Sub-Advisory Services (a) The Advisers hereby appoint the Sub-Adviser to act as an investment adviser to the Fund for the periods and on the terms herein set forth. The Sub-Adviser accepts such appointment and agrees to render the services herein set forth, for the compensation herein provided.
(b) The Sub-Adviser shall, subject to the supervision and oversight of the Advisers, manage the investment and reinvestment of such portion of the assets of the Fund, as the Advisers may from time to time allocate to the Sub-Adviser for management (the “Sub-Advised Assets”). The Sub-Adviser shall manage the Sub-Advised Assets in conformity with (i) the investment objective, policies and restrictions of the Fund set forth in the Trust’s prospectus and statement of additional information relating to the Fund, as they may be amended from time to time, any additional policies or guidelines, including without limitation compliance policies and procedures, established by the Advisers, the Trust’s Chief Compliance Officer, or by the Trust’s Board of Trustees (“Board”) that have been furnished in writing to the Sub-Adviser, (ii) the asset diversification tests applicable to regulated investment companies pursuant to section 851(b)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, (iii) the written instructions and directions received from the Advisers and the Trust as delivered; and (iv) the requirements of the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the “1940 Act”), the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 (“Advisers Act”), and all other federal and state laws applicable to registered investment companies and the Sub-Adviser’s duties under this Agreement, all as may be in effect from time to time. The foregoing are referred to below together as the “Policies.” For purposes of compliance with the Policies, the Sub-Adviser shall be entitled to treat the Sub-Advised Assets as though the Sub-Advised Assets constituted the entire Fund, and the Sub-Adviser shall not be responsible in any way for the compliance of any assets of the Fund, other than the Sub-Advised Assets, with the Policies. Subject to the foregoing, the Sub-Adviser is authorized, in its discretion and without prior consultation with the Advisers, to buy, sell, lend and otherwise trade in any stocks, bonds and other securities and investment instruments on behalf of the Fund, without regard to the length of time the securities have been held and the resulting rate of portfolio turnover or any tax considerations; and the majority or the whole of the Sub-Advised Assets may be invested in such proportions of stocks, bonds, other securities or investment instruments, or cash, as the Sub-Adviser shall determine. Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of this Section 1(b), however, (i) the Sub-Adviser shall, upon and in accordance with written instructions from either of the Advisers, effect such portfolio transactions for the Sub-Advised Assets as the Adviser shall determine are necessary in order for the Fund to comply with the Policies, and (ii) upon notice to the Sub-Adviser, the Advisers may effect in-kind redemptions with shareholders of the Fund with securities included within the Sub-Advised Assets.
(c) Absent instructions from the Advisers or the officers of the Trust to the contrary, the Sub-Adviser shall place orders pursuant to its determinations either directly with the issuer or with any broker and/or dealer or other person who deals in the securities in which the Fund is trading. With respect to common and preferred stocks, in executing portfolio transactions and selecting brokers or dealers, the Sub-Adviser shall use its best judgment to obtain the best overall terms available. In assessing the best overall terms available for any transaction, the Sub-Adviser shall consider all factors 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 or dealer to execute a particular transaction, the Sub-Adviser may also consider the brokerage and research services (as those terms are defined in Section 28(e) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934) provided to the Fund and/or other account over which the Sub-Adviser and/or an affiliate of the Sub-Adviser exercises investment discretion. With respect to securities other than common and preferred stocks, in placing orders with brokers, dealers or other persons, the Sub-Adviser shall attempt to obtain the best net price and execution of its orders, provided that to the extent the execution and price available from more than one broker, dealer or other such person are believed to be comparable, the Sub-Adviser may, at its discretion but subject to applicable law, select the executing broker, dealer or such other person on the basis of the Sub-Adviser’s opinion of the reliability and quality of such broker, dealer or such other person; broker or dealers selected by the Sub-Adviser for the purchase and sale of securities or other investment instruments for the Sub-Advised Assets may include brokers or dealers affiliated with the Sub-Adviser, provided such orders comply with Rules 17e-1 and 10f-3 under the 1940 Act and the Trust’s Rule 17e-1 and Rule 10f-3 Procedures, respectively, in all respects or any other applicable exemptive rules or orders applicable to the Sub-Adviser. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Sub-Adviser will not effect any transaction with a broker or dealer that is an “affiliated person” (as defined under the 0000 Xxx) of the Sub-Adviser or the Advisers without the prior approval of the Advisers. The Advisers shall provide the Sub-Adviser with a list of brokers or dealers that are affiliated persons of the Advisers.
(d) The Sub-Adviser acknowledges that the Advisers and the Trust may rely on Rules 17a-7, 17a-10, 10f-3 and 17e-1 under the 1940 Act, and the Sub-Adviser hereby agrees that it shall not consult with any other investment adviser to the Trust with respect to transactions in securities for the Sub-Advised Assets or any other transactions in the Trust’s assets, other than for the purposes of complying with the conditions of paragraphs (a) and (b) of Rule 12d3-1 under the 1940 Act.
