “+” and “-” to the AA and A categories indicate the relative position of a credit within those rating categories.

 

Fitch Investors Service LLP.: AAA -- highest credit quality, with an exceptionally strong ability to pay interest and repay principal; AA -- very high credit quality, with very strong ability to pay interest and repay principal; A -- high credit quality, considered strong as regards principal and interest protection, but may be more vulnerable to adverse changes in economic conditions and circumstances. The indicators “+” and “-” to the AA, A and BBB categories indicate the relative position of credit within those rating categories.

 

DESCRIPTION OF NOTE RATINGS


A Standard & Poor’s note rating reflects the liquidity concerns and market access risks unique to notes. Notes due in three years or less will likely receive a note rating. Notes maturing beyond three years will most likely receive a long-term debt rating. The following criteria will be used in making that assessment.

 

Amortization schedule (the larger the final maturity relative to other maturities the more likely it will be treated as a note).

 

Source of Payment (the more dependent the issue is on the market for its refinancing, the more likely it will be treated as a note.) Note rating symbols are as follows:

·

SP-1 Very strong or strong capacity to pay principal and interest. Those issues determined to possess overwhelming safety characteristics will be given a plus (+) designation.

·

SP-2 Satisfactory capacity to pay principal and interest.

·

SP-3 Speculative capacity to pay principal and interest.

Moody’s Short-Term Loan Ratings - Moody’s ratings for state and municipal short-term obligations will be designated Moody’s Investment Grade (MIG). This distinction is in recognition of the differences between short-term credit risk and long-term risk. Factors affecting the liquidity of the borrower are uppermost in importance in short-term borrowing, while various factors of major importance in bond risk are of lesser importance over the short run.


Rating symbols and their meanings follow:

·

MIG 1 - This designation denotes best quality. There is present strong protection by established cash flows, superior liquidity support or demonstrated broad-based access to the market for refinancing.

·

MIG 2 - This designation denotes high quality. Margins of protection are ample although not so large as in the preceding group.



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·

MIG 3 - This designation denotes favorable quality. All security elements are accounted for but this is lacking the undeniable strength of the preceding grades. Liquidity and cash flow protection may be narrow and market access for refinancing is likely to be less well established.

·

MIG 4 - This designation denotes adequate quality. Protection commonly regarded as required of an investment security is present and although not distinctly or predominantly speculative, there is specific risk.


COMMERCIAL PAPER RATINGS


Moody’s Investors Service, Inc.: Commercial paper rated “Prime” carries the smallest degree of investment risk. The modifiers 1, 2, and 3 are used to denote relative strength within this highest classification.


Standard & Poor’s Ratings Group: “A” is the highest commercial paper rating category utilized by Standard & Poor’s Ratings Group which uses the numbers 1+, 1, 2 and 3 to denote relative strength within its “A” classification.


Duff & Phelps Inc.: Duff 1 is the highest commercial paper rating category utilized by Duff & Phelps which uses + or - to denote relative strength within this classification. Duff 2 represents good certainty of timely payment, with minimal risk factors. Duff 3 represents satisfactory protection factors, with risk factors larger and subject to more variation.


Fitch Investors Service LLP.: F-1+ -- denotes exceptionally strong credit quality given to issues regarded as having strongest degree of assurance for timely payment; F-1 -- very strong, with only slightly less degree of assurance for timely payment than F-1+; F-2 -- good credit quality, carrying a satisfactory degree of assurance for timely payment.


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APPENDIX B

PROXY VOTING POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

OF THE ADVISER Toews Corporation

Proxy Voting


Policy

Toews Corporation, as a matter of policy and practice, has no authority to vote proxies on behalf of advisory clients. The firm may offer assistance as to proxy matters upon a client's request, but the client always retains the proxy voting responsibility. Toews Corporation's policy of having no proxy voting responsibility is disclosed to clients.


Background

Proxy voting is an important right of shareholders and reasonable care and diligence must be undertaken to ensure that such rights are properly and timely exercised.


Investment advisers registered with the SEC, and which exercise voting authority with respect to client securities, are required by Rule 206(4)-6 of the Advisers Act to (a) adopt and implement written policies and procedures that are reasonably designed to ensure that client securities are voted in the best interests of clients, which must include how an adviser addresses material conflicts that may arise between an adviser's interests and those of its clients; (b) to disclose to clients how they may obtain information from the adviser with respect to the voting of proxies for their securities; (c) to describe to clients a summary of its proxy voting policies and procedures and, upon request, furnish a copy to its clients; and (d) maintain certain records relating to the adviser's proxy voting activities when the adviser does have proxy voting authority.


Responsibility

Randall Schroeder has the responsibility for the implementation and monitoring of our proxy policy and to ensure that the firm does not accept or exercise any proxy voting authority on behalf of clients without an appropriate review and change of the firm's policy with appropriate regulatory requirements being met and records maintained.


Procedure

Toews Corporation has adopted various procedures to implement the firm's policy and reviews to monitor and insure the firm's policy is observed, implemented properly and amended or updated, as appropriate, which include the following:

·

Toews Corporation discloses its proxy voting policy of not having proxy voting authority in the firm's Disclosure Document or other client information.

·

Toews Corporation's advisory agreements provide that the firm has no proxy voting responsibilities and that the advisory clients expressly retain such voting authority.

·

Toews Corporation's new client information materials may also indicate that advisory clients retain proxy voting authority.

·

Randall Schroeder reviews the nature and extent of advisory services provided by the firm and monitors such services to periodically determine and confirm that client proxies are not being voted by the firm or anyone within the firm.




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