Duties of the Sub-Adviser Subject to supervision by the Adviser and the Trust’s Board of Trustees, the Sub-Adviser shall manage all of the securities and other assets of each Fund entrusted to it hereunder (the “Assets”), including the purchase, retention and disposition of the Assets, in accordance with the Fund’s investment objectives, policies and restrictions as stated in each Fund’s prospectus and statement of additional information, as currently in effect and as amended or supplemented from time to time (referred to collectively as the “Prospectus”), and subject to the following:
(a) The Sub-Adviser shall, in consultation with and subject to the direction of the Adviser, determine from time to time what Assets will be purchased, retained or sold by a Fund, and what portion of the Assets will be invested or held uninvested in cash.
(b) In the performance of its duties and obligations under this Agreement, the Sub-Adviser shall act in conformity with the Trust’s Declaration of Trust (as defined herein), Prospectus, Compliance Policies and Procedures and with the instructions and directions of the Adviser and of the Board of Trustees of the Trust and will conform to and comply with the requirements of the 1940 Act, the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (the “Code”), and all other applicable federal and state laws and regulations, as each is amended from time to time.
(c) The Sub-Adviser shall determine the Assets to be purchased or sold by a Fund as provided in subparagraph (a) and will place orders with or through such persons, brokers or dealers to carry out the policy with respect to brokerage set forth in a Fund’s Prospectus or as the Board of Trustees or the Adviser may direct from time to time, in conformity with all federal securities laws. In executing Fund transactions and selecting brokers or dealers, the Sub-Adviser will use its best efforts to seek on behalf of each Fund the best overall terms available. In assessing the best overall terms available for any transaction, the Sub-Adviser shall consider all factors that it deems relevant, including the breadth of the market in the security, the price of the security, the financial condition and execution capability of the broker or dealer, and the reasonableness of the commission, if any, both for the specific transaction and on a continuing basis. In evaluating the best overall terms available, and in selecting the broker-dealer to execute a particular transaction, the Sub-Adviser may also consider the brokerage and research services provided (as those terms are defined in Section 28(e) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Exchange Act”)). Consistent with any guidelines established by the Board of Trustees of the Trust and Section 28(e) of the Exchange Act, the Sub-Adviser is authorized to pay to a broker or dealer who provides such brokerage and research services a commission for executing a portfolio transaction for a Fund which is in excess of the amount of commission another broker or dealer would have charged for effecting that transaction if, but only if, the Sub-Adviser determines in good faith that such commission was reasonable in relation to the value of the brokerage and research services provided by such broker or dealer — viewed in terms of that particular transaction or in terms of the overall responsibilities of the Sub-Adviser to its discretionary clients, including a Fund. In addition, the Sub-Adviser is authorized to allocate purchase and sale orders for securities to brokers or dealers (including brokers and dealers that are affiliated with the Adviser, Sub-Adviser or the Trust’s principal underwriter) if the Sub-Adviser believes that the quality of the transaction and the commission are comparable to what they would be with other qualified firms. In no instance, however, will a Fund’s Assets be purchased from or sold to the Adviser, Sub-Adviser, the Trust’s principal underwriter, or any affiliated person of either the Trust, Adviser, the Sub-Adviser or the principal underwriter, acting as principal in the transaction, except to the extent permitted by the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) and the 1940 Act.
(d) The Sub-Adviser shall maintain all books and records with respect to transactions involving the Assets required by subparagraphs (b)(5), (6), (7), (9), (10) and (11) and paragraph (f) of Rule 31a-1 under the 1940 Act. The Sub-Adviser shall keep the books and records relating to the Assets required to be maintained by the Sub-Adviser under this Agreement and shall timely furnish to the Adviser all information relating to the Sub-Adviser’s services under this Agreement needed by the Adviser to keep the other books and records of a Fund required by Rule 31a-1 under the 1940 Act. The Sub-Adviser agrees that all records that it maintains on behalf of a Fund are property of the Fund and the Sub-Adviser will surrender promptly to a Fund any of such records upon the Fund’s request; provided, however, that the Sub-Adviser may retain a copy of such records. In addition, for the duration of this Agreement, the Sub-Adviser shall preserve for the periods prescribed by Rule 31a-2 under the 1940 Act any such records as are required to be maintained by it pursuant to this Agreement, and shall transfer said records to any successor sub-adviser upon the termination of this Agreement (or, if there is no successor sub-adviser, to the Adviser).