(e) The Sub-Adviser has provided the Advisers with a true and complete copy of its compliance policies and procedures for compliance with “federal securities laws” (as such term is defined under Rule 38a-1 of the 0000 Xxx) and Rule 206(4)-7 of the Advisers Act (the “Sub-Adviser Compliance Policies”). The Sub-Adviser’s chief compliance officer (“Sub-Adviser CCO”) shall provide to the Trust’s Chief Compliance Officer (“ Trust CCO”) or his or her delegatee promptly (and in no event more than 10 business days) the following:
(i) a report of any material changes to the Sub-Adviser Compliance Policies;
(ii) a report of any “material compliance matters,” as defined by Rule 38a-1 under the 1940 Act, that have occurred in connection with the Sub-Adviser Compliance Policies;
(iii) a copy of the Sub-Adviser CCO’s report with respect to the annual review of the Sub-Adviser Compliance Policies pursuant to Rule 206(4)-7 under the Advisers Act; and
(iv) an annual (or more frequently as the Trust CCO may request) certification regarding the Sub-Adviser’s compliance with Rule 206(4)-7 under the Advisers Act and Section 38a-1 of the 1940 Act as well as the foregoing sub-paragraphs (i) – (iii).
(f) The Sub-Adviser may, on occasions when it deems the purchase or sale of a security to be in the best interests of the Fund as well as other fiduciary or agency accounts managed by the Sub-Adviser, aggregate, to the extent permitted by applicable laws and regulations, the securities to be sold or purchased in order to obtain the best overall terms available and execution with respect to common and preferred stocks and the best net price and execution with respect to other securities. In such event, allocation of the securities so purchased or sold, as well as the expenses incurred in the transaction, will be made by the Sub-Adviser in the manner it considers to be most fair and equitable over time to the Fund and to its other accounts.
(g) The Sub-Adviser, in connection with its rights and duties with respect to the Fund and the Trust shall use the care, skill, prudence and diligence under the circumstances then prevailing that a prudent person acting in a like capacity and familiar with such matters would use in the conduct of an enterprise of a like character and with like aims.
(h) The services of the Sub-Adviser hereunder are not deemed exclusive and the Sub-Adviser shall be free to render similar services to others (including other investment companies) so long as its services under this Agreement are not impaired thereby. The Sub-Adviser will waive enforcement of any non-compete agreement or other agreement or arrangement to which it is currently a party that restricts, limits, or otherwise interferes with the ability of the Advisers to employ or engage any person or entity to provide investment advisory or other services and will transmit to any person or entity notice of such waiver as may be required to give effect to this provision; and the Sub-Adviser will not become a party to any non-compete agreement or any other agreement, arrangement, or understanding that would restrict, limit, or otherwise interfere with the ability of the Advisers and the Trust or any of their affiliates to employ or engage any person or organization, now or in the future, to manage the Fund or any other assets managed by the Advisers.
(i) The Sub-Adviser shall furnish the Advisers and the administrators of the Trust (together, the “Administrators”) weekly, monthly, quarterly and annual reports concerning portfolio transactions and performance of the Sub-Advised Assets as the Advisers may reasonably determine in such form as may be mutually agreed upon, and agrees to review the Sub-Advised Assets with the Advisers and discuss the management of them. The Sub-Adviser shall promptly respond to requests by the Advisers, the Administrators to the Trust, and the Trust CCO or their delegates for copies of the pertinent books and records maintained by the Sub-Advisers relating directly to the Fund. The Sub-Adviser shall also provide the Advisers with such other information and reports, including information and reports related to compliance matters, as may reasonably be requested by them from time to time, including without limitation all material requested by or required to be delivered to the Board.
(j) Unless otherwise instructed by the Advisers, the Sub-Adviser shall not have the power, discretion or responsibility to vote any proxies in connection with securities in which the Sub-Advised Assets may be invested, and the Advisers shall retain such responsibility.
(k) The Sub-Adviser shall cooperate promptly and fully with the Advisers and/or the Trust in responding to any regulatory or compliance examinations or inspections (including any information requests) relating to the Trust, the Fund or either of the Advisers brought by any governmental or regulatory authorities. The Sub-Adviser shall provide to the Trust CCO or his or her delegate notice of any deficiencies that are identified by the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) in written correspondence to the Sub-Adviser and that relate to the services provided by the Sub-Adviser to the Fund pursuant to this Agreement. The Sub-Adviser shall provide such notification within a reasonable period after receiving the correspondence. The Sub-Adviser shall provide additional information with respect to such deficiencies as is reasonably requested by the Trust CCO or his or her delegatee.
(l) The Sub-Adviser shall be responsible for the preparation and filing of Schedule 13G and Form 13F on behalf of the Sub-Advised Assets. The Sub-Adviser shall not be responsible for the preparation or filing of any other reports required on behalf of the Sub-Advised Assets, except as may be expressly agreed to in writing.
(m) The Sub-Adviser shall maintain separate detailed records of all matters pertaining to the Sub-Advised Assets, including, without limitation, brokerage and other records of all securities transactions. Any records required to be maintained and preserved pursuant to the provisions of Rule 31a-1 and Rule 31a-2 promulgated under the 1940 Act that are prepared or maintained by the Sub-Adviser on behalf of the Trust are the property of the Trust and will be surrendered promptly to the Trust upon request. The Sub-Adviser further agrees to preserve for the periods prescribed in Rule 31a-2 under the 1940 Act the records required to be maintained under Rule 31a-1 under the 1940 Act.
(n) The Sub-Adviser shall promptly notify the Advisers of any financial condition that is likely to impair the Sub-Adviser’s ability to fulfill its commitments under this Agreement.