(e) The Sub-Adviser shall provide a Fund’s custodian on each business day with information relating to all transactions concerning a Fund’s Assets and shall provide the Adviser with such information upon request of the Adviser.
(f) To the extent called for by the Trust’s Compliance Policies and Procedures, or as reasonably requested by a Fund, the Sub-Adviser shall provide the Fund with information and advice regarding Assets to assist the Fund in determining the appropriate valuation of such Assets.
(g) The investment management services provided by the Sub-Adviser under this Agreement are not to be deemed exclusive and the Sub-Adviser shall be free to render similar services to others, as long as such services do not impair the services rendered to the Adviser or the Trust.
(h) The Sub-Adviser shall promptly notify the Adviser of any financial condition that is reasonably likely to impair the Sub-Adviser’s ability to fulfill its commitment under this Agreement.
(i) Except under the circumstances set forth in subsection (ii), the Sub-Adviser shall not be responsible for reviewing proxy solicitation materials or voting and handling proxies in relation to the securities held as Assets in a Fund. If the Sub-Adviser receives a misdirected proxy, it shall promptly forward such misdirected proxy to the Adviser.
(ii) The Sub-Adviser hereby agrees that upon 60 days’ written notice from the Adviser, the Sub-Adviser shall assume responsibility for reviewing proxy solicitation materials and voting proxies in relation to the securities held as Assets in a Fund. As of the time the Sub-Adviser shall assume such responsibilities with respect to proxies under this sub-section (ii), the Adviser shall instruct the custodian and other parties providing services to a Fund to promptly forward misdirected proxies to the Sub-Adviser.
(j) In performance of its duties and obligations under this Agreement, the Sub-Adviser shall not consult with any other sub-adviser to a Fund or a sub-adviser to a portfolio that is under common control with a Fund concerning the Assets, except as permitted by the policies and procedures of a Fund. The Sub-Adviser shall not provide investment advice to any assets of a Fund other than the Assets.
(k) On occasions when the Sub-Adviser deems the purchase or sale of a security to be in the best interest of a Fund as well as other clients of the Sub-Adviser, the Sub-Adviser may, to the extent permitted by applicable law and regulations, aggregate the order for securities to be sold or purchased. In such event, the Sub-Adviser will allocate securities so purchased or sold, as well as the expenses incurred in the transaction, in a manner the Sub-Adviser reasonably considers to be equitable and consistent with its fiduciary obligations to a Fund and to such other clients under the circumstances.
(l) The Sub-Adviser shall provide to the Adviser or the Board of Trustees such periodic and special reports, balance sheets or financial information, and such other information with regard to its affairs as the Adviser or Board of Trustees may reasonably request. The Sub-Adviser shall also furnish to the Adviser any other information relating to the Assets that is required to be filed by the Adviser or the Trust with the SEC or sent to shareholders under the 1940 Act (including the rules adopted thereunder) or any exemptive or other relief that the Adviser or the Trust obtains from the SEC.
(m) With respect to the Assets of a Fund, the Sub-Adviser shall file any required reports with the SEC pursuant to Section 13(f) and Section 13(g) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended and the rules and regulations thereunder. To the extent permitted by law, the services to be furnished by the Sub-Adviser under this Agreement may be furnished through the medium of any of the Sub-Adviser’s partners, officers, employees or control affiliates; provided, however, that the use of such mediums does not relieve the Sub-Adviser from any obligation or duty under this Agreement.
